2/29/2008 Happy Leap Year!

Is Happy Leap Year something that you even say? I'm not sure. Oh, well.

Ok, so back to my at-work drama. I believe I am going to switch jobs. I am ready for something more flexible so I can get back to Mark's life. Meaning: my wife, my kids, my running, etc. Life has to be "about ME!" It's too short for anything else. I have let this last year in that ER overcome me and turn me into things that I have learned I don't want to be. So here I go, off into the wild blue yonder! No, I'm not joining the Air Force either, I'm going to work for a medical staffing agency for quite a bit more money and lots more flexibility.

Now then, with all that settled, this weekend has to be about running! Lots of running. I need to make up for lost time. I hope that my fitness base is strong enough for me to ramp up my mileage quickly and keep me healthy for the Grasslands. We shall soon see. Wish me luck!

2/26/2008 La Sportiva Raceblades

Okay, since La Sportiva discontinued my favorite shoes, the Slingshots, I have switched over to running in Raceblades. I really like them even though they are a little more shoe than I am used to. I ran the Bataan Memorial Death March in them last year and really liked them but at that time they rubbed a blister on my right middle toe. So for some reason I had totally dismissed the idea of continuing to run in them. Anyway, fate has forced my hand and I ordered a new pair that is a size larger than the ones I wore last year. I love them! They are amazingly light and comfortable. And, man, you cannot beat the color scheme of these shoes. If you can't see me coming then you have a big vision problem! Once again, ain't life crazy??

2/25/2008

After working the last three days I was finally able to get outside this morning and put in about 6.5 miles. Life has really gotten (gotten's not really a word, I know, but we use it here in Texas)in the way of my running lately. I am really having doubts as to if I am going to be ready to run the Grasslands in 25 days or so. I think that if I can get in at least a 20 miler or so by the time of the race I will be okay but who knows. I will just keep trying to push myself and see what happens. I am now considering looking for another job with a little more flexibility in the schedule and possibly even going back to school. The ER is so busy now that it's not even fun anymore. The hospital is so full that we have to hold admitted patients in the ER since there are no rooms at all. So in essence, we are running an 8 or 9 bed Level 1 Trauma Center. Crazy! I've been working ER for over 11 years now and it is definitely not the same. The fun days at work are over I'm afraid. Again...........c'est la vie!

2/20/2008

Do you ever have those days where your run is just a bunch of CRAP!!?? I had every intention today of running a good 10 miles out on 1585 and after the first two miles my body just didn't want to go at all! I basically felt like "hammered dog shit!" That's the best comparison that I could come up with. My legs were fatigued and tight and did not want to move. I went ahead and turned around at 4 miles out and slogged back to the house making it a final count of 8 miles. Not sure what the problem was but not even my "Kick-Ass, Run Like Hell" playlist on my Ipod could get me out of the funk. I guess that's what happens when you rub nice weather in peoples' faces. We learn our lessons the hard way sometimes. Well, I am going to head to the hot tub with a glass of Merlot and some Advil and see what happens tomorrow!
DAMMIT!!

2/17/2008

I went with Aubrey this afternoon for a leisurely 4 mile run down 1585. It was only his second run since Rocky and he was feeling pretty stiff. He ran the Cotton Patch 8 miler but really had a hard time with his left knee which is pretty disconcerting. We kept a 9:30 pace and about a mile from the truck his left knee started acting up again. We'll just have to figure it out I guess. Aubrey is a Clydesdale which I know would make running far a little harder. Hopefully it's just a stressed ligament or tendon from Rocky.

I need to start picking up the mileage this week in preparation for the Grasslands. I want to run at least a 15, a 20, and a 30 before I go. Shouldn't be a problem.

2/16/2008

It's cloudy and cold out today. It rained like crazy overnight. And I can't get off of my LAZY ass to go do ANYTHING!! I am sitting here in my running gear with a beanie on my head, trying to force myself outside...............and I am half-falling asleep. I have a hand bottle in the fridge ready to go and everything but nothing is working. I believe that when it gets that hard to get out the door then you probably need to take the day off. At least that's my rationalization for it. Probably here in a little bit I will do some upper body strength training and core work but no running for today. Soooo lazy!

C'est la vie!! and Que sera, sera!!

