When I added up my mileage from Sunday's run, my yearly total is now 1005 miles. This marks the first year since 2000 where I have achieved the 1000 mile mark and I am on pace to hit my lifetime high for yearly mileage. My current estimate is for around 1450 miles which would break my previous high by 150 miles which was from 1997 (1305 miles and in 97, I set PR's in 8k, 1/2 Marathon and 25k distances, ran 3 marathons which were not PR's - Heat/Hydration issues).
This year there won't be many PR's outside of the 50k's (I ran the distance for the first time) and I know that for some folks this wouldn't be a big deal but for me it is and I am pleased to be on pace for this record. Sweet................
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Quotes for the day......
I was watching something and they brought up William Wallace (Braveheart) and they used a quote of his that struck home with regards to running.
The quote was "Every man dies. Not every man really lives. "
What's that have to do with running, well, I feel that when I run I am experiencing life.When I run longer distances, I experience even more life and feel that I am living my life to it's fullest. I have been asked many times through the years why do I run, most recently I have been asked why am I running longer distances and want to go even longer? I usually quip that the longer I run the slower I can go and the easier it is. There is a grain of truth there but I think I run longer not to test my physical limits but to test my mental limits. At some point in most marathons and the 50k's that I have done, my body grows weak and my mind wavers but it ultimately is my mind that gets me to the finish. It's a little like the quote from Henry Ford:
If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.
Henry Ford
Ever been on a long run and started thinking you can't do it, I have and every time it turned out I was right. I quit. On the other hand when I kept believing or at least trying by taking one more step forward, I did it.
As a matter of fact Henry Ford had many quotes which when applied to running make a lot of sense, for example:
There is no man living that can not do more than he thinks he can.
Henry Ford
For the ultra community that I am working to join this is what I think is the mantra that they go by, what can I do?
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
I will remember this one as I attempt my first 50 and then my first 100 in case my first attempt does not work out as planned.
One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't.
Henry Ford
This was true for my first marathon, my first 50k and it will be true after my first 50.
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
Henry Ford
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford
These two will help me during the training that is yet to come and the races yet to be run.
Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain.
Henry Ford
I need to keep this one in mind when my training isn't happening.
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
Henry Ford
Ultra/marathon training in a microcosm.
Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Henry Ford
I think this is why I run, it is the experiences along the way, both good and bad, the setbacks and recovering from them and the fact that we keep moving forward.
Of course Ford did say this one as well:
Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don't need it: if you are sick you should not take it.
Henry Ford
So you can't take all of his quotes to heart :-)
I love reading quotes like these to help me appreciate why I run, to help me when I have weak moments and am doubting myself and to keep myself in check when the confidence is high. I will use quotes like these to remind myself that I love to run longer distances for the journey and the successes and I will use my failures as simply experiences along the way to my ultimate successes. The bottom line for me is to never give up running or my dream to finish a distance or a race but to cherish it as something that with God's help I can continue to enjoy for my entire life. Remember if you think you can, you can.................
The quote was "Every man dies. Not every man really lives. "
What's that have to do with running, well, I feel that when I run I am experiencing life.When I run longer distances, I experience even more life and feel that I am living my life to it's fullest. I have been asked many times through the years why do I run, most recently I have been asked why am I running longer distances and want to go even longer? I usually quip that the longer I run the slower I can go and the easier it is. There is a grain of truth there but I think I run longer not to test my physical limits but to test my mental limits. At some point in most marathons and the 50k's that I have done, my body grows weak and my mind wavers but it ultimately is my mind that gets me to the finish. It's a little like the quote from Henry Ford:
If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right.
Henry Ford
Ever been on a long run and started thinking you can't do it, I have and every time it turned out I was right. I quit. On the other hand when I kept believing or at least trying by taking one more step forward, I did it.
As a matter of fact Henry Ford had many quotes which when applied to running make a lot of sense, for example:
Henry Ford
For the ultra community that I am working to join this is what I think is the mantra that they go by, what can I do?
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
I will remember this one as I attempt my first 50 and then my first 100 in case my first attempt does not work out as planned.
