August 30th, 2009

What form of stupidity drives a person to run in the middle of the day for 21 or so miles? Why not run in the morning when the air is cool and your body has just consumed a hot cup of motivational coffee? Heck if i know but for reasons beyond sanity I try to run my weekend runs in the middle of the day so i can sleep in and pretend I am a normal american looking for rest and fun on the weekend when in fact I am far from normal and work all week long so i can run in the middle of the day and feel like total shit!

Lets start with Saturday. I decided that I need to do something different with my runs so I started on the super 15 degree up hill 2.5 mile run that then loops through a wonderful single track which then finds its way back to the bottom of the 2.5 mile hill. Of course the run was started at 1:00pm and the heat was already going crazy along with 100% moisture in the air without it raining.

Given that most of my brain is fried (years of living in Los Angeles) i decided to run this loop 3 times and only when there is nothing left of myself do I stop at the bottom of the third loop. I have no idea how far i just ran but decided the runs are nearly 6 mile loops given I run about 4 miles per hour up a 15 degree climb and run 7 miles down hill for 2 miles.

But there is much more to the story:: Saturday really started in the gym riding a stationary bike that shows you in virutal space your ride (kinda fun). I of course selected the third hardest virtual rides so i could end up soaking wet after 20 minutes of super up hill riding. (now that everyone is afraid they will die of the swine flu those of us who really work out and get all wet are known as the danger to society types)

Yes, I then went for my run and then given I still have a small amount of energy left over decided to return to the gym to do some more riding and weight lifting.

Sunday morning:

I felt like total shit. I felt like some large truck had just run me over. So what do i do? I clean the entire house including the bathroom and finish all of my laundry. I then eat a bit of food and not thinking twice i head out the door around 1pm while the sun is beating the shit out of everthing and start a 21.2 mile run of which most of it is up hill and the only source of water is small dirty stream water bears pee in during the night.

Ok so what do i feel like right now? I am sore, tired and ready to hit the bed. I am upset with myself that I did not run the 21 miles faster; walked about 1.5 miles of it and was off by 1/2 hour on the split.

Of course my brain has no end to the insanity. It wants to pop up first thing in the morning and try to at least do my fun 14 mile single track run. I love the run so maybe it will happen but on the other hand have i lost my mind? Yes.

In the end do i really think all of this will help me finish my 100 mile run? Heck if i know. However, given someone who i very much respect had a DNF I dont feel too bad. Here is one of many cool photos of Tony after being shutdown.

August numbers with at least one more day left in the month, monday. I wonder what will happen..

Rank	Runner	Team	Distance	Miles/Km	State
1	frankbott	AVL	423.8	Miles	North Carolina
2	homey claus	CPTC	418.7	Miles	New York
3	port147		365	Miles	Washington
4	coop74	CPTC	355.2	Miles	New York
5	jhm	CPTC	329.75	Miles	New York
6	sonic		324.35	Miles	Ohio
7	jfb1	CPTC	299.25	Miles	New York
8	pmonster	BTUNCPEM	279	Miles	North Carolina
9	susanmls	CPTC	274.3	Miles	New York
10	scs	CPTC	273	Miles	New York

August 23rd, 2009

The first thought that keeps entering my mind is Tony.

Something went wrong around mile 70 and he had to quit the Leadville 100. It would be nothing to me if I did not know how hard this man worked to get ready for this race. His personal sacrifice and energy for training coming back from injury says something for his efforts and the cost of the DNF. I however, hope that he has the same fight i had when i failed to finish the Pony Express last year. I reviewed my failures and studied my body. Most important, I just did not give up. I took the time to change my training to reflect my bodies needs and then discounted the real value of the race. The primary point was not the race and never is. The primary point for me is getting up every day, running, seeing nature, feeling the power of the planet i live on and staying in top conditon so my body and mind can meet any challenge life might throw my way.

Tony is still my hero. He is unplugged from the system, does what he loves and is his own man.

My training is going well. I keep blowing through shoes like they are free water. My last pair of shoes lasted no more then 150 miles before they split top front. Amazing damage my guess from running over something super sharp.

The right leg which is what did me under last year is doing super well. The key is the body and its ability to install, create and enlarge blood vessles in the right leg so the circulation of blood is much better. I look down at my right leg and see tons of new vessles that did not exist last year at this time.

My times are getting stronger and the distance is moving over the 100 miles per week which is amazing given work is doing all it can to make life difficult. My primary goal this year was to reduce the amount of fat in my legs. My legs are lean but not as lean as they could be. This will be an issue.

