Make 20 Your ____

I knocked out my second 20 miler yesterday!!! YEAH!! AND....I shaved 14 MINUTES off from my last 20 mile time!! But still...20 miles ain't no joke.

I've always thought of myself as a person that has had to work hard for everything...nothing ever comes easy. That was certainly the case yesterday as I pounded out my final 20 mile run before the marathon. I shoved off at around 0830...less than 10 minutes after I started I had to make a quick pit stop (I apologize to any passer-byers). But, then I was good to go for another 8 miles or so when I had to make my second pit stop. I used the same route that I had ran a couple of weeks ago...basically, route 9 all the way to my parents' house. But, this time I did things a bit different. I carb'd up on Thursday and some on Friday, and I drank an endurance shake about 2 hours before I started the run. The changes clearly made quite a difference. My legs hurt like crazy, but my stomach and endurance felt pretty good. I had energy throughout the entire run. AND, my hydration team met me at mile 12 for some ice cold drink!!!!! It was a beautiful thing.

Now, back to the whole working hard for everything bit. Even though I felt fairly decent, as already noted, my legs were a'hurtin. My knees were a'hurtin....and my dogs were a'barkin (feet). But, I knew that at around mile 15 or 16 I was going to get some extra motivation, so I pressed on. And so did the rain. Right at mile 15 God decided that the first 2+ hours of my run were too easy, so He opened the clouds and dumped His holy rain on me. Just after mile 16, my motivation appeared...in the form of high speed, motivated Air Force combat killa...my bro! When I saw him, I knew that the rain wouldn't phase me. I knew that it was time to make it happen. So we did it together. We finished the run, soaking wet. We made 20 our b*tch.

And then we celebrated.

Getting the Lead Out

Yesterday's run was off the chain!! I had a great 14 miler in some beautiful weather....it felt out-friggin-standing. Okay, so maybe not exactly 'off the chain' material, but it certainly felt like I was getting the lead out. I finished at an 8:47 pace with fuel still left in the tank. It was a great confidence-building run as I'm about to head into my next 20 miler this coming weekend.

There seems to be a point in some of my runs where I can actually feel my feet and legs pushing off of the pavement. Sometimes running just feels like you are dragging your legs along...but this run was different. I could feel a spring in my feet and I could feel my muscles moving me forward. I've missed that feeling!!

Next weekend's run will be interesting. I'll be doing my last super long run before I start to taper down for Chicago. I've decided to run the same (dangerous) route that I did for my last 20 miler. I'm going to run from my house to my parental unit's house, all on Route 9. BUT, my younger bro is in town on leave and he's going to meet me at the 15 mile mark and we are going to finish the run together!!! YEAH!!!!

I've also decided that I'm not eating enough before my long runs. The balance of consuming enough fuel without over-eating is still a challenge for me. But, I certainly consumed some fuel (read: overeating) for a few meals on Friday and Saturday, which may have helped with my run. I'll have to keep this in mind for the upcoming 20 miler and for race day.

20 Something...

That's right. 20 miles. DONE. 20 long, slow, and painful miles. DONE. Check it off, cross it out, chew it up and spit it out....it's finished. I don't want to see it again....well, at least for another 2 weeks when I tackle my next 20 miler.

As of Friday night, I still wasn't sure about my route. But, I finally landed on a destination, the place of dwelling for my parental units. I didn't want to do an out and back, or a 10 mile circle (2xs)....and I figured that running to an actual destination might be a little more motivating. I was right...and I certainly needed some extra motivation.

