So, I ran a half-marathon and ran well and enjoyed the experience but something  just seemed to be missing.  I just didn’t have the fire I usually have even though I gave my 100%. I then ran a fantastic 10k (Patriots Place) and did well but again something  just seemed to be missing. I looked at my goals and I certainly was losing weight and getting faster but somewhere inside me I didn’t have that fire to race.

I entered August with no fall races and no idea what to do. So, I just ran. I continued to up my mileage and ran 15,15,18 miles and it was all with no reason but to run. I’m not a zen runner but this seemed to be a break through. I was running for the pure love of running and just to run.

Then one day it clicked. Why not go for broke and just do something I didn’t think possible even last year. Why not chose a goal I had for next year and do it this year. Sounds good right ?

So I signed up for the Vermont 50k with the goal of next year accomplishing the 50 miler. It looks as if it is going to be a tough race but if it wasn’t then why do it. A whole new adventure is upon me.

The Vermont 50 Mile course starts at Ascutney Mountain Resort in Brownsville, VT . For the first three miles racers will follow down a gentle downhill on gravel roads. After an easy road climb the course turns onto snowmobile – ATV trails, which it follows through gentle rolling terrain for the next 3 miles. Shortly after leaving the ATV trails, the real climbing and descending starts. The course will follow ATV and jeep trails, single track and roads through the top of the highest hill in Hartland, where racers will get an incredible view of Vermont and New Hampshire. From about mile 40 to mile 46.5, racers will have a nice snowmobile trail over rolling, mostly downhill terrain, before hooking onto the cross country ski trail system at Mt. Ascutney for the last 4 miles.

Lots of hill both up and down and it will be mostly on dirt trails. I am excited and nervous but that fire in my belly is there and I feel like this is my goal for the year. I have no time goal at all just to finish and have FUN.

31 miles is a long way and I have no idea how my body is going to react, but it will be a quite a journey.

So on Sept. 26, 2010 I will be attempting this 50k with gusto and all my heart and soul. It will be a challenge and I will be better for it.

I’ve upped my mileage and ran my long run of 21 miles this past weekend. My legs feel like rubber but they have recovered well. I actually ran a pretty decent 4 miles the day after so I can feel myself getting stronger.

I have a bunch of tough runs coming up 24 miles this weekend and then 26-27 the next. This month will be definitely be a record for miles in a month. Should be fun and I plan on updating the blog to reflect my thoughts and how my training is going.

A bonus is that I’m almost at my lightest I’ve been in 15 years. Yahoo.

• I’ve almost hit 30 pounds lost since May
• My leg turnover is quicker and my slow pace is what my race pace was 2 months ago
• I can run faster and longer almost with ease
• Those running voices that tell you to stop or relax have disappeared
• I feel like I’m gliding when I run

I’ve increased my running mileage from 20 miles a week to over 40 and that burning desire to race is coming back; However the racing I’m yearning for isn’t a running race. I have been trying to get back into the mindset of being a triathlete. I’m actually missing the swimming and biking. I’ve biked a few times but really haven’t swam at all since Aug 23, 2009. I actually want to swim.

This weekend is my one year anniversary of the biggest athletic achievement of my life Timberman 70.3.  I look back at my race report and get goosebumps from reliving the experience. The inner desire to race triathlons is back and of course the season is basically over. That desire has lit a fire in me though that will carry over for the next year.

At the beginning of the year I made a decision to skip triathlons. I felt like I wasn’t mentally or physically ready for the rigors of training in the 3 sports. So, I chose to focus on a few things : Getting faster and lighter.

I have always known that the lighter I was the faster I would get but I just couldn’t give up the good greasy food I so enjoyed and the delicious beer that always tastes so good. What do you do ? Well, I’ve trained harder and tried my hardest to cut down. I do see the results and I’m at almost my Boston Marathon weight and my target is well within reach. In fact, I might in two months be the lightest I’ve been in 20+ years if all else goes as expected.

These past 3 months have given me the time to get back the passion and enjoyment of training. I ran 18 miles last week just for fun. Sounds crazy but that is the Monster that I’ve felt. I have no race planned this year. I am now in the mental side of training where I just keep training with the main goal to get to the point where I can have the best year ever next year.

