2010 running goals

In brief, here are my goals for running in 2010.

As always, remain (at least mostly) uninjured and in good overall health.

Overall distance goals:
Run my first 100 mile training week.
Run my first 250 mile training month.
Finish the year with at least 2100 miles, preferably closer to 2400.

Time goals (in decreasing importance with the first 2 being real close):
Finish 7th straight Umstead Trail Marathon in under 4 hours (I've never broken 4:08 on the current course).
Finish my first 100 mile race, Umstead 100. The main goal is to finish, but sub 24 hours would be real nice!
Run a sub 20 minute 5K.
Run a 6 minute mile (I've never actually specifically tried to run a single, fast mile)
Run a 3:30 marathon, even better would be to qualify for Boston with a 3:20.
Run a 1:30 half marathon.
Run sub 10 hours at a 50 miler.

Goal Races:
Carrboro Fat Ass 50K (January 2, 2010) - Confirmed
Umstead Trail Marathon (March 6, 2010) - Confirmed
Umstead 100 Endurance Run (March 27, 2010) - Confirmed
Bethel Hill Midnight Boogie 50 mile (June)
Triad Triple Lakes 40 mile
Hinson Lake 24 hour

December, 2009, Overall Running Stats

OK, so I know I haven't posted my Hellgate 100K race report yet. Hopefully this weekend. In lieu of that thrilling tale, here are my December 2009, 2009, and 2003-2009 running stats, in more detail than anyone reading this should want to know.

December 2009
Miles run: 146.2
Times run: 19
Days run: 19 (61%)
Longest run: 66 miles (or whatever distance Hellgate 100K really is)
Shortest run: 2.5 miles

2009
Miles run: 1828.9 (2nd highest all time)
Times run: 290
Days run: 268 (73%)

Average per month: 152.4
Highest month: 191.1 (September; new all time high)
Lowest month: 118.5 (March)

Weeks with at least 1 run: 52
Highest week: 76.2 (new all time high)
Lowest week: 10.0

Average miles per week: 35.2
Average days per week: 5.15
Longest run: 66 miles (or whatever distance Hellgate 100K really is)
Shortest run: 2 miles
Average miles per day: 6.82
Average miles per run: 6.31
Number of runs at least 20 miles: 8

2003-2009 (Since I've been keeping track)
Miles run: 11,268.3
Average per year: 1609.8 Times run: 1642
Days run: 1619 (63.3%)
Average miles per 'run' days: 6.96
Average miles per run: 6.86
Average miles per total days: 4.4

Hellgate 100K prediction

My official prediction is that I'll finish in 16:53:42.

That is an honest, accurate, non sand-bagging prediction based on a lot of information (see below) as well as my gut feelings of my current state of fitness. If anyone reading this wants to "entice" me to push myself, for instance, by offering cash or prizes for finishing faster, I'm listening! What follows is a brief description of the race, some background on me, and how I arrived at my prediction.

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This Saturday (December 12, 2009), I'll be attempting my hardest/longest ultramarathon to date, the Hellgate 100K, directed by the 'infamous' Dr. David Horton. Technically a 100K (62.2 miles), one GPS track of the race has the distance at ~66 miles, with ~13,500 feet of elevation change. Below is listed some great sites for additional information. Highly recommended.

• Official race website for 2009
• Aaron Schwartzbard's excellent overview
• Keith Knipling's excellent overview
• Great multimedia overview of the race
  

This will be my 13th ultra start and I hope my 12th ultra finish (I DNF'd the 2007 Mountain Masochist Trail Run at ~40 miles, although it turned out I had the flu!). The latest weather predictions are that it will be in the mid to low 20's as the low at the start and maybe mid 30's as a high during the day, but with a 40% chance of snow. I ran the Holiday Lake 50K++ in 2007 where it never got above freezing, but that was only 6.5 hours and almost entirely in daylight. Did I mention this race starts at 12:01 AM on Saturday? Yeah, so the first ~7 hours are in the dark. Luckily I am a night owl and generally don't have problems staying awake when needed. I've run one other nighttime race, a 50 miler that started at 9:00 PM back in 2008. Weather wise, my main concern is ice, not snow or temperature.

My previous longest race is the Mountain Masochist Trail Run, a ~50 mile race in this same geographic area. I finished it a little over 4 weeks ago in 10:56:25. On that day, I got a little off track and ran an extra ~2 miles so I think I could have finished in ~10:30. That race was my best ultra to date, by my assessment. I felt great at the end, better than I have in any other ultra. I feel I could have gone another 10-15 mile if needed. In total, I've finished four 50 mile races (2 of those have been the Mountain Masochist), two 40 mile races, and five 50K's, including Promise Land 50K which shares a portion of its course with Hellgate.

The two biggest "unknowns" to me is the fact that David Horton's races are never the advertised distance and the darkness + difficulty of the course is hard to objectively measure. So any predictions based simply on expected pace are likely to be wildly off. To combat this, I figured that the best way to guess my finish time was to see how long it took other people to finish Hellgate who also ran Mountain Masochist. So I trolled through the results of both races and found people who finished both races in the same year. My reasoning was that someone's level of fitness wasn't likely to change greatly in 4-5 weeks (the interval between the two races). I then calculated how much of an increase in time it took people to finish Hellgate compared to Mountain Masochist. Any errors in data are solely mine, and please keep in mind that with one exception, I have no firsthand knowledge of any of the people that resulted in this information. What I mean is, some people may have 'held back' at Masochist in anticipation of running Hellgate. Or maybe someone had a really bad day during one race and a great day at the other. Or maybe they ran with a buddy/loved one at one race and not the other. For this reason, my main focus is the average increase in time. I've also included the finishing (in under 18 hours) percentages, and what my predicted finishing times might have been in the past.













