What started so promising...ended poorly.

2012 Recap

Miles: 1261 miles
Best month: September - 177 miles
Worst month: December - 11 miles
Fastest mile - 5:47
Longest run - 75 miles

My goal for 2012 was to run 1200 miles, or 100 miles every month.  I did it!  Had a wonderful time too, except for the end of the year...

I always had a feeling that I would end up turning an ankle or getting injured doing something other than running.  Perhaps I would be bringing in the groceries and slip, or hurt myself jumping off of a house into a pool, or even twist an ankle playing indoor soccer.  Well that last one did happen. 

Soccer is the world's most popular sport and my personal favorite. While I am a bigger guy, I like to play up front and score...kinda like a taller Wayne Rooney.  I am also a pretty fierce competitor, which is probably partially the reason I got hurt in the first place.  Either way, what's done is done and during a game I got my left ankle caught between a guys legs while going up for a header...never felt pain quite like I did at that moment but at least I had already scored a goal in that game.  By the time I got home, my ankle was GIANT. I went to the doctor the following day and got some x-rays and heard the some bad news...your ankle is not broken but in this case a break might have been better for the healing process.  Yuck.   

Today is 1.2.13 and the ankle is starting to feel better daily.  While there is a slight bit of pain, I am just going to push through it.  Looking forward to big things in 2013! 

See you out there...well, on the trails, not on the pitch :)

TF

A Runner's Poem

Running groups are fun

I ran extremely fast

Everyone wants to be friends

Challenging the altitiude

Courtesy of www.matttrailer.com

Over the Memorial Day weekend, my younger step-sister got married in Albuquerque.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful and seeing my family was great, as was our cross country road trip. 

Going back home for a week was very cool but I was probably most interested in how the altitude would affect my running.  Atlanta, my current hometown, has an elevation of approximately 1100ft and pales in comparison to Albuquerque which is nearly five times that.  Would that difference really affect my running? I mean I have been training hard (30-50mi/wk) for the Chattanooga Stage Race later this month.  Nothing can slow me down...right? 



Courtesy of wwp.greenwichmeantime.com



Prior to heading out West, I did a bit of research.  Many websites, blogs, and research papers mention that running at elevation is more difficult and it should affect your time. Obviously, there is less oxygen higher up which, if you are not used to, will affect your breathing.  That all makes plenty of sense but does this hold true for longer distances? 



During my trip I went for three different runs; dirt track, road, and sand trail. In all three cases, my pace was either better than or right at my average pace.  Perhaps you want to play the rest card?  But all 26 miles took place within a four day period.  So it was not like I was spacing runs out all that much. 



Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Overall, who really knows what impact the altitude plays in running but I do know that I can drink more at the lower altitude...which is a good thing. 

On a side note, in my adventures around town I did manage to see a group of runners (each of who weighed less than my legs)  chasing their coach who was riding a bike.  I also ran shirtless in the sand but not Mitch Buchannon style, I ran along the mighty Rio Grande rather than on the beach. 

See you out there,

TF

Darkside 8 Hour Race - Recap

2012 Darkside 8 Hour Race - Peachtree City, Georgia

5/12/2012

Distance: 38.76mi

Time: 7:58:20

Overall: 15/38

Males: 10/17

PreRace - Peachtree City is far, far away.  I had to wake up at 5am to give myself enough time to get out the door and be at the prerace meeting by 645am.  I opted for some yummy salad and espresso for breakfast. 

What I packed:

• 10 Honey Stinger Waffles (Honey and Vanilla)
• 14 GU Gels (5 Espresso, 5 Peanut Butter, 4 Lemon Lime)
• 9 Salt Stick Tabs
• 6 12oz bottles of GU Electrolyte Brew Drink - Blueberry Pomegranate
• BodyGlide
• 3 Shorts and 2 Shirts
• Sunscreen

Anyway, I got to the meeting and met my lap counter...nice guy, so I pleaded with him to count by 2's but he laughed and said yeah right Todd. 

Race - On your marks, get set, ladies go...men wait for five minutes.  Five minutes felt like an eternity and because the loop was only like .432 miles around, the women were already on their second lap before we started. 

About an hour into it I really started to feel good.  Then the rains came.  It was actually quite perfect.  The light drizzle kept the day cool but all I could really think about was what would happen if the sun broke through the clouds.  Man, I bet is would get super steamy. 

At around 1030ish, my wife showed up to watch me.  Although it was still raining and the chairs I set out by my stuff were soaked, she still hung out for a bit to cheer me on.  I would run past her and steal a sip of her Dunkin Donuts coffee...yum!  I was moving along well and actually a bit faster than I would have hoped but I felt good so I just kept on going. 

Here comes the sun. Finally at high noon the sun came out.  My original shirt was blackish gray so when the sun came out I switched to white, to reflect it...smart thinking right?  After rubbing on some BodyGlide, I put the new shirt on and continued. 

It must have been about 1245ish and my wife showed up, again.  This time she came to help me out.  She threw on her running shoes and walked a lap with me but only after I ran between 2-4 on my own.  We did this for about an hour or so.  Her assistance was nice and very much appreciated.  Plus, earlier in the day I asked her upon her return to bring me a tall latte and a double espresso drink from Starbucks.  After sipping on the latte while we walked, I found some much needed energy. 

*On a side note, due to some chaffing I needed to change my shorts.  Glad I brought a different pair.  Additionally these new shorts had like a boxer brief lining which was actually fantastic and totally prevented further chaffing. Small win for me! 

At about 130p I chugged the double espresso shot my wife brought.  After leaving my tummy upset for like 4 minutes, it too helped provide me some energy.  I was humming for a bit and kinda got my third wind for the day. 

Soon I passed my previous distance PR of 35.02 miles.  Hooray, but I wanted more.  Could I get to 40?  That was the question.  Doing the math in my mind I determined it was nearly impossible to get there.  Needed about 25 laps and my pace was falling off. 

With about 15 minutes left I found my fifth gear and my forth wind for the day.  I must have pounded out the least 4 laps in about 18 or so minutes...according to my Garmin, these were 2 of my fastest 38 miles.  Funny it happens at the end of the day, right?  On my last lap I absolutely flew past a bunch of super tired people and then stopped and thought I was going to spew.  But after spitting I determined I was not going to throw up and continued my blistering pace towards the finish line. 

Finally, I was done.  I ate some pizza and cheered for the folks who killed it.  Somebody ran like 155 laps!  Nuts. 

Great race. Great people. Great time. Looking forward to the race next year!

See you out there,

TF

Back in the saddle

Well it has been quite some time since my last post, my apologies. 

My March was fantastic and I hope your March was the same.  My brother got married in San Diego, I set a distance PR, and my New Mexico Lobos made it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament.  But sadly it is now April and time to get to work.

April should be quite interesting.  My stage race is about two months away and I am starting to get nervous about my training.  While I hit 125 miles in March, the majority of it was on pavement and unfortunately that does not necessarily translate to trail miles. 

That said, efforts have been kicked up.  Today I started Tuesday/Thursday 2-a-days, which consist of a 3-4 mile run in the morning followed by a faster track or group run in the evening.  I figure that pushing my body to the limit should help me battle 60 miles over a three day period. 

Dieting.  Yeah, this part sucks.  I have an incredible sweet tooth and often nothing makes me happier than ice cream...but I have decided to cut ice cream, and dessert in general out of my diet until after the race.  Additionally, soft drinks and beer have to go too.  Hoping this can help me get to a good fighting weight by race day. 

These next two months should be very interesting and I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress. 

See you out there,
TF