4/5 Through 4/11 Week Sixteen-The Final Week

Day 106 - Monday - I was going to do my Sunday one hour run today but then I started thinking, what for? This is the week OF the race and that one hour won't help and maybe only hurt me. It's only monday and I'm already over thinking this week.

Day 107 - 5am - Track time! Eight miles with a little speed work. Dennis is there and runs the first six as we discuss having a conference call with Amy and Elece. We need to make sure we know where everyone will be and at what time. Of course a large part of this is predicated on how I'm running and at what pace. The goal is to run approximately 12 minute miles. Dennis is going to be my pacer at the 26 mile point. He will run 15 miles and hand me off to Amy, who will run the final 9 miles. Dennis and I were so focused on the details of this conversation that we ran 3 miles without realizing it. The time had gone by so quickly.

Day 108 - Wednesday - Conference call day! We all went over the game plan. I would run 12 minute miles which would put me at mile 26 around 11:12am. Dennis would be there around 10:45am ready to go. Amy would catch up with Elece a little earlier in the day and Elece would take me to the start of the race and then hit some of the aid stations. I was going to send text messages out at any aid station that Elece didn't make. We're all ready for race day.

Day 109 - 5am - Last track workout! This is going to be an easy 6 mile run. Dennis and I run and talk about the race. I'm starting to get more anxious about the race. It is a distance that I never had any thoughts about running. Now after reading an article in Runner's World about a first timers experience in a 50 miler and reading that a "beginner friendly 50 miler" was right in my backyard....oh boy! When Dennis and I were training for a marathon and Dennis modified the training program from 4 days to 3 he would say, "trust the program", and he was right. He went on to run a personal best, sub 4 hour marathon and I ran a personal best 4:20. Again he would say, "just trust the program". I tell Dennis I want to really think about how I'm feeling at miles 30, 40 and 50. I have never run more than 27.3 miles at any given time and want to know how I really feel at those particular points in the race. Tonight I'm driving up to Amy's house to stay through the race weekend. She just bought her first house and has some things for me to do. This will help keep my mind off the race.

Day 110 - Friday - Today I'm picking up my race packet. I head up in the morning to Fleet Feet to get my packet. The store is in a little retail strip center. The parking lot is almost full. There are only 20-25 people at the store picking up their packets. I go to the start of the line and start through the process. I can hear a few people talking about previous Ultra's they had run and some of the issues they over came to finish them. The funny part is the look on their faces wasn't about how horrible it was but that it was just part of the deal of running an Ultra. It's not "if" you'll have pain, it's "when" you'll have pain. I work through the line and head into the store to look around. I start looking at the two choices they have of salt tablets. This guy named Kirk who works there walks up and says, "we sell a lot more of this one, I noticed you were reading the labels and comparing them". He said the aid stations would also have these. I then started talking to him about the race. He said the aid stations are unbelievable. They are well stocked with all kinds of drinks and foods. I told him this was my first Ultra and he said it was also going to be his. We wished each other luck and I started heading back to my car. I no sooner walked out of the store and I started to hyperventilate. My mouth went dry and I started getting jittery. I got in the car and called Dennis. I told him what was going on and he started laughing. He said, "that's so cool". That made me start laughing. I couldn't believe I was hyperventilating just from picking up my race packet. After talking with Dennis for a little while I started to laugh more about how I was handling the anxiety. I don't run very fast. I'm a middle of the pack kind of runner but I have finished every race I've been in. I'm proud of that but this race I was starting to have doubts. The race is still a day away! Elece came up to Sacramento tonight to join me at Amy's. We had pasta, salad, garlic bread and a little wine for dinner. I set out my race stuff for the tenth time, go over all the details again and again and then head off to bed.

Day 111 - Race Day!!!! I get up at 2am! Way to early. I go back to sleep for 30 minutes, 2:30am. I go back to sleep for another 30 minutes. That's it 3am and I'm getting up. I go start the coffee. Elece is still in bed. I tell her I'll wake her up in a little bit. I make myself eggs and bread to go with my coffee. I have a glass of orange juice with my Mila. We are going to leave the house at 4:30. I know this is earlier then we need but I am way to nervous to take any chances. Elece gets up and we head out the door. We arrive at the start of the race before 5 am. The race will start at 6. We sit in the car for awhile and then I can't take it any more. I have to get out and move around. We head over to the porta potties. Oh christ we only 15 more minutes until the start. This is not really problem but for me exhaling is a problem. Elece and I walk to the starting line. She takes a couple of pictures, gives me a kiss and then 10, 9, 8,....and we're off. Oh shit! I remember telling people when I run marathons there are only two things I have to do, one, cross the start line and two, cross the finish line. What happens in between is almost irrelevant. Amy wrote me a note this morning that said just that. The first aid station would be at the 5 mile mark. There are 750 of us who were registered to run the race. It was amazing to see so many of them starting out really fast. I kept thinking jesus they are going really fast. How are they going to keep up that pace for 50 miles. I remembered the advice I had gotten from a friend of Holly Wick, Jenny who said "start out slow and if you think you are going slow, slow down some more". In the beginning of every long race I had been in there is always a group or two that do a lot of talking early on. I mean they are very talkative. Some of it appears to be nervous energy and some of it just simple conversation. I remember this one group of 5 guys. The one guy was talking up a storm and the others were yaking a lot. About mile 14 there was not a word coming from any of them. From my experience this is typical. As the race goes on people start getting tired and the second thing to go is the talking. My first mile I ran 10:30. This was not a good sign, I was going too fast. I slowed down, I thought. I ran the next mile, 10:35. Oh boy, I have got to slow way down. Then I remembered Jenny also saying that she would run 5 miles and then walk for 10 minutes. This would give her the 12 minute miles she was looking for. So I thought if you can't slow down to a 12 minute mile then walk the difference. Sure enough at mile 5 I was at 52:30. Not only was I going to walk for awhile but Elece was at the first aid station taking pictures and cheering me on. She would send text messages to everyone so I didn't have to. This was a really big deal for me. Trying to text while running or even walking was going to be a pain in the butt. I would do it if I had to but thanks to Elece I didn't have to. I should have walked for 7 minutes but after 5 I couldn't take it any more and started running. For about the first 18 miles the race is run on the American River Parkway. A nice flat bike/pedestrian path. You could run run on the asphalt or on the dirt trail along side the asphalt. With the exception of the cyclist who were rather obnoxious the rest of the people who were either walking or running on the parkway were very nice and supportive. By the hour and twenty minute mark I was settle in and running very comfortable. Elece was at every aid station up to the 26 mile mark. I don't how she managed to navigate through a town she doesn't know yet do it with such a short time frame in between. It's really nice to have someone at every aid station cheering you on, taking pictures, sending updates to people and not passing out from the smell. Most of the aid station were 3 to 4 miles apart. The longest we had to go was 6 miles. Part of the time I ran along side people and we would start talking. There were three gentlemen in particular who had run this race before. I had asked all of them for any tidbits of information that would get me through this race. They all talked about how great the aid stations were and they also talked about "the damn wall". The "damn wall starts around mile 46.5 and you have to climb it up to the finish line. One of them said try to save some energy for the wall, the other said he just walks it and the last said there is coke at the bottom of the hill, load up and let the sugar rush get you up the hill. I'm only at mile 16 and I still feel really good and all of that seems manageable. Except I've never run that far before and I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in at that time. One of the three gentlemen was a guy named John. He was a Vietnam Vet who had a lot of experience running Ultra's. I was running with him up through mile 18. He was telling me when you get to the trails, the ones after mile 26 "you run when you can, and walk when you have to". I tried to stay with him through the aid station at mile 18. This was a mistake. I rushed through and didn't take my salt. This would come back to haunt me in a short while. Mile 18 is at the Nimbus Dam overlook. You have to climb a short steep hill to get to it. After this aid station you start into the trails. I started to get cramps halfway to the next aid station. Not only had I not carried my fuel belt with me at this time there wasn't any water sources along the way. The next aid station was only 4.3 miles away but I could've used that water earlier. My mistake for not staying with my game plan. Up to this point I was following the plan pretty close. I was a little bit ahead of schedule but not to much. After "running when I could and walking when I had to" I finally make it to the next aid station. I take additional salt tablets in hopes of making up what I lost. I am know at mile 22.6, just 4 more miles until Dennis gets to join me and I'll be over halfway. The next leg is mostly uphill but the salt is starting to kick in and I can start to run more. All things considered I don't feel bad at all. I'm a little tired. I finally make it to mile 26.7, Beals Point. This is where I had my drop bag with clean socks and my trail shoes waiting for me. This is also where I was suppose to run into the aid station and "my crew" would have everything waiting for me. A chair, my socks and shoes out of the bag but I don't see any one. What the hell????? Where are they? Elece had been at every aid station before this and now where is she. Oh Oh, what happened? No Dennis, no Elece and no Amy. Oh man something went wrong. I sit down and change out my socks and shoes and get ready to take off when I see Dennis. Where is everyone? Dennis says, "Elece is just a minute away and I need to give her my bag". Dennis had a bag with clothes that he could change into once he was done pacing me. I thought, no problem we are ahead of schedule and just then here comes Elece and Amy. Ok, everyone is alright. I only have 24. 3 miles to go!!! We take off and Dennis says, "I'm here for you". I said great let me walk for a little bit to get my legs moving again. The break was too long and my legs were a little stiff. We finally take off and after about 5 minutes Dennis starts to realize he can't let me tell him what we should do. If he lets me tell him what to do I'll want him to get me a taxi and drive me to the finish. So he changes from I'm here for you to just follow me. Being a pacer is not really being a friend. It's being pushy at a time when you really need it. Dennis would push and push until I couldn't go any more and then he would give me a little break. We are now in the hills on trails that are not all that smooth and easy. The uphills might be steep or have rocks and roots running across them or all of the above. The same for the downhills but he got really good at picking the spots to pick it back up. It also didn't hurt that we would come around a corner and see someone ahead and say "let's get him". This really was more of a mind game then a competitive thing and it worked. The next aid station was Granite Bay, mile 31.7. I've never been this far before. I'm tired, a little sore but I've only got 18.3 miles to go! From this point up to mile 41 I wouldn't be able to see Elece or Amy. Thankfully Dennis is talking through much of this run. It was the kind of talking that I didn't have to answer back with a lot of words but more just observations. One thing in particular that really stood out. My breathing was becoming very labored. At the time I didn't realize it. Dennis asked If I had read the current issue of Runner's World. I said no and he started to tell me about this article. It was running without your ipod. Dennis said the article talks about running without your ipod and just focus on your breathing and your foot strike. He no sooner says this then I realize my breathing is almost out of control. I immediately start to control my breathing and start to relax. I don't know if was aware of my breathing or if it was just great timing on his part but it worked. Another thing that happened, I learned to run through cramps. I'd never done that before. I would walk through them. It was easier to run through them and they would go away quicker if I ran through them. So during the run if I started to cramp I would tell Dennis and he would immediately start us running. When we came into the aid station I would take more salt tabs and fluid. There was one particular aid station that had ice cream cones. Can you believe in the middle on nowhere they had damn ice cream cones. I couldn't stand the thought of eating ice cream but not Dennis. He took one and let me know how good it tasted. It was at these aid stations that the people working them would come up and ask you if need water or GU and if you did they would take your bottles fill them and bring them back to you before you could even get into the aid station. Chicken soup never tasted so good!! Dennis and I had been running for about 3 hours when we came up on Rattlesnake Bar. This was at mile 40.9. This was the aid station where Dennis would stop running and Amy would pace me to the finish line. This was also the first time I had seen Elece in the last 3 hours. Before we had gotten to Rattlesnake Bar I told Dennis what Runner's World had said about this race being beginner friendly race. He thought it wasn't an easy course and if this was beginner friendly what are the others like. We had trained in the hills around Petaluma and had done a few trail runs on the coast but the constant up and down for this many miles was hard on the legs. I told Dennis "Amy has no idea what she's in for". Hell I didn't know it was going to be like this and I've been staring at the course map for the last four months. I also thought she would be too worried about me to really be a good pacer. Boy was I wrong about the good pacer. At Beals Point (mile 26.7) I started to know I would finish. My mind was starting to lock in and if I had to crawl I was going to get that damn jacket. There aren't any medals, you get a jacket for completing the race in the allotted time. Now at mile 41.9 I told Amy, "take me to my jacket". We take off and she immediately starts pushing me. What the hell! She says," come on you can do it, keep moving". Who the hell are you and what have you done with my daughter. She picks up where Dennis left off. We ran the flats, the downhills when they weren't too steep and walk the big uphills. There are parts of the trail that are on a cliff. I mean straight down to rocks you're ass is going to be dead cliffs. AND there is no fence or net to stop you. Thanks for playing hope you enjoy running the after life ultra. Amy did a great job and then we ran into "the damn wall". The damn wall is this "hill", it's more like a mountain with a 6 -8% grade. This wall starts at mile 46.5 and climbs for a half mile or so and then levels off. Now "levels off" means not as steep. If there was snow on this "hill" it would be a black diamond run. That's how steep and after 46.5 miles of hills this is just cruel. The surface at this point is loose rock. This is a little hard on my already tired feet. Eventually we make it up the hill to an asphalt road that is still climbing but at least it's not as hard on my feet. It's at this point that Amy is starting to feel toasted. Welcome to my world kid! It's a long slow climb for the both of us. We finally get to an area where you might be able to run and it's at this point that my left leg is starting to lock up. Like it doesn't want to move any more. Not a good sign. I say to Amy lets try to run. We start and what a joke. My legs are just not in the mood. We keep going for all of 100 yards. That's it let's walk. Again we start to run, again not for very long. And then I see the "1 Mile" marker. Oh my god look Amy? Amy says, "don't you get an adrenaline rush now and start running up that hill". I couldn't help but feel the rush. No I didn't run, it was still uphill and steep enough not to. I wanted to get to the finish line and I was going to make it. Finally we come around the corner and there is Elece and Dennis. Oh man we made it!!! Amy says" come on we have to run across the finish line". I said wait until we get into the shoot area. I don't think I can make it any further then that. We get into the shoot area and slowly run across the finish line. 50 miles in one day!!!! Unbelievable! Hello jacket! I'm very happy, proud of what I just accomplished and lucky to have the people around me that I have. Dennis and Amy who did an outstanding job of pushing me. There were a few times when the fatigue was starting to get the better of me and I thought I was going to throw up. And then one of them would say, "let's go". Crap, can't throw up now. I now understand how valuable a pacer can be and the pushier the better. Elece, the ultimate "crew" a one woman crew no less. Amy said it best, "I don't know what or how we would have done this without Elece". She was amazing throughout the entire training process leading up to this weekend. I'm a lucky guy.

