Trail Running- Downhill alllll the Way today!....

This weekend our company is putting on one of the 2 big Ultramarathons we put on. The race is Saturday morning ( march 24) and is the Bel Monte Endurance Run 50k.
This year The North face has joined as a sponsor and we are thrilled. We are hoping this partnership helps the race and the Great Eatern Endurance Run in Sept to grow and attract a lot of great runners.
Saturdays race wil be the biggest it has ever been. We have been prepping all week but the real work started early this morning.
I got up at 3:45 and dressed , grabbed the coffee and drove to the race site and by 6:30 I was marking a 6+ mile section of the course. It was all downhill whcih helped the speed , but the pounding is now showing in my legs and back.
I have been able to stretch the legs to get some relief but the back just won't stretch. I should be ale to sleep it off and get a workout tomorrow to loosen it up a bit. A good workout will let me settle into the weekend and the race on Saturday.

The race info is at http://www.badtothebone.biz/mambo/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=86

The trail I followed as the Mills Creek Trail from top of Bald Mountain to the base at end of Turkey Pen Road. All of this is in or adjacent to Sherando Lake Campground and the George Washington National Forest.



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Chi Running and Effort-Pain

I found this book at local bookstore in the summer of 2005 and the subtitle ..Injury Free Running " caught my attention and I paid for the book.
The following day I flew to Colorado to crew for a friend ashe ran in the Leadville 100 mile Endurance Run. I re-read the book on the return flight and have since studied it and appiled only a small portion of thetheory to my running.
I am impressed with what the book says and so far with what has happened to my workouts and my body. The real measure will be later this year as I add miles and effort to my running and training.
I am a fan of the Walk -run methods espoused by jeff Gallwoay and other coaches- I am emplying them while using the Chi methods. I recently purchased Chi Walking and will see what that has to offer and will review here later.

ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running
"…this remarkable program offers a completely new way to run without effort or injury."
- Beryl Bender Birch, author of Power Yoga


Currently reading Vegetarian Sports Nutrition and will review it in the near future.
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Early Morning Motivation

All summer and fall I can get up and workout but now that is is Extra dark in the morning I am finding the motivation a little more lax.

I love the cold so that is not th problem I think that deepdark morning is just a killer.

Today was geat as it was a little over 25 when I ran at 5:05.  Just need to do it .

 

Legs feeling solid and running going well- Need to Just do it like some company says.

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Who has had knee pain? How did you deal with it?

After having had 7 surgeries in my college football career I started runningto stay in shape and maintain general health. Well with proper shoes and careful workouts I have survived nearly 20 years of running- 6 marathons and numerous 1/2 marathons-10 milers and other races. As the big guy I do these for run and a change of pace from regular running.
Recently had a bad twist of the left knee- the worst of my knees- and the pain has styed with me. I think the major challenge has been my weight. So doing my rehab I am also very seriously looking at my diet and weight. I know the impact dairy and salt plays and I am looking at some others. may go Vegetarian and raw. I will never get small but I hope to be reasonably small (255-265 lbs) and i think that may be the biggest tool to help my legs.

Anyone have any ideas- history?
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Knee feeling better and back-- back to normal.

Survived the day yesterday and made it out to a nice vegetarian dinner. Still leaning in the vegge direction for my diet. The removal of dairy has had a positive impact and the occasional slip or mistake have not thrown me into a tailspin.
I have joked about the need for a meat detox center or lifelong omnivore- heck I was a carnivore for much of my life especially the athletic(football-when muscle was everything) period.
Thinking seriously about going fully vege and heavily raw to see how that impacts my weight and general well being. Looking forward to the impact on my energy and recovery from exercise. And of course pain. Leaving all dairy behind eliminated all of my plantar fasciitis pain, after nearly a year of suffering(in both feet).
More later. Less pan hopefully.
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The back is getting better

Dug out my YOGA FOR RUNNERS book and stretched for a long time each of the last few days.
feeling a lot better andwent for an easy walk this morning and will go more tomorrow if all is still solid.

Doing some ab work has helped as well. Will keep it up and focus hard on it the next month- maybe make it a habit .

I will see how it goes. Is a six pack too much of a goal? I mean abs not beer.
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Going everyday- builds knee strength and flexibility

All of the pain and trouble I have been having with this knee have been helping me learn a bunch of stuff about myself, my body and my future.
The FIRST is that I have to go out and work my body to keep it functioning- resting the sore and damaged joints is only bad for them. Now I don't go crazy but I go regularly. I also rest and ice them when they are BAD.
Second is the value of diet. I mean this 2 ways- keeping or getting my weight in a good zone and what I actually put in my body. If I eat crap ( salty, sugarry, processed,....) I feel it even if just a little in the midst of a good eating day. I eat raw fruits and veggies as well as many vegetarian meals. I have not gone completely vege yet and may still do that- but right now it is a" most of the time thing".
The real value of shoes and treating my feet. if I take care of my feet and wear the best I will feel it and know it all the way up my legs.

Time to ge back to work- lunch is over (tomatoes, cukes basil and oregano( from garden) with vinegar and EVOO)

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