Thank You...

   The timing couldn't have been more prolific. Who would've thought the day after my 41st birthday that my ability to run would just up and disappear? This week was supposed to be a nice end of summer vacation for my family and me. Unfortunately it's been nothing but an emotional roller coaster. There's many more doctor's appointments and questions to be asked.

   What do I know? After getting a MRI yesterday it appears that my spinal column has narrowed and I have a herniated or protruding disc (they mean the same thing) in my lumbar region (lower back). All of this is causing lower back pain and numbness in my right leg. It's practically impossible to stand or walk for any period of time. 

   I can't stand, I can't walk I can't do anything other than think about this right now. So, I needed to do something. So I did something stupid and researched my injury on the internet. I know, I know, never to do this! I found a lot of information that was difficult to interpret and disheartening to read. Some were success stories. Some were so tragic they left me in tears. 

     To answer one question that's surely on everyone's mind, yes my running streak ended yesterday at 609 days and 2,762 miles. I made the extremely difficult decision last night to stop rather than risk doing even more damage. As with anything, the information out there on continuing running with this type of injury is contradictory. Some professionals recommended not doing it, others said that it wouldn't cause anymore damage. Until I get my professional diagnosis and speak with my new orthopedic spine surgeon this Friday I thought it was best to call it quits. The pain was so intense last night that it was causing me to see stars and almost pass out every time I tried to walk. It was time to let it go. Out of all of my running related achievements those past 609 days are one of my greatest. I started out just wanting to last 366 days and came out the other end with almost double that number changed forever. It was such an amazing experience that taught me I didn't know as much about running as I once thought I did. I met some truly amazing people who continue to run on into the streaking future making my 609 days look like chump change. I learned to blog, video podcast and was shocked to find that so many people followed my journey. My wife thought I was a loveable nut, my son thought I was a superhero and my friends didn't bring the topic up because they got sick of me rambling on and on about it. I ran through sweltering heat and humidity, heavy rainfall, snow and sleet. I ran after long days of work, during and after a surprise birthday party, on holidays and special occasions. If there's one thing that I can say about it all it's that anyone who wants to get to know themselves better should give it a try. It wasn't hard when you took it day by day. Just a mile a day was the admission price to come to know myself on a deeper level, see some amazing scenery and wildlife, push my limits past perceived boundaries. It was truly a gift to experience a beautiful type of quiet that can only be found in complete darkness at 11:50 PM EST, in the brilliant rays of Christmas morning dawn while the world still sleeps and in the stillness of the trail when it's only you and a grinning puppy amidst the trees. There are thing that I can not put into words about this special time in my life. Went out to dinner last night with the family to celebrate the end of an amazing era. 

   To answer the other big question, yes I've pulled out of all of my scheduled races for the year. No Rochester Marathon, Can 50K or Mendon 50K. If you think that signing up for your first ultra-marathon is difficult, try withdrawing from it. It really hurts the wallet as well. This will be the first year that I haven't run a marathon since 2005. So sad. Unfortunately the blog will be ending as well. I'll still keep the site up. But there's little to write or tape when you're not training to go five miles more.

   You've all been so encouraging and I wouldn't of gotten this far without your love and support. I'm not writing this for your pity. I'm just letting some friends know that I'm human. I'm not sure what the future is going to hold. I pray that it involves running somehow. I've gotten so much from it. It's part of who I am. Sometimes though, I have a tendency to overdo things in my life. Maybe that's what happened in this case. Or maybe it was only a matter of time. Balance is something that continues to elude me in my life. Please understand that the next few months are going to be a difficult transition for me to make. I'm not giving up. Not by a long shot. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an active guy. I'm going to get some good information on Friday and focus my energies on overcoming this particular challenge. I will keep everyone up to date through Facebook as best I can.

   I've always said that living life means taking risks. Without risking anything in your life, you're just existing. I've never been the kind of guy to sit around and watch the day go idly by. Running has done a lot for me and my life. Helped me to more fully experience my world. At times it's been a blessing. At others it's caused unneeded stress and anguish. But I'd like to think it's done more good than bad. From what I can understand coming back from an injury like this is different from person to person. There is no standard recovery time. I don't think that it's the nail in my coffin that I'm dreading it is. But if it is, then I can look back on everything and smile with a sense of satisfaction. You can't run for 12 years and log over 27,665 miles and not feel like you got somewhere.

   As I think back to the beginning I think of the person who started it all. I don't rarely talk about my wife. She's a private woman. Not the kind to put her stuff out there. She's been my biggest supporter and sometimes hater of my running career. 12 years ago she gave me the encouragement to stop dreaming and start doing. Since that first 5K I haven't looked back. I've eclipsed what she thought, what I thought, what anyone thought a formerly obese, non-athletic little kid could ever do. She's the most amazing social worker that I know who's helped countless people and saved numerous lives during the time that I've known her. She's been my rock through all of this and yet again, she's determined to make this another one of my success stories.

 My family, my friends, thank you for everything you have done. Thank you for believing in me when I didn't myself. This is not the end. Thank you for riding that lightning with me...

              

Week Ten-Tour De Pain Race Review & Maybe The End

   Several years ago I heard about a local race series called the Tour De Pain. After some research it looks like the Tour isn't unique to my side of town. Tour De Pains are run across the US with varying race distances. The one thing they all have in common is that the races are held one after the other and runners are scored cumulatively based on all of their finishing times. Pure insanity that I always wanted to give a try but it never worked out. 

   My town's Tour was sponsored by a local running club called the Genesee Valley Harriers and consisted of a 5K race, mile race and 400 meter sprint run in the Cobbs Hill Reservoir area. Very hilly, very challenging. Earlier in the month we signed my son up for their weekly children's cross-country series of races consisting of a 400 meter, half-mile and full mile races. After the children's series an adult 5K was also run each week. He had a blast the entire month and learned two important things: that running distance requires practice and that sprinting isn't in our family's genetic makeup. The Tour was run on the final Wednesday night after the children's race series. I figured that since I was already going to be there, why not finally scratch this one off the bucket list? I had no excuse. 

   I've been training for my ultras all summer. So I didn't do anything special to prepare earlier in the week other than taking it easy with regards to speed work and resting my legs as much as possible. I was feeling good. But my forte is typically longer distances. So I wasn't planning on breaking any speed barriers. Ry ran the half-mile race that night and had his best race of the month. It was hard watching him struggle through the four weeks. But in the end he was as proud of himself as we were of his four finisher ribbons. It was time for the Tour.

   I've run a lot of races in my day and this was by far the most poorly organized. Which surprised me a lot because the Harriers are a well respected running club with lots of experience within their ranks. The 5K was the first race run. I tried to look at a hastily drawn map on a dry erase board but couldn't make heads or tails of the course. Before the race started an announcer asked for a sign of hands who was unfamiliar with the course before. There was only a handful of us who raised our hands. After a brief, vague description of where to run and before anyone could ask anything the race started. The hills were devastating but I didn't do half bad considering all the hill training I've done all summer. The course was very poorly marked and it was all I could do to keep some of the faster runners in sight so I didn't get lost. I managed a very good 5K time but no PR. I felt lucky that I didn't get lost. The mile was run about ten minutes later. Shorter distance so it was easier to figure out where the hell to run. I was dead tired and the hills were again a killer. But I surprisingly managed to clock a PR for that one. The 400 meter was run again about ten minutes after that. Being even more tired faced with more hills meant that there weren't any surprises there. Overall the races were run so haphazardly. I only knew my finish times because I recorded them with my Garmin. I won't be running the Tour again anytime soon. It was good to scratch it off the list but never again.

