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.

12/28 Through 1/3 -The Second Week

Day 8 - 6:00am- My day consist of P90X Yoga. This is an hour and a half workout. For those who haven't tried Yoga it is much more difficult than it looks. Not only are you put in contorted positions but they also expect you to breathe. It's not an either or. The calm on everyone else's face must be an illusion. I have become a believer in the importance and value of Yoga to my overall fitness.

Day 9 - 5:30am- 7.5 miles at the track with a Tempo run, 4 x 1 mile @ 9:00 per mile. Dennis joined me for 6 miles. This run went great. My legs felt strong and I actually ran the tempo faster than scheduled. So far the legs feel strong and no signs of fatigue. After the run I had an hour of P90X, Core Synergistics. This is a solid core workout that's not as taxing as some of the other workouts. I'm having to eat before I run and have a little something after I run and before the P90X workout.

Day 10 - 6:00am - It's a P90X day! Kenpo! This is an hour workout that utilizes Kenpo moves. My Son has taken Kenpo and so I recognized a lot of the moves. The punches were easy to follow but some of the kicks were painful. My legs were convinced that kicking high was just an option and that they were going to pass.

Day 11 - 6:00am New Years Eve - 10.5 miles at the track. It was suppose to be a nice easy run. A 10:30 - 10:45 pace. My legs felt really good and the ipod was playing all the right music. Bon Jovi followed by Bon Jovi and I was Having a Nice Day. I ended up running at a 9:42 pace. P90X was an hour of stretching. Now this sounds easy enough except some of these stretches are Yoga moves. Remember I was expected to breathe and stretch.

Day 12 - Early Morning New Years Day - P90X Day! Core Synergistics. This was a perfect workout for this day. Got it done early enough to start in with the New Years football games, food and drinks. Plenty of antioxidants (Red Wine) and homemade chili.

Day 13 - 7:00am- 1.5 hour run from the east side over through the west. Nice rolling hills. I was a little slow on this run. Legs felt a little tired. Maybe I had too many antioxidants. I skipped the P90X workout and moved it to day 14. Later in the day we went for a 2 hour hike in a nearby state park. I was looking for new trails to use for the long runs that would be coming soon.

Day 14 - 9:00am - 3 hour run. We went to Pt Reyes National Seashore Park. That morning when we left Petaluma it was foggy and cold. By the time we got out to the park it was clear and beautiful. What a difference in weather. This was going to be a hilly run. I think the only part of the park that is flat are the restroom floors. I need to acclimate to hills, the race is mostly an uphill race. This was part run and part hike. I ran for 9 miles and then started hiking. I finished up the 3 hours with more running on rolling hills. I also started getting used to eating on the run. I've not done much of that in the pass. Marathons you eat some but I'm planning on this run requiring that I be able to refuel much more along the way. Later this day I spent 45 minutes on P90X Yoga. I didn't have enough energy to complete the entire hour and a half.

Week 2 Totals - 40 miles - Although I have only completed 2 of the 16 weeks of this program, I feel really good. I'm taking on more food before I start running and this has helped with keeping my energy up through the run and the P90X workouts. My legs still feel strong and I'm get more and more excited at the thought of finishing a 50 mile race. Bring on week 3!

12/21 through 12/27 The First Week

Day 1 -begins at 5:30am - Ultra training starts with a P90X session of Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. This sounds like a fairly simple workout but it lasts for an hour and by the mid-way I'm wasted and if that's not enough at the end of the hour is a short 17 minute session of Ab Ripper. This is just 11 exercises of 25 reps designed to make you puke or get stronger. Whichever comes first.

Day 2- 5:30am - 8 miles with a tempo run of 4 x TMP (10 mile pace) @ 9:00 per mile. I ran this at our local high school, Casa Grande. The dirt track makes it easier on the legs as well as easier to keep an even pace. Dennis joins me for 6 of the 8. Dennis is still tired from running the CIM (California International Marathon). Usually at this time in the morning we see two people who make our day. One is an Asian man who is there like clockwork. He runs to the track, goes around 4 times and then leaves. I say hi to him on every passing but he just looks down. At first I'm bothered; but then I figure he is there to take care of business and not talk. The other is a lady who shows up with her dog. They're both perky! Oh yeah, no running fatigue.

