Friday, February 25, 2011

Double Trouble

There are things in life that are just better when doubled. Double the pleasure, double the fun!
For example:
An in-n-out Double Double.


Doublemint gum


Getting a double-double from your fantasy league starter
Double fudge
Double pay
The list goes on and on…

But what about a marathon double? What exactly does that mean? It means to run two back to back marathons races on subsequent days. Hmmm, somehow it doesn’t quiet bring the image of fun in my mind. Annually, there are several opportunities for 50 Staters to accomplish doubles on given weekends. That is, to run two full marathons in two adjacent states on back to back days.

Now mind you that this isn’t that uncommon amongst the core of hard-core 50 Staters and Maniacs. But it is far beyond my boundary of comfort and experience. I am usually fairly sore after one race. I can’t exactly imagine getting up the next morning and doing it all over again. Putting the physical challenge aside, there are tremendous logistical challenges, that means finishing the first race, showering, (an ice bath is recommended), consuming large amounts of calories within a hour after the first race, getting into a car and driving 2-3 hours across state to pick up bibs for the next race. Then my biggest concerns is to finish the second race in a timely manner so that I can catch the flight home!

Strangely, there is a part of me that wants to conquer a new challenge such as the double. There is an added bonus of the financial savings of combining two races into one. I am really torn. I have a little time to think this over. This is a LARGE commitment. Decision TBD.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time,
Jeff

2/25/11 4M recovery 40:00

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Just bring it…

It’s time ladies and gentlemen. Official training for the Seattle Marathon began today… 125 days, 18 weeks, 818.2 miles to go. At the end of all this, my goal is to 1) put together a well thought out and executed training regiment ,2) run a patient, well paced race, and 3) celebrate state #16 with a new PR in Seattle.
Today’s run went very well. One has to love the weather in Southern California. A cool breeze, perfect air conditions (by So Cal standards… no noticeable smog), and the warm embrace of the “winter” sun. Finished a brisk 8 miler with a heart cap of 155, average 8:15/mile. Somehow my pacing and heart wasn’t matching up. HR was a little on the high side today. It kept creeping into the high 150s. Good part is that it felt about a 7 on the effort scale. Hope to see some improvement in the weeks to come.
Lord give me strength to persevere
To give it all each and every day

One race, one mile, and one step at a time
Jeff

Monday, February 14, 2011

Moving too fast?

Read this from a fellow 50 Stater's FB page today:
"enjoy the races and the 50 States will come."

What Dave M. was referring to was running multiple races in a state and not worrying about completing all 50 states... really enjoying all the cool races and places around the country.

How is this possible!? In my mind, it has always been, run fast, complete 50 ASAP. what do you mean take my time???

For me, the statement was deeply profound.
Honestly, I have not truly enjoyed a race in the last 2-3 years. Flying out solo on a Sat, picking up bib, going to sleep, waking up early, racing, showering, then getting back on a plane has allowed me little enjoyment of the cities I've visited. On top of that, I've focused so much on trying to cut down my PR that I don't even enjoy the race itself.
For the most part, I just keep looking at my Garmin and mile pace to make sure I was on track to run my time goal.
This is pretty much also a reflection of our lives. We are constantly on the move. Rushing from one activity to the next...

I hope that this year, after Seattle, I will be able to enjoy the year end runs. I need to slow down just a bit. Both in running and in our everyday life. I don't know if I will reach the zen state that Dave has reached... maybe one day.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time

Jeff

2/14/11
9M 1:16:09

Thursday, February 10, 2011

How blue can you get?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCNXASjzMY



Pretty blue. the nine miler today didn't help either. where are you happy hormones???

one race, one mile, and one step at a time

Jeff
2/10/11
9M - unfocused
805/902/850/839/852/913/820/830/819
http://connect.garmin.com/player/67610007

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Gear Talk


This is my Garmin 405. It is probably the second most important piece of gear I own. I love this thing... it is with me every step of my training and marathon race.

It tracks

distance via GPS
lap (mile) time
actual pace
heart rate

it also has many cool features such as auto-pause (stops when you stop), training partner (programmable interval training)...

I would say that this is a must have for intermediate to advanced runners.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Leaving Las Vegas

When I was young, going to Vegas was an event. It was usually with the boys and every time was “epic.” Every time was wilder than the last. Every time the financial and physical damage was greater than the last. That was the Vegas of yesteryears.

Going to Vegas last weekend was still an event. But it was the geriatric version of our old Vegas trip. Don’t get me wrong, we were very excited about having a trip alone without the kids. Jacky Cheung was in concert for the New Year and dinner at Fleur was absolutely amazing. But gone were the all-nighter and heavy drinking. Gone were the hours of gambling at the smoked filled table and venturing the dark corners of the city. Wife and I had a wonderful, relaxed stay and even managed to go to bed at a pretty decent time by Vegas standards (1AM!).
I went for a run the following morning at 6:00. It was a little hard to get out of bed but the result was completely worth the effort. Finished an 8 mile out and back from Mandalay Bay to Stratosphere. Its really amazing to sense the quiet in Vegas early in the morning. With the exception of some people stumbling from their lingering drunkenness, a few runners, and lots of cleaning crews, the streets were near empty. It gave me a chance to see the city without the fog of its glamour. It gave me a chance to see how much this city is maintained by the working class. … the very working class that the city (and its corporations) often takes from to continue its growth… I felt good from the run, and I felt good about this new Vegas experience.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time,
Jeff
8M : 1:08:30
1009/1006/836/817/835/857/950/835
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/67290827

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A Germaphobe? Who me?


I saw a guy today do things you’d never, ever catch me doing at the gym.
1. Lay my towel or clothing directly on the bench in the locker. Yuck.
2. Walk around barefoot. YUCK! (flip flops a must)
3. Sit on the bench with bare ass. Double YUCK! (see point one)
In general I try to touch nothing.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time
Jeff
2/3/11 6 miles treadmill
855/813/743/806/750/727
http://connect.garmin.com/splits/66491283

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Vegas baby Vegas!

There is no rule that this blog has to only pertain to running right?
I am so excited that my wife and I will be heading to Vegas this weekend WITHOUT THE KIDS! We have a concert to attend and I’ve booked dinner at Keller’s Fleur de Lys.

Am I going to let this trip ruin my running? Heck no. Shoes/Shirt/Shorts/Socks packed. Hello hotel treadmill!

Can’t wait for the Wynn buffet breakfast after a long run. Heaven.

One race, one mile, and one step at a time,
Jeff

2/1/11 7 miles Mid level effort
843/845/858/907/834/833/829

http://connect.garmin.com/player/66237080