   This is when things got interesting. The following day I was really sore. So I decided to take it easy and do my cross-training and an easy mile. Challenging but nothing too crazy. It was my birthday too. Who wants to kill themselves on their birthday? The next day I knew that something had gone really wrong. All summer long I've been fighting off hamstring pain and tight hip muscles. Apparently the hills during the race mixed with some race pace level running proved disastrous. I was unable to stand due to extreme right hip pain that radiated down my thigh making my shin and foot numb. It's one of the most severe running related injuries I think I've ever had. 

   Since last Thursday I've only managed a painful mile a day to keep the running streak alive. Running being a very relative term. If my treadmill didn't have side rails I would've died three days ago. I've tried ice, heat, OTC pain revilers, yoga, using my foam roller and a tennis ball. I've even started a five day burst of steroid. Nothing has touched it. After listening to my wife I went to an urgent care center today to talk to a doctor and get some x-rays. On the good side, nothing appears to be broken and if I can stand it, continue to keep my streak going. Running won't do me any more harm but it may continue to aggravate the pain. On the bad side the doctor thinks that my lower lumbar vertebrae are compressing a spinal nerve. I'll be scheduling an appointment with a spinal doctor tomorrow. On an interesting note the doctor thought it was really cool to see that I have six instead of the normal five lumbar vertebrae. Apparently it's a very rare but harmless genetic trait. Still planning on trying to get in to see my chiropractor this week too. He's going to be pissed at me. 

   According to the doctor today this could get better in three to four weeks. That really means a lot of different things. First, there's no way I can work without being able to walk or stand. Being who I am, I'm going to go crazy being out of work or being on light duty. This is going to stink. Second, I may not be able to run my 2013 deferred Rochester marathon in 40 days. I probably could do it in my sleep. I won't be able to defer it another year which means I'll be out $70. But should I even try? Third, I can't miss four weeks of ultra training time. I'm going to check tomorrow to see if I can withdraw from the Canandiagua 50K without penalty. My back up race is the Mendon 50K three weeks later. Which I could maybe muddle through if I got better in a month's time frame. That's a big maybe for the farthest I've ever gone on an unfamiliar course. Fourth, after 609 days what do I have to prove? Why am I doing this crazy non-stop running streak thing anyways? I'm 243 days over my original goal of 366 days. Why continue?

   Over the last 12 years of my life I've wrapped an extremely large portion of who with running. It's where I'm from, who I am and where I'm going. I know this isn't the end. I've been around long enough to realize that runners who say they don't get injuries are liars, period. Pain and suffering are part of the deal. But being unable to even stand or walk far for the past three days has been a humbling experience. 

   Lots of things to to think about during the coming weeks. Lots of decisions to make. Lots of research to do. I've always said that the trick in becoming a better runner is going to the edge of breaking and then hitting the break a little. I accidentally hit the gas instead. I'll keep the blog going on a weekly basis. With all this down time I'll have lots of time to write more to bore you with. Who knows? You may even be subjected to a whole other year's more worth of my ultra nonsense?

   My friends, hope you are well, have your foot over the brake pedal, but still riding that lightning...

Week Nine-Keeping It Simple

   Running in and of itself is a simple activity. All that's required is a pair of running sneakers, a shirt and a pair of shorts. All that you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. There's no rules on how fast you should go or how far. Everything's up to you. The simplicity of it all is one of the biggest reasons why I like the sport so much. 

   As with anything though, you can make running as complex as you want too. There's so many different types of running sneakers, clothing and gear to choose from that it'll make your wallet catch fire. There's so many different races to choose from that it's as exhausting as running a hill workout to think about them all. To add to the confusion there's thousands of different viewpoints on training, racing and how to treat injuries.

   Through the years I've worn about every type of running clothing, tried many different types of shoes and spent a small fortune on running related tech. I've tinkered with my training and raced all distances up to the ultra. I've also self-treated myself, been evaluated by my doctor and seen a chiropractor for my running related injuries. I'm always open to trying new things and I've done a great job of making running much more complex than it needs to be.

   For the past two years I've been suffering through nagging hamstring issues. It almost sidelined me last year completely. Just when I thought I had those issues licked I was delighted to discover that the ache didn't go away, it just moved into my hips. So for much of this training season I've been trying everything that I could to ease that hip pain. Extra stretching, medication and reductions in training were the name of the game. Up until this week I was starting to get concerned that this was going to shatter my hopes of running my ultras planned for the Fall. I was frustrated and tired of this pain in the butt, literally! I decided to give up and try something new, going back to basics and keeping it simple.

   On one hand it's amusing to realize that a tennis ball and a bag of ice can solve an issue that's been bugging you for so long. But on the other hand it's frustrating to think that I was so stubborn that I wasn't willing to try something so inexpensive, so not technological. Amazing! Hopefully with a little more self-treatment and time my hip pain won't be a problem any more.

   This week wasn't bad at all. The worst thing was jumping back into cross-training after a two and a half week hiatus. Good lord it's incredible how sore you can get after starting up again! I surprised myself with a decent 16 mile long run despite being so sore and wading through a torrential downpour while the sun was shining. I tried to surge every other mile and it wasn't pretty, but it worked. Good to know all of this hard training is paying off!

   Hope your week was as productive! Have a great upcoming week and ride that lightning my friends...  

Week Seven & Eight-Passing It On

   

   We've always taken a relaxed attitude with regards to finding activities to occupy my son's free time. Especially during the dog days of summer. Over the years we've tried various sports. But unless he has any kind of natural talent for it, he gets frustrated and gives up. We've done a variety of summer camps too. He loves the more intellectual ones compared to the more active ones. He's a voracious reader. Which I think is absolutely great for his age. But doesn't do a lot for his fitness. He refuses to learn how to ride his bike because of the lack of children to cruise around our neighborhood with. Not that we'd let him out of our sight even if he did. It seems like we're always trying to get him to get up and do SOMETHING! We don't care what he does. Just as long as he's doing something other than play video games and watch television. 

   About two years ago he expressed an interest in running with me. Since then we've done it on and off again. With my crazy schedule it's been anything but consistent. Throw in me trying to train for races and it sometimes doesn't happen at all.

   Two weeks ago I saw that a local running club is sponsoring a children's cross-country race series every Wednesday night for the entire month of August. For a small fee kids can race in the 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile and mile distances. Every finisher gets a ribbon and a popsicle. They also get a snazzy t-shirt promoting trail running. After a little discussion he decided that he wanted to do it. Of course I was thrilled! This was going to force us to make time for running together.