I find it really cool/scary that for a race that at its most is 16 miles longer than Mountain Masochist (i.e 32% longer), it takes most people more than 50% longer to finish! This is true for front runners and people just barely making the cutoffs. As you can see, only 1 "prediction" is over the 18 hour time limit: taking into account my actual Masochist finish time and the "Ice Year" average increase in finishing time. Most predictions are in the mid-16 to mid-17 hour range. My prediction comes mostly from the global average and what I feel I could have run at Masochist this year.

Interestingly, using where I finish in relation to the field has me finishing faster (sub 16 hours? Really?). I've found previously that I usually finish at or near the 50^th percentile (i.e. if there are 100 finishers, I finish around 50th). In previous ultra's I've finished in the 31^st, 40^th, 49^th, 46^th, 63^rd, 48^th, 56^th, and 48^th percentiles. At Masochist this year, I finished in the 54^th percentile of all official finishers, and like I said I felt great and feel I could have gone faster. Even estimating I finish in the 70^th percentile at Hellgate this year (given I've never gone this far, etc) has me in the mid to high 16 hour range. The reason I haven't relied heavily on this data for my prediction is that it is much more variable.

So there it is. Keep in mind that this analysis is for fun and as a way for me to have some idea of how long this race may take me. I really just want to finish under 18 hours safely, anything more is a bonus. It's bad enough I'll be away from my family for a few days, I don't need to hurt myself in the process! This doesn't mean I'm not going to try my best to finish as fast as possible. With the predicted forecast, I'm gonna be wanting to get done and around a fire as soon as possible!

100 in 100, Done and DONE!

Woo-Hoo! Yes! I got in a run today at lunch (7 miles in 1:06), and it was the 100th run in the past 100 days.

With it, I have successfully completed the "100 in 100 Challenge". That was fun, and it made me run much more than I would have otherwise. Will be fun to take a few days off from running without feeling guilty though! Will post a more complete story later.

100 runs/100 days!!!

Day 99

Second to last day...

I ran 4.1 miles in the morning, after about 20 minutes of weights around downtown Raleigh. Kinda humid but I kept the pace in check.

Then I snuck in another 4.5 miles at lunch time (also very humid).

99 runs/99 days

Day 98

A very un-fun 8 mile run today. Was very humid, and I started out with a stomach full of Junior Mints and a banana. Apprently that doesn't make for a good run, because this run SUCKED.

But, I'm done and only 1 run "behind" with 2 days to go in the 100 in 100 challenge. At the risk of jinxing myself, I think I have a good shot at completing it!

97 runs/98 days

Days 96 and 97

Day 96 = Sunday = 4.5 miles, pushing the kids in the stroller. A very difficult run. No energy at all in legs. Such is life.

Day 97 = Monday = 2 runs totaling 8.5 miles. The first was an easy 4 miles on the indoor track in ~34 minutes. The second was a 4.5 mile loop course, about haf of which was single track, the other half was dirt road. A fun run, but my feet were incredibly sore after wearing my NB790's with no socks. They felt bruised afterwards.

96 runs/97 days

Days 94 and 95

Good and bad...I busted my ass at work on Friday and was able to get in 2 runs...then didn't run on Saturday!

Day 94: 5.5 miles on the road around Centennial Campus of NC State. Easy pace that was astonishingly around 9:00/mile. Then in the PM, I did 4.5 miles of speed intervals on the dreadmill (9:00 jog pace, 6:30-7:00 run pace).

Day 95: No run. 13 mile bike ride towing the kids. Multiple walks with Buddy.

My plan to get this challenge done is to run tomorrow (long-ish run, maybe 12-15 miles), then do 2 days of double runs by Thursday.

93 runs/95 days

Day 93

Well, this is it...home stretch now. After today, only 1 week left. I got in 2 runs today, one of 4.8 miles on the road in the AM. Was a bit humid and my legs took a while to get into it. They're still sore from the weights the other day!

Then, after a "bag lunch" with G at daycare and getting my haircut, I went out on the un-improved section of the American Tobacco Trail for another 4.5 miles of mud and rain. That felt awesome! Need to do that more often.

91 runs/93 days

Day 92

Did a very nice run of 7 miles today in just under an hour. My right knee was giving me issues out of the blue! Go figure. Had planned on sneaking in another quick 4 miles between a seminar and going to get the kids, but got stuck in the lab. Oh well, maybe tomorrow to make up a run.

89 runs/92 days

Day 91

Only managed a 4.5 mile run today (well, yesterday) but I also did some weights/plyometrics so my legs got a killer workout. Things are getting close now...

88 runs/91 days

Day 90

I snuck in a 4 mile run early, and had planned to go again in the afternoon, but ended up having to go pickup the kids (YEAH!), so no double run. Going to be close to get this 100 in 100 completed!

87 runs/90 days

Keep on keeping on...

Friday, run 2 = 5 miles pushing the kids in the stroller, with J, after work. Good run, although foot was sensitive again.

Saturday = No run. Went to Wrightsville Beach with the kids, had a blast.

Sunday = 14 miles. Ran 8.5 pushing the kids, J was finishing up 20. Walked a bit at the end of that leg, but then finished up the run back to the car solo in ~9 minutes pace for 5.5 miles. Felt pretty good. The rest of the day (house & car cleaning, etc) took me out though.

86 runs/89 days

Day 87a

Short run this morning. Left foot really starting again. It's been fine for over a week, and now this! Grrr.....

Anyway, ran 4.11 miles (according to my old Garmin Forerunner 201 watch), and I plan on getting out for another 5 later today. That's right, 9.11 miles on 9/11. Just my own little tribute to what happened 8 years ago.

84 runs/87 days

Days 85 and 86

OK, after today, just 2 weeks left. Ran once each yesterday (7.5 miles) and today (4.2 miles) making me still 3 run short. My schedule is gettign busy, so getting in daily runs for 2 weeks straight, including 3 days of double runs will be tough.

But tough is what I like!

83 runs/86 days

Day 84b

Just finished with another run: 4.5 miles in 36:13, about 30 minutes of which was hill repeats. Fairly steep and run at an uncomfortable pace. My legs are still shaking.