I hope to reach 420 for the month of August and see 130 mile weeks for September. Tough goals but goals none the less. I will taper down first of October to 60 and 70 mile weeks with at least 1 super long distance.

If i can run the first 50 miles in 10 hours that is good. The last 20 miles is the point of this type of race. How much energy do you have left to run that last 20 miles? The more the better chance you have of doing well in the race.

Example: The top runners last year managed to get to the 50 mile mark around 10 hours. They then spent almost 14 hours on the last 50 miles. This means slow running / walking the last 50 miles. I hope to do the same except in the last 20 miles. That will be interesting to say the least. The plan may fail but the point is trying.

As I run i also ask myself how many more years can i keep up this level of training and racing? Not sure. But i do know that a move out west would be a good first step to keeping up this insanity because so many of my running friends live out west. Something about the west that lends itself to running long distances.

In closing: Fight Tony. It is really the only thing we have in a tough and insane world.

August 11th, 2009

Bugs. I said tons of Bugs. The bugs seem to have decided to want the water that lays on the top of my legs, shorts and rest of my body at any and all cost. Given the temp. outside is in the 90s and the air is as thick as water you would think the bugs would have all the water and heat they need. But no. The little guys have picked me.

The good news is they are just a pest. Most die the minute i see them because like Obama I am getting good at killing anything small that flies and bugs me; bugs that is.

Now for the running. Last few weeks have seen 100 mile plus runs. The running is starting to be a burn out and I am thinking what on earth could i be doing this running for. However, given i have no logic in my brain i keep running.

The good news is my body is starting to look like it did when i was in high school wrestling. Well almost. My hips have kinda started to merge with my chest causing me to look like some little fellow in Peru that sherpas part time during the weekends.

My legs on the otherhand are starting to look good. I have reduced my overall diet and increased my load of soy and real meat protein. Both seem to be doing their job and giving me leaner leg muscles. However, given i am suppose to be climbing high mountains my legs are still a bit on the bulk side which means more energy to move them forward.

Yesterday I spent the first 2.5 hours running in Knoxville at Haw Ridge. I love Haw Ridge but the bugs also love Haw Ridge and given the air is about 100% water the run is not much fun. After completing the run I stopped over at Bent Creek and did my climb single track run up shunt in. It was fun but challenging given I had already run in hot tough conditions. Total miles for the day comes to about 30.

My real concern is my mind. As the running gets longer my mind starts to burn out. I find myself with less endurance or so it seems. However, there is plenty of power and muscle to move me forward but the mind would reather be doing anything but running. Not sure how to fix this but i will fix it or fall on my face like a fool.

I enjoy reading Tony's blog. He can write better then i can and most important is doing something super impressive. I am not sure if at his 25 we are both about the same. I ask myself, "Do i get a handicap for being 52 running 100 miles a week over his 150 mile runs per week? Not sure. In any case I think we both have done well.

But the run is not the point. The point is i love most of the minutes out there. I see turtles, bears, snakes and all sorts of creatures including 100 different types of bugs that all know how to fly some faster and slower then others. The world seems to think that the soul is only happy when we are going to church or the mall. I have found my souls love point by running in the desert or the mountains and connecting to the very planet i came from. Shame on me i know.. should really find my love for money but heck.. it never seems to do much for me but melt holes in my pockets.

Am i ready for October? Heck if i know. I will be smarter and leaner no doubt. My feet will be in very good condition and my body ready to do 200 miles but the brain is the point. If the brain is not ready then i will get my butt kicked. Yes i am a bit concerned but nothing I cant over come for sure.

July Ending Numbers: My goal was 400 so i was a bit short. Why? Lazy!

Runner	Distance	Rank
homey claus	449.7	1
coop74	384.25	2
frankbott	362.3	3
sonic	343.03	4
glenn flynn	340	5
sonny67	302.4	6
felice	301.11	7
susanmls	299.6	8
alanruben	299.5	9
AFRanger24	287	10

August so far... as of the 10th

Rank	Runner	Team	Distance	Miles/Km	State
1	homey claus	CPTC	154.3	Miles	New York
2	port147		142.5	Miles	Washington
3	frankbott	AVL	141.2	Miles	North Carolina
4	coop74	CPTC	127.8	Miles	New York
5	jhm	CPTC	125.5	Miles	New York
6	pmonster	BTUNCPEM	106	Miles	North Carolina
7	glenn flynn		105.5	Miles	New York
8	trackstar	BTUNCPEM	105	Miles	Maryland
9	sonic		104.4	Miles	Ohio
10	susanmls	CPTC	103.8	Miles	New York

July 25th, 2009

Adventure with nature has been going on with me for a long time. I think my first adventures with nature started when i was a young man doing hikes all over southern California. Mount Baldy was my favorite because i could do it winter or summer. Then the hiking turned into rock climbing and the rock climbing turned in to high altitude alpine climbs and then the climbs turned into ice climbing multi pitch mixed rock and ice.

