Training Diary, Day 7

8.35 mi; 2:28:46; 17:49 min/mi; 800 cals; BHS and by river. Hot day. Feel unfit.

2 mi; 27:43:43; 13:51 min/mi; 200 cals; BHS. Powerwalk

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary, Day 6

Off day.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New shoes!

Got some shoes on clearance from Sports Authority. They were on sale for $30. They are Asics. Only catch: they are women's. But who can tell?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary, Day 5

Day off.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary, Day 4

.24 mi; 4:35:78; 18:50 min/mi; 20 cals; warm up walk before tire

5:14 mi; 1:49:06; 21:14 min/mi; 500 cals; walk with tire and winter coat around Burbank. Tough.

7.36 mi; 1:48:07; 14:41 min/mi; 700 cals; powerwalk with nice shirtless, short-shorts guy from online. BHS track. Got invited to SA Frontrunners group at Witte Museum parking garage at 9 am Sunday. I want to go.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary; Day 3

5.69 mi; 1:25:44; 15:04 min/ mi; 500 cals; walk/run around BHS and track. Knee has been a little tender. Not really running much or pushing it. Blah.

5.00 mi; 51:29:36; 10:17 min/mi; 500 cals; walk/run around Burbank track. Man in red shirt tried racing me. He couldn't hold his pace and stopped.

.52 mi; 12:17:58; 23:51 min/mi; 50 cals; walk home.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary, Day 2

2.83 mi; 49:44:56; 17:35 min/mi; 280 cals; walk around BHS.

.60 mi; 9:50:94; 16:48 min/mi; 60 cals; short walk around block, saw Mormon men.

.62 mi; 15:24:21; 24:42 min/mi; 60 cals; short little walk at night. BHS

5 mi; 1:02:50; 12:34 min/mi; 500 cals; run around BHS track in sandals.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Training Diary, Day 1

Well, I am signed up for the Mogollon Monster 100 on September 25, in Pine, AZ. It's going to be a fun race. But I need to get my ass into gear with my training. I want to run this 100 miler and I want to run it well. No excuses. Just solid running. I have time to prepare. From here on out, I will post my daily training on my blog. If I am the only one who reads this, then that is fine, too, because at least I am holding myself accountable. Let the fun begin!

5.52 mi; 1:13:15; 13:16 mi/min; 500 cals; road run, some hills, around Burbank. A cop stopped me and asked me about my Hoka Shoes. Think I sold a pair to him!

4.5 mi; 1:00:00; -- mi/min; 450 cals; road walk/run around Burbank. Ran with purple mohawk guy behind me. Feel unfit, but optimistic and charged. This run was just about hitting a daily mileage goal.

2.5 mi; 34:31:26; 13:49 min/mi; 250 cals; run/walk with the tire. Cool, breezy, cloudy day. Pretty sunset!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Dry Spell and How to Snap Out of It

I'm in some kind of dry spell. Running is tedious. I still enjoy it, but physically, I get burned out after a few miles. Some days it even feels like an obligation to get out and get going. I'm not sleeping well. My diet is off; I'm eating too much. I'm gaining weight. I think maybe I'm depressed. Wah-wah.

So what do I do? Here is my plan to get myself out of this funk:

1) Document what I eat on the Livestrong app - I find that I eat less and I eat better when I record what I put in my mouth. It makes me more conscious of what I'm putting in my body and how much of it I'm putting in.

2) Write in my running journal on a daily basis - I used to document all of my runs. I need to get back to it. It made me proud to look back on my workouts. It made me more eager to get back out there and put in some miles.

3) Keep a weight loss chart - This tool, when I was losing weight, made me proud of my accomplishments. It was encouraging and motivational.

4) Wind down at 11 pm tonight - I will drink some decaf hot herbal tea. I will not eat after 8 pm. I will put on my RelaxMelodies app and have lights and devices off by 11 pm.

Hopefully all these things together will help me feel better about myself and set me back on track. They have worked in the past and I see no reason why they shouldn't work now.

Location:San Antonio,United States

Nueces 50 Mile Race Report

On Saturday, March 3, 2012, I had the pleasure of running 50 miles in the Nueces River Valley, on the western edge of the Texas Hill Country. As usual, Joe and Joyce Prusaitis put on an extraordinary ultramarathon. Their races truly are top-notch, both in terms of the course itself - which is beautiful - and in terms of the organization, volunteer staff, and aid the runners receive. I saw many familiar faces on the trail and at the aid stations, including newly-weds Doug and Jazzy Ratliff (congrats you two!)

My goal going into this race was to just have fun. I wanted to go out there and get caught up in the beauty of being out on the trail - to just do my own thing and listen to my music on my iPod and have a blast. And I did just that.

I drove out to Camp Eagle on Friday, checked in and got my race tags, and parked my car in the camping area and ate oranges and almonds and watched episodes of the Golden Girls on my laptop until it was time to sleep. By 5 am, I was well-rested and ready to start my adventure. I got all my gear together (which wasn't very much: one water bottle, a headlamp, nipple guards, and my iPod. That is really all you need to run 50 miles on Joe's well-organized course) and headed towards the start line.

The first few miles of an ultra are always my favorite miles. Everyone is excited and fresh. You have your headlamps and flashlights out. You feel like you are embarking into the the unknown and you feel anxious and happy, and maybe even a little scared, all at the same time.

Now, if you haven't been on the trails at Camp Eagle, let me tell you you something about them: they are tough! Okay, maybe not that tough, but they are definitely challenging. There are some big climbs throughout the course, and you feel absolute relief when you get to the top of a big hill because by then you have just had it with climbing! Then, you get to the quad-punishing downhill! And the trail is not smooth. It is rocky. You've never seen so many rocks in your life (unless, of course, you have run the Cactus Rose 100 at Bandera).

But, what rugged beauty! More climbs means more scenic views. You get to the top of one hill and you can see a beautiful expanse of the Texas Hill Country. You get to the top of another hill, and what is waiting for you on top? A giant, beautiful creaking windmill set against the rising Texas sun! This course has it all: water (you run along the river for a short portion of the course), bridge crossings (there is one long suspension bridge that you get to run across and several other smaller crossings), and wildlife.

On the last point about wildlife, let me tell you a short anecdote before wrapping up this race report. At about mile 42, I found myself face to face with a big buck standing right in the middle of the trail. Off to the side was a fawn. They both stood staring at me, no more than 10 feet away. I took a step toward the buck, hoping he might move. He didn't. He just stood there. Staring. Now, I've seen one too many YouTube videos of deer going crazy and standing up on their hind legs and attacking with their front legs to take this situation lightly. I mean, come on, I've just run 42 miles! I am tired as hell and have the strength of a marshmallow Peep. If that deer attacked me, I was totally defenseless. Worst case scenario: there were plenty of rocks to defend myself with!

But after a few second of just standing there, regarding each other with mistrust and probably waiting for the other to make the first move to get us out of this situation, I decided to take action. I ran at the deer with my hands in the air and screamed. The thing ran away. And so did I. As I ran towards the finish line, I smiled at what turned out to be a fun little adventure.