It is time....

Time to run the 2010 Burning River 100 Trail race.

July 31 seemed so far away last December when I registered. My how time flies...

Drop bags are packed. Clothing laid out. Race plan is ready to execute. Goals for the day are:
1) FINISH
2) Finish faster than my 2008 finish time of 26 hours 28 minutes.
3) A 24 hour finish would be very very nice... :)

Race plan is pretty simple: Keep moving, get in and out of the aid stations as fast as possible, and to keep smiling the entire day and night!

There will be a webcast that you can view to follow me around the course. I am bib #90. The Burning River 100 web site has course info and maps if you want to see where we will be running.

Time to get some sleep. I know that I will probably not sleep much tomorrow evening...

My Strange Addiction

There is a show on TLC called "My Strange Addiction" where they document and describe various behaviors of people. The listing for last night's show is as follows:

"First-hand accounts of individuals battling obsessive behaviors on the verge of taking over their lives, including: a woman who eats chalk, a fanatical runner, a compulsive shopper, and an excessive tanner."

My take on this is the old Sesame Street song "One of these things is not like the other..."

Anyways, the "fanatical runner" was a guy who was running the Javalina 100 mile ultra. TLC was interviewing him at the race with his girlfriend/crew Jen. Jen could not understand why anyone would want to run that far, a couple of 'medical' folks were saying that these people run and feel weak, nauseous, get nasty blisters, etc. and that the body is not designed to do these things. Oh and the other thing is that the runner was wearing some "strange" cave-man clothing over his running shorts and shirt. What TCL did not say is that part of the fun of the Javalina 100 race is that the runners wear costumes. TLC just helped to make this guy look fanatical...

So, of course they show him coming into the aid station around 36 miles into the race, feeling pretty crappy. This is a pretty common time to feel bad and he was. Jen was worried, more medical folks saying that people can die doing these things, blah, blah, blah... Off he goes into the night. He does finish in a very respectable 26 hours and 26 minutes and is ok. Jen hits him when he says that he wants to run another one.

The rest of the show covered the three women with 'real' problems...(lol) The show concludes with an update of the 4 people and they state that the runner is still going and that he completed 4 marathons in 4 days...

Other stuff
Taper is going great! I am alternating between feeling confident and being scared-to-death! (This is all normal for me). I am getting drop bags and other logistics mapped out and having fun with the shorter runs.

Abby and I ran tonight after work on the Buckeye Trail from Alexander Road to Fraizee House and back. The blackberries along the trail tasted pretty good and there should still be lots of them for the race. I will grab a few as I run by next weekend!

When we arrived back on the bike-n-hike path, Abby picked up the pace a bit and I also. We kept going faster and faster and I started to quickly realize that this was going to be the night that I would be 'spanked' by my youngest daughter! I helplessly watched her pull away and then slow down just a wee bit. I surged with what little I had left and managed to barely pull even as we arrived at the end of the trail.

Abby asked me how I felt getting "spanked". My response was a simple "Pretty darn proud!"

How much is enough Funny Bunny?

I took a trip to the valley friday morning for a long training run on the Buckeye Trail. I parked at Snowville road and headed south towards Boston Store. The start of my run started with a huge chuckle as I passed under the power lines near Snowville. There were two very young rabbits in the trail in front of me and they started to run away, as rabbits tend to do. They quickly darted left into the grass. I was running in the right-hand side of the truck tracks and jumped into the left-hand track in an effort to avoid some overgrowth. Those two bunnies were right in front of me again and none of us expected to see each other so soon! Their eyes were huge as they tried as fast as they could to get out and away from this strange thing chasing them! This was the start of a fantastic run.

My goal for this run was to get a solid 25 miles and to keep my "head in the game". I wanted to use my 10/2 minute run/walk strategy and to keep on top of my nutrition. I made it to Boston Store in good time and refilled my water bottle before I left towards Brandywine Falls. With the exception of Vince and his posse near Blue Hen falls, the trails were empty. I was glad to see that there were log steps on the reworked trail near the falls. The last time I was through there, it was like crisco!

Back to Boston Store and then back to Snowville. I refilled bottles again and headed off towards Ottawa Point. This 4.2 mile section of trail always seems to kick my fanny but I decided that today was going to be different! I arrived at Ottawa Point still feeling good and was enjoying the day. I ran into Wild Bill on my way back to Snowville. It was good to see a smile on his face and he was working on completing 100 miles for the week!

I completed my 25 miles in 5:01:34. Last week's 25 miles on a completely different route was 5:01:42! ....strange....

When I arrived home, Denise and Abby were going out for a 4 mile run. So, why not? I went along! I was able to complete 29 miles for the day and felt great! (Especially after a nap in the hammock!)

I followed the 29 miles with another 16 yesterday and 6.5 this morning. I have 70 miles for the week, which is a record for me! I feel good, legs feel good, confidence is building...

So the question in my title: "How much is enough?" Training for these endurance events is an exercise in balance. You need to stress the body in order for it to adapt, but you don't want to break it either! Each person has their own breaking point. I have been building my mileage slowly all year and this will be the peak. Next week will a bit lower, then taper will begin. Time to rest, get the mental game tuned, and get organized for race day. This is also the important time to keep on top of my nutrition so my body can rebuild.

July 31 is coming fast. I can't wait!!!