A Runner at Heart.....Riding a Bike

We left early this morning to go skiing with the family.  It was cold but bearable when the sun was shining.  We had a great day!!!

10.00 easy miles on the TM with the temperature outside a balmy 9-below.....

It was 14 below this morning.  BRRR.  I did the Body Pump class for 1 hour then ran 10.00 on the TM.  I can feel the start of a cold....not good.

Sick...

Still sick...

10.00 early TM miles.  Still getting over being sick.

I went to my early morning BodyPump class for 1 hour then jumped on the TM.  I stopped after 5 miles as I was completely out of gas.  This cold is kicking my butt.

I finally felt well enough to run after feeling terrible the past 3 days.  I ran 10.00 steady miles on the TM and then did 45 minutes of weight-lifting.  Still not 100%.....but much better.

I ran 10.00 steady on the TM, then lifted for 45 minutes.  I needed to lift today because I won't have time for a workout tomorrow morning due to a new computer system install in 1 of the restaurants very early tomorrow morning.

I did Body Pump for 1 hour then ran 10.00 on the TM.

10.00 early miles on the TM.

1 hour Body Pump then 10 miles on the TM.

10.00 miles on the TM.

Early morning Body Pump for 1 hour then 10.00 on the TM.

I got up this morning and dressed to go to the gym.  When I got downstairs and checked the temperature....it was 34 degrees!  No way I was wasting that...  I changed to run outside, I even wore shorts with a light jacket.  

The main streets were pretty good but the side streets are still solid ice.  I nearly wiped out over a dozen times.  Luckily I was able to stay upright and ran 10.58 miles....OUTSIDE!!!

12.26 outside

10.00 TM miles

No run this morning.  New POS install in Idaho Falls early morning.

No run this morning.  New POS install in Pocatello early morning.

Body Pump class for 1 hour then 10.00 miles on the TM.

I am finally back to blogging....  I have had a very busy 3 weeks.  I finally finished changing over the register systems in all 6 restaurants.

It was 32 degrees (not bad) but VERY WINDY (cold) this morning.  I ran 10.51 easy miles and just kind of survived the wind when I was running against it.

I went to the gym this afternoon and lifted for 1 hour.  I feel tired...but good.

It was too cold and icy to safely run outside so I headed to the gym.  I ran 10.00 on the lovely treadmill.

It was sunny at my house, but foggy as soon as I dropped of the bench.  I ran 1 sunny mile, followed by 7 foggy miles, and finished with 2 sunny miles.  Total 10.63 miles.

It was 42 degrees, but very windy and raining a bit.  I ran 6.52 easy miles before church.

It was 26 degrees...crisp but sunny.  Barry Smith came by and we ran out to Chubbuck and down Siphon Rd and looped back home.  Total 10.12 miles.  Nice to have someone to talk to on a run.

It was 47 degrees and breezy this morning.  I was actually able to run in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.  I only had time for a short run due to a tight schedule this morning but I was glad to take advantage of the warm morning.  Total 6.52 miles.

It was 37 degrees with some cold wind this morning.  Not as nice as yesterday, but not too bad.  I ran 10.53 miles.

We flew to Las Vegas this morning to have a spring break getaway.  We are going to a Jon Bon Jovi concert at the Hard Rock tonight.  Looking forward to it.

We slept in this morning after getting to bed late last night.  The concert was awesome.  I didn't get out until 8:30 and it was in the 50's and sunny.  It was AWESOME.  I ran 10.52 miles on the south end of town.

It was 36 degrees and calm this morning.  I met up with Barry halfway between our houses and we ran 10.05 together.  Nice morning.

It was 32 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran 10.61 easy miles.

It was 50 degrees and windy when Barry picked me up this morning.  We drove to the top of Buckskin with Liza and Emily.  The wind was bad at times but luckily we finished in Inkom before the rain really started.  I ran 12.40 miles.

It was 36 degrees with a strong, cold wind this morning.  I ran 8.51 easy miles.  It started to snow lightly just as I got home.

It was 20 degrees with a cold breeze this morning.  I ran 8.53 miles.

It was 24 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran about a mile before meeting up with our new runner group.  We ran a couple miles together and then Barry and Emily ran a few more.  I ran home and finished with 8.18 miles.

It was 28 degrees with a cool breeze but it warmed up nicely when the sun came up.  I ran 10.46 miles.

A nice, easy 8.68 miles on a beautiful morning.  Long run tomorrow.

It was 32 degrees on the top of Buckskin this morning but it quickly warmed up.  It was a wonderful morning.  I started with Barry and Penny and then let them go as they were only going 12.  I finished with Elissa (sp?) and we cruised all the way to Century high school.  I ran 21.66 miles.

It was 40 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran a nice, easy 6.51 miles.

It was 50 degrees and calm this morning....just wonderful.  I ran 7.06 nice miles.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL...

It was warm...66 degrees when I started and 69 when I finished.  Not really used to those kind of temps.  I ran 10.36 sweaty miles and even saw Kory this morning.  He ran past my house just as I was doing my cool-down.

It was 60 degrees with a nice breeze this morning.  I ran 13.45 really easy.