Of course it did not end there. Once i moved onto a sail boat and learned how to sail I found the pacific ocean full of challenges. So now that my bones are too old to rock climb and my soul has no desire to climb high mountains I find myself doing ultra marathons.

The crazy part about my ultra running and the intense training that goes with it is my mountain bike. If the mountain bike several years ago had not been stolen and i had not been broke I am betting i would never have taken up ultra running which should really be called ultra training.

Today was just another day in which Nature is Nature and does its best all by it's self to kill me which suits me just fine because I would rather deal with Nature on my day off then the insanity of the world.

Over the last two weeks I have started to run 3 long runs during the week and one ultra long run on the weekend. The ultra run on the weekend is a 45 mile run right now which i hope to turn into a 60 mile run. Yes I said 60. The runs take me a good part of the day and when i finish i spend the night doing all i can to repair my poor beat up body.

The current weekend ultra run is two loops of a 22.5 mile course that i measured with a GPS. The only change to the course is me moving around on the fire road which adds small amounts of distance to the entire run.

The run starts out on a single track that helps wake up the old body. The body is not really interested in this ultra adventure stuff it would rather be resting next to a nice cool swimming pool. I then move over to a fire road for a good many miles and find myself going up a super steep single track to another super cool fine thin single track.

The single track is so thin in some sections that i can not see my feet. This is bad because I might step on a snake or I might trip over a rock.

Today was very hot. My first time around was in good time. The split was 3 hrs and 40min. I rested for about 20 minutes before starting the second loop. The second loop was much worse given God and Nature tried to help me and in the process of trying to help me almost killed me.

Given it was Hot and given I have a strange and crazy relationship with God (not the normal christian relationship ... the kind that comes from meeting God at 8,000 meters type relationship) I ask God if there was anyway in this nice hot bright sunny day he could send shafts and shafts of pouring rain.

Well guess what. Right about half way through the single track I started to hear thunder. The thunder got closer and closer and then soon small drops of rain. Given i was super hot and very tired I acted like i am suppose to and got all excited and danced in the rain.. teeny rain mind you but rain.

However, the teeny rain turned into super amazing down pour .. the kind of down pour you see on the national geographic africa specials. I started to run because with the down pour was lightning. Tons of lightning. One of the bolts hit a tree and went all the way to the ground. You ask how close? Ok maybe 10 feet. Too close.

By the time I get to the fire road again the fire road has turned into a big wide river about 3 inches deep. My shoes are about 10 pounds *start at 11oz* and i am running for my life. I still have at least 3 miles to go before I arrive to the car but with good luck the rain starts to let up and I make it back.

The second split of 22.5 took 4 hrs and 20 minutes or there abouts.

Over all a great run. The heat was a bitch and did create some Lactic Acid issues in the legs which I can feel at this very moment. I have plenty of energy and a few hours after the run my heart rate is near normal.

to the adventures of doing!

Rank	Runner	Team	Distance	Miles/Km	State
1	homey claus	CPTC	331.4	Miles	New York
2	frankbott	AVL	305.2	Miles	North Carolina
3	coop74	CPTC	287.55	Miles	New York
4	sonny67		269.15	Miles	Michigan
5	sonic		261.78	Miles	Ohio
6	felice	CPTC	255.51	Miles	New York
7	glenn flynn		246	Miles	New York
8	susanmls	CPTC	235.9	Miles	New York
9	trackstar	BTUNCPEM	232.5	Miles	Maryland
10	pmonster	BTUNCPEM	232.1	Miles	North Carolina

July 18th, 2009

Ok: Why would anyone run 45 miles in one day let alone 100 miles? Cause I like ice cream. Does that work for you?

Since my last post I managed to go from a tiny wound in the bottom inside left leg to running 45 miles in about 8 hrs and 15 minutes with amazing split times, or at least amazing if you are old like me.

I managed to get some sort of left leg injury that seemed to only hurt if i walked but did nothing while i was running. Not sure what caused it but my guess is bad shoes. The injury went away after i rested for a few days; torture no less but important if i want to get better.

This week started with 3 19 mile days. The weather is getting less wet and more sun but cool sun so the times are rather good; around 3 hrs and 20 minutes give or take. I am never in a big hurry and given most run past me super fast no need to worry too much about speed.

