Reality Check

I can't do an ultramarathon. Check that-my body won't let me do an ultramarathon. So, it's over. Let me explain (not that anybody reads this damn blog.)

I've been running off and on since I was seven. That's a lot of miles ago. I ran before running was the thing and I ran big distances when I was young. Really young. I ran the Atlanta Marathon when I was 15. Stupid but I did it. The local pizza shop where I worked sponsored me. I was a pretty good high school cross-country runner until a girl named Michelle and a horrific case of mono. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital and I was never the same runner.

But I digress.

Over the past three years, my kness have steadily gotten more and more painful. I've ignored them, had three MRIs, been told I needed to have them cleaned out, etc. So, in typical dumbass fashion, I decided to do an ultra. My reasoning was that I would get this done BEFORE my knees were totally shot. It didn't work.

I can't climb stairs.
I can't get into my truck without pulling myself in with the steering wheel.
I can't step off a curb without pain.
I can't walk down an hill without significant pain.
I'm taking 2400 mg of Ibruprofen and it doesn't help.

I'm done with serious running. I think I can run a half with just major pain (at least I'll be able to walk the next day.) My marathon days are over-I know that now. An ultra is simply beyond what my body will do anymore. My heart is willing to endure some pain but I'm thinking I'll destroy what's left of my knees if I continue with this madness.

So, it's over. I'm still doing 70.3s as it's a distance my body can handle and I love the sport of triathlon. I've scheduled 3 centuries for this winter as I love the bike (thanks Dave). I'm going to teach myself to swim well.

And, I'll continue to run. Slowly and miserably (regerism.)

I ran 12 yeaterday and tried to do the follow up 8 mile run today. My right knee buckled at 3 miles and I sat in the dirt and faced reality.

Hard. And as Hemingway said, "it's an ugly bastard." Damn right.

So, that's it. $200 in entry fees wasted. Who cares? I can't do the training so I damn sure wouldn't finish the races.

It just sucks. I've never felt more old in my life. I've got a wife and kid to consider. I guess it's time to acknowledge that I'm not 21 anymore. I just can't handle the miles+pain+reality.

Shit.

Meltdown this morning

My body hurts. All over. I think the miles (which are really low right now) combined with my recent faceplant+journey down the stairs=meltdown.

I could barely walk to the bathroom this morning. My knees are really hurting these days. I just avoid stairs and go slow down any type of decline. My guess is that the 34 years of running and basically beating the hell out of my body have finally caught up with me.

Whatever.

So, I'm headed to bed early tonight (like when I finish this post) and try to rebuild. I'll do the runs this week and then it's fairly decent mileage this weekend.

School is good. My kids think I have lost my mind because I force them to think (gasp) outside the box. If you take a college prep class, doesn't it go to reason that you should prepare for college?

Duh.

No buttless chaps...,

But I did run the 6. Boring. I'm going to have to find some new routes when the miles get big.

Starting back on the trainer tomorrow and have signed up for swim lessons. I have no idea if I'll have time to train after I start my doctoral program in January so I'm going to start now to work on the base for cycling. I still want to do Gulf Coast and maybe some sprints before Ironman Augusta 70.3. I'm just not sure I'll have the time, especially considering I'm doing two ultras.

Hmmmm

10 Miles

10 miles. Boring miles.

Nothing special. Tomorrow I run six. Maybe I'll wear buttless chaps...,

School's back in....,

Yep-the kids came back in waves on Monday. I'm teaching all juniors this year so it should be fun. I can really push the juniors as they have figured out they better get their asses in gear if they really want to go to school beyond high school.

My legs are tired. While the mileage isn't high, the program I'm following keeps my legs from feeling fresh so I'm always running tired. Weird. My speed is down but the endurance is coming way up. I ran with a friend last night who commented that my foot turnover was still too fast. I gotta slow that down before Pine Mountain.

Today is another slow, goofy run and then grading papers. It still beats making six figures while driving around in a car or getting on an airplane.

Just damn. Another fall...,

I'm too old for this. Way too old.

I got up this morning around 6 because I had to get the 8 miler done early. Charlotte's half-dead Yorkie, Bell, was yipping so I started down the stairs to get her. I have a pair of old LL Bean slippers with a slick leather bottom. I hit the second stair and that was it. Down I went-all the way down. I would up in a heap on the landing with my feet up the wall and my head resting on the bottom stair.

The dog continued to bark.

I yelled and said the F bomb at least eight times. Then I did my damage assessment. Huge hematoma on the left elbow. Loss of skin on left forearm. Right hip has a pretty bruise. Right wrist is a little wonky (Regerism).

The dog paused. And started barking again.

I struggled to my feet, snatched her furry ass from the cage, and took her outside where she staggered around, peed on herself, and sat down in the puddle. This is the test of my marriage.

