Time for yet another entry into my blog. Want to write about my training and some of my intermediate running goals.

Finally getting my weekly mileage up a bit. Last week was 40 miles, this week should be 40-45 miles. If you read my previous blog you know that I am entered into the Mother Road 100, which is a 100 mile ultra running event scheduled for November 11, 2006. I don't really have a specific training plan or schedule but I figure I need to get my mileage up. I recovered from my 25 mile run last Saturday without any problems and put 20 miles in on my bike the following Sunday. I feel like that may have helped my recovery. I took Monday off and have logged about 20 miles so far this week running, which includes a 7 mile hill workout. I took today off from running as I will try for another 25-30 mile training run tomorrow and wanted to rest up a bit. I will let you know how it goes.

Also, as part of my big picture training, a week after the Mother Road 100 I plan to run back to back marathons. The Oklahoma Marathon on November 18 and the Route 66 Marathon on November 19. Maybe a little aggressive, but will just have to see how well I come off of the Mother Road race. After that, I will keep training and on December 10 I will run the Las Vegas Marathon.

The only race I currently have scheduled that is prior to the Mother Road 100 is the Heartland 50 mile race up in Kansas in October. Our trail/ultra running club (www.tatur.org ) is putting on a 50k trail race in September in which I will either run in or volunteer. Since I am somewhat of a klutz, I hate to take my chances on a trail run just a month and a half from the Mother Road. Would hate to roll an ankle or fall and break, sprain, or otherwise injure something. Anyway, should be a great race so if you are looking for a trail race in September, check it out. There is also a 25k and a 10k.

My ultimate goal at this point, as mentioned in my first blog, is to run Badwater in 2007. I think that would be a fitting present for my 50th birthday! I will turn 50 on January 18 and must say that I am probably in the best physical condition I have ever been in. Perhaps an entire year of celebration would be in order. I will keep you informed of my plans and also keep you updated on my training.

Take care...

Well, here's the deal: I am not a writer, I am not creative, for goodness sake I am an accountant. I want to keep track of some things in my life and this on-line journal/blog thing seemed like it might help me in this regard. I suppose I could buy a notebook and get a pencil and write this all down in a journal but that seems so old fashioned and I wouldn't have the chance to share my life with you. I don't consider myself illiterate but my spelling and sentence structure may not pass an eighth grade test, however I will do the best I can and will attempt to look up in the dictionary the spelling to words that I recognize I don't know how to spell. As far as sentence structure, I apologize in advance for putting sentences together improperly but again I will do the best I can.

I don't know who reads these things, or why they read them, but here goes my attempt to become a real-life blogger:

For some reason I have lately become somewhat obsessed with running, and in particular ultra running. Ultra running is basically running any distance further than 26.2 miles. I am currently training for my biggest ultra undertaking which will be the Mother Road 100. A 100 mile race which is ran entirely on Route 66. Starts in Arcadia, OK and ends in Sapulpa, OK. Check out www.motherroad100.com for more info. Following is a brief history of my not-so-illustrious running carreer:

About a year ago I started training to run my first marathon. Before that, I ran a few miles every now and then, but nothing consistent. A marathon is 26.2 miles long. A pretty substantial distance to run by most folks standards. I sought out a training program to help me with my goal and found one I thought would work.

Some background information: I have never been an athelete. I never ran track. The only organized sport I participated in was baseball which I was honestly not all that good at. I played baseball through my sophmore year in highschool which has been a long, long time ago. Even in my baseball days we didn't really train. Throughout most of my baseball carreer I smoked cigarettes, chewed tobacco, and drank beer. I say this only to encourage those that may wish to start a training or fitness program of any sort, that you don't have to have a background as an athelete or as someone that was once "in shape" and now longs for those days of six pack abs and muscle shirts. That was never me; not then and not now. I did quit smoking and chewing tobacco a number of years ago. I do however, still drink beer. I have also had that 10-20 pounds of spare tire to deal with too.

At the end of my four month training period, my wife and I packed our bags and we headed out to Las Vegas so I could run the inaugural New Las Vegas Marathon. It is called "new" because it is the first marathon to actually run down Las Vegas Blvd ("The Strip"). They close down the strip to traffic and thousands of runners take to the street. The start is quite a sight as there is music and fireworks right at daybreak, and then the sound of thousands of runners feet pounding the street. To make an already too long story short, I finished the marathon, never walked and ran a time of 4 hours 47 minutes. Not very fast by most standards, but it is not about winning or racing for me. It is about setting a goal and doing what is necessary to achieve that goal. It is about personal satisfaction and accomplishment. The feeling I got when I crossed that finish line among the people cheering (yes, there are still people hanging around and cheering on the slower runners) is awesome. For just a moment you forget that the winners crossed the line several hours prior and it is just all about you.

OK. So my training is going ok for now and I have set yet another running goal. Every July there is an Ultra running event in California called Badwater. This is a 135 mile race through Death Valley. It has been called the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. Temperatures can reach 135 degrees. Anyway, enough about that for now. Just another dream of mine and I will keep you updated on my progress.

Until my next blog, take care.

ps: if you want to read a really good blog, you can check out my wifes blog at yahoo 360. i think it is under sarahstrums.

take care...