81 runs/84 days

Day 84a

Tuesday morning after a 3-day weekend. Being 4 runs down in this 100 in 100 challenge, I decided to ramp up the dedication! First thing after dropping the kids off at daycare, I went to the gym, changed, then did some weights (squat thrusts, situps, pushups), ran 5 miles in 46 minutes, then did more weights (pulldowns & rows, weighted step ups, situps).

I have every intention of gettign out again this early afternoon for run #2, possibly some time on the treadmill at 15% incline. I'm really need to get my leg muscles ready for Mountain Masochist! That elevation profile ain't no joke!

80 runs/84 days

Up to day 83

Crazy week, sorry for lack of updates! Last Monday (Aug 31st) was Day 76, so through yesterday (Monday, Sep 8) makes 83 days down. Not a good week overall, here's the recap:

Tuesday (D77) - A good 8 mile run in 1:07 with some short steep hills. Only minor foot aches. Temp was cooler, which helped a lot.

Wednesday (D78) - 6.6 miles total in 1:03. I did ~4 miles of speedwork on the treadmill: 2 intervals each of 1, 2, and 4 min at 7:00 pace, with a 1 min rest at 9:00 pace. Legs were cooked.

Thursday (D79) - 7.2 miles, 2 on trail, in 1:08. Left foot hurt on trail sections (Grrr). Left work early to go to Wake County Animal Shelter...adopted a 5-6 year old Golden/Chow mix, will pick up on Saturday. Named Buddy. Took the kids in the bike trailer for ~40 minutes after work.

Friday (D80) - A very easy 5 miles, 3 on trail. That is to say, I took it very easy.

Saturday (D81) - No run. Exhausted from a long day with kids and new dog. Had a good walk with Buddy in the evening, though.

Sunday (D82) - 11 miles in Umstead State Park, the first 5.5 pushing the kids in the double wide. Difficult run, no energy in legs whatsoever. Was supposed to go further, but just couldn't fathom anything more than making it back to the car! Took another good walk in the evening with Buddy though.

Monday (D83) - Was planning on a long-ish run, but life conspired first to cut it short, then to prevent it from happening at all! I did do a lot of chasing G and 2 of her friends around the yard during their playdate. And D was all about wrestling and playing today (cross-training?).

79 runs/83 days

Up to Day 76

Bummer! Just got caught up, and I get a 2 day break from running. Busy weekend, with no running. I did go for a 12 mile bike ride in Umstead pulling the kids in the new bike trailer. Killed my legs!

Today (Day 76), I ran 5.2 miles in the rain...it was awesome. Cooler temps too. Easy easy run, under 45 minutes.

74 runs/76 days

Days 69-73

Bit of break in updates...busy week! Here's we go...

Monday = Day 69 = 5.5 miles, 50 minutes, Nice and easy, no issues with foot.

Tuesday = Day 70 = Early morning run with D on the Tobacco Trail. 5 miles, started at 6 AM! Took me out for the rest of the day.

Wednesday = Day 71 = 4 miles, again early in the AM with D-Mac. We saw a Great Dane that blew his little mind! ALso ran a second time today: 4.8 miles in 45 minutes. Did some quarter mile repeats on grass at ~90% effort. It was hot out, so that translated into not so fast running!

Thursday = Day 72 = 5 miles on the indoor track at NC State (38:13), the first 4 in 30 minutes flat! I did intervals of 2-3 laps (1/3 to 1/2 mile) at fast pace, with equal recovery. I also did 10 minutes (1.03 miles) on the stairmill at 85 steps per minute.

Friday = Day 73 = A quick run today, 4.7 miles in 40 minutes. Then a pizza lunch with G and J at daycare.

73 runs/73 days

Days 66-68

Got some runs in, but all very short. Busy busy busy!

Friday = Day 66 = 4 miles of not fun running. Maintenance run in the heat/humidity.

Saturday = Day 67 = 4 miles on American Tobacco Trail. Hot again, and had major nerve issue with left foot again!?! Maybe it is the NB 790's. Need to get this resolved.

Sunday = Day 68 = 3.5 miles pushing the kids in the stroller. Foot OK, but wore my Saucony Ride (700+ miles!). "Slogged" up the hills to simulate late in race fatigue. Not hard as it was humid, but cooler, yet still my legs were toast.

67 runs/68 days

Days 63-65

Tuesday through Thursday. Days 63-65. Let's see...

Tuesday, Day 63: Another morning run with D-Mac in the stroller, on the American Tobacco Trail. He fell asleep this time. Humid but you can't beat spending time with your kids!

Wednesday, Day 64: Super-looper-dooper busy day at work, so no run. ☹

Thursday, Day 65: Four (4) mile morning run with D-Mac on the American Tobacco Trail. Once again, he was in an awesome mood and had a blast. I struggled, tired legs. After lunch, at about 1:15 PM, I headed out from work and ran to the gym, did 2 miles on the indoor track, then ran back to work. 4.6 miles total. I did the track miles in ~15 minutes, alternating fast strides on the long stretches, and recovery on the short stretches.

64 runs/65 days

Day 62b

OK, luxury today. The construction of a new building next to mine is causing my office desk to shake, and today was a lot worse than usual (they are taking down an exterior wall), so I left for a lunchtime run. Got in 3.2 miles and finished off with some 0.25 mile pickups on the soft grass of Miller fields next to the gym. It was hot, but still fun! Also did some situps, pullups, etc.

61 runs/62 days

Day 62

D woke up at his usual early time (ready to get out of crib by 6 AM) and since that was later than I had planned on waking up, I put him into the running stroller and took him out for a quick 4.3 miles on the American Tobacco Trail. Kind of blew his mind but he had a good time. And I got a run in, which is good because today is going to be a BUSY day!