Canine style.

Charlotte got up and asked me what the yelling was about. I can't write my reply other than it was not kind.

Yeah-I did the run and that part was really good. The sweat made the elbow burn and the constant jarring really made the hip sing. I had to carry my water bottle in the other hand because my wrist hurts.

Good stuff.

Tomorrow school starts. I think I'm just going to get up and pee in an electrical outlet to get the day started right.

Wow.

New shoes, 11.5 miles, One faceplant

So, I'm following my plan this week. Did my miles last weekend and goofed with the miles in the middle of the week. My legs actually feel pretty good and the soreness in my knees is now just a roar. Whatever-I'm mobile.

Today was the long day. I got a late start mostly due to the wild ass party we had here last night. Trivia Pursuit and a close fridge is dangerous. So, I was a little slow this morning. The heat was on when I got to Kennesaw Mtn and I spent 30 minutes talking with a woman who is training for the MS 150. Very cool.

The first lap was uneventful with the exception of my headphones shorting out. Sweat+electronics=static. So, I ditched those, refilled the bottle, and headed out to see if I could negative split this run. You know how you find that rhythm and running just becomes part of you? Yeah-I was in THAT moment. Cruising, low HR, feeling decent when I found a root.

A big damn root.

In a instant, I'm bouncing off the trail. I tried to tuck my shoulder under to roll but it never made it. Instead, I displayed the reflexes of stunned beagle. After I stopped sliding, I sat there and did damage control. All systems were go with a little blood seeping.

My shoes? They rock. I don't normally wax poetic about shoes but Montrail makes a hell of a trail shoe. I used to run in Hardrocks but they were phased out. So, I bought Continental Divides. Wow. What a shoe. Really comfy. My feet are not sore and the toe box absorbed the root with aplomb.

Anyway, tomorrow brings 8. Oh, I was in Big Peach Running Company today and the woman assisting me asked what races I had coming up. I told her the Pine Mountain 40 and her reply was rather ominous. She said, "Is that your first ultra?" I said yes and she told me it was 40 miles of super technical running.

Super.

Well, I signed up for Ironman having never even done a sprint. How hard can this be?

The High Museum and a hot run

I went to the High Museum today with 314 of my closest friends. If you haven't been in a while or are traveling to Atlanta soon, it's worth the visit.

On display are literally hundreds of Civil Rights era photographs that depict the battle of the African American to gain equality in America. As I write this, the images are swirling in my brain and I'm sure they'll make it into my dreams tonight. The rawness of the human spirit is on display and it is quite moving. The purpose of the trip was to workshop art into the teaching of literature. If you have a kid, they should be in Cobb County schools. We are definitely upping the game and the fire is hot for student achievement.

Pretty cool.

My program has me running 2 lousy miles tonight. I think my HR got to around 110 because of the heat. Of course, Saturday morning is a different (and more painful) story.

Whatever, I'll take it...,

Damn Hot 8 miles

Man, it was hot outside today for the run. I banged out an 8 miler and it was brutal. The heat in the woods was oppressive and the sweat just poured.

It's done.

The plan I'm following has the idea of distance sandwiches. Two consecutive days of high mileage with rest days on either side. On paper, it's not that bad. At my age, it's pretty bad. My legs were stiff for the first couple of miles and then I finally got a little loose as the run dragged on. Middle distances during the week (6-9 miles)

I can't wait unitl late October when I do a 31 miler followed by a 15 miler. That'll be fun.

Not.

Well, I thought about running...,

Okay, so it crossed my mind but sleep won the battle. So, it's church, afternoon running around, and then 8 tonight at Leita Thompson.

Little stiff this morning but that's more because I didn 't cool down properly yesterday. Joe Reger talks about ice baths after an intensive workout. There's something to be said for them. I've found that just running the garden hose over my quads lessens the damage/DOMS. I also use The Stick to "strip" the muscles of the lactic acid and get recovery going quicker.

After I did the Rock~Roll Half, I walked directly into the lake and sat down. I recovered pretty quick from that race. Meb (the marathon guy) goes the river behind his house and does the same.

Such is my morning rambling. I'm thinking about Six Gap but frankly not sure I want to put any effort into training for it. I guess I could just ride it just to suffer a bit....,

10.5 miles

Yeah, it blew.

I'm up. Let the training begin...,

Training officially starts today for the Pine Mountain 40 and the Mississippi 50. I want desperately to go back to bed and snuggle with Charlotte but if I do...,

Nothing special today-just 10 over at Kennesaw Mtn. Maybe I'll see a Bambi or two. Always makes the run better. I've taken off a few days because my left knee was inflamed. It's a little better and I'm targeting it at the gym.

Here we go. BTW-this is Reger's fault. It was his great blog posts that got me inspired to try an ultra.

Stupid.