Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wizzorwack

Everyone tune in tomorrow evening to see a fellow I used to coach run at the Olympic trials.  He got 5th at the US championships last year.....and anything can happen in the 800m....

Men 800m
NameAffiliationMarkStatusDeclaration
Nicholas SymmondsNike / Oregon TC Elite1:43.83qualifieddeclared
Khadevis RobinsonNike1:44.03qualifieddeclared
Charles JockUniversity of California, Irvine1:44.67qualifieddeclared
Ryan MartinUniversity of California, Santa Barbara1:44.77qualifieddeclared
Tyler MulderNike / Oregon TC Elite1:44.83qualifieddeclared
Elijah GreerUniversity of Oregon1:45.06qualifieddeclared
Michael RuttNew Jersey New York Track Club1:45.20qualifieddeclared
Casimir LoxsomThe Pennsylvania State University1:45.28qualifieddeclared
Richard JonesSanta Monica Track Club1:45.56qualifieddeclared
Duane Solomon JrSaucony1:45.66qualifieddeclared
Erik SowinskiUniversity of Iowa1:45.90qualifieddeclared
Willie BrownUniversity of Akron1:45.91qualifieddeclared
Mark Wieczorek1:46.00qualifieddeclared
Rob NovakNew York Athletic Club (NYAC)1:46.01qualifieddeclared
Tevan EverettNew Jersey New York Track Club1:46.02qualifieddeclared
Brandon JohnsonAsics1:46.23qualifieddeclared
Brian GagnonNew Jersey New York Track Club1:46.40qualifieddeclared
Michael PrebleTexas A&M University1:46.43qualifieddeclared
Patrick RoachS.W.I.F.T. Racing1:46.58accepteddeclared
David PachutaUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities1:46.62accepteddeclared
Harun AbdaUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities1:46.65accepteddeclared
Liam Boylan-PettNew Jersey New York Track Club1:46.66accepteddeclared
Andrew WheatingNike / Oregon TC Elite1:46.83accepteddeclared
Joe Abbott1:46.84accepteddeclared
Tetlo Emmen1:46.95accepteddeclared
Andrew Dawson1:46.96accepteddeclared
Sharif Webb1:47.04accepteddeclared
Lance Roller JrUniversity of Virginia1:47.07accepteddeclared
Brandon ShawBrooks / Evo Track Club1:47.13accepteddeclared
Benjamin Scheetz1:47.43accepteddeclared
Christian Smith1:47.44accepteddeclared
Christian GonzalezNew Jersey New York Track Club1:47.49accepteddeclared

VirginiaSlim

Last night the folks on my old cycling team had a private party for Joe Dombroski.  Last week he won the GiroBio which is the Tour of Italy for people 23yrs old and younger.  Joe raced with me as a category 4 and a few races as a category 3 before he skyrocketed to the Pro ranks.  He now races for Treck Livestrong which is Radio Shack's development team.




http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/news/dombrowski-qa-respect-and-satisfaction-at-the-baby-giro_224979

Before the party we had our normal Wednesday night group ride that the bike shop puts on.  It's probably the 2nd hardest group ride in the area behind the "Goon" ride down in Rock Creek Park.  29 miles with 4 sprint points, some tough hills, and one hell of a long fast section back to the finish line. 

Joseph (aka Joe, aka Dombro, aka JoDo, aka VigriniaSlim) is off for a week and suffering a bit from Jetlag having just returned from Italy so he rode the scooter.  This week since it was a private party the ride was pretty thin.  I used to think that meant less talent, but in actuality a small group means after you pull or if you have a bad spell there's not much of a peleton to sag through and then latch on to the back.  If you falter for an instant...pooof.....they're gone.  I was having a pretty bad day having devoted myself mostly to running lately.  That and the switch from 80's and mild, to 100 and humid had me in the hurt locker from the start.