60 runs/62 days

Days 59-61

Day 59 = Friday. Run cut short because of major foot pain. Stepped on a rock less than a mile in and my whole foot started hurting...a lot! I even changed to a new pair of kicks with more cushioning to no avail. My guess is either deep bruise or nerve thingy.

Day 60 = Saturday = No run. Foot still a little sore, but the day just became too hectic to fit one in.

Day 61 = Sunday = Awesome longer run (16.3 miles)! Ran the 1st 5.5 pushing the little darlings in the stroller, up the corkscrew and cemetery hill in Umstead State Park. That was the final 5.5 miles of J's 17 miler. It was very oppressive, with the occasional blast of what felt like 50F air. Weird. That took us ~1 hour, then I got to run solo and did another 10.8 in ~1:47, including 3.3 miles of single track (Sal's Branch trail), some good hills (Group Camp road, Reedy Creek Lake road), and 3 stops to refill my water bottle and take a gel. I continue to be amazed at how good I feel running uphill these days. It still hurts, but I don't feel like I need to stop or slow down as much, and when I get to the top I can just keep going to recover. Even with ~70 ounces of water, 8 ounces of chocolate milk, 12 ounces of Coke, a small french fry and McChicken sandwich from McD's afterwards, I was 4 pounds lighter after the run! I feel good though. Ankles a bit stiff, but I past 700 miles in these shoes with today's run, so...

59 runs/61 days

Day 57-58

Missed out on a run yesterday, but had a very productive day at work. Thought about going out after the kids went to bed, but...yeah, didn't happen.

Thursday = Day 58 = 2 runs by 1 PM!!! Started out with a 5 mile, 45 minute session around NC State campus adjacent route. Humid but cooler (70's). Went to an academic coach training session from 10-12, then hit the dreamill for 3 miles in 36 minutes. Did 15 minutes at 15% incline and most of the rest at 5-10% incline.

57 runs/58 days

Day 56

Another hot day in NC. I ran to the gym and back (1.5 miles total), and ran 4.5 miles on the dreadmill, in ~36 minutes. Speedwork intervals at 7:19 min/mile, 2% incline. Recovery was equal time at 8:57 min/mile and 0.5% incline.

4 x 30s

4 x 1 min

4 x 2 min

1 x 4 min

Also did some squat-thrusts, lat pulldowns, and ab work. My legs felt OK, but started to get more and more sore as the day went on. Pretty bad last night and this morning!!!

55 runs/56 days

Days 53-55

Day 53 = No run! After working so hard to get back on pace too!

Day 54 = A very tough 11 mile run. I met up with J at 11.5 miles for her and ran back to her car with her, pusing the kids. That was both kids in the double stroller UP the corkscrew and UP cemetery hill in Umstead. Oi! I thought I was OK, but about 5 minutes after packing the kids in the car and heading back to my car solo, I realized I was in trouble. It was hot out for one, and humid. Granted, the way back is probably easier in term sof total up/down hills. I decided to push the pace since I was going to be out for "only" 11 miles. I made the return 5.5 miles in just over 48 minutes, but it took me out. The final half mile uphill section I chased a cyclist up and nearly keeled over at the top. I was redlined for the last few hundred meters!

Day 55 = a very hot 5.1 miles around NCSU and Centennial campus. The predicted temps for today were 99-100F, the highest of the year so far. It was 94F with a heat index of 100 when I headed out 12:45P. It was 97F with a heat index of 103F when I got done 48 minutes later. It was actually a pretty fun run. I took it real easy (for obvious reasons) and took a few walk breaks as well to drink my water. There was a pleasant breeze on Western Blvd that helped a little.

54 runs/55 days

Days 51-52

Day 51, Thursday. Hardest, most unpleasant run in a LONG time. Had to stop and walk about 20 minutes in, and again at about 33 min, each time for 2-3 minutes. I was light-headed and just felt weak. I still finished 5 miles in 49:30, so I may have started out a bit fast!

Day 52, Friday. A very easy 5.5 miles total. Ran 0.75 miles to the gym, then 4 miles on the dreadmill, then 0.75 miles back to work. Kept things nice and slow. My legs were burning walking up the stairs this morning, so I need some recovery time.

52 runs/52 days

Day 50 - Halfway done

Day 50, the halfway point. I'm actually surprised it's come this seemingly fast.

Today I snuck in an early run of 3.2 miles in 30 minutes at ~11:15 AM. I had a chunk of downtime in the protein purification I'm doing in the lab (after co-opting my graduate student to do a step for me!).

Then during a longer step, I went to the gym for some weights and 5 miles on the indoor track, in 39:30. Three consecutive days of double runs is a record for me, by 2 days! Unless I get out early tomorrow morning (like 5 AM early), the streak will end. But, I'm now "caught up" and am on pace to complete the 100 in 100 challenge. If I can keep this up...

50 runs/50 days

Day 49b

I ran a second time again today, getting in 8 miles in the HEAT of the afternoon. About 2 was on trail (nice!), and at the end I stopped at the Red Hat building (much to the dismay of the secretary who "greeted" me) to return a badge I found on the sidewalk. My time (sans badge returning episode) was ~1:16, for a 9:30 pace.

The trips up the stairs for the waterslide at the pool tonight definitely let me know my legs are tired!

48 run/49 days

Day 48b, Day 49a

Monday afternoon: ran 3.6 miles in 30 minutes on the dreadmill. 5 min warmup at ~9:00 pace, then intervals of 7:30 pace with equal time recovery at 8:57 pace (8 and 6.7 MPH), all at 1% incline.

4 x 30s

4 x 1 min

2 x 2 min

1 x 4 min (1 min recovery to end of workout)

Felt surprisingly good, not that hard to keep a 7:30 pace. Is it possible I'm making progress in overall running ability?

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Tuesday morning: was going to get out early (~5:30A). Was awake and getting out of bed at 5:40, when I heard a very odd noise outside. Both cats were outside, and J went to check. Turned out to be an owl that was dive-bombing the yard. As she walked outside, she walked through a huge spiderweb so immediately got in the shower. No big deal, I can still make it out by 6:00-ish...yeah...D wakes up almost immediately, and while I'm trying to rock him back to sleep, G wakes up crying for "mommy". So J got out of the shower to see all three of us in our bed!