   The first Wednesday came before you know it. Funny how it seemed so easy for him to say yes earlier in the week. But when the time came to leave for the races there was a little grumbling. Initially I was just going to watch and cheer him from the sidelines. But he wanted me to run each race with him. Which I didn't mind doing one bit! Lining up for the 1/4 mile start he decided that he was going to try to run all three races. The quarter mile went quickly and it was amazing to run beside him as usual. My only complaint was that the kid races were run before an adult 5K. Which meant he was going to be in for a surprise. His three races were going to be run immediately one after the other. We barely finished the first race when they lined up for the 1/2 mile. Another great race but we had to stop briefly for him walk and catch his breath. I could tell he was exhausted at the end. But he was adamant about trying the mile too. The mile turned out to be a disaster and he got his first official DNF. He was rightfully upset. After some talking we decided that spending the morning running around at his summer camp, not having enough to eat before the race and the short rest time between races didn't help him much. He was the only kid that I saw to attempt all three races. I was proud of him for trying his best. I had an self imposed easy training week. Mostly due to cutting out my cross-training to give the steroid I was on a chance to reduce some of the inflammation I'd been suffering from in my right shoulder and hips. It felt nice to run for fun with him. The popsicle tasted good and the finisher ribbon was hung on the medal rack.

   This Wednesday we had a better game plan. He ate before the race and tried to rest his legs as much as he could in the morning. He also decided that he was going to run the 1/4 mile and mile races. He'd sit out the half mile to rest. The 1/4 mile went well and he was able to run the whole distance. But disaster struck again with the mile handing him another DNF. As we headed in towards the finish line he got that look on his face that I know all too well. We walked behind the timing truck and the inevitable tears started to flow. It was a good learning lesson. Not everyone runs because it's hard and takes practice. But we still won the day with a finisher ribbon for the 1/4 mile and a popsicle. I couldn't of been prouder again. His determination is awe inspiring.

   The past two weeks were disappointing for me at first. My perfect attendance with my training was broken, my injuries started to worry me and my lack of free time finally caught up with me. But after watching my son run I was reminded of how much running is similar to life. It doesn't always go as planned. You need to be flexible and gentle with yourself. Most importantly, you shouldn't let a few bad workouts or extra time off get inside your head. Interesting how my son is teaching me new things. The streak is still alive, the ultra training will continue. I tried some new stuff on my injuries  which seems to have done the trick and even managed to have the most amazing 22 mile long run yesterday! 

   I've gotta find my video recording mojo again. My GoPro's collecting way too much dust! Hopefully in the next week I'll be bringing you some new episodes of the video podcast. We are officially half-way through the training! Adapt, overcome, persevere and ride that lightning my friends! Have a great week!      

Week Six-In It For The Long Run

  

   I've talked before about how deciding to become a distance runner can change your life. It can help you transform your body, it can help you discover untapped strength that lies deep within yourself and it can help you accomplish some damn incredible things. It can change you in many positive ways.

   But there's also a dark side to this passion that we have for the open road. Even if you're lucky enough to be gifted with a better than average amount of fast twitch muscle fibers, it takes time to do the training, run that 5K, that half-marathon, that ultra marathon. It can become an addiction, albeit a healthy one. That can be fine if you're young, single and without a lot of responsibilities. You have nobody to answer to other than yourself. But when you have a marriage, a family, a career to contend with things can get a little tricky. Juggling all of those variables requires a good deal of patience and creativity. You have to learn to adapt easily and roll with what life throws at you. 

   This crazy urge to run for hours and prove yourself in distance races can get even worse when you start seeing your health change for the better, your split times getting faster and your recovery quicker. For some runners it's about setting the next new PR, running faster and going longer than last time. It's something that runs in your blood. For as much as you try to deny it, running becomes part of who you are.

   This passion that you have for our sport can come at a price. Your family, your friends, the people that you care most about find themselves sacrificing more and more time with you as your personal victories mount. You sometimes miss your child's baseball game, don't have the energy to stay up and watch that movie with your spouse and don't have the time to meet your friends out for happy hour.

   A long time ago when I first started running I quickly discovered how challenging it is to fit a 30 hour day into 24. It's one of the reasons that I typically run only one or two races in the Summertime and take the Winter and Spring off. Over the last few years I've enjoyed some of my biggest breakthroughs with regards to my running career. I drastically improved my fitness, entered the world of the run-net community through blogging and video podcasting, broke that four hour barrier and started a running streak. All while my family and friends watched and cheered me with copious amounts of enthusiasm.

   I love the fact that I've overcome those challenges. It's become addicting to beat what I once thought of as unbeatable. With my decision to run my first ultra-marathon this year, let alone the Rochester Marathon and a second ultra, my free time has gone out the window. This has been hard on my family and friends leaving me feeling more than a little guilty about my ambitions.

   So this week my perfect attendance to my training schedule fell. The streak lives on. But it wasn't my best training week. A lot of stress and challenges. Something had to give. Which wound up being a portion of my training for the week. As the week draws to a close I don't have any regrets. In many ways this week was a wake up call. What good is all that hard work and those thrilling victories without the ones that you love there with you? Without the incredible support and sacrifice of your loved ones those amazing victories would be nothing more than a number on a GPS watch, a sweaty race bib and a $5 medal.

   Running is something extremely important to me. But it isn't everything. This week reminded me that it's only something that I do for fun. Why be so serious? If I miss a workout, a fail to nail a better mile split by a second or need to let my running streak fall that's OK. Life is wonderful and running is a way to complement it and live more fully. Not the other way around.

   Thank you to my family and my friends for the support that you provide on a daily basis. Without you I'd just be some guy who can run really far. Say thank you to the ones who make us the amazing runners that we are. It's as much as of a race for them as it is for us. Everyone that knows me sees that I'm not giving up running anytime soon. I'm in it for the long run. I just have to slow down occasionally, enjoy the scenery, the wonderful people that support my crazy endeavors and be thankful for what I've been given.

   Back at it this week! Time to give the legs some speed after this little step back. Hope you have a great week! Ride that lightning my friends...

            

Week Five-Remembering The Hunger

   It's not that I'm not used to the pain. When you first become a distance runner it can be glaringly clear at times that it's not easy discovering what you're capable of. I guess all of life is like that to some degree. Nobody's born with prior experience or innate ability to do new things. It takes time and practice to be able to do something well. Good genetics can definitely make that journey easier. Especially in distance running. But at some point you're going to be standing there wondering why the hell you do this to yourself for fun? 

   Over the last 12 years I've had many of those "Why the hell?" moments. I remember the first time that I ran 13 miles. I remember the panic in my wife's voice as she discovered me laying on the floor in front of our bathroom. I wasn't in any kind of trouble. It just felt glorious to lay there on the cold tile felt and it was so convenient to be that close to the toilet. To this day I still get stomach issues when I run really far. It's got something to do with your body pumping extra blood to your legs and away from your organs.

   I remember the first time that I discovered chaffing. There you are having the time of your life running mileage that ordinary people drive in their car. You're on top of the world and feel completely bad ass. Then you start noticing some stinging in all the wrong places. Then comes the blood. But you really don't get the full effect until after the race when your in the shower. You discover places on your body that you never even knew existed, let alone that could chafe. I remember reveling in joy when I found that the small circular band aids diabetics use to cover up their injection points also worked perfectly to protect my nipples during my marathons.