Day 112-Sunday - Recovery Day! - We went to bed around 9:30 Saturday night and at 3:30 I woke up wide awake. I couldn't believe it. Elece asked me if I was alright. I said I think I'm getting an adrenaline rush. My mind was thinking about what had happened on Saturday and couldn't relax. Finally we went back to sleep and woke up around 7:30. A body inventory check, Quads? Sore. Hamstrings? Sore. Calfs? Sore. From the neck down? Sore. Not horribly but sore. We all get up and have coffee. There is left over pizza and I couldn't help but have a few slices. Around midday Elece heads for home and I follow soon after. All in all I feel pretty good.

Week Sixteen Totals - I finished the race!! 50 miles at 50 years old! That's the total. This has been an extraordinary experience. Learning to run long runs on both Saturday and Sunday and surviving them. Running 60 miles a week for multiple weeks. Learning that I could mentally stand up to this challenge. Not at any time during the race did I think about quitting. Once I hit the halfway mark I knew I would cross the finish line. I found an inner strength I didn't know I had. Having a training partner like Dennis help get me through the training and pace me through what I considered the hardest stretch of the entire race. Having the opportunity to finish this race with one of my kids help make this more special. This amount of training is difficult on its own but add kids and a girlfriend and it can be disastrous. Not at any time did my kids give me any grief about the amount of training I was doing. And Elece, not only was she very supportive during the race, she was encouraging and supportive throughout the training. From April 1st on she would send me a homemade card with words of support and encouragement. During the training I wanted to go for a hike in the mountains. I asked her to go and told her we'll just go for 9 miles. She says alright and off we go. I mis-read the map and we ended up going for 13 miles. It was a long long hike. She didn't complain, or get upset in fact she just laughed when I said I added up the distances wrong. This wasn't a flat leisurely stroll. This was a hilly fast paced hike with a very steep climb to get back to the start. So the difference between 9 miles and 13 is a big deal. Like Amy said, "I don't know how or what we would have done without Elece". I am the lucky guy! Dennis asked me after the race if I would do another. I said oh yea. I have no desire to train for a 100 mile race but I do want to run another 50. There is something about this distance and the community of people who run these races that is different from any other race I've run. Dennis heard this from a runner, "this is not a race of speed, it's a race of endurance". To those who have read this blog thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. The blog was Elece's idea. I had no intention of doing this. I really have enjoyed this experience. I should have paid better attention in english classes. Alright, who's in for a 50??????

3/29 Through 4/4 Week Fifteen

Day 99 - Monday - Day off. This is the second week of tapering. Looking forward to this week.

Day 100 - 5am - Track workout at Petaluma High School. It's lightly raining and I'm out for eight miles with some speed work. My leg feels great and the speed work comes easily. I really enjoy speed work. It makes the training go by quickly and afterwards you can feel the workout. One of the differences between the two high school tracks besides one is dirt and the other an all weather surface is there are always people running at Petaluma High. It's nice to have a little company.

Day 101 - Wednesday - I do a little P90X Ab Ripper. Christ I started getting nauseous. That's what I get for not keeping up.

Day 102 - 5am - Track workout at Petaluma High School. It has been raining and the dirt track at Casa was too wet. Another eight miles today. The speed work goes great and the run is nice and easy. I'm starting to get anxious about the upcoming race. I also feel a little tight from the ab ripper I did yesterday.

Day 103 - Friday - A day off. I'm heading up to Sacramento to help my daughter Amy move into her first house. Maybe this isn't exactly a day off.

Day 104 - 7am - Off for an hour and a half run. I'm going to run the short route over the hill. I'm going to run this in reverse from what has been the normal route. Face the cows by myself. The run goes great and I get through 9 miles in the time required. My "buddies" were waiting for me at the top of the first climb but as I approach them they scattered off into the field. I think I have finally broke through the big challenge. After the run I head back up to Sacramento to continue helping Amy get moved in.

Day 105 - Easter Sunday - I'm suppose to run for an hour but the kids and I stayed over at Amy's and I didn't make the run. I'll make up a little of it next week but not really concerned. I'm heading into race week and I feel ready.

Week Fifteen Totals - 25 miles! A little short from what I should have completed but not a bad week. It is finally race week. I just received an email from the race director going over the schedule for the week. Nervous and anxious at the same time. This reminds me of how I felt going into race week of my first marathon. Coming up, the final week.

3/22 Through 3/28 Week Fourteen

Day 92 - Monday - Day off!!! I'm still buzzing from the past weekend. I can't believe I made it through the entire weekend. 9 hours of running! Feeling good looking forward to this week.

Day 93 - 5am - Track workout. Today I'm looking to get at least 6 miles but gunning for 9. I get to the track ahead of Dennis and get in a half mile before he shows up. We spend some of the time talking about race day startegy and what it's like to run for 9 hours. There are some variables to work out for the race but we are pretty sure sure Dennis will run up to 20 miles and Amy will finish up the rest. As for the workout today my legs feel alright. Not great but not sore just fatigued. We finish with 6 miles.

Day 94 - Wednesday- another day off. I'm just trying to get ready for race day in 2 and half weeks.