I was still able to get out for a quick 4 miles, though, making it home by 6:50. It threw my normal morning routine all into chaos though! Today might be the day I go back on the 'juice' (caffeine). It's been 12 days. I proved my point!

47 runs/49 days

Day 48

Monday, Day 48, almost halfway done with this 100 in 100 challenge, and still well within the realms of possibility..only 3 runs behind schedule.

Today was a fun run. Fresh legs from no run yesterday, but fairly warm. I ran a total of 4.5 miles, but also threw in about 40 flights of stairs. Whenever I saw a good set of stairs, I ran up then down them and continued on. This included some parking structures and a few buildings around NC State campus. The tallest was 6 flights, the shortest a single, albeit longer than normal flight. Felt pretty good.

45 runs/48 days

Days 45-47

Day 45 = Friday = 4.5 miles. HOT outside, muggy, but a fairly easy run. Just missed a massive downpour that would been a blast to run in. Oh well. Typifies my week. With today's run concluding July:

_______July____Year-to-Date

Miles 158.9 1067.0

Days 24 164

Runs 28 173

Projected for 2009 now 1837.1 miles.

Average per week = 34.4

Day 46 = Saturday = 4 miles pushing D in the BOB Ironman stroller. Fairly humid. He slept for most of it.

Day 47 = Sunday = No run. It rained or was threatening rain for most of the day, so I didn't risk getting the kids out in it.

44 runs/47 days

Day 44

Missed my evening run Wednesday night. There was some kind of major accident on I-40 and it took me 3 times longer than usual to get home (1.5 hours)! No big deal though.

Thursday morning: Computer down at work, so I went to the indoor track and ran...130 laps!!! 20 miles in 2:58:17 (8:55 pace), including water/gel and bathroom breaks. I ran it in 10 x 2 mile segments. I'd run 13 laps then drink. After warming up (first 2 miles), I ran a lot of it at ~8:40 pace, then had ~ 40 seconds to drink each segment. Felt fine thrughout in terms of breathing. Never really above conversational pace. My muscles tightened up a little near the end, and my left foot started hurting, but nothing too bad. Overall, kinda cool.

42 runs/44 days

Day 43

Got out at lunch today for an easy 5.5 miles around NCSU Centennial campus. Well, was supposed to be easy, but my legs protested early then quieted down after about 4 miles. I got stung by a wasp of something near the end. Hurt like hell!

Going to try and sneak in another run before going home today. But we'll see.

41 runs/43 days

Day 42

Ran 4 miles on the indoor track at NCSU in 38:04. Absolutely sucked. Felt like crap the whole time. Just an unfun run all around.

Going to see Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson tonight at the Durham Buills Park. Hopefully that will make me feel better.

(edited to note that Day 42 was Tuesday, July 28th)

40 runs/42 days

Day 41

Cool, 2 runs today. ~11:15 I got outside for a HOT 6 miles, probably in about 50 minutes of so (no watch). Then after that, I ate a lot and drank plenty of water, then hit the gym in the afternoon for another 4 miles on the dreadmill, then some weights.

The 'mill took me 47 minutes, but I threw in some intervals at 15% incline for powerwalking practice. Legs feel good, but tired.

39 runs/41 days

Days 38-40

Friday, ran a nice 5 miles in 45 minutes. Nothing special. Then n0 run on Saturday (oops!), but got in a very uncomfortable 6.2 miles today with the kids. Ran with J for some of it (she did 15!). Really going to try and get in a long-ish run this week, even if it is on the indoor track. My mileage for July is kinda low (currently 114.9 with 5 days to go), and my projected for the year has dropped to right around 1800 again. Will need to do some doubles as well!

37 runs/40 days

Days 34-37

Well now...let's see here. Getting further and further behind, but totally worth it. Monday and Tuesday were "stay-cation" days with my daughter, so no running for me (unless you count running alongside a bike!). Then Wednesday I ran twice: 3.5 miles (31:32) in the morning around NC State campus, followed by some weights. Then a quick 4 miles ( 37:56) in Umstead State park in the PM. Today was a very busy day at work, but I snuck in a 4.5 mile run at the indoor track, finishing in 32:00! That's a 7:06 pace. For me, that is...well, fast.

Monday = Day 34 = No run (stay-cation with G)
Tuesday = Day 35 = No Run (stay-cation with G)
Wednesday = Day 36 = 2 runs (3.5 and 4 miles)
Thursday = Day 37 = 1 run (4.5 miles)

35 runs/37 days

Day 32 & 33

Day 33, Sunday July 19th. Yesterday got in a 4 mile run with the kids, had to power-walk some of the hills as my legs just didn't have any oomph. The rest of the day was...taxing. But a fun day.

Today...whoa...J went for her long run (13 miles) in Umstead State park. I met her at mile ~8 and ran the last 5 with her, again pushing the little ones in the double wide. Mostly was OK, but the last hill nearly killed me. She flew up it, I was severely struggling to not get dropped off the back! That section gave me 5.5 miles and it took 1 hour, including a short break when she stretched.

I then got an awesome surprise by getting to run solo back to the car. I ran ~2 miles of single track and then dirt road for ~5K, for a grand total of 10.6 today. The last 5.1 was in 49 minutes. Spent the rest of the day at the pool, so my legs are a but tired (about 30 trips up the slide stairs)! After logging my miles, I saw that I am...0.2 miles short of 1000 for the year! Oh well.

So...almost a third done with this 100 in 100 challenge, and only 1 run down. I'll take it!

32 runs/33 days

Day 31

Wow, that was tougher than I expected. After taking D to his 18 month checkup (3 shots, but that stud did awesome!) and dropping the kids at daycare, I stopped off at Umstead State Park for a run. Down Reedy Creek Lake road, up the Corskscrew, then Cedar Ridge Trail, returning on South Turkey Creek and then the Loblolly trail (~2.75 miles of single track).