Addendum:
The post above this addendum was written about 2:30pm. About 3:30pm some energy (that I guess fell out of the sky) hit me and I got up and ran a nice little 5 mile loop around the house. The coolness of the air made it more exhilarating than originally anticipated so that was a big plus. I maintained about an 8:30 pace without too much effort so I think that's good as well. So once I got home I hit the weights and worked chest and arms, then did 100 crunches on the stability ball. Yeah!!

Ain't life weird??

02/11/2008

I got out this afternoon and ran a leisurely 5 mile loop from my house out to 1585. I didn't push too hard today either. As I mentioned before I had planned on running the Cotton Patch Run as a recovery run but that didn't happen so I took it extra easy today. The wind was blowing out of the west fairly hard so I was glad most of my running would take me east. Man, I hate the wind. (And I live in the plains of Texas!)

Back to work tomorrow for three days and then off for the weekend again.
Oh, and I posted some new pics from Rocky Raccoon below as well.

02/09/2008 Cotton Patch Run- WTRC

Today was the Cotton Patch Run with the West Texas Running Club. My plan was to run the 8 mile race as a recovery run. Impossible! If there are people out there racing then you're obligated to race too. ha My legs still felt pretty fatigued from last Saturday but all in all I felt OK. I ran it in 1:10. About an 8:49 pace. Not bad I don't think. I got to chuckling as I came in to the first aid station at 2 miles out. I thought to myself, "Where's the brownies and M&M's??!!" Oh, well, I just grabbed a cup of Gatorade and took off again. I can't wait til next month for the Grasslands 50.

So my son, Zach ran the 4 miler and I think he was the only kid in his age group that did it. The rest of the kids ran a relay with 4 kids to a team for a mile each. So CONGRATULATIONS TO ZACH FOR BEING THE STUD OF THE DAY!! He ran it in 38min and 42secs and won first in his age group!! What a man!

2/6/2008

Just a quick blurb to let ya know how I'm doing. My legs are feeling perfect again, maybe just a slight bit of fatigue in the quads but otherwise good. My left big toe where I kicked the root is pretty sore still. I wish the toenail would just go ahead and give up the ghost. Stupid toenails just get in the way of progress anyway. ha I have an 8 miler with the WTRC scheduled for Saturday and it's a nice flat out and back so it should make for a good recovery run. My son has asked to run the 4 miler so we'll see how he does. He's a wiry little squirt so I have loads of faith in him. I'll keep ya posted.

