Ice is Not so Nice

We took Gavin ice skating yesterday. I'd never been before and it was horrible - I suck. I was completely out of control - I couldn't stop, turn, or do anything other than stop myself falling over. I was super nervous about rolling my ankles, so I spent most of the time with my feet bent inwards and cursing Nancy for making me go. Gavin hated it as much as I did - we pulled our way around the rink one time and then retired to run around the bleachers and watch Nancy skate around like a pro (she swears she's only been 3 times in her life but I am dubious). Even my dad fared a lot better than I did. I would be happy if I never had to go ice skating ever again!!!

Before that ill-advised trip, I did a nice fast 12 miler with my road group and felt good. I didn't add in any extra mileage and it was nice to just finish at 12.

I was tempted to join Roger early this morning for the first portion of his "hilly road run from Hell", but I didn't get up in time and I'd made plans to meet Clea down at the greenbelt a little later anyway. We had a relaxing 6 mile run and a nice chat, and it was a beautiful morning. When did 18 miles become an easy running weekend?

When I got home I felt like giving level 2 of the 30 day shred a shot. I was surprised to discover it's not really any more difficult than level 1, but it's still a good intense workout. I struggled for balance and coordination on some of the 1-legged exercises, but I still got a good workout. I felt in the groove when I was done, so I decided to start off week 4 of the 200 situps challenge.

200 Situp Challenge : Week 4 day 1
Plan : 32, 38, 32, 32, at least 48
Actual : 32, 38, 32, 32, 250

Yes, that's not a misprint, you did read it right - I did 250 crunches for the last set. I'm pretty good at abs, and now that Bandera's out of the way I wanted to pull out the stops and see how many I could do. I quit at 250 because I needed to shower and go to the grocery store, but technically that means I achieved the program goal. I think I'm still gonna follow the schedule and see it through - I'm a whole lot better at crunches than I was at pushups!!!

Bandera Reflections

Photo Courtsey of Joe Prusaitis

Look at that - now there's a sunset that just screams "Texas". It's almost a week after the race and I am still on a high. I went to Shepler's Western store earlier this week and bought myself a belt to house the buckle, and I rewarded myself by not running at all this week - just doing some cross training and spending the time with my parents instead (I will make up for it this weekend with some long runs though).

Here are my thoughts and reflections

The Bandera Experience
I think I finally "got" why so many people enjoy running out at Bandera. Sure it's rugged and challenging, but it's also very rewarding. Of the three ultras in the Trilogy this was the one I was most nervous about, but I suspect it's the one I will look back on with fondest memories.

Trail Community
Trail running is more than just time and mileage, it is a very tightly knit community which I am very lucky to have stumbled across and very proud to be a part of. Joe and Joyce always put on top notch races and do everything in their power to help you cross that finish line, and the volunteers (all ultra runners themselves) are just the best. I've met so many people and made some wonderful friends in the last year.

Lucky Shirt
Who would have thought that a $7 running shirt from Wally World would become my lucky race shirt, but I've had a PR every time I've worn it (through 2 marathons, Sunmart and Bandera). I guess I need to pack it to take to Rocky Raccoon with me.

Texas Trilogy Standings
I took a look at the Texas Trilogy standings this morning and was shocked to find myself in 3rd place (and 1st male). I calculated I have a 25 minute cushion over the 4th placed dude, which equals excellent motivation for Rocky Raccoon.

Unfortunate Side Effect
Having enjoyed Bandera so much, I am contemplating signing up for the Cactus Rose 100 miler. It is a self supported race (they only provide water) on the Bandera course, but with all the flat bits taken out. I ran 45 miles of it while pacing my buddy back in November, and the race description of "A nasty rugged trail run: No Whiners, Wimps, or Wusses. We give Bonus Points for Blood, Cuts, Scrapes, & Puke" has not deterred me.


200 Situp Challenge : Week 3 day 3 (from Tuesday)
Plan : 33, 42, 30, 30, at least 45
Actual : 33, 42, 30, 30, 45

First Look at a New Life

Wow. Is there anything more exciting as a dad than seeing the first pictures of what will one day be your son or daughter? Look at those legs - is he doing leg presses or reverse crunches? It's still too early to tell if it's a boy or girl, but there's no denying Gavin's days as an only child are numbered.

Not much else going on here. I went for a 6 mile trail run with some friends yesterday, and that's the last run I plan on doing until Bandera. I'm putting my feet up this week and concentrating on cross training. Tonight I "Shredded" and then had a go at the 200 situps challenge.

Situp Challenge : Week 3 Day 1
Plan : 21, 27, 21, 21, at least 30
Actual : 21, 27, 21, 21, 40

I think I'm going to enjoy it.

Rings, Runs, Resolutions.....and Situps

Steve Spiers, the ridiculously fast Welsh runner who brought us the hundred pushups challenge has just released a new training program - the two hundred situps. The situps are really crunches, and the program is geared to get you to 200 consecutive crunches in 6 weeks. This is an extremely good core workout (though to get a complete ab workout I recommend incorporating reverse and oblique crunches somewhere else in your cross training), and I am a sucker for a challenge so I just did the initial test and managed 80 crunches. This puts me in the "excellent" category (yay me) and starts me off in the third column on week 3. I enjoyed the pushup challenge and was amazed at how much stronger I got in just 6 weeks, so I'm excited to get this going. It's very well thought out, free, and definitely gets the Welshrunner stamp of approval, so why not give it a go?

This morning I was really lacking the motivation to get out of bed and run the 30k with my group, but one of the benefits (kinda) of being a coach is that I had to (especially since I'm missing next week to run Bandera). I took the monster medal with me, and everyone got a good kick out of it (though several asked me why I was running a 30k just 2 days after a marathon - I had no answer that didn't make me sound crazy). It was warm and humid and I was a little stiff for the first few miles, but then I got into it and settled into a nice easy rhythm and finished up in 2:44:37 (8:50 pace). I was pleased with that, especially since it included a good few minutes walking with an injured runner. A lot of my folks struggled though, and I spent a good hour or so after the run talking with several of them about what went right, what went wrong, and how to fix it. That kind of interaction is still the most rewarding part of being a coach.

In other news, I bought a replacement wedding ring - one that fits this time. It feels so good to have something on that finger again, and this ring is definitely in no danger of falling off.

Finally, several people have asked what my New Year's resolution is. I have to admit that I never make one, but if I need something to fall back on, here it is:

This year, I will not take up smoking.

There. Should be able to keep that one.