Friday Night 50K - 32.3 miles in 6:49:43 ave 12:40 (day 39 taking train)

Friday night I did a nice 50K that started at 10PM.  It was in Warrenville, IL and on a nice flat groomed cinder trail which I really didn't need a flashlight.  Part of the trail was dark and you can see from this picture a little spooky as you went under the road "underpasses", so it made for an interesting race.  I'm happy that I stuck with it, especially just one week after posting 71 miles at NorthCoast.  The run was by no means fast.

2011/09/23
9:42
10:01
8:53
9:26
9:09
11:34
10:31
9:19
11:10
12:51
10:42
12:26
11:36
12:55
14:13
14:13
17:10
16:27
16:30
12:56
13:21
12:58
12:58
13:16
12:43
14:02
13:37
12:54
15:12
13:29
15:31
14:07
3:51
6:49:43
32.3 mi
ave 12:40

NorthCoast 24 Hour in the bag! Ave 20:16 for 71.1 miles

Had a pretty good time out in Cleveland this weekend.  I only bagged 71.1 miles, but pretty happy considering my terrible training this year. 

We had great conditions out there, and it was pretty social.  I had fun talking with Ric Munoz and Nathan while out there.  Also, got to see Connie Gardner almost break the American Record, with her performance of 144 miles!

I was really tired by the half way point and really wanted to pack it in, so I went into my car for some much needed warmth and sleep.  I slept for about 2.5 hours then felt guilty, because at that time I had not even gotten to my real goal of 62 miles.  So by 3:30 am I was back into the game walking slowly.  By 7 am I had my groove and was back to running.  The last hour I felt pretty good and broke through from 65 to 71 miles in the last hour.

The drive there and back was as tough as the race.  I left work at about 5 pm and drove through the night arriving in the bad side of town by 3:00 am and then tried to find a place to sleep in the car without getting killed.  I did end up at the park, which had parking restrictions, but I thought it was worth it.  After the race I was dead tired, but knew I had to get home.  I drove and slept taking almost 11 hours for what could be about a 6 hour trip.  Made it home took some muscle relaxers, vicodine and four beers later I was out cold!!  What an incredible weekend; not my best 24 Hour race, but I'm not ashamed of my performance.  I can say that I didn't quit. 

Off to North Coast 24 tomorrow!!!

Just returned from a short trip to Philadelphia, and ready for the long day tomorrow, epic weekend planned.  Big drive, 24 hour race followed by another almost 8 hour drive.

Fort 2 Base Race 11.5 Miles 79:50 ave 6:54 per mile // Day 36 taking train

Have been taking the train to work most days and settling in to that being my normal way of life.  I discovered there is a program that will help offset the cost, so that is a plus; I like money. 

Had a very meaningful race that I ran for Team RWB today.  The Fort 2 Base 10 Nautical Mile race 11.5 regular miles in 79:30, which was good for 19th place out of 413 and 8th place in my age group.  I felt pretty good and will feel good to rest the rest of the week before NorthCoast next week. 

I'll post my standings when the results come out.  I felt like about 80th place and if I'm lucky I might have gotten a third in my age group since they pull overall and special category people out of the age groups and since they are 5 year age groups!  I'll keep my fingers crossed; I like hardware (update; wrong way outside of the age group awards; even if I was 40 I wouldn't have placed; probably didn't help to have four beers the night before and stay up reading Michael Savage's Abuse of Power followed by an hour of Lost)! 

They gave out fantistic finisher medals!  I'll snag a picture shortly.

Finally a race I did NOT DNF//Palos Hills 32.4 Miler - 5:51:50//Day 30 taking the train.

You can see me there in 5th place.  It was a very rainy day and one to really remember!  I made sure to eat plenty during the race, and I think that made a big difference.  I still was reduced to walk run for about the final 10 miles, but at least I kept going.  This race was a 4 lap time 8.1 miles on very easy cinder trails with very little elevation change, so I have no real reason to be so slow, and the rain was actually refreshing and I can't blame it for my speed.  It was shocking to come through the marathon at 4:30; I'd be so embarrassed if that ends up being my time at Chicago.  I used to make fun of four hour marathoners, and now I may be one.  My strategy will be to run with the 3:50 pace crew at Chicago and if I feel good pick it up at about 20.  I feel like endurance at the 20+ mile time frame was not that big of a deal. 



I've still been taking the train, and like that feeling.  Oh the other big thing this weekend was the Air Show at North Beach.  I had a great time and the Thunder Birds put on a great show!! 

Here is a picture of me scared before the start of the race.  I was thinking; will I DNF again? 

Day 26 Taking the Train//The Tent Book Review//Duathlon on Thursday and 32 Mile Race on Sat

Well it is starting to get cool in the morings, and I'm  not sure how much longer I will be taking the train.  I'm at 26 days now and I hope that I will adjust and learn to dress and still make a green decision on how to get to work, plus it keeps me more active even on days that I sit my growing but behind the desk. 