   I remember trusting the race directors of my very first marathon that there will be everything that they said there would be at all of the water stations. They had everything covered. It's nice to know that I can run 26.2 miles on nothing more than plain water and one cherry popsicle. Everything was long gone by the time I got to those stops. I've never been so hungry in my life. I remember being so starved that I could've eaten dirt.

   There's countless other things that have challenged me over 12 years of running. But as those years grew in number, the number of challenges decreased. With experience your body learns to adjust to running for hours. You buy stock in anti-chafing products like Bodyglide and Squeaky Cheeks. You bring a race belt to your event stocked with all the things that you'll need. You learn what works for you and what doesn't. Over time you can become quite good at this running thing. But also quite comfortable. You forget about the hunger that you had in the early days to be better. You're already running enough that ordinary people think you're an Olympian. Why do anymore hard work?

   I found myself at that point a few years ago. I decided that I wanted a change. I wanted that hunger back. I changed my eating habits, lost a lot of weight, broke four hours in a marathon and ran 366 consecutive days. It felt good to be challenged again and feel like I was growing.

   Over the last 12 years I've tried many different running plans and tweaked all of them into a marathon training plan that's gotten me good results. I've been using my homemade plan and running the marathon distance so long that I know it by heart. Days aren't labeled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But instead Strength Run day, Cross-Training day and Easy Run day. I run marathons. I could do them in my sleep.

   With this new ultra marathon challenge before me I've had to change my training all together. Forge ahead with a new training plan into territory that was familiar but unknown as well. My training's been going well up until this week. My 18 mile long run felt like a complete disaster. I only had one day off this week. Which meant the only time that I could fit this run in was on a hot and humid day. Sunscreen left me blinded by mile three, I forgot my cellphone and I walked about a third of the distance. It felt more like torture than training.

   It's in workouts like these when you experience the whole spectrum of emotions. Elation to despair. You think about so many crazy different things. Your life, your family your future. The voice of doubt is louder than usual. The end of that run left me feeling like a fool to think that I could ever go further than 26.2 miles. But looking back, I did what I do best, put one foot in front of the other. I didn't stop.

   Finding yourself shouldn't be something that stops when you reach adulthood. It does for some people. But for those who dare to continually search for the amazing things that lay within us it's not about the end result. It's about the journey. After some thought and a lot of pep-talk messages, thank you, that long run wasn't a disaster. It was an opportunity for my body to remember a hunger that's been forgotten. The training's only going to keep getting harder, the miles longer. I'm going to be a very hungry man in another 11 weeks!

   Thank you for going on this journey with me. Hope your week was good and your future's looking bright. Let me know if I can do anything for you! Ride that lightning my friends...

Week Four-Why Not Get Help?

   

   As I ran the last few miles this week I found myself laughing at my silly self a little. I've always been the type of person who takes a small amount of pride knowing that I can accomplish almost anything on my own. I think that's one of the reasons why I like distance running so much. When you're eight miles out into a 16 mile long run the only way you're going to get back home is to run the other eight miles. No teammates to carry you, no taking a seat on the bench when you're tired or saved by the bell in the final few seconds. Running is one of the most honest sports out there. What you put into it, you get out. 

   Through the last 12 years I've run over 60 different races. That's a lot of miles. When I was a younger runner I got the typical aches and pains that you might expect from someone growing into our sport. I didn't know about strengthening my core or stretching to improve my flexibility. I got through those hard miles with nothing other than sheer stubbornness. Nowadays I practice a dedicated strength and core routine. Even though I hate doing it, I try to stretch everyday. The aches and pains still rear their ugly head now and then. Even more so since I've gotten older. But my stubbornness continues to be stronger than ever. 

   Up until last year I was doing pretty good with watching those stubborn miles go by. I'd managed to self treat all of my injuries up until then. But things started to come apart that Fall. I got a serious case of peroneal tendonitis that almost sidelined my 366 Project as well as any hope for a marathon that year. I struggled through single mile runs to keep the Project going and managed to get a deferment for my hometown marathon in Rochester. The tendonitis eventually got better. But then I battled with hamstring tightness for the rest of the year right up to my last minute decision to run the Empire State Marathon as a substitute to Rochester. I ran the race, set a PR and had my best marathon racing experience to date. I capped off the year by surpassing my 366th day of running. It was a momentous 2013 with a lot of accomplishments. It's be nice to say that my good old stubbornness is what got me through those challenging times. But I'd be fibbing. I got a little help from my primary care doctor and chiropractor.

   It all started after one of my running friends grew tired of me complaining about my nagging tendonitis. They suggested that I see a local chiropractor in our area who specialized in distance athletes. At first my stubborn self thought the idea of seeking help from anyone, let alone a chiropractor was ludicrous. I'd heard so many horror stories from people about these "alternative medicine" doctors who done more harm than good. Why would I pay for an expensive office visit to someone to make me feel even worse? I'd rather buy an extra pair of running shoes and suffer on. After some thought and some checking I discovered that an office visit would be covered under my current health care plan. I also discovered that this particular Chiropractor, let's call him Dr. Mike, was a marathoner and triathlete himself. I asked around my local running community and heard good things about his practice. So, I decided to give it a shot.

   What I got at my first visit wasn't what I expected. I expected to get tweaked and cracked for 20 minutes. But instead Dr. Mike took the time to get to know me, my past and where I wanted to go in the future with regards to my running. I found it refreshing to talk with someone who didn't look at me like I had three heads when I told him that I run 26.2 miles for fun.  He understood where I was coming from.

   Over that summer Dr. Mike not only erased my tendonitis, but also eased my hamstring tightness. Aches that I endured for years were quickly erased after a few visits. Without my primary care doctor's and Dr. Mike's help I would've surely never had the great year that I did.

   I was laughing this week because this old body's developed yet more aches, some tightness in my hips. What can you expect when you train for an ultra marathon and run everyday? It's time to call Dr. Mike again and make an appointment. Yes, I still have that stubbornness of my youth. But now it's more directed towards attacking hill workouts than training through injuries which can be fixed. Sometimes it's good to get out of the way of your ego. Yeah, he may be faster. But the race is long and you'll pass him in no time with a little help from your friends.

   It was a good week of training. This week's 16 mile long run felt better than last week's 14 mile. I'm still struggling dealing with the high humidity here and locking down a fueling plan that works. Finally got confirmation from the new race directors for this year Rochester marathon that my deferment's been approved by the new company that bought the rights to the race. That means three very long races in three consecutive months. I've never done something like that before. It'll be interesting to see if I put Dr. Mike on speed dial or not! The home treadmill's back up and running after a visit from the fitness store tech!

   Do some research, check some credentials and think about getting treatment from a chiropractor. It may make your miles a little easier. Let me know if you've had any good experiences with your doctors. Hope your training is going good. Let me know if I can help. Thanks for following my journey. Have a great week. Week four is history!

   Ride that lightning my friends...

