OTHAFA

During my runs this morning I was reminded how much
I love running in Germany in the Spring. The colors, air and complete
environment are breathtaking.

The wood above reminds me of what I think Tolkien's Middle Earth looked like...

Mellow is the man
Who knows what he's been missing
Many many men
Can't see the open road
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

The Myth of the Lonely Long-Distance Runner (Time Magazine)

I just stumbled across an excellent interview in Time Magazine from 1 June 2009 between Claire Suddath and Chris McDougall (of Born to Run fame). Chris talks about his impressions on running and what he thinks of people that don't like to run. Worth a look...

The Week in Running No 3

As I look back on the past week in running I must tell you that I'm pretty pleased where it took me. Although this ITB thing continues to bug me, it is not something that seems to be holding me back at the moment. I'm working on it with stretching and a roller. Oddly, the pain that's involved continues to move around along the outside of my left leg which prevents me from localizing and actually identifying what's going on. We'll just see where it takes us.

M: 10KM - 150lbs
T: 10KM - 150lbs
W: 25 + 25KM - 152lbs
TH: Rest - 151 lbs
F: 10KM - 150lbs
S: 10KM - 151lbs
SU: 10KM - 150lbs

Total: 100KM
Average Weight: 150lbs

Am looking forward to the next week. I hope to knock out a couple of long runs and will spend Friday and Saturday hiking in the mountains.

Hänsel und Gretel

Did the commute to work again yesterday - what a great way to start and end the day! This is one of my favorite spots along the route; a hill I've christened Hänsel und Gretel (There's a little hut at the top of the hill. Anyway...). I have a love/hate thing going with this hill. All the same it's a great work out.

I'm confounded by this ITB thing I have going on with my knee/leg. It did not bother me while running, but the pain woke me this morning. I took today off to rest. Instead of running or lifting I had a good stretching session and used a roller on my leg. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

The Week in Running No 2

I missed out in posting the week in running on 16 May as we were traveling in the Provence.

All things considered (I'm trying to avoid an ITB injury that I feel is coming on) this past week was another good one. Here's what it looked like:

M: Rest - Travel Day
T: 10KM - 150lbs
W: 25 + 25KM - 149lbs
TH: 10KM - 149lbs
F: 10KM - 150lbs
S: 8KM - 150lbs
SU: Rest - Nursing the ITB

Total: 88KM
Average Weight: 150lbs

If I can resolve this ITB issue I've run into I want to see if I can break 100KM next week. We'll see how it goes...

The Commute

The way to get to work - from a better perspective - on foot!

UTMB Newsletter No 3

The third edition of the UTMB Newsletter is out. This edition is on the green side of the race. Take a look...

The Week in Running

I recently stumbled across another running blog where the runner posted his weekly running efforts (parts of his journal). I don't know how disciplined I'll be about this, but thought I'd too give it a go and see where it takes us.

This past week was actually a pretty good one considering that I still have this dang bug working on me that I picked up while home in Texas...

Monday (M): 10KM, 152lbs
Tuesday (T): 13KM, 149lbs
Wednesday (W): 30KM, 151lbs
Thursday (TH): Rest, 150lbs
Friday (F): 10KM, 151lbs
Saturday (S): 8KM, 150lbs
Sunday (SU): 11KM, 150lbs

Total: 81KM
Average Weight: 150lbs

Next week I'm entering a tapper week as I'm running the Grand Raid Dentelles Ventoux on Saturday. Back at it again hard when we get back with less than four months to go until the UTMB.

Man in the Arena

I decided to alter my commute to work this morning - I ran. The route I picked was a nice 30KM. It was a bit chilly for May - I was glad that I had my gloves with me. Nonetheless... While running I was thinking about President Theodore Roosevelt's speech at the Sorbonne in April 1910. Along with Rudyard Kipling's If, it is among my favorites...

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.