On Saturday I took a course that is 22.5 miles and includes a very tough single track for about 1/3 of the run and doubled it. I did the course twice with a nice rest of 20 minutes between or there abouts. The first 22.5 was done in 3 hrs and 30 minutes a pb no doubt. Amazing. I had so much extra time that i rested and ate well, drank well and thought well.

The second half went ok with some resting on super tough hills. I was scared that my legs would cramp up or my head would bonk but my legs never cramped and my head never bonked. I finished the second 22.5 miles in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Both split times are much less then the average during training of 4 hours.

The weather on saturday was cool with a breeze which i am sure helped. I had some Oxygen issues for the first 5 or 6 miles.. not sure why the body managed to work out the problems. For the first time in any run i was drinking a mixture i made of maltodextrin. The stuff seems to be in love with my body and visa versa because i had no bonk and tons of energy. Most of the energy was from the good oxygen vo2max rate.. and some from my head feeling fine.

I was not too sure i had 45 miles in so given i might be off by a mile or two i ran another 2 miles which i have not included in my times just in case. I wanted my numbers to error on the side of more work not less.

So now that i have done the WTF (as i learned from Tony) training run.. what is next? Good question. I am going to do one of these double course runs at least once a week. Sure they take all day (8 hrs and 15 minutes for this last one) but they help train the legs for a super long run or so i hope.

I love to run the single tracks however, the snakes are out in full force an Bears are taking a dump on the trail.. not a good sign.. kinda like.. hey.. maybe you should take up tennis.

July Numbers so far

Rank	Runner	Team	Distance	Miles/Km	State
1	homey claus	CPTC	257.9	Miles	New York
2	frankbott	AVL	213.5	Miles	North Carolina
3	coop74	CPTC	196.5	Miles	New York
4	sarahA	CPTC	194.8	Miles	New York
5	sonny67		184.9	Miles	Michigan
6	felice	CPTC	181.06	Miles	New York
7	sonic		179.78	Miles	Ohio
8	bigdog531		171	Miles	New York
9	susanmls	CPTC	169	Miles	New York
10	trackstar	BTUNCPEM	164.5	Miles	Maryland

June Numbers

Runner	Distance	Rank
coop74	372.85	1
frankbott	356.7	2
glenn flynn	316	3
susanmls	304.7	4
bigdog531	279	5
sarahA	274.5	6

Enjoy.. to many more runs..

July 4th, 2009

First and most important stuff:

Aaron made me a "Friends and Family member of Foot RX".. kinda best stated as a team member.. as they build their team. I figure if you are old.. and someone wants to take care of you.. cause you run hard.. well that is a good thing.. no .. a great thing.. so i am very honored.

The week was a tough one at work or a super slow one. Some days i worked my butt off and others I just sat around. The tough days caught me on the running and the easy ones made running heaven. On Thursday after our work meeting i went out for a short single track run. (13.5 shuntin). The body was very upset with me and many things broke. The end result was I had to sit out Friday which caused me to be very sad.. but in the end given I worked 13 hours on Friday.. a good thing.

The run on Saturday was special. Ok.. what does special mean? Legs get pushed. Body pounds hard and a few times i feel like the world is ending. However tons of good hills.. tons of single track on good hills and some real strong times. Amazing part i am running my butt off and still having tons of energy left over. That is important. No food and just a bit of water from dirty streams with 22.5 miles in 4.02 hours. Not a bad time and a great run.

My goal for July is to run at least 90 miles per week with a 50 mile run at Haw Ridge on Friday, July 16th. The run on Friday is about pushing the body and learning what I am weak at. My friend will keep an eye on me.. but the logic is to do 12 mile loops... stop get something then keep going. Haw Ridge is so soft that the body does not feel as much impact so I am expecting some good times. However, the air is wet, wet and more wet along with some heat and you have shut down in the works.. so we will see.

I worked out at the new gym in town; "Rush". I felt like i was in Southern California.. very San Diego ... very flashy.. i am not sure where in the hell they got their money. I rode on a virtual mountain bike. Ok. I am getting old.. which means.. i was excited when we got a black and white tv.. so can you imagine what the virutal mountain bike did for me.. shit.. i am screwed.. love that thing.. and am hoping someone gets me one for xmas.. well maybe..

The body is in great shape. I am holding at around 170 to 174.. the range is cause no one's scale says the same thing.. i figure i am full of water.. or have no water at all. My low has been 165 after a run and 177 after a run.. the 177 was due to no potasium (sp).. or electrolytes..(sp)..

more as i run more..

June 28th, 2009

Today was special. Great run at Haw Ridge. (more on that in a bit) But most important, a wonderful day with a friend, sharing, expressing giving and being tight. Great blessings are not things you can touch, they are the people who touch your soul.. and you theirs too..