Day 95 - 5am - Track workout! Legs feel good going into the run. Dennis and I are going in circles, really slow circles and Dennis is not really a fan of running slow but he doesn't say a word. He is letting me run my training program and just being a great friend and training partner. We have been running 11 minute miles up to this point. I say to Dennis "let's run the next mile at a 10 minute pace and see how I feel". The next mile goes very smooth and easy. Then we pick up the pace and run a couple of 9 minute miles. My I.T. Band feels better, in fact my leg feels completely normal. I couldn't believe it. I thought this might be a bad decision to pick up the pace but it actually felt better going fast. I am excited about the two workouts so far this week. I finished today's workout with another mile and a half at a fast pace to close out a 9 mile run.

Day 96 - Friday - Day off! Nothing today!

Day 97 - 8am - A 2 hour run. I'm planning on running 12.50 miles. Dennis and I head out over the hill. The run is very similar to our usual 13 mile run except we will cut off a little by changing the end of the run. Also we will run this in reverse. The uphill portion is longer and more gradual. The downhill is actually to steep to take advantage and pick up speed. No cows on the road. Not one damn cow!!!!! I'm pissed! I almost brought a camera to show people how big they really are. We finish this run at a good pace. This was a very smooth and easy run.

Day 98 - 9am - I take off on the same course as yesterday. I have my ipod on and will take on the big bad dairy cows by myself. Remember, don't look them in the eye and keep moving. I come up on the cows and most of them are in the fields grazing. God love'em, but of course I come on a line of young ones. They are the ones who don't understand that I'm just running by and not there to cause any problems. This doesn't stop them from chasing after me. I take the right side of the road and they just stand there and look at me. I yell at one, if you give me any shit I'll spray paint you brown and call the butcher. I didn't know cows could laugh. The run in general goes great and I have no pain to deal with. This is my last long run leading up to the race. I'm feeling very good about finishing the race.

Week Fourteen Totals - 40 miles!! I like this as I have been able to get through the I.T. band issue. I'm going into the second to last week prior to the race and my legs feel pretty good. Will I finish in 11 hours or less? I feel like I have a good chance to do this. ONLY 2 WEEKS UNTIL RACE DAY!!!!!

3/15 Through 3/21 Week Thirteen

Day 85 - Monday!! Day off! Trying to recover from this weekend. I am not sure what the problem is with my knee. I'm not liking the uncertainty at all.

Day 86 - 5am - Track workout! I'm going to go slow.....yeah sure, I say that every time I run and some how I screw it up. I get there ahead of Dennis and put in 2 miles before he gets there. I'm running about a 10:30 pace checking my knee as I go. There is no pain at this point. Dennis shows up and I tell him about my knee and where it hurts. He immediately says, "oh it's your I.T. Band". Really? That's all it is? I tell him more about the pain and how it is on and off. He says, "yeah it's your I.T. Band". I call Holly Wick, co-owner of Athletic Soles in Petaluma. She says, "yes, it's your I.T."., "I want you to use the roller and roll on it twice a day until it makes you cry". Then she says, "there is a friend of mine here who just completed an ultra and is a nurse. Let me ask her about this". " Yep, just use the roller and don't over due it on your runs". Then Holly let's me talk to Jenny, the nurse/first time ultra finisher. In 5 minutes I had so much information about the process and strategy of running an ultra that I started feeling better about this week and the next three weeks leading up to the race. What started out as an unsettled week has started to turn. I'm not out of the woods yet but it looks a lot better.

Day 87 - Wednesday - P90X day. Just upper body work. Push ups, pull ups and ab ripper. Oh no it's St Paddy's day! Change the workout to corn beef and cabbage.

Day 88 - 5am -Track time! I put in 9 miles on Tuesday and felt good afterwards. So I think I'll put in 9 today. The run goes just as planned. No pain in the knee. I run a slow pace. Dennis and I get caught up in some good conversation that last for the three miles we are together. People asks, "what do you guys talk about?" I tell them you have to come out and run if you want to find out. So far no takers. This is probably a good thing as some of the topics are a little dicey.

Day 89 - Friday - Day off heading into the last long weekend. This weekend is a scheduled 4 hour run on Saturday and a 5 hour run on Sunday. Last weekend I had the same schedule. I changed the 4 hour run on Saturday to a 5 hour run. On Sunday I couldn't even run for 5 minutes. So not sure what to expect for this weekend. I have been rolling my I.T. Band hoping that will correct what's wrong. My goals for this weekend are 4 hour run on Saturday and I hope to be able to run at least 2 hours on Sunday. I will run 5 miles per hour and see how that goes. 5 miles per hour will be my target for race day.

Day 90 - 7am - Dennis and I take off for a 15 mile loop that will take us over "the hill" twice and then back home. I will run another 5 miles after that to complete my 4 hour run. The run starts good and we make it up and over the hill and start back up again. We are keeping a slow steady pace running a 11:30 per mile pace. We do a little walking up the hill on the second round. We make it up over the hill and head for home. My knee still feels alright. No pain! We actually are way ahead of schedule and I put in a 5 minute walk. It's odd to walk this long. I've never done it before and it takes getting used to. It felt good, muscles start to relax and loosen up. I finish the 15 miles 2 hours and 50 minutes. I get some food and something to drink and head out for another 5 miles. I run walk the entire way to help keep me under control and not get out control by going to fast. The good news no knee pain! I could feel something a little different in my right knee that isn't in my left knee but it wasn't pain. Today was a very successful run.

Day 91 - 9am - I head out to the town of Olema to run trails. I figure if I can run, this is a beautiful place to run and it will be all dirt. If I can't run I will hike for the 5 hours. There is this one particular trail that starts at the visitors center and heads out to Arch Rock. This is a rock that sits a 100 feet above the ocean that has outstanding views and wildlife. Out and back from the parking lot is a 9 mile run. It's up hill halfway out and then a nice easy downhill to the rock. The run starts out good, no problems and I actually feel loose and ready to run. I make it out to the rock and stop to take in the scenery. It's beautiful and the temperature is mild to warm. I start back and make the first of three trips out and back. I'm running on schedule and I stop at my car to get food and water. A short break and then back out for another trip. My knee feels good as I head out. I am actually very happy that I've made it this far considering last week I couldn't run around my car. The second trip goes just as good as the first. I have passed some people 4 times now and they have this funny look on their faces as I keep going by. I finish the second trip and feel good. My knee acts up a little but in some cases it goes away on its own and others I have to stop and walk. My motto for the second trip and the rest of the run was "run when I could walk when I have to". I need to run another hour and twenty minutes to complete the 5 hour run. I have run 18 miles so far and really want to make it to 25 miles for the day. I head out for another trip towards the rock but I will turn around just a little short of the rock and head back. I can't believe I've been able to run this far and for this long and I don't feel beat up. The soft trail I'm sure had something to do with it. I complete the 5 hour run. 25 miles in 5 hours after running 20 miles the day before and I can still walk. As I was walking back to my car afterwards these two ladies who had been out walking the same trail and had spent some time out at Arch Rock were getting ready to leave stopped the car to ask me "how many times did you go out there?" I told them and the one lady says, "damn".

Week Thirteen Totals - 63 miles!!!!! I can't be happier about this week. I really didn't expect to get anywhere near this mileage after the previous week and still working through an injury. I now start three weeks of tapering. I'll run approximately 38 to 40 miles this upcoming week and even less the week after. I can't believe it is just three weeks away from race day.

3/8 Through 3/14 The Twelve Week

Day 78 - Monday - Day off? I'm going to do a P90X workout. All upper body, no legs. Last week Elece looked at my toe and said, "I think you have an infected cuticle". I said but it's not sore on the cuticle, it's sore on the side of the toe by the knuckle. She said, ' I really think it is". So today Elece said call the advice nurse and see if they can help or maybe get you in earlier than this Friday. Sure enough they have an opening right at the time I was calling. So I go to the doctor and tell him about my toe and how there is not one particular event that leads me to why it is swollen. The Doctor looks at it and I said, "my girlfriend says it's an infected cuticle". The Doctor says, "your girlfriend's right". I said, "I'm not telling her". God just tell me to take a pill for a couple of days and everything will be fine. I'm not really a med guy. I don't even use Ibuprofen but right now I'll take a pill. So antibiotics here we come!

Day 79 - 5am - Track workout. Going to go slow! The antibiotics are already working. The swelling has gone down a little and my toe doesn't hurt as much. My knee feels alright and I keep a slow pace for the entire run. I run 11 miles. I'm happy that there wasn't anything that made me nervous or hurt. During the run Dennis and I start talking about "zen" and quantum physics. Actually Dennis does all the talking, I can't even spell quantum physics without using spell check let alone know what it means. There is something about these conversations that really get my mind off of running. My legs just seem to keep moving without any interference from my brain. It's when we are talking about quantum physics, zen and Buddhism that we really get out of our heads. Here is a sample, Buddha to a man, what are you looking for?" Man, "my keys", Buddha, "where did you lose them?" Man, "over there." Buddha, "then why are you looking here?" Man, "because there's more light." And the hits keep coming!

Day 80 - Wednesday - P90X workout. Actually an abbreviated version. Weights and machines.

Day 81- 5am - Track time! My knee feels good. I only run 5 miles on the track. I decide to run the other 6 in Sausalito. I can run from my office up to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Not a bad place to run and there are hills both ways. It's actually a pretty steep hill going to the bridge. That should be a good test for my knee. If I feel any pain I'll stop and walk. The run goes great! No pain and I climbed the hill quite easily. No more pain in the toe. I'm feeling pretty good about my knee. 11.25 miles for the day, that's a good thing!

Day 82 -Friday - Physical today. We go over the blood work, EKG and the usual fun and games that take place during a physical. Everything is good. I have a 5 hour run scheduled for Saturday followed by a friends 50th surprise birthday party. Oh boy!

