No More Pictures

Not for awhile anyway. I lost my camera on the RIT yesterday. I'll wish I had it, but it sucked anyway. The thing was like lunking around an old Polaroid compared to"newer" cameras. Maybe it's time to start looking. Too bad for me I have plans for any $$ I might have in the near future. The ride was good other than the whole lost camera thing.

I went out and did a run with my buddy DWidds today. He's new at the running thing and is a big boy. He has recently started at as a deputy with Peoria County and is taking his health and stuff seriously so it's nice to push him along at times and keep him motivated. A longer trail run would have been nice, but it was probably a nice way to loosen up me runnin' legs again. I'm hoping to get some serious time on the trails in Decorah this weekend at TI.

I'll shoot for something tomorrow, probably another easy run. I'll take Thrursday off and will try to get another easy run in on Friday before we leave. I should have a new fuel system before we leave so I'll be excited to try it out in Decorah as well.

The clock will soon be tickin' and my Raiders are on the clock.

Countdown to TI

This is Howie's big week. On Friday, we leave for Decorah, Iowa so he can compete in the Trans Iowa race. I'll be helping at the start/finish line as well as possible working some early intersections, but after that I plan on checking out some of the local trails myself. The trails in the area have some great reviews, so I'm looking forward to running them as long as the weather holds. I suppose if it doesn't look to good with the weather I'll spend my time watching the NFL draft, hitting the local bike shop, and just scouting around. I'm generally pretty good and keeping myself occupied, so it won't be a problem.

Yeserday I got my 3 hr. run in at Jubilee and then helped Howie put in a 10' bridge. The park is really in decent shape for the festival. It could use a blower taken to it, but other than that, it's not bad. Now I just hope we don't get any storms that down some more trees.

I will probably be on the RIT a lot this week. My hips are a little beat up, so I'm going to give them a little break from running and try and get some time in on the bike this week. I'm also still working on my calorie intake for the long runs. I'm getting it dialed in, but I really think I need to invest in a fule belt type of system. The one bottle has served me well, but as my runs get longer, so does my fuel and the ability to carry two bottles is important for what I want to be able to do.

Weather looks a little shaky right now so my training this week may be day to day.

Now That's More Like It

That was the RIT ride I've been looking for. 2 hours, good weather, felt good, no mud. By the end, my head was clear. That's what I wanted. It did't start that way after I dropped the bike in the fork mounts and bent the dropout. I was abled to get it back close enough to make it all work, but I was really worried I had lost the Nishiki for awhile.

I'd like to get somehting in tomorrow very light before I go to Jubilee on Saturday for what I'm hoping to be 3 hours on the trails for a run. Howie and I will do some work out there at 5 and get some bridges done for MMBF. I plan on just making a day of it and have a little picnic recovery between my run and trail work.

I apreciate Julie B. putting a comment on my blog. She is such a strong runner and to have her visit my blog means a lot to me. I hope to run into her more in the future. Maybe even run WITH her at some point.

Crazy Weekend

I started this past weekend off casually enough having coffee with a friend of mine. That's where the "rest" ended. I was then running errands for thre McNaughton Trail Run the rest of the morning. After lunch I hit the road to Wicnchester, Illinois to meet my buddy for a WBG show in Springfield. I was on the road again Saturday morning by 11 and on my way back to the trail run. I made it to the park at about 1 p.m. and helped work the finish line until about 8 p.m. That's when the fun really began. I got ready and did 20 miles with David Goggins. This guy was 110 miles into a 150 miler at that point so our pace wasn't blazing. I won't go into all the details, but I was lucky enough to spend the next seven hours with a guy that I am now a big fan of. He's a Navy seal, good family man, raises money for charities through his running, former power lifter, just a great man. I am a better pewrson having spent time with him and perhaps seeing him at his worst, which for a guy like him is probably his best in a twisted sort of way.

I finished my run about 3:30 and worked the finish line for another two hours before leaving to meet JHiggs. We were on our way to Moline for the Stampede, Race #1 of the I-74 Series. After a day of watching races, I made it home at about 6:30 last night. I was in bed by seven. I was back up at seven today. I'm hurting. I'm tired. I'm getting a chest cold. I wouldn't change any of it.