Haw Ridge:

I was not too sure what to expect and given i love to sleep did not get to the running place until around 11am. The goal regardless was to try a run in the super hot super wet conditions of Haw Ridge as part of my training for the race in October. On Saturday, the day before, I got shut down from the heat. The course in Bent Creek was more demanding with most of the run up hill on single track or fire roads. However, plenty of water and not as wet as Tenn. air.

What i learned was the track is super soft. I had tons of spring power with little or no impact to my knees or feet. The speed was amazing and the energy left over after 2 hours of running no water and nothing to eat was amazing.

I managed my vitamin intake a bit different. The night before i had tons of protein, rice and water. During the drive down took a couple of Iprofin, some vitamin B and then some general for old people type vitamins. When i arrived a couple of hours later i added scaps to the list of items, two pills. I should have taken them a bit earlier given they got my stomich upset a bit.

Most of the run was around the forest park. I got lost a few times which added miles and a bit of concern because that is one place you can get lost for a few hours if you try hard.

My future goal is to return in two weeks and do the loop twice minus the getting lost part. This should mean a 3.5 hour run or about 19 miles.. see what happens. One thing for sure is it was a great place to run on single track.

June 22nd, 2009

Since my last post the big news is a great right foot. After tons of work, patience and love the right foot is almost perfect. I get a bit of pain in the foot around mile 20 but not much and nothing like it was about a month ago.

I have started to post my logs on "www.therunninglog.com" because it gives me better faster information then a spreadsheet which i never seemed to keep up todate. I also get to watch other runners throughout the east coast.

So far the weekly numbers are staying in the low 80 miles per week group. This is in line with my goal. I hope to push the number to 90 miles for July. Given the heat and lack of water this will be a big challenge.

My plan on dealing with the big numbers is more carbs with rice and pasta as a primary source. I will be drinking more smoothes as well as a product called "Revive" which is a natural liquid that the body seems to get more from then anything else liquid. I am also taking large amounts of sugar in a liquid form (2 cups) around mile 12 which is helping a bunch. The body is storing about 90 minutes of sugar in the muscles and when it runs out i run out. The brain giving in is the biggest point. I become lazy and not willing to push once the brain runs out of sugar. Keeping the body full of the stuff is key and it just requires me being far more professional about my running.

I have also ordered a product for O2 help from 1stendurance.com The product will help in several ways with my body and its use of O2. I also expect that it will help with speed issues. Right now I find myself not moving as fast the first half because i dont want to run out of energy during the second half. This is kind crazy and I need to pickup the speed at the start.. with the ending times rather solid.

My good runs are the shorter runs. I love to do a short 13 mile run on shunt-in that is so wonderful. The run is mostly single track and kicks my butt for the first few miles all up hill but then it drops. I can assure you there are tougher runs on this single track and i intend on adding them to my diet of running during July.

The new 875 NB shoes are great for running and i think played a very big role in my foot doing so well. On the other hand the shoe falls apart faster then any shoe i have ever owned. The shoe does very well in single track runs but the single track conditions eat up the stability of the shoe.

Overall I am very happy. My body is doing well through a natural form of eating like a horse instead of taking all sorts of strange man made things in order to get the numbers I need. The good race results will depend on learning how to keep the blood full of sugar.. .. if for no other reason then to keep my brain motivated.

The only challenge and a strange mix that I have added is short track runs. I find myself on my rest days running around the track a few times moving as fast as the body will move. The only problem with this is I threw a muscle that connects my hip to my butt. The result was flying in the air and landing on my hands and body. Looked great but did very little damage to me.

Thats all for now.

June 6th, 2009

The last few days I have been posting my times.. and some important left brain details in an online runners log.. it has been fun.. (the runnerslog) .. is the name i think. The best part about that addition to my running is it gives the left brain something to do.. so far i have been running as far as i think i should.. and not really keeping track of details..

Thanks to my friend Davy Crocket the log is now an important tool to my running and training.

This week will see my total for the week above 85.. at least.. or there abouts. My average during June needs to be in the high 80s.. with each month adding another 10 miles.. so by the time of the race i should be doing 115 miles a week with no problem.

Today the foot did great.. but the blood was a mess. Ok I am stupid. I go out and run in the heat with no water.. except dirty streams.. which i drink out of.. and no food..nothing.. so by the time i get to mile 15 i am a total mess.. the body is weak on blood sugar... way to weak.. but understand this issue and challenge... so tomorrow i hope to leave some food near the trail 5000 point.. where it meets the 479 fire road... the shunt-in trail crosses this..

