Well, my right knee is still hurting from my first ever run over 26 miles but I learned many good pieces of information that I will use on my Ultra in July.
1) I need to bring two pairs of socks a day for my run. After 17 miles they were soaked from sweat and starting to irritate my feet. Once I changed them, my feet were comfortable for the duration of the 28 miles, which I never expected. I expected blisters from road running that many miles.
2) My RaceReady shirt may not work for that long of a run. I will have to see if my chest toughens up in the next month.
3) I actually felt quite good the next morning. Good enough to work all day laying stone in my new wall in the front yard. My only problem is the tendon in my knee, and I'll just have to nurse that back to health. That is encouraging as far as my conditioning strategy goes.
4) I was much sorer the day after the day after. I guess that means that if I keep running every day on the ultra then I won't notice it until the day after the day after I stop? Yea right!
5) I lost 3-4 pounds in one day of running which means nutrition is going to play a huge part in my success or failure on the trail. I can't afford to do that on the trail so I am going to have to find a way to take in more nutrition and more calories. I think I'll start researching how riders in the Tour de France approach it. The big difference is that they get to sleep in a hotel each night and eat meals prepared in a full kitchen.
6) I need to start running more continuous days each week and make sure that even on the off days I do close to an hour on the bike or elliptical. I'm under 2 months and its now crunch time.
7) I also need to start buying my gear. I have a lot to acquire and time will run short very quickly.
8) My next test will be crucial. I plan to go away for a weekend and stay near the Appalachian Trail in MA for 2 days. One day I will head out and run 12-13 miles north, turn around and come back for the night to get in about 25 miles and the next day I will head 12-13 miles south and come back so that I can then see how I do with posting two 25 mile days in a row in the mountains on dirt trails. That will be in late June... wish me luck!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
SLOW progress...
The last few weeks have been very tough on me. My progress with building R4OPL, with training for the Ultra, keeping up with work, and not ignoring my family are all very conflicting activities. I'm looking foreward to Scouting ending for the year soon and I've started going into high gear on training and feel fairly confident but today is a real test for me. I will be running 27 miles today in Monroe and Trumbull in the same configuration I plan to do my days on the AT... I'll run about 1/4 of the distance and then take an hour rest and snack, I'll run another 1/4 and then eat lunch and rest for about 90 min, I'll run another 1/4 and rest another hour, and then I'll run the final 1/4 to the campsite (or back home as it is today).
It's a Friday and I'm taking the day off to do this run so I don't lose the weekend with my family and work around the house (I'm building stone walls). The weather is typical for me when I have something big planned outdoors... 54 degrees and steady rain... oh bother.
It's a Friday and I'm taking the day off to do this run so I don't lose the weekend with my family and work around the house (I'm building stone walls). The weather is typical for me when I have something big planned outdoors... 54 degrees and steady rain... oh bother.
I’m back and on my first hydration/fuel break…
Shoot! I forgot to weight myself before I started this day of running. I wanted to track my calorie and fluid intake and its impact on my bodyweight so that I could start gauging what I need to consume each day of the Ultra. I screwed that up! Because I came back home between each segment for my rest, I weighed myself after the first 8.57 miles and I’m at 148.4 lbs. We’ll see if there’s any change after my next segment. It’s not nearly as hot today as I expect it to be in late July though so I will be losing fluids at a faster rate. The first 8.57 went well, I tried to run as slow as possible and I ran on the dirt rail-trail to relieve some of the pounding, but the next few segments will be mostly on pavement which will be murder on my lower legs.
Time to stretch and work out some of that stiffness that sets in when you stop running. More when I take my lunch break…
I’m back and on my lunch/recovery break now. My mileage total is now at 17.3 miles for the day so I got in another 8.73 miles in this last segment. I am starting to tighten up so we’ll see how far I get in my afternoon segments. My only real physical problem so far is that I am suffering from nipple abrasion… which is when your shirt wears the sensitive skin on your chest raw. It sounds odd but is common with long distance runners. Many guys put band-aids over their nipples before a long run. I may have to do that for the afternoon session before they start bleeding.
I am going to go for another 7 miles, rest/rehydrate and then see what I can do for the last leg… I’d now like to hit 30 miles if possible.
Just got back from my third segment and I am at 24.3 miles so I got in exactly 7 miles as planned, which may sound great for me hitting my new goal of 30 miles but I hit the wall 1.3 miles ago and am hurting a whole lot now. I am fatigued but can get past that, what I’m not sure I can get past is an inflamed tendon on the outside of my right leg. As soon as I stopped running it settled down, we’ll see if it comes back when I start running.
