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.