Normally we have a pretty neutral roll out until the first hill, but some old fellow jumped early hoping to sag climb the hill and all he did was excite the young fellows who dumped all their testosterone into the base of the first climb.  UGGhhhhhh!!!!!!!   I was nearly dropped a dozen times in the run in to The Plains.  After winding through The Plains we do 2 loops of a flat loop with little traffic.  We have a fast slightly downhill ride into a right hand corner that's normally quite easy, but this time of year the corn in that field is high enough that you can't see if cars are coming.  Of course the youngsters don't much care about cars.....and oooof....I was nearly dropped again expecting a slowdown to actually look before blasting into the road.

In the final chase back into town I was able to jump the climb and get into a breakaway with Jared and Greg and we pretty easily pulled away from the field.  After the hill Jared jumped and Greg and I couldn't.....and then Joe came along with the scooter.  We never like to give Jared the glory of winning the very group ride that he organizes.  Plus we like to piss him off.....so I jumped behind the scooter and drafted all the way up and tried to beat Jared at the finish.  3rd of 3 in the sprint.  DOH!!!
 

During the party it was really great to see Joe and hear all about the race and his experiences in Europe.  In the last few months he won a few stages and places 2nd in the Tour of Gila, Won a stage and finished 4th in the Tour of California, and now just won the most prestigious U23 race and beat the current World Champion in the GiroBio.  As I stood there watching Joe soaking it all in, watched his dad smiling with pride, and saw the people who just enjoyed being in the presence of the closest thing there is, on this day, to cycling greatness....I realized that I used to be that guy.  Different sport and different circumstances...but for a time (in my mind at least) I was near the top of the field with the ability to dream as high as I wanted and with others who enjoyed the journey with me.

As I looked around however I saw Jeremiah Bishop, Jared Nieters, Bryan Burns, Dave Fuentes....and a room filled with people who all (in their disciplines) had at some point also been "The Guy" and yet here we were realizing that we were really just another fish in the pond compared to Joe.  I had this same feeling when training with Dmitry.  Some people are just on a completely different level....and yet they are so affable and casual that you'd never really know it unless you know.  Joe could blend in with any high school or college kid in America, yet here's the best cyclist since Lance Armstrong out zipping along next to me on a motor scooter smiling from ear to ear...just another one of the guys.

I'm reading a truly amazing book right now called "Shantaram".  In this book there's a section where a group of gangsters sit around and talk about suffering and happiness.  In their discussion they come to the conclusion that true happiness is not possible without suffering.  Because if you've never suffered you cannot fully recognize and appreciate happiness.  They also conclude that true happiness is relative and that your mind can control much of it.  That when you do find happiness it's important for you to find something else to struggle towards....because lottery winners and others who think they've found happiness and quit struggling and suffering end up locked in unhappiness. 

 I looked around the room and saw people who aspired to be VirginiaSlim and ended up being Jeremiah Bishop, Bryan Burns, Dave Fuentes, etc.  Each of those guys have thousands of people who look up to them and don't see any difference between them and Joe.  The same as people who run a 4hr marathon can't recognise the difference between Dmitry and myself.  Yesterday I stared at Dombro and realized how happy I am.  How running and cycling and the accomplishments I've earned in my lifetime have made me happy.  Happy enough that I can't seem to really get excited about any sort of athletic goals. But I also saw excellence and realized how far I was from it.  That makes me suffer a bit. 

Now it's time to use that. My feet and lower legs seem to be adapting slowly to the orthotics.  Soon it'll be time to start building.   No, I can't be Joe or Dmitry....but I can be TerribleTerry....and I can still find out just how fast this 37 year old body can go.  Just how much punishment I can take.  If that gets me running a 16:40 5k or a 14:40 5k I need to find happiness in my pursuit.  As those gangsters concluded...Suffering is the mirror image of happiness.  The only way happiness exists is if suffering also exists.   I can't wait to get my miles up and start suffering :-).

Funnest VirginiaSlim memory.....

