Hi Eric and everyone

last night I begun the 15 week foundation program using my test results and something curious happened I found it very hard to keep my heart rate in zone 2 it kept creeping up into 3 and 4. As my run progressed it became harder and harder to get may heart rate down after each 15-20" of moderately fast running. The only way I could get it down was to walk for 30-40" then resume running again. Does this mean my test results were wrong or dose this happen? After…

Cherokee legend has it that long ago humans and animals lived together and spoke to each other. Those times have long since past, or so thought the Cherokee trail runner. It was a crisp, clear winter day with fresh snow on the ground. Trail runner thought it a perfect day for a long run. She had no idea what she was in for! She made her way through the winding trails of the forest, somewhat surprised that no other humans had made tracks yet. She drank water and ate to sustain…

I'm not sure whether this is entirely running related, but more sort of me-related, I guess.

One of the reasons why I've been quieter on the blogging front is that I've been spending the last few months writing a book about running - specifically, how I spent a year going from a complete non-runner to someone able to comfortably run marathons and even run ultra distances.

I figure there might be people out there who want to read about an ordinary guy's experiences and…

545 the alarm goes off, out of bed sneaking around so i dont wake the little one, lots of water, shave, get changed into my gear, shorts and a merino tshirt for the current chilly mornings and a beanie for the first 1/2k or so, pat the dogs on the way out and then crunch crunch on the gravel under starlight as I walk out to our gravel rd, Mudlarks calling and a couple of magpies somewhere out in the way yonder... My eyes are getting accustomed to the dark and I quickly walk to a tree that…

Last week I got the opportunity to attempt to hit some targets at a makeshift shooting range at the coaxing of my brother in law, Scotty, former military police.  It was an automatic rifle of sorts...a heavy one with a scope.  After getting the basics down I took aim. I had a hard time honing in on the target. The gun was heavy, challenging to find aim and hone in due to the weight and trying to use the scope. It took a lot longer than I thought, but I was determined to keep…

After some rough weeks dealing with winter and life I am pleased to say that I think I am coming out more focused. I have also somewhat respectably maintained my training mileage and aside from being tired I feel like I have a good base to build on. I would love to say that I lace up and breeze through my runs but…I am still a regular guy that runs and I accept that. Although I am looking at a pretty aggressive race schedule, for me, I will not be thinking about PR’s or finish times during…

1,999 feet I believe... Cavanall hill

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Oklahoma's claim to the World's Highest Hill.  Today's plan was to fuel better, pre run and during to try and have better through run stamina and be able to get into zone 4b for most of the climbing.   I don't do particularly well with pre…

On Saturday I was doing some work up at my son's primary school which involved driving metal wedges, known as "wizards" into the ground to support pole mounted signage. So as to drive the "wizards" into very dry and hard ground with the full face of the sledge hammer I had to squat and swing the sledge hammer.

If you can picture me bent at the knees, my butt approaching being parallel to the ground while leaning slightly forward to keep my balance and swinging a sledge hammer. Now the…

Got to get out for a group long run yesterday. Invited by friends for a 15 mile trail run a couple hours from home along the Buffalo River. With a sunrise like that, I knew it was going to be a good day!    

We left a vehicle at the…

A query for Eric. I'm trying to stay positive about this knee pain that's stopped me running, and I'm trying to address it by figuring out what is wrong with my run form. In The CI, there's a list of Common Run Form Mistakes, and I'm wondering if my knee pain, tight IT band and tight hip flexors are the result of being a "bender". Just to clarify, is a "bender" someone who runs with excessively bent legs (that do straighten with take-off), or someone who never straightens their legs at…

Ok, Paul Weeks….you can breathe...I didn’t go sub 6:00 on this one, but it was a good test...I think. 

 The result today? 6:35. The game is still on brother! I was more satisfied with this…

I'm starting to feel that running at 47 is like being the owner of a vintage classic car. I'd like to think that I have an old MG, though it's closer to an Austin 7, but the analogy still holds. Basically, to keep this old banger on the road requires constant maintenance and attention. That's OK as far as it goes, but the problem is that no sooner have I fixed the gear box than the gaskets blow. I sort out the gaskets and the suspension goes. I invest time and effort mending the suspension,…

First customer for the  new B2Rtrailshoes in Europe.

Just ordered them this evening, and waiting now for the delivery.

Let you know about the shoes in future.

I have been so psyched to start Eric's program. It felt like the time would never arrive. I have been doing the strengthing exercises and running 3-4 days a week for a little over a month, and now it's time. I did test #1 yesterday afternoon. I still need to become more consitient with my strength training and start working in some of the drills, but I am almost ready to go.

Today I finished my first day of TCI based training, so I'll use that to spark my first blog post on the site.

This evening I ran 8 minutes wearing a pair of Xero Shoes huarache sandals (my first "almost barefoot" running).  A few hours afterwards I completed my first foot/leg/glute strength training circuit using a homemade slant board and poles.  (I also built a wobble disc for use later.)

Although I ran track and cross country in high school 18 years ago, my running never…

In the French Foreign Legion, new recruits are expected to learn French. More to the point, when disassembling and reassembling a rifle, they are expected to know the French names of all the components. Recruits who cannot instantly recall the correct term, are hit with that part.

I was thinking of this today as I reflected on how much my knowledge of human leg anatomy has advanced in recent years. mainly as a result of particular muscles getting sore or hurt. A lazy…

So, let's ignore iffy one mile test objectives for the moment. After all, my main CI for this year, and every year, is to run injury free and as often as possible with my wife. But I'm not a miler, I would never run a mile race, it really isn't a major preoccupation of my running aims - apart from some curiosity in whether Lori or I will get there first. In any case, Eric's training programs are about speed and endurance over longer distances.

Which is great, because I do enjoy…

I am on High School track and I recently had my first meet. I ran a 5:00 mile. Not too bad for the first of the season. Does anyone have some specific tips for training for the mile? How many miles should I be logging per week? And should I be doing plyometrics and stuff like that?