20-Miler in Gainesville summer heat

It's the pinnacle of any marathon training schedule. It's the top of the hill. It's the week you look at during week 1 and say, "holy sh*t! I wonder if I'll be able to do that!" Or for marathon veterans, it might be the week you look at and say, "I can't wait until I'm rockin' that mileage again!" For Jenny and myself it was last weekend and it involved a 20-miler through around, over and across the city of Gainesville, Florida. That's right; home of my beloved Florida Gators!



To make things more interesting the weather forecast boasted a "low" of 77 degrees and humidity levels were 90+ percent so basically that's the best it's going to get no matter what time we set out to run. Being one of the highest overall mileage weeks, my body was down right sore and pissed off. Runner's knee in my right leg and an old lower calf/Achilles tendon injury speaking up in the left leg. Bottom line: TallguySurfing was nervous, anxious and driven all at the same time.

I convinced Jenny (who isn't human when it comes to running in hot weather) that we must get up at 4 a.m. and be on the road by 5:30 a.m. to give us at least an hour to 90 minutes of running time before the sun begins scorching us. I could tell this didn't sit well with her as it's nearly an hour earlier than we've ever gotten up for a long run. This strategy veers from the routine. She's nervous about getting started earlier than our norm and I'm nervous about getting started too late. We attempt to go to sleep super early, but really only get about 5 hours, of which the last hour Jenny lays there awake.

As planned we start running at about 5:28 a.m. from the Gainesville Health Center down University Blvd. and it's humid. It's so humid that the water vapor is clearly visible in the air beneath the street lights. By mile one I'm covered in sweat and we're going at a 9 minute pace. "Ugg, it's going to be a long run," I think to myself.


The conversation begins to flow as normal, but I'm not feeling very talkative. Looking back I realize how freaked out I was about the 20 miles before me and the higher level of focus occurring, which unfortunately was hindering my conversation skills.

We are both wearing hydration packs to allow for more fluid consumption and to not have to worry about how far until the next water stop. Mine is filled to the max with a full pack of Crytomax blended into it. They will be serving Crytomax at the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon and want to make sure it agrees with my system in case I need something more than just water on race day. I'm also packing four GUs, including a Jet Blackberry with 2x caffeine for those last few miles.

Around mile 9 we are running through Hale; an upscale neighborhood with large and expensive homes. We stop at a tennis club. It's an upscale facility that I imagine the likes of the Stepford Wives or Desperate Housewives using at a more respectable hour. Since it's hours before anyone actually arrives so we have the place to ourselves. The water fountain is like that of a soda fountain with disposable cups, chip ice and cooled water. I'm in Heaven. I fill my Camelbak reservoir with ice. We discover the women's room is decked out with hair products, lotions and soaps. I curiously go to the men's room to find it barren and basic. Can you say "what the eff?" See pictures below. There are clean cloth towels ready for my sweat at courtside. This was the nicest water stop ever!






At mile 10, we met up with Tracey, whom planned to run part of the route with us (about 5 miles). As crazy as it sounds this relaxed me knowing that Jenny and Tracey could chat away and I could just push on through without having to worry about talking. I'm not going to lie. At this point of the run we are down on Archer Road west of I-75 heading east for 2 miles straight into the early morning sunrise. There is no shade and lots of traffic noise. I was not having fun at this point as I realize my shoes are actually squishing and squashing because they are full of sweat. Never in my life have I sweat so much that my shoes have become saturated this much. I've heard stories, but generally I'm not a crazy "sweater" guy. My feet feel heavy and my legs on par with fatigue. I ponder if I'll actually get blisters and if the new sweat saturation will help or hinder blister development. Tracey and Jenny are 20 feet ahead of me deep in conversation. We finally make it to a gas station at 75th and turn north. Knowing that we have passed the point of being the furthermost point from where we started helps my mental state ever so slightly. We stop at the gas station to use the restroom. My urine is a brilliant shade of yellow kind of like an elite Kenyan's shoes. No bueno. Back on the road and I'm slamming GU and sucking Camelbak like a big baby, but I keep to myself as I follow the two girls going north on SW 75th. At mile 15 it's time to say goodbye to Tracey as she needs to head back to her place and we have to head the opposite way. It was great having her company for part of the long run!



By now the temperature is surely in the upper 80s and while my legs are feeling pretty good all things considered, my cooling system is not happy at all. Jenny looks at me and tells me I look better than previous "hot" runs we've done. "You're fine," she says and urges me to keep going. This is good in my mind. At least she isn't worried about me. We hit a short 1-mile stretch of road with no sidewalk and little shoulder. The highlight of this section is an overpass bridge going over I-75. Jenny is NOT thrilled about this section and tells me we need to get over it quickly. She takes off (probably only at our original 9-minute pace that seems like a sprint now) and I'm left chasing the pony tail up the bridge. In my mind it's Mount Everest. By the time I reach the top she's already at the bottom on the other side. I stop and walk as a reward for my accomplishment of conquering this peak. The scenery of a 6-lane highway below me is not very rewarding so I begin running down the hill where I find Jenny waiting at the next intersection. Only a 5k to go from here!

During those last 3 miles I had to stop 4 times because of the heat. It went something like this:
1.) You feel your breathing begin to increase involuntarily almost to the point of hyperventilation.
2.) Your brain tells your legs to keep running, but the lack of oxygen (reaching VO2Max) overrides the orders of your conscience and primal instinct makes you stop and walk.
3.) Annoyed as all hell you either a.) cry, b.) curse or c.) grunt
4.) After a matter of seconds or minutes of involuntarily walking you are able to catch your breath, replenish your blood oxygen levels and your brain can force your legs to start running again.

This is not my idea of a good time. I'm so out of it that I don't even stop my watch as I have previously done at water and bathroom stops (I wanted to have an idea of pace while running on this run). With 1 mile to go we can see the gym where we started. This is almost cruel as we must turn away, run through a neighborhood, up and down another hill and then return to the finish. This is also good because the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon course goes by the finish line at the halfway point and again with a few miles left. Finally, Jenny points to a brown sign and says that's the finish line. We both finish strong and a sense of joy overwhelms me knowing that I just ran 20 miles with my girlfriend! And, my legs are feeling pretty good. Without the beginning stages of heat exhaustion I think I would be perfectly fine running 20 miles. A new level of trust in the training schedule is achieved!

After 20 miles!

