9 Weeks Until Race Day

Well...To put it mildly, this was a low morale week for me. I've been feeling under the weather all week, so it makes it that much harder to find the motivation to stay on track and get out there and run. Add that with the fact that I've been on a structured, 5 days a week plan for 21 weeks, and I feel like I'm allowed a week of blarg now and then.

I'm definitely a morning guy, but had to postpone my long mid-week run (7 miles) until the afternoon on Wednesday. The weather was much better (shorts and 60s), but the 4 miles the next morning were tough. By Saturday I was just wiped out, but managed to survive the ten-miler. Contributing to that worn-out feeling was Will Ferrell's Funny or Die Tour. The better half and I trekked over to Chapel Hill Friday night to see the show. It was well worth the trip (and unexpected scenic tour around campus), but it was a late night/early call for running. I highly recommend you check out any of those comics. Zach Galifianakis is a personal fave of mine - check him out if you enjoy wildly offbeat comedy.

Next week ups the mileage again to 15. Hopefully I'll shake the crud I've been fighting (I do feel better today) and be ready for a big week.

B

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10 Weeks Until Race Day

Halfway there! Uhh, sort of. At least by mileage. Ten weeks to go, and today was our longest and most challenging run yet - 13 hilly miles. I'm hoping that the route we took today is somewhat comparable to the Big Sur course. We still haven't found a 2 mile long hill (hello Hurricane Point), but I feel like we got a lot of ups and downs today. Everyone survived unscathed, but ready to be done (at least I know I was).

Today was also time for new shoes. As I tally up my training miles, it looks like I've put about 319 miles on my shoes. They're not completely worn out, so I'll have some time to work in the new pair slowly. Hopefully the new shoes will help ease some of the discomfort I'm having with my mutant left foot.

Also of (non-running) note. Valentine's Day was this week and the better half and I went blue instead of red. We saw the Blue Man Group perform and it was great. I saw them years ago in Chicago, but this show was new and different. And their opening DJ (Mike Relm) was a great surprise. He has a big video screen and controls both the records/scratching and the video. Those of you that know me, know that anyone who does this has earned a lifelong fan.

Until next week...

B

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11 Weeks Until Race Day

Today was a 12 mile jaunt around Salem Lake. Uneventful it was not, as Nathan found a pile of something to step in and Mike took a tumble (or two) over some very poorly placed roots. I managed to stay upright and survive the run, but I was cashed at the end. Feeling pretty good now, so I'm hoping I'll recover strong and be ready for another big week next week (up to 13 miles, with a much hillier course than this week).

You'll notice from the video that we all had headphones today. No, we're not completely anti-social, but as those miles tick by, we have less to talk about, so a little audio motivation does help. What's on the MP3 player, you might ask? I'm a load-it-up-and-play-it-random type of guy, so I try to dig deep for the tracks on the running mix. Can't miss picks for my eclectic taste? How about the Kings of Leon? You should check them out if you don't know them already. Other staples that keep me moving are Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys and Pearl Jam. And to slow down that heart rate, you've gotta mix in some Regina Spektor and G. Love. So go on, head out to your local Best Buy and freshen up your music collection.

B

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12 Weeks Until Race Day

Another week in the books, faithful readers...

This week was capped off by a 7 mile run today. As a "stepback" week, the mileage was a little less than last week. This is, unfortunately, the last Saturday that we'll see single digit miles until our taper down period a couple weeks before the race. For any of you that may be interested in the details, you can check out the training plan we're doing here. Next week jumps up to a 12 mile run (almost halfway through the full marathon distance). See how I'm using that glass half full mentality? I'll take every advantage I can get to keep the motivation high, as it was a massive battle with the pillow this week.

On a brighter note, today's run had some new faces. Nathan is back from his injury and looked as fit as ever, and my dad even joined our crew for the first couple miles.

Until next time...

B

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