By mile 10, as I passed through my old hometown, my quads and calves were already a'burnin. But, I remember thinking that a few years ago I never would have thought of 10 miles as being a fairly easy half-way point...crazy. In order to help with the hydration problems I ran into last weekend, I ended up buying a new water bottle with a hand strap. It worked out really well...and it even has a pouch for a Gu! I downed my first Gu at around mile 6. Unfortunately, by about mile 15 I knew I was going to run out of water/Gatorade. I was cool with it though because I thought my hydration team was planning to leave the hydration headquarters a little early to meet me along the route with some fresh hydration. However....there was a slight communication breakdown and the hydration team had no plans of meeting me. But....I kept telling myself that any minute they would pull up along side of me and give me a VERY cold bottle of Gatorade. Just the thought kept me moving...a little. :)

I had another Gu at around the 15 mile mark as I was trying to ration my drink. By mile 18 I was fresh out of the drink and I was hurtin....BAD. The thought of stopping crossed my mind...then I picked up that thought, looked at its ugly face, and spit on it. 2 miles. 2 MILES. Nothing was stopping me. NOTHING.

Before I knew it, I had made it to the parental headquarters. I crawled inside, they made me an ice bath and poured me some chocolate milk. I was good to go.

It was an amazing, and VERY painful run. Those last 2 miles were quite an experience. I'm convinced that you have to be comfortable with reaching a point in your mental and physical state in which you aren't thinking, you aren't seeing, and you aren't hurting....you are just moving. You have no idea how you are moving, but you are. Somehow, your feet continue to pick themselves up as you reach closer to the finish line. Your brain is no longer in control....something else takes over. I don't know what it is and I don't really know how to explain it. It's an odd experience, yet one that I can't wait to feel again at the next finish line.

20 miles ain't no joke. 26.2....here I come.

Note to self....

Hello blog-o-peers! First, to my very, very loyal fan(s?)....I'm so sorry for not writing lately. When I started this blog I told myself that I never wanted to feel pressured into writing....I didn't want another deadline. But seriously dudes, this is ridiculous. Unfortunately, I just haven't had much to write about lately. My training has really taken a hit these past couple of weeks......vacation and time in sick bay....it's been brutal. Unfortunately, I got sick on vacation so that was even more brutal!! I do hope to post a few pics of my vacation soon....

Anywho....this week I finally had a couple of great runs and after looking at a few of the training plans that I've been using, I decided that I was really due for some pain. Some serious pain. Sooo....I marked today as my first 20 miler day! But wait....before you begin to think about how much of a running stud I am.....I didn't quite make 20. :(

I started the run at around 8:00am (note to self: I will start much closer to 6am next time). I shoved off feeling good. It wasn't hot out and there was a nice cool breeze. I really wasn't sure what route to take and I wanted to stay somewhat local. So, I landed with doing one of my 10 mile routes twice (note to self: bad idea). You see, the 10 mile route that I landed on is very hilly. Very. Hilly. Got it? The first 4 miles or so are loaded with some pretty serious hills that just kick my booty. But, I drove on. Unfortunately, by mile 4, my water bottle was done driving on. I had a water bottle emergency folks. Out of nowhere, the cap completely popped off of my water bottle and fell to the road in multiple pieces. I still have no idea what happened, but I had to stop and pick up what was once my perfectly good method of much needed hydration. The stopping and the struggle of trying to drink through an open hole while running was bad news.....needless to say, my hydration strategy was not looking good.

But, I did press on and luckily, my 10 mile route took me past my house.....my hydration team was waiting for me with iced Gatorade and half of a granola bar. The Gatorade was a life saver.....it was amazing.....but....I was so thirsty from not drinking enough during the first 10 that I sucked down the tasty beverage rather quickly. After another round of stinking hills and the blazing sun beating down on me, I was nearly out of the drink. by mile 14 I knew I was going to run out and I had to change my route in order to swing by my house again.

My hydration team obviously wasn't expecting me to stop by again, so I had to run inside.....I was hurting. My legs immediately started to cramp as I down a glass of ice water. My hydration team refilled my bottle and I was off.....but, my pace was probably just a little faster than a slow crawl. I knew there was no way that I would make it to 20. I was feeling dehydrated and my legs were completely dead. Finally, at mile 17.....my body was telling me that if I didn't turn back I would pay a painful price. Running has certainly taught me to listen to my body more.....I've learned this the hard way....and I wasn't about to mess with it.....especially since I'm 6 weeks away from race day. So......I turned back. Or....limped back, rather. I made it to 17.17 miles.