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Celebration

I celebrated my birthday by waking up insanely early and heading with Zoya and Margie (professional triathlete and owner of the local running store) to track practice.  Margie is coaching Z and holds a track workout on Tuesdays.  There were about a dozen people there and the track was devastatingly absent hot chicks.

We were supposed to run two miles hard and then do 8x200 meters.  I started off the 2 mile way at the back and spent lap one slowly building into it.  I wanted to slowly ramp up to 6 minute pace.  A guy got off the front pretty quickly and as the laps went by I steadily increased the pace but never did catch him.  Near the end I don't know what I was thinking.  I got really discouraged at how hard 6minute pace was feeling.  I didn't look at my watch since Margie was yelling lap splits to me.  For some reason I had it in my mind that I was doing 10 laps.  When I came through 8 it was really starting to get hard and at 9.5 I stopped.  I was discouraged and apologized to Margie for not finishing.  She said that I had and I figured she was just confused since there were so many of us running.  It wasn't until thinking it over later that evening that I realized there are only 8 laps in 2 miles and not 10.  DOH!!!!

The group did their 8x200 and that fast guy was doing his in 30-31.  I waited and just did mine in 37.  I figure 5minute pace was plenty fast enough.  They did standing full recovery.  I just kept on going and jogged 200 and did mine all easier but on less rest.  Didn't read Dad's post on no speedwork until later when I got to work.  I don't suppose I'll be doing speed speed for a while....but I think it'd be fun to go to the track now and again and do a bit.  Some 6minute paced tempo and some plyometrics just to see what cute chicks come to track practice.  Although last night's Reston runners track practice was a pretty sorry display of old and morbidly obese joggers. 

Worked all day on my birthday and then we had a BBQ and Mike and Melissa came over.  I got a bit drunk and ate cake....two things I shouldn't have.   Yesterday I called in sick and cleaned up room, worked on my motorcycle, then worked on the back patio (John and I finished it). 
I gave thought to running again Tuesday evening but I decided to rest.  Yesterday I took the day off from running because my feet were hurting.  Normally I'd just work on through it but I want to dedicate a bit of time while my mileage is low to getting used to some sort of orthotic.  Before I was doing mileage and experimenting too much.  Put in the doctor created ones in my work shoes today.  I'm wearing them around the office.  My knees and shins already feel funny and I haven't really even walked.  Just having them in my shoes while sitting seems to do something.  Well.....I'll get it figured out at some point I suppose.

Ok....I'll finish off this boring post with a TerribleTerry story....

I was dating this girl Melissa while living in Georgia.  It was during my homeless period and she lived behind the golf course where I was working.  Her uncle was the owner of Badcock (who picks that as a name) furniture store.  Most of the income of the store came from rental appliances and repossessing furniture people bought on credit.  I watched him resell the same washer like 8 times.  I swear he'd make like $2k on a $200 washing machine.  Folks be crazy!!!

Anyways, Melissa was 18 and a senior in high school.  I was 20 and a running fool.  Melissa's family had been owners of the Donald Duck orange juice company but her dad got arrested for working with the drug cartel.  They had been dropping bales of cocaine from airplanes into his orange groves and he'd pick them up and transport them somewhere.  Once he got caught the immediate family members moved up to Georgia with relatives.  So while I was dating Melissa she was sharing a bedroom, I had no bedroom.....and the 3 bedroom house was filled to the gills so privacy was at a premium. 

My birthday was a day before hers so we had been invited to a party where they were drinking this horrible Mad Dog 20/20.  It was cheap, it was grape, and it worked pretty well at getting us drunk......but it was HORRIBLE.   We spent the evening drinking and laughing while laying on the balcony of our friends apartment.  When her curfew time came we organized ourselves so that we could climb our way up the wall to attain our feet without either of us toppling over.   Then we steadied ourselves and gave great heaves at the door....but it wouldn't budge.
 