I only got 29 miles last week.  I should get much more this week because I have a 32 miler on Saturday; hope not to have another failure.  Also I have a nice Duathlon on Thursday, where I will get to push my speed in competition/ 20 min bike followed by a 20 min run.  This weekend I took the PT test and did 53 push-up in 2 min, 72 sit ups in 2 min and 2 mile track run in 12:22. 

Read another great book:  The Tent by Margaret Atwood here is my Amazon Review:

Here Margaret packs a punch like no other writer I have read before.  This book is packed with a plethora of short essays with so much to say.  These stories allow you to get into the spiritual side of Atwood and challenge your beliefs in thoughtful ways. 

There were several that were particularly touching, "Orphan Stories", described thoughts that have gone through my head, but that I would rather not talk about.  The presentation was refreshingly dark if that is at all possible, yet it gave a very human perspective that cannot be ignored.  The essay goes far in forcing you to look at your own family life and cherishing it; almost no matter how good/bad it may be.   

Voice gave me a new perspective on how we look at our talents, and how one can be absorbed in our own narcissism yet lose our most human aspects in the race (I'm a runner and sometimes lose myself when I get to absorbed in thinking I'm such a good runner).  Margaret uses someone’s incredible voice and how the person can be de-humanized as people only search out her voice instead of the person that gives life to the voice. 

Margaret brings to life what it is to be a Mother and how they can be tossed aside easily by those who love them most.  Her story, "Bring back Mom, An Invocation" forces you to look at your relationship with your Mother and will probably give you pause to see if you have appreciated all the things that your Mother does on a day-to-day base.  She goes over the top with what can happen to an unappreciated Mom, but I think the message could not be clearer in most of our lives. 

Finally the namesake story, "The Tent" forces you to look at your life as if you are inside a paper tent and your life is what you make of it and your only protection is the quality of the story that your write yourself.  Paper cannot protect you, but if you live a worthwhile life and write it on the wall there is protection in the purity of the story.  She lets you come to your own conclusion as to what could happen if you destroy your own life story, your tent of paper that held the protection which was the story of your life; the essence of life.  This essay made me think that our stories are actually the only 'reality'; our immortality and once they are gone so may we be gone. 

There are so many more power thought provoking essays/poems that you will want to read them again and again, because sometimes you get a little different flavor, a gem that Margaret had hidden away in the precious few words.  I recommend this book!! 

Glass Castle - Review

What an incredible memoir by Jeannette Walls.  The introduction really said it when they said that some people have a story to tell, but it is rare when they can do it really well. 

The Glass Castle is a fitting name for a story of a family that was always on the go and continuously striving for the better things in life which always seemed to be just out of reach.  The Walls parental figures proved to be smart loving and parents of incredible tenacity, however, they embraced challenges that most of us would think are unacceptable. 

In the memoir, Jeannette tells the story from the perspective of being a daughter among four children and what it was like living in extreme poverty.  She tells the story of her years starting at 3 years of age until her early thirties, but focused on the formative years of about 5-17. 

I learned about true love and loyalty that comes even without money, and how truly great gifts can be given without spending a dime.  You heart may weep a little when you read about Jeannette’s father giving her Venus; such artfully clear emotions expressed in her prose.  You will also grow close and love an alcoholic Father and probably see yourself having trouble saying no to man that clearly loves his family but struggles a lifetime with the demon of alcoholism.  Jeannette’ s mother cannot say no to him and when left alone to care for the family Jeannette herself finds out just how hard it is to say no to her father in the grips of alcoholism.   

You will enjoy the journey that the family takes as they avoid bill collectors, police and others as they skiddattle away from various places in Arizona, California and finally haw they make a semi permanent home in Welch, North Carolina.   

The story takes you on the journey of the children growing up in such poverty, and as they grow older they end up deciding to leave and make their own way in New York City.  One by one they all leave, and in desperation to keep the family together their parents follow.  If you are not careful you will forget the powerful first two pages of the book, but the story all comes full circle when the children break free of the poverty and small town views and stand on their own, despite their parent deciding on a life either on the streets or in squatters quarters.  The children feel sorry for their parents, but it is the parents who worry that their children have lost their soul. 

Irony strikes the reader right in the face when they discover the “worth” of Jeannette’s mother and find out that she chose to live as she did due to strong values of keeping the item of “worth” in the family and never wanting to sell it.   I hope not to spoil the better part of the story, but that is what gives the story the added bit of sentimentality; not to mention the children’s response to their dying father. 

I cannot recommend this story enough, it is a great read that will teach you about what love looks like on the side of the tracks that you may not know about.