Monday, January 28, 2008

Monday Run

I ran a 11+ miler before work today in downtown Baltimore. Plans are to repeat this tomorrow.
Tomorrow evening I will be going on a business trip to one of our plants in Southern Maryland. I plan to do a weight workout on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Thursday will be a packing day for a trip to Rocky Raccoon where I will crew for some friends running the 100 miler.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Stupid is what Stupid Does



Well I did it. I swore I would not ...
No!!! ... running a 50 miler in the desert in the middle of summer is insane. Your are too old! ... too slow! ... too smart!.... to subject you body to this voluntary death march.

In my mind, I can hear my mother's voice telling me to stop being so foolish -- "Why don't you stop this stuff and find a nice girl?"

Oh well, maybe the paramedic that picks me up will be single and we will fall in love over an IV.

I signed up for the Race with the Devil 50 Miler! http://calicoracing.squarespace.com/running-with-the-devil. This is the sister race to the Angel run I did in January and could be described as a baby Badwater.

I really gotta stop hanging out with ultramarathoners -- they are a bad influence on me!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Saturday Snail Run

Today I did a 14 miler at Lock Raven with my fellow Snails. Afterwards we went to breakfast at Pickle's and Chips. During breakfast we discussed our upcoming trip to Texas where some of our cohort will be running the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler. I and 4 other more logical Snails will serve as crew for their attempt.

After breakfast I went to Fx and did a back and chest weight routine. The gym is still a bit crowded -- can't wait until the excess population breaks their new year's resolutions!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Morning Long Run

Got up early today and did an 18.5 miler before work. There was some black ice on the roads but nothing too dangerous. Everything felt great. I am taking the night off from the gym to rest a bit and catch up on my reading. Plans are to do somewhere around 13 tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Baby it is cold outside!

As planned I did a early morning 10+ mile run before work today. I have a standard course from my office to Fort McHenry which is about a 6 miler +/-. I add a few loops through Federal Hill to make up the difference. I belong to a small gym near my office so that I can shower up before work.

The weather predictions were a bit questionable for this evening so I decided to skip the evening gym workout and go home. I just did not want to risk being on the potentially icy roads. So far it appears I was over cautious as that the foul weather did not materilize.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Back to Work

Today was my first day back in the office after a 21/2 week hiatus in glorious Nevada. I had a early morning meeting so I decided to skip my normal morning workout. So far no disasters at work. Thanks to the fact that I have a good staff that supports me fully. I am truly blessed to work with dedicated professionals.

I did an evening workout at LifeFx. The gym was a bit crowded with a bunch of New Years Resolutions fitness wannabees -- They will be MIA by Valentine's Day!

I did 2 hours on the elliptical trainer and about 1 1/2 hour arm and shoulders weight routine. I was pleasantly surprised with my post workout weight -- 172.5 pounds! Vegas and Reno did not hurt me too much. I would like to drop about 15 pounds before Umstead. Dinner tonight was a scoop of Hammer Soy and no fat yogurt in 16 ounces of low fat milk.

Plans are to get a ten miler in early tomorrow AM

Friday, January 18, 2008

Heading Home

I am leaving Reno this morning and heading back to Baltimore. According to the weather channel it looks like they have 3 inches of snow and some ice.

My flight from Reno is delayed at least 20 minutes. I may miss my connection from Alanta to BWI.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Reno Day 2

Woke early this morning and did a 71/2 miler from the hotel and around the UN Reno campus. There was some slippery footing due to frost but overall it was a very nice run. The Reno Campus was much more scenic than the UNLV campus. Lots of old academic building that give you the feeling that you are in a very special place.

I spent 14 hours in meetings today. Nothing like plunging back into the fray after a long vacations! Time for bed -- Plans are to do a early morning long run.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Arrived in Reno


I arrived in Reno around 1p.m. After checking into my hotel I decided to go for a run and did a 6 miler around downtown and the UN Reno campus. The cool crisp air felt good. It was a joy to run some hills for a change. I am very comfortable with the fit and feel of the Newtons.


Still eating junk ... when in Reno you have to have an Awful Awful and fries at the Nugget. It is a 1/2 pound hamburger and a sea of fries worth running a extra 20 mile to burn it off!

Back to the Real World

Here I sit in the Vegas airport on my way to Reno via Salt Lake! I have a 4 day business meeting in Reno then it is back home to the grind.

