I was run-nang

So I went to Soldiers Delight to determine my pace for the Du this weekend. I intentionally started out quick with a 7:15 mile, and then scaled it down a notch to 7:30. WOW...I felt great...BAM!!! Ouch, ouch, ouch...I was hobbling around trying to regain my balance and to the floor I went. I picked myself up, dusted myself off and yelled at myself. I tweaked my ankle mildly, so I walked back to my truck (only a mile).

I took off my shoe to access the damage. Tender, but not a lot of swelling and no bruising. Good signs. I followed the RICE/MICE rule (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Movement) in an attempt to avoid a tragedy in the morning.

So I woke up and I was able to hop, skip and jump (that's your visual) with only a little pain. At present, still no bruising, but it is tender and slightly swollen (probably because I can't elevate). So it looks like the lead up to the race will be exercise free...

I also found out that the last leg of the duathlon is 5 miles, not 2 miles. So the race looks like this:

3 run (while the tri's are swimming .75 miles)
14 bike (two 7 mile laps...10.5 on semi-tech trail, 3 on road!)
5 run

I've never been in a race with a speed-oriented transition. I mean, I've been in a hanful of adventure races, but I didn't feel the pressure to GO, GO, GO! It should be interesting to see how the mental piece of the TA plays a hand in the big picture of the race. I tend to be a lemming at races, I follow the pace of the pack, so if there is an aggressive start...I go out gang busters. So my promise to myself is to go out at my own pace during the run, then take advantage of the bike section, and cross my fingers during the last run section.

This is yet another adventure where the waters are largely unchartered for me. I assume I will learn a lot the hard way, but I have been going through this race a lot in my hea, visualizing tempo, fueling, etc. I just can't wait until my plan poops on me!!!! That's the fun, right???

Hot Hot Heat

I should've read the weather report for the week and altered my training schedule a bit. Alas, I did not have that foresight. Friday I took the standard day of rest...but not for the ol' party muscle. I hung out with a work mate and friends which was a good time, but it made Saturday a kick in the chunk. My scheduled long run was held until the sweltering afternoon, after the Tour de France prologue TT.

I geared up for a nine mile run. Holy crow, it was a steamy muv! On top of the heat, I also tinkered with a new running path which had me scaling long climbs. Heat + Climbing = Grown men crying. Add to this equation that I didn't take water/fuel and now I have BONK. I haven't bonked in quite a long time (okay, since the Savage). I am an idiot for trying a stunt like that, but another "lesson learned". I ended up run/walking 7 miles.

I'm off on a 20 mile bike ride. Again, it is steamy, but I am taking water, food, endurolytes, etc. I should be good to go. Just a nice little EASY ride.

Work can just kill a man...or a blog writer...or

Whateva!

Long time, no blog. Busy livin' the dream, if that dream consists of over working and stressing over poor training schedules. Actually, it's not all that bad. Work has been pretty intense with all the merger concerns and retaining the biz...but with all my excellent strategery...shouldn't be a problem.

I have revamped and re-committed to a new training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon. it consists of 18 weeks of training with decent mileage, not the crazy "run 2 miles then 14 miles..in week 2"! Oh, and the plan emphasized that walking is okay.

WTF? I haven't signed up for a long walk. I signed up for a marathon. And if memory serves correctly, Pheidippides didn't walk from Marathon to Athens to proclaim that the Greeks beat the Persians ... nope ... he ran. All 26.2 miles. Although he did die from exhaustion at the end.

Hmmm...A fine predicament.

Basically I'll be running 4 times a week with cross training and rest sprinkled in, which helps with my other pursuits...like drinking beer and eating fatty foods...oh and stuff like ARs and Duath's that I've signed up for.

My new itch....kayaking. Need to get more proficient in the way of the paddle if I want to have better showings at these fickle 24 hour adventure races. Next year, we are looking at tackling the 2 day E-Fix...yaaay-yah!

On tabs for my currently event-free August, a 184.7 mile C&O Canal bike trip w/ my usual suspect, Zack. He should be all healed up from his Mt. Blanc excursion.

Holy heat wave, Batman!