I'm drenched from head to toe and feel like I just got out of the ocean. There's not an article of clothing on me that can't be wrenched out. We head home, shower, meet friends for the biggest brunch ever at Flyin' Biscuit and then nap the afternoon away. By evening we're feeling pretty good. During the run we played a game. The runner that curses the most has to buy Seattle Manhattans at The Top to celebrate the 20-miler and beginning of taper later that night. English curse words count as 1 point. All curse words in foreign languages count 1 point for ever two since it takes more premeditation on these words. If you've read my entire post up to this point it's not hard to imagine that I'm buying us drinks. I owned this game and even dropped profanity in English, Danish, German and Spanish during the run!

Here's to the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon, running our 20-miler without injury and beginning a slow 3-week taper! A round of "Seattle Manhattans" at Gainesville's Top bar and restaurant.

Running update (way over due)

Wow.... WOW! I haven't blogged since Bay to Breakers.... shame!

And here I was thinking I'd have more time to put up posts and then reality hit home with a busy work schedule plus the last few weeks of high mileage leaving me wondering where all the time went.

What I need to do now is bring you all up to speed in my training for the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on June 26th.

May was nuts with almost each weekend being out-of-town events such as Bay to Breakers, Muddy Buddy and a weekend in Gainesville. I last left off with Bay to Breakers so we'll start the weekend after in Gainesville. This was the scheduled 18-miler long run weekend. Jenny and I decided to do it on the trails of San Felasco Hammock State Park. We were joined by Rochelle and her friend, but since they aren't in the same training situation as us they only joined us for the first 10 miles. We got a late start and the sun was already up. It was unusually humid and by the end of the first mile I was already sweating. The day before I purchased a Camelbak (Classic 2010) hydration backpack to wear. Honestly, I'm not sure I could have finished the run without it. We stashed Gatorade two miles in at a point that was also the 10 mile mark. I consumed all the Gatorade and all the water in my Camelbak well before we finished along with three GUs. The heat and humidity definitely took a toll on me. I was reduced to taking multiple walking breaks the last three miles. Jenny, of course, was a trooper and kept me motivated to finish. "Chase the ponytail," I remember telling myself several times! During the last 1/4 mile we came upon an ancient oak tree with a huge cave-like hole at the base. It reminded me of the South Park episode with the "underpants gnomes." I either imagined the gnomes coming and going from this hole or I hallucinated it! By the time we made it back to the trail head I was borderline heat exhausted. Goosebumps were forming on my arms and I was no longer sweating in the 90+ degrees heat. I colapsed upon the Earth in my TallGuySurfing tradition for after a hard long run and Jenny took a picture. We stopped at a fuel station and I purchased several sports drinks, Rockstar energy drinks and a TON of food, which I attempted to consume before making it the rest of the way home. After regaining my wits I checked my GPS and learned that we actually ran 19 Miles!!!! Sweet!


Two crazy runners going the distance on trails!

Spotting one of many deer...

The tree with the "underpants gnomes!"

Finished!!!! 19-freaking miles!

With 200+ miles on both my current running shoes (Brooks Adrenaline and Asics 2150s) I decided to get some new ones for the marathon. After trying on equivelant versions of Merrells, Saucony, Mizumo and Adidas I ended up buying the same Brooks I already have! Look how dirty 19 miles of trails leaves your shoes compared to brand new ones!

The next weekend (Memorial day weekend) was spent a home. The FishStock fishing tournament was in full swing and this year they held an inaugural 5k race. The training schedule said 14 miles. We decided to stir it up a bit by running 11 miles (actually about 10.5) before the race arriving only minutes before the start gun. We were joined at the race by Erin, Justin and a few other friends. I've run a few races in my home town and never seen more than about 200 people in any one race. This race saw 497 registered runners! Not bad for an inaugural race. Jenny and I started near the front back and Justin worked his way right up to toe the start line. I really didn't want to get caught up in a fast pace group. At the first mile I checked my watch and I was right on 7 minutes. Jenny was in my line of sight about 100 feet ahead. I checked my watch again at mile 2 and I had fallen back to a 7:20 pace. As we headed back along a scenic riverside road and the sun hit us I hit a wall. Not the kind of wall where you can't run, but the kind where you can't sustain your pace any longer. I felt my legs involuntarily slowing down. Old men and girls began passing me. Yup, I was being chicked! I lost sight of Jenny up ahead and no longer cared. I crossed the finish line at 24:50. Not even close to a PR, but good enough to get 4th in my age group and not bad at all for running 10.5 miles as a warm up! According to Weather.com on my cell phone at race start at 8 a.m., it was 86 degrees and 96 percent humidity. Whew!


After the race! Erin, Justin, myself and Jenny. Justin and Jenny both claimed 2nd place finishes in their age divisions and Justin took 9th overall.... speedster!

After the running what better activity than the beach? We spent two days surfing and relaxing at the beach. I'd also like to note (since my blog seriously lacks surfing content these days) that leading up to last weekend we finally got a decent swell in New Smyrna Beach. I surfed 7 of 8 days and the swelled peaked on Wednesday with 7-8-feet wave faces at Bethune Beach, which I charged repeatedly on my 9'0" Walden Magic performance longboard.

Tomorrow I'm in Gainesville to run the longest run of the entire 18-week schedule. A 20-miler. It looks like several of Jenny's friends are going to meet us at different spots of the run to join in for 5 or 6 miles at a time. My goal is to be out the door by 5 a.m. and have at least half the run over by sunrise. My fear is that we'll get another late start and the heat/humidity will kick my arse! Stay tuned for the recap!

16-Miles turn 17 BREAKTHROUGH!

Note: I'm in Sacramento today. This post was written yesterday, but delayed due to a lack of free WiFi.



I'm sitting here in the airport with my shiny new Dell laptop waiting on a delayed flight with a couple thoughts:

1.) Props to Delta Airlines for actually noticing that I am, indeed, TALL and taking the initiative to assign me an exit row seat without extra charges.

2.) Delta Airlines is now running late. No Bueno.

3.) Mixing Airborne with Rockstar should be illegal. I'm buzzing so freaking hard right now that my fingers are shaking as I type! It will be interesting to see what the girlfriend (dietitian) has to say about this apparent vitamin overdose.

4.) Now is an excellent opportunity to update the blog on our Post-Muddy Buddy long run last weekend.

Heading into last weekend I was really anxious. If it were up to me (not having Jenny motivate me) I would have done the Muddy Buddy Race and counted that as the major workout for the weekend. In hindsight, that would have been a mistake. I'm so happy that Jenny kept me us on track.

