Post run Dailymile meetup

Check out this article on our fundraising effort for the BCAC!  Donate now!  I also did a radio interview this past week too. Listen

It was another great week of training!  The mileage was down but the speed was up.  A special thanks to the dailymile friends that showed up Saturday and ran one of my last longer runs with me.  A very special group.  We are getting down to the wire here, I actually am leaving for Colorado tomorrow morning, I can’t wait!

Here is a re-cap of this weeks training:

Tuesday, August 10: 6.24 miles – I didn’t really have a goal for this run but as I watched the Garmin I thought it would be nice to be in the 8′s today.  It was a struggle my head is always telling me I am not a speedy guy, I am a slow and steady guy. Give in to the 9 minute mile, relax. This was a small victory. The splits are all over the place: Mile 1: 7:55 / Mile 2: 9:19  / Mile 3: 8:53  / Mile 4: 9:40 / Mile 5: 9:15 / Mile 6: 8:55 / Mile .24: 8:01

Wednesday, August 11: 8 miles on bike, 2 miles on treadmill 15% incline, 100 sit-ups, 50 push-ups, 50 squats

Thursday, August 12: 6.45 miles – Awesome hill run with Juda this morning! The skies got dark the winds picked up and the skies opened up and dumped on us. It was awesome! We ran over to Bellemore Rd. and used it as our hill. It was like a river. Great run.

Saturday, August 14: 9.05 miles – Great run for several reasons:  1. Weather was perfect  2. Got to run with some great people  3. I felt fantastic.  4. I love running in downtown B’more.  I am lucky to have such good people around me. Big thank to Jeanne for setting up this meetup.  Thanks to Brodie, Mike, Kathleen, Juda, John, and Darryn for all your support. I really had a great run today here are the splits: Mile 1: 10:27 / Mile 2: 9:27 / Mile 3: 9:10 / Mile 4: 9:20 / Mile 5: 9:59 / Mile 6: 8:18 / Mile 7: 8:33 / Mile 8: 8:30 / Mile 9: 8:41

Sunday, August 15: 12 miles – 1st run Hot to Trot 4 mile race: Alright, if you know me then you know I don’t run in the 7′s.   I was as surprised as you when I saw my splits at the Hot To Trot 4 mile GPS race. Check them out:
Warm up: 8:53 / Mile 1: 7:16 / Mile 2: 7:51 / Mile 3: 8:01 / Mile 4: 7:50
2nd run, cool down:  This mornings 4 mile race was a good confidence booster for my training.  I had twelve on the training schedule so after my 4 mile run with a half mile warm up, I continued on the trail to get my miles in. Good day, last double digit run before the main event.

Believe in the Run

Related posts:

1. Week 4 TransRockies Training I am definately getting stronger on my back to back...
2. TransRockies Training Week 5 Week five was a great confidence booster. I had a...
3. TransRockies Run Training Week 8 This week was a little bit weird. The taper began...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Camping on Michele's birthday weekend

This week was a little bit weird.  The taper began and and big weekend miles didn’t feel so big.  Tapering is always a strange place to be.  For weeks you are pushing as hard as you can to keep increasing your strength and endurance then suddenly, you start going the other direction.  The big event is still looming and you are relaxing, it’s unnatural.

Here is the re-cap of week 8:

