Week 2

I missed a day running this week but I still got the miles in.

Wednesday late PM: 9 miles, 10:04 pace

Thursday PM: 10 miles, 9:33 pace

Saturday AM: 20 miles, 11:23 pace

Sunday AM: 10 miles, 10:25 pace

Total miles: 49

Not a very fast week but still logged the miles and got a double set on the weekend. Really looking forward to those 6 hour doubles in a few months!!

Week 1 in the Books!

The first week of training went very well. Runs were as follows:

Tuesday PM: 3 miles to Fun Run: approx 9:30 pace, very hot

2 miles Fun Run: 7:48 pac

3 miles home: approx 8:30 pace, head wind felt great!

8 miles total

Wednesday AM: 8 Miles at Caloosahatchee Regional Park w/ Keith Carlton and Nathan Schwan. Hilly and very fun.

Thursday PM: 3 mile warm-up: 9:30 pace

3 mile tempo: 8:15 pace

1 mile cool-down: 9:36

7 miles total with the Speedsters

Saturday 8:30 AM: 11 miles in the very hot humidity, not fun at all: 10:20 pace

Sunday 4:30 PM: 10 miles in overcast cool breeze, much more fun: 9:05 pace

43 miles total for the week

This week went very well. I kinda messed up the long runs. I thought they were supposed to be 90 minutes and 2 hours. It was supposed to be 3 hours for the 2nd one. I am fixing that next weekend by doing 20 miles and 10 miles. Off to a good start!

Training and Racing

Well today marks the first official day of training for the Winter racing schedule....we have to race distance in the winter down here in Florida! I have always thought it was hilarious that the first day of most Training Plans calls for "Rest". You haven't really started if you aren't doing anything on the first day are you? Well, I did rest today, but that we because I put in four solid days leading up to today. They were the following:

Thursday-6 Miles, 8:34 pace

Friday-5 easy miles, 9:10 pace

Saturday-6.5 trail miles, 11:50 pace

Sunday-10 Miles, 9:09 pace

Feet felt great every day. I am ready to rock. I have 21 weeks planned right now. That will lead me up to the Ancient Oaks 100 Miler. I emailed the Race Director tonight asking for my invitation to the race. They usually keep a few spots for sacrificial virgins. One of them should be me. Other race plans this season include:

Ironhorse 100K-Feb

Oscar Scherer 50K-March

Croom 50M-April

and possibly Keys 50M in May

It's about to get exciting, stay tuned for weekly training updates!

Lame Update

Running has been going very slow for me lately. I had a very exciting Key West experience in April and May but neglected to write about it. I spent 26 miles of the 50 mile course with Carl Grooms in April over 2 days training on the Keys 50 course. The fueling/hydrating lesson was worth more than I can explain. The race itself was a good experience while at the same time heartbreaking. Carl ran great for the first 11 miles but the heat was too much to overcome. We gave every effort to regulate his HR for the next 3 miles but I think we both knew a comeback was slipping out of our grasp. I really respect Carl for run/walking the next 12 miles with nothing in the tank. He just wanted to get to the 26 mile checkpoint to sign in.

After the Keys, I really haven't run that much. I have been running 2-3 times a week and just feel like I am in a funk. I really want to get motivated and get going. In an effort to do so, I have been trying to set my race calendar for the winter. I have 2 races that I think I want to get to. Ancient Oaks 100M on December 11th falls right within my budget (it's free). I would also like to go to Ironhorse 100K February 19th. So now I have to get focused and get my mileage back up. I have retained the services of my good friend Andrew Swistak to keep me accountable. The first step is to get the mileage up to the 40-50 range. After that I will need to focus on the long runs and back to back long run weekends. I am really looking forward to a 15/20 Weekend followed by a 30-40 Saturday the following weekend. That's the plan for now. I think I have said this before, but I plan to update more often.