I am hoping to run 4.7 miles in this final segment which would take me to 29 miles and then I’ll do 1 mile if possible on the treadmill to hit 30. Wish me luck…
I am back, and I ran into difficulty almost immediately with my tendon. I decided to cut my last run short at 3.25 miles because I was really having problems with my tendon and I just feel dead. At 26 miles my tendon was hurting so bad that I had to alternate walking and running a few times to get home… embarrassing but necessary to keep from damaging anything.
Back at home my final mileage count was just under 28 miles and I was wiped. I now know what hitting the wall feels like for marathoners. My final weight was about 145 lbs so I lost 3-4 lbs which means I need to rehydrate and refuel a bit more on these long days. I can’t afford to lost 3-4 pounds a day for a week when I do my Ultra or I’ll be in the emergency room!
Although I am happy that I ran longer than the longest day I’ll run in my Ultra, I am concerned because I know I could not get up tomorrow and do it all over again. I have a lot of progress to make in the next 2 months.
I am… Running for Other People’s Lives!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
R4OPL at ConnJam this coming weekend
This weekend I start a full court press to find people and Scout units to help me on my Ultra Challenge. This weekend about 2,200 Scouts from around CT will be coming to Orange for our regional jamboree and I'll be running a booth there to educate people about Habitat for Humanity, the ScoutsCAN program and my Ultra Challenge. My hope is that I will sign up 6 units to bring my nighttime supplies to me each evening and bring my spent supplies back home for replenishing for the next day. I see every day how much logistics I must work through to make this successful and it is truly daunting!
Last year I just had to get myself to each of the races I ran but this year I must get supplies delivered to me each evening for 6 consecutive days in remote locations of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
I really need to get people to start committing to helping on specific days so its not a last minute effort. I have faith in my fellow Scouts. I'll be manning the Habitat booth from 9 to noon on Saturday if you are going to be there... the general public can come as well, it's not just for Scouts.
I just realized I never published this post and it was sitting out there pending... sorry.
ConnJam was fun and I had a lot of Scout units which showed interest supporting me on my Ultra. We'll see if any of them actually come through for me.
While at ConnJam I ran a "Timber Signing" to show Scout units other ways they could raise money for ScoutsCAN. A timber signing is an event where you lay out new 2x4 studs and people donate money to be able to sign the 2x4s or write a message of encouragement to Habitat homeowners. Those 2x4s are then built into an actual Habitat home. I had a voluntary donation jar because the objective was not to raise money but instead to demonstrate a concept. What I was truly amazed at was the fact that the youngest Scouts who came to sign their names were the ones who most willingly reached into their pockets and donated a dollar or two. Many adults and older Scouts signed the 2x4s without donating, which isn't bad because again I wasn't trying to raise money, its more the amazement of how willing young Scouts are to give of what little they have. That's a very impressive statement for our youth!
Last year I just had to get myself to each of the races I ran but this year I must get supplies delivered to me each evening for 6 consecutive days in remote locations of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
I really need to get people to start committing to helping on specific days so its not a last minute effort. I have faith in my fellow Scouts. I'll be manning the Habitat booth from 9 to noon on Saturday if you are going to be there... the general public can come as well, it's not just for Scouts.
I just realized I never published this post and it was sitting out there pending... sorry.
ConnJam was fun and I had a lot of Scout units which showed interest supporting me on my Ultra. We'll see if any of them actually come through for me.
While at ConnJam I ran a "Timber Signing" to show Scout units other ways they could raise money for ScoutsCAN. A timber signing is an event where you lay out new 2x4 studs and people donate money to be able to sign the 2x4s or write a message of encouragement to Habitat homeowners. Those 2x4s are then built into an actual Habitat home. I had a voluntary donation jar because the objective was not to raise money but instead to demonstrate a concept. What I was truly amazed at was the fact that the youngest Scouts who came to sign their names were the ones who most willingly reached into their pockets and donated a dollar or two. Many adults and older Scouts signed the 2x4s without donating, which isn't bad because again I wasn't trying to raise money, its more the amazement of how willing young Scouts are to give of what little they have. That's a very impressive statement for our youth!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Operation Music Aid
I went to a benefit concert last night that my daughter Erica was playing at. She was fantastic and I was the proud Dad watching! The purpose of the concert was to raise money for a charity called "Operation Music Aid" which raises money to provide instruments for injured servicemen and women while they rehabilitate. The co-founder George Hauer is a neat guy with great stories but more impressively in the last 2+ years he has raised over $80K and used that to buy guitars, keyboards, electronic drums and accessories with a street value of over $650K! The turnout was good, not great, but then again advertising wasn't very strong for the event either.
Today my wife Jan worked to help her friend Pam receive food collected by the postal carriers for the Monroe Food Pantry. Our town's people gave so much food that we totally filled up all storage space at the Food Pantry, we filled on bay of our garage as well and we delivered two trucks (my pickup and a van) of extra to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission too. Wow!