Day 83 -6am - Dennis and I take off for a 13 mile run. We are going to go up and over "cow hill". I'll run this twice if everything goes well which means I will run a bleepin marathon for a training run. Not sure how this will go but I feel better about my knee going into this run. The first 13 miles goes by pretty good. No problems with the cows. My knee felt fine for just about all of the run but at the end of the 13 it started to get goofy. I stopped at my house to get my fuel belt and meet up with Elece. She is going to ride her bike as I run. We run the route in reverse. I'm taking the second 13 miles slow. My knee doesn't feel bad and it really is just a long ass run. Once we get to the hills I have to walk some of the inclines and some of the declines. Elece is keeping the cows away from me. We get through the hills and it is literally downhill to my house. I'm tired, my legs don't hurt but I can feel the onset of cramps. 5 hours after starting I complete 25.5 miles. That's a long training run. Tomorrow I'm scheduled for a 4 hour run after I spend the evening in Sacramento celebrating my friends 50th birthday.

Day 84 - 7am - Sacramento! My daughter Amy, her mother and her friend Brianne are going to run a half marathon. I'm going to run for about an hour before the race begins and then jump in the race with them. I'm thinking they'll run somewhere between a 2:40 - 3:00 hour time. That will give me my 4 hours. There pace will be just what I'm looking for after the long run yesterday. I get to the race and meet up with them. I start to do my pre race run and I don't make it a half mile. My knee is having no part of this. I try to walk for awhile and then run really slow but my knee is not going to come out and play today. I end up not running at all and being a spectator/supporter for them. That was more fun than I thought it was going to be. I'd never done that before. Not really sure what to think about my knee. I'm happy I made the 5 hour run on Saturday and maybe if I take it slower for the rest of the training I can nurse the knee back by the time the 50 miler starts.

Week Twelve Totals - 47.75 miles! This is a far cry from the 70 I was hoping to get. Clearly I had unrealistic goals for the week with the toe and the knee not wanting to participate. I have one more week of heavy running and then two weeks to taper. This up coming week I'll take what I can get and go from there. The positive, I ran for 5 hours as a training run. I've never done that before. I still ran 47.75 miles for the week. That's not exactly a light week of running. So it's not all bad just not what I wanted. Week thirteen coming up!

3/1 Through 3/7 The Eleventh Week

Day 71 - Monday, day off. Just wondering how my knee is going to respond. I'm also starting to have a problem with one of my toes. The second one on my right foot. Go figure, first my lower back that I didn't even know was out of whack to my knee and now my damn toe. It's sore and a little swollen. I have no idea how or when but it hurts.

Day 72 - 5am - Track workout. I should do 11.5 miles but I'll see how I feel. Dennis is there and we take off. Due to the rain we run at Petaluma High School on their all weather track. I only go four miles and call it a day. No pain other than my toe but that didn't really bother me. I just felt like stopping at four miles. Knee felt good why push it.

Day 73 - 6am - A little P90X workout. Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and a little Ab Ripper. I do a modified workout that feels good. You can't really modify Ab Ripper. You just have to dig in and give it all you've got. My toe has really started to swell up. I have no idea what's wrong. I have a doctors appointment on the 12th but that's a week and a half off.

Day 74 - 5am - Track workout. Dennis and I go again to Petaluma High School. This time I run nine miles. I feel alright. At the end I feel a little something in my knee but not something that really worries me. My toe felt fine. I soaked it the day before and the pain had gone away. Maybe I'm turning the corner and my leg is going to return to normal.

Day 75 - 6am - Ab Ripper! My toe has become swollen again and it hurts like hell. I need a Nascar pit stop. Pull in, get a new right leg and get back out there.

Day 76 - 7am - Here we go! The real test for my leg will be today. I'm suppose to run for two and a half hours. Under normal circumstances that would be about 15 miles but today I'll be happy with thirteen. Still I have a fourteen mile course laid out. Dennis and I start out and head up to my favorite hill. Cows are everywhere, even the Angus or non dairy cows are in the road. Dennis says, "just don't look at them". No problem but I notice the pace picking up or maybe that was just me. I ask Dennis what kind of cows are those? He said he wasn't sure. He said he needed to ask his daughter Emme, she's the one who's the cow whisperer. I told Dennis maybe I need to have Emme on these runs. On this run there is a point where we could cut the run short by a couple of miles. Dennis takes off and I continue on the schedule course. My knee feels alright and my toe although swollen not really causing any problems. As I get to mile twelve I start to feel a little something in my knee. It's not pain but it's something that I don't normally have. Since it's not a real pain I think maybe it will go away and I continue on. I finish the run, 13.5 miles. That thing with the knee didn't go away. Not a good sign and the run was more work than normal. Thirteen mile runs had become fairly easy for me. This wasn't easy nor did it make me think my knee problem had gone away. Dennis said something to me on this run that at the time I didn't realize how spot on he was. He said, "give your body a chance to heal". Everybody knows that but I hadn't been running that way. I was pushing a little bit on most of the runs. Maybe that was coming back to haunt me. Tomorrow I'm schedule to run for three hours!

Day 77 - 7am - Today will be very interesting. I take off slowly letting my body settle in. I'm a little tight but that's not uncommon for my Sunday runs. I usually settle in around the half mile mark and the rest of the run goes pretty smooth. I head up a set of hills that I'm surprised that I don't feel the need to walk a little. On the second hill is a steep downhill my knee starts to act up and I start walking. Maybe it's just the downhill that's causing the problem. I get to the flat ground and start running again. Oh shit! It's not feeling any better. I continue on for another half a mile and then decide it isn't worth it. I'll do more damage if I continue. I ran only two and a half miles and now I get to walk back home. This is not a good sign. Although this is my down week this is not how I wanted to finish up. I had already cut back the mileage far more than I was scheduled and now I'm not going to finish this run, not even get close.

Week Eleven Totals - Not a good week! 31 ugly miles! I'm suppose to ramp up to a 70 mile week next week. I don't think so. It's funny, the workout program said the biggest problem during the training is getting the runner to the starting line healthy. Add to that Dennis' comment about giving my body a chance to heal. I was up until last week saying if I haven't started breaking down by now I'm not going to. I need to get this fixed. If it means going slow for another two weeks so be it but I need to get right. The training program said for the long runs, "don't focus on the miles, focus on the time". I was trying to do both. I need a new light bulb because the one I'm using is not so bright. I really believe this will be a short lived set back but I clearly need to make some adjustments in my approach both mentally and physically. I've got to get to that damn starting line.

2/22 Through 2/31 The Tenth Week

Day 64 - Monday - A day of rest. What a beautiful thing. This past weekend was a long weekend. Monday is becoming my second best day of the week.

Day 65 - 5:00am - 11.5 miles on the track. The run starts out kind of slow. I'm still a little tired from the weekend. Dennis and I pick up the pace for a few miles and then settle back down into a slow pace. This is an uneventful run but I complete the mileage without any trouble. Dennis has been working his way through P90X and we enjoy laughing at the particular workouts and how tough they are at the same time training for an endurance event. I still think Plyometrics is really tough. Probably the most difficult workout considering all of the running.

Day 66 - 7:00am - P90X Yoga. An hour and a half of fun. I'm getting better at this. It is still tough but I'm able to do the work without as much trouble.

Day 67 - 5:00am - 11.5 on the track again. "On the track again, just can't wait to get on the track again". Sounds like a Willie Nelson song. Dennis and I run a pretty quick pace. Some of the miles go by sub 9 minute pace. I feel good and the miles go flying by. We discuss this Saturday's run and where we are going to run. When Dennis runs I can run the big hill with the cows and know nothing will happen. I don't know what it is but when he runs the cows leave me alone.

Day 68 - Friday - I have a busy day scheduled and don't get to my P90X workout. Not necessarily a bad thing but not something I want to become a habit.

Day 69 -6:00am - 4 hour Saturday! I'm looking forward to a 23 mile run. I start out with Dennis on a 13 mile loop. We head up over the hill. The usual hill. No cows, not one damn cow on the road. The run goes relatively uneventful. A little rain but thats about all. Then around mile 12 I start to get a little ache on the outside of my right knee. Nothing too serious but something different. I haven't had this before. I finish the 13 mile loop back at my house. I change clothes, grab my fuel belt and something to eat. I head out for a 10 mile loop to complete the 23 miles. Oh Oh! My knee does not feel right and is starting to hurt more. I continue on the road trying to walk, run my way through. I end up running and walking 7 miles. The first thing I do when I get home is call for a massage and a trip to the chiropractor. I know this is a temporary issue that I need to address immediately. The good news is I still complete 20 miles on the day. The not so good news is my knee hurts and I've never had to deal with this before. Between the massage and the chiropractor I feel much better. I hadn't been to the chiropractor in awhile and that was a mistake. I now have appointments on a weekly basis up to the race. I'm still a little sore in the knee but not near as bad as during the run.

Day 70 - Sunday - I take the day off from running. I go instead to the pool for a workout. I go about three quarters of a mile. The swim feels good but the best part of the day was sleeping in. Sleeping in means 6am. This doesn't sound like much but compare 6am to 4am. Not only did I sleep in but I got to lay in bed and read the paper. I haven't done this in 10 weeks. A nice treat. My leg feels much better and I can't wait until Tuesday. I'll take it easy this upcoming week. Fortunately the eleventh week is a break week. I'll run as much as I can. It'll be interesting to see if I can manage this knee for the remainder of the training. Still looking forward to next week but with an asterisk.

Week Ten Totals - 43 miles and a sore knee. I only missed my target by 22 miles. But whose counting? Tuesday and Thursday went exactly like I planned. Saturday was a different story. If I had only run 20 miles due to fatigue I would have been happier but I still made it through 20. Not that bad and for Sunday. Well taking the day off was a smart move. Not what I wanted but a smart move none the less. Live to run another day. Week eleven and only six weeks until race day. Oh Oh!