Race Recap: Croom 15M

Saturday was supposed to be my first 50M at Croom. Since the broken foot set me back a bit, I had to settle for the 15M race. Marc St. Angelo and his great family invited us over to their hotel for an amazing pasta dinner. Great carbo loading with new friends is awesome! Ashlee and I shared a hotel room with John , Toni, Michele and Jim and would have gotten a better nights rest if the smoke detector didn't have a low battery. John finally got up and ripped the thing off the wall. We were still up at 4am to get over to the park. The 50 Milers started an hour before us and many of them had finished their 5 mile loop and were on the big 15 mile trail when we started. We headed out and I found myself in a small group of 6 or so people just behind a pack of about 8 guys. I thought it was pretty cool to be up front. I had to check my pace to see if I went out too fast but I was certain that I was fine. Our group thinned out and I was probably in 10th or so as we began passing the 50M runners. They were all very friendly and encouraging. I felt like I was cruising along just fine, drinking my NUUN and taking in some GU Pineapple and Hammer Montana Huckleberry-new flavor which is awesome!! I only filled up my bottle at the aid stations and took off again. I came through the road crossing at 1:16 and felt that I had a legit shot at my goal of 2:20. I am not really sure where that goal came from, I just thought it was doable. The 2nd half of the course was where the hills all came in. They all had names and were all walk-ups. I really dug deep to storm up them and went right back into a run at the top. I tired a bit up some of the hills but thought I found a 2nd wind with about 4 to go. That only lasted a mile or two before I hit another lull. I knew I was getting close so I just tucked in behind a very strong 50 miler. We got to the base of Tucker's Hill together and the photographer told us only 1/4 of a mile to go. Tucker's Hill is more like a staircase of roots and rocks. Once we hit the top, I wished the other runner good luck and peeled off to cross the finish line, in 2:18:36. They gave me a mug for being a top finisher, which is cool! I ended up 15th overall and 2nd in my age group. I helped out a little at the main aid station as many friends came thru. Marc had discussed his ironclad gut for ultra running the night before so I had a fresh cheeseburger waiting there for him after his 2nd long loop! To my dismay he only wanted 1/3 of the burger. But he ate that down, refueled, rested up, put lotion on for the hot sun and then went out there and killed it on his last loop for his first 50 Miler!! After some rest and food, I went back out to the road and met up w/ John Pyle to finish the last 7 of his 50 miler with him. He's got guts thats for sure! Michele also rocked the course, finishing 2nd female overall in 8:31 in her first 50 mile race! More big things to come.

Hooters to Hooters Half Marathon

After a 9 mile test run last Saturday, I registered to run the Hooters to Hooters Half Marathon. The name is kinda deceiving though. The races starts at Hooters and you wonder where the other Hooters is that you are running to, but it is a loop course back to the same one. Details I guess. So my plan was to just see if I had a shot at breaking 2 hours but I would not have been surprised if I was around 2:10 just because my conditioning is not back up yet in only 3 weeks of running. I got out to a good start w/ Terry Deshaies and John Pyle. John was carrying Old Glory as usual. We were just clicking off 8:20 like nothing. We were still on that pace through Mile 7 when we hit the Edison Bridge. They lost me by about 10 yards going up the bridge but I reeling them back in going down. At Mile 8 we turned to come back over the bridge and they pulling in front of my by about 20-30 yards going back over. I couldn't get back to them but I kept them in sight at about 30-40 seconds through mile 11. The last two miles were locked in at a snails pace and I was glad to see the finish. Time was 1:53:46! I ended up losing 3:30 to Terry and John, but that's ok because I broke 2 hours with ease. I am feeling stronger and stronger every day. This is awesome! Up next is Crooms 15 Miler on April 3rd.

Running Again!!

Yay!! I've been running since Monday now. I've got 4 runs in of 1-2 miles (my limit per doctors orders for now). I also did 3 hourlong workouts on the elliptical machine this week. The area that broke feels fine but my heel and arch are a little sore. There is also no strength in my ankle. That should come back pretty quickly. I am hoping to finish up around 12 miles for the week by Sunday and then we will see what next week brings. There is a local 5k tomorrow night that I am gonna go over to. I am thinking of sneaking in bandit to get the 3 mile workout! But the road to recovery has begun!!