Hmmfffff....what to do.  I could simply climb down to the balcony beneath and then the balcony beneath and so on until the ground floor....but I was quite sure Melissa couldn't.  So we relaxed there for awhile and fell sound asleep.  Around 5am the sun started coming up and I pounded on the glass but nobody woke up.  I thought there was still a chance we could sneak Melissa home without her mom realizing she'd been out all night...Or perhaps she'd at least be lenient since it was her birthday.  Finally I climbed over to the neighbors and tried the door.  Clunk!! locked.   Climbed to the next, and the next until I found one open.  Then I slowly snuck into the house and made sure the coast was clear.   Not a single peep in the entire place.

  I left the door open and went back and collected Melissa and helped her back to the open door.  Our plan was to quickly go through the apartment and walk right on out the front door.  She peaked in to reassure herself the coast was clear....we held each other......and just as we walked into the house.......BAM!!!



On go the lights and this song is just ROARING out of the speakers.  Some old guy in a pair of boxer shorts and a wife beater tshirt is standing over a record player with his back to us.  He does a pirrouet 360 turn in a blur (apparently never sees us standing in his living room)....finishes it with a nice disco fever move and a flamboyant hand slap over his head....and turns to his left (away from us as we're standing no less than 10 feet from him) and dances his way into whatever was in the next room clapping and swinging and enjoying himself the entire way.  How he didn't see us I have no idea.  We stood there frozen for a moment, then gave each other a crazy look....and ran the hell right on out of there leaving his front door wide open.

From that day on.....sometime during my birthday... I just have to play this song!!!  Each time I do it I think of Melissa and wonder what ever happened to her and how many times she's probably shared this story....and listened to this song on her birthday.  Good times!!!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Extra innings

Made it one  year into the bonus.  Somehow I got it in my brain that I'd never live to see 36 years old.  When the calendar marked the 36yr anniversary of my head first slide for fresh air, I looked around and realized I was still here.  That's a good thing.  At the time I wasn't exactly sure what to make of it or what to do with my bonus time.  I suppose I'm still not exactly sure why I'm still here and what I shall do with my reprieve.



This last year went pretty well.  I cleared up a lot of things hanging over me from my marriage.  I spilled my guts into a blog.  I made another failed attempt at running.  I did a good bit of traveling.  I read a lot, enjoyed a few relationships, and saved up a lot of money.  I can really only say I came close to death a handful of times.  Driving on the wrong side of the road, cars pulling in front of my motorcycle, snakes, crocodiles..... but really the only troubling injury was the pipe blow to my elbow.  That took a really long time to heal and I feared I'd allowed permanent damage to the nerves running to my hand.  Seems to be gone now though.  So I'm pretty scar free for year 36. 

This year I did a considerable amount of reading on psychology and happiness.  Of course I still continued the studies I'd done in college on appropriate technologies and my belief in Peak Oil and the gathering evidence that our imperial decline has begun.  I even did a good deal of writing.  I wrote 4 chapters of a book about life after the "religion of progress" is cast off and replaced with another...equally foolish belief system.  I practiced writing a few zines, which is a practice writers use to tap into their subconscious.  It's stream of conscious writing.  A famous example of this is Ted Kaczynski's manifesto.  Most zines are not meant to be published, but often they hold really good points to be expounded on.  Ted thought all of his thoughts and ideas were golden and without need of explanation......so he chose to cram them all into a manifesto absent structure....but strangely enough.... (as scholars are starting to realize)....replete with intricate and often prescient observations. 

That's something I suppose I'm hoping my meandering prose are providing.  Minus the use of violence as an attractant to get people to look, I hope that in the midst of my running, inner reflection, and political/environmental rants that some estimable information is getting passed.  That something in these posts moves someone to exercise, read, interact with their environment, or simply to psychologically embrace resilience....just in case the future requires these things as an antidote to an unpleasant situation....or as a practical response to the one certain predicament we all face....death.