Worked from home yesterday, so I did my usual lunch time run. I planned a fiver and got in a struggling three. It felt like I was running through melted butter. And while this does rank in the top 10 dreams I've had over my lifetime, this experience truly sucked!

The first mile was fine, the first half of the second mile was okay, but the last half felt like someone tied a rope around my lungs and pulled...tightly. That was my cue to take a break. So I hopped under one of the pavilions and cranked out some ab work and push ups. Feeling like I had some life in me again, I went out for mile three. Blammo....Cameron meet Wall, Wall - Cameron. Eff that...I was done.

I got home and hopped on the 'net to check out accuweather.com...the index was up to 104 degrees...code red. Bad Cameron...Bad!

Same temps are expected today, so I am planning some weight work...that works for me!

In other news, mingle2 ranked my blog a rated G. Here's hoping Disney wants to buy my site!



Well isn't that some shit! Time to post some full frontal nudity.

Stay sexy Ridecam'rs!

Weak-end

Friday: Opted out of normal casual run, instead I went to see the AST Dew Tour Dirt Jump finals. I saw the worst accident that I've ever seen. A dirt jumper was attempting a double back flip and on his second rotation and at full height (30-40 feet), he launched off his bike in a pike position and landed on his head/back. He was escorted out on ambulance. Word on the web is that he broke three vertabrae and is in critical, but stable condition. Pray for him...

Then we (Hoppe, Keith, Toby and I) continued the debauchery in Fed Hill.

Saturday: Sleep, house work, quick two-miler, hit A-town to hang with the OV's (Original 'Villians - Newb, Zack, Wil), normal first dinner, beers, second dinner.

Sunday: Sleep, ran 8 miles at Gambrill. Wow, that is a difficult trail run. I need to get smaller shoes...pronto.

I will be posting a more formal recap of my runs/rides with info downloaded from my Garmin,

Late night runner

...so after the melee which was my day, I got a run in at 10:30. I ran for over an hour. My Garmin crapped out after 35 minutes (stupid battery...batteries and I are not on speaking terms). So I assume I ran for approximately an 1:15ish. It was a light run around the 'hood, meaning I could have a conversation (with myself). It was a nice evening and the random shuffle on my iPod kept me entertained - a sample snippet included "Bullet in the Head" by RatM, "Little Drummer Boy" unknown artist, "Tiny Bubbles" Don Ho and on...it was a very interesting mix.

Whipped up some eggs and toast and went to bed. Weeeee!

This pretty much sums it up

I found this picture on www.yourmtb.com. It offers a good insight into the feel of a 24 hour mountain bike race. At the risk of sounding cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words.


Trail run. New kicks. I blazed a 25 minute 3-miler on the rough side of Soldier's Delight. The Sundragons were phenomenal. They soaked up all the off camber roots and rocks. I may need to get a size smaller though.

I signed up for the Xterra Duathlon in Rocky Gap on July 15th. The kid needs something to do in July. Although, I believe the first annual 'Palooza Halfy is slated for the very next weekend. Well, I feel obligated to keep race promoters in business and the halfy is just to make me feel better for the gallons of beer I'll be drinking and Scotty dogs i'll be ingesting (okay...inhaling) the next day.

Bye,
Cycle

Ze weekend

I had a nice little weekend planned. Friday, after work, had me prepping my run clothes and then I took a little nap. This turned into the longest nap ever...opening my eyes around 11:30pm. Damn..there went Friday. I scarfed down a granola bar and called it a night.

Saturday morn, I hit the trails in the morning. Unfortunately it wasn't with Hop, his bike was in the shop. I ran Soldier's Delight. Five miler. Used the new Garmin. It's a nice training tool. Afterwards, I headed to Fredrock to spend the weekend with the folks. Did some marathon shopping with my mom and aunt. Afterwards we headed to Brewer's Alley.

Next morn, I woke up at the break of dawn and hit the pavement for a run. It turned out to be a 4.25 miler. I was hoping for 5, but I'm testing the routes in Walkersville. I think I know where I can add mileage and still be safe and have fun on the roads. It was a scorcher, even in the early morning. The heat was already radiating up from the asphalt.