MTC 50k

I couldn't run yesterday in the MTC 50k at Oscar Scherer Park in Nokomis, FL cause of the foot. So I volunteered to help out with registration and timing. Saw a lot of friends as they came to check in. Dan Pollock ran the 25k while Michele Proch, John Pyle and Carl Grooms were set for the 50k. It was an awesome 7.75 mile loop course. After a briefing from Dave the Race Director they were off. It was about 51 minutes before we saw the first 25k runner. The 25k people were starting to come in to the finish as the 50k people were coming around for the 3rd and 4th time. Michele was holding 3rd place overall until some fueling issues slowed her pace. Carl and another guy got in front of her but she held on for 5th place and 1st Overall Female in 4:32. Carl broke 4:28 by running all 4 loops within 17 seconds of each other. John ran a solid race in about 5:15 as he prepares for the LOST 118 in 2 weeks. It was awesome to cheer people on as they came thru and finished strong, some veterans and some first time Ultra Runners. I can't wait to be running with these awesome people again! The plan is to be ready for Crooms on April 3rd. There are 3 races, 50M, 50k and 15M so whatever I am ready for that is what I will do! Also looking forward to pacing and crewing for Carl at the Florida Keys 50M! Ok, Doctor's appt tomorrow, hopefully I will be cleared to bike and run very soon!

Random Ramblings

I figured I would take some time while I am laid up to discuss some of the products that I like. I have mentioned before that I love the Blueberry Roctane GU!! That stuff is awesome. I also recently bought a bulk bottle of Hammer Tropical and a few handheld bottles to carry along the run. My shoe of choice is the Nike Pegasus. I think I am up to about 4 pair in the last year and a half. They teamed up with Livestrong to create a trail version of the shoe as well! I do get to save some money on shirts by wearing the "Nike Free" running jersey! If I do have to wear a shirt when I run, it's gotta be a tech shirt and Body Glide is a must! The benefits of living in Florida include not wearing a shirt year round. I am partial to the New Balance running shorts that I can usually get on clearance at any race expo. As long as my socks are Dry Fit I am good. But some friends have talked about the finger socks by Injinji. Maybe I will pick up a few pair sometime. Lastly, the day I broke my foot, I had just picked up a tube of Berry NUUN. John Pyle had been so great to provide many of us rookies with NUUN for Ragnar and our other long runs. I have tried the Berry and Orange Ginger. They are both good. My general theory on the GU and NUUN is that I can't really tell what they do but I can tell what my body does if I don't have them, and that is bonk and crash hard. I have made the mistake of not getting enough supplements once or twice and it is hell having to walk more than a mile home after complete shutdown. Not to mention thinking you are gonna trip over cracks. Well I think that's about enough rambling. I hope something here was helpful to someone. (Sidenote: I am more than willing to use any product that someone gives me for free....hint, hint: Nike, NB, GU, NUUN!)

Halfway to Recovery

It's been 3 weeks since I got "The Boot." I go back February 15th. I hope to start working out right then. This really sucks not being able to run and train for something. Everyone I know ran the Sarasota Bridge Run yesterday. I am going to volunteer at the Oscar Scherer 50K on Feb. 13th. I am also gonna plan on going to Croom in April and will do whatever distance I am ready for (15M, 50K, 50M). Then it looks like Ancient Oaks will now be my 100M debut in December! I have been bored during this time, but I have also been doing a ton of research on fun races. I am really looking forward to getting going again and get out there with these awesome Ultra people!

Dammit

I just spent 5 hours in the ER after breaking my left foot. I was just out for an easy 5 miles when I rolled my ankle so hard it exploded. I knew right away that it was broke. I just wasn't sure if bones came thru the skin. I have to follow up with a Specialist on Monday to get the exact details. But this looks like 2500 Miles is out of the question now.....Crap. Not a very cool way to start the New Year.