The previous 3 or 4 long runs have taken so much out of me. At the end I've been exhausted and felt like I can go another mile. My legs have been constantly sore for weeks. I think I'm beginning to forget what it feels like to have fresh legs. This makes me nervous for fear of "over doing it" and hurting myself (see last fall's Achilles tendon injury). Everything I've read on Achilles tendon injuries and rehabilitation basically leads to one thing; slowly working back up to speed over time. I'm following a marathon training schedule by Hal Higdon and lately I'm beginning to trust the schedule more and more. Here's why.

Jenny ran the Marine Core Marathon last year. She followed a similar schedule with obsessive compulsive accuracy. She had a good race. She had an awesome race by my standards. Following the schedule "slowly" eases my Achilles tendon back into high mileage weeks. I made a promise to try to follow the schedule as written as far as pushing the envelop of injury. I'm still listening to my body, but I'm following the schedule and if it says for example 14 miles then that's what I'm doing and not one mile more. If I come up short because I'm feeling like I'm on the brink of injury that's fine too, but most importantly I'm not intentionally going beyond the schedule.

Running the scheduled 16-miler the day after the Muddy Buddy was scary to me. I had my doubts, but in the end I believed in Jenny and I believed in the training program and I think that's what's important. It's almost a leap of faith. If my Achilles is going to act up then so be it, but until then I'm making progress!

Jenny and I made sure we got plenty of sleep the night before. Eight-and-a-half hours to be exact. The alarm went off at 6 a.m. and we were up and about, stretching, eating and following our routines. One of the things I've concentrated on the past few weeks is increasing my calorie intake. I'm not obsessing over it, but I've probably increased it by at least 1,000 additional calories per day and this is paying off. I feel like I'm eating all the time and almost forcing myself to eat, but I'm noticing longer levels of energy on the long runs. I ate a large breakfast before our run and allowed time to digest.

A little after 7 a.m. and Jenny and I are out the door. We start at a moderate pace and begin to chat about all things as we normally do. Jenny is a little upset because she was using the Indo Board cylinder as a roller and she feels like she may have actually bruised her ITB area of her leg. Note to all you runners/surfers: DO NOT USE A SUPER HARD INDO BOARD CYLINDER AS A FOAM ROLLER. IT'S JUST A BAD IDEA.

By mile 5 I'm feeling really good. My breathing is normal and my legs surprising feel great! I'm making more of an effort to drink and hydrate during this run than past runs. The temperature is also pleasant at about 75 degrees. I'm chatting away and so caught up in the story I'm telling Jenny that I don't notice that we've past the turn around by nearly 4 blocks. Oops! We turn around, head to the beach and start a long "into the wind" run up the beach. After a couple of miles of the strong headwind we opt to get back on the coastal road and uses the oceanfront homes as a wind shelter. We get back on the beach near the inlet, run around the park boardwalk, stop for GU and water and head back south weaving through beachside neighborhoods.

Before I know it we're 2-hours plus into the run and only have a few more miles left to go.

But some thing's wrong; we're within close proximity of my house (maybe 2 miles) and I'm feeling really good. In fact, I'm feeling like I could run another 5 or 6 miles. My feet are a little heavy, but I've got something I'm not used to and that's ENERGY! I'm feeling strong. My breathing is relaxing and I'd bet that my heart rate isn't too shabby. We round the last block and we can see our imaginary finish line several hundred yards ahead. Jenny is quiet and for the first time I'm actually having a better run than her. She is ready to be done. As we get within 50-feet I ask, "where the hell is our finish line," and Jenny responds with, "whoa, that's your first curse word this run!"

It's then that I know I had an amazing run. In previous long runs I've dropped numerous "F-bombs" as soon as the halfway point. This time I'm owning the run. We find the line and stop, walk, hug and give each other our usual post run kiss. It's a few shortly after that I re-route the run with the additional distance (my mistake) on MapMyRun.com and learn that we actually went about 17 miles. Like I said, I'm sticking to the schedule and not intentionally going any further than it states. This run was a break through for my confidence. For the first time I actually feel like maintaining our pace for all 26.2 miles is possible. And, I'm actually looking forward to our next longer run of 18 miles the weekend after this weekend!

Time will tell.

And it should be a good story to tell as well!

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday . . . 15-miler Recap!

Opening statement:
You know your girlfriend is a runner (and dietitian) when you take her to get her wisdom teeth removed and one of the first thing she tells you after, but while still heavily sedated, is that she wished they had used a different sedative instead of the one her oral surgeon chose because the other would have had more calories!



May 1st, otherwise known as May Day, is a public holiday in most of the world except the United States. I backpacked through Germany once upon a time and discovered that on May Day nobody works and everything is closed. This May Day happened to fall on a Saturday and with only seven weeks to go until the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon it only means one thing -- long run!

Originally, a few friends planned to join Jenny and I for our scheduled 15-miler, but with new injuries plaguing our friends, Jenny and I found out the day before it would only be the two of us. I changed the route ever so slightly to accommodate only our needs and we ended up getting a slightly later start that if we were forced to meet friends at a pre-determined time. This meant one thing and that was "heat." Now Jenny and I both prefer heat over cold, but with a record-reaching cold winter I think my body acclimated more to cold this winter (plus it was my first real "running winter") so when the temperature reached 90 degrees toward the late morning and miles 13, 14 and 15, my body screamed a huge "WTF?" But more on that later!


We started off happy and eager, well nourished and hydrated, rested and loose. We created an imaginary start/finish line for fun where a large crack in the asphalt spanned across the road in front of my house. (as you can see once you stop looking at my girlfriend's beautiful runner's leg)


Early on the temperature was a perfect 70-degrees. The sun was already up, but a thick haze was keeping it cool. "If only that will last most of the run," I remember thinking. By mile 4 we were on the beach heading north with the wind at our backs and feeling good. (Look how happy we are!)


By the time we reached the inlet (jetties), or about 2.5 miles later, the haze was long gone and the sun was really heating things up. I was drenched in sweat. Now I like sweating, but once I'm acclimated to the Florida summer heat, which I'm not... yet, well, maybe now after this run I am. Hmmm.... I'm not sure. Anyways, I spotted two spinner sharks breach the waves a few yards off shore as we passed my normal surfing spot. The ocean was flat, side-choppy and nobody was in the water. Jenny's untrained eye never saw the sharks and I decided not to mention them nor point them out, but let her keep telling me a story (she's going to learn to surf now that's it warm and I don't want to freak her out before she gets her toes wet)!