I also found a new nature park, which I've passed a thousand times during my youth but never ventured in. The Fountain Rock Nature Center houses a limestone quarry and kiln plant. It was a pretty interesting self-tour. Who knew this was in my backyard? This was a brief respite from the heat, although I think my curiousity would be a more accurate culprit for the "break".

Picked up some new trail runners, GoLite Sundragons. My old trail runners are on the verge of toastdom. Check out www.golite.com to check them out.

Ended the day with picking up CJ and having a Father's Day feast!

Rest?

Yeah...so on Tuesday I didn't do anything. It felt nice. Although I did continue the clean up effort that was borne from the barage of Big Bear gear in my living room. While the warmth of a nice wood-burning fire during the chill of Big Bear's night air was devine, the lasting odor of smoke on every stich of clothing and various other fibered materials is devastating to the nostrils in my abode. Step one, air out...step two, wash...step three, usually repeat.

Come to think of it, I don't think I ate anything, but a hunk of cheese last night...hmm. Okay, and mustard. I better watch that. I'm sure I will binge at some point today, against my better sense of judgement.

On tap tonight, the beginning of MCM training. 50 minutes slow pace run. On and on!

Feelin' Good

BREAKING NEWS: The Marine Corps Marathon is in my future. All future events have been put on lock down. Current events include the 24 Hour Wild and Wonderful AR, 24 Hours of Big Bear and the Blackbeard Sprint AR at the OBX. Additional events will be reviewed, but limited due to marathon training.

So, the Frederick Halfy has been ran successfully. I accomplished two out of three goals (in order of priority):

1. Finish - accomplished
2. Run the entire time - accomplished
3. Finish in under two hours - 2:07

I'm chalking it up to a couple things. I didn't have a stellar workout plan. In fact, one could say I didn't have a workout plan at all. My list of activities that I needed to train for were scattered across various disciplines (mainly running and biking), which made training for my first long distance race difficult.

I may have taken the distance for granted. I thought that I had covered that distance before, so it wouldn't be that difficult. Well, factor in some unaccounted hills, wind and the relentless asphalt...and you have a whole new run. I am now seeing why it is imperative to train in all conditions and terrain.

My short list of excuses...my ankle was sore by mile 6 (block the pain) and course nutrition wasn't my usual or to my liking (Gatorade, Water, and Tri-Berry GU). So the takeaways, wrapped ankle and take my own electrolyte drink and food.

I can not express enough my gratitude to my running partners, Zack and Newb. They stuck by my side when they could have forged ahead faster. They were there at my side at mile 10 when I encourage them to go ahead (ie: I wanted to walk). They were there at mile 2 when I needed to scale back my pace. They were there when I put on my typical sideshows of "turning and burning" and "feelin' good" - and tolerated my antics. And we were there at the finish line - crossing together. Thanks fellas!

After the post-run hoopla of Factured Prune doughnuts and gatorade, we headed back to Casa de Paul e Maggie. Zack and I opted out of our Gambrill ride and instead rode the remaining 13 miles of the marathon course. We cheered on runners while looking for the Smither as he was finishing his 26.2 mile excursion. Somehow we missed him out there, but we watched him cross the finish at Harry Grove. Way to go Smither!

Post-post race found Newb, Zack, Sean and myself scarfing down Five Guys burgers and reminiscing...or not.

Post-post-post race, Zack and I hit our home away from home...REI.

The end.

I have a nice little weekend planned

Chock full of half marathons, mountain biking, brewing, bike building...the list goes on and it don't stop. Friday night I head back to Chesnik headquarters to prep for the weekend and do a little bike repair. Saturday looks like a great day for brewing some beer and lying low for the Frederick Halfy. I'll also probably hit some of the pre-run festivities while I pick up my marathon package during the evening.

Bright and early on Sunday, I'll be running with a bunch of friends - Newbury, Zacker and Jimmie's wife, Tina. I think it will be a nice run, but I'm already setting the ground work to ensure people that no feats of endurance/speed will be shown. Afterwards, Z-man and I will be hitting Gambrill for a little mountain bike action...yee-haw!

I'm still waiting for the official Savage results..if the race day coordination is any indication of the timeliness of the results...don't hold your breath. Visit the blog often, but don't anticipate results.