I love the single track runs. I love them. They are so at peace with me.. just wish my body could go more.. but.. without the blood in balance i am fucked.. so just got to figure that one out.. not sure why some days i am doing super well.. and other days i am doing so poor..

So, some food.. something for the body.. i might make a peanut butter and jelly sand... and leave it someplace safe.. along with something that is carb loaded liquid.. then keep going.. i hate having things on me or carry anything..

I think i did about 23 miles.. because i went up the trail futher then before.. well at any time.. i made it to the bitch switch backs from total hell.. they dont switch for much.. based on the map.. but are key for the 50 mile run i hope to do up there in august..

what do i hope to do sunday.. ? Good question.. I am off to help a friend.. and I have no idea what my legs will do tonight.. some nights they hurt so much.. they scream with pain.. I lack protein and amino acids is my guess.. shit.. more money i have to spend..

so how is the body? shit.. for my age i am kicking ass.. super kicking my ass.. the body is getting very strong.. very good.. and a bit lighter ever week.. i am very happy what all this means to me as a person..

enjoy..

http://www.newbalance.com/events/ambassadors/roster/akrupicka.php

tony.. you are right.. the human race.. a good part of the american human race is not pushing themselves.. at all..

May 30th, 2009

Well the rain stopped.  Amaziing but true.  Every river and stream is at the max and everything green is super green.  Of course if there is no rain the wonderful snakes return.  Yes I almost stepped on one super long black one and another black one was spotted in front of me before i managed to almost step on it too.. no fear.. black ones wont kill you.. just make you feel sick.. 

First, i got up early and did a short but tough run up shunt-in.  The old 875 shoes had hit their max.  I think all the rain made them worth less faster then normal and they provided zero protection for my sad right foot.  

Given i am trying to support the economy of this area I picked up another pair from Foot RX which just happens to have 5 pairs my size in stock with my name on them.. so no one can buy them.. it is true.. i go through a pair of shoes every month or so..  only way to help prevent stress fractures.. for my old bones.. 

Given i had another pair of shoes i headed back out to the trail.  The heat was there.. but the soul wanted to run a bit more.. so i pushed as hard as I could.. hitting my wall a few times.  The sugar engine in my body was falling behind.  Plenty of fuel.. but could not get it to the places.. fast enough.. so .. i hit a wall.. then would slow down.. then would have energy.. kinda strange.  near the end of the run i was feeling super strong.. too bad.. but it was getting late and i wanted only one thing.. no not sex.. food.. i love food after long running days. 

The two runs together bring the run for the day to 4 hours.. and who knows how many miles.. miles are stupid cause the single track runs are single track.. rock.. sticks.. roots.. you name it.. how fast can you run on this.. not really sure.. sometimes.. super fast.. sometimes slower.. depends..  

Today was not busy in the forest..not sure where everyone is at.. but the numbers are way down.. to sad.. but i enjoy the forest to myself..   

The right foot is doing well.  It hurts sometimes super bad. .. and with the new shoes i should be ok..  

Plan on running sunday.. the same run i did this morning.. unless Aaron decides to join me.. he is a much better runner on trail.. and much younger.. so if he does run with me i will get my butt kicked.. 

enjoy

ps:  still no woman.. i think they are all afraid of the forest.. that is all i can figure.. 

May 25th, 2009

The last couple of weeks have been great because of the new shoes.  Sunday I pushed the wall as hard as i could.  Four hours of running mostly single track trail full of rocks, sticks and everything else nature could throw in.  Running the fire roads is easy compare to the single tracks but the view on the single tracks makes the entire challenge worth it.   

Most important I am never really tired.  My need for water starts to show up about mile 18.. or so.. but it has been raining so much that the air seems to supply all the water i need.  My right foot is still a problem and I can assure you it starting to take away from the peace of the run.  However, the point of running is not to win.. cant win much at my age.. the point is to push the mind and body.. to do what everyone else is not doing.  See if the mind gets upset.. see what happens when i push that hard and to learn from the process.  

At times I get upset and the peace of the forest is beaten by the sounds of my soul screaming out loud for no good reason.. 

The best example Sunday came near mile 20 when I was very tired from the wet beating, super wet.. i mean it has been raining for hours.. solid.. super hard.. my right foot hurts.. and so i start to bitch about life, sure sign i am human.  Before you know it i am in the middle of this mind game when all of a sudden the birds start to make tons of noise..  it is just me the birds and some snakes i am sure..   ok.. they get my attention and i shut up for a few minutes. 

