Fifty Miles

So.... I'm running 50 miles in the morning!

With the excitement of the engagement, this race has somewhat been put on the back burner.

running for 10+ hours < hot man putting a ring on it

Google "training plans" for 5ks to marathons and the results are endless. Everyone knows someone who has done a marathon and is willing to give advice.

The world of ultra marathons is very different. Training plans are few and far between. The races bring together a small crowd of dedicated, earthy runners. My view of their training plans is that they just know what to do. I've never seen an ultra-marathoner get as antsy or hyped up about a long race as a marathoner or other racer. Ultra marathoners are few, knowledgeable and hardcore.

Few training plans (or even guidelines for that matter) mean that I'm not really sure how my training went. I did a trail marathon three weekends ago (didn't recap), a road marathon two weeks ago (ooops... didn't recap that one either!), but my runs in between have been shorter than I'd like. The past two weeks I've laid low. My schedule picked up with work and, really, who wants to run for hours when you have a hot man in your house?

I'm sure I could have run farther in distance or more often, but overall I am confident in my training. I'm strong and my endurance kicks a$$.

But, it's 50 miles. FIFTY MILES!!!!

This brings into play the entire reason I run. Running is just one foot in front of the other with a little thought thrown in. It's easy. I know my body can do it. And I know my body is strong enough for it because I've done an Ironman, a half marathon and two full marathons in the last six weeks.

So that leaves me with my mind. My mind likes to introduce boredom, pain intolerance, self-doubt and distraction into the game. One foot will go in front of the other, but my mind plays a harder game.

So I will persevere. I will push when it is hard. I won't be afraid of the burn in my lungs that reminds me my body is working. I will trust this machine and all the work I've put into it. I will look at the ring on my left hand and remember the man who believes in me with everything he has. I will think of you all.

Tomorrow morning I will wake up, run 50 miles and be that much stronger for it.

Distance is just a number. We place limits on ourselves. Push through them.

What is your biggest obstacle when running or working toward a goal? How do you overcome it?

Hello, Blogging!

Hey there, regular blogging ;)

I miss regular daily blogging. So I'm back. And I'm working on a site redesign so it will be easier for you all to read and comment and for me to post and reply. It's getting exciting!

I never set my alarm and accidentally got 8.5 hours of sleep. Normally I average 5-7, so this slumber was luxurious! I started the day with a Svelte sustained energy protein drink. I received these in the mail as a sample and now have an addiction.

They are smooth, creamy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet, mostly organic, dairy-free, low-glycemic and gluten-free. Amazing. I may have had the Chai flavor later in the day too :-P I don't normally order my food online in bulk, but I'm definitely going to order a case of these!

The lovely Gina and I took a trip to Whole Foods recently. She inspired me to make massaged avocado kale salad, so make it I did! I haven't been cooking (or un-cooking) in a while, so it was nice to get my hands dirty with some fresh produce! (This time I added a can of blackeyed peas :) Delicious!

Among other eats I munched on raw almonds and pumpkin seeds at work.

I was stopped dead in my tracks today when I received a package on my doorstep from Vee. Vee is a fellow tweeter and athlete who I met in Philly. She reads this blog and always offers so much motivation!

Vee sent me an Ironman Mile Stones hand crafted pewter necklace to celebrate my race. It has a swim/bike/run image on the front and the 2.4/112/26.2 distances on the back. I couldn't be more thankful- or proud to wear it!

Thank you so much for all your sweet words on the Great Floridian Ultra Triathlon Race Recap!! Here's some follow-up to that post:

My recovery plan:

Sunday- I took Sunday off from any kind of exercise! I was out and about with work and friends, but movement was minimal :) I was tight in my hips and sore in my joints, but nothing too bad!

Monday- Monday Fun Day I felt almost back to normal so I headed to a hot power yoga class. I told myself to not focus on a "I just did an Ironman so I can't do _____" story. I went in with an open mind and willing body. I felt strong and kept up through the whole practice. Better yet, after class I felt 100% back to normal! Not a thing was sore. Weird.

Tuesday- Tuesday I ran out of time so just squeezed in an easy 30 minute bike ride. It felt good to get my legs moving! All soreness still gone.

Wednesday- Today I ran three miles. Other than a little WTF from my calves, the run went well. Feels good to be back!