In the pic are my kids.............Zach, 10.5 years and Makenzie, 9 years

2/2/08 Rocky Raccoon Race Report

This was my first 50 miler. It was fantastic! I wish road marathons were this well organized.
At 0700 on the dot, we were off. I really didn't know what to expect from myself or the course but I "knew" it was going to be a long day.
It was to be 3 loops of 16.67 miles each on the trails of Huntsville State Park. My drop bag was left at the lodge where we would pass at the end of each loop. I knew that the aid stations were close enough that I would only need to carry one hand-bottle and I carried about 20 S-caps and 6 or so GU gels in my small trail pack. I planned on taking one gel every 30 minutes or so.
Aubrey and I just hung out at the back of the pack from the start so we wouldn't go out too fast. It worked. I actually think, in retrospect, that it might have been too slow for me personally. However, it was nice to kind of settle in and just put one foot in front of the other. Our plan was to run 20 minutes and walk 5 minutes. I stuck to it pretty well for the first loop and then kind of ad-libbed after that. As for the course itself, it was beautiful. The trails were mostly covered with pine needles so it was pretty soft footing. We were forewarned that there was a lot of tree roots on the course. If you've ever had to run tires in high school PE then you can understand how parts of this course were. Very challenging. There were also several fairly sloggy areas but they were easily traversed without getting muddy or wet and some had wooden bridges over them. Some of the bridges were incredibly long and felt quite springy underfoot which made them a really nice change of pace. There was also a good mix of inclines and declines so the course was pretty diverse. At one point of each loop you come out of the woods and climb a small hill to overlook the lake and it was gorgeous in the morning, like black glass. Definitely a highlight! The first loop felt incredibly easy to me and I ended up leaving Aubrey about 30 minutes behind. He had intended to keep a slower pace than me from the beginning so I kind of expected this. Once back at the lodge and my drop bag I reloaded my pack with GU, took some Advil, and ate a couple of brownie bites. Damn, they were good! The aid stations were amazing, and the volunteers were even more impressive. As I ran into the aid stations, the volunteers basically "attacked!" They filled your bottles, directed you to the calories, and patted you on the back. They also encouraged you to pat someone else on the back out on the course. The race was made by these people. THANK YOU SO MUCH ALL OF YOU!! I truly felt like an elite athlete because of them.
So I took off from the lodge for the second loop. I still felt good, no fatigue or aches as of yet. I never really ate much at the aid stations other than a few peanut M&M's and some peanuts. I also caught a hankering for Coke late in the second loop which seemed to help the ol' energy level big time. The second loop for me was fairly uneventful. At the end of the second loop I changed to my size 43.5 Slingshots from my 43's. I didn't change my socks simply because I didn't want to see how my toes looked. ha It was also warming up pretty nice so I lost my Spandex undershirt and just kept my North Face pullover. It made it much more comfortable for the last loop.
I really didn't know what to expect for the last loop. Before the race started I figured that I would end up walking most of the last loop and I was wrong. I felt really good and was able to run most of the time. As I headed out again I ran into Aubrey and saw that he was still doing well. He said that he had fallen about 4 times but didn't look too worse for wear. ha Somewhere about 4 miles into the last loop I kicked the shit out of tree root with my left big toe. It didn't give me any problems at all during the race but it's definitely jacked now. Anyway I got to the aid station at the end of the out and back portion and saw that I was only 10.1 miles to the finish and that boosted my confidence big time. I mentioned that to a fellow runner and he sourly told me that he was a 100 miler and he had 50 more to go. Oops, my bad! I drank a couple more cups of Coke here and took off again with a little more spring in my step. Anyway I kept a decent pace from there on out and was able to finish in style with a half-ass sprint down to the finish line in 10:25. I came in 55th out of 138. Not bad for my first experiment with this distance.
I honestly cannot express enough thanks to Joe and Joyce and all the volunteers who made this race so amazingly enjoyable. I sincerely hope to see you all again next year when I take on the 100 miler. Thank You!!

Oh, and Aubrey finished the race in 11:51. It had fallen into darkness and I was really getting worried about him since he didn't have a headlamp or flashlight on him. However, he made it in with the help of one of the 100 mile runners who happened to have an extra flashlight. Thank you, Sir, whoever you are!

1/28/2008

The wind was blowing about 30-40mph today. Ridiculous! Oh, well, that's life on the plains. So no running today obviously. I could have braved it but why? It wouldn't have been enjoyable at all. I'm on a taper anyway.................at least that's the excuse I will use today. ha

Work is going well, but still haven't heard anything about the educator position. Hopefully I will find out more this week. I'm ready to know so I can get out of limbo. It's not a fun place to be. Not much to post today so I'll close before anyone reading this goes to sleep. More later.

1/26/08

It's really beautiful outside today. I just wish my body wanted to run a little further than it did. We had talked about running 12-15 miles today but neither one of us felt like it. I think my legs still had a little fatigue left in them from the the 30 miler last week. Anyway, we ran 8 miles and it wasn't too bad. I will attempt to get out and put in at least that tomorrow as well.

I went to the store today and got stocked up on GU and Accelerade so I would have plenty for the run next Saturday. I plan on keeping the bulk of my gels in my drop bag at the start line so I don't have to carry so many on each loop. I will also keep a baggy full of Accelerade there so at least one bottle per loop will have my favorite drink. I only plan on carrying one handbottle since we can refill at the aid stations. Also I definitely plan on taking an S-cap per hour. I will post more as we get closer.

1/23/2008

I moved to days on Monday so this week has been a little different for me. I am going to have to totally redo my running schedule. Anyway, Aubrey and I went out last night and did some easy laps at the park by his house. I think we ran a whole 3.5 miles. ha Oh, well, it was nice to just run nice and easy. We are going to try and go a little longer tomorrow night and then maybe a 15 miler or so on the weekend. Then we need to start resting up for Rocky. It's getting close.