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed....but, I know that 20 this weekend is ahead of many training plans, so I'm trying not to sweat it. I'll knock out 20 next weekend and I'll pick a better route (read: flat) and I'll have a better hydration strategy.

Note to self: 17.17 miles still ain't no joke. Here's to making 20 happen next weekend!!

Moving Along

I haven't updated my loyal fans since my last long (and painful) run, so I'm due for a post. Things are moving along with my Chicago training....I still have yet to find a training plan that I'm sticking with, but I think I'm on track with most plans.

After my 18 miler I scaled it back a bit during the week and then hit a decent 10 mile hill run the following weekend. Then, this past week I picked up the mileage and speed a bit more....had a couple of great runs during the week. I was considering doing a 20 miler yesterday.....even though I know that most training plans aren't calling for 20 for a few more weeks.....but, I woke up and just wasn't feeling it. Plus, we had some things to get done and I didn't exactly have management approval to be gone for 3 hours.

So I took off at around 0800 and told the wife to just head towards Normal in about 2.5 hours. I ended up running a 15 mile route that I've done before and I had time for an extra half mile. It was a great run....I did it at marathon race pace.....I definitely could have done more. I'm still kind of kicking myself for either not picking up the pace a bit or not running 20. Oh well, at least I have some confidence back after my miserable 18 miler.

I have determine that the hydration belt will be a no-go for future runs....and I need to figure something else out. I ended up carrying my water bottle bottle for the entire run. I'll either need to plant water along the route or arrange for someone to drop some off to me along the run.....

I'll be hitting it hard this week as we prepare to shove off for the eastern Caribbean next week!!!!

SitRep - 18 Mile Style....PRs out the wazzoo

I hit a couple of new personal records today....first, my longest run EVER...18 MILES!! YEAH!! Second, my best 18 mile time EVER!!! HA! I'm not gonna lie folks, it was brutal.....it was hell....it was brutally hell. I had planned to run from my house to my bro Hendo's house and then finish up the rest with him. I was already at a little over 14 miles by the time I arrived at his house. I was hot, dehydrated, and out of water. I can't tell you how good it felt to see him walking down his driveway with a cold water bottle for me.

I was really only planning to do about 15 or so....I was off on my mileage just a bit when I linked up with Hendo and I knew he was wanting to get a run in. So, I drove on. We debated about the distance we would go as we got started...I said, "let's go for 3 and maybe we'll get 4". He said, "we'll do 4". I was struggling...big time. I know I was close to heat exhaustion. I was ready to call it quits at mile 15, but Hendo helped me press on. By mile 17 I was dead...completely drained. My entire body was hurting and I was on the verge of barfing. But, we drove on.

By the time we reached our stopping point, I had absolutely nothing left. I basically collapsed on the side of Hendo's driveway. I woke up to him pouring ice cold water on me....it felt amazing and it certainly perked me up. There's no question, I owe this run to Hendo - good friends give you what you want, great friends give you what you need.

Hard to believe that in about 3 months, I'll be running an additional 8.2 miles more than where I ended up today. Here's to making it happen!!

Independence Day

Today was one of the best Independence Days I've ever had. I had the privilege of riding 32 miles with some of the bravest men and women in our nation's history. My buddy Hendo and I participated in the Sea to Shining Sea bike ride. This is a group of wounded soldiers that are biking across America to raise funds and awareness for wounded troops. Hendo and I biked from Pekin, IL to Normal, IL with the group today. It was an honor....and quite an inspiration. Here's to the men and women that have fought, are fighting, and will fight for our independence.

P.S. Here's a pic of Hendo and I with former US Ambassador to Iraq, Paul Bremer...turns out he's a pretty good biker!!