From my reading on happiness and my self discovery I've learned something about myself.  I've realized that having a goal (even if that goal is frustrating) assists me psychologically to deal with the lack of fulfillment or the mundane.  I've also learned that running as opposed to cycling affords me the time and focus to work on areas in my life for improvement.  Whereas cycling overwhelms me.  I find that when I'm cycling I begin to spiral  out of control a bit.  My brain begins to accumulate anxiety that seemingly can only be quenched by running away.  I spend entire nights riding in the darkness trying to think up an allowable response.  I dream of an escape that would allow me to live outside of the burdens of modern industrial society all the while magically somehow awarding me with the accouterments of it that I find desirable.

 I know what you're thinking when I say having a goal helps keep me focused and productive ....well...DUH!!! but hey... a man cannot pick his afflictions and anxiety and empathy for our predicament seem to be mine.  The fact that I don't find the things most people are focused on, or productive with, as relavent to our certain (in my mind) future.. does not relieve me from the need to fit into our society and play the game.

Since goals seem to be a requirement for fulfillment, and since today is the start of year two in extra innings, I should throw some things out there. 

A few things I'd like to do in year 37 of terrible.

1) visit Glenn in Austria.  This is looking doubtful as I seem to promise myself out for vacations without planning.

2) run a respectable marathon as a base for a future goal (faster marathon or ultra)

3) Spend more time reading

4) Take guitar lessons

5) Live with less stuff and more experiences

6) Continue trying to convince people that our present is blessed and that we should enjoy it....while reminding them that our future may not be.....so that our enjoyment should come with preparation and acceptance that we may someday need to live without.

7) Reduce the incidence of violence I engage in with others.

8) Make it to 38.



Monday, June 11, 2012

6 Months To An Acceptable Marathon!

O.K. son, here we go again. You HAVE TO LAY A THREE MONTH MILEAGE BASE before you worry about ANY speed work that is more than just mechanical short sprints to activate those speed fibers, although you won't use them too much in the marathon. Again, lets set the goalpost of 60 miles a week bye the end of August. So, you want a long easy run that is not too much more than 25 to 30% of your weekly mileage not to exceed two hours until we start September, then start adding to the long run to max out around two hours and forty minutes. So, lets build from around 40 miles to 50 miles in three weeks, ease back a week, and then go 50 to 55, an easy week, and then 55 to 60. So, for a 40 plus mile week, assuming three 4 to 5 mile easy runs at work with a few 30 second striders thrown in, a long run EASY for an hour and a half (11 miles?), and two hour and fifteen minute runs (9 Miles?). On these two runs, spend about twenty to thirty minutes commencing around the forty minute mark, doing three or four minute EASY pickups that take your heart rate from your easy below 135 just up to a MAX of around 144. Just what would take your breathing rhythm from three one to two two. Take about two minute intervals of recovery in between. Repeat for 20 to 30 minutes. These should be sub threshold efforts. We don't want to push you much beyond 80% heart rate for at least 8 weeks. Then we will start formal tempo work and hill training! This will be a short Lydiard plan that would normally last at least nine months, but we have to compress it into six. I know you will want to be impatient and do MORE than this, but if you do, you will be tired by the third week, less motivated, and won't be able to build for three more cycles. Your body takes three weeks (you are old now!) to adapt so you just have to build within the confines of your adaption. We will see if you are still a fast adapter, or are acting more your advanced running age! Lets go...... Here is your virtual training partner!

Till they collapse

Lately I returned to bicycle riding.  I suppose it was born of frustration at my knees aching all the time.  It's really made my runs unpleasant.  As if dealing with running over a minute slower per mile than I'd like, having horrible trouble dealing with the heat, and not being able to run near the miles I'd like weren't frustrating enough.  Aching knees seemed to be the last straw. 