2/15 Through 2/21 The Ninth Week

Day 57 - Monday = nada, nothing, I'm resting today. No P90X, no running, no walking, nothing. I thought I would use Mondays as a P90X day but today, this Monday, I'm not doing anything.

Day 58 - 5:00am - Off to the track. Flying solo today. With things happening in my family I found myself turning this rather simple routine run into a speed session. This is a 11.5 mile run that includes a little tempo work. I spent the entire run a at a 9:30 pace. I should have averaged 10:30 - 10:45 pace. I spent so much time talking to myself that I actually was fighting with somebody. I mean a full on physical fight in my mind. It was unbelievable. I'm yelling, cussing and trying to throw punches while running around the track. Just as I start to get a grip on myself I look up and see my Asian friend coming towards me. Now we don't actually talk or for that matter barely even acknowledge each other but here he was coming towards me as I'm looking spastic trying to fight and run at the same time. Oh shit! He goes by without looking, like I'm not even there. God love him. This was probably a good day not to have Dennis with me. Obviously I was having imaginary issue and Dennis would have spent the entire run laughing at me. In spite of all of this my legs feel pretty good.

Day 59 - P90X, Shoulders and Arms. A really good workout. The weights felt great with just enough stress on the body. No ab ripper today. I'm going to have to get back into the routine of having P90X on a regular basis. I actually miss it. Not that running this much isn't enough but this is a different workout that feels really good. I thought it would be good if I cut back once the 90 days were up but I'm having second thoughts.

Day 60 - 5:00am - 11.5 miles that I break up into 3 parts. I still end up with the 11.5 completed I just take longer to complete. The good news, no fights on the track. I was back to normal. I don't like breaking the runs up. It really makes the run seem longer. They're long enough already. The tempo part of the run goes smooth and at the pace I actually planned to run. Again my legs felt good. The weather this week has been foggy but dry. We're expecting rain Friday night into Saturday. Great!

Day 61 - 7:00am P90X morning! Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Ab Ripper. I had a GREAT workout! Pushups and sit ups. What's not to like. I really do enjoy these workouts. It's a nice change from the constant beating I'm giving to my legs.

Day 62 - 6:00am - 4 hours of fun!!!! Dennis and I take off for a 9.5 mile loop. He is just recovering from a cold and not really up to a long run. But like he always does, he sucks it up and hangs in for the run. I feel great! Legs feel good and I'm looking forward to a 40+ mile weekend. We go up and over my favorite hill complete with dairy cows, damn dairy cows. We have a lot to talk about and the run goes by quickly. After Dennis heads home I head up over the hill again and add another 3 miles to the loop. No trouble with the cows, thank god. I swear they know they make me nervous. I finish up 23 miles. I feel really good after the run. I've had 18 mile runs before where I was toast at the end. Not today! I feel good and the rain didn't show up.

Day 63 - 7:30am - Today is 3.5 hour run. I'm looking for 20 miles but will settle for 19. I want the 20. There is something psychological about getting 20 today. I have my run mapped out. It's simple! Two laps up and over the hill. No problems, no worries. I take off and I'm not 2 miles out and I have to head home for a bathroom break. Jesus! I get back on the road and start towards the hill. There in front of me off the road are about 10 dairy cows, not on the road but close. They are in a spot that is half way up this part of the hill and I start walking. I was looking down and out of the corner of my eye I see something coming towards me. It's a damn dairy cow. A young one starts charging me. Are you kidding me? I start running up the hill and this one stops chasing me but up ahead is another young one who starts chasing me. What the hell is going on? I just want to run. I haven't even got to the area on this run where the "real" dairy cows hang out. Christ what happens if they're all in the road and won't let me pass and I have to go back. I'm screwed. As I come up over the hill I don't see the cows where they normally hang out and I think, great I'm going to catch a break. Oh shit I didn't see the ones down the hill. Three to the left, three to the right. Alright I'm going to run by them and not walk. Oh good they let me pass with no problems. Got Milk! I take off and finish this part of the run with no more problems. I start out for the second part and decide no more dairy cow hills. I take off for another set of hills. As I go over for what should be just one set of hills I decide to go back and forth over these hills. The race is going to be nothing but hills so why not prepare. I spend the next 4.5 miles running hills. I finish this run not really sure how many miles it will be and hoping to run 20. Final tally, 20.33 miles, YEAH! I've run back to back 20 mile runs. This is a first for me. I've never even tried this before and I feel great, tired but great.

Week Nine Totals - 66 MILES!! I've never run 66 miles in a week and I've never run 20 milers back to back. This was the type of week I was hoping for coming off a rest week. I have 2 more weeks of this type of mileage before I get another rest week. I'm looking forward to the next two weeks. This will be a good test to see how I'm progressing. It just dawned on me. I know why the dairy cows give me such a bad time. They know I don't eat dairy. Crap I hope the other cows don't find out I'm vegetarian. I'll have to leave town. Seven weeks left!

2/8 Through 2/15 The Eighth Week

Day 50 - Monday morning. This is going to be a rest day. Nothing at all! This is a break week. My mileage will go down to the low 40's. I need this week to recover from the previous three. Still 40+ miles doesn't seem like a real break.

Day 51 - 5:00am - 11.5 at the track. Dennis has business plans early and won't make it. The track is in great shape. Soft but not sloppy. It's that part of the beach where the water rolls over when the tide comes in that everybody wants to walk on. Only it's not a beach and I get to go around in circles. I know, shut up and run. My legs feel good. I don't have any soreness.

Day 52 - 6:00am - It's a P90X day. Chest and Back. The workout goes great. It felt good to get back into the program. It is so funny to see this workout revolve around push ups and pull ups. No gimmicks just old school drop and give me as many as you can now exercises. I can still hear the middle school coaches yelling, "Is that all you got?" I bet they get fired if they say that now.

Day 53 - 5:00am - Track workout. I'm suppose to run 11.5 but I cut it short at 5. My legs don't feel sore just a little fatigued. There was another rookie mistake that took place but I'll spare you the details.

Day 54 -7:00am - Yoga!!! An hour and a half. I really enjoy yoga. I broke down and bought a mat, brick and strap. I'm not sure what the straps about but god love ya for the crazy thoughts. Is Yoga really Kamasutra without the sex? Different positions that make breathing difficult yet fulfilling? Does an upward dog and a downward dog make Yoga puppies that know not to pee on the mat?

Day 55 - 7:00am - Off for a 2.5 hour run. I should cover 14 miles. My run goes perfect. Legs felt great, no pain, no fatigue. I wonder around the west side of town going through hilly areas that Dennis and I have gone before but haven't been in awhile. I got enough hill work to make this run productive. Hills are a big deal since the whole damn race seems to be uphill. Here's a Yogi Berraism, the only time it's not uphill is when it's downhill. I've heard the start line is flat. One day it's Yoga and the next day it's Yogi. See what happens when you leave a runner alone on the west side of town? My mind went off the deep end. I finish the run with 14.3 miles.

Day 56 -7:00am - I'm in Stockton watching Elece's son Adam's soccer tournament. I take off for a 2 hour run with no real idea of where I'm going other than I'll head west for an hour and then return to the hotel. I get on this trail that ends at this high end housing area. Is that an oxymoron for Stockton? I have to cut over and I as come up on this main street there are 8 runners heading down the street in the same direction I'm going. WOW! What the heck is going on. I keep heading west and come up on this park. I have no idea where I am but the sign says this is a park. A couple of runners come up to the gate and I ask them for help. The man says "yeah, just head up this path for the time you need and then return the same way." "Make sure you stay on the bike path". I thought great a dirt trail. Why was he emphasizing for me to stay on the bike path? There is this wide dirt road with beautiful big homes to the left and the river to the right. Why would I need to get on the bike path? Because the the sign said "Stay on bike path. Road belongs to home owners." "Here's your sign!" Oh! The homes are beautiful, the boats are nice to look at and the trail is dirt with a lot of people out running. I find out later the gentleman that helped me owns the Fleet Feet in Stockton. An absolute beautiful place to run. Of course I'm talking about now and not in the summer when Stockton has the heat like Palm Springs without the palms or the springs. All in all it was a beautiful run and I wanted to complete 11 miles. I finish 11.3 miles.

Week Eight Totals - 42 miles!! I'm very happy with the results. I needed a down week and this worked out perfectly. I feel ready to pick it back up next week. I'm looking at a 65 mile week ahead. I'm also back on schedule with P90X. Ill do this 3 days a week for maintenance. Eight weeks until race day!

2/1 Through 2/7 The Seventh Week

Day 43 - 7:00pm - P90X, this is week thirteen!!! The last week of the program. I can't believe I've made it through the 90 days. Today it's Yoga. I wait until Monday night to workout. My legs are still very tired. Yoga as hard as it is is still one of my favorite workouts. I actually work through the workout without any major pain other than I can't breath and twist my body at the same time. I'm sure breathing is an option or should be.

I have been asked about my diet. How do I eat, how much do I eat and most importantly WHAT do I eat? A year and a half ago a friend told me about a book called "The China Study". He told me how much he felt it helped him. I bought a copy of the book and couldn't put it down. In short it's the "why" we should eat a plant based diet and it is also the "why we shouldn't" eat animal products. My family history was reason enough to read this book but also I am an endurance athlete, not very good or fast but neither was the Tortoise in the Tortoise and the Hare Race. This book really changed my life. I thought I was eating a healthy diet until I read this book. I wasn't doing everything wrong but I was eating products that weren't in my best interest. I had just had a physical and blood test prior to reading The China Study and so it was a perfect time for me to have another test to see the results after 30 days. Unbelievable!!! Triglycerides had plummeted (this is a good thing) and my cholesterol which was 194, 30 days earlier was now 187. I find it interesting that there have been several articles recently about longevity and what cultures live the longest. Plant based diets seemed to be the common denominator. But I haven't answered the real question. What do I eat? For protein I eat fish, not a lot, unless it's Fish Tacos, Wahoo's Fish Tacos and then I have three. God I love them. Quinoa, pronounced "keen-wa", is a root high in protein. My boys call it "hairy rice"and of course beans and spinach. I've started using a product called "Mila" which is a seed from the plant Salvia Hispanica which is science for "taste great and less filling". Mila is a product that I was recently introduced to by my friend Mandy. Mila is high in protein,omega 3's, antioxidants, fiber and anti-inflammatory properties to name a few of it's benefits. I use this as a post workout drink. The protein and antioxidants are extremely beneficial to the recovery process not to mention the value of the anti-inflammatory benefits. The link is in the upper left side of the blog if you want more information. The rest of my diet consist of fruits, veggies, whole grains and dark chocolate. Oh yeah, don't forget wine. It's high in antioxidants and looks good in the glass. Most of my kids dislike my diet. Not really hard to understand in our fast food world. Don't get me wrong, I have been known to sneak into a Costco and order the polish sausage and drink or take the boys to In and Out and order fries. I'm just conducting quality control.