Week Three

   

   They say that for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. In the world of distance running this is more commonly known as "training effect". It basically all comes down to this, you work hard, put your time in and eventually your body will adapt to the increased demands that you place on it. Before you know it, distances and paces that you once found difficult  become a little easier. It's such a simple concept. The only tricky part is finding that sweet spot where you're working just hard enough to get a result. But not over extending yourself and over training. It should be something easy to do. But it's not. In fact it's hard as hell!

   Over the past 12 years I've trained for countless races. Some training seasons were better than others. There were years where I didn't push myself hard enough. It may sound impossible to most non-runners, but an experienced runner can get away with doing very little training and fake their way through their big race. You probably won't smash any PR's, run the entire distance or feel very pain free while doing it. But you'll be able to limp your way to the finish line. I've done that more than once. 

   On the flip-side, I've had years where I trained too much. Even the best of us experienced runners call fall prey to thinking that more faster is better. While this may help some runners achieve great results, it's not something you can sustain for extended periods of time. If you try to make it last for a long time you'll wind up becoming injured and hating the thing that you so much love to do. I've done that more than once too. Luckily I didn't injure myself that badly and rediscovered my love for running again. 

   So as I find myself rounding the corner of my third week of this ultra training I think that I see a little bit of that glorious training effect creeping in. But man oh man, it's been challenging to get there. Unlike most of the marathon training that I've done in the past, this particular plan's weekly mileage ramp up is a bit faster than I'm used too. With the higher long run mileage amounts I've decided that the only way I can fit the runs into my schedule would be to do them on one of my days off. My work schedule is difficult to plan. I typically work four days and have two off. Which means that my days off rotate every week. Therefore my long runs will be rotating through my training weeks. This could be good because my legs will get one hell of a wallop on weeks when my long run and mid-distance runs are close spaced together. It could also make for a disastrous training week full of much suffering too. I'm making this up as I go. So time will be the true test of success. 

   This week had to be re-jiggered quite a bit. I was on vacation which was awesome! But my son went to a week long robotics Lego camp. It was only two hours each day and to make the pick-up time I had to log most of my miles and cross-training inside at the old Y that I used to belong to about 10 years ago. It was odd being back at a place that I spent so much time building the base of who I am today. I'm sad to say that it was just like I remembered it; stuffy, cramped and small. But I was not the same person. I'm much more experienced now, lighter, faster and am hoping to go further than I ever dreamed I could. 

   It was a long week, lots of challenging workouts, lots of long miles. As awful as the humid last three miles of my fourteen mile long run were this week, today's easy six were truly enjoyable on my newly repaired treadmill. Amazing how quickly you can recover when you abuse yourself. Just press on and do the hard work. You may reach your goals faster than you expect. But, it may take you longer than you would like it to also. 

   I don't know what's in store for me this October and November. I could have the race of my life. I could hobble away with my first DNF (Did Not Finish). Either way, I'm glad that I decided to take the journey. I hope that you're healthy, happy and enjoying your own journeys. Let me know how you're doing, what you have planned and what your thinking. Ride that lightning my friends and have a great week!

Why I Run

   Today's blog post is directly aimed at my friend Chris Russell. He's an amazing writer and podcaster about all things running. I've been listening to him for years and highly recommend that you check out his work at: http://runrunlive.com. It's really great stuff that's funny, entertaining and informative. Recently he's put out a request for some good blog posts that he can read on his show. So, here goes. Here's my contribution... 

 WHY I RUN...

   Why I run? That's a question that I get asked quite often from people who meet me for the first time. My family and longtime friends have given up asking me this particular question. They're either satisfied with the goofy answers that I've given them over the years or they've written me off as totally crazy.

   I've been logging miles out there on the roads, trails and treadmills for over 12 years now. And I think that the answer to the "Why I run?" question has been many different things to me over that time frame.

   Growing up I wasn't the healthiest kid in the neighborhood. I didn't play sports very well, I ate too much bad food and topped the scales at 220 lbs. with a size 42" waist. From about four years old until I was 16 years old I was obese. Then, one summer after some serious life changes I lost 60 lbs. It was such a dramatic change that people who didn't see me on a regular basis didn't even recognize me once they did. I got a huge boost to my self esteem. The funny looks, the sometimes sadistic childhood teasing and cruel laughing disappeared. But even to this day, even after all of my running accomplishments, deep down inside when I look at the mirror I still see the little fat kid. I run to make sure that the little fat kid hidden in this runner's body never comes back out. 

   One of thelife changes that happened that summer was the passing of my father from lung cancer. My father wasn't overweight. But, he didn't take care of himself like he should've either. He worked a high stress job of a police officer and combated that with smoking, drinking too much and socially burning the candle at both ends. At the time when he passed I'd just begun to really connect with him as a father and as an individual. But, at 45 years old my father disappeared from my life forever. It was an extremely difficult time and changed the course of my life. I luckily managed to survive the long period of depression. I now find myself also in the field of law enforcement. But, I don't indulge in the same self destructive habits that he once did. I do burn the candle at both ends when it comes to my training. But, nobody's perfect. I run because I want to see my family grow old. I want to see my son become the amazing man that I know he'll be someday.

   When you wear a badge, carry a gun and deal with dangerous people for a living your perspective on life changes. It's not you're typical nine to five desk job. During the police academy instructors drill into you to be suspicious of everyone and everything. Physical fitness is hammered into you as a necessity. Those are good skills to learn and they can keep you alive in the worst of situations. But, after those first few exciting years the excitement and enthusiasm of the job can quickly fade away. So can some of your safety skills and attention to your fitness. One of the cooler things about being a distance runner is that you can cheat in many other areas of your life and still maintain the appearance of fitness. You can eat and drink whatever you pretty much want. You can skip strength training and stretching. It's a simple matter of calories in are less than calories out thanks to all the miles that you log. You can effectively look fit but be totally unhealthy. I was at that point in my life seven years ago. I was an unhealthy runner, my safety skills were stale and I'd grown used to telling bad guys what to do and having them do it without question. Even when your safety skills are good and you've to prepared for all the possible worst case scenarios, things never happen when you expect them to. On an idle night a tiny, nobody bad guy who didn't like being told what to do decided that was the night he was going to kill me. I don't remember the whole incident. Only bits and flashes. I do remember the first punch. I do remember how quickly he got me into a decent choke hold. I do remember thinking how the hell was this happening so quick and why was I feeling so tired so fast. I was a distance runner for Christ's sake! I shouldn't feel this bad. Thankfully, while on the verge of blacking out a lot of things went right and I survived the attack. I vividly remember changing my son's diaper the next morning on his changing table. I remember him reaching up to touch my face with this quizzical look on his face. I realized that he had a difficult time recognizing me because of all the swelling and bruising. I looked like I went a round with Rocky. Since then I've rededicated myself to keeping my safety skills sharper and having a more encompassing level of fitness. I joined our SWAT team. I became a physical fitness instructor at the police academy. I run because law enforcement professionals are the best example of a paid athlete if there ever was one.