I went on a few group rides and then did that Blue Ridge training camp.  It hurt my ego to see some of the guys flying up those hills.  My hills!!  Then a few days after that I did a hard ride with John where I tried to attack a few hills and my back hurt.  I had to limp home.  It pissed me off.  I spent a few weeks training myself silly just to prove to myself I could beat those fellows.   Then I beat them and well.......now what?  I didn't really want to return to racing bicycles.  Maybe some long mountain bike stuff.....but that's a whole lot of training for the few long races I could do.

Then I went to that 50 miler with Mike.  Being around people that are so passionate about running really gets you going.  So I did some running last week, had a relaxing weekend and put my mind to figure out a goal.  A gentle goal that is quite realistic but could lead to another, and then another, etc.

I'm thinking to sign up for the Philedelphia Marathon on November 18th.   I'd like to run between 2:46 and 2:50.  I'm thinking I could spend the next 6 months just returning to running.  Pretty much doing whatever is fun and doesn't cause me to get hurt while slowly building up my miles and getting my speed back.   I'll let Pop's decide what all that is and how he'd like me to do that.

2 weeks ago I did the Haymarket Ride and somehow pulled off a pretty dramatic victory.  While riding a few of the youngsters (who weren't on the team when I was racing) seemed to not afford me quite the respect I was enjoying from the older riders.  Maybe it was the same as Henry on the Blue Ridge ride.  Just somehow (imagined or real) I felt my ability (or former ability) wasn't quite in their brain the way I wanted it to be.  Anyways, I jumped a long, long, long way from the finish.  I didn't think it would work.  But I was going to make them work to pull me back. I put my head down and decided I was going to go until I just couldn't go any longer.  I won.  It felt swell.

This weekend Jared, perhaps inspired by my performance, attacked a long, long way from the finish of the Air Force Cycling classic.  It was a bold move.  This was a national quality race with both European and American professional teams represented.  Jared literally went until he collapsed.  They caught him 2 meters from the line and United Health's highly paid sprinter beat him.  A bold and inspiring move that came THAT close.  Awesome!!

Yesterday a fellow that I trained with since his very first bicycle ride won a stage of an international stage race in Italy.  The U23 Giro de Italia.  Probably the biggest race for Juniors in the World.  On stage one Joe Dombroski attacked on the final climb and put 53 seconds into the world U23 champion and race favorite.  Joe dug deep.  It was spectacular.







Words can't describe how my friends felt watching it.  It's crazy....but in some small way you'd like to think you contributed to that.  Pride, jealousy, admiration, hope....all rolled into one.   I want Tom to feel that.  So train me up Pops.  I'll give this Masters marathon thing another go.  Get me to 2:28 when I'm 40. 


Miles last week.  

Monday - 10 all out. 
Tuesday - hard bike for 30 miles
Wednesday - track for a few 200's probably 4 miles.
Thursday- off
Friday - 3 miles (Scott Jurek's book signing run)
Saturday - 6 miles.  Gave thought to 12 miles and was running great for 5 but then felt horrible and turned straight home.
Sunday - 3 miles in the morning and 3 in the evening.
_______________________________

29 miles total

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Speed!

Went to the track last night, put on my 1998 spikes, and ran all out for 200meters. That's about as far as I can run all out. Geez it felt good. 27.07 Pretty happy with that. It's weird how my brain totally switched to running again. I'm supposed to go on a cycling trip with John this weekend but all I can think about is running. That marathon goal just won't go away.

How can you blame me for dreaming of running when you go to a 50miler and meet a chick like this in the woods. http://tmblr.co/ZNgBMyMsp6TQ


Can you believe someone can look so beautiful after 40miles?  I mean.....look at Mike here.....no beauty whatsover!!!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

TalkativeTerry

Got a few comments about my talking to homeless people, hitchhiking, and my general appetite for risky behaviors.  There are wonderful people in this world.....and I'd like to talk to each and every one of them.



Monday, June 4, 2012

I do it for the chicks

Forgive me father for I have sinned...  It's been 6 weeks since my last real training run.  

Been doing a bit of cycling lately.  I had a few fun weeks of it, but those damn ultra runners and the hot chicks you see doing it have me missing running.  So today I'll get my running shoes on and hit the trail. 