2500 Miles this Year!

I have been giving a lot of thought to this year. I think 2500 miles is a great goal. I have a few races in mind. I plan on doing the Oscar Scherer 50K on February 13. Then my first 50M race will be Crooms 50M on April 3. The plan is to make my 100M debut at the Vermont100 on July 17th, a week after the Utica Boilermaker! Ancient Oaks in December will also be on the calendar! It will take an average of 7+ miles a day to hit 2500, which shouldn't be an issue with all of the long runs in there! Started the year off with a 9 mile run today! Ahead of pace already!

Merry Christmas!

I had 2 things to do today. Get a run in and go to Ashlee's parents for brunch. Cool, kill 2 birds with one stone. I packed a backpack w/ some clothes in ziplock bags. I put my phone, ID, debit card and keys in another baggie and headed out the door. 11 miles in 1:56. First long run since starting back up again. And brunch was awesome!

Rest and Tendonitis

Well its been about 4 weeks since Ragnar. I haven't run since then because my left foot is still killing me. This morning I finally got in to see foot Dr. Pat O'Neil. Kinda fitting that he is a foot doctor. O'Neil kicked footballs for the Cuse and then the Pats! After some X-rays and discussion, he told me it's just peritoneal tendinitis. He said I can run and just deal with the pain. So I was off and running! I called John Pyle because I was in Sarasota but he was busy so I just came home and ran a cool 5 miles! Boy did that feel good! I am glad to be back on the roads!

Ragnar Relay-6 Idiots, 201.3 Miles

Ragnar Relay is supposed to be for teams of 12, but they do have an Ultra Division for us Crazies! The best part was getting different t-shirts that say Ultra Runner on the back (obviously the back cause not only do we run double, we are faster)!! This 2 day experience was a blast. Gabi Keri and John Pyle spent all of Thursday morning trying to get ahold of me at school to find out if I would replace some "leeker" that dropped out. With 18 hours notice to the start, I said sure! So along with John, Gabi and I, there was Katie Waters, Andy Berster and Michele Proch. I got the 5th stage, which was an exact Half Marathon in Clermont. Anywhere else in the State of Florida would have been pancake flat, but no, not Clermont. I got all 3 hills on the entire course. I went out in about 8:30 pace cause it just felt good. I loved the hills and broke 2 hours for the section. My next segment started around 10 PM and I think ended around 2 AM. I am not sure, it was a complete debacle. We had a problem with an exchange and instead of just running 6 miles, I started the next leg of 4 miles. I bonked at about 8.5 miles. We thought we had the exchange all worked out for the next checkpoint but we screwed that up too. After about a 40 minute delay I went on for the next 3 miles. I was destroyed, running about 15 minute miles. Somehow, I got to the next checkpoint and handed off to John and went and died in the van. 26 miles in 2 segments and I thought I was done. Somehow I recovered enough to run the 2nd to last leg of 7 miles in 9:30 pace and handed off to Katie to bring it home. We all decided to run the last mile together (in our ultra shirts and John carrying Old Glory). After 200 miles, we were able to bang out a sub 9 minute mile. That entire trip was amazing. These people are awesome! After we got our medals and picture taken, we plowed thru 2 large pizzas and headed home! Also gotta thank Michele's boyfriend Jim for driving the Van the entire way from Clearwater to Daytona!

50 Miles-Check!

John Pyle has been planning some all night runs as he trains for his 100M debut at Ancient Oaks. I offered to join him and we planned on Tuesday because I was off school on Wednesday for Veterans Day! We left the Y around 8PM last night, lights already on, pockets full of GU (Blueberry Roctane is my favorite!), and water bottles full! John was awesome and provided the NUUN, cause I am still new about what I need. We cruised out along Long Boat Key, refilling at all of our stops. No real problems at all as we cruised out onto the Anna Maria Pier in 5:15. The site of the skyway bridge at night was just amazing. The trip back was going smooth until we hit Long Boat Key again. We ran into a driving force rain. We put our heads down and actually ran those 3 miles back to the 7-11 in under 27 minutes. We just wanted to get out of the rain. After that, the sky was clear but the legs were like concrete. We slowed a bit to the finish and the total time on our feet was 11:05. All I can say is that was an amazing experience. I am so glad to have met John and that he has taken me under his wing. He his a wealth of knowledge and just a damn awesome guy to hang with.