Day 44 - 5:00am - 11.5 at the track. This time I decide to run at Casa High School with the dirt track. Apparently I haven't had enough fun in the mud and was looking for a little more. Unfortunately in communicating with Dennis I wasn't very clear and he went to Petaluma High School with the "non dirt track". This is the track that we spent the last two weeks running due to the rain. This was a tough run. My legs were clearly in control and were not about to let me go fast. It was a bit of a grind but I made it through with the ipod cranking to help take my mind off of the pain. This was my toughest run.

P90X- Core Synergistics!! I make it through without to much trouble. Although I shortened all the leg work. This is one of the programs I'll keep doing. I really like this one. I don't know if you can do enough core work. Core is the one workout we should do the most but actually we probably do the least. It's painful!

Day 45 - 6:30am - P90X, Kenpo! This is a lot of fun. It's a sneaky workout. You get this great workout but it feels more like you're playing than working out. The kicks can be a little tough on my legs but the rest of it is a blast. Legs are still in recovery mode. No pain just tired which I consider remarkable considering the amount of running the past 2 weeks.

Day 46 - 5:00am - 11.5 at the track. People wonder how we can run this many miles on a track. Don't you get bored? When we run it's dark. You can't see anything and therefore you aren't missing anything. Plus when you run with someone you have plenty of time to talk. Dennis and I were talking about our Saturday run. I told him that on Sunday I didn't know how I was going to run 16 miles and that the first quarter mile my legs were wobbly. After that I just locked in and set my sights on completing this run. I needed to make it another 60 mile week. Your brain works wonders when there isn't a satisfactory alternative. You can run fast, you can run slow, hell you can even walk but today you are running 16 miles, period. Turn up the music and get going. Also I spend an inordinate amount of time day dreaming. My mind wonders all over the place. Sometimes I catch myself talking to myself. I'll have a full on conversation. It's the only time I get all the answers right. There are times when Dennis and I will stop talking and let our minds wonder off. It's hilarious in that we won't say a word for awhile and then all of the sudden start talking like we hadn't stopped.

Day 47 - Woo Hoo a day off. I'm not doing anything today. I'm tired and really need some time off. I have another weekend of 37 miles in front of me.

Day 48 - 6:00am - Long run Saturday. 4 hours and I'm hoping to get 23 miles. I have set up a double loop run. Dennis will run the first which will go 13 miles. We take off in the dark. Clouds all around us but no rain. Around mile 1.5 there are these two hills that don't seem so tough when its dark. You can't really tell how steep the climb is when you can't see 30 feet in front of you. Dennis has started doing P90X. He survived the first week with the same types of pain I remember having. It's funny talking to someone about this and hearing their perspective. He loves it including Yoga. Soon we'll start reciting Ohms. We are about 2.5 miles into the run and deep into conversation when down comes the rain. Not to hard at first but then it really came down. We are both soaked and every step seems to land in a puddle. It gets to the point where the puddles actually feel warm on the feet. I didn't know the uphill and downhill parts of the road could flood but today there did. It was like being kids except no one was going to yell at us when we got home for being soaking wet. The run with Dennis goes pretty good. At the end of 13 miles I stop at home to change, get something to eat/drink and head out for another 10. It's like a Nascar pit stop, change tires, get fuel and then get going again. Although instead of 14 seconds I take 14 minutes. The start of this second loop isn't going so well. I'm starting to get tired and I've just started. The rain has stopped but the wind has picked up. I'm feeling the effects of 3 weeks of excessive mileage and last night I didn't eat properly. I'm paying for that mistake. I've been running long enough to know better and I still have a 3 hour run tomorrow. Physically it becomes a grind, mentally it becomes a gut check. Once I got out into the farm area of the west side it became a little easier. I start using walk breaks to help. I should have started doing this earlier in the run. Memo to self....On long runs start out a little slower and go to walk breaks earlier. This was a long run both literally and mentally. At the end of the day, 4.25 hours, 23 miles. No P90X, period!

Day 49 - 7:30am - Super Bowl Sunday! Off I go for another double loop run. This run is going to be a grind from the get go. My goal is 60 miles for the week. This would make 3 weeks of 60 miles per week. The weather is cool and sunny. It's great to finally have to wear sunglasses on a run. I run almost the same route Dennis and I ran yesterday. As I was getting close to finishing the first part I was really starting to fade. I thought just get home and call it a day. Better to back off now and prevent possible injury. Next week is "lighter" mileage week. Just as I get home I can't quite get around that I'm actually going to stop. This next loop is only 6 miles. I grab something to eat and drink and set back on the road quickly. I don't want my body to start settling down. I got into a run walk routine where I run for 5 to 8 minutes and then walk for 1 minute. The loop goes by pretty quick. I make the mileage needed to get to 60 miles. I am really tired! I shower, eat and start getting ready for the Super Bowl. Dave and Mandy and their kids are coming over to watch the game. Elece and I have to go to the store and get the food prepared. I really want a nap but I know if I lay down I won't want to get up. I'm running on fumes.

Week Seven Totals - 60 miles!!! This was a long week. I'm looking forward to the lighter week ahead. I happy with my progress so far. I had moments of doubt and was able to fight through. I can see going forward I'm going to need to upgrade my eating. The night before long runs I really have to eat right. During runs I'll need to take on fuel sooner. I usually can run 15, 16 miles without taking on fuel but now it's not just 15 or 16 it's 22 today and 16, 17 tomorrow. I'm getting educated in a painful way. 9 weeks to go until race day.

1/25 Through 1/31 The Sixth Week

Day 36 - 7:00am - P90X, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and An Ripper. I'm coming off my first week of ever running 60 miles in a week. I feel pretty good and look forward to this workout. This is the twelve week of the P90X program. I can't say enough about this program. I can feel and see the difference. It has been difficult doing both this program and running/training. This workout goes great and I'm off to work.

Day 37 - 5:00am - 11.5 miles at the track. No rain!!! The weather is cool and Dennis is there to join me. He runs 7 miles and then leaves to go to work. This run goes really good. Dennis and I maintain a 10 minute pace and that feels great considering the previous weeks efforts. Again we have plenty of conversations that take us through many topics. After Dennis leaves I run the next 3 miles at a sub 9 minute pace. I felt great and my legs went along for the ride. I finish the last 1.5 miles on cruise control. A very good start to the week. No P90X today. It was suppose to be Plyometrics but I'm staying away from additional leg workouts.

Day 38 - 7:00am - Today is suppose to be P90X, Back and Biceps but I switch with the next days program, Yoga. I wanted to do Yoga on a off day. The amount of leg work is tough to do after a long run and all runs are long at this point. Yoga has become my favorite. There is something about watching people in contorted positions with this calm look on their faces.

Day 39 - 5:00am- 11.5 at the track. Again no rain and I'm looking forward to this run. Dennis is there to run 7 miles but stays for 8. Our conversations take off and he can't leave until we finish. I love this! He has been talking about joining me at the halfway point of the race. If not my daughter Amy then Dennis would be a lot of fun to have on the run. Amy would laugh at me if I broke into a James Brown song but Dennis, he would laugh and then start singing. This is week 6 of 16 in the AR/50 training and I'm starting to get anxious and excited about the race. P90X, Legs, Back and Ab Ripper. I do most of this workout but run out of time and decide to put off the remainder until tomorrow.

Day 40 - 7:00am - P90X, Legs, Back, and Ab Ripper. I complete the workout from yesterday and jump into today's workout. I only do one Ab Ripper though. This is a good workout but my legs aren't up to two leg workouts. My Friend Cliff has this Ipod that has this eclectic music selection. I tried to jack some of his music onto my my Ipod but couldn't. He sent me an email telling me he had gotten a new one and was going to send me his old so I could have his music. He said this was his contribution to my training and upcoming race. I have GREAT friends!! As this training unfolds I have the opportunity to see first hand just how lucky I am to have family and friends who are supportive.