Found some old race pics from the 24 Hours of Snowshoe.1) The original Enter the Draggin crew at Snowshoe - Toby, Cam, Jimmie Jam; 2) Jimmie coming down the final slope on his first lap; 3) The ETD family minus a few - Jimmie, K, Mrs. L (we miss ya terribly), Mr. L and Toby.

Nemesis

I finally got back on the Soldier's Delight trail for a 5.5'er run. The good ol' double up (west trail and east trail). A couple months ago I twisted my ankle and thought my entire season was in jeopardy, but I plowed through like the ox I am.

I had my pack loaded with game day gear and headed out for a smooth run. No timing, pacing, etc. I felt really good and according to the sun, I couldn't have been on the trail for much more than an hour.

I did get a blister which isn't a good sign...sock choice is important. I think I may hit the trail more often though...lots of single, in shape ladies running amok. Although at the end of the run I noticed that I had my AR knife clipped to my strap...that probably sent off a lot of unwanted signals. Oh well, you can never be too safe.

Trail hike tonight with Cobi and then a easy Seminary ride on Thursday to make sure the Paragon is dialed in for this weekend's festivities.

Recovery

Recovery runs are a bitch. It's very hard to stay committed to a leisurely stroll when your mind and body want to run faster. Alas, it is an important element in the whole cycle of training. I headed out for 20 minutes listening to the smooth tunes of Jack Johnson, which made it a little easier to go at an "island" pace.

Before the run, I hit REI to pick up a few items for the upcoming adventure races. Snagged a Brunton compass, which I need to start training with, a gerber lock blade knife, some CO2 cartridges and an Iced Gingerbread Clif Bar (a brotha's gotta eat).

Tonight I hope to hit the trails with Hoppe. Let's hope the weather holds. It's been too long since I've hit the trail and it will be a nice departure from all the running.

Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain

Today's blog title is apropos on two fronts.

Front #1: Monday's training got bumped after running approximately one mile. The winds were too much. It felt like I ran 13.1 miles. God bless the Boston Marathoners who had to run in that mess. Yesterday was less windy, but my 10 mile plan got bumped to a 60 minute run. My normal loop was closed due to high winds and possible falling trees, so I opted to run helter skelter around the treeless section of the park. I did some intervals and called it a day.

Front #2: RT/PR is the name of the 2007 edition of the Oddysey Wild and Wonderful 24 Hour Addy Race team. Zack and two of his college cohorts, Mick and Charlie, will be my partners in grime. Should be a blast...other than the real sucky parts of the race.

After my "hell week" of the Savage and the 1/2 thon, my focus will be on the 24 hr. After the 24 hr, I will be shifting my attention to train for the marathon. I think the fitness achieved through the marathon training will carry me through my other planned events.

In other news, Team Enter the Draggin' has officially registered for the 24 Hours of Big Bear. Get your wallets and your big, charitable hearts ready for donations to the ALA.

35 and 4

35 road bike miles and 4 road run miles on Saturday in the morning (okay noon). Felt pretty strong even with a lack of adequate nutrition during the exercise.

DC United game with Newb, Wil and Zack and Big Buck Hunter in the evening. Wilson has been playing and not telling us. Newb and I will be lodging a formal protest. Dammit...I really want Big Buck Hunter Pro.

Sunday..a bunch of nothing but good home cookin' and listening to the rain. Oh and tracking Justin during his quest to finish Ironman Arizona. I think he finished in a little over 14 hours...hell yeah! I fell asleep before he crossed the line...although I tried like hell to stay up and watch the live feed.

Training in peril

...not really. I just haven't updated. Wednesday I had to bag the mountain ride...bear with the explanation...I forgot my wallet as I headed out the door for work...I needed to purchase a new tube...new moola/no tube/no ride.

I even backed my way into a lunch meeting just so I could nourish myself through the long and trying day. I usually spend the bulk of my time trying to back out of meetings...I believe karma will have a strong future role in this ordeal.

So I headed home and ran a couple miles or 25 minutes.