Next was a mile long stretch of a boardwalk loop through a park. This is wear the heat really started knocking on TallGuySurfing's dehydration threshold. We made it to the bathrooms and I noticed we'd been running for longer than an hour and I haven't used a bathroom yet. Uh oh... I down my second Gu, drink some water and eat a handful of roasted almonds and dried cranberries that I pre-mixed and had in a baggy in my pocket. I know from experience that when I don't have to use any restrooms on a long run that it's a sure sign of becoming dehydrated, so I drink even more water. We continue on south weaving through beachside neighborhoods and even a short trail that Jenny was delightfully surprised to see before reaching Dees house. Dees was doing some work in his garage and was nice enough to let me stash my shirt on his patio. It was drenched. I'm talking wring it out and drink a cup of sweat drenched! It felt great to be rid of that hindrance and the air on my bare skin temporarily cooled me down. They asked if we'd take their golden retriever, Roxy, with us, but when we told them we still had 5 miles to go they simply said, "nevermind." Haha...

Then there was the bridge.

In my infinite wisdom I decided to place the high-rise bridge at mile 12 thinking that in the Seattle Marathon the large hills appear to be around the halfway point. This seemed like a good idea at the time... that is until you've ran 12 miles, it's 90 degrees and now there's this big freaking bridge in your way!


As one might notice from the picture Jenny is merely a speck in the distance. Yup, that's right. She is totally "chicking" me and this bridge! Actually, we discussed it and decided she should run ahead since I was reduced to a speed walker pace and going slow up hills actually hurts her legs and I was afraid it could aggravate old injuries if she stayed with me. Now at this point of the run we had only walked during water stops and ditching my shirt. I'm proud to say that I did not stop on the bridge and when I got to the top I released a few "choice" words for what I thought of said bridge. (This self-portrait just before those "choice" words is probably the worst picture ever of me and I'm totally owning it!)

Never fret! Jenny was waiting for me at the bottom. We had to cross an intersection, which she tells me I almost walked out into oncoming traffic. I suppose I was a little narked, hypoxic, stupid... whatever you want to call it. I made it about another half mile before giving in and taking a walk break. Hey, Hal Higdon says it's ok! Although, I'll admit, I felt pretty damn defeated at that point. After maybe 100 feet we start running again and make it to the last water stop in a park by the river. I feel like if I try and take my last Gu I'll throw up so I decide to drink only the water and splash some on my face and neck. (Below you can see Jenny looking like a million bucks at the 13-mile mark at Riverside Park)


The last two miles were a little painful. I think, and I say I think because it's a bit of a blur, we took three more, maybe four walk breaks before reaching that imaginary finish line. A dirty crack in a road never looked so appealing in my whole life! I collapsed on it!



Some of you northerners might make snow angels. Down here in Hades, after running 15 miles, I make sweat angels!


In retrospect, it really was a good run no matter how bad I make it sound. I conquered my "allusive" 15-miles without provoking injury and I learned a few things. As I get more and more long runs under my belt I'm learning more and more about my body. I'm learning how important nutrition is not only right before workouts, but weeks before. I'm learning how to listen to my body more and more and recognize symptoms that might be signs of "bad" things starting that I can prevent or head off in advance. I'm also learning about how to better take care of myself in the days spent recovering or leading up to a long run.

I iced my lower legs after the run as a precaution, ate a huge amount of food and took an hour nap. Amazingly, I felt like a million bucks later in the day. My Achilles tendon is fine and despite some expected lower calve soreness it seems like I'm learning to recover better. Hell, we even went scurfing (being towed behind a boat on surfboards) the very next day!

Next week:
Muddy Buddy + 16-miler

Two lessons learned (Long run recap)

12.5 Mile long run down.... a heck of a lot more to go until Seattle Marathon! Last weekends long run with Jenny was fun, but I learned two important lessons.

1.) Don't eat a LOT of one food type (in my case asparagus) the night before a long run.

2.) Don't attempt to go to work where you are going to have to be standing and walking for hours immediately after a long run.

I'm just going to throw it out there. We made Naan bread pizza with asparagus, pesto, cheese and chicken the night before the run. Yup, if you read Runner's World the recipe is in the current issue. I can report that if you haven't made it do it! It's amazing. I ate it off my plate like a starving African kid. It tasted so damn good. Hmmmm.... I think I might just make it again tonight. It's fast, simple and easy. Only problem is with my stomach not being used to large amounts of asparagus it didn't take kindly to me bouncing around on a long run for 2 hours! Yeah... TallGuySurfing had some GI issues on Saturday. But, not to worry. I didn't let it ruin the fun. We had a great time.

Started out about 45 minutes before dawn and made it to the beach just as the sun was breaching the horizon. We held a steady slow pace and stopped for water twice. The air temperature was perfect at about 65 degrees. I carried my camera and took a few pictures.

After reaching the 12.5 mark Jenny continued on for another couple miles (we're trying to merge our training schedules together piece by piece) and I got ready for work. By the time I got out of the shower Jenny had made an amazing omelet for me, which I immediately engulfed! Here's where the second lesson comes into play. I had an open house to conduct at 10 a.m. for a couple hours and then a showing immediately after so I was on my feet for 3 hours after the long run. By the time I got back to the house and met up with Jenny my legs were torched! We decided to just chill out and eat a glorious lunch on the couch with our legs elevated and...... and...... and have a wonderful glass of wine!


Tonight I decided the perfect cure for a bad day (computer crashed... the kind of crash the involves smoke coming out of it) at work would be to charge a high rise bridge. This is actually something I try to do quite regularly, but have been slacking off the past month. So hills it was and 3 miles for 6 repeats. Here's a picture I took a few weeks ago of the only "hill" in town moments before dawn.

First run with Harrison... first run with Galloway...

Around the beginning of the summer I found myself having a few beers over at my friend Harrison's house. It's a very social place and one learns very quickly that if you're lucky enough to be hanging out at the Harrison's there are two rules. 1.) you will probably drink too much and 2.) if Mrs. Harrison offers you food, don't be a fool. Eat it! No matter what, it'll be good!

So as I was saying, I found myself drinking at the Harrisons. The conversation somehow got off on running, marathon running to be exact. Then to my amazement both the Harrisons started talking about how they plan to train and run this little marathon called Disney Marathon on Jan. 10th, 2010. A little taken back I was fucking shocked at this as neither Mr. nor Mrs. Harrison* are avid runners. A few more beers and I stood up in front of a modest large ** crowd of friends and proclaimed that "I TOO SHALL RUN THE DISNEY MARATHON!" I mean seriously, 2010 is a LONG ways away, right?

