0 to 100 in 6 Months

 I looked back the past 5 months and realized I’ve went from a 20 mile week to a 100 mile week.  Now my daily run is 15 miles, when it was my long run.  Since my brief running break the end of last year, it feels great to be back in ultra-running shape.  Unfortunately, my schedule has not giving my an opportunity to get a few 50K-50M races in this spring to test the legs, so going into my 1^st big race this year will be interesting.

 On my long run last week I ran into two other runners at the trail head as we exchanged some small talk.  Then the young lady asked me what I was training for.  I said a race in OH called the Mohican.  She was from OH and had helped with one of the aid stations last year for this race.  She commented on how awesome the trails are in the Mohican area.  Wow – What a small world, and the coincidence of meeting them at that particular time was awesome.  I enjoyed the talk, and seeing them on the trail.  It’s not often I see other trail runners in this area.  Rare breed, unfortunately.

After the first 8 miles of my long run, the sky fell out and was faced with muddy wet trails the remaining of the day with crazy humidity.  I told myself to suck it up, and think of this as a gift, for this is how OH will be.  The last report I received on the Mohican trails was mud, mud, and more mud.

My daily and long runs last week I scheduled for the afternoons when the temps peaked out to get more acclimated to the heat and humidity.  Afterwards, I would sit in the sauna for 30 minutes to squeeze every drop of water out of my body – This was hard considering I was already baked in 98 deg temps for over 2 hours.  An easy 9 mpm pace felt like a 7 mpm pace with the heat.  Nevertheless, I felt good considering some of the other runners out there with me would run a short distance and then stop under a shady tree to cool down.

 Last week’s training:

Mon – 15M

Tues – 15M

Wed – 15M

Thurs – Off

Fri – 35M

Sat – 12M

Sun – 9M

 This is my last week of hard training before I start my brief two week taper.  More afternoon running in the heat, saunas, weights,…  I had a brief scare when midway into my daily run the other day my right leg IT band went nuts.  A pain I was all too familiar with a few years ago.  After playing all the mental games in my head (pushed it too hard, too many miles so quickly, messed your race up at the last minute,…), I walked it off for a half mile and resumed running with no problems.

 I saw this sign on the fort and had to stop and think about it for a minute with a heavy heart.  With Memorial Day this past weekend, I bowed my head and gave thanks for those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today.  After all I’ve seen in other Countries, we truly live in the greatest place of all time.  What we think is poverty would be considered a huge step up for most.  Just to have access to a HS education would be considered a privilege most could only hope for.

 
To my fallen brothers in Beirut: Oct 23, 1983.  A day forever branded in my heart.