Bill's Beer Run

Today was the 21st Annual Bill's Beer Run. The legs were feeling great (surprising after 30 miles 2 days ago) but my left foot was really hurting. I think I just beat the crap out of it. Last year here was my first 5 Mile race and I had to pull out a 7:30ish last mile to break 40. This year, considering, I was just gonna pace Andrew Blix to a sub 40 PR for himself. At the turn, I had the urge to take off, and Andrew didn't. So I just went ahead and finished in 37:02, a new PR! Andrew was moving well enough for a PR of 38:42 himself! My first race in the 30-34 AG and I took 7th! Boy am I glad they go 10 deep here! I really am starting to desire short races less and less but I think I will put Bill's on my schedule every year because it is so much fun. BTW, I have had the pleasure of running with "Bill" a few times. Bill Menard is a 2X Badwater Champion and he did mention that he has 1 more time out there in him!!

30th Birthday-30 Miles, Obviously

Well, I turned 30 on Wednesday. I had recently heard about a guy that ran 42 miles to celebrate his 42nd Birthday. I thought that idea would be cool and started talking about it with some friends. Michele Proch turned 22 last week and stole my idea to run 22 last Sunday. I couldn't make it to her birthday party. But she was at mine, as was John Pyle. We set out from the Sarasota YMCA around 6PM last night. We ran out to St. Armands and out onto Long Boat Key. We were really cruisin along around 9:05 pace. We stopped at the 7-11 about 12 miles out to get some Potato Chips and a Rockstar! Then we continued on to our turn point, a marina with bathrooms! Headed back into the 7-11, we "startled" a local vagabond that felt the unresistant urge to inform Michele that the blinking light an her ass was very nice. That kinda creeped us out. Fortunately there were two nice police officers hanging out in the parking lot of 7-11 so we told them about our new friend. They went and had a little chat with him and then we were on our way. The legs did start to tire in the closing miles but we cruised back into the Y in just over 5 hours! Best Birthday Party I have ever had! 31 next year!

Publix Triathlon Series

I would like to take a few moments to document my experience with the Publix Family Fitness Triathlon Series this year. First off, yesterday during the Championship, I used a good bike and got under 30 minutes for 10 miles and then ran a Tri PR of 22:39 in the 5K. That being said, the entire series was a complete disaster. I entered 5 events over the course of the series. Only one of them (Ft. Desoto) went off perfectly. Two of them had the swim cancelled, one had the swim shortened and another had the swim moved from a lake to a pool, as well as shortened. Three of them had problems with the timing, which I applaud them for changing timing companies and the timing was great during the final 2 events. I got to 2 events on Friday night to pick up my packet and they told me I had to pick up my chip on Saturday morning. So what was the purpose of picking up the packet early??? I picked them up early so that I could get a little extra sleep and still had to get there early to get in line for a chip. So I had already decided that I will never enter a Publix Triathlon Event EVER again. That was before I got there yesterday and had a great day. I am now looking forward to when I decide to do another Triathlon (not Publix). To cap it all off, I went to the Best Western at 2 for the awards ceremony because I finished 2nd in my age group over the whole series. There is no one there and the lobby knows nothing about it. So I decide to check the website and see that the awards time and location had been changed to 1. They never said anything or had any signs up during the race. Did they assume that everyone was checking the website while in Transition??? So I storm over to where the awards had just ended and ask someone for my award. They give it to me and I get the hell out of there. When I get home, I am looking at my award. A nice glass trophy, a $25 Publix Gift Card and an expired Gift Certificate for a pair of Crocs. You bet, expired 8/31/.09. Very classy! Boy am I glad to be done with that entire experience. Never again will I ever consider registering for a Publix Series Triathlon/Duathlon event.

Back on the Road

I got out for a cool 5 mile run yesterday. Felt fine, no pain or soreness in arm or leg. Also got the shoelace replaced in my left Zoot! Really looking forward to next Saturday and the Publix Series Championship. I think I have 2nd place locked up but I would also like a good showing at the race. With the new bike I am hoping to drop that section by 5 minutes. And I would like to keep the run under 24 min! Total goal is 1:10 and I would be happy!