The next day I woke up, slightly hung over, grabbed the cell phone, called Harrison and asked, "did I really say I would run a marathon last night?" His response was simple and in a matter-of-fact tone of voice all I heard was, "yes you did... you sure did!"

Here we are only days away from Jan. 10th, 2010 (not so far away now) and after having my training scheduled FUBAR'ed by a nagging Achilles tendon injury I've gone from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C to Plan WHATEVER. The one thing I know is I will run this race and I will run another marathon at a later date to get the proper training experience once I'm completely healed.

So onward to Plan WHATEVER. The best I can say right now is after months of training and countless conversations about our injuries (Harrison has struggled with shin splints, minor Achilles pain and a few other problems) that we will both attempt to run this Marathon together with the understanding that we can leave each other at anytime to finish or get a better time.

We came up with this idea and then we realized we have never run together. It's very ironic because early on I would ask and pester Harrison to go for a run with me, but he would always find a reason to decline my offers, for fear that I was too fast for him. In recent months I've run very little being injured and I'm glad to say Harrison's confidence has made leaps and bounds. Now I am the run finding reasons not to run with him for fear I am too slow. Finally, we decided to do a long run together to serve a couple purposes. First, to see if we can run together at all and second, to see how his running style "Galloway," jives with me as I've never attempted the run walk run walk training style.

During the Holiday Halfathon I was forced to walk a lot of Mile 8 because of annoying cramps. This allowed my legs to get cold and caused them to ache upon starting to run again and that led to further cramps in my calves. My muscles aren't used to stopping and starting back up again. Harrison assured me that if I started walking earlier and for shorter amounts of time that I'd actually feel stronger down the stretch. What the hell, I'll try anything once!

On Sunday we set out for our long runs. The air temperature was 55 degrees. I decided for a short sleeve tech shirt, shorts, normal socks, a beanie and some light weather gloves. I plotted out a route on MapMyRun that fit both our needs; 10-12 miles for me and 20 miles for Harrison. Me being the genius that I am, I'm not going to attempt 20 miles until Marathon day (note: that was a statement of sarcasm about being a genius).

We set out a little goofy. I lunged ahead of Harrison for a few steps then slowed down only to lay chase as he sped up to match me. About 50 feet later we were pacing the same. I asked if this was the correct pace and he agreed that it's a "good pace." It felt slow to me, but I was prepared to go slow rather than my faster "pretend I'm not injured" pace. Another thing to note is I totally forgot my watch. I'm such a failure when it comes to timing my runs. I guess time isn't as important to me as others. According to the more responsible Harrison, who remembered his watch, we started our first walk around 13 minutes. The entire run went this way; run for 10-15 minutes and then walk for 1-2 minutes. At first it seemed very ridiculous. I wasn't even sweating and I didn't feel warmed up and we were already walking? After an hour of this my legs felt great. Time was flying by and I was truly enjoying our conversation. I hate doing long runs alone. I really think all long runs should be accompanied by a good conversation pal. Since the temperature was colder than I've ever experienced on a long run (yes, I'm used to Hades and our 80+ degree weather before the sunrises most of the year) I found that I did not sweat very much at all, but still forced myself to take a couple of Gu gels and even had to use the bathroom once (a rare occasion for me well into a long run).

Overall the run was excellent. We had one scare while trying to run along side each other on a narrow sidewalk. Harrison slipped off the shoulder of the sidewalk and almost twisted his ankle, but he was fine and we continued on to better running conditions such as a boardwalk and a little bit of the beach with the wind at our backs. I decided to end my run at 11.65 miles, which took us about 2 hours and 8 minutes according to Harrison's watch. John hashed onward and I drove ahead providing two additional water stops for him before he finished 20-miles. He is so ready for Disney and I'm so proud of him. He's come so far since that night of beer drinking at the beginning of the summer. I feel like I'm ready as well and could have easily gone 20-miles with him using his running method, but with only 2-weeks until the marathon I decided to be cautious and not risk further injury.

I can honestly say this was the slowest-best long run of my life. If there is going to be a way to finish the Disney Marathon completely unprepared like I am without injuring myself this plan is it. Plan Whatever with a bit of Jeff Galloway! Hey Disney.... Bring it!



*Mrs. Harrison, bless her heart, had to drop out of the training program due to poor knees.
** You guys have no clue how stoked I am to finally figure out how to do the strike through line!

15-Mile Barrier SHATTERED!!!!

If Redhead Running had told me a couple of years ago that one day I would be marathon training at a ridiculous hour (4:30 a.m.) with her for a ludicrous distance (16.5 miles for me, 18 miles for her) I would have laughed her out of the room. I would have told her I'll never run that far. I would have told her that distance running like this is horrible for your body. I would have even bet my bank account against such a crazy prediction. And if I had told her she'd be running like this back in those days she would have raised her beer, laughed ME out of the room and drank!

Those predictions were never made, but Saturday morning at 3:57 a.m. the text message alert on my phone sounded off. It read, "I'm here," and when I opened my front door there stood the Redhead nearly 30-minutes early. Now that's hardcore! Her day started at 2:30 a.m. (when most of our friends are passing out from a long night of partying) to allow time for the hour drive to my house. I wasn't ready yet, but it worked out perfectly because she had a routine of stretching to do before our run. At around 4:15ish, I think, we headed out for our planned run; a 15-mile for me and an 18-mile for her.

All week I've been anxious about this run. Perhaps it's was something about the number 15. I psyched myself up in Thursday's blog post on the number. I hydrated, carb loaded and got plenty of rest on Friday. Now it's Go Time!

We start off with a slow pace to warm up. When I'm by myself I think I might start running faster sooner, but today I want to take it super easy and slow is good. I've got plenty of time until Disney and the last thing I want to do is injure myself. The run it's self is awesome. At mile 5 I'm feeling great! I quickly find the bag of water bottles and energy/electrolyte gels I stashed in the woods the night before and week each down them. It's the faster water stop on a long run I've taken yet. The Redhead told me earlier she wants to keep stops to a minimum as she's only a few weeks from her Chicago Marathon and this is one of her last few long runs. Another mile and we're on the beach. We are so early it's still dark. REALLY DARK. It's a new moon and the stars are amazing. Other than shrimp boats on the horizon and a lone beach patrol officer driving by we are alone for the next five miles. At mile 10 a little detective work is done to find the bag of water and energy gels I buried the day before and marked with a pelican feather. The Redhead finds this amusing. What was really amusing was me the day before in business clothes trying to NOT look suspicious amongst sunbathers while using a shovel to bury the water without being seen. We push on and soon the runner's high silliness kicks in gear. A song pops into the Redhead's mind after an earlier discussion about coconut juice. She starts singing a song from the Lion King:

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
There they are all standing in a row
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head
Give them a twist a flick of the wrist
That's what the showman said
I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
Every ball you throw will make me rich
There stands my wife, the idol of me life
Singing roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch
Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch"

I can't help but laugh, smile and think to myself, "appropriate, I am training for the 'Disney' Marathon!"