Yesterday I ran all over Baltimore with a gaggle of PHHers during the first annual PHH Amazing Race. Six teams of five competed in a tooth and nail grinder that hit points east, west, south, north and points in between solving clues and collecting various trinkets to rack up the most points. I didn't know B-more had so may cool little places. I think it's a highly underrated city, which can probably be directly correlated to our phenomenal overachievement in field of murder. In fact, we were a couple minutes behind a double murder in Piggtown. We were there before most of the police. Thankfully we didn't see bodies and what not.

Best moment...being in the underbelly of the Lithuanian Hall after some shmoozing with the building manager. The tour took us to what appeared to be a board room, which was found after a maze of rooms, bars, closets, etc. It was dark and dingy with florescent lights acting as a backdrop. I thought I was walking into the past. It reminded me of every Cold War movie I've ever seen. The guy was the nicest person and we got a picture of a shield that no one else would have been able to find...bonus points.

Oh...I also had a Brooks Robinson sighting. After being star struck (doesn't happen to me much, but old HOF Orioles get me every time) and fumbling with the camera, I missed a golden photo op. Dammit!

My Team (in front of Cafe Hon)















So the race was my exercise for the day...wrapped it up at the Waterfront Hotel in Fell's Point to watch the Taylor's. The lead guitarist is ri-donk-ulous.

Tonight, I'm thinking 5 miles.

Bye,
Cycle

Changin' it up

I opted out of the bike/run brick and ran a moderate paced 60 minute run, which I logged approximately 6.5 miles. It felt pretty good, but I know I'll need to get at least a 10 miler in before I do the 1/2-thon. My goal had been changed a couple weeks ago to just finish the race...no specific time (although I may have certain pace markers).

Tonight I ride the mountain with Tobias...

Easy like a Monday evening

Did a little 2 miler backed with some ab work. Steamed some curried Mahi and chilled in front of the boob tube. Hoping to get in a 90 minute ride and transition into a 2 miler this evening.

The Savage has been paid for...now it's all about the racin' on April 29th. I'm hoping to button-hook a Victory visit afterwards for a few libations.The Savage will be a nice little warm-up for both the Frederick 1/2 and the Odyssey.

Speaking of the Odyssey...Looks like I'll be teaming up with old pal, Zacker.

Just rollin' along

Friday was a rest day as I made my way to the glades of Walkersville. I enjoyed the evening as I rested up for the Garrett Petronchak 5K. As the sun rose and some snowflakes fell, my pop and I made our way to Baker Park to meet up with my comrade in stride, codename: Newb (aka, the Gazelle). Checked in, stretched out and shot the shizzle for a spell...then off to the starting line. And we were off. I believe Newb was kind the first mile or so, but then - as with all wild animals - I had to set him free. He was graceful in his departure until I could no longer see him on the horizon.

I found it pretty difficult to get dialed in until I got to mile 2ish...After that I felt spry. I ended up with a 25:14 (8:08 split), which I was pretty jazzed about. I wanted a sub 25, which probably could have been attained if I was wearing a watch and knew how much time remained. I ended up 74th out of 282 runners (top 10 in my age group, but there may have only been 11 runners). Newb kicked some ass with a 23:33/7:36 split/50th overall/6th in age group...SOLID...for a self-proclaimed long distance runner. Newb, you impress me...if you told me you were going to be a long distance runner about 10 years ago, I may have pee'd my pants. Kudos to you. Now, I need to get you on a bike to do these Adventure Races.

Speaking of Adventure Races...next on the checklist is The Savage AR in Pennsylvania on April 29th. Team HKI will be teaming up with Team Tricerat to help escort Tricerat into the wonderful world of AR.

I did a relaxing four-miler on Sunday after church with my new GoLite pack. It was the inaugural run with the pack. Other than some needed minor adjustments...this pack barely felt like it was on. It's go time!

The Good and the Bad

The Good: I ran a 7:16 mile
The Bad: I ran out of steam for the next 2 miles

I was gunning for a sub 25 min 5k. Nothing amazing. I came out of the gates flying and then petered out around the mile and 3/4 mark. I was drained. I know nothing of pace, yet. I am starting to understand its importance. I think on Saturday's run I will start slower and ramp up. I'm hoping this will give me the 8:20 split average I'm looking for.

Looking forward, I think the half-marathon will be a test of fortitude. I will continue to ramp up the miles, but I think race day will be difficult.