Day 3 - 5:30am- A session of P90X, Backs and Biceps followed by my favorite, Ab Ripper. It's an hour and fifteen minutes of good hard work.

Day 4- 5:30am - Christmas Eve! 9 mile run from the east side through the west side of Petaluma. This is a hilly course that I ran at an easy pace of 1 hour 35 minutes. I had Elece riding her bike along side to keep me company but mostly just to make me push her bike up the hills. After the run I came home to complete the Yoga session of P90X. This is an hour and half of yoga. I can do a damn good downward dog. I had never tried yoga before this program and now I get it. They're just omms.

Day 5 - Christmas Day! I take a break from all workouts and enjoy the holiday with my family.

Day 6 - 7:00am - 1.5 hours, east side through the west side. The same hilly course as day 4. An easy run with hills. Then home to try and complete 2 sessions of P90X. First I do the Kenpo workout. This is a lot of fun. Next I try to complete the legs and back workout. I got through about half and stopped. Too much for one day. Legs still feel good. I need to find some trails.

Day 7 - 8:00am - 3 hour run. I do this at Shollenberger Park. If Baskin Robbins had a flavor for Shollenberger Park it would be called "Crappy Vanilla". This is a flat ugly park with no views. The only thing good about this run is I didn't have a P90X workout on top of it.

Week 1 Totals - 42 miles! Legs feel great, ready for week 2.

The Beginning

I have been running since 2000. I was visiting Jeff, a friend back in Boston along with a childhood friend, Dave. Both of my friends were and still are runners. I was the holdout. I hated running anything longer than 100 yards and even that was a pain in the butt. But on this Friday morning Dave took off on a run and left Jeff and I at Jeff's house. I asked Jeff to take me on a run. We went maybe a mile and half and my lungs were screaming for air. I had to walk for awhile but it felt good. That weekend there was the Susan G. Komen 5K race in Boston and Jeff asked if I wanted to run. I was still sore from the mile and a half but said yes. The energy at the beginning of the race is difficult to explain. Maybe it's best described as nervousness, and anxiety mixed in with excitement. I started the race following this 60 something lady. I thought I can hang with her and I'll be alright. I started out looking at her back and then her butt and then her calfs and then I couldn't see her anymore. I thought oh shit she just ran away from me in less than a half a mile. Jeff was still running along side of me but my slow pace was starting to get to him. He saw his girlfriend and asked if I would mind him running with her. I said no problem and watched as he disappeared. I made to about 2.5 miles when I heard someone say the finish is just around the bend. Of course it wasn't and my lungs were screaming for air so I stopped and walked awhile and then started running only to see the finish up around the next bend. From this race I was hooked on running.

I have since run several races including marathons, half marathons and one long course triathlon. It was during a recent marathon training program that the notion of running an Ultra came up in conversation with my running partner and friend Dennis. We had both heard and read about Dean Karnazes. I have run 5 marathons and somewhere during each one of them I said I would never run another one of these bleepin things. They are painful! Dennis was far more open minded about the notion of running an Ultra. I was more in line with no fuckin way. I recently read an article in Runner's World by a first time ultra runner who shared her experiences. She listed a couple of good ultra's for beginners and one of them is in my backyard. I started thinking, why not? I am going to turn 50 in May of 2010 and I thought, 50 at 50. I wanted to do something different for my 50th.

Now for a training program. I searched Runner's World for a training program. Downloaded the program and here I am. The program started on December 21, 2009 and concludes on race day April 10, 2010. The race is the American River 50 mile race. This race starts in Sacramento and finishes in Auburn. My goal, to finish alive and in one piece. My ultimate goal, finish in less than 11 hours. This would qualify me for the Western States 100. Not that I will necessarily attempt to run 100 miles but it would be cool to qualify.

I am now in week three of the training program. I went from 20+ miles a week to 40+ in one week. So much for the 10% rule on mileage increases. On top of this program I'm in the middle of the P90X program. This is a 90 day program that incorporates strength and core development...It kicks your butt. I love this program and can feel the increases in strength to my legs and core stability.