RR's 100MileJournal

Prep

// July 19th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Corn Starch (don’t ask)…check!

Peanut M&M’s…check!

Cliff Bars…check!

Socks and extra socks…check!

Extra sneakers…check!

Hat…I don’t want to wear a hat.  Do you want your poofy hair to be an incessantly infested nest for black flies?  No.  Then will you be wearing a hat?  Hat…CHECK!

1 day, 12 hours and 7 minutes.

I’m excited, nervous, ready to be done…

I’m excited to start.  I’m excited to hold the silver buckle that says I did the Vermont 100 in less than 24 hours.  I’m excited to see the miles tick past and to get past mile 50 when I feel I can actually start a count down.

I’m nervous that I could get sick.  I’m nervous that I could get hurt. I’m nervous that I won’t finish for some reason.

I’m so ready to be done and to put this event, which I hold as both a completion of a long period of training and preparation, heart ache and celebration and a commencement of a new life I intend on creating after this event.

Thanks to all of you who have been with me on this journey and who have asked me about my health (mental and otherwise) and cared so much about this process.  It’s from you that I’ve come to realize what a big deal this 100 mile event really is.

This journal will convert in time (give me time!!!) to a journal that captures what I’m working on personally and professionally that honors the ideals in both The Uncompromised and in a big ole goal like, “Run 100 miles, Ron, because of who it’ll make of you to be able to show up and run it-let alone finish it.”  So going forward I’ll invite others to contribute what their “100 Mile” goals are and to use this forum as a place for support, advice, appreciation and fun–yup, even fun!

Here I go everyone!

Don’t Compromise, Ron…check!

RR

Injury…

// July 14th, 2012 // Comments Off on Injury… // Uncategorized

I hurt the ball of my right foot. It’s bruised and pretty swollen.  Right now I’m walking on my heal to get around.  Unreal.

I’ll see what I can do to heal it quickly but no sense not adding a little drama to my race.  Sheesh.

RR

Last Run

// July 14th, 2012 // Comments Off on Last Run // Uncategorized

Last “Long” Run

// July 9th, 2012 // Comments Off on Last “Long” Run // Uncategorized

People come from all over the world to go to NYC–and some passionate runners make the trip just to run in and around Central Park.

So for my last “long” run (16 miles) it was great to have the opportunity to be in NYC this week and do my 16 miles in a couple loops around Central park (plus four miles – each loop around the park is 6 miles).

I got in to NYC at 8:30 PM tonight (Monday) and by 9:26 I was off.  It was an uneventful and celebratory jog–except for clouds of marijuana smoke I ran through at a couple different locations around the park.  I don’t know why but that just makes me laugh–or maybe it’s the marijuana making me do that!  HA!

Anyway, check out the pics of the two raccoons that I saw hitting a garbage can for a late night snack around 66th St.

Not much more to say about the run.  Next time I pass 16 miles running it’ll be with 84 to go!

RR

Less than two weeks!

// July 9th, 2012 // Comments Off on Less than two weeks! // Just an Update, Uncategorized

I ran 6.5 today at 90%+ effort.  My lungs/legs didn’t adjust until about 4.5 miles in and then I ran harder.

I just kept thinking, “You think your legs are sore now…get used to the pain because in less than two weeks…!”  See corresponding picture.  Hint: It’s the one where I’m lying down!

I’m going to run 16 pretty hard this week and a couple “shorties”  and then oh, man…that’s that!  It’ll be time to just jog/stretch and repeat a few times until.   I’m so excited to just get running and get into it!

RR

Mile 26 of 30 6/27/12

// July 2nd, 2012 // Comments Off on Mile 26 of 30 6/27/12 // Uncategorized

Running in the dark 6/27/12 …about mile 17

// July 2nd, 2012 // Comments Off on Running in the dark 6/27/12 …about mile 17 // Uncategorized

3.5 of 30

// July 2nd, 2012 // Comments Off on 3.5 of 30 // Uncategorized

30 mile run-recap 6/27/12

// June 28th, 2012 // Comments Off on 30 mile run-recap 6/27/12 // Uncategorized

OK, that was it!  That was my last really long run before my really, really long run.  Next week-a hard and fast 16 miles will be the long run.

Between last night (6/27) and early this morning (6/28) I ran 30 miles from 8:30 PM to 1:30 AM and am still exhausted!  It was a wild run for a number of reasons, here are a few highlights…

• In the first audio at mile 3.5 you can hear people arguing (seriously) as I’m running through a not-so-pleasant part of Schenectady.
• Was almost hit by a car (I was wearing a reflective vest and running on the grass along side the road!! I have no idea what was going on in that car!).
• Running on a pitch-black back road, I could hear on a few occasions, something running along side me!  Not cool.
• 25.5 miles in, my app that tracks mileage on my phone decided to pause.  I picked up on it, I’m guessing, about ½ mile or so after it happened.  After running that far, I didn’t find that funny, particularly because I decided to run until my app said (gloriously) 30.00 miles.
• I got home at 30.04.  It took 5:03:21. I burned 3982 calories!  Ha! Now that’s wild!  Where’s my ice cream?

Anyway, I’m glad the run is over, I still have to do a better job of stretching throughout the week but the fact that I’m even able to show up to run in a few weeks after being really injured in February and having to stop my training…I’m really excited.  I’m nervous too, I’m just not thinking about that too much!

It boggles my mind to think about how I felt after 30, to think that I’d have to do that 2 more times and then run 10 more!  I’m smiling now.  I can’t wait to be done with this whole thing!

I think I can. I think I can…

// June 15th, 2012 // Comments Off on I think I can. I think I can… // Uncategorized