Maybe the humidity and 70F+ dew point did me in. I covered ~7 miles in ~70 minutes. That was with walking some of the early uphills for practice and the later ones because I had to. I had 20 ounces of lemon-lime Nuun, but it was gone in ~40 minutes. I drank another 12 ounces of water when I finished and then another 20 ounces of Nuun on the drive into work. Safe to say I was a bit dehydrated.

Need to finish up some work now and enjoy my last caffeine binge day. Starting tomorrow I begin cutting back and will hopefully be caffeine free by next Wednesday or Thursday. Plan to stay that way for 1-2 weeks, just to spice life up a little bit!

30 runs/31 days

Day 30

Yet another maintenance day. Nothing special, just logging the miles. Dreadmill run at the gym. Ranged from 2 to 8.5 MPH (30 to 7 minutes per mile pace) and 0-15% incline. Did a total of 4.5 miles in ~45 minutes. I think it said ~800 feet of climb, too.

Details

Started at 6 MPH (10 mpm) and increased 0.1 MPH every minutes for 25 minutes (final was 8.4 MPH (7:09 mpm). Covered about 3 miles, all at 0% incline. Then did 5 minutes at 5% incline/6 MPH, then 5 minutes at 10% incline/5 MPH, and finally 15% incline starting at 2 MPH, increasing 0.1 MPH every 30 seconds until 4 MPH, staying until 4.5 reached.

29 runs/30 days

Day 29

Short easy run today. 4 miles in 38 minutes. It was hot out, and sunny, but I ran by new golf course here on Centennial campus and checked out the practice range. Will probably have to move my long run to next week. Bummer.

28 runs/29 days

Day 28

After a night of ~5 hours sleep, I decided running early was my best chance of actually going today. It was surpisingly cool (mid 60's with a breeze) so was a very pleasant run. Started at NCSU gym and ran towards the Vet school and back. Campus starting to buzz with new people!

Lots of paperwork and other stuff to get done today. Still hoping for a mega short lap long run sometime this week.

27 runs/28 days

Day 27, b

Cool! After wrapping up what I could in my office, I was able to run another 4.5 miles (in a hair under 40 minutes) this afternoon before picking up the kids. Felt really good too, except for the drenched shoes. True, I'll be up late doing some work at home, but two runs in a day is worth a little lost sleep!

26 runs/27 days

Day 27

This is getting real now! Day 26 was a wash. I coudl have gotten out, but decided not to for various reasons. So down two runs now. Day 27 (today) was supposed to be a double run day...yeah...kids didn't wake up until 5 minutes AFTER I was planning on being out the door. So looking doubtful.

But making lemonade out of lemons...I looked out my office and saw a DARK sky, wind, and rain. So I immediately grabbed my stuff and headed out for a run. I'm 37 going on 10! A fun 4.5 miles around NC State campus. Soaked to the core and feet drenched. Had a blast.

25 runs/27 days

Day 25

25% done today. Got in an early morning run with the kids in the double-wide stroller. 4.5 miles, probably 45-50 minutes. Felt pretty good, considering my right knee was really sore when I woke up this morning!?!

So still one run down, and looking back at my running log, I've done a 20+ mile run in the first week of the month in March, April, May and June. So I need to get in a long run sometime next week if possible. I'm thinking of trying a "physically easy but mentally challenging" run: 20+ miles on the indoor track at work. At 6.5 laps per mile, that's 130 laps for 20 miles. Flat, climate controlled, access to food and liquid...but 100+ laps! Could be tough to stick it out past the first hour!

24 runs/25 days

Day 24

DOH DOH DOH! I'm now down 1 run again. No run yesterday (day 23). I gladly dropped off and picked up the kids, which in and of itself is still consistent with getting a run in. But the technician in my lab also had some tire issues with their car and had to take the day off. There was a DNA prep that needed to get done, so...no run for me! I can't believe I'm so responsible that my work and family comes before running! 8-)

So today, day 24, I did get in a run (proving my earlier contention that it can be done even when I drop off and pickup the kids!) of 5.7 miles around NC State campus and downtown Raleigh. Thrpw in some stretching, ab work and 4 minutes (Tabata workout) on the "double cycle" and I feel...sore.

My calves have been cramping the last 2 days for some reason. Maybe I need more than 3-4 hours sleep a night. Have to test that out, if possible.

23 runs/24 days

Day 22

Easy recovery day. An easy 4.5 course (from work) finished in 43-44 minutes. It was hot out, but I stuck to shade whenever possible. Back on track and hopeful to stay that way for at least another week. Might be tough this weekend though, so next week I may have to play catch up again.

This is tougher than I thought!

22 runs/22 days

Day 21, back on track!

Alright...a busy day at work made more so by taking time for two runs! Meant to go in the early morning, but couldn't quite fit it in, so I ran a quickie before lunch (~11:10-11:45A), 4 miles in just under 34 minutes. Legs felt OK, a little sore from Monday's effort. It was hotter than I expected and took me quite a while to fully cool down.

Then I snuck out early (~3:30P) and went to the gym and got in another 3.5 miles on the indoor track: 23 laps of monotonous-ness in 27:21. Focused on a good fore- to mid-foot strike. I can feel that effort in my calves today!

21 runs/21 days

Day 20

Day 20...20% done with my 100 in 100 challenge. So far I've logged 19 runs, so I'm one down. This morning I did 7.2 miles of rolling hills in Umstead State Park. Out in 30:27 and back in 28:20, putting my overall pace at ~8:15/mile. That's pretty good for me, considering I went out a little too fast, and did the forst mile easy as a warmup. The nagative split is likely because there are two good hills that go up on the out, and only 1 significant uphill on the back. I was probably at 85% effort during this run. I definitely could have run faster had it been a race, but I also wasn't lolligagging.

