Wow. I'm really starting to get it. I get what Eric is talking about.  I feel what Eric is talking about. Now, the distances I'm going to share with you aren't awe-inspiring or anything like that, but its the "A-ha" moment for me that prompts me to write about my running this past weekend. So... with a little encouragement from Lori, I've decided to train for a 50K. Its brought a whole new level of excitement and nervousness to my running.…

I was pretty sure my face was going to melt off today. You know, like the guy in Indiana Jones at the end of the movie when he looked at the Ark of the Covenant.  That's how I felt at one point today. Needless to say this drama queen is struggling a bit with the sudden heat wave we are experiencing. Got pretty nauseated during speed work yesterday and hit the trails this morning with the same. I knew I had near 3 hours of running on the agenda. After 30 minutes I called it quits. Mild - mod…

So, I am now up to a 7 minute run/1 minute walk for 40 minutes, and moving on to 9 minutes run/1 minute walk for 40 minutes tomorrow. The running is moving forward and I am now actually really enjoying it. Especially the trail runs across The Chase, which are absolutely wonderful. I can't believe that people run with earphones in, when the sound of nature is all around them. Can't wait until I am in the mountains.



I am also the proud owner a pair of off-road running shoes, a running…

And so it begins...



It has been 18 months since my last challenge, which was The Scotland Coast to Coast hosted by The Rat Race, and now I am ready for a new one. So at the end of March I started looking, and fell on the Mountain Marathon, generally a two day event running in the mountains, visiting control points along the way.

This was all very well, but I have a fear of bogs, heights and the dark, not to mention the fact that I haven’t run in those last 18 months so my…

Ok, people. I have mostly been lurking around Eric's site, reading all the great posts from people, an occassional comment/like. It's time for me to be more involved. I have been a runner for 21 years, running lots of 5k's and 10k's and one marathon. I read BTR about 18 months ago and it set me on fire! I have such a renewed love for running- its taken me out of a routine/rut! I've been running in minimalist shoes for 14-15 months, slowly increasing my distance. I run anywhere from 18-30…

Hi All,

My name is Rich and I have been a part of Eric's site for a long time.  Recently I was having trouble with tightness at the front of my calf, just outside of my shin bone.  After trips to the doc etc, I am now doing physical therapy.  What is interesting is what the PT told me and what he is having me do.  He told me that strength and balance are two of the most important things that runners need and that proper form is crucial to running injury free.  To that end he…

I can't really properly describe how I feel about myself now, because I'm not entirely sure I know. On Sunday I ran 44 miles, finding some very good things within myself along the way, but I still don't think it's properly sunk in.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I ran around 27 miles to the start line of a new local race, a 17-mile cross country called the Hartland Hartbreaker. I was feeling not so much nervous as…

I'm now within a week of my first unofficial 'training' ultra and in the meantime I've become 'oh, you're him' to the other runners that I'm coming across. I think at this point, 'him' is a bit of a figure of gentle mickey-taking and disbelief rather than anything too esteemed just yet, but it's still a bit unnerving to go to a race and be greeted with 'are you the guy who's running to Bristol?' every five minutes.

While the …

Yeah, yeah, yeah, runner-for-more-than-a-year... What's next? :)

After my last post, I've run two half-marathon races and learned a few things (as always), but I still feel like I want to keep this post brief. Whereas last time's was a sort of retrospective where I didn't mind talking about what I'd been up to, this time around I feel like I'm definitely in more of a 'just want to be doing it' frame of mind. I think I know a reason for this, but I'll get to that in a…

That was my workout for today. Recovering from marathon so no running today. So I walked my favorite lunchtime route...behind the hospital a dirt road...with the infamous 5-pack of dogs that tear after me every time....today included.  ....But I got their goofy mugs on camera!  ...just after I reminded them of my handful of rocks I always weild...just in case. Also met up with a much sweeter and friendlier dog that is new on this route. He's a pup-looks to be part if not all pit bull-a…

He is not a runner, well...not yet anyway, but he has done something amazing and truely a cool impossible. 3 months ago he was admitted with a serious joint infection, new diagnosis of diabetes and an average blood sugar of well over 300.  Today we celebrated his new average blood sugar of 90.  That's in less than 90 days folks.  He reduced his cardiovascular risk by 300% by bringing his a1C from an 11+ down to 5.4.  I usually do jumping jacks when my patient's are able to edge their A1C…

...about yourself, your training and your motivation for doing what you do. 

It will also teach you things about layering, socks and just how grateful you can be over a granola bar.

In a nutshell, the lessons I got that were loud and clear were:

1. I could have pushed harder (always true)

2. Cardio and stamina were not my limiting factors

3. 13.1 miles is just the beginning, I think

4. If I can do this while experimenting with a…

Not really sure what to say. I guess I will just document this day if that is ok with you. After a fitful night of sleep, I got up at 5:30am. I choked down my snickers marathon bar...so sickeningly sweet and rich. I hate them, but I seem…