Tuesday, August 3: 6 miles – Second run in the Brooks Ghost 3s, its official I like them. Funny they remind me of the Newton Sir Issacs trainers. My legs felt a little rusty from the long runs last weekend, but by the end of the run everything was going quite smoothly.
In my post run shower I got a bit philosophical about running and competition. I have come to the conclusion that I am competing against myself and lately I have been winning.
Wednesday August 4: 8 miles on bike
Thursday, August 5: 8 mile Tempo run – Mixed my tempo work out with some hills. Here are my mile splits, see if you can guess where the hills were:
Mile 1: 8:29
Mile 2: 8:08
Mile 3: 8:51
Mile 4: 10:01
Mile 5: 9:12
Mile 6: 8:40
Mile 7: 8:56
Mile 8: 8:51
Saturday, August 7: 12 miles running 2 miles hike with wife – I can’t believe it.  I have been looking forward to the TransRockies Run for over a year and I will be off and running in 14 days.  It is bittersweet.  I know there will be some post event lows after this run.  So much of my time has been spent preparing for it.  I have NYC and the HAT coming up so it shouldn’t be that bad. Good 12 miles this morning. Going camping with my girl.
Sunday, August 8: 16 miles – Well, after some rowdy campfire drinking with some friends for my friend Michele’s 30th B-day, I thought today’s run would be a lot rougher.  While it was a hard workout, it was hard for the right reasons.  It was hot out there and I think I wanted to punish myself.  I chose a pretty hilly route and went out of my way to run down Bellemore and run back up the notorious hill.  It’s a good quad buster.  I had a few more good hills on this 16 miles.  I am glad to have one more week of training under the belt.

-Believe in the Run

Related posts:

1. Week 4 TransRockies Training I am definately getting stronger on my back to back...
2. Week two of TransRockies Training This week seemed a bit easier than last week, it...
3. TransRockies Training Week 5 Week five was a great confidence booster. I had a...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I was at an REI picking up supplies for the GORE-TEX® TransRockies run and saw a woman in running gear trying on Smith sunglasses and figured I would give them a try since she already had the case unlocked.  When I tried on the Threshold Sliders I was surprised how good they felt on my face.  I did not think they were good looking sunglasses in the case, but I was buying something for running not a fashion show.  I looked in the little mirror and they didn’t look all that bad.  I asked the lady trying them on if she was a runner and if she had worn Smiths before.  She said yes to both questions and went on to say how much she liked her current pair but, she had trashed them and was looking to replace them.  She also said that the glasses looked good on me, I was sold.  I am a sucker for a compliment.

After purchasing them I realized they came with four sets of lens.  This was an awesome surprise.  I was a little skeptical of switching out lens and how sturdy the glasses would be.  I have had the glasses for 2 or 3 months now and they are holding up great.  I have also used 3 of the four sets of lens on different occasions.  I use the rose color lens the most.  On really bright sunny days I use the darker polarized lens, and on my bike on cloudy days I have used the clear lens (the sunglasses fit great with the bike helmet bonus!).

The glasses are extremly comfortable on the face even after 4 hour runs.  They also do a good job when it comes to fogging up.  I have had no issues with fogging and we have had some record breaking temps in Maryland this year along with high humidity.

I bought these glasses for running but I find myself using them for everything.  When I am heading out I reach for the Smith Thresholds every time.  I wish I found these earlier.  I love them and highly recommend these sunglasses for running.  You will end up using them for everything else too.

Smith Optics Threshold

The THRESHOLD is an extremely lightweight sunglass that includes megol nose pads and an adjustable temple. The Patented interchangeable lens system creates a sleek and subtle design allowing easily interchangeable lenses perfect for the running trail, golf course, or weekend ride. Offering over a dozen replacement lenses to choose from, the Threshold can be tailored for any light condition.

• + 9 Base Lens Curvature
• + Carbonic TLT Lenses
• + Frame Measurements 64-18-113
• + Interchangeable Lenses
• + Large Fit / Large Coverage
• + Megol nose and temple pads
• + TR90 Grilamid frame
• + SRP $139.00 USD

Related posts:

1. The HAT Run 50k I recently signed up for my first 50k trail race...
2. Social Media and Customer Service Done Right. Being part of the marketing community, I hear both sides...
3. The entry I put together for the SOLE video contest SOLE Entry from Thomas Neuberger on Vimeo....

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

From left to right Thomas N. (me) Adam Rosenberg Director of BCAC, Juda McGannon

This past week was the fundraiser for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center (BCAC.)  We raised $800 that night, combined with $300 in checks and $1,935 of online donations we are now standing at $3,035.  That leaves us at $8,265 still to go to hit our goal of $11,300 ($100 per mile of the TransRockies Run.)  Thank you to those who came to the fundraiser and have donated online too.  Donate now if you would like to help us reach the goal.