My time in Vegas was relaxing and somewhat productive. On one hand I am looking forward to getting back to work but I dred the avalanch of work that awaits me.

I have a 4 day business meeting in Reno then it is back home to the grind.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Leaving Las Vegas

Tomorrow, I leave Las Vegas for a business meeting in Reno. While I hate the cold, I am ready for a change in scenery.

Originally I planned to rest today but the weather was so good I ran 12 this morning on the UNLV campus. Everything feels great. I hope the weather gods allow me to run in Reno.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Seven Days Post Angel

Seven days post Angel and I am still in Vegas. I ran 14 miles yesterday and a 15 miler today. I am still very happy with the Newton Shoes.

Everything feels real good but I am feeling a bit tired and worn out. Of course this has nothing to do with being out on the town until 4:30 am and waking at 7:30 am. I may just rest tonight and and hit the champagne brunch buffets tomorrow!

That brings up another issue -- Being on the Hooters diet for the past week will not get me written up in Men's Health as a dietary guru.

My right big toenail is getting blacker with technicolor accents. It is not painful but I think I will end up loosing it.




Thursday, January 10, 2008

Life Is Good!

I stayed in last night and it did wonders for my Vegas burnout!

I just got back from doing a 14 mile run on the UNLV campus -- 2:20 was the time. The Newtons were great. My legs feel fully recovered from the 50 miler. The weather here in Vegas is a bit warmer than it has been over the last few days. It was warm enough for me to drink a post run beer poolside at the Hooter Hotel.

Time to shower up and get some of those wings!

Life is good!!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The Newton Shoes and Vegas Burnout

Today I did an easy 10 miler in 2 hours on the UNLV Campus in the Newton running shoes. The shoes were very comfortable. I am getting accustomed to forefoot running but there is some obvious heel dragging wear on the shoes. I will need to monitor this over the next few runs.

I am a bit burned out on the Vegas experience. I do it to myself all the time by booking too many days at a time. I was supposed to go home tomorrow but decided to stay a few extra days because I am due in Reno on Tuesday AM. I thought that a few extra days in Vegas would be better than 2 cross country flights. Plans are to rest and recharge tonight.

Angel Results are posted

The results were posted for the Angel 50 miler today http://calicoracing.squarespace.com/storage/Angel%20results%202008.htm
Here are my official splits

Finish Time – 11:17:44
13.1 Miles 2:23:50
25 Miles 4:53:30
36.9 Miles 7:39:56

Overall I am content with my performance. My biggest takeaway from this event is that I need to work on runs on the dark side of 40 miles prior to Umstead.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Recovered From the Angel

I am mostly recovered from my 50 miler. Today I did a short 6 miler around the UNLV campus. My legs are a bit tired but no real pain. Amazingly, I did not have any blister problems. The Bag Balm really did its' job. I re blacked my big toenail on my left foot. I guess I need to go with a larger sized shoe from now on.

Tomorrow I will do 6-8 miles with the new Newton running shoes. I really like these shoes but was afraid to use them in the 50 miler.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Angle Review

I did the Angle 50 miler yesterday. All went very well. My goal was 12 hours and I finished in 11:17 (5 hours for the first half) including missing the last turn into the finish area and running an extra ¾ of a mile.

The course was on the road and very challenging with lot of hills. The winds were brutal. There were very strong headwinds on the second half of the course. At time the wind was so strong that it was hard to breath.

Ultra aid stations were about 5 miles apart. They were OK but nothing near JFK or Umstead in selection.

The Devil may still be in the picture – but this course could be a killer in 100+ temperatures and no shade.



Will write more soon

Tuesday, January 1, 2008


The Running From an Angel 50 mile ultra is run completely inside the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 40 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. I am doing this race as a long training run for the Umstead 100.
The race starts 6 a.m. this Saturday which means going early to bed on a Friday night in Vegas. -- this is my 5th trip to Vegas in the last year. I was last in Vegas for the Marathon (as one of the Running Elvi) and the Santa race.
I spent the day packing for my trip to Vegas and subsequent trip to Reno for business.
I have a 50 pound bag just for my running gear. How could a sport that has a sole purpose of moving from point A to point B as fast as possible evolve to a point where you need to carry 50 pounds of gear?
.... I guess having it and not needing it is better that not having it and needing it.
I am flying out to Vegas on Thursday and will be staying at the world famous Hooter Hotel.