I jumped straight into a pretty amazing amount of cycling.  Hit back to back 250 mile weeks without the ding darndest of problems.  Sometimes I amaze myself.  It did good at feeding the ego.  I went to a few group rides and beat up on folks who'd been training year round and who's bodies can only handle around 180miles a week of riding.  I don't have the pop to do massive accelerations.  But I was riding well.   Even won the very prestigious Haymarket Wednesday Night World Championships.  First time I'd ever won it.  A bit of a fluke....but I'll take it.   I got away with about 15 minutes left to ride and they thought there was no way I could hold it until the end.  Coming into the last 10k they really went hard to catch me but I held them off.  It was a bit like a Pro tour stage where the sprinters are reeling in the breakaway on the final straightaway.  I won by 2 bike lengths....it was close.  I may or may not have puked on my shoes....DOH!!!

Felt good to win.  Jared and the gang sure are fun fellows to ride bikes with.



I also reconnected with the bike polo gang.  Did a few weeknight rides downtown.  One ride I got caught in a horrible storm.  Had to wade through a raging river. .  Then I rode down to Alexandria, Mount Vernon, had dinner with a homeless man outside Chicken Out.  He told me all about the spot down there where you can hop trains.  Said the trains head south mostly so we talked about where they go, how to find a good spot on one.  How they find you and kick you off, etc.  Very interesting fellow....but a bit stinky (He ate an entire chicken with 2 sides).  Then I meandered around DC taking photos and wandered in at midnight.








Bike polo was pretty fun.  They moved from Rush rink over to Gauladette University.  That's a pretty crappy area.  I saw something fantastic though.  A lazy mom told her child to go around the fence to pee.  The dirt covered kid ran around the fence and while she continued talking to her crackhead friends the little boy pissed through the fence right on her. Cute kid....and smart too :-) 

http://vimeo.com/35787845    Darned Vimeo embedding doesn't work.  Good song


This weekend I decided to go on over to the NorthFace 50mile race.  I'd given thought to running the marathon because 3:55 won it last year.  I figured I could win that.  Turns out it was already closed.  I did give thought to running the 50mile but I haven't really done anything in 6 weeks and really had 10 shitty weeks before that.  So that was out.  Instead I went to cheer on Mike and see if Lyuda ran it again.

It rained like crazy Friday night so it was a muddy sloppy mess for them.  Mike ran 12:10.  He inspires the hell out of me.  Toughest and most passionate runner I know.



 I should have ran with him a bit more to help him break 12 but every time I gave it a thought another really hot chick would run by that required some of my cheering.  Wow.....if ever a guy needed a push to keep running instead of biking.  Chicks like this......will do it. (pic not from this race, stole from her blog http://shutupandrun.tumblr.com/)

After the race I got a lot of compliments for my cheering.  It seems cheering is the way to women's hearts.  That's the most successful I've been in a while with the cuties.  My favorite cheer was to yell to them "Don't worry....there's much better cheerleaders ahead".   

Anyways, talked to the 3rd place guy after the race and got to realizing....Shoot....I can beat this fellow.  Now all I wanna do is run.  Blip....like a switch.

Had already planned a nice bike ride for Sunday.  I hadn't been out to Mount Weather in ages.  The entire ride I was feeling pretty crappy.  Then on the top of Mount Weather.....almost as far as you can possibly get from home.   Bamm....bike breaks. I was able to pull off the derailer and wind it around my bike.  Then bash the chain with a rock until it broke and hammer it back together shorter to make it a fixed gear.  But the darned thing wouldn't hold together so finally I just said screw it.

 Had to hitchhike back to Leesburg (4th car that passed me picked me up.  Must have been the spandex) and then John picked me up in Leesburg.   The running gods are sending me signals.  Time for bipedal training.

Off to hit the Fairfax trails.  Starting to think Ironman Louisville in August......