About

Location

Bremerton, WA


Birthday:

August 24


How many years have you been running?

less than 1


What is your goal race for the year?

marathon


What is your greatest running accomplishment?

getting off the couch


What is your "ultimate dream" running goal?

run an ultra


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Comments

  • Thanks Richard and good luck to you in Chuckanut in March. It's right around the corner. 

  • Hi Richard,

    I recognize your name from some of your posts. I didn't know you were in the neighborhood, though. I work in Port Orchard, live on Fox Island, and do most of my training on the trails at Pt. Defiance Park. I, too, am considering the Chuckanut as my first attempt beyond the marathon. I have heard that it sells out quickly so I think a back up plan would be wise. See you on the trails.


  • What a bummer about the shin splints. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I suffer from these too. I've found taping helps me quite a bit. This area is notoriously slow to heal and tape helps with increasing blood flow. I have a pic here:

    http://www.runningwitheric.com/photo/photo/show?id=3202872%3APhoto%...

    My doctor gave me a couple of exercises. One involves walking around on my heels. The other involves securing an elastic band around my foot with the other secured to the couch. Bend your foot toward you then release. Rinse and repeat a trillion times. Switch feet.

    Or you could go to the doctor and get some real advice. :-)
  • i know how beautiful WA is, and i'd love to make it out there for a race! do you have a gps record of a hilly path you take?

    this is an example of running through the busy streets of my area. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52121519
    (512ft elevation gain)
  • I remember Eric responding to a guy asking about hills but i can't find the conversation thread. the guy was doing eric's 100-mile plan and he was asked to do 8min hill sprints. he didn't have a hill that took 8mins and eric said he could run up, sprint down and run up again all within the 8mins ad get the similar effect.

    i'm jealous you have such nice natural terrain around you. i have some hilly roads, but i'm mostly running in heavy traffic during the week :(.....
  • treadmill?
  • Great job! Now go get another one.
  • Hello Richard.
    I read a post that mentioned that you were a life long smoker, and also saw that a dream of yours was to run an ultra.
    I smoked over a pack a day for 17 years. I loved smoking and still do love smoking. I chose to quit 2 1/2 years ago, and started running, on September 6th, will be two years. I just started with a mile and a half, next thing I know, I'm wanting to run a marathon.
    I ran my first marathon a little over a year after I started running, and I even qualified for Boston with my time (I didn't go to Boston and don't have any plans on it, but it's nice knowing I was fast enough). After that, I went straight to the ultras.
    I don't say any of this to brag, but just to say that you can do whatever you want to do. Don't let anything hold your dreams back.
    To this day, I love running, but I also still crave smoking and would love to go back, but I choose every day to not smoke. I also choose to try and eat right. That's a battle as well.
    Keep going, and I can't wait to see you fulfill your running dreams.
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Challenging Couple of Weeks


To put it mildly, the last couple of weeks have been challenging.  I am about 10 weeks out from my 50 miler and 188 days (as of today) out from my 100 miler.  I have been sick and not been able to train with the exception of a run on Thursday that was excruciating.  I have missed three of my long runs, two due to illness, and the one today because there are 65 mile an hour winds going on outside and they are going to last until tomorrow.   I am feeling better, but maybe it is the type A in…

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It is interesting that Eric and others have started to talk about doubts and fear.  These are very real emotions for me at the moment as the registration for my Cool Impossible approaches on Feb 1.  Ever since I decided to do this race I have been racked with doubt: Am I too fat? Am I too slow? Am I strong enough? Am I just freaking crazy?  I have shared these doubts with my friends ad nauseam.  One of my friends who patiently listened and was supportive finally cracked and said "Just shut…

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Eric's Training and All the Rest


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 is…

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Update on 100 Miler (Schedule Change)


Well, it was bound to happen, didn't realize it was going to happen so soon.  I am changing part of my schedule for the 100 mile race.  I am changing the race itself, instead of the Cascade Crest 100 in August 2013, I am going to run the Lumberjack 100 in April 2013.  Yes, I know that only gives me 10 months to prepare instead of 14 months.  I talked to a couple of people who had run the race and they kept emphasizing how hard the Cascade Crest 100 was with its 20,000 feet of elevation…

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I Am Going To Run A 100 Mile Race


That's right 100 miles, you weren't seeing things.  To quote my wonderful, supportive wife "I hope you are going to train for this!!!"  Yes dear I am going to train.  And in that spirit, here is my tenative race schedule leading up to my 100 mile race:

5 August 2012 Port Gamble Trail Half Marathon, Port Gamble, WA

13 October 2012 Defiance 50k, Tacoma, WA

April 2013 Lumberjack 50 Mile Race, Port Gamble WA

August 2013 Cascade Crest 100, Easton, WA

 

There…

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Well, I entered my first ultra and dnf'd my first ultra.  Even with the DNF I wouldn't change anything as it was a great learning experience.   Here are some of the problems I encountered and lessons I learned while running the trails of the Capitol Forest on 30 April. 

1. Running an ultra is hard, I mean hard, I mean very hard.  My legs and feet took a beating on the trails.

2. I drank a lot (almost two gallons) and didn't pee the whole time out there, not sure if it was a…

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Dreams, Motivation and Reality


"If you wanna live life on your own terms you gotta be willing to crash and burn"

Motley Crue "Primal Scream"

It has been almost 2 years since I read "Born To Run" and 16 months since I started training.  When I started I had "delusions of grandeur" in which I would become an ultrarunner who would be svelte and fast.  In some respects I have succeeded, my time for the mile is down from around 18-20 min to 11-12 min range (it depends on whether I am running downhill with a…

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Some Thoughts on First Run with Vibram's


Well, I finally got my Vibram's and hope to begin the transition from Nike Free's to running in them full time. Had my first run in them yesterday, just an easy 30 min jog to "kick the tires" on them. As I was running I noticed a few things some good, some potentially bad. First the good: They feel awesome to run in and I do mean awesome. I felt like I was gliding instead of running. Running in them feels much better than running in Nike Free's. I made sure my pace was very slow and steady so I…
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Some Random Thoughts About Running


Here are some random things that have popped into my head about running. Feel free to add your own.- A bad run beats not running everytime.- While I think about stopping numerous times during the first 10 minutes of a run, I almost never do after that.- Hills suck, particularly 6 x 2 min hill repeats (you know what I am talking about Eric), but however gassed I feel, at the end I always have a sense of accomplishment, especially since 6 months ago I could barely walk up a hill.- When I am…
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