And the Winner Was...

... Option Number 1!

I decided to just run and see what would happen. Based upon how I've felt at the track, I thought I could maintain an 8:00/mile pace. At least for the first half. I would start with the 3:30 pace group and hang on as long as I could.

Well, I managed to hang on. More than hang on. At one point I pulled out a couple minutes in front of the pace group. But, running out of gas with just a few miles to go, they caught me in the last .2 miles. My finish time? 3:29:47. Right where I was hoping to be.

More details to come.

Rite Aid Decisions...

Well, the Rite Aid Marathon is this weekend. And once again, after having decided to have nothing to do with it, I will be running it. Though this race is close to home, I've not been happy with it for a long time. The whole experience is hassle filled: from packet pick-up (which is even worse this year), to a very crowded race morning, to routing us through some really crappy parts of the city. Those of us who live on the south or west sides of town are really getting hosed this year as they've moved packet pick-up and the now obligatory-big-marathon-expo out to Euclid in a former Super K-Mart. Why do I keep signing up for this one? I have no (good) answer.

What I do have however, are some decisions to make as to what I will run this weekend. Here are my options:

1. Taper down the rest of the week and run the marathon as hard as I am able to, just to see where my fitness level is.

2. Run to the start of the marathon from Medina, an extra 26 miles, giving me a double road marathon for the day with the second marathon being fully supported.

3. Run on Saturday, up to marathon distance, so that I come into Sunday tired.

4. Run hard but smart during the race, then run long on Monday, giving me the chance to run tired.

The whole reason for my interest in running much more than 26.2 miles this weekend is to help simulate what I will be feeling during Burning River. If I'm not going to race Rite Aid, and I know I'm not in a position to try for a PR, then I might as well use it as a fully supported training run, which was probably my intention when I registered to run in the first place.

Happy 2011!

2010 is over, as 2011 will be in 364 more days! I was able to get one final run in for the year on New Year's Eve. I joined a nice sized group for a run out and back from Bonnie Park in Strongsville to the top of the Ridge Rd. hill in North Royalton for just over 13 miles. Then we did a two mile cool-down in the other direction. We were blessed with a warm front which proceeded to melt all the snow and give us 40 degree temps to run in. SHORTS! That was nice. Running in December in shorts! The temps rose even more later in the day so we took advantage and removed the Christmas decorations and washed one of the cars. Winter weather is supposed to return to normal tomorrow.

2011 is going to bring some changes. All for the better, but changes none the less. As I will be attempting to finish my first 100 mile race this year, my approach to training and diet is going to be more focused than ever before. I'm more worried about what this event will bring than anything else I've ever tried, including Ironman. So, having said that, here are my New Year's "Resolutions":

1. Cutting out all alcohol consumption. This is going to be tough at first, but I think it will get easier over time. I will have special times when it will be permissible for me to drink, like on my wedding anniversary and spring break, but otherwise I'm cutting out these empty calories.

2. Cutting out much of the junk I've been eating. As both the Mrs. and I will be following a better diet, this won't be so hard. The focus will be on consuming more protein as I need to add muscle, as well as also eating more whole foods and less processed foods.

3. Making the time to get my miles in. I have a training plan and I feel I need to follow it as closely as possible to give myself the best shot at finishing within the 30 hour time limit.

4. Making the time to cross train. This includes cycling, swimming, and weight training. I'm still considering getting a personal trainer to help guide me and keep me focused on hitting the weights.

One additional change doesn't affect my training at all, but rather my blog itself. Today I'm going to be starting a 365 photo series. One photo a day for the year. I've seen many others do it and it's something I've been wanting to do for a few years. This should be fun!

I will have some key words for the year too. They include:

Focus

Sacrifice

Effort

Motivation

It's time to get my "eye of the tiger" back. I didn't really have it last year. This year I need to get lean and mean. Any short-cutting will only lead to failure. This should be an interesting year!

State of Mind (and Body)

I've been called everything from inspiring to crazy for doing an Ironman. Yes, well there probably is something wrong with me, and I also hope to possibly inspire someone else to try something new or out of their comfort zone, but when it comes down to it, I just enjoy pushing my endurance. I get off on seeing how far I can go. I'm not fast. I won't win any races. But I can go just as far and for just as long as the people who do win the races. It's a healthy hobby I suppose.

I haven't really been called anything when I've told people what I'm going to be doing just one week after finishing an Ironman. I've just received confused looks and shaking heads. I'm not sure if it's because I'm doing a 24 hour run or because it's so soon. I haven't asked.

I'm feeling good one day before NC24. My foot is feeling much better, with no pain at work any more. My legs feel recovered. I'm still feeling them when I climb the stairs, but not as bad as on Monday or Tuesday. The only sore spot is my left hamstring where I cramped really bad in the water. I haven't gotten that far in the race report yet, but basically going out on the second lap of the swim, a woman appeared right in front of me. In my attempt to not swim right into her I pulled up so fast I triggered a massive leg cramp. It was so bad I needed to hold onto a kayak for a couple minutes till I worked it out. It feels like I may have had some minor tearing from that episode, and I can still feel it. So I'll be carefully monitoring it over the weekend.

Other than my leg I'm ready to go! I'm excited to be out there doing this crazy 1 mile circle running with a bunch of people I know! I have little to no game plan other than doing things completely different than in Morganton last New Years. I'm going to go out slow and take breaks when I need to. I may even take a nap! The rain went through yesterday and the weekend is supposed to be beautiful!

With so much to get ready for NC24, I don't know how much time I'll have left to finish my race report before next week, but I'll try to finish the story tonight.

Good luck to everyone running both NC24 and the YUTC races! And to all the volunteers working both! We can't run races without the volunteers!

THE Final Post of 2009

I have some time while waiting for my ride to North Carolina, so I thought it would be good to discuss 24 hour strategy. I have a few ideas in mind:

1. Start out by running either a hard marathon or 50K. I'm talking sub-8 minute miles. Get a good start by logging 26 to 31 miles in under 4 hours. Then take a break. Do some walking. Eat something. After I'm rested, do it again! I ran this idea past Ladd and Dan and neither one thought it was a very smart plan. I agree!

2. Do whatever feels good. If I feel like running, I run. If I feel like walking, I walk. If I feel like running faster, I speed up. Slow down? Sure, why not! Another version of this plan involved me not looking at how many laps or miles I've logged at all until after finishing. I still like the not knowing part, especially for this first try at 24 hours, but I don't think I could do it.

3. The third and most likely option will be to run for a prescribed number of minutes and/or miles, and then walk for a certain amount of time or distance. This is probably the way to go, as I've already set the countdown timer on my watch to 20 minutes. That means every 20 minutes it's time to take a walking break. We'll see how that works out. On a one mile loop course, I'm thinking the way to go will be to run 2 to 3 laps, then walk half a lap after grabbing some drinks and food at the aid station. We'll see...

I'm hoping for decently dry weather. It can be chilly if it wants to. It can even snow! I'm just hoping for a minimum of rain. But if it does rain, we've been there and done that. For 31 miles! We'll just have to tough it out a little longer this time.

Happy New Year!