   In the hustle and bustle of modern life we as a society are told who to be, where to go what to do on a daily basis. When you stop and think about how much of your life is dictated by outside influences in the "Land of the Free" you quickly realize that there's few things we have real control over. So many different things are out of our hands. Running for me is my way to exert a small amount of control over my life. I go when I typically want to. I go where I want to. I go for as long as my body will let me. It's my own time to think about what I want to think about doing something that I want to do. Through the years and miles I've soothed frayed nerves, had the best ideas, gotten better perspectives on problems, calmed angry tempers, marveled at the humor in my life, said good bye to lost loved ones, triumphed at overcoming obstacles, been disappointed at failures and discovered the value in pushing myself to the edge of breaking and being rewarded with what lays on the path less traveled. I run to find myself.

   Why I run is like asking why someone likes the color blue? There's no right or wrong answer and the possibilities are endless. Running is one of those things that will be what you need it to be. It could get rid of your obesity. It could enable you to maximize the time you get to spend with the people that you love the most. It could save your life when shit happens. It could help you discover what truly lies inside of you and what you're capable of. All that you need to do is take the first step.

   I hope that you and Chris enjoyed the post! I could go on forever here. I hope that whatever you're striving for becomes a reality. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know! Ride that lightning my friends and have a great rest of the week...        

    

Week Two

   Training to run distance events is a strange thing. At the end of last week I must admit that I was feeling really beat up. Even with logging a steady 30 miles a week during the off season I found myself feeling totally exhausted from the added additional eight miles added to that week. My hamstrings were sore as hell, I was fighting the same old battle with my right shoulder and my knees, something that hasn't ever bothered me before was rearing it's ugly head. I started to have doubts about what I'd gotten myself into.

   The start of this week didn't go any better. My legs didn't feel rested at all and my energy level was in the tank. Some people listen to music when they run. Some people listen to running podcasts. I happen to enjoy both and I was reminded how special this gift of being able to run was by one of those podcasts that I listen to.

   My friend Chris interviewed an amazing guy who broke his back during a motorcycle accident. Ouch! You'll never catch me on one of those things. There's a reason my wife dubbed me the "Moped Invalid" during our honeymoon. The moped rental store wouldn't even rent me one! I was that bad. Anyways, after this guy's accident he's told by doctors that he may be paralyzed and most certainly never run or bike again. Incredibly he heals, comes back and is now running and biking again. I started listening to that podcast feeling sorry for myself. But, finished as a humbled man. Sometimes it's difficult to realize how lucky we runners are to be able to step out of our door and let our feet take us where they will. I needed to get over myself.

   Another terrible fault of our select group is that we're always trying to compare ourselves to past PR's and performances. I don't have anything to prove to anyone when it comes to this ultra. My goal is just to finish. Not to mention that I've never trained for a race this long. So, why was I beating myself up over what I deemed as poor workouts when I have nothing to compare them to? Stupid I know. You'd be surprised what rolls around your head as the miles tick by.

    Today's workout wasn't anything special. Just easy running for an hour. No speed work, no hills and no pressure. Out of 14 days of ultra training today's run felt the best. The hamstrings, shoulder, hips, knees and ego didn't bother me at all. It was what I really needed right now. The mind is a powerful tool. Negative thoughts and emotions can make you only see the worst about any given situation. Running can be hard. But, it's those hard times that help you grow and become better. Much like life itself.

   Following your dreams isn't something for the faint of heart. It takes guts. It take determination. It takes you to places where your hideously evil worst self doubts live. When you go there it's not fun to have them screaming that you can't. Just put your head down, smile and know that you can. You're your own worst critic. But, the critic that's doing all the talking is still at home on the couch!

   Have a great week every body. As always, thanks for taking time out of your busy lives to read my blog and watch my vodcast. Let me know how your training is going and if there's anything I can do to help. I survived week two! Ride that lightning...

5 Miles More Podcast-Episode 15 "The Long Run"

Happy 4th of July to everyone! In this episode I bring you along for another one of my training workouts, the long run. Can you say 12 miles for America?!!!!

Week One...

   

   I had great hopes of bringing you all along today using my GoPro while my family and I spent most of the afternoon at a beautiful beach off Lake Ontario. I even managed to remember to charge it last night. But, alas I forgot to turn off the wi-fi. Needless to say, the battery was dead when I broke it out today. So, you just get a blog post today. Don't worry. I'll eventually get the hang of it.  

   What an incredibly long week of training! I find it mildly amusing that a week ago I thought that I was in very good running shape. Throw in a little more volume and training specific workouts into the mix and wham; you get snapped back into reality. I've got a very long way to go.

   That being said, I've done enough distance training to realize that for as tough as this week was and the coming workouts will be; it'll pay off come race day. I started off the week very energized and excited. I almost made the mistake of getting carried away a little too much and almost overextended myself. This year instead of throwing myself headfirst into the training accepting nothing but the hardest workouts and best performances I've decided to ease back a little. I've got another 15 weeks to get to the level that I feel like I want to be. So, this year I'm going to slowly get into the training schedule. If there's one thing that last year's extra time off due to injury taught me, it's that quality is more important than quantity. Here's my game plan for doing that:

   Many of the workouts in my chosen ultra plan have minimum and maximum distances. If I only can run the minimum mileage for that workout, then so be it. I'm not going to stress about the higher end of the spectrum. Going to focus on putting in time on my feet and less on the impressive numbers of garbage mileage. Quality mileage.  

   Many novice runners make the mistake of thinking that every run needs to be at break neck pace. Even old veterans can fall into this trap. During my long run this week I even had to walk briefly. It was hot, humid and my legs were shredded from all the volume earlier in the week. At first I started to mentally beat myself up. But, I realized that I didn't need to do that. I walked for a little bit, re-hydrated, refueled and got back into the groove for the rest of the run. I even managed to get back on pace. Forward progress counts, even if it's one step at a time.

   As usual I've got numerous little aches and pains this year as I start my training season. In the past I would've blatantly ignored them and forged on through my cross-training. Not this year. Instead of doing excess reps with excessively heavy weights I'm cutting back to the recommended number of reps with the recommended weight amounts. In the past I've toed the starting line to some of my races exhausted, injured or just on the verge of becoming that way. Train smarter, not harder.

   Training for endurance events eats up so much of your free-time that it can feel like a second full-time job. Because of that, stretching was something that I looked at as a nuisance. If I didn't have time for it, I didn't do it. Not this year. I'm making an effort to make sure that I make the time to stretch out. It's not a waste of time to do something that will decrease your overall pain and increase your chances of staying injury free during your season. Make time for stretching and increase flexibility.

   Sleep is something of a rarity in my life whether I'm training or not. With the increased workload of training I usually get even less during this time of year. This year I'm going to focus on getting at least eight hours everyday. Sleep is the most powerful thing for repairing the damage done to your body during your training. Yes, learning to survive with less rest and function at a high level of fatigue is part of distance training. But, doing that everyday, every week is going to rob you of good performances when getting your workouts in. Get rest and naps count!

   I used to think that I was the only person that I needed to get through my distance events. I was wrong. When you decide to take up the challenge of running distance races you can't do it on your own. It affects everyone in your life. It affects your time, your diet, your mood and about a million other things. It's ok to ask the people in your life to help you when you need it. If your spouse asks you if they can mow the lawn for you, let them. If you need to make an appointment with your chiropractor, make one. You have a team. Use it to help you get to the starting line healthy and happy.