We had a beach walker snap this shot somewhere around mile 14. Hmmm, either the Redhead is really short or I'm really tall.... or both.

We are now running the 1.5-mile loop on the boardwalk at Smyrna Dunes Park and the first hints of dawn are lighting up the horizon. It's a beautiful sight! We pass three other "serious" guy runners, several fisherman and a few surfers, but that's it and we're back on the beach again tracing our footprints back toward Flagler Avenue. The tide is getting high and the sand is soft so we switch up to pavement a little early and suddenly I realize for me there's only about a mile left to run. The shops are opening along Flagler Avenue. The Coffee House is abuzz with activity. I'm feeling a new sensation. Instead of only leg pain, which set in several miles ago, I'm feeling a loss of energy, a loss of endurance. It's like I have the will to continue running, but every part of my body is resisting in protest. The Redhead claps her hands and yells, "Let's go Sylvan, Let's go!" Now she knows what it feels like to be the motivator and NOT the one that needs end of the run motivating from the "Lazy Runner." I feel her slipping away. It doesn't feel like I'm running any slower, but I am. I struggle to keep pace. Half a mile to go and I catch up with her and proclaim that "I'm back," only to fall behind again. She mentions another blogger she knows, this guy Jamoosh, that counts hot girl's ponytails for motivation. What a great idea? I stare at the Redhead's ponytail. It bounces back and forth with the rhythm of her body. Hot! Normally I'd be in a daze, but right now my extreme fatigue is taking priority. It's like the final few minutes of Bikram Yoga when you could care less if the hottest girl in the world is next to you... all I want to do is finish! Sorry Redhead Running, I love ya, but it's just not working for me right now! At a quarter-mile to go she's a good 50 feet ahead of me and unsure where the stopping point is so I yell out directions. I want to stop, but I'm determined! I dig deep and the most random thought of motivation comes to me. I start singing Pearl Jam's "Alive." When this song was released in the early 1990s I was just a teenager and my father had just passed away. I learned this song on my guitar from beginning to end. It was such an inspiration to me at the time and somehow it's going to get me through this run!

"I, oh, Im still alive
Hey i, oh, Im still alive
Hey i, but, Im still alive
Yeah i, ooh, Im still alive"

Finally, at 2:30:00 we reach the 15-mile mark!!!!

It's located at a friends house where I've left my truck the night before stashed with a cooler stocked full of Gatorade, Cliff Bars, Water and the Redhead's last energy gel. She downs it and heads out for the final 3 miles. I slam a Gatorade and walk around the driveway for a good five minutes before attempting to remember how to drive my truck. I'm looped out of my head right now and it feels great!

So how did I run the 16.5 miles if the story ends here???

An interesting twist of fate all thanks to a sketchy black man in a black truck.

Yup, thank you sketchy black man! Because of you I can say my longest run ever is 16.5 miles instead of just 15!

The plan was for me to drive the truck down to the park where the Redhead would be finishing her 18-miles after one last loop around the boardwalk. I wanted to drive down and be there before she started in on the boardwalk to cheer her on, but she came running up with a look of concern on her face. Apparently, a black man in a black truck drove by her once on the main road, turned around and drove by her two more times and even honked at her before continuing on to the park. We could see the unoccupied black truck in the parking lot. I can tell the Redhead is a little freaked and I would be too if I were a female her size so I decide to run the last 1.5 miles with her around the boardwalk. I feel amazingly better on this last run with no problem finishing. With a quarter mile left I yell out the final distance and the Redhead takes off sprinting with a super strong finish. She is SOOOOO ready for the Chicago Marathon!

Overall it was a milestone run with many "firsts." It was the first time I've set out my clothes the night before a run. It was my first time stashing supplies along the route. It was the first time the Redhead and I have ever run together, let alone being around each other this time of day without being drunk, passed out or hungover. It was the first time I've run that distance in my life. It was the first I've run that early in the morning. It was my first time doing a long run on Saturday (which I might switch instead of Sundays or Mondays). It was the first time I've seen my good old friend the Redhead in more than a 1 year!

All of it rocked!

Favorite Quote of the Run: "Ya'll are going to like live a long time being all healthy and stuff... unlike me," the 7-Eleven clerk said as he took another hit from his cigarette after taking our picture in front of the 7-Eleven sign. You see, The Redhead and I have this history with 7-Eleven, being drunk and in costume. Our friends used to get dressed up in crazy outfits and walk to 7-Eleven after long nights of partying for junk food. It's ironic that years later we find ourselves at 7-eleven using the bathroom at 5 a.m. while on a long run.

At the 7-eleven 3:20 a.m. sometime in 2007

At the 7-Eleven around 5 a.m. 2009

I'd like to send out a BIG THANKS to the Redhead one more time for coming over and running with me. My official time with the extra 1.5-miles added on was right at 2:45:00 (a little slow, but strong) and I doubt I could have done it without my old friend chatting it up, making it seem short, and being silly with me! I've got a long ways to go, but plenty of time to work on that distance and time!

108 Days Until the Disney Marathon!!!!


Final thoughts:
If I ever bring myself to such self torture as taking an ice bath after a long run, somebody slap me!

The Redhead taking her famous ice bath after the run. Wearing a bathing suit bottom, long sleeve shirt and sweat shirt hoodie she listens to Dropkick Murphy's music, head bangs and waits for the ice to melt. You can see the happy picture of her on her blog, but I took this one as she was hunkered down and enduring the "freeze!" Note: She also called me an A*hole for taking this picture at the time.... hahaha... Love ya Morgan!

9-Miles... piece of cake!

