Colorado Training!

Living the good life at 10,000 Feet. Vermont, here I come!!

Good News, I'm up and running again. On July 20 I'll be running the Vermont 100, going for my 5th finish there, and hoping to snag the new 500 mile buckle there. Vermont was my first 100 in July 2001, God, 39 and young. I'm so blessed to be able to run, and run a lot, a dozen years later. I'll keep this fairly up-to-date, when I'm not running in the mountains that is! :)

RD Can't Win, Needs Hug!

Arg! It's a good things Amy is back from some AWESOME running (way to go gal!) in South Florida, because RD AM needs an H-U-G!

Yeah, I pulled a bonehead move and changed the start time for the Croom Zoom 50K from 7 am to 6am. It's a good move. 100K and 50K courses are identical, makes the course less confusing, and it's good for pacing and such. The bonehead part was moving it only 1 1/2 weeks before the race. Most people understand and like the move, some are rightly p'o'ed about it.

Yet, Jim and I have made every concession for folks. Jim has even offered some refunds, but like Goldmember said in Austin Powers III, "There is no pleasing" some people! Oh, well... I do my best in all of my endeavors, if it isn't good enough, well.... tough toenails!!!

House is in the House

Since I started this Blog in quest of the Grand Slam in 2008 (sadly, injury derailed me before I ever really got going) I thought I'd give you the update on the next Tampa Bay candidate for the Grand Slam, our own FUR David House.

House has much going for him in this quest. He's healthy. He's young (at 30 I have undergarments older than this whippersnapper!). And he's already experienced. Sub 22 hour finish in his first 100, the 2009 Vermont 100. A 25 hour finish at the tough, Honey I shrunk Western States, Pinhoti 100. And a gritty finish on a terrible day at the Kettle Morraine 100 in 2010. And most impressive, a sub 26 hour finish at the Mathews' stumping, Leadville 100. If you can complete Leadville, you can complete the slam..... If you are smart, and David is smart, very smart.

Dave is young, tough and motivated. I'm betting he completes the slam, and when he does..... I'm working on plans to join him as a slam finisher.............. eventually!!!!

I'm Poltergeist II

That anoying little girl in Poltergeist II says it, I'm baaack! But I mean it!

I'm getting back with the blog in a smaller weigh (I said that on purpose!) When I left you guys I was 195 pounds of unfinished business. My last post said I was going to get serious. How serious?

I'm now 170 pounds (that's a lot less!).
I went to Kansas and completed Heartland. It went great. A new PR (first race at age 50) 19:56.
6th place overall. 1st 50+.
I went back to Ancient Oaks in December. Thanks to excellent (and relentless) pacing by A2, I Lowered my time for that course from 22:47 to 22:45. Finished 4th overall.

Starting age 50 with 2 top tens..... not bad!

What now?

Well, the Long Haul 100 in Wesley Chapel is less then three weeks away, I'll do that. Don't expect a top 10 here, there are some real speedsters signed up here! I hope to do well time wize, I can control that to a degree, but I can't control who shows up, I'll say this though, they are going to have to run to beat me. If my ailing foot holds up, I could go sub 21. We'll see.

After that it's back to Black Hills, I'd like to see the other 78 miles of that course and exercise some poltergeists!

It was a Good Week!

I started the week feeling less than great about my running life. But alas after these 6 days:

Friday: 6 yuck very hot, very hard.

Saturday: 7 at Flatwoods- Good run, nice easy pace.

Sunday: 14 at Croom with Davo, Hot, horrible, wanted to die!

Monday: 5 at Flatwoods in the pouring rain. Awesome, no problem

Tuesday: With Davo in Lutz. Easy for Davo, almost impossible for me. Too fast, but valuable.

Wednesday: 15.5 with A2 and Nick. I felt pretty good. For the first time in a while I felt like I may be able to run long distances again.

What made the week good was that I felt much better at the end of the week than the beginning of the week. I actually got the sense that if I keep it up, I'll be ok.

It's an up and down thing, and I think that's what it's going to be like as I enter my 50's. I'll just prepare better than I have been. Better nutrition plan. Keep check on weight. And for God's sake, cross train. (I recently bought a bike race, now there's a baby step in the right direction.

We'll see.......

God, I Hope this is Real!

Jeez, I gotta say, I hope this comeback is real!

See, I just got back from South Dakota where I laid an absolute egg in my try for 100 miler #17. I sabotaged my own arse. What a buffoon! Ok, ok, ok, I got out there a week before the race. Good right? I could acclimate to the altitude and all that rot. Well, not so good. See, I got drunk like 4 times the week leading up to race. Yeah, that's my year's quota, used the week before a 100 mile run. The Thursday before Saturday's race I stayed at the Casino in Deadwood until after 1 am drinking. People, I'm here to tell you that is NOT a recipe for success! What a tool!

Anyway, I got back and I sulked. I bitched, and today I went out with my good friend Amy, and ran 7 miles, and it was fun. And I'm excited about running again. And I'm excited about IntheSlam again!

Look out Heartland. The Andyman is going to start his 50th year with a dead bang! It's gonna be a Jailbreak! The A-Train is going to roll again!

No more of these boners leading to the race!