One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't.
Henry Ford
This was true for my first marathon, my first 50k and it will be true after my first 50.
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
Henry Ford
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Henry Ford
These two will help me during the training that is yet to come and the races yet to be run.
Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain.
Henry Ford
I need to keep this one in mind when my training isn't happening.
Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.
Henry Ford
Ultra/marathon training in a microcosm.
Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.
Henry Ford
I think this is why I run, it is the experiences along the way, both good and bad, the setbacks and recovering from them and the fact that we keep moving forward.
Of course Ford did say this one as well:
Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy, you don't need it: if you are sick you should not take it.
Henry Ford
So you can't take all of his quotes to heart :-)
I love reading quotes like these to help me appreciate why I run, to help me when I have weak moments and am doubting myself and to keep myself in check when the confidence is high. I will use quotes like these to remind myself that I love to run longer distances for the journey and the successes and I will use my failures as simply experiences along the way to my ultimate successes. The bottom line for me is to never give up running or my dream to finish a distance or a race but to cherish it as something that with God's help I can continue to enjoy for my entire life. Remember if you think you can, you can.................
Monday, September 22, 2008
B'Day + some random thoughts
Well, it happened yet again, another year has passed and I am older once again, never thought much about it before thirty, never bothered me before forty, and even before fifty it didn't seem so bad but after 50, no doubt about it, beyond 50 is getting old Although one advantage to getting older is that I actually am starting to have more time for runs. Now I need to get out and do them but the time is there more than at any other time since I started running.
About the Birthday, Karyn and my gals surprised me with some really neat gifts. One I have already tried out, a Nathan HPL-020 hydration vest (thanks Londell for suggesting it and Karyn for remembering that I mentioned it). It worked great and was a nice improvement over my Camelbak, I love the front packs and it was quite a bit more comfortable. I can now look forward to many long runs this fall and winter. They also got me a pair of Running Funky Gaitors, so I can now run trails debris free, sweet. The final gift is a special one, tickets to see Martina McBride at Treasure Island. I love Martina, she has one of the most pure voices I have ever listened to. My wife and I saw her after the Country Music Marathon in 2002. If you run the CMM you receive a ticket to a concert afterwards (one of the nicest perks we have received in a marathon entry fee). I still remember how she brought an auditorium full of marathon runners (many who struggled to walk in, climb the steps or even to just get up quickly, yes I was one of them) to their feet especially when she sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Wow, that girl can sing.
Which leads me to clarify one last thing, I occasionally have commented about people, about how I don't particularly like people, actually it's being around people, well that is true at least some of the time but it isn't true all of the time.
I love to talk to runners, I love to talk Chicago Bears football (yes, even after two consecutive losses), I love to talk soccer, I enjoy talking politics and many other things. But there are at least two times when I not overly fond of folks, one of them applies to my running and the other crowds. Crowds I don't enjoy ever, I am not comfortable in crowds, going to Disney or anything like it (MN state fair, etc...) could be fun, dealing with the crowds is not. Put me in a crowd of people and I normally am not too comfortable and as my wife can probably attest, I tend to get a little cranky. As to running, I have found through the years that when I run a race like TCM that has a lot of spectators, I get drained as the day goes on. All of those people along the course added with all of those runners and then occasionally trying to converse with them just takes too much energy. I have found that talking while running can be a nice distraction at times but for me more often than not it just takes more mental energy than I have.
So just so you understand small groups of friendly folks are ok, trail runs and runners are great, but if I don't talk too much or move ahead of you quickly (it might happen once) or fall behind during a run (much more likely to happen), don't take it personal, I am just trying to conserve energy by finding a nice quiet tranquil place to go to or I am just slow and can't keep up :-).
On that note, the other day as I was running I decided to switch from my podcasts to music and "Green Grass and High Tides Forever" came on (by The Outlaws from their debut album in 1975), that is still a song that gets me going and yet moves me into that tranquil place. For those that don't know this song, go and listen to it, for others revisit the lyrics.