Several times this week I've admitted to friends or co-workers that I've been doing some "long" runs. When I say, "Oh I'm tired or I'm sore because I ran 10 miles this morning," or for example this morning while surfing I said to a friend, "I ran 9 miles before coming to the beach this morning," they all are saying the same thing:
"Whoa...what? Are you training for a marathon or something?!?!?"
They say it with a sarcastic timbre and a you're crazy expression on their faces.
I say, "yeah, ummm, I am training for a marathon."
So I guess I haven't been very vocal about my "top secret" training activities, but for the record: Yes! I plan to run and finish the Disney Marathon in January. I also plan to run the Daytona Half Marathon in November. And yes, I am still surfing as much as Mother Nature will provide clean waves to be ridden!
And you know what? After stepping it up with a running training schedule and continuing to surf 3-4 times a week and even throwing in some Bikram Yoga and Co-ed Softball games I FEEL FREAKING GREAT!

This morning I got up at about 5:15 a.m. Downed some cashews, honey and a Shot Blok with some VERY cold water, stretched and hit the pavement and beach sand for 9 miles. Last Monday I ran 10 miles when I was scheduled to run only nine. Something about 10 that I just had to do and get over with. This week I was scheduled for 10, but I figured I'd do nine (I'm sore from playing 4 co-ed softball games) and then get back on schedule next week with 11 miles.

The run went well. It was mostly easy. Every long run has it's moments, but it's getting easier. I do believe that sprinting in the softball games may be helping my time.

On previous runs I've encountered hundreds of bats returning from a night of hunting near this one house on my route and a big ancient oak tree. This morning I decided I'd bring my camera along and try and get some shots. What happened was disappointment. I was too early and there were only a few bats flying around... not the amazing numbers that would show up as dawn approached. I did manage to get one good picture of only one bat and then found myself stuck with my camera in hand. Yup, I was stuck carrying that camera for 9 miles!

(By the way. I did surf the inlet for a couple of hours post run this morning. The ocean was strange with morning sickness and a little crossed up with short periods. I think the tropics are heating up and we should be in for some exciting swell action this week!)

So why not do a little photo essay on my 9 mile run?!?! Here you go... hope you enjoy!

Here's the bat. He looks lonely without all his friends. I WILL GET A PICTURE OF THEM EVENTUALLY! I was just too early today, but it was nice getting 75 percent of the run over before the scorching sun arrives.

I think when people ask or tell me I'm outta my mind for running so much I'm just going to show them this picture in the future! Haha... the things I do to entertain myself. Man, it'd be nice to have a running partner on the long runs for some conversation.Riverside Park and the Intracoastal Waterway as view from my "hill portion" of my run up and over the South Bridge.

Somewhere around mile 5 I hit the beach. It's so refreshing to feel the cool morning air hit your body as soon as you start running down the beach, of course you have to get there before the sun rises....
I'm going to close with my little sunrise picture. I'm calling it, "Three Little Birds."

Holy Smokes Batman - 8 Miles!

I've run 8 miles before. I have not run 8 miles in say, the last decade. Coming to terms with the fact that my body is not as bulletproof as it was when I was 21-years-old, I start my "long run" with a very conservative-slow pace. I don't have any fancy running gadgets. All I have is a cheap Timex iControl watch so I'm guessing my pace is around 10 minutes to start out.

It's Sunday morning, 5:45 a.m. It's dark. Things immediately get strange not even a 1/2 mile into the run. I cross over U.S. 1 and pass the Audio Vision building when I notice an object buzz past the back of my head. Just a few feet over my head between the building and an ancient oak tree are about 100 small birds flying in a circle. They seem to jaunt back in forth and are flying so erratically that it's amazing they don't have multiple mid-air collisions. Deja vu hits me. I've seen this before. Where? India... Nicaragua... I can't remember. One of the small birds breaks away from the chaos and flies higher and I see it clearly with the early morning sky in the background. IT'S A FREAKING BAT!

I stop running and just kind of gaze at them. Hundreds of bats flying around just feet above my head. They are completely silent, unlike in the movies. I've seen bats in Florida before, but usually only one or two flying around. NOT HUNDREDS! I continue one with my long run.

WILDLIFE #1 = Hundreds of BATS!

Mile 1 comes amidst a peaceful section of Riverside Drive. It's quiet and still dark. I'm feeling really good so I pick up the pace to probably around 9:30 pace. I conquer the North Bridge and with that comes mile 3. I'm still feeling great, but I begin to notice something. I have to pee. This is strange because I used the bathroom before I left and I'm almost always fine for my runs without having to have a bathroom stop. Soon I realize what I did differently. Before leaving I ate a Shot Blok that had caffeine in it. Normally, I eat the regular ones with no caffeine, but since I was up a little late the night before with friends drinking beer of all things I needed an extra boost this morning. It's gotta be the caffeine! TallGuySurfing rarely drinks anything with caffeine in it as I can hardly sit still as it is normally!

CAFFEINE & SYLVAN = bathroom stop.

Soon I'm at the beach ramp so I jog over to the beach patrol station where I know there are bathrooms and showers. The sunrise is just beginning. There are about two dozen people standing on the beach staring at it. It reminds me of a scene in the movie, City of Angels, where all the angels gather each morning for the sunrise. I notice some of these people are still dressed in the close they wore out last night to the party scene on Flagler Avenue. Classic! I'm glad I'm not one of them. The bathrooms are still locked. Damn it. I'm here before the beach patrol take duty for the day! Argggggg.

As I head down the beach the sunrise is absolutely beautiful. The last time I watched a sunrise on my own beach here in town I had been up drinking and partying all night long. Today is a much better way to watch the sunrise. I notice some odd tracks going up the beach. They look like 4-wheeler tracks, but a little different. They are turtle tracks. Probably a loggerhead. There's a mound of dirt where she has laid dozens of eggs several feet below the sand only hours ago under the cover of darkness. The turtle patrol people have not arrived yet and I feel like I'm the first human to see them. A short distance further I see where she returned to the ocean to leave her eggs and eventual hatch lings to discover the cruelty of the ocean.

