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.

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.

On Saturday I met up with Jeanne, Paul Gochar, Bobby O’Kane, and Wendell to run the trails in Patapsco State Park.  The video does not do the hills and mud justice.  This was a tough hilly muddy 8 mile mess.

Sunday, Jeanne and I met up for a 14 mile run through Baltimore and the rain.  Fellow Dailymiler’s Brodie W. and Brian B. joined us for the run.  Running with friends sure makes the nasty weather easier to take.  If you are on Dailymile friend these runners, they are great people.

Me, Brian B., Jeanne B., Brodie W.

Patapsco Trail Run from Thomas Neuberger on Vimeo. Believe in the Run

Related posts:

1. HAT 50k Training Officially Starts Tomorrow marks the official start of my training for the...
2. You gotta have friends. I guess when I used to think about running I...
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.

Green Valley North Turkey Trot

I will be running The Green Valley North Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day with some friends and family.

Then in December I will be running a Baltimore classic, The Celtic Solstice 5 Mile Run.  This is a cold one!  Jeanne Bayers and Brodie Wise are just a couple of the dailymile.com‘ers that will be there.  This race usually sells out.  If your interested RUN don’t walk to sign up.  You can sign up and get the jacket for $45, or just pay a $15 fee to run the event.

Hope to see you out there!

Related posts:

1. 5 Mile Repeats Since I am in the dead space between training for...
2. The HAT Run 50k I recently signed up for my first 50k trail race...
3. You gotta have friends. I guess when I used to think about running I...

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

From Left to Right Me, Brodie, Katie before the CCR NCR 20 Miler

I guess when I used to think about running I thought of it as an individual sport.  I was wrong. These past few months of training has made it crystal clear.

I have trained for all 7 of my previous marathons with Jeff Arricale.  At the end of the Spring marathon season Jeff let me know he was taking a break.  The training has not been the same.  Having a partner to run the long Saturday runs with makes a huge difference.  When you run with a partner you push each other to run faster even if you don’t feel like it.  You make it out to the start of the run with purpose.  I find myself running slower this training.  I think a lot of it is that I don’t have anyone to keep up with.  I am running Chicago next month and have no clue what my time will be.

On the flip side other running friends are helping me out.  Juda’s Tuesday track nights introduced me to a group of pretty decent runners and had me doing organized speed work.  Mean Jeanne the BOMF running machine and I have become closer this season and have done some of our own track workouts followed by a cup of coffee and some conversation at Starbuck’s.  Katie from Charm City Run joined me for some of my last runs around the Baltimore harbor and showed me how fast she really is when she finishes 20 mile runs 30 minutes in front of me.  My friend Brodie and I reconnected with in the crowd of runners at the Maryland 1/2 Marathon. Brodie came up from Silver Spring early in the morning to Baltimore for the Charm City Run NCR trail 20 Miler last weekend to run it with me.  Brodie is a much faster runner than me. I really appreciate that he stayed by my side giving me encouragement the entire time.  Thanks Brodie.

Once I realized that travel to the Montreal Marathon was going to be prohibitive, Katie let me know she knew someone that had extra rooms reserved in Chicago for the marathon weekend.  Jeff had an extra bib for Chicago.  Everything fell into place and now I will be running the Chicago marathon.  Awesome.

One other set of friends that have helped out are all the people I virtually run with on Dailymile.com.  So I guess I did not train all by myself for this Falls race; I had a lot of help.

PS – I found out that I did not make the wait list cut offs for the North Face Challenge 50k.  Might be a blessing in disguise.  I am really looking forward to Chicago.

Related posts:

1. Ankle Blow-Up Bee Sting BRRC Fat Ass 50k Ka-POW! I think I love trail running. Paul Gochar texted...

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