I walked in the forest a bunch today.. get the right foot a rest.. it is feeling good today.. but yesterday was a very different story.  I also had a super bad rash that hurt so bad.. i was screaming when i got home.  

Will try to push for at least 3 long hours on Tuesday.. i look forward to the runs.. if for no other reason then the beauty of the forest right now..   the rain is making everything super green.. and things are growing like crazy.. 

Look forward to this weekend... One day will be with a friend of mine Nick.. few miles.. (tough to find sick people willing to run 20 plus miles on the fly) then Sunday see if i can run for 6 hours.. yes.. i said 6 hours.. time to get my body really angry.. 

thanks for reading. 

frank

ps: new camera by mid next week and a repaired mountain bike.. i am starting to kick again .. a bit.. any way.. 

May 15th, 2009

Sweet run today plus great new shoes.  I have been rather short of cash (not as broke as GM, but broke) which means old shoes.  Today i found myself running in my new NB 875 shoes.  Wow.  Heaven.  My feet love them.. i even think my left foot looked up at me and smiled.. the right one is a pain in the ass.. so it did not smile.. but screw the right foot.  

Today started at the parking lot at the entrance.. throught the connnector and out to 479a.  From 479a i ran all the way up to sleep gap trail, to the top of the parkway, along the shunt-in / parkway trail all the way to the highway and then back to the parking lot.  The shunt-in / parkway trail was pretty.. it was amazing in color and silence..   Given it has rained so much the ground was soft..  (note: God did not try to kill me today with Lightning.. thanks)

My goal is to do 30 on saturday.  I have to work sunday.. so Saturday is the day.  Push as hard as my body will go and see what happens.  So far my running is on track.  My right foot still acts like it is broken and the lower back is a bit upset with me..   outside that i am doing very well.  Body fat is about 10 percent.. which is good for an old man.. ..and i run between 5 to 6 miles per hour.. on trail.. 

enjoy.. more after the saturday run..  Boy do i love my new shoes.. 

May 3rd, 2008 oh no.. i meant 2009

I was running along on the parkway trail just below where the secret hotel is located when i spotted these orange flowers.   I have no idea what they are called except to tell you they were about a half a cup in size and orange as an orange.  Pretty cool.  (the flowers grew on a tree)

ps:  the black snakes are back in the trees again.  I look up in the trees and see them hanging there.. in the rain.. ok.. gotta find another job..  cant be running with snakes hanging over my head..

Today i ran about 23 miles for about 3.75 hours of running.  Given i am not sure it could be less or a bit more.  The run started off in heavy rain with all the green screaming bright colors of green.  I loved how the water dripped from the rim of my ball cap.  At one point it rained so hard i could not see more then two feet in front of me.  The warm air kept me warm but the rain makes me feel like i was in the shower.  I always wanted to run in the shower.  

I started off at the parking lot near the entrance to the park.  Ran the connector over to the 479a trail.  From the 479a trail i went up sleepy gap to the parkway then back down given i am a weak old man in need of a bit of rest.  I then took 479a all the way to another entrance to the parkway trail and stayed on the parkway trail for about 5 miles before turning around.  The trail is super thin but wow.. it was amazing in color and life.  

I have decided to take a teeny little kmart camera up there one day next week and photograph the one section of the trail that super rocks.  I will post the pictures on the blog.  Heck maybe i will do that monday given i dont plan on running monday.  

The return trip was a bit rougher.  The rain makes your shoes weight a ton and before you know it you start to feel the effects of heavy shoes.  I had no good water and no food so the body started to get really up set around mile 18.   The last mile was pure torture, legal kind, and by the time i returned to the car there was nothing left of my body.  

The total for the week is 85 or 5 miles short of my goal of a 90 mile week.  However, i did managed to get in 3 days of hard work out in the gym so maybe that counts.  

enjoy.. 

April 26th, 2009

The run today was best marked by the spotting of a super big owl.  I was near the 10 mile mark when out of no where comes this owl.  He stops and parks.  I do the same.  I tried to talk to him but the conversation went no where.  This is the largest owl i have ever seen in the wild.  He had at least a 3 foot wing span.  

added side note: and yes there was a long super fat gray ugly snake by the river.. he was more scared of me then i was of him..  but given i dont like snakes.. i wont talk about them. 

It was hotter today and i was still a bit tired from yesterday however i managed to run 25 more miles on somewhat of a different course.  Instead of starting in the 491 parking lot I started the run deep in the hole of the Arboritum (sp) near the highway.  I figured this would give me more up hill work and make the course a bit tougher then yesterday.   

My goal was to run up to the parkway then head on to the trail however, a small voice in my teeeny brain said bad idea given i might end up getting tired so pushing it was not a good idea.  