Training
This was the peek mileage week and it looked daunting as hell when I saw it coming.  The great thing is, I hit two new PRs (Personal Records.)  One for Most mileage in a a week, 75 running miles.  The second PR was for running miles in one month.  In July I ran 244 miles, my closest month before that was 164!  This week was a tough one and very rewarding.  A special thanks to the Dailymile community for all their support.  Here is the breakdown for the week:

Monday July 26: 4 miles, with some cooler temps
Tuesday July 27: 9 miles, I was supposed to run 8, but I accidentally did 9 miles. That’s what happens when you improv your running route.
Wednesday July 28: 8 miles on the bicycle, 2 miles on the treadmill at a 15% incline, 100 sit ups and 50 push ups
Friday July 30: 18.27 miles in great temps, a gorgeous morning
Saturday July 31: 20 miles, started off a little tough but evened out as kept going.  I thought about my friend  Andy O. running his 100 miler and hoping it was going well for him. It made twenty miles seem tiny.
Sunday August 1: 22 miles, I thought this 22 mile run was going to be a big struggle. I was achy and tired. I downloaded Dean Karnaze’s 50/50 book on the iPhone last night and started listening as I began to run.

The running actually seemed to be going well and almost seemed effortless for the first 5 miles. I was feeling good. I thought about taking some walk breaks but I didn’t need them so I kept going. I really enjoyed Dean’s audio book. I have been running without music or anything for a couple months now and it has been great. This being my third solo long run I needed some company.

That wraps up week 7 of training.  Believe in the run,

Thomas

Related posts:

1. Week 4 TransRockies Training I am definately getting stronger on my back to back...
2. TransRockies Training Week 5 Week five was a great confidence booster. I had a...
3. TransRockies Training week 6 This weeks training was in some super hot super humid...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tuesday July 20: 8 Miles My head game for this run was avoiding any back tracking or out and back on this eight miler. I did a pretty good.
Wednesday July 21: XTR 2 miles at 15% elevation on the treadmill, 50 push ups and 100 sit ups
Thursday July 22: 6.57 miles of hills – Good hill workout. I did 5 repeats on steep smaller hills I could sprint up and then take a breather at the top and then 3 on long grinding hills that really sapped the energy out of the legs. I felt good that it felt so hard and I was able to do it.
Saturday July 24: 12.21 miles – Baltimore broke a record for the hottest LOW in history. It was 86º at 5 a.m. CRAZY. I met up with Paulie G. and ran two miles from his house to meet up with about 50 runners practicing for the Baltimore Marathon (pictured above). I spotted a couple other DM runners there, Jenna O. and David D. I ran with a hydration backpack and needed it.  Good run overall, I was happy with my pace especially in this heat.

Sunday July 25: 20.21 miles – I met up with Jeff Arricale and Becky at Charm City Run. We ran 12 miles together in some hot hot heat. I continued on to get my twenty in. Around mile 14 the wheels came off. This is what this training is about, getting to a crash point and moving forward. The heat had gotten to me and my stomach was turning. I was feeling pretty nauseous. I walked for a little bit to get my bearings back it worked. I was back to running and just let my self walk when I needed to. I finished up running and was happy to be on my way home. I drank 4 liters of water and one 16 oz Vitamin Water during the run.

I stopped at a Royal Farms on the way home and picked up two bags of ice for my ice bath. The bath was great! Recovery socks on, and I am ready for tomorrow’s run.

Another week down, I can feel the Rocky Mountain high getting closer. Thursday night we are having a fundraiser to help The Baltimore Child Abuse Center.  Please feel free to contribute to the cause.

Believe in the run.