Day 41 - 8:00am - 4 hour run along the Bolinas Ridge Trail. My goal is finish 22 miles. At least that was the plan at 8am. The Bolinas Ridge Trail is this run through meadows and deep forest that goes for about 11 miles. I had planned to run all the way out and back. Dennis is there to run 12 miles with me. This is the point where the planning and the reality go in different directions. I told Dennis with all of the rain I thought (mistake number 1) this ridge would be dryer and less muddy. We start out on the trail and it is uphill right out of the shoot. Not only is it uphill but it is muddy. I think the top of the ridge is right there but as soon as we crest the ridge there is another muddy ridge ahead. Alright let's go! But it quickly starts to remind us of being kids and running barefoot. You remember that? No two steps are the same and you're bouncing around with light feet. Yeah, that was 40 years ago. We're trying to run some serious long distance only to have Mother Nature and her good friend mud cause us to adjust our run. We muddle through 6 miles and Dennis has to turn around. He came to run 12 and this was the half way point. Dennis had a clothing faux paus. He wore white socks and white shoes to a mud bath. I continue on to the end of the trail......well maybe not. I start to think (this is the my second mistake) this has been a very hilly run and if I head down the hill I could run on the flat lands below. Wow was this sooo wrong. So I head down off of the ridge, 1.8 miles of "kinda" steep downhill. The old saying, "running downhill will trash your quads" becomes reality. My feet are wet and muddy and running downhill is at least dry and no mud. I make it down the hill and across highway 1 onto the "Olema Trail". You know the flat lands. The sign telling me this was the Olema Trail also said, "Caution, trail conditions worsen ahead". How much worse could they be compared to the ridge? Not 20 steps onto the trail in is 6 inches of water and no relief on either side of the trail. I thought this isn't so bad. But no.....this wasn't the "worse condition". A half mile up the trail I ran into a stream. In the middle of the trail. Who put a stream in the middle of the trail? This was one of those can't jump but will have to walk through kind of streams. So I decide to walk across the stream. My shoes and legs were muddy so why not. Genius move on my part. I should have turned around and ran on Highway 1 but no this was the flat lands and it would get better. Mistake number 3! Remember I told Dennis the ridge would be dryer and less muddy because it's up on the hill. This flat trail is filled with hills, small but hills. I wanted flat! I continue on and encounter three fallen trees and oh yeah another creek. As I cross the creek with clean legs and shoes I immediately land in mud. I'm not really mad I'm thinking this is kind of fun running in the mud like a kid except I've run about 12 miles and a little tired. Finally I thought enough of this, I take a trail out to highway 1 for a dry and even surface. The highway is much easier to run on. Hilly but an easier surface and I could get into a rhythm. Ok I can settle in for the remainder of the run. Mistake number 4! The road is narrow at several points and I have to stop and let cars go by. If that's not enough it starts to rain. I run the next 20 minutes in the rain. Not bad but in light of all that's happened I could use sun. The rain stops for about 15 minutes and then just I as am coming into the town of Olema it starts to rain hard. This run is going to finish with an uphill run back to my car. Sir Francis Drake Blvd from Olema is a steep uphill. No brake at all. there is no flat land not even my car is on flat land. It took me 4.5 hours to run 21.5 miles. I was surprised at the mileage. I didn't think I would cover that much distance with all the fun I had with the water and mud. When I got to my car and took off my shoes I had mud in my toe nails and my shoes had mud stuck in the soles. This was some kind of run! I made this run far more difficult then it needed to be. I went left when I should have gone right and I went down the hill when I should have stayed up. This was more than a run. It was a lesson in mental toughness. Not sure how I did. Tomorrow is a "scheduled" 3 hour run. Absolutely no trails tomorrow!!!!!

Day 42 - 10am- Ok, lets see how this goes. 3 hours or about 16 miles. I head out on a familiar course with hills but on the road. Ipod is locked and loaded. The first 50 yards are a bit of a wake up but I settle in and start to relax. I run the first 10 miles with ease. I stop to take on some fluid and food for the last 6 miles. The first 4 miles go by quickly but the last 2 miles I start to slow down. Still all in all I cover 16.5 in 2 hours and 56 minutes. I spent several moments contemplating my upcoming race. How would I do, how would I feel crossing the finish line. These thoughts take my mind off my sore quads and make it easier to complete the run. Thats 38 miles in 2 days!

Sixth Week Totals - Another 60+ week!!!! My legs are sore and tired. Not horribly but tired. Another 60 mile ahead and I begin the last week of the P90X 90 day program. Not that I'll stop doing P90X but it will be in a maintenance mode. 10 weeks until race day. I need to get, a fuel belt and shorts that don't chap or chafe my butt. To quote my grandson Matthew, "Yeah Baby".

1/18 Through 1/24 The Fifth Week

Day 29- 6:00am - It's P90X, Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Ab Ripper. Break is over. Time to get back after it. I really push the workout. I feel beat at the end but good about the effort. This is the 11th week and I have 2 weeks left. This has been a great workout program and I will continue to use it on a maintenance basis. Tomorrow is the start of a 61 mile week. I've never run that many miles in a week. I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel at the end. If I can make it through I think I'll be fine the rest of the way. No school today!! Let the boys sleep.

Day 30 - 5:00am - 11.5 miles in the rain and wind. I head to the track and before I even get onto the track I step into a deep puddle of water soaking both of my shoes. Nice start! Usually Dennis and I ride together but with the weather I don't think he is going to show plus I'm running 11.5 miles. I start my run trying to get my rain jacket closed up and the ear pieces of my mp3 in properly. The first lap takes about 3 and half minutes. Had to tie my soaking shoes twice, the jacket is blowing all over the place and the ear pieces are falling out. I finally get all of this fixed and settle in for what should take a couple of hours. As I come around for the end of the first mile there on the track is Dennis. I thought holy shit he's going to run. There are running partners and then there are friends like Dennis. He isn't even training for an event right now and could easily put this run off until another time this week. That's a good friend! No wait that's a great friend. What other goof ball would crawl out of bed that early to run in the rain. He ran 7 of the 11.5 miles. After this run I feel good that I worked through all the weather related issues. P90X was suppose to be Plyometrics. "Supposed", I didn't have enough juice to complete this after the run. I'll put it off until Wednesday. Time to get the boys up and ready for school.

Day 31 - 6:00am - No running but I've have two different P90X programs to complete. I start with Plyometrics. Not to bad. My legs feel beat but I make it through. Damn glad to have that done. My legs really hate this workout. It's like going to the dentist. You know it's going to hurt and you'll probably bleed but you feel better after. Next I do shoulders, arms and Ab Ripper. I'm not sure what I was thinking doing both of these back to back. I like this workout, I'm just tired from the plyo. All in all I'm done.......No More!!!! My sons have been watching for the last 30 minutes and try not to laugh. Actually they're not sure what to think. Dad looks like a goofball but at least he's not asking us to do anything.

Day 32 - 4:45am - Oh great! It's raining again! 11.5 miles in the rain.....again. What the hell is going on with all of this rain? Again I start out sorting my jacket and ear plugs. But this time I'm much better prepared and the first lap goes by quick. I'm trying to see how many miles I can run before Dennis shows up. I know he is going to show up I'm just not sure when. I get 3 miles in before he shows and we run the next 7 miles together. Our conversation is a book in waiting. Again my friend shows up in crappy weather and grinds it out with me. It's difficult to explain how valuable his friendship is to me. P90X is suppose to be yoga. I'll pass this off to Friday. This is starting to be a pattern. Get out bed, it's 7:15!!!! Guess who?

Day 33 - 6:00am- Friday, yoga, legs, back and ab ripper. After yoga I wake up the boys and then start in with the legs and back with an ab ripper to follow. I make it through with some modifications during the legs. My legs are tired and I have a long weekend ahead. This is the week I'm running 60+ miles. I've never run this far during a week and yet I'm looking forward to the challenge. My daughter Amy and granddaughter, Katelyn are coming to spend the weekend with me. Amy has been running for a little more than a year and has already completed a half marathon. She is training to run a marathon. The marathon she is training for is to join me at the half way point of the 50 mile race. Not sure she will actually do this but she is going through all the work and I'm sure she'll complete a marathon.

Day 34 - 6:00am - Today is a 21- 22 mile day. I start on the street for the first hour and of course I get heavy rain for the first 25 minutes. I move from the road to Shollenberger Park aka "crappy vanilla" for the remainder of the run. I wanted to run out at the coast but with all the rain the trails would be muddy. This is a close to home alternative. At 7:45 I see Dennis running towards me. Is this guy nuts or what? He not only shows up but he brought food. We proceed to run the next 13 miles together starting to plan out the race, developing strategy. We finish the run, 13 miles for Dennis and 21.37 miles for me. Not that I'm keeping track. My boys, Bobby and Garrett, Morgan (my daughter), Amy , Katelyn and Elece head out to the beach for some fun. We have fun looking for shells and the weather out there is beautiful. Amy made a dinner tonight that was a combination of two family recipes that were perfect for carbo loading. And the wine wasn't bad either. Tomorrow Amy and I are going for a run. No P90X! I'll put this off until Monday.

Day 35 - 8:00am - Morgan comes over to help watch Katelyn. Amy and I take off for a 13 mile run through the east side hills. These are hills that are tough on runners. There are hills to get to the hills. Amy lives in Sacramento and the area she lives has no hills. This will be a challenge for her. We start the big climb and Amy is hanging in there. We make it up the hill and start to head down towards the "cows". I have already warned her about the cows and she is prepared to head back up and over the hill to avoid the cows. When we come up on the cows they are off the road eating and pay little attention to us. The road is covered with cow manure and Amy is running in new shoes. Oh Oh! We make it through all the shit and head off to finish the run. This is suppose to be a long slow run for Amy but it ends up a long fast run. She trims 25 minutes off of her Half Marathon time. I attribute this to bad coaching. For me this run is slow but feels really good on my legs. After running 21 miles the day before I feel really good. After Amy completes her run I head out for a few miles more to complete the 60 mile week. Again I have trouble with my shorts. I can't believe I'm still having trouble. The trouble? Once I get in the shower my butt hurts. I can't believe I made it through the week. I feel good at the end of this day and sit down to watch football. I'm looking forward to the up coming week. I'm going to move P90X to off running days for the next two weeks.

Fifth Week Totals - 60+ miles!!!! I have never run in this much rain. Maybe once in a week but not four times! My legs still feel pretty good. Not good enough to do extra P90X workouts but good enough to take on the the sixth week workout. Another 60+ mile week and the twelfth week of P90x. CHARGE!!!!

1/11 Through 1/17- The Fourth Week

Day 22 - 6:00am - This is a P90X day. No running. The running schedule is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. This is the same schedule it has been and will be throughout the training with the exception of the last week.

Today the workout is Chest, Shoulder, Triceps and Ab Ripper. It's a good workout but my mind is on my trip to Houston. This is going to be a reduced mileage week which is perfect considering I'll be visiting my daughter, Michele, Son in Law, Ridge and grandkids (Cameron, Hana, Hayley, Matthew and Michael).