The funny thing has been on my long runs my brain seems to shut down. I think this is a huge. Why ?  I now have time to think about how I’m running not when i am going to stop. I look at my form, do a check of my body, add time goals mile by mile. It is an amazing time and when I’m done I feel like I’ve been through a class. Endurance running as taught by Trifatlete.

So I’ve also made some decisions about my Endurance Sports Goals. I need to take it to the next level. I have a few goals that I want to accomplish. Next year at least one of these will be accomplished. I know which one I am planning to do but still haven’t made the final registration decision.

• 50k
• 50miles
• Ironman

So, I now look back at my training the past 2 months and see there was a point to it all. Not a race or a specific goal. It was all getting to the point where I am mentally and physically ready for the  next huge accomplishment.

Now I can enjoy my Monster.

And in this whole process I’ve gotten stronger, faster in both my running and cycling. I ride with ease on the bike and run as if I’m a gazelle (ok, pushing it a bit there).

Running can be difficult one day and easy the next. Three weeks ago I had one of my toughest long runs yet and it got me thinking about my goals.

Two years ago I ran the Boston Marathon. I remember someone asking me “what next? You going to run an ultra marathon!” I immediately said no way. 26.2 miles is enough right ?

I ventured into all kinds of distances that year and by the end of racing season I had to set a new goal. Triathlons. Since the age of 18 I have always wanted to become an Ironman. So first step is becoming a triathlete. 2009 I did just that and became a Half Ironman.

2010 rolls around and my goals were simple. Get faster. Run a 5k with avg pace under 7:00 miles. I wanted to run a half-marathon and also a marathon with times of 1:40 and under 4:00 hours for the marathon. I didn’t quite make my times but I have gotten faster and I’m not going to run a marathon this year. I feel like every week has a purpose. A bigger purpose than a marathon.

All of a sudden about 2 months ago something popped into my head. I want to become an UltraRunner. What ? Yes, I want to run over 26.2 miles.  I think my experiences with the 70.3 challenged me more than physically. I think it started me on the journey of learning to deal with those stupid running voices in your head. This year in my quest to get faster I’ve noticed that those voices are almost non-existent during the run.

After my crappy run a few weeks ago where those voices shouted at me very loud they all of a sudden disappeared. Gone. That is when I realized something. I’m ready to conquer something  very few people have. Run 50 miles in one day under 12 hours and gasp maybe even a 100 miler (leadville anyone).

Why all of a sudden ? Confidence ! I am now so confident in my running. I run with ease now. I’m running and continuing to increase my mileage with no race at all on my calendar. I am so confident in my running that I know that I can run 50 miles in 10 hours or less. I also have the confidence that my Ironman goals is that much closer. If you don’t challenge yourself to do something then what is the point. I could continue to do the same distances, improve my speed and enjoy triathlons, but my thirst for more is what being an endurance athlete is all about. I want to get faster, go longer and do different types of races. I’m confident I can do anything I put my mind to. Conquer the next challenge, break through all the walls, climb all the mountains and enjoy every minute.

This past weekend I ran 15 miles on Sunday bringing my total miles to 35 for the week. I’ve run farther in a week before but this week seem to be a turning point. This run wasn’t as good as last weeks, but I started out running strong. In fact the first 10k was run at basically my 10k race pace and then I slowed down due to the heat. No worries,  I just needed to relax and enjoy the run. My mind was clear, my legs felt strong, my arms were swinging with ease, and I felt fantastic. After about 11 miles I hit the wall, but I dug deep into myself and pushed hard. Of course the music certainly helped.  I climbed the wall with all I had and once over I ran stronger and more powerful. It hurt, but not once during the whole run did I think I couldn’t do it.

It is a long journey to become an UltraRunner or an Ironman but I’m going to enjoy the trip.

I found an awesome race that would be a fantastic introduction to the ultra running.

www.stcroix50.com

Here’s the description :

As challenging as it is beautiful; what better way to see this gem of the Caribbean than to run over a good portion of its rugged mountains and along its stunning shoreline?