1/19/2008

Great run today!! I knew that we needed to go long today but we weren't sure how the weather would be. Luckily, once I got up this morning there was no wind. It was, however, only 16 degrees and I am quite the wuss when it comes to cold. Anyway, I bundled up, grabbed a couple of hand bottles with water, several gels, and my Succeed caps and Aubrey and I headed out from my house to 1585. We did a 30 mile out and back. Around 18 miles we ran out of water and Kelli and the kids drove out and brought a big jug to refill our bottles. Yay, my family to the rescue. We definitely would not have made it if they hadn't done that for us. So today was really the first day that I've been able to use the S-caps and WOW, what a difference they make. I couldn't believe it. I started taking one an hour after the first hour of running and just couldn't believe the difference. Even after we got back to the house after 30 miles of running...........my legs still felt really good. I felt like I could have kept on going without much effort. I never did feel fatigued that much. It was really amazing. Man, this could be a commercial but I'm telling the truth. I know that the way I feel is a culmination of several things including my training, and current level of fitness but the caps really did help. Even now as I write I still feel pretty decent. That's really good since the race is two weeks from today!

1/16/2008

I took yesterday off for a little recovery and strangely enough........didn't really need it. I really feel pretty good. I may go out later this afternoon for a short 5-6 mile recovery run before work. It all depends on how well my nap goes.
So I'm still not sure what's going to happen to me up at work. I am off the night schedule after tomorrow night and I was supposed to start training on days with Ali on Monday but I haven't heard what the plan is. Some things have changed up and thrown a little "monkey wrench" into the works. I really want to be able to move up the ladder at work. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

1/13/2008

What a run today!! The weather was beautiful. I got to bed around 0730 this am after a busy night at work and I woke up around 1130 or so. I called Aubrey at noon and we headed out to 1585 and did 20 miles. We ran it in about 3:15 or so with run 20 minutes/walk 5 minutes plan. I started feeling a little fatigued and sore in the thighs and hips around 14 miles or so but took a gel and perked up quite a bit. All in all, a fantastic run. I needed that big time. I may do a little cross training tomorrow on the elliptical if I feel up to it. Race time is less than 3 weeks away and I hope I'm ready. Otherwise...........................it's gonna hurt!

1/13/2008

I got up a little later than usual yesterday but was still able to get in a nice 10 miles out on 1585 before work. No aches or pains in the legs or feet which is excellent. Also, my cold is completely gone. Hopefully I won't suffer any more setbacks over the next three weeks. After I see how Rocky goes in three weeks I plan on running the Grasslands 50 in March, the Bataan Memorial Death March in April, and the Jemez Mountain 50 miler in May. I love it when things go according to plan! Let's hope it does.

1/10/2008

I got up this morning feeling pretty good after sleeping most of yesterday plus sleeping all night too. Aubrey and I ran a 14 mile point to point after I got the kids to school. It was nice out, not much wind and the sun was good and bright. It felt really healing. I love sunshine! The run itself was a flat one out on some country roads. I tried as much as possible to run just off the road in the dirt. Sometimes the weeds would get a little thick and I would have to return to the asphalt. There were a couple of areas where the cotton trucks were thick which was a little unnerving since there isn't much of a shoulder. We hadn't foreseen much traffic out there but now we know to watch for it. Still really trying to pick up the weekly mileage over the next couple of weeks so I am going to be busy. Gotta get ready!

1/8/2008

It was really busy last night at work. The hospital is full to the gills and we had to hold 21 patients overnight in the ER. Really busy! Oh, well. I got off work and felt pretty good so I called Aubrey and we decided to head out and run. There was a pretty strong wind headed out of the north which made it the wind chill frigid. We went over to Highway 87 and parked my Xterra out 10 miles south of town and then drove back in his truck and ran point to point. We started running south with the wind at our backs so it wasn't bad at all. I was really happy about how I felt. Being sick this time was the worst I've had in a long time so today was incredibly encouraging for me. I felt like a real runner again. Back to work tonight and then I've got a couple of nights off.

1/6/2008

I took yesterday off and most of today off, just relaxing in bed and playing a little ping pong with the kids. I took a good nap today and got up and spent about 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer. I did a sort of hill workout on it and it was tough. Was it tough or am I still just healing from this cold? After that I just got edgy and needed to get out of the house so I went and ran a little over 3 miles. Not much, I know but it was just to get out of my funk. I am going to hit it hard the next 3 weeks so I can be ready for Rocky. We'll see how my body handles it.