In a place you only dream of
Where your soul is always free
Silver stages, golden curtains
Filled my head, plain as can be
As a rainbow grew round the sun
All the stars I've love who died
Came from somewhere beyond the scene you see
These lovely people played just for me
Now if I let you see this place
Where stories all ring true
Will you let me past your face
To see what's really you
It's not for me to ask these questions
As though I were a king
For you have to love, believe and feel
Before the burst of tamborines take you there
Green grass and high tides forever
Castles of stone souls and glory
Lost faces say we adore you
As kings and queens bow and play for you
Those who don't believe me
Find your souls and set them free
Those who do, believe and love
As time will be your key
Time and time again I've thanked them
For the peace of mind
They helped me find myself
Amongst the music and the rhyme
That enchants you there
Green grass and high tides forever
Castles of stone souls and glory
Lost faces say we adore you
As kings and queens bow and play for you
Yeah, they play just for you
This is a song that I think of occasionally when I am running, not sure why or what it might mean but I love remembering it, remembering the Outlaws, remembering my past, probably just another side effect of getting older...........
About the Birthday, Karyn and my gals surprised me with some really neat gifts. One I have already tried out, a Nathan HPL-020 hydration vest (thanks Londell for suggesting it and Karyn for remembering that I mentioned it). It worked great and was a nice improvement over my Camelbak, I love the front packs and it was quite a bit more comfortable. I can now look forward to many long runs this fall and winter. They also got me a pair of Running Funky Gaitors, so I can now run trails debris free, sweet. The final gift is a special one, tickets to see Martina McBride at Treasure Island. I love Martina, she has one of the most pure voices I have ever listened to. My wife and I saw her after the Country Music Marathon in 2002. If you run the CMM you receive a ticket to a concert afterwards (one of the nicest perks we have received in a marathon entry fee). I still remember how she brought an auditorium full of marathon runners (many who struggled to walk in, climb the steps or even to just get up quickly, yes I was one of them) to their feet especially when she sang "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Wow, that girl can sing.
Which leads me to clarify one last thing, I occasionally have commented about people, about how I don't particularly like people, actually it's being around people, well that is true at least some of the time but it isn't true all of the time.
I love to talk to runners, I love to talk Chicago Bears football (yes, even after two consecutive losses), I love to talk soccer, I enjoy talking politics and many other things. But there are at least two times when I not overly fond of folks, one of them applies to my running and the other crowds. Crowds I don't enjoy ever, I am not comfortable in crowds, going to Disney or anything like it (MN state fair, etc...) could be fun, dealing with the crowds is not. Put me in a crowd of people and I normally am not too comfortable and as my wife can probably attest, I tend to get a little cranky. As to running, I have found through the years that when I run a race like TCM that has a lot of spectators, I get drained as the day goes on. All of those people along the course added with all of those runners and then occasionally trying to converse with them just takes too much energy. I have found that talking while running can be a nice distraction at times but for me more often than not it just takes more mental energy than I have.
So just so you understand small groups of friendly folks are ok, trail runs and runners are great, but if I don't talk too much or move ahead of you quickly (it might happen once) or fall behind during a run (much more likely to happen), don't take it personal, I am just trying to conserve energy by finding a nice quiet tranquil place to go to or I am just slow and can't keep up :-).
On that note, the other day as I was running I decided to switch from my podcasts to music and "Green Grass and High Tides Forever" came on (by The Outlaws from their debut album in 1975), that is still a song that gets me going and yet moves me into that tranquil place. For those that don't know this song, go and listen to it, for others revisit the lyrics.
In a place you only dream of
Where your soul is always free
Silver stages, golden curtains
Filled my head, plain as can be
As a rainbow grew round the sun
All the stars I've love who died
Came from somewhere beyond the scene you see
These lovely people played just for me
Now if I let you see this place
Where stories all ring true
Will you let me past your face
To see what's really you
It's not for me to ask these questions
As though I were a king
For you have to love, believe and feel
Before the burst of tamborines take you there
Green grass and high tides forever
Castles of stone souls and glory
Lost faces say we adore you
As kings and queens bow and play for you
Those who don't believe me
Find your souls and set them free
Those who do, believe and love
As time will be your key
Time and time again I've thanked them
For the peace of mind
They helped me find myself
Amongst the music and the rhyme
That enchants you there
Green grass and high tides forever
Castles of stone souls and glory
Lost faces say we adore you
As kings and queens bow and play for you
Yeah, they play just for you
This is a song that I think of occasionally when I am running, not sure why or what it might mean but I love remembering it, remembering the Outlaws, remembering my past, probably just another side effect of getting older...........
