Day 4 - Late night = not easy to wake up for me!

Today was one of those days I just didn't want to get up early because of a late night so I didn't. Loss of sleep and a lot of running usually means a cold and less training or no training and that is not an option.  You have to know your body and sleep is one thing you have to do with a lot of running to recover. I drank some some coffee and ate some cereal. Then I packed my backpack with some drinks and gels set my phone up to use the Cardio Trainer which eventually the battery died.  Luckily I had my Garmin 305 with for backup.  I finally made it out the door around 9:30 a.m.  At the start there were snow flurries, big clouds, wind and blue sky which stayed around for most of the run.  I really didn't know where to run today because of the hunters were taking over the mountain. So I wound up going down the road and headed into Kaercher Creek Park for a little over a mile and a half of fun on the grass and trail.  Then it was back on the road for around 8 miles.  After I thought about it for a while I decided to run up to Pulpit Rock.  Not the place I really wanted to run with all the hunters but I just love getting to the top of the mountain everyday if I can. There were a lot of hunters everywhere and I said hi to a lot of them and they were very friendly today.  The view was great from the top but no power in the phone means no pics.  But as my daughter says "Dad you have it stored up here." pointing at my head. :)  As I ran down to the bottom all of the hunters I talked to said they didn't even see a deer but you could tell they were out there doing what they enjoy to do.  I pulled out my watch and it said I would finish with 13 miles so added some extra distance and finished up with 15 miles for the day.


The family and I then headed out to the Nutcracker Ballet.  What a great thing to be a part of and the whole family was there to experience it from a different view.  This was my first time I ever remember being on a stage.  Everything went really well.  One more show tomorrow afternoon and we are finished.  Supper at Jake's Place in town for my wife's birthday with my parents followed by Home Alone 2.  Life is good!

12-4-2010 - 15 miles - 2:25 - run

Below are the pics from my run today.

Kaercher Creek Park

Heading to the top of that hill over there.

Into the great wide open

Looking at the mountains around Hamburg, PA

Day 3 - Cardio Trainer

The legs were sore today after running with the NB101 yesterday.  The shoes are very light and a lot of fun but they will have to be used on shorter runs.  Just remember when going from a regular sneaker to a very minimalist shoe take your time - don't rush it like me.  I did this 3 years ago with the Vibram Fivefingers and had to back off because I rushed it and had some pain in my foot.

Today I found a cool program for my phone.  It's called Cardio Trainer and it is a free app from the Android market.  It uses the GPS on the phone to track your workout.  So I went for a fast walk at lunch to put it to the test and loosen up my legs. When you start your workout it gives you 15 sec. before it starts the timer.  That is just enough time to turn the screen off and put it in your pocket.  Off I went for a 2.1 mile fast walk into the cold blowing wind. I pushed the stop button and there was my map of my route, distance, speed, and calories burned.  You can post your workout on the web but I didn't try it.  I will leave that for another day.

Looking towards Hamburg on my walk.

After work I didn't have a lot of time so I had to head out the for a run right away.  I used the Cardio Trainer on the phone and the audio notifications are set to go off every half mile.  Audio notifications sound cool until you hear them in the woods when it is dark.  I guess it made me run a little fast.  The legs are starting to feel a little better and should be ready for a long run.

After the run my wife and I had to get ready to head down to the running clubs annual Christmas party.  Food , drinks and a lot of running talk.  As of right now our club has 13 runners entered in the MMT 100 race and most of them were at the party.   This is incredible to me to have this many runners in this type of race.  I can't wait for some great training runs with a lot of these runners.  You could see it in there eyes and they are ready to rock!

12-3-2010 - 2.1 miles - 27:10 - fast walk

12-3-2010 - 6 miles - 46:55 - run

Day 2 - Nutcracker practice first

No aches or pains today after a fast run Wednesday night.  Tonight I had to wait to start my run until around 7:30 p.m. because of Nutcracker practice first.  My wife, one of the little ones and  I have a part in the opening scene.  It was fun and was about 2 hours long.  The real show is this Saturday and Sunday.

The run tonight started by trying my new trail shoes the New Balance 101 on the road.  The shoes were purchased at a local running shop - A Running Start - check them out they will set you up correctly with the shoes you need.(I will let you know of great products or service I have found on this blog)  I just couldn't wait to try them out and I might be a little sore tomorrow for doing that.  They felt great but after 3 miles my legs started to get a little sore so I slowed the pace for the next two miles and they felt better.  The last 2 miles of my 7 mile run felt good and now I am ready for the weekend long runs.

New Balance 101

12-2-2010 - 7 miles - 51:01

Day 1 - Sign up for MMT 100 - 9 a.m.

At 9 a.m. December 1st I logged onto the Virginia Happy Trails Running Club's website and placed my name on the MMT 100 mile run list for the 5th time.  They have a lottery to pick 180 runners and my lucky number is 572.  I will know on December 8th after 4 p.m. if I am in or will I be placed on the waiting list.  If I go on the waiting list I will have to wait for people to drop off and that does happen or I might have to find another race to enter.  What ever happens the training has started for what ever the next adventure will be.  Around 10:30 a.m. I looked at some new papers that came to work today and it was for a new store opening in Front Royal, VA.  That made me smile because the race use to start at the Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, VA and got me more pumped for this event.

Runners/Pacers/Crews from 2010 MMT 100

2007 was my first year and I finished the race in 28 hr./26 min./37 sec. - 23rd place.  In 2008 was my 2nd year and I made it to mile 64.9 mile in 15 hrs./9 min. and had to DNF (did not finish) or the one I like DNS (did nothing stupid).  My right leg behind my knee was very tight and I limped that last 6.8 miles and decided to pull the plug.  It was a smart decision and it let me run the rest of the summer without injury. 2009 was my 3rd year I entered the race but it was not my year and backed out 2 weeks before the start of the race.  It was a hard thing to pull my name off the list but if your not ready for this race move on and pick another one. 2010 was my 4th and I was more focused on consistent training the whole time and knowing that backing off was not an option if I wanted to run well.  I went for it from the start and I finished in 23 hrs./6 min./5 sec. in 7th place.

My MMT 100 Race # from 2010

My first night of training started by heading to Mohnton to run with the Pagoda Pacers for the Wednesday night fun run.  I forgot my headlamp, got stuck in traffic and got there 5 minutes late.  Luckily the group got a late start and I quickly got out of my car an caught up to the pack of at least 25 runners.  There were 5 other runners there that are also on the list to get into MMT so it was great to talk a little about the race.  We took some breaks for everyone to regroup and it was really fun pushing the ups and flying on the down hills.  After the run we headed to a local restaurant for some more laughs and talks about the race.  We have a great group of runners that do all kinds of distances and you can really learn some much from all of them if you listen. It just felt really great to be out running again.  I have been doing a lot of fast hiking lately due to rolling my right ankle back in June and my left ankle in October.  Right now the ankles are fine and are getting stronger I just have to pay more attention to my foot placements.

12-1-2010 - around 5 or 6 miles - 50+ minutes