19 runs/20 days

Days 17/18/19

OK, so no run on Day 17 (Friday). Today (The 4th of July) I got in a cool 5.5 miles pushing the double-wide and both kids on the American Tobacco Trail. I got to run with J for the first time in a while. It was, as always, immensely better than running alone (and I LOVE to run alone!).

The rest of the 4th was good, if not exhausting. 5 hours at the pool with the kids. G got the nerve to do all three play areas (bouncy slide, bouncing cage, obstacle course) and is finally jumping into the pool, but just barely. D is a maniac and just walks off the deck, assuming we'll catch him. He also just face-plants into the water when we hold him. Comes up laughing. The force is strong in this one, for sure!

Today I just didn't get out for a run. I could have, just didn't. Had other things that took precedence. So that puts me minus 1 on the days/runs tally. I'll need to find some time for a few doubles this week to get back even (preferably ahead)! May try a moderately hilly 9.5 run tomorrow morning (Umstead state park) and see how fast I can go. I'm tentatively scheduled to do the run leg on a half-Ironman triathlon relay in late September. The distance is no problem, but the cycling leg guy, and I'm fairly certain the swim leg guy also, are...shall we say, much closer to elite status than I am. I want to do well, so will be working on my mid-distance speed in addition to training for the hills and distance of Mountain Masochist (and possibly Hellgate...)

18 runs/19 days

Day 16

Very easy day today. 3 miles total, 2 on the treadmill (in 17 min) and then 1 on the indoor track, barefoot. Afterwards I threw in some weights, trying out some "Tabata" type workouts on both squat thrusts (with 10 pound dumbbells) and also the "double cycling" machine: the one where you pedal with both your arms and legs.

The squat thrusts I made it through 4 repeats, the cycling machine I made it through 6. Repeats were 20 seconds of all out effort, then 10 seconds of rest. I can feel it in my hamstrings already!!!

Possibly doing a Fat-Ass 50K on Saturday, the "Sweaty Butt"! I made it 2 laps last year in just over 4 hours. We'll see how the weekend shapes up.

17 runs/16 days

Day 15

Dropped the kids off at daycare, then stopped by Umstead State Park on the way in to work for what was supposed to be a quick morning run. Turned out to be 9.5 miles in 1:29! Not bad (for me) considering the hills and 3 x 1 minute walk breaks I took.

I ran the Loblolly trail (~2.1 miles), then turned right onto the Bike & Bridle trail. For some reason I thought that if I ran the South Turkey Creek & North Turkey Creek trails, then ran down Gralyn (Powerline Hill) and down the corkscrew, finishing with a push up Reedy Creek Lake Road, it would be ~5.5-6 miles. Oh well. It was a fantastic run and a good workout. I even passed some casual cyclists on the final hill!

Legs feel good, but I did have some right leg IT band tightness in the middle of last night (DMC was up several times again!). It's coming back now so I may need some new shoes. My current pair (Saucony Ride) have ~600 miles on them but still feel great.

16 runs/15 days

Day 14

Fun day. Ran later than usual, but still got in 4 miles on the indoor track in 32:44. Followed that up with 10 minutes (1 mile) on the Stairmill at 75-80 steps/min.

Threw in a few sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups for good measure. Then walked up the steps to the water slide about 50 times at the pool carrying Daniel and/or Grace!

15 runs/14 days

Day 13

A good maintenance run today. 6 miles in ~53 minutes. It was fairly warm, but I was able to stay in some shade for about half the time. This challenge has helped get my projected yearly mileage consistently above 1800! I was hovering at about 1750 for a while, occasionally getting up to 1800 after long runs. Now it's ~1830 and has been for over a week. Still, that's just projected mileage. Anything can happen. Another 6 months of the year to go.

Which reminds me, I broke 900 miles for the year today. Cool!

14 runs/13 days

Day 12 of 100

OK, so no run on Day 11, but today I got in a fun 5.5 miles pushing both kids in the double wide. It was warm and humid (dew point ~62, temp ~78), but not too bad. D slept for most of it and G talked for the first half and rested for the return trip. Got home about 5 min before J getting back from her 11 miler in Umstead.

Going to try and get in at least double run days this week to bank a few more missed days. Work is pretty chill right now and I have the luxury of the time to do that. That won't be the case in the future!

13 runs/12 days

Day 10 of 100

4.9 miles today, in 45:39. Very hot (93F, heat index of 97), dew point of 68. Lost a lot of water that I'm still replacing. Felt pretty good overall though. Legs a bit sore from yesterday's double but not too bad.

12 runs/10 days

Day 9 (part 2)

Ran another 4 miles (in 30:24) on the indoor track this afternoon. Had a major bonk on the way to pickup the kids. Pigged out on Dr. Pepper, chips, and cookies before heading to the pool for some evening fun (coincidentally making the kids extra tired!). Tomorrow's run should make June my longest month yet in 2009.

11 runs/9 days

Day 9 of 100

Painful run this morning. For those who know the area, I ran the Company Mill Loop in Umstead State Park, but did it as a 'Figure 8'. I ran from the Harrison Avenue parking lot to the bridge, turned right and made my way to Reedy Creek road. Then I turned left and went up Cemetary hill to the trail intersection, turned right and ran the 1.5 mile section of the CM trail back to Reedy Creek road, turned right again and went up Cemetary hill a second time, then went left on the CM trail back to the bridge and parking lot. Kinda like this, although the distance aren't correct. Total distacne according to trail maps was 7.2 miles and I finished at around a 10 minute pace (no watch). Good hill and trail work overall. It was humid and I was drenched at the end.

I fell pretty hard at ~6 miles, kicking a rock and landing on my side. It hurt my toe more than anything, and I once again used my water bottle to break the fall, although my right elbow hit pretty hard. After that, I kinda fell apart, kicking roots/rocks 8-10 more times, all with my left foot. My big toe HURTS now! Two of those caused me to almost hit the ground again. WTF? I'm either out of practice running trails or my new foot strike isn't conducive to trails. Need to work on this.