Related posts:

1. Week 4 TransRockies Training I am definately getting stronger on my back to back...
2. TransRockies Training Week 5 Week five was a great confidence booster. I had a...
3. Week two of TransRockies Training This week seemed a bit easier than last week, it...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Rockville Rotary Twilight 8k with the Dailymile Crew

Week five was a great confidence booster.  I had a milestone mileage week with a total of 64 miles.  My body feels strong and is functioning well.  Here is a breakdown of the activity:

Monday August 12: 6 miles The training is working, after two decent runs this weekend my legs still felt good this morning. I still had pep in my step.

Tuesday August 13: 3 easy miles in the morning then 4 miles at the track (total 7.)  I did something a little on the dumb side. At the track workout I really pushed the 200s out of vanity, it would have been an easy way to get hurt.  I have reminded myself this is a distance event not a sprint that I am training for.

Wednesday August 14: 2 miles on 15% incline on the treadmill 50 push ups and 100 sit ups.

Friday August 16: 14 miles, I got up early for this one.

Saturday August 17: 11.5 miles in the morning, then Cindy and me drove down to Rockville for the Rockville Rotary Twilight 8k, What a great race! I will be doing this one again it was a lot of fun plus we met up with the dailymile team and had drinks after the race and a little late night food. Good times.

Sunday August 18: As you can imagine it was tough getting up for this run.  I didn’t get started until close to noon.  It was super hot and humid out.  The best thing I can say about this one is that I got it done.

Through my TransRockies Run I am trying to help children in Baltimore that are suffering. Please help me raise funds for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center

Believe in the Run.

Related posts:

1. Week 4 TransRockies Training I am definately getting stronger on my back to back...
2. Week two of TransRockies Training This week seemed a bit easier than last week, it...
3. Social Media and Customer Service Done Right. Being part of the marketing community, I hear both sides...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

After crossing the Stream during the BRRC Sweet Air Trail Race Sunday

I am definately getting stronger on my back to back runs.  It is reassuring to feel the progress. Here is a recap of the week:

Tuesday July 6: A hot and humid 7 miles – Air quality alert was RED for Baltimore, temps to hit 105º but it felt hotter due to the humidity.

Thursday July 8: 6 miles with stairs – This was a tough one. Very hot very humid (sound familiar?) I got up extra early and went downtown to hit a great set of stairs that climb Federal Hill near the Baltimore Harbor. Once up the stairs you can loop the park and hit the stairs again and again. It is almost a perfect quarter mile, so at least 4 good stair climbs a mile. (see the picture of the stairs bellow)

Saturday July 10: 12.28 miles Group run with the Baltimore Road Runners Club – Nice run made even better when it started to rain. It is a lot of fun running with the BRRC, some good people show up for these runs at all levels.

Sunday July 11: 16 miles, 6.5 miles in a BRRC trail race then 9.5 miles on my own – I had a great running day. Starting with the BRRC Sweet Air Trail race. I took off nice and easy and just got stronger as the race continued. I don’t normally pick people off but today I was in a grove and doing some passing.  I don’t know what it was about today, I was running strong.  Several BRRC and Dailymile people were in attendance.

Review of the BRRC Sweet Air Trail Race

This was probably my favorite trail race ever.  The trail was beautiful, there were two stream crossings, mud, technical rocky areas, soft shaded stretches and steep climbs.  The people there were all supportive and there to have fun.  The cost of the race was $2 for BRRC members $5 for non-members.  You can’t beat that.

Don’t forget.  I am raising funds for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, please give.

Thursday's stairs

BRRC meet up on Saturday

Related posts:

1. Week two of TransRockies Training This week seemed a bit easier than last week, it...
2. It’s Official 2010 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run! A little over one week away from the Chicago Marathon...
3. Social Media and Customer Service Done Right. Being part of the marketing community, I hear both sides...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Jeff and me at the end of 10 miles 8 more to go.