   As the training season approaches my stomach grumbles with anticipation. It knows that when training finally starts that I can virtually get away with eating anything that I want. This is one of the biggest hidden secrets of distance athletes. We love running and we love the ability to eat like crap without recourse. I'm not going to do that this year. This year food is going to be less about comfort and more about quality. The alcohol consumption is going to decrease as well as the high fat and high sugar type of foods. Food is fuel.

   I survived this week and I'm pooped from the good effort. After doing so many distance races I've come to realize that in the end it's not the event that you remember the most. It's the countless hours that you spent and miles that you ran that stick with you. The race itself is over before you know it. But, the experiences you have while devoting yourself to becoming the best that you can be for a single moment in time are priceless. They show you what's truly inside.

   So, when you're out there 10 miles from your home, exhausted, on a country road without a car in sight, when there isn't a cloud in the sky, a blazing sun beating down on you, with temps above 80 degrees, humidity so high that the air's like pea soup, force yourself to smile. Remember one of my favorite quotes from an unlikely source, Winnie the Pooh:

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."

   Ride that lightning my friends and have a great week. Let me know how your training's going and if there's anything I can do to help. The future looks promising indeed...

5 Miles More Podcast-Episode 14 "Day One of Ultra-Marathon Training"

Let The Journey Begin

   There's no more putting it off now. No more "Maybe next year". No more "I'm not sure I want to do this". No more "I'm not ready". Today is the day to "shit or get off the pot" as they say. Today I started training for a distance that I've never gone before. After 12 years of training and running distance races I must admit that the various unknown aspects of this event scare the hell out of me. So many questions, so many new things to figure out, so many what if's. But then again, that's one of the more exciting reasons of why to do it in the first place. 

   Waking up this morning I could tell that it was going to be a special day. I know people who aren't distance runners won't see why a day like today would be special. But, for runners like us it's a chance to go beyond our perceived limits and see what we're truly made of. I don't need to prove myself to anybody other than myself. I think that's why distance running appeals so much to me. I'd love to win my first ultra-marathon. But, I'd love to prove I could go the distance more. There's something magical about being better than you were the day, month, year before. Even small victories of tenths of a mile and seconds are celebrated. What's life for other than to become the best that you could possibly be? A long time ago I decided that I didn't want to exist. I wanted to live and endurance events like this give me that alive feeling. Who'd of thought beating up on yourself could be so rewarding?

   Today's run went amazingly well considering that I stayed up way too late eating and drinking things that I know aren't good for me. Even though I'm new to ultra-running, I'm a veteran when it comes to training for distance events. There's a lot of planning that goes into training for 16 weeks. You need to eat right, get good sleep and do the work. Throw in the additional time it takes to do all of those things, a full-time career and family and you've got quite a handful to juggle. So, for the last four days I've had my fun. Now, the real work begins. It felt damn good to have a goal again. The mini taper I put myself through rewarded me with a good kick in my legs and very little hip and hamstring tightness. The energy in the air was palatable as I knocked out exactly seven miles in an hour. Had a lot of fun playing with the new camera. But, that talking thing when your running is tough! I give mad props to you podcasters who do that on a regular basis! 

   Over then next 16 weeks I'm going to try to give you my thoughts and show you my experiences as I travel down this unfamiliar road. I'm not sure where it's going to lead, how I'm going to get there and what it's going to be like when I arrive. Hopefully it'll be one of the best experiences of my life. I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to ultra-marathons. But, that isn't going to stop me from giving it my best shot and have a hell of a time doing it. Don't be afraid of the unknown. Believe in yourself. Believe that you have what you need inside of you to get through the challenges placed before you. You wield an amazing amount of power in your life. Everybody tries to muddle up what life's really about. You need to act this way, do these things and get these results. But, it's much less complicated than that. All you need to do is close your eyes, breathe and take the first step. Let me know if I can help. 

   Ride that lightning my friends...  

       

5 Miles More Podcast-Episode 13 "GoPro & Easing Back"

Hello my friends. I've finally bit the bullet & forked up the money for a GoPro. This is the 1st of what I hope to become a new & improved version of my video podcasts. The volume is a little low in spots. But, Sandman Jr. dancing around in the background makes up for it!

Ride that lightning...

5 Miles More -Episode 12 "Peroneal Tendonitis"

In this episode I talk to my good friend Chris Russell about his peroneal tendonitis. 

Ride that lightning and don't get injured my friends...

Five Miles More-Episode 11 "Gosnell Nature Preserve-Part II"

In this episode I talk about my return to the Gosnell Nature Preserve. I recently discovered that there's a short trail inside the preserve. This is a brief clip of Ry & I after we explored it.

Ride the lightning my friends...

National Running Day (A Day Late)

   I originally meant to post something witty related to running on the big "National Running Day" yesterday. But, I did something a little selfish instead, I just enjoyed my workout that day. It was really kind of funny watching me try to figure it out. I typically run my hill workout on a treadmill inside my gym. It's nice to be able to change the elevation with the press of a button. But, I'd really like to eventually figure something out so that I can get this done outside on some hills. So, after some suggestions from fellow running friends I downloaded some new running apps for my phone that track elevation. I tested out the apps on various hills near my gym. Starting, stopping, starting again. I just couldn't find anything out there that automatically calculates the percent elevation automatically. So I got frustrated, gave up and ran inside. Regardless, it was a great run and the energy of all of the college kids home for the summer working out in my gym was uplifting. The grizzled regular hardcore weightlifters who stare at me and my unconventional exercises leave much to be desired and do little for my enthusiasm.

   Things have been going well otherwise. I'm trying to bring back more stretching into my daily life. The evening five minute sessions with a tennis ball while watching TV really helped my hamstring issues and it's flaring up again. So is that damn right shoulder strain. I've just gotta get my lazy but off that couch and do it. This week will be the first in about a month and a half of doing two cross-training sessions. I originally dropped down to just one to give the hamstrings and shoulder a break. But, as the day to officially start ultra training grows nearer I've gotta get back to more than once a week. After a little soul searching I've decided that maybe I was a little overzealous in past years with regards to how much cross-training that I did. It's easy to fall into that mentality that more is better. Well, sometimes it isn't. Therefore I'm still going to continue with my eight-week plan from my buddy Matt Fitzgerald. But, just cap the reps at what he recommends. No more extra stuff. I also scrapped the idea for trying to complete the 10 x 10 challenge. 10 miles every day for ten days just isn't smart right before my ultra training. Another time.

   The 2014 Run For The Sun is off and I've managed to convince the entire family to try it out this year. Everyone seems to be enjoying doing at least a mile a day. The little guy even has his Fitbit to help him track his stats. I came upon him running up and down our main hallway yesterday to pad his numbers. Hey, it's exercise and how can I complain. Someone who may have been trying to run 366 days in a row may have run laps in his basement during his surprise birthday party for the same reason! Tomorrow will be day 525 and there's no end in sight!