It was 56 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran 2 miles before I met our Wednesday group and then ran 4.3 with them before running home.  Total 7.17 miles.

It was 60 degrees with a few raindrops this morning.  I ran an easy 6.56 miles.

What a wet and cold mess I was the whole way.  I wore my light windbreaker over my tech shirt and shorts.  I wasn't planning on anything special today, just a nice, supported way to get another marathon in the books on the way to my goal.

I took it really easy as I don't have enough miles in yet this year to attack a marathon.  I will do that in the fall.  I took a walk break at a couple aid stations and a bathroom break at mile 11.  Coming down the canyon I was feeling pretty good because I hadn't pushed.  After I took my last gel and got a drink at mile 21 I decided that I had had enough of this wet nonsense and decided to try to pick it up for the last 5 miles.  I was pleasantly surprised when I kept all the last 5 under 7:30 and must have passed 100 people.  

When I got back to the hotel I was amazed at how heavy my very few articles of clothing were.  When I got home I weighed just my shorts, shirt, windbreaker, and socks......4.1 pounds of mostly water!!!

I have another marathon in 3 weeks and after today I think I am on the right track.

Marathon #97 is officially in the books!

It was 45 degrees with very light rain.....nothing like Saturday thank goodness.  I ran 7.07 easy, recovery miles.  Legs a bit heavy from Saturday.  I caught up with Bob just after mile 4 and ran with him for a few miles...great conversation.  Total 7.07 miles.

It was 50 degrees and beautiful this morning.  I ran 10.55 miles.

It was 46 degrees with a cool breeze this morning.  I ran 2 miles to meet with our group and then ran another 3.5 with them.  I looped a couple times more to make it a total of 10.17.

It was a cool 40 degrees this morning.  I ran 10.55 miles.

No run this morning.  I needed to leave for Rexburg at 5:00am to uninstall the POS registers for a new counter to be installed.  Then I had to re-install them so we could open in time.

I have been having "issues" with my Garmin all week.  I got water inside it last week at Ogden..go figure.  I have had problems getting it to turn on unless I do a hard re-boot once or twice.  I got it to turn on this morning and put it outside as per usual.  When I went back out the screen was blank and I couldn't get it to turn on at all.  I guess I was going to do my long run without it.

It was 39 degrees at the top of Buckskin with calm winds.  4 of us went up, but I was the only 1 going longer than 14 so I would be on my own.  Luckily, we were running the marathon route so I knew where the mile splits were.  I left Barry and Allison in Inkom and kept going towards Pocatello.  Sue picked me up at the freeway exit by Century so I was at least .25 past the 20 mile mark so I will call it 20.25.

I guess I will be looking for a new Garmin today....  At least I got 7 years out of this one!

It was 48 degrees with a cool wind from the South this morning.  I ran 10.54 miles in a pretty good pace.

It was 47 degrees and overcast this morning.  I even had a few raindrops the last mile.  I ran 13.14 miles.

10.56 miles

10.61 miles

10.55 miles

I met Kory and Barry Ames at Century at 6:00am to drive to the marathon start.  It was 32 degrees when we started but it was not too bad.  I hung with Kory and Barry until mile 9 and then let them pull away.  We had dropped Barry's car in Inkom so he wasn't going the whole way to Century.  I kept a steady pace most of the way and did the whole 21 without a single walk break.  I ran 21.04 miles on a beautiful morning.

It was 45 degrees and breezy this morning.  I ran 7.22 easy miles.

It was 48 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran 10.51 easy miles.

It was 48 degrees this morning.  I ran up the hill to meet our running group and met up with Mike about a mile in.  We ran with the group a bit and then took off and ran together around the fairgrounds and back up.  Total 7.58 miles.

6.58 easy miles.

It had only dropped to 63 degrees when I drove to catch the bus this morning.  It was going to be a hot day.  I sat next to Jeff Shadley and Nate Reese on the way up and had a nice chat with them before the race.  Funny trivia.  It turns out that Jeff and I lived on the same street when we grew up in Idaho Falls but didn't know each other because we were 4 years apart.  Small world.

There was a nice breeze at the start and for me that made the difference between dying of heat or surviving as I am nowhere near heat acclimated yet.  The gun went off and we headed out.  I stayed at a good pace even with the mud that got stuck to my shoes when we ran along freshly irrigated dirt roads.  I was holding on really well until mile 16 and I started to feel the effects of the heat on me.  Unfortunately, the big climb from 18.5 to 23 was looming and the temperature was climbing faster than I was.

I spent most of the hill climb talking to other runners and encouraging them along the way as we all struggled to make it up to the top of Summers Butte.  When we finally crested I just put it into gear and finished the last 3 miles strong.  The mile splits were short at almost every mile marker so I thought the race might be short but they made it all up in the last mile and my Garmin read an astonishing 26.21 at the finish so the overall course was perfect.

I finished 15th overall, 11th in male, and 3rd in my age group which was a weird one (46-55) and received a cool Teton Dam Marathon stainless steel thermos for the age-group award.  I did not push this very hard and made it a great training run for #98 in the books.