Ironman Q + A:

Running Wifle: Did you do any sprint triathlons before the half and then the full?

My half Ironman was my first triathlon- and first open water swim! I was highly active in endurance races and had already completed the bike and run distances several times. I wouldn't say jumping in that high in the game was a bad thing, but doing some shorter races first can help you flow better in the triathlon (transitions, etc.).

Taydor Tott: But what oh what did you say to that cop?! lol

I turned him down. I asked him if he had ever thought of doing "one of these things." He said he was thinking about it. LOL, he was lying. Poor guy.

Learn Fitness: Knowing what you know now, how would you train differently for your next Ironman ofr Half Ironman?

I would devote more training to my weakest sport (swimming), actually do brick workouts (I didn't do a single true brick workout!) and train on the terrain of the race (HILLS).

Peanut Butter Fingers: Would you ever do it again? :)

As I started my swim I told myself, "do this now and you'll never have to do it again." I hated the end of the bike course so much that the thought of tackling another Ironman was the funniest thing I could have thought up in that moment. Then I signed up for my next less than 24-hours later. Yes, it was hard. It pushed me and tested me in every way. But I did it. And, really, it was only one hard day of my life. For all the good a challenge like that brings, I can do anything for 17 hours.

Many of you mentioned training for your first triathlon, half Ironman or full Ironman. There are obviously a LOT of tips I could cover, but here are a few that stand out days after the Ironman:

- Put more food than you think you'll want in the special needs bags. The last thing you want is to be hungry. Also, pack fun food you can look forward to. A pb-naner sandwich I packed had me excited to get to mile 39 on the bike!

- Train in conditions similar to the course as much as possible! If it's all hills, ride and run all hills! Get in open water swims.

- Plan as if everything will go wrong. My tri shorts ripped, my chain fell off, I forgot my lip balm for the bike leg (big deal to me!!)... plan, plan and over-plan for all that could ever possibly go wrong!

How do you commemorate your big achievements? Do you ever use jewelry?

Tomorrow

Training: successful, challenging, fun, doable
Tapering: anxious, lazy, out-of-shape, irritable
Race: period, nerves, 14 hours, to-do lists

The journey to tomorrow's Ironman has been one of self-discovery and personal records.

I faced my fear of a second open water swim, rode my bike 100 miles alone, ran my heart out.

I asked myself the question, "do you believe deep down that you can do this?" and took a month to finally answer, "yes."

I surprised myself with my strength and endurance. I learned I can do anything I set my mind to.

I realized the support of my friends- from listening to my fears, texting me through long bike rides, staying by my side through an open water swim and planning to stand on the side of the road to cheer me on come race day.

I've hit the bottom and questioned everything about myself. I've cried on runs and sung my heart out on the bike. I've grown as a person and I've become an athlete.

My left shoulder will start hurting 1000 meters into the swim. My legs will feel on fire as I climb Sugarloaf Mountain 39 miles into the bike leg. My body will want to shut down when I challenge it with a marathon to wrap up the day.

And that's okay.

I have sweat, love, tears, friends, determination and inspiration to carry me through.

Tomorrow, from the 2.4 mile swim to the 112 mile bike ride to the 26.2 mile run, I will think on these things. Tomorrow, I will be an Ironman.

Men's Health Urbanathlon: CHICAGO!!!!!

Hi, Chicago. I think you're pretty great.

I flew in to Chicago this morning to compete in the Men's Health Urbanathlon tomorrow with Nike Field Reporter. I was so excited to finally be in the windy city! Argo Tea across from my hotel drew me across the street before I could even check in. Luggage in tow, I exclaimed to the barista that this was the very first place I ever visited in Chicago! And then I realized he didn't care. :-P

With my Chicago-made soy pumpkin chai in hand I took about 40 minutes to explore the city.

After some exploring I met up with the rest of my relay team to head to packet pick-up!

Meet Gina. She's my spunky new friend and another relay team member!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the recap from this fun race! Nine miles of running and tons of obstacles... should be fun!

Do you get nervous before races?

Men's Health Urbanathlon: Getting Ready!

Today is what I call a fun day. The morning began with a Panera breakfast with the lovely Gina. I enjoyed a whole grain bagel with peanut butter and a soy chai. What a treat!