Day 23 - 5:00am - Dennis picked me up and we go to the track for our workout. I had to cut it short which was good for Dennis since he had to leave for a long driving trip. I complete the workout later that evening, completing the 8.5 miles I was suppose to run in the morning. After having run 30 miles in the two days over the weekend my legs felt fantastic. I was expecting a little fatigue but to my surprise there was none.

P90X today is plyometrics. Everybody should have to do plyometrics. This is a tough workout that is hard to complete. Even though my legs were strong on the run this workout feels like too much.

Day 24 - 5:00am - This is Wednesday and I'm leaving for Houston. I had intended to finish my scheduled P90X workout but decided I would be cutting it close in getting to the airport on time. I packed the next three days workouts for P90X thinking or not thinking I would get them done at Michele's.

Day 25 - 6:30am - Ridge and I go for a run in an area around the YMCA that they belong to. This "track" is more trail and woods than track. It's a nice area and a great place to run. I'm suppose to do 6 miles but we cut it off at 5.5. He needed to get ready for work. It was our first time running together. We are both looking forward to the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Ridge has that all to familiar look of anxiety and excitement. This will be a training run for me but for Ridge it will be his first half marathon. No P90X today but my 6 year old granddaughter Hana asked me to go for a run with her. I thought this will be fun, probably won't last long. We ran close to 2 miles and did some speedwork throughout. The speedwork was her idea. "Hey Papa, lets race to the end of the street". The kid is fast and loves to run. I knew something wasn't right when she spent most of the run laughing, "ringer". I'm not sure who had more fun. She has signed up to run for a track club this spring and summer.

Day 26 - 10:30am - I asked Michele if we can go to the Y for a workout. They provide day care and I thought this could be a way for me to get in a workout. Plus it would give Michele a little break/workout. I use the time to try and simulate a P90X workout. It wasn't the same but it was close enough. Michele had a chance to workout, the kids had fun in daycare. That qualifies as a great workout.

Day 27 - 9:30am - We all go to the Y for a workout. Having had success the day before with day care we decide to push our luck. Ridge and Cameron go into the cardio room, I go off to the weight room and Michele is trying to get onto the the computer to buy concert tickets. That's a new form of cardio. She left somthing she needed in the day care and had to go get it. Oh oh! When she tried to sneak in she was greeted with an unhappy 3 year old Matthew. Yesterday it was ok to be in the day care, today no such luck. So while Michele tries to calm Matty I finish up my workout to give her a chance to get done what she was trying to do. Not exactly the workout we had the day before but better than nothing. I was scheduled to run for an hour and a half but didn't get out of bed early enough. Pre race dinner is my favorite, fish tacos. We are all Wahoo's Fish Tacos fans. We went through a lot of fish. We try to prepare them the same and usually settle for something close but just as good.

Tomorrow is race day!!!

Day 28 4:00am - Race Day! We get up and start getting ready. The race starts at 7. We have to eat, get dressed and then get kids out of bed and into the car not to mention pack them food and drinks. We get towntown in plenty of time and get a parking space right by the start line. This allows Ridge and I the chance to wear our warmups without having to carry them throughout the race. There are 22,000 people running the Marathon and Half. We start the races one street apart and in two waves merging up ahead. The sea of humanity. We start out slow by intent but also because there are a lot of people around us. At mile two Ridge needs to use the restroom. I told him I'll wait but as soon as he went in one I went in another without telling him. He came out ahead of me and thought I took off. I come out after and I don't see him. I thought, oh christ this is only the second mile and already we're screwed up. I started to run and stop to look back at the restrooms. When I was sure he wasn't in there I took off after him. I stop and call Michele. She answers the phone, "whats wrong". I said nothing, although in hindsight something like, "Ridge fell into the port-a-potty and you need to come get him out" would have been much better. I tell her about the mix up and ask her to call me when either of us crosses the 10k mark. The race had set up email alerts and so she would know when we crossed. I continue on not really sure if he is in front or some how behind me. At about mile four I finally see him up ahead and quickly catch up. We continue up to the half way point at a pretty good pace. The race started downtown and heads out to the nearby neighborhoods before returning to the downtown area for the finish. As the race continues it has been an easy pace for me but a little bit of a struggle for Ridge. He is amazed at the number of people who are out cheering the runners on. As we come back into the downtown to the finish, Ridge is all the things most first timers feel, tired, sore and very proud to have completed his first half marathon. Nicely done!!!

Week Four Totals - 29 miles and only a few hours of P90X. Thats not what I had planned but I had a great time with my kids and grandkids. I got to run with Hana and Ridge. I think Hana's faster. No doubt Ridge will find out soon enough. The half was run at a pace that felt easy throughout. I'm looking forward to getting back at it. This break was needed. The week ahead calls for 61 miles and a full week of P90X.

1/4 Through 1/10 -The Third Week

Day 15 -6:00am - P90X, Chest and Back with a side order of Ab Ripper. I'm in the last 4 weeks of the 90 day program. I can feel myself getting stronger. Ab work is still painful but it has it's benefits.

This week of running will consist of the usual track work on Tuesday and Thursday. On Saturday I'm going to run Mt. Tam with Dennis. Dennis is friend that lives here in Petaluma. We met about 5 years ago when our daughters played together on a softball team. We talked about running but Dennis preferred to run in the morning, 5am kind of morning. I was more of a lunch time or evening runner. The thought of getting out of bed to go running just wasn't what I wanted to do. About 3 years ago we crossed paths on a Saturday run. Not a 5am run but a 9am run. I decided to give the morning runs a chance. I can't imagine going back to any other time to run. Dennis has converted me. The best part of these runs are the conversations we have. We have covered almost ever topic possible and including singing. We were struggling to finish up this 18 mile run and I started singing James Brown, "I Feel Good" and Dennis joined in followed closely by laughter. Thank god no one was nearby. During some of our conversations we literally lose track of where we are in relation to the number of miles we have covered. Other times we have an unofficial no talking zone. Not one word is spoken allowing each of us to zone out. A good running partner is invaluable.

Day 16 -5:00am - 9 miles at the track. This is a tempo run with 2 miles at half marathon pace, 8:30 per mile. The run goes by quickly as Dennis and I have a couple of lengthy conversations. My legs feel good and I head home for my P90X workout. I take a little break and have something to eat. I get my boys off to school and get prepared to do Plyometrics! This is an hour long abuse of your legs. Between the 9 miles and the Plyometrics workout, the 9 miles is easier.

Day 17 -8:00am - P90X, Shoulders, Arms and Ab Ripper. An hour and fifteen minutes. I really enjoy this workout including the Ab Ripper. This gives my legs a break in preparation for an 11 mile tomorrow. Body parts are still intact and I haven't had to resort to using duct tape.

Day 18 -5:00am - 11 miles at the track. It's a fairly easy run with a couple of miles at race pace. Dennis is there for 7 of the 11. I use 3 of the last 4 to run at pace. My legs felt really good. The dirt track is very beneficial in reducing the pounding. After this I head home to eat and get my boys off to school. P90X workout is suppose to be Yoga. I'm going to move it to Friday. Not enough time to do it this morning.

Day 19 -5:30am - P90X workouts, Yoga followed by Legs and Back. These both went good. My legs are a little tired and I had to modify some of the moves. All things considered I feel good. I'm really looking forward to running Mt Tam tomorrow morning.

Day 20 - 6:00am - Dennis and I head out to Mt Tam for a 2 hour run. Dennis used to run here all the time and knows his way around the mountain. It's a beautiful place to run. Plenty of hills and lakes to run around. The run goes great. Legs feel good. We cover 10 miles. I haven't done much trail running but I get why people prefer it to the road. Running through forest and around lakes helps take your mind off the hills and it is very peaceful. P90X not today.

Day 21 - 7:30am - I head out for a 3.5 hour run around the east side. I take off for the Sonoma Mountains for a little hill work. This started out as a run I've done before with Dennis. Slow start, a couple of hills to get us warmed up and then we start the climb. Except instead of Dennis I'm running with my iPhone. Music blaring in my ear I feel pretty good considering I ran 10 hilly miles the day before and now I'm targeting 20 miles. The Sonoma Mountains are a beautiful place to run. Usually you end up above the fog and it's warmer. Today it's cold, foggy and wet. The other part of these mountains is the wildlife including cows, lots of cows. Climbing this mountain is a little difficult but coming down the other side has it's own challenges. There is an area about a half mile from the end where there is a dairy farm, with lots of damn cows. Today there was the entire herd standing in the road with a bull up front. I know you don't usually see a bull on a dairy farm. I saw his sack and they were not udders. I tried clapping, whistling and yelling. Nothing worked. The bull just looked at me like, "are you kidding"? The law of physics was clearly in his favor. I had two choices, try to run through them or go back up over the hill. So I went back up over the hill. I'm not proud but I am officially boycotting dairy. As I started back up over the hill I thought about the times I ran this course with Dennis. He would never turn back. He would just continue on and they would separate like he was Moses and they were the Red Sea. Of course I don't believe that for one moment. I am convinced though he is a Dairy Cow Whisperer. I needed the "extra" hill work. In spite of all the fun I had a very productive run. I haven't run 30 miles in two days before so this was uncharted water. I feel really good after this week.

Week Three Totals - 50 miles!!! Several hours of P90X. I'm still very excited about this training program. Although I have to find a new route to avoid cows. I should have just gone out to the coast. They only have Coyotes. I was also re-introduced to two well known facts of the Running Gods. 1) if you wear running shorts and have historically had chafing problems, use glide to solve the problem. Saturday I didn't do this, I have problems. 2) what you wear under your running shorts will determine how much of a pain in the butt your post run shower will be. OUCH!!! Week 4 will be an easier week. The mileage/time required has been cut by 20%. I am flying to Houston to run the Houston Half Marathon with my son in law. It's his first half and he ask if I would come out and run with him. I'm looking forward to the reduced mileage and seeing my family.