The course is an out and back from Christiansted to Frederiksted and back, ending at The Buccaneer.  With heart pounding climbs and quad screaming descents, it is sure to be as challenging as it is beautiful.

Start at the fort in Christiansted and after a fairly mellow 5 mile warm up over to salt river, turn left onto the scenic drive.  (The first hour and a half will be dark, so plan accordingly.  Each runner will be responsible for providing his/her own light source with extra batteries and a backup.)  Run up, up, up, following the scenic drive along the rolling ridge where the road goes dirt (even the paved part is a bit rough at points).  Enjoy the views as you head west, crossing the top of “The Beast.”  The road is a mix of asphalt and concrete sections for a while before returning to dirt.  The descent to Hams Bluff is paved again with a mix of concrete and asphalt.  You will then turn south (left) and head into Frederiksted, turn around, and head back the same way you came.  Once back in Christainsted continue to the entrance of The Buccaneer and head on in.  You’re almost there!  One more hill up the main drive of the resort and down to the finish at the beach.

I went into a triathlon funk after my biggest athletic achievement – the 70.3. I wasn’t dead physically, but mentally the race took a lot out of me. I have no idea why this all happened but I just lost my desire to race. It came back a few times but then winter was upon us and that isn’t the greatest time to train.

I picked a few races at the beginning of the year and decided to skip Triathlons this year and focus on getting faster. The only problem was that this funk I was in led me down a bad healthy lifestyle. I ate way too much and maybe had a few too many beers. All of a sudden I was up 25 pounds. Shoot all that work down the drain.

I decided to run the inaugural Worcester Half-Marathon and Bay State Marathon. My two “A” races. I wanted to run really well and try and hit 1:40 ish. Only problem….that stupid brain of mine.

I just didn’t get motivated enough to race. I ran a great 10k in April and actually placed 3rd in my age group. That should have kicked my brain into gear. Right ? Nope I still didn’t have the motivation to get going and seriously train.

They a bit of a wake up call happened in the early part of May. Not ready to discuss but it opened my eyes to my training and that I really needed to focus on getting back into shape and running fast.

I ran the Half-Marathon and did ok (race report soon). I also ran the Patriots Place 10k (finishing in Gillete Stadium and race report coming soon). I did well in both races and met some basic time goals. I could have run faster but I am happy with my results. The Half Marathon I was too conservative at the beginning and the Patriots Place I was too aggressive.

So what this all means and why am I suddenly blogging again.

Today I finally got my Mojo back.

Yesterday I ran a 10k in just under 50 minutes. That was a huge goal. I started out pretty conservative but at half-way (and really just running really easy) I realized that I could push it. I did. My last 1.5 miles I was in the high 6:50 min per mile. My new music playlist was playing all my heart thumping songs and I ended with the one song that I call my Anthem.

Today I woke up and felt alright. Last night I didn’t eat a healthy dinner and really didn’t hydrate enough yesterday so I was skeptical on my results today. The first mile was nice and easy and I watched my watch. Not bad.

I hit the three mile mark strong. Felt good and was hitting what I sort of expected time wise. By mile 5 I was feeling really good, but then I felt the twinge in my hamstring. Crap. I didn’t want to feel that. I continued but realized that I might have to cut the run short. Today my music was well in sync with my running and it seemed every song kept me going and going. I’m happy that I revamped my running playlist because it certainly helped me today.

I planned on running between 11-13 miles and by the time I hit 7 miles I was feeling awesome. Running strong up the hills and even better on the flats. I turned around and headed home. Then something happened.

The music took over and those stupid voices that always wants you to quit went black (not that I had them much today as I was so focused). I started to pick it up and felt stronger as the miles kept piling up. I hit 8 miles and there was a runner ahead of me. I knew that if I made the pass it was going to turn into a race.

I passed the runner and she didn’t like it and we got a laugh but I was picking up speed. My legs felt great but I had to be careful as I could feel the twinge, but I kept going faster and faster. A huge hill and no problems, I blazed up it.

I turned the corner with about 2 miles to go and I just kept getting faster. The last 6 miles was strong than the first 6 miles. My last mile was my fastest of the day.