Warm morning, 68 degrees.  Nice, easy shake-out run after Saturday.  Total 7.13 miles.

Easy 10.66 miles.

It was 62 degrees with a breeze this morning.  I ran 2 miles before meeting our group and then ran with Barry and Eric.  Total 7.05 miles.

Easy 10.58 miles.

7.55 miles.

Barry, Penny, and Allison met at my house and we took off for our run. After about 3.5 miles Allison had to get a ride back because her quad was really bothering her. Barry decided to bail and rode back with her. I ran several miles with Penny trying to keep up with her before she finally turned home to finish her 15. I ran 15.34 miles for an easy Saturday.

It was 55 degrees with a light breeze.  I ran 10.58 steady miles.

It was 55 degrees this morning.  I ran 10.63 easy miles.

I ran 2 miles before our group and then ran with Barry and Eric before finishing on my own.  Total 7.52 miles.

It was 47 degrees this morning.  I ran 10.66 easy.

No run today.  Overnight run tonight.

We met at Lowell's house at midnight to start our overnight moonlight run.  We had 9 total runners this year, up 3 from last time.  It got kind of cool on the backside of the hills after we made our 2 big climbs.  We stopped at Holly's house for snacks at mile 20 and I got cold and could never really warm back up.  I did get in 27.51 nice miles though.

It was 62 degrees this morning.  I ran 7.54 easy miles.  My legs were a bit tight from all the hills on the midnight run.

10.62 easy miles.

It was 50 degrees and a bit humid from last nights rain.  I ran 2 miles before our Wednesday group run.  I ran a couple with them before Barry and I made a loop around the fairgrounds.  Total 7.11 miles.

It was 55 degrees this morning.  I ran 10.51 miles.

8.53 miles.

16.38 miles.

7.67 miles.

10.59 miles.

It was 72 degrees this morning...yuck.  I ran 2 miles before our group run and then ran more with Barry afterwards.  Total 7.50 miles.

It was 72 degrees and humid this morning.  Barry and Penny met at my house and we did a 4th of July trail run.  We headed up to Satterfield and got on the gravel road at the end of Chubbuck rd and headed up in to the hills.  We crested at about mile 4 after gaining 1156 in elevation averaging about a 10:35 pace.  It was a bit cooler up there and what a nice view.  We cruised back down easy in the low 7's.  The downhill was awesome and went by way too fast.  A nice run before heading off to the parade with our grand-daughter this morning.  Total 10.42 miles.

It was 68 degrees with a light breeze this morning.  I ran 7.55 easy miles after our hill run yesterday.

It was 55 degrees and breezy at the top of Buckskin this morning.  Barry bailed on me last minute so i went by myself.  I ran the marathon route all the way to Century without the out and back at mile 7.  I ran very steady the entire way and did 21.13.  It was 73 when I finished so the last few miles were a bit warm.

61 degrees.  7.61 miles.

It was 60 degrees this morning and breezy.  I ran 10.53 miles.

It was 65 degrees this morning.  I got a late start so I didn't meet up with our group.  Solo 7.52 miles.

Holy crap....75 degrees at 5:00 this morning.  Did I move to Arizona?  I ran 10.61 sweaty miles.

7.51 miles.

21.03 miles.

7.66 miles.

10.79 miles.

7.64 miles.

It was 62 degrees this morning.  I ran over to Barry's house and we ran a nice 8 mile loop and then I finished on my own.  Total 10.40 miles.

7.65 miles.

Barry picked me up at 5:30 and we drove to the top of Buckskin.  It was nice up there, temps in the low 50's with a breeze all the way down in to Inkom.  When we were about 11 miles in Barry said he thought he could only go a mile or 2 more but he managed to go 17 so it was a good morning.  Total 17.02 miles.

8.53 miles

10.66 miles.

7.42 miles.

10.38 miles.

7.51 miles.

10.53 miles.

It was 62 degrees but nice and breezy this morning.  I did a nice, steady 10.31 miles.

10.66 miles.

7.42 miles.

10.58 miles.

7.61 miles.

My sister-in-law is running her first marathon ever in Pocatello in 4 weeks so I ran the course with her this morning.  We started about 6:15 at the actual start line and ran all the way to the 22 mile mark just past Century High school.  She has run several half's before and longer runs up to 18-19.  Today was her longest to date.  She looks like she is good to go at the end of the month.

Total 22.02 miles.

It was a nice 50 degrees this morning.  I ran 8.55 easy miles.

10.53 miles.

It was 60 degrees this morning with a light breeze.  I ran almost 2 miles before I met with our group, then I ran 4 1/2 with Tracey.  He is just getting back in after an injury and is training for the half-marathon in 3 weeks.  I ran 7.30 miles.

It was in the upper 60's this morning.  Not as cool as I would like.  I ran 10.65 miles.

8.33 miles.

15.38 miles

Early morning travel, no run.

It was 50 degrees and calm this morning.  I ran 10.05 miles down a quiet road in the forest.

Left early for Glacier Park with the family.  Great day with beautiful weather.

It was 43 degrees when I left this morning.  60 when I finished.  Nice temps for running.  I ran 10.02 miles on the same road as Tuesday