I'm hoping to sneak in another short run this afternoon before I get to go pick-up the kids. We'll see how I feel.

10 runs/9 days

Day 8, 8% of days done!

Maintenance run today. I had to get to the library on campus, so got into about 20 minutes of powerwalking before hand as a warmup. Then I did some weights:

3 x 10 pushups

3 x 5 pullups

5 x 20 (various) ab exercises

2 x 12 shoulder press (30 lbs)

2 x 10 bent-over row (30 lbs)

2 x 10 back extension

3 x 12 calf raises (single leg, body weight)

2 x 10 squats (25, 35 lbs), then 1 x 20 squats (45 lbs)

Then I ran 2 miles on the indoor track in just under 16 minutes. I got tired of counting laps though (forgot my watch) , so I switched to the dreadmill. I first did 5 x 5 minute intervals (2 miles total) of:

15% incline at ~20 min/mile pace

2% incline at 8:40 min/mile pace

10% incline at ~16 min/mile pace

15% incline at 19 min/mile pace

1% incline at 8:40 min/mile pace

Then followed up with 1 mile at 8:00 min/mile pace, then another 0.5 mile slowing to ~9:40 min/mile by the end. Total was 5.5 miles.

9 runs/8days

Day 7

Today marks 7 days of running in the "100 in 100" challenge. Today's run was OK, not great. 7.7 miles around NCSU Centennial Campus and downtown Raleigh. Legs felt OK, but overal my energy level was pretty low. I think I finished in ~1:10 to 1:12, so under 10 minute pace, which is good since I got stopped at a few traffic lights. I think I'm a bit dehydrated so I'm now off to get some Pibb Xtra!

I had planned on a double run today, but woke up late (6:50A) so decided against it. Maybe Thursday, or possibly even tomorrow I'll try again.

8 runs/7 days

Day 6 of 100

Day 6...a surprisingly good/fast run for me today. Right at 6 miles in 52:39, for a sub 9:00 pace. I didn't feel like I was working hard at all, despite the ~85F temp, sunny skies, not insignificant humidity, and respectable number of hills. I even took a 1 minute walk break at just over halfway (for no particular reason, I just felt like it).

If I can log 51.8 miles in the next 9 days (a little under 6 miles per day average), I will break my monthly mileage record (188.5 miles). Doable, but not a given. My plan is to get in 2 runs tomorrow and Thursday, with a slightly longer run on Wednesday. I pick up the kids all 3 days so will be getting in to work early (hopefully), which will help.

7 runs/6 days

Day 5

Another easy day. Took both kids in the double-wide and ran an 'easy' 3.5 miles. Pushing 80+ pounds ain't easy! Did my best to charge up the hills to get a good leg workout.

Spent the rest of the day at the pool, getting somewhat sunburned on my shoulders and back. It was worth it though, as G finally had a great time in the big pool, jumping to me off the steps, "swimming" in her floatie, and doing what she calls 'jumpers': me throwing her up in the air and then catching her (most of the time). D was his usual self, practically jumping into the deep end solo. He took a 3 hour nap and was still in bed by 8:30.

6 runs, 5 days

Day 4

Easy run today. I took DMC out in the stroller for a quick 4 miles, finishing in ~39 minutes. It was 9:30 when I started, and apparently (I found out later) 97F heat index! I drank a full 20 ounces of water and was drenched when I got home.

5 runs, 4 days

Day 3

Today was a hot, humid day.

At my 9 AM start, it was high 70's and 90% humidity. By 5 minutes in, my water bottle was dripping condensation! I ran in Umstead State Park, which gave some decent hills. Total distance was between 13 and 14 miles. I finished in 2:10. I had planned on going for ~3 hours, but decided that it was a good workout and I did still have to get into work for a bit, so cut it short.

Legs felt good, if not a bit sore. But I only stopped to refill my bottle (3 times), each time for maybe 2 minutes. I consumed 3 S-Caps, 5 mini Snickers, and about 50 ounces of 3/4 strength Orange Gatorade. I really charged the last 0.5 mile hill, which felt good!

4 runs/3 days

Day 2 of 100 (part 2)

Cool! I was able to sneak in another 5 mile run on the indoor track at NCSU before I went to pick up the kids, finishing in 42:59. I also "topped off" my daily mileage by walking 0.3 miles on the treadmill at 15% incline to warm up, making it 9.5 miles for the day total.

My legs are getting more sore from the squats yesterday (and I suppose the two runs today), so tomorrow's planned long-ish, hilly-ish run should be interesting.

3 runs/2 days

Day 2 of 100

Easy run this morning from NCSU gym. 4.2 miles in 39:45. Legs a bit sore from yesterday's workout, and I slept very little last night (maybe 3 hours total, with several interruptions), but overall I feel pretty good.

To the lab!

2 runs/2 days

100 in 100: Day 1

So I joined a challenge to run 100 times in 100 days:

http://tinyurl.com/100in100

Run = 3 miles or 30 minutes

You do not have to run everyday

Multiple runs on the same day must be separated by at least 1 hour.

What the hell, why not try and see. I'm already training for Mountain Masochist. I rarely do double runs and often miss at least 1 day a week, so this may be a good motivation to do just a bit more than usual.

Todays exercise:

1.5 mile warmup run from work to the NC State gym.

Weights:

5 x 20 'torso twist' type exercises

2 x 10 assisted pullups (50 pounds assist)

2 x 10 assisted dips (50 pounds assist)

2 x 20 incline situps

2 x 10 single leg squats (20 pounds)

2 x 20 back extensions on machine (100, 125 pounds)

2 miles on indoor track (13 laps), barefoot (well, wearing Injini socks)

1.7 mile run back to work

I'm counting the final 3.7 miles as my first "run" since they were only separated by about 2 minutes. That makes September 25, 2009 as my "100 days" deadline.

1 down, 99 to go