It so nice in this economy to see people still giving of themselves to help others! We are all impacted by the mess our country is in, but folks are still stepping to help others. Thanks Monroe!
Today my wife Jan worked to help her friend Pam receive food collected by the postal carriers for the Monroe Food Pantry. Our town's people gave so much food that we totally filled up all storage space at the Food Pantry, we filled on bay of our garage as well and we delivered two trucks (my pickup and a van) of extra to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission too. Wow!
It so nice in this economy to see people still giving of themselves to help others! We are all impacted by the mess our country is in, but folks are still stepping to help others. Thanks Monroe!
We are up and Running ;-)
Sorry for taking so long to get my blog up and going folks! I kept telling myself that "as soon as I get done, I will start writing my blog." Well now that I'm starting to get people to follow my tweets and follow my blog, and now that I have started my fundraising campaign, I figured I had better get on the stick.
My web site is well under way... I don't feel like it is yet as effective as it could be, so I'm all ears if any of you have suggestions.
I have my first confirmed and scheduled running buddy on my "Ultra Challenge" thanks to my good friend Pete Allen, with a few others expressing intent.
I have a few troops and packs who have expressed interest in meeting me one night on my "Ultra" to bring the supplies for the next day.
I have sponsors starting to trickle in... this is going to be a tough year to raise money though and I almost considered bagging the whole R4OPL concept as a result of the economy... but I've personally taken a considerable hit in salary, bonus and benefits this year yet Jan and I are still donating as we have in the past so I am relying on my faith in my brothers and sisters to pull through here and once again help some very good causes in LiveStrong and Habitat while also encouraging a lot of people fighting some really tough demons to keep up the fight and not give in.
So I am on my way but scared at the same time. I was HUGELY intimidated when I arrived in Colorado Springs last year and saw Pike's Peak after a 30 year hiatus and wasn't sure if I could finish the race before the cutoff but I knew I could climb it in a day. This year, I have strong doubts about my ability to do 145 miles in 7 days period. That's why it took me so long to send out my first solicitations... I kept thinking "but what if i can't do it?" Two things changed recently: 1) I realized that, just like parents having a baby, if you wait until you "KNOW" you are ready, you'll never start so you might as just commit yourself and figure things out along the way 2) A friend of mine, who has doubts himself about running a single day with me, committed to a day and I thought "If Pete has faith that I'll still be alive by day 3, then it's time for me to suck it up and get moving!"
I am disappointed that my company's conference is not going to be in Las Vegas again this year because I enjoyed going out a day early and running up a 10,000+ foot mountain out there, and through the desert in 98 degree weather, and through LV itself in 108 degree weather as training. In 2 weeks I will be in Orlando instead... flat as a panacke and all concrete roadsides which are horrible for runners' legs and joints. Hey! Maybe I can run up Space Mountain which is the highest mtn in FL ;-)
My web site is well under way... I don't feel like it is yet as effective as it could be, so I'm all ears if any of you have suggestions.
I have my first confirmed and scheduled running buddy on my "Ultra Challenge" thanks to my good friend Pete Allen, with a few others expressing intent.
I have a few troops and packs who have expressed interest in meeting me one night on my "Ultra" to bring the supplies for the next day.
I have sponsors starting to trickle in... this is going to be a tough year to raise money though and I almost considered bagging the whole R4OPL concept as a result of the economy... but I've personally taken a considerable hit in salary, bonus and benefits this year yet Jan and I are still donating as we have in the past so I am relying on my faith in my brothers and sisters to pull through here and once again help some very good causes in LiveStrong and Habitat while also encouraging a lot of people fighting some really tough demons to keep up the fight and not give in.
So I am on my way but scared at the same time. I was HUGELY intimidated when I arrived in Colorado Springs last year and saw Pike's Peak after a 30 year hiatus and wasn't sure if I could finish the race before the cutoff but I knew I could climb it in a day. This year, I have strong doubts about my ability to do 145 miles in 7 days period. That's why it took me so long to send out my first solicitations... I kept thinking "but what if i can't do it?" Two things changed recently: 1) I realized that, just like parents having a baby, if you wait until you "KNOW" you are ready, you'll never start so you might as just commit yourself and figure things out along the way 2) A friend of mine, who has doubts himself about running a single day with me, committed to a day and I thought "If Pete has faith that I'll still be alive by day 3, then it's time for me to suck it up and get moving!"
I am disappointed that my company's conference is not going to be in Las Vegas again this year because I enjoyed going out a day early and running up a 10,000+ foot mountain out there, and through the desert in 98 degree weather, and through LV itself in 108 degree weather as training. In 2 weeks I will be in Orlando instead... flat as a panacke and all concrete roadsides which are horrible for runners' legs and joints. Hey! Maybe I can run up Space Mountain which is the highest mtn in FL ;-)
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