Forgot to Update

So I'm not very good at updating my workouts. I fall behind using www.mapmyrun.com also. I have had some great workouts over the last week. One great one came on Monday. Ran 9.5 tempo run at about an 8:30 pace. I am getting there. Well, I was getting there before my mishap yesterday. I rode the 4 miles over to the pool using a bike I borrowed from a friend. I got a good swim workout in and then headed home. Turning onto my road, I wanted to get into the high gear and power down the homestretch. Well, when you change gears, you have to be careful that you don't hit the front tire with your fingers. If you aren't careful, you end up sliding down the pavement. My entire left side is mangled. Elbow, hip, leg, knee, ankle and destroyed a shoe. Picked myself up, dropped a few F-bombs, checked myself over to make sure I didn't break anything too bad, straightened out my handlebars, put the chain back on and finished the ride. The peroxide hurt worse than the actual fall. Now I just need the cuts to dry out and heal up enough to get some workouts in before the final Triathlon next Saturday. I will plan on updating as soon as I can get back out there, run, bike or swim.

17 Mile Run

In the past month, I have made two new friends, Andrew Blix and John Pyle. I met Andrew at a Triathlon and he suggested that I meet John because we share an interest in ultrarunning. Well I had to pleasure of meeting John on 9/11 as we ran 11 miles out of respect for this great nation. We discussed a long run for this weekend. So this morning we set out from the YMCA in Sarasota at 6 am on what would be an amazing long run and a good time had by all. We followed much of the Grouper Marathon course, passing Marina Jacks and heading out to Ken Thompson Park before going to the end of Lido Key and headed back past Marina Jacks to the Y. The Y wasn't even open when we finished. The time was just over 3 hours including all stops for water and other reasons. I wore a belt w/ two 10 oz. bottles that began the day filled w/ HEED. I added water at each fountain we came by. I also took 2 salt capsules, at miles 8 and 12. Also ate a Blueberry Pomegranate Roctane GU at mile 5, ate a couple Cliff Shots Black Cherry at mile 8 and had a Cliff Mango at mile 13, on the Ringling Bridge coming back in. The Mango Gel sucked but I love the Blueberry GU. On the way home, I stopped and grabbed a Chocolate Milk, Rockstar and 2 Buffalo Chicken Taquitos! My feet are still a little sore but I feel great. This brings the total miles for the week to 44. Not a bad week at all!

Why blog?

This is my first blog. I felt that it was time to begin blogging. I should have begun doing this last year, on July 6, 2008. That is the day that I became a runner again. I have always been a runner, but it was on that date that I became active again after an 11 year layoff. Since then I have accomplished many things as a runner. I got into shape, lost 30 pounds, ran some races, collected some hardware and finished my first marathon, The Sarasota Grouper Marathon on February 15, 2009.

I need to clarify a few things in this first blog. First is the name of the site, Crazy but not Insane. As a runner, I am certain that many things I chose to do will be seen by the nonrunner as insane. Only another runner will recognize some of my goals as attainable and completely legit. However, Crazy is not to be confused with insane. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. A runner does not run day in and day ever expecting the same results. Please do not confuse the two.

Second is the history of the name Boo Radley. This name that I took in during the winter of 8th grades plays an important role in the development of the runner that I am today. I was running with the Varsity Track team in 8th grade, which consisted of practices that involved tackle football in knee deep snow. Being the quiet 8th grader among high schoolers, I surprised the upperclassmen by making an aggressive tackle. This prompted three upperclassmen, Greg Kocyba, Matt Kocyba and Geoff Roes, to begin calling me Boo Radley, referencing the character from Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I respected these three runners because they were all top runners in the state. The name stuck, even though I have never eaten a squirrel.

Lastly, I would like to point out the fact that all references to my running career, unless otherwise noted, will refer to my current career beginning July 6, 2008. I did run a 5:22 mile and a 17:50 5K in high school and would like to get back to those numbers one day, but that was a different lifetime. A new blog will be up about today's 17 mile run shortly.