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Surf the Murph = motivation..........
I have decided to commit to another event. I have to or I know I will just become a slug. Why another event, well, I race not to win, not even to be competitive, not even to PR (ok, I would still like to have a few more PR's) but I race because of fear. Yes, Fear, fear of if I don't race than I won't train. I love to run but many days I allow life events and procrastination to keep me from running so my training can turn real inconsistent.
Take this week, I took Monday off as I was sore from the weekend long runs, Tuesday, still sore. So Tuesday evening, I told myself that I would run before work, morning came, motivation was low. Internal dialogue - if you just get out the door you will be ok, so I thought about it and took the procrastination path and said to myself that I would try and run at lunch, forgot I had a meeting, ok run after work, didn't leave work in time to run before church, run after church, nope worn out just wanted to unwind. So, I told myself last night that I would run before work, morning came, motivation was even lower. Procrastination wins again, so I said to myself that I would try and run at lunch, work interfered, ok run after work, I have a meeting, run after the meeting, nope worn out just wanted to unwind.
See a trend, this is where races come in. When I sign up, I think to myself I need to run a marathon or 50k in x weeks. I have to get out the door and run or it's really gonna hurt. So I get my priorities reset and then I tend to get the work-life balance realigned and get out the door at least a little more often.
So I am going to go ahead and sign up for the Surf the Murph 50k as that will give me the motivation I need. I have already committed to running a 1/2 marathon in Lebanon Hills as my race for the World Wide Festival of Races but that is just a 1/2 marathon. I can do that with pretty minimal training between now and then. But a 50k run in Murphy-Hanrehan, that is going to require some training or it will really, really, really hurt.
So my motivation is set through November then I will just need to sign up for a race early next year like the "Psycho WyCO Run Toto, Run 50k" in Kansas and it will have to be the 50k otherwise it won't count as a state and I need Kansas in my 50 state quest and I know I have to train to run a 50k, then I have Chippewa in April, add a few more events before Superior and I will be set for a year...........
Take this week, I took Monday off as I was sore from the weekend long runs, Tuesday, still sore. So Tuesday evening, I told myself that I would run before work, morning came, motivation was low. Internal dialogue - if you just get out the door you will be ok, so I thought about it and took the procrastination path and said to myself that I would try and run at lunch, forgot I had a meeting, ok run after work, didn't leave work in time to run before church, run after church, nope worn out just wanted to unwind. So, I told myself last night that I would run before work, morning came, motivation was even lower. Procrastination wins again, so I said to myself that I would try and run at lunch, work interfered, ok run after work, I have a meeting, run after the meeting, nope worn out just wanted to unwind.
See a trend, this is where races come in. When I sign up, I think to myself I need to run a marathon or 50k in x weeks. I have to get out the door and run or it's really gonna hurt. So I get my priorities reset and then I tend to get the work-life balance realigned and get out the door at least a little more often.
So I am going to go ahead and sign up for the Surf the Murph 50k as that will give me the motivation I need. I have already committed to running a 1/2 marathon in Lebanon Hills as my race for the World Wide Festival of Races but that is just a 1/2 marathon. I can do that with pretty minimal training between now and then. But a 50k run in Murphy-Hanrehan, that is going to require some training or it will really, really, really hurt.
So my motivation is set through November then I will just need to sign up for a race early next year like the "Psycho WyCO Run Toto, Run 50k" in Kansas and it will have to be the 50k otherwise it won't count as a state and I need Kansas in my 50 state quest and I know I have to train to run a 50k, then I have Chippewa in April, add a few more events before Superior and I will be set for a year...........
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