Afterward I played fashion show picking out my outfits for my trip to Chicago to compete in the Men's Health Urbanathlon with Nike Women's NFR. I fly out in the morning!

I planned a long swim workout today, but I am so sore from my parkour session the other night that I'm not sure I can pull it off! I would have never thought such short (but intense) bursts of movement could make me so sore! Now I'm extra interested to see how the Urbanathlon leaves me feeling.

Tomorrow I will post from CHICAGO!!

Do you buy new clothes to race in or do you use your regular training gear?

Men's Health Urbanathlon: Midnight Parkour

Last night I met about 15 guys in a dark park behind my favorite coffee shop at 11:30 p.m. Sounds safe, right? :-P

I came out for some last minute parkour training before the obstacle-ridden Men's Health Urbanathlon I am competing in this weekend with Nike Women's NFR. You can check out the list of obstacles here.

Never heard of parkour? Here's a great description:

"Parkour is considered by some to be a way of thinking, a way of training and a method by which to develop one's spirit and inner strength through movement, as taught by the founders in France. The philosophy is considered a main part of Parkour. The main point in the philosophy of parkour is to understand that parkour is not just a sport. It is not just completing a list of moves or vaults. Parkour is a way of thinking and training. It helps you get from A to B as quickly and efficiently as possible. The vaults and jumps used are only by-products of this way of thinking."

I've done a lot of things to sweat, but I went into this late-night parkour meetup with little more than an open mind. We ran about half a mile to the park and then stood in a circle doing basic warm-up stretches. Then we ran in a circle- regular, backwards and sideways! Interesting warm-up, right?

My iPhone's camera doesn't love the dark, so please excuse my choppy photos. Hopefully you can at least get an idea of some of the things we did! In the photos above I was jumping on a huge tire standing upward. The idea was to run, dive toward it, grab it with your arms and then bring your feet up and on through- getting over the tire without your feet ever touching it. I tried about 10 times- including a few falls and me planting my knee into the tire :-P

Another obstacle was vaulting. We'd run toward the obstacle, position our hands and leap over! I tried this many, many, many times and was thrilled when I got it. What was really holding me back was fear of hitting my legs as I pulled them over. Truth is that I had the strength and just needed to overcome that mental block!

When it got really scary was when we took the same vault that we did on the ground to this second-story railing! After about 10 minutes of hesitation and nervousness, I vaulted from the solid ground off the railing two times! I landed on the ground instead of the other side of the railing, but I was so proud to conquer that serious fear of heights.

Funny thing is that I didn't hurt myself during the stints, but I did fall down a set of stairs in the dark! My shins, knees and left forearm are bruised. Hardcore, right? ;-)

The rest are just shots of the other guys being crazy and climbing all over everything! The could scale a wall and jump up and over or down anything!

What workouts have you tried outside your normal routine?

Can You Do It?

Fear comes in many forms. It could be an interview for a better job, a move to a new city or a big, scary athletic endeavor. Regardless, fear, and the act of facing it, keeps us alive.

My two fears of choice at the moment are the Men's Health Urbanathlon I am doing with Nike Field Reporter and the Great Floridian, an Ironman-distance triathlon. Both events push me to conquer obstacles and distances I've never attempted before.

Making it across concrete balance beams without falling off, getting over giant tire obstacles, crawling under nets, leaping over Marine hurdles?

Swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles... and then finishing it off with a full marathon? Ummmm.

These things have kept me up at night. I've had negative self-talk telling myself that there are so many others who can swim/bike/run faster and better than me. I'm unprepared. What workouts I need to do, for how long and how often have stressed me out until I came to a specific realization in the middle of a long run.

I train. I'm dedicated. I believe in myself. So what's the hold up?

It all boiled down to one question: At the end of the day, do I believe I can do this?

Even if my training is less than it can be, even if I miss a run or forget to cover an obstacle, do I believe I have what it takes to finish and conquer the fear?

After long, hard thinking I realized, yes- I know I will finish both events and do my absolute best from start to finish.

Realizing this truth gave me the confidence I needed to relax and embrace my training. I'm going on crazy long runs and bike rides and planning a few parkour classes because it is the territory that comes with such events, but even if I don't do it perfectly, and even if I come in last on race day, deep down I know I will conquer.

What fears are you facing? Have you put complete trust in your ability to conquer them?