Fantastic run. I now am down to my racing weight from last year and I know that I’m about 10 pounds from marathon racing weight and about another 10 pounds for my ultimate goal of becoming an Ultra Runner.

This will be my journey for the next year. 50k, 70.3 tri, 50mile race.

Let It Rock

So some days you go out for a run and it is effortless. You glide like a gazelle and barely break into a sweat, yet you are running at a good pace and it just isn’t affecting you. Then there are the days that you just can’t seem to get into it. You are running but it appears as if you are bolted to the pavement with a couple of bricks. In reality you probably benefit more from these kind of days than the effortless ones. As a runner you have to learn to overcome the obstacles.

Beginners always have these type of problems and it is why it is so important to make running a habit. I think it usually takes 3 weeks to get your body adjusted to running.

Beginners (from my experience) run into these issues

• Run too fast in the beginning (if you’ve been away from running or never run before you need to take it slowly). This can cause so many issues like shin splints that you then become discouraged and give up.
• Run too long in the beginning (starting off with a run/walk program is great but make sure you stick to it). There is a reason why it has gradual progression. You are easing your body into the whole running thing and trying to establish a habit
• We all think we can run faster than we can in the beginning. Yes, you probably can sprint for a mile or two the first day but what happens the next ? Soreness, pain and other issues.

Ok, my point is that we all learn from our mistakes and those days that you feel like crap, run like crap and look like crap are actually in my opinion the best days. How many consecutive bad days do you have ? Unless you are injured it is unusual to have consecutive bad days. If you have one of those days just sit down and chalk it up as experience. I like to go through the miles and see where I “lost” it.

I had a really good race on Sunday then took my usual Monday off and then ran Tue/Wed. Last week I ran good (not often but good). This week I ran 6.1 on Tue and 5.1 on Wed. Now, my calves are killing me so I think that is why I had two such days. I ran and it hurt. I look back at it and realize that I probably ran too fast on both days. I look back at my stats and both runs started out with quick 3 miles and then really slowing down after that. That tells me something that I have always knows : DON’T GO OUT TOO FAST. DOH.

So even though I felt like crap they were good runs. Decent times, good mileage.

So, if you have one of those days. Chalk it up as experience. For me it is easy to fix my next run. Go either a shorter distance or go slower. Then maybe I won’t feel so bad after the run.

This was a day of family fitness. My 11 year old son was going to run the 5k and my 5 year old daughter who wants to badly be a marathon runner was running her first mile race.

The morning turned out to be very comfortable with sun and little wind. We met up with some other friends who were also going to run the 5k race. Actually, you couldn’t have asked for a better day to race. My son was a bit nervous because for the first time (he’s run a few others) he was running by himself. I gave him my tips and tried to convince him he would do fine and if he had to then it was ok to walk. We had planned out that he would run 10 minutes to start and then in 5 minute intervals he would walk for 1 minute at a time. He seemed happy and excited.

As we lined up for the start the 5k racers to the left and the 10k racers on the right I looked over and I could tell my son was getting into it as he had is fingers on his watch and was waiting anxiously for the start. Then we were off and running.

Of course like any other race, even though I wanted to just “run” the race, I got into the mood and ran pretty fast for the first mile. I looked down at the Garmin (as this was the first race I had run with it) and saw that the first 1/2 mile I was at a 7:40ish pace. Waaaay too fast but I did seem to be in the groove.

The one thing I didn’t pay too much attention too before the race (nor did I prepare) was the course. I had no idea where we were running and if there were any hills. I did overhear someone say there was a big hill, but I had no idea. The first mile went well and I clocked in at 8:04 which in my head was still too fast for my plan. I briefly thought that I could run faster but didn’t want to push it.

The crowd had already fanned out and it was only me and a woman ahead of me. Well, I briefly saw a guy with a jog stroller cruise by me but he was soon far ahead of me. Impressive.

So, the woman ahead of me seemed to be running at our about my pace so I just tried to concentrate and control my breathing. A quick check and my legs seemed to be fun so the pace didn’t seem out of the ordinary. I tend to go fast the first two miles of anything I run (training or racing) so I just tried to relax and enjoy the day.