   I'm absolutely loving the new season of Boundless on the Esquire channel. Mrs. Sandman introduced it to me and I just can't get enough. Two guys globetrotting around the planet doing ultra distance running and biking races; sign me up! Esquire channel if you need someone new for the next season all you have to do is ask. The show's inspired me to think about getting a GoPro camera. Although, not anytime soon. I don't have a spare $500 laying around. I looked at getting a pair of Google Glass specs too. But, that price tag of $1500 is even worse. Besides, it doesn't look like they're going to be available until the next century to the regular public anyways. It'd be really unique to bring you along on my runs to see what I see. The only thing that's frustrating me about the show is that I can't find past episodes from season one anywhere? I'm good at that sort of stuff. But, I just can't seem to work my magic. Hopefully it'll come out on DVD soon.

   I've gotten my three free boxes of Accel gel in the mail. Really stoked to have my running pay for itself in a small way. At about $34 a box, I'll take free stuff every time! I look forward to trying them out and my new ultra vest this Saturday for my long run.

   Even though it's a day late I wish all of you a happy National Running Day! Running is one of the most incredibly honest sports out there. Yes, there are skilled runners who are able to run faster and further than us mere mortals. But, for the most part, us average people only get out what we put in when it comes to running. You do the hard work and amazing things will happen. You don't and you'll suffer during the longer distances and not meet your goals. I was amazed and thrilled to hear that my sister in law went on her first trail run with Mrs. Sandman the other day. She's been on a very personal quest to improve her health and the trans-formative nature of our sport is molding her into one badass fit chic! To hear that someone who thought I was crazy for running when nobody was chasing me loved her first time on the trails was just another example of the power that running has when you first try it.

   Get out there, do something that your body was designed to do and of course, ride that lightning my friends! Have a great week!    

5 Miles More-Episode 10 "Sandkid Jr. Speaks"

In this episode Sandkid Jr. hijacks the podcast to talk about his first mile for this year's Run For The Sun. Wait, he forgot to say ride the lightning....

5 Miles More Podcast-Episode 9 "Run For The Sun 2014"

In this episode I talk about the upcoming 2014 Run For The Sun Challenge created by my good buddy Coach Jeff. I also ramble on about Sammy the Super Running Dog!

Have a great day and ride that lightning my friends...

2014 Run For the Sun

   

   If you haven't heard yet starting tomorrow is something that you need to be part of. It's called the Run For The Sun 2014 and it's serious fun! The first RFTS was started around 2009 by my good friend Coach Jeff in Australia. I became involved with it last year while completing my 366 Project. I managed to finish the challenge that year and then some.

   The rules are very simple; you must email Coach Jeff at Coachjeff@coachjeff.com.au and provide your name, contact info, a little background information and where you live. He will register you for for the cheap price of zero dollars. Then starting on June 1st you have to walk or run at least one mile (1.6 km) every day for the entire month. Every week you'll have to email him your weekly mileage stats. This year Coach has created a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/coachjeffrunforthesun?ref=br_tf. On the page you can post about your RFTS journey. Prizes will be awarded by Coach for interesting pictures. 

   I'll be participating again in the year's RFTS. I can't wait to get started! Challenges like this are easy for us streakers. I'm not like other people. I don't care if my mini-SUV is clean most of the time, I don't care if my weedy lawn needs mowing and could care less about what people think of me. I'm cut from a different cloth. I'd rather go out for a long run on my weekends than spend money throwing back beers in my local bar. I've even convinced my wife and little man to get into the action this year! Why not make it a family affair? 

   I hope you consider doing this year's RFTS. Don't hold yourself back. Be epic and ride that lighting...  

5 Miles More Podcast-Episode 8 "Happy Memorial Day"

In this episode I chat with you after a quick speed workout on this beautiful, sunny Memorial Day. Please take a moment today to remember those men & women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom!

Ride that lightning my friends...

The Road Less Traveled

   When you run for 12 years you develop routines, habits and get to know your body so well that there aren’t too many surprises. Unless you’re doing something crazy like running your first ultra-marathon (hey, don’t judge me), racing an Ironman or trying to survive a 24 hour adventure race there’s very little that you haven’t seen and experienced before. I guess that’s why I did my 366 Project last year and trying to go further than ever before this year.

   It’s no accident that our sport tends to attract people with OCD. We like to know what’s around the next mile, how we’re going to get there and exactly how long it’s going to take us. Our obsession with detail can help us achieve many great things. We outrun our former PR’s, take first in our age groups and run hundreds or thousands of miles every year. But it can also hinder our progress too. Sometimes it’s good to break out of the same old mold.

   I had one of those moments this week. We’ve been living at our house for almost two years. During that time I’ve run thousands of miles out of and back to my front door. But only in one direction; always to the east side. I know every crack, hill and pothole on that side of my neighborhood. But, the west side of my neighborhood was a completely different world.

   So to keep up with my new found quest to try new things I did something different for my run and went west. It’d been a very long day and I wasn’t feeling very well. I needed something other than my usual route.

   An hour and almost seven miles later I finished my run feeling ecstatic! I’d had a great run exploring a whole new part of my neighborhood. The unfamiliarity of the new route made the weariness of the day disappear and I found myself yelling at myself in my mind to slow the heck down the entire distance. It was a great experience that taught even someone as well versed in running has much to still learn.

   So, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of running routes and locations that you haven’t tried. Different scenery. I know that many of us non-professional runners de-focus on the experience when we run. We listen to our favorite music, enjoy running podcasts and focus on the scenery, wildlife and exterior world around us. It’s fairly easy to download new music and podcasts. Changing the environment isn’t as easy. But, if you try a new running route you’ll find yourself delighting in the new sights and sounds. Boredom will become a thing of the past and before you know it, you’re run will be over.

   Different elevations. Up until that west side run I’d been feeling a little stagnant with my workouts. My typical east side route is very hilly. Which is really good when I need to train on hills. But, not so good when it’s a scheduled easy run day or speed session day. On the easy days I was killing myself unnecessarily on the hills and running speed work up hills is counterproductive. I found that after running the flatter west side route that my fitness is really much higher than I thought. I felt much better during that run and was able to hit the mile paces that I wanted to without fighting any hills. Running on different elevations will help you become a more well-rounded. It will also increase flexibility in your feet and legs. Running is a repetitive movement sport and that’s why we often sustain running related injuries. Anything that you can do to vary that repetitiveness will go a long way to keeping you injury free.

   Different surfaces. I’m a creature of habit and typically prefer to run on roads versus other surface types. But, starting last year I branched out and began running on the trails near my house. After supplementing some of my normal road work with trail work I found that my feet and legs felt much better. When running on the trails they got a break from the relentless pounding they took on the asphalt and concrete.

   Well, those are some of my thoughts on my new discovery. I can’t wait to do even more exploring this season. I received my two new hydration vests this week. I’m really looking forward to trying them out my future long runs. I’ve never used vests before and I’m sure there’ll be a learning curve with them. I’m tired of using my Amphipod fuel belt. It’s really versatile and worked well for most of my marathons. But, it just can’t hold enough for my upcoming 50K.

   I hope that all of you are doing well, are healthy and do some exploring of your own. There’s so much to see out there, so many places to run, so many new sights. Why not enjoy yourself when you train?

   Ride that lightning my friends…    

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