Steppin It Up

So I started the week off with an RIT ride yesterday. Normally I ride it because I can clear my head and I can come away from the rides with some mental clarity and peace. Not so much yesterday. For some reason, it just didn't have the desired effect it normally has. I woke up today very restless and agitated and was having trouble with any focus. There was only one answer.........TRAIL RUN.

Today was supposed to be a laid back 60 min run at the park, but that just wasn't going to do. I grabbed my gear, got some bottles ready and headed to McNaughton again. I spent another enjoyable day on the trails for 2 hours and was finally somewhat relaxed and felt a little more focussed and clear. I'll need to get a very short 30 min run or so in tomorrow to loosen up and I'll probably do some core work, but then Thursday I'll have to take a day off and let my body heal up and recover. Then it will be on for this weekend.

I also need to find my focus at work. With everything going on with my training, the MMBF and my secret ops plan going on, my time at work has not been well spent. I need to work on balance between these phases of my life. Chris Carmichael would be proud.

Nice End to an Up and Down Week

Ah, another week in the books. My week had some highs like my run at McNaughton yesterday, but it also had some lows, such as attempting to ride the RIT on Thursday. All in all, I'll consider it a good one. My run at Mcnaughton yesterday really ended things on a good note. I only did one loop on the course for next weekend and it took me right at 2 two hours to do. Initially I wanted to run longer and maybe even shoot for the second lap, but I knew I had a night of WBG and 3 hours in the car ahead of me. I finished the run feeling very strong and felt like I ran smart in terms of my pace throughout. I learned a lot and was already looking forward to the next run. Isn't that really the truest sign of a good workout?

The WBG was as good as ever last night in the QC's. I even got to see some of the MTB guys from the QC area that I know. They host the first race in the I-74 Series next week, so they are all super amped right now. Of course te Tiffster was at my side as well. I really have to give her props. She works 3rd shift on Friday night, then gets little sleep before I drag her off to a late show and then get home about 3 a.m. Now she's back at work tonight. That's some WBG dedication there. She wouldn't admit she liked them early on, but the first time she saw them live, she was hooked. Now she goes to almost as many shows as I do.

I haven't put together a schedule for this week yet. I'll probably do that tonight. If the weather will cooperate, I'd like to get a short run in today and then hit the RIT again tomorrow for some recovery. I work mainly nights this week, so it should be a good training week.

Tried To Ride

Yeah, I went out to the RIT today to try and get a ride in. I got about 4 miles in and decided to call it quits. I just wasn't ready for the cold temps and failed top plan, therefore planned to fail. I'll be smarter tomorrow for my long run. I'm seriously hoping to get a full two laps in at McNaughton tomorrow which will equal about 20 miles.

I started the week off with a nice slow ride with Howie on Monday to loosen up the legs and hips. Tuesday was a rest day. I was able to run Wednesday and Thursday nights for about an hour a piece. The ride today would have been perfect, but I'll just have to get over it. Tomorrow is a new day and I really want to get that run in. I'll plan accordingly and take some gear options and xtras.

Tomorrow night Tiffster and I are heading to the QC to hear the WBG angain. I haven't been to a show since February, so I'm really excited to see them again. I'll have to work extra hard next week to burn off all the extra calories I'll be taking in this weekend. Hope it warms up a little and stays dry!

More Than I Bargained For

Well, I wanted a trail run yesterday and I got one. I had intened to just do one loop at the McNaughton trail they'll be using for the ultra in a couple weks. At about the 7 mile mark I somehow got turned around and ended up running in a figure 8 for about 45 minutes only to keep ending back at the same spot. I finally saw another trail runner across a field and I ran after him. Fortunately he was running the trail also and was familiar with it so I tagged along with him to finish it up. So, without even trying, I ended up wiht about a 2.75 hr. run and probably close to 15 miles in.


Don't I look beat?


Trails were actually in decent shape, despite the rain.

Then I was lucky enough to drive across the stree to do trail work at Dirksen for 4 hours. Those trails are really getting a good cleaning for the MMBF. In addition to clearing and blowing the leaves off, we have been working on a new bridge.


All that's left now is the planking.

I'm going on a nice easy run at Bradley Park today just to loosen up a little. Tomorrow I'll hit the bike for some recovery time with Howie.