After the turn it was downhill for almost 2 miles and it felt good to push it a bit. I felt good and the legs seemed to be really holding out for me. I hit the first and only water stop at the 2.5 mile mark and I was a bit disappointed at the end of the race to find out that was the only water stop. I certainly felt the effects as I got closer to the end.

I continued to push hard and really had not problems with my legs. I couldn’t believe I actually was running hard and feeling good. I was passed around 3 miles by a guy who said to me “Looks like we will catch that woman any minute now” and I laughed as he pulled away. She had been our target and he made his move. I didn’t want to lose sigh of him so I picked it up a bit and we both passed the woman and surprisingly I battled to keep close to him the rest of the race, but he did beat me by about 2 minutes. Darn it.

I felt like I was going faster and faster but as I looked at my splits I was slowing down a bit. Still way under my goal time for the race. Then I hit the hill. Yikes, who puts a really steep hill at mile 5.25 of a 10k. Arg. I ran as hard as I could up the hill and it hurt. There was a mean curve halfway up the hill and all you could see was more hill.

I have to say it was a killer hill but it certainly didn’t beat me. After the hill I knew there had to be a downhill to the finish so I began to pick up the pace. Never having raced before with my Garmin, I really appreciated having it on this race. There were no mile markers and I was able to control my pace and also aim for different goals as the race progressed. Knowing I had about .6 left I wanted to really pick it up.

So I did. I ran the last 1/2 mile pretty fast making it all the way up to 6:05 min miles.

I finished strong and really impressed myself with my effort. My calves/shins didn’t hurt which was a good thing.

After finishing I saw my son who was so super proud of himself. He told me of the same hill on the 5k course and said “I had to walk up that never ending hill”. I was very proud of him and he did it all by himself.

Then came the last race of the day and my daughter rocked it. She ran her mile in 7:39 and didn’t look a bit winded. She waved to the crowd and smiled from ear to ear when she got her ribbon. She rocks and so does my son.

And to top off the beautiful day I actually placed 3rd in my age group and 17th overall. Holy crap that made my day, weekend, month. I rocked the race and it gives me hope in achieving some of my other goals I have set for myself. I am happy that I raced the 10k and also showed myself that I am only about 30 seconds off my goal half-marathon pace.

Not only did my family run but a couple of good friends also.

Not sure why my son and I are scowling but it truly was a great Family Fitness Day.

My stats.

For me there is always one week in the year that just sets me up for the racing season. It is the “ah ha” moment where you know that the base building you have done moves onto the next stage. This past week seems to have been the huge hurdle I have been trying to climb over for the past 6 months.

Now, the mileage wasn’t the longest nor the fastest, but for some reason this week it just clicked.

The pains in my shins have all but disappeared and the voices in my head are longer hounding me to stop short of my goal. I even had a great bike ride on the trainer (17 miles). Of course, on that same day I was able to run 5 miles and ride almost 7 miles on my Mtn. Bike all after my long 8.25 mile run the day before.

This week I believe ends my base building phase and moves me onto the next one. I plan on racing a 10k in 2 weeks and the inaugural Worcester Half-Marathon on June 13th.

I have some goals in mind and am not sure I’m going to meet them for these two races. The 10k is really about getting race ready. With the extra “winter weight” I’ve seemed to pack on my speed doesn’t seem to be at what it should. So, I’m going to focus on just racing without getting injured. I’ll try and run at a 8:50-8:55 pace.

The month of may and up until June 13th I’m going to go dry and stop drinking. I figure that will help me lose the extra pounds (as well as focusing on proper nutrition) and then my goal for the half-marathon will depend on my weight.

If I’m close to what I expect my racing weight to be then I’m shooting for a 1:40-1:45 which will be a bit quicker than my PR. I will try and push the pace but what is probably more realistic is an 8:30 pace which will put me in around 1:52 ish and I wouldn’t be unhappy with that.

My ultimate goal is a 3:19 for the Bay State Marathon in October but there is a log of work to be done. Strength training, building up a quicker pace, losing weight.

I hope I’m correct in that I’m coming of my base building and ready to start the serious training. I hope.