Sunday, July 19th

• I'm about 90% recovered, if it is possible to measure such recovery. I am now able to run pain-free... it's a great feeling! The running has been going well. At the end of this week, I should amass around 45-50 miles. I will be adding miles as the weeks wear on, ultimately peaking around 90 or so three weeks before the Hallucination 100 miler. It looks like I will not be running the Marquette 50 miler. The logistics of going to the race will make it an impossibility. I would have liked to test out my gear, food, and hydration strategies in race conditions. I will have to settle for a series of long runs on the local trails.
• I am planning on running the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival 5k or 10k this weekend. It will either be my first 5k in two years, or my first 10k ever. As of right now, I am leaning towards the 10k. Hopefully I will be able to run that distance at a fast pace with minimal blisters. Based on the results of the Seaway Run a few weeks ago, I should be able to finish under 44 minutes without too much effort. I am setting a goal time of 42 minutes. I will have to run somewhat conservatively as I have another 19 miles scheduled later that day (long run). We'll see how it goes.

Monday, July 6th, 2009

• Recovery from the vasectomy sucks. I can't run yet... I can only walk for short distances before the "someone just kicked me in the junk" feeling gets too intense. I'm hoping I will be back to running by Wednesday or Thursday. At least this forced break provides some nice recovery time. Starting next week, I will be ramping up the mileage to prep for the Marquette 50 miler (maybe) and the Hallucination 100 miler (definitely).
  
• I made a pair of huararche sandals today. After reading about the Tarahumara in "Born to Run", I decided to give it a try. They are crafted from an old pair of aqua socks and some cheap leather lacing from a craft store. They took about fiver minutes to make. Here's a pic:

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

• Yesterday marked the first long run of my training cycle- 21.2 miles. I added three miles at the gym. I would like to have added a few more miles, but the distance will suffice for now.
• I just finished reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. Hands down, it is the best running book I have ever read. McDougall tells a story of a race between a handful of elite ultrarunners and the Tarahamura Indinas of Copper Canyon, Mexico. The author cleverly makes a case for several significant scientific theories related to running by weaving the data into the story. He discusses the evolutionary theory of humans developing as a running species (the Running Man Theory), the dangers of modern running shoes, the importance of mental attitude, diet, etc. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY RUNNER, especially those interested in barefoot running or ultramarathons. Click on image in the right column to order from Amazon.com!
• I think I will be migrating this site to my own server. Google Pages, while simple and free, will be moving to Google Sites very soon. I have toyed with the new format, and do not especially like it. Moving to my own server will allow great design freedom. There will be an address change as part of the migration process. I will post the new info as soon as it becomes available.
• I have added a "Donate" button to the site. If you find my site useful and would like to donate to help keep it running, I would be very grateful! Any amount would be tremendously helpful!

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

• The Seaway run went well! I finished in about 1:07. It wasn't a PR, but better than expected. I think that bodes well for the training for the 50 miler in August and the 100 miler in September. The Seaway is easily my favorite road race. Great crowds, great volunteers, friendly competitors, impeccable organization; if anyone in in the Muskegon, MI area in late June, it is a great race to run!
• Update: Chip time 1:06:42 (7:09 min/mile pace), 4th in age group, 43rd overall. It isn't a PR, but better than I had hoped. Now I can get serious about the ultra training! Hello, hill repeats!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Running over the weekend went well. I managed 24 miles over the course of two days. I will go for my last long run tomorrow morning (probably 15 miles). I will then rest Thursday and Friday for the Seaway run on Saturday. I think I have done enough barefoot running to acclimate to the race pace of the Seaway. The early forecast for race day: 81° with scattered thundershowers.

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

• I am now tapering for the Seaway 15k on Saturday. The inactivity, like always, sucks. I did manage to upload a video of my running form to YouTube. It can be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlzElCH2_E

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

• Training is going well thus far. I have been able tolerate a ten mile run at ultra-distance pace (i.e.- slow) on asphalt without incident, along with several shorter trail runs. Based on the progression of my workouts at the Grand Rapids YMCA, I may be able to run the Seaway 15k at a faster pace than planned. I may take a trip to Muskegon to run the course to see what kind of pace I can maintain for the entire 15k. I doubt I will be able to surpass last year's PR, but I will be VERY tempted to try!
• Also, I will begin my really long runs to prep for the 100 miler. I will be trying a different strategy this year. Instead of running a single long run every week or two, I will run as much as possible during a 24-36 hour period to mimic the strain of running while fatigued during different parts of the day. Here's a sample that I hope to do starting tomorrow:
• Thursday, 2am: run 10 miles
• Thursday, 1pm: run 5 miles
• Thursday, 8pm: run 10 miles
• Friday, 2am: run 5 miles

Pace will be approximately 12 minute miles using a run/walk ratio of 10 min./2 min. This strategy should allow me to acclimate to high mileage with less chance of injury, while also training for the psychological stressors of the 100. I will start at a total of 30 miles for the four runs, and progress to around 70 miles as the race nears.

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

• While it would have been smart to wait until I have a better base to attempt another 100, stupidity has won out. Here's my tentative schedule of races:
• June 27th- Muskegon Chronicle Seaway Run 15k, Muskegon, MI
• August 22nd- Marquette Trail 50 Mile, Marquette, MI
• September 26th- Hallucination 100 Mile; Pinckney, MI
• October 18th- Grand Rapids Marathon, Grand Rapids, MI

My ultimate goals will be to finish Marquette in under 10 hours, just finish Hallucination, and run GR in under 3:30. I have my fingers crossed!

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

I think I have made the decision to try another 100 miler this year, possibly as early as the end of September. While the training cycle will be short, I think I can manage it based on the experiences I gained last year. Also, the terrain should be more conducive to barefoot running, thus allowing me to avoid the Five Fingers. At the very least, I will be doing at least one 50 miler.

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Well, my training has taken a serious hit due to personal issues... I have been inactive for about three months. I decided to jump back into training. My plans for the year- run the Muskegon Chronicle Seaway Run 15k at the end of June, then train for the North Country Trail 50 miler in September. I may toss in a few races here and there as training, but I will have to wait until 2010 to conquer a 100 miler. On a positive note, I have been updating a few missed races on the Ultramarathon Store site!