This week seemed a bit easier than last week, it was about 10 miles shorter. Here is the break down:

Monday June 21: off
Tuesday June 22: 6 miles Ran home from work and added on a couple miles
Wednesday June 23: Xtr – Biked to the gym 4 miles, Stairmaster for 20 minutes, treadmill at a 15% elevation and walked as fast as I could for 10 minutes.  Then 125 sit-ups and 50 push-ups
Thursday June 24: 6 miles
Saturday June 26: 10 miles
Sunday June 27: 18 miles – My friend Jeff Arricale and his girlfriend Becky ran 10 miles of this one with me it really helped the miles move along.

I switched up from my Camelbak to a Nathan HPL 020 and packed it with the required items for the TransRockies.  I had 60 oz, of water, two Ginsting Honey Stingers gels, Pentax camera, iPod, Arc’ Teryx GORE-TEX Paclite jacket, Warm hat, gloves, first aid kit, blister kit, and an emergency blanket.  With a full bladder and all that gear the Nathan HPL 020 was only a little over 7 lbs.  I ran the 18 miler on Sunday with the new pack.  It is more comfortable to run with than the Camelbak and I really appreciated having gels easily accessible.  Typically with the Camelbak I would need to take the pack off to get to the gels.  There was less jostling around with the Nathan as well.  I would recommend the Nathan pack for runners.

Nathan HPL 020

My friend Ed Kelly connected me with a runner that participated in the 2009 GORE-TEX TransRockies, Brian Gaines.  Check out Brian’s TransRockies Run Recap

Please help me raise money for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center by sponsoring Juda and me by visiting our FirstGiving page.

Related posts:

1. Social Media and Customer Service Done Right. Being part of the marketing community, I hear both sides...
2. It’s Official 2010 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run! A little over one week away from the Chicago Marathon...
3. The HAT Run 50k I recently signed up for my first 50k trail race...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Brian L. Stephanie M. Brodie W. and Me

So about two months ago I was messaging back and forth with Stephanie M. on dailymile.  We were thinking it would be fun to run a race together, Stephanie mentioned The North Face Challenge in DC.  I wrote her back and let her know that I was registered.  She said I was nuts and she registered too.  We were kinda nuts we only had about six weeks to get ready for a trail marathon.  If you know anything about road running vs trail running, you know trail running is harder.  I emailed Brodie and roped him into the madness too.  We are running enablers, its a good thing.

June 5th came fast and the next thing I know I am waking up at 5 a.m. getting my gear together and rushing out the door to go pick up Brodie.  I left something in the house so I ran back to the house, as I was running I stepped on the hose and slightly turned my left ankle (FORESHADOW ALERT).  I hopped back in the car and picked up Brodie stopped at Starbucks and got my pre-run ritual meal: tall coffee, slice of banana walnut bread, and a black cherry yogurt.  Brodie knew some back roads and we were to the shuttle bus before we knew it.  We met Linda on the bus and she hung out with us until the start of the race.

Stephanie pickin' up packets

Stephanie picked up my packet for me the night before so I was eagerly awaiting her arrival.  From a distance I saw her orange dailymile t-shirt.  We had a Hallmark moment as we opened arm hugged.  It was the first time we met, but just like when I met Steve S. and Andy O. it was like we already knew each other and were old friends.  It was hot out there and I was already sweating.  Another dailymiler Brian L. showed up too. Now we were all together, Brodie, Stephanie, Linda, Brian, and me all just waiting for the start of the race.  It came fast enough.

All five of us started the run together and the terrain was deceptively easy for the first couple of miles.  I came to run with Stephanie so I made sure I didn’t lose her in the crowd.  The trail got harder and hotter.  I was dripping with sweat, I couldn’t be any wetter.  Stephanie was wearing a little green sparkle skirt that made a lot of people smile and comment.  For most of the first 13.1 miles I kept hearing “I love your skirt” when I wasn’t hearing that I was hearing Stephanie cheering on other runners.  I found out that she was a cheerleader in high school and college.

