51 weeks to go!
I've felt pretty good during these few shorter runs this past week. I'm starting to feel like I'm back in the groove of training, and all the side effects are starting to show up again, and I love it. I eat more but I'm still hungry. My legs feel like slabs of cement that I have to drag around all day. I feel a little more awake, and whenever I walk somewhere, I silently wish I were running there. I feel like I have my mojo back.
I first heard the phrase "mojo" related to running in a Runners World article about Scott Jurek and his current slump. I won't go into my opinions much on the article itself, lets just say that I don't agree with how the author put pressure on Scott to win the 24 hour championship. Anyways, the author kept referring to this "mojo". I really didn't fully understand what it was until I went TDY to China Lake, CA. Over a weekend, I went up to the Whitney Portal on Mount Whitney and I instantly understood what it was.
First, Mount Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 states. Second, and most importantly to me, its where the finish line is to the Badwater Ultramarathon. I am a huge fan of that race and someday wish to participate in it, and maybe even finish it. The picture at the top of this site is taken at the starting line.
My friends were all fishing in the small streams around the portal. I didn't have a rod, so I just rammed around in the snow around the parking lot. I'd go up some hill, then run down the other side. Not just jogging around, but running. Really running. The kind of running you see on playgrounds and from kids chasing the ice cream truck. I was exhausted from the effort and the elevation, but I kept running around anyways. I had my mojo back. The whole ride back to Ridgecrest, that's all I could think about, was running around Mount Whitney, feeling the awesome energy that surrounds that place. I know that sounds a little hippie, but thats what I felt there, the energy of the finish line, and the portal to the top of the mountain. It's where I decided that I would give the Keys 100 a real shot. I can't wait to go back to Whitney.
Hopefully this "mojo" lasts me until I get to the finish in Key West, and hopefully I don't promptly lose it afterwards and take a year off. I'm gonna try my best to keep it going this time. Here goes nothing...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Here I Go Again
Ok folks, I know it's been a long time coming, but I'm back in training starting this week!
Now, a little back story... I raced in and completed the Keys 50 almost a year ago today. I finished in just a little under 13 hours, which kinda sucks, but oh well, it was a good first try at getting back into this sport. I learned (and relearned) a lot on that trip, but that was a year ago, and this isn't a year delayed race report, so I'll leave it at that. It was a fun trip though. Throughout the race, I carried a ring in my pocket which I eventually gave to my soon-to-be wife the next evening (getting on one knee was embarrassing, but I did it anyway, for the sake of formality). Now Emily is here with me in Florida, and life is much, much better
Anyways, all that aside, it's been a year. I was plagued with IT band syndrome which caused me to all but give up on the ultra-running thing. But I'm pissed off with being lazy, so I made an outlandish goal. One year from this week, I will race in the Keys 100. In doing so, I'll be posting all my lessons-learned (and relearned) here. I made my training schedule today, and it seems challenging but reasonable at the same time. A few weeks stray into 70 miles, and I have a 50 mile training race a month or so before to begin my taper off of. This November (after the wedding in October :) ) I'll be doing the Pensacola Marathon while my wife will be doing her first official half marathon! These truly are exciting times.
Training starts tomorrow with three days of easy short distance runs, with two more this weekend. Mondays and Fridays will be permanent rest days. I'll be sure to update this later on with how these go.
Passion had fueled my progress, and I hungered for more ~ Dean Karnazes
Now, a little back story... I raced in and completed the Keys 50 almost a year ago today. I finished in just a little under 13 hours, which kinda sucks, but oh well, it was a good first try at getting back into this sport. I learned (and relearned) a lot on that trip, but that was a year ago, and this isn't a year delayed race report, so I'll leave it at that. It was a fun trip though. Throughout the race, I carried a ring in my pocket which I eventually gave to my soon-to-be wife the next evening (getting on one knee was embarrassing, but I did it anyway, for the sake of formality). Now Emily is here with me in Florida, and life is much, much better
Anyways, all that aside, it's been a year. I was plagued with IT band syndrome which caused me to all but give up on the ultra-running thing. But I'm pissed off with being lazy, so I made an outlandish goal. One year from this week, I will race in the Keys 100. In doing so, I'll be posting all my lessons-learned (and relearned) here. I made my training schedule today, and it seems challenging but reasonable at the same time. A few weeks stray into 70 miles, and I have a 50 mile training race a month or so before to begin my taper off of. This November (after the wedding in October :) ) I'll be doing the Pensacola Marathon while my wife will be doing her first official half marathon! These truly are exciting times.
Training starts tomorrow with three days of easy short distance runs, with two more this weekend. Mondays and Fridays will be permanent rest days. I'll be sure to update this later on with how these go.
Passion had fueled my progress, and I hungered for more ~ Dean Karnazes
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