I did the 479a trail all the way to the hell road connector that takes me from 479 main road up to the 5000 trail point under the parkway road.  I ran down that road a bit then looped back on a the parkway trail where I stayed until I sneak back to the 479a trail for water.  By the time i got back to the water (small stream used by many creatures) my body was not too happy.  My problem was not my legs or feet but my blood sugar.  I have a teeny test kit which i took with me today only to find that the number it returned said i should be dead:  52.  Ok.  Given i was not dead then the reading must be wrong so I moved on.  

I had to walk about 1 mile total but in the end returned to the car with the last two or three miles very strong.  Yes!.  I am sun burnt, fried and beat up and in pain.  Yes real Pain.. can you imagine.. and i got all of this wonderful stuff for free!!!   or at best the cost of gas getting to the park.  

I plan on resting monday with a short run on tuesday.  I do hope to hit the gym a bit on those days in the evening.  My biggest issue is getting a few pounds off and working with the blood.  Ok, so i dont eat anything during the run and only drink stream water.. which some of it does have little creatures.. which i guess you could call that eating.. well maybe.  In any case I need to look at eating someting near the top of the 5000 trail.  

Next weekend is the same insanity.. maybe because i have a chance to see my friend in ktown.. and party.. and as much as i love to run.. i love to party just a teeeny bit more until of course the morning when this body reminds me that i should have been running.. 

enjoy

April 25th, 2009

The best way to define today's run is to tell you that at mile 20 or so I jumped into a super cold river.. stayed for a few minutes.. and enjoyed the first hot day of spring.. wow.   Given it is spring I managed to find tons of small streams to drink from.. throw water on my back.. and enjoy nature.. heck.. there still is no leafs on most of the trees.. and only a few weeks ago it snowed super hard.. 

I ran for about 4.5 hours.  Total distance is around 25 miles with one 3 mile 15 degree from hell hill climb to the parkway.  I did my normal run by starting on 479a.. then up the hill from hell to trail 5000.. then a bit more running.. then back through the parkway trail which is as sweet as it gets.  Boy do i love that trail.  The trail runs along the Smokey Park Highway.. and of course being this is Fat America everyone is out driving not running or walking..   There is one section where the trail and the road come together.. and for a short period of time I am an official tourist viewpoint object.  I feel like a deer or something.. Everyone standing next to their safe car peers out at the nearly naked man running by on the trail... wow..    But of course these folks could have selected the Mall today.  

The right foot is still the bitch of everything.  I have been running about 12 to 14 per day.. with tons and tons of time in the gym.  Why the gym you ask?  Easy.  The gym is for the bones.  Lifting big stuff with my legs allows the bones in my legs to get stronger.. and bigger and more stronger.. and bigger.. or so they say.  I do know that making my legs super strong in the gym is really helping with running.  The biggest part of the gym that works is i no longer get cramps during long runs and that is super heaven.  No cramps is worth the time and money in the gym.  I do very little upper body in the gym because the goal is to get into the 160s weight range.. and for me.. that is super thin.. 

Ok.  so where do i go from here?  Well sunday is another day to push the body to the wall.  I hope to do another 25 miles.  That means 2 days in a row at 25 which means 50 miles.  If i do that I am going to be one very super happy man.  My weakness is blood sugar.  I have to eat an entire quart of Bens and Jerry's ice cream to lower the heart rate.  I always test my blood preasure and heart rate after a long run.  I wait about 2 hours after resting and then find my heart rate at about 100 beats and my blood preasure around 105 / 60...  My normal resting heart rate is about 50 or so.  except near the end of the summer it drops to the mid 40s.   My normal blood preasure which is excellent for the food loving south is about 110 over 65.. so i am happy.  

I need to get up to about 90 miles per week in May.  This means 3 or 4 short run days and 2 super long runs.  If I run 50 miles or more on the weekend then all i need is about 13 or so each of the other days.  My older body needs the rest and rebuild time. 

The sad part is I love to drink a good beer.. which I dont and cant.. and I love to smoke one cig with my friend brian about once every 50 days or so.. yea.. one cig.. it is a bonding thing.. nothing to do with normal logical behaviour..   which i dont do that either.. shit.. i am missing out on all the good stuff.  Best part is given I am older and ugly i dont have to worry about sex.. no one wants to have sex with ya when you are old and ugly.  

Enjoy.. yes.. i am thinking of running bare foot in the park tonight.. but i bet i am in the gym instead .. working out.. and watching tv.. what a freaking life.. when you think about how crazy it is in other parts of the world.. 

f