Spotting Mark at the 1/2 way

Stephanie had planned on only running 13.1 miles of the event.  When we made it close to the half way point we spotted Jason P. from dailymile and then Stephanie’s husband Mark.  We said a quick hello and made it to the aid station where we filled up on water and nutrition.  Did I mention it was super hot and humid.  I went through 64 oz. of water in 13.1 miles.  We saw Greg S. from dailymile at the aid station, he was pacing a friend doing the 50 miles.  I said my goodbyes to Stephanie and got back on the trails.

I felt good at this point and started to pick up the pace.  It was fun I was passing a lot of people.  I knew I still had a long way to go so I tried to keep myself from getting carried away.  By the time I started to really feel the distance I was pretty over heated.  Having the Camelbak with 64 oz. of water turned out to be a life saver as I gulped enduralytes, Stinger gels, Clif Bloks and loads of water.  It was seven miles between the aid stations and in 90º weather and 90% humidity that would have been a long wait for water.

I started getting really fatigued around mile 17, maybe that is why on a steep downhill I wasn’t careful.  Next thing I knew my head hit the ground and I did a summersault.  I had turned that same left ankle as I had running back into the house.  I hit hard my upper arm is deeply bruised, my knees have small cuts and my wedding band cut into my hand and was bleeding.  I got up and knew I was screwed, it was tough to walk let alone run.  I was not going to DNF (did not finish) this race.  I started walking and started going to a dark place in my head.  I really started to beat myself up.  I thought I had lost it and was thinking I was weak.  At this point I was about 7-8 miles out, at the pace I was walking (about 18 minute miles) this could be awhile.  People I passed were starting to pass me, this SUCKED!  I needed to start running.  My first couple of tries were on the shorter side.  As I kept going the runs got longer.  I was bargaining with myself, thinking just run to that next uphill or run to the next spot of shade.  Every time I had to stop running I would start to beat myself up again.  I spotted a few other dailymile people on the trails, Brian F. and Matt the “No Meat Athlete” it lifted my spirit.  The last aid station had Coca-Cola it was cold and delicious and I drank a lot of it.  Coca-Cola fueled the last two miles I was done with this race and just bit down and ran as hard as I could.  I knew Brodie, Brian, and Stephanie would be waiting at the finish.  So would beer and ace bandages.  I was right about the beer, no luck on the ace bandage. Stephanie captured my finish on video.

TNF Finish from Thomas Neuberger on Vimeo.

Overall, even with the extreme heat, humidity, busted up ankle I had a great day.  I hung out with my dailymile friends, completed my 9th marathon, pretty good stuff.  Oh yeah did I mention I met Dean Karnazes?

Dean Karnazes & Me

I can’t express how much the site dailymile has improved my running experiences and my life.  If you are not on it you should be what are you waiting for?  Thanks again to Brodie and Stephanie without you it would not have been the same.  See you at the next adventure.  I forgot to mention this was Brodie’s last run before a hernia operation and he actually ran 30 miles.

Results: 27.8 miles 6:22:52 – 67th place overall, in my age group 18th place, out of men 45th Considering I did it with a bum ankle, not to shabby.  I will take it.   -Believe in the Run

Check out these shots of the ankle a day after the race:

Stephanie and Brodie

Related posts:

1. The Brian A. Hill Challenge Brian A. Hill Challenge from Run Talk Radio on Vimeo....
2. HAT 50k Run Re-Cap HAT 50k ReDux from Thomas Neuberger on Vimeo. For a...
3. Kate M. Haiku Challenge After last weeks challenge inspired by Stephanie, We asked Stephanie...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

• 2 packets of True Lemon
• 2 tea spoons of raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of Chia seeds
• 6 to 8 0z. of water

Believe in the run!

Related posts:

1. True Lemon Give-Away! The good people at True Lemon Liked my Chia recipe...
2. HAT 50k Run Re-Cap HAT 50k ReDux from Thomas Neuberger on Vimeo. For a...
3. It’s Official 2010 GORE-TEX® TransRockies Run! A little over one week away from the Chicago Marathon...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.