WILDLIFE #2 = Endangered Species Turtle tracks

Another mile down the beach and I find a port-o-potty to put to use. It smells like a landfill. Then it's heading back west toward the South Bridge. This is the biggest incline for miles around. It's a high rise bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. I'm not sure what the pitch and rise of the slope is, but the height at the top is about 80 feet and it's about a quarter mile run to the top. As I'm running up the bridge the sun breaks the horizon almost on cue and starts beating down upon me. The temperature seems to rise 10 degrees and I start to feel nauseous. What's worse is my planned water stop is in Riverside Park on the other side of the bridge. I can see the bathrooms and even the little water fountain below in the park not even a 1/2 mile below. It's like the water fountain is yelling at me, "come on dude, you can make it. I'm waiting for ya!" Reaching the top of the bridge I stop and walk. I have to. It's not a choice. Perhaps if I had a running buddy with me I would have humped it out, but by myself it seems involuntary. Must walk now! Down below I notice movement in the water. Many years of surfing and fishing has taught me to notice these things. A mullet jumps wildly out of the water again and again. A large boil follows the mullet. I know this to mean impending doom for that poor mullet. Then a large tarpon, probably five feet long, swallows the mullet whole in a violent attack sending water spraying across the surface. I think to myself, "things could be worse, you could have just been eating by a large tarpon." The water fountain doesn't look far now and I start to run again. Peace out mile 6!

WILDLIFE #3 = Large tarpon and mullet/life and death motivation.

The water is super cold and hits my lips with a freshness that is indescribable. It's good. REAL GOOD. I force down a Power Bar Gel packet and drink more water. There's a drunk guy on a nearby bench smoking a cigarette. He's staring at me like, "what's your deal man?" I give him the "Screw off loser," stare back while nodding good morning to him and continue my run. Only 2 miles to go!

WILDLIFE #4 = Drunk man on park bench smoking cigarette.

The last two miles are uneventful. I ease into a zone. Perhaps I'm at the point of NOT noticing my surroundings. I'm focused on finishing. Tunnel vision for sure. I pick up the pace a little and my body makes me slow back down after a short ways. My knees are fine. No cramps. I just have a little bit of "get-there-itis." The final stretch is before me and I can see my own finish line in the distance. My Chemical Romance's, "I'm Not Okay," starts playing in my iPod. I feel okay as I cross the finishing point, tear off my drenched shirt and headband, start walking for my cool down and start to feel the "runner's high" hit me. I just ran EIGHT FREAKING MILES and most of my friends are still sleeping! Am I okay? I feel fine, but somehow I relate to the song on a small level. I feel like I can eat a small animal. Who knew running would make me so hungry!?!?

I manage to surf for three hours later in the morning with some friends that give me the "you are NOT OKAY" look as I paddle up and tell them I just ran 8 miles. Later in the evening as the sun is setting I surf again, this time because my roommate wants to learn. He takes a pounding and after an hour looks more beat up than myself. He gives me the "how do you do it and make it look so easy," look. It's then that I know after burning about 2,500 calories and still going strong, sunrise to sunset, that I know that I am truly OKAY!

Mr. T is chasing me with Snickers bars! Oh my 7-miles!

Surfing is going to be my downfall.

... and I don't care.

Since I started running (seriously) about a month ago I knew that my training schedule would encounter some serious deviations due to Mother Nature. When there is a swell in the water I have to surf it. I guess ever runner has their nemesis and for me it is going surfing instead of running. I mean running is great and I enjoy it immensely, BUT if there is a chance to ride amazing waves in good conditions you better believe I'll be out there paddling around and my running shoes will be left in my closet.

Last Wednesday marked the beginning of what I call a small summer swell. Some storm out beyond the Bahamas created it. So our surf went from being nearly flat to head high conditions with offshore winds almost overnight. My friends and I surfed five days through Sunday. I managed to get a 3-mile run in on Friday, but that was it. No scheduled long run on Sunday; just surfing. Good thing surfing is a form of exercise that probably rivals running. I'm sure many runners have their nemesis to deal with and if mine is an exercise equatable with running then I don't feel so bad.

However, let's get down to business!

6 a.m. this morning. My alarm goes off. I crashed last night before 10 p.m. so I'm piping with energy (I haven't had 8-hours of sleep in days). My normal routine is to get up, go to the bathroom, get dressed and run. But that's for short 3-mile runs...

Today calls for experimentation. My self inflicted "flexible" marathon training schedule calls for a 7-mile run. I have not run 7 miles in years. Last winter I ran a 10k (6.2 miles) with no training and it almost killed me. So, I get up, go to the bathroom, get dressed and eat. Yes, eat food before running (amazing concept). Not much food, but enough to hopefully keep me from hitting a wall and "running" out of energy. I also chomp down a Cliff Shot Blok with water.

I set out by 6:30 a.m. and head toward the beach. It's a fun route along riverside drive where I watch the sunrise and head down the North Causeway, over the bridge (hill!), down Flagler Avenue and up the beach.

I encounter lots of walkers, bicyclist and dog walkers, but only one other runner. She's older than me and comes out of nowhere and passes me just before the bridge. Endurance wise I'm great, but I'm starting to feel some pain in my left knee. This is only the 3 mile mark. Not good. I banged and twisted this knee pretty hard while trying to tuck into a barreling wave that closed out on me a few days prior. I resist the urge to pace this woman and let her fly on up the bridge.

I never would have guessed it, but running up the incline of the bridge actually makes my knee feel better. By the time I'm on the other side I'm back to feeling fine. The beach is scenic. It's low tide and as wide as two football fields. The ocean is flat again. I feel good knowing I'm not missing any wave action at the inlet. I reach the halfway mark, turn around and head back. Vicarious, by Tool, starts on my iPod. I zone out for all 7-minutes of the song. I'm finally at that point. The point where you are just running to run; completely warmed up and in that zone where there's not much pain and you feel like you can go indefinitely with the knowledge that it WILL hurt when you stop. But for now, I run.

I stop at mile 5.5 because there are water fountains near some boat ramps. I don't feel like I need water so I make myself drink. I also experiment by taking a Power Bar Gel pack and downing it with some more water. The little 3 minute break pays off and I finish off the remaining 2-miles with a little added speed.

Final time 1:03:39.
Total Distance 7.05 miles.

During the final mile the knee pain returned, but it was not severe so I didn't stop. Endurance wise, I was still full of energy at the finish. This is great news because after that 10k last winter I felt like I was going to die at the finish line. Today, I was almost the same pace (perhaps a little slower) than then and I felt like I could run another few miles at the end. The only major problem is going to be my leg and knee strength. Can they hold out for 26+ miles? Time and many.... many short runs should tell.

On a funny side note:
Other than the water/gel stop, I ran the entire 7-miles this morning. Stopping and walking crossed my mind several times. Each time I thought of this hilarious commercial that my surfer friend Joanna and I found this past weekend on the Internet. It might just be my wacky sense of humor, but I've watched it about 30 times and I still laugh my ass off each time! So when I was about to stop this morning I just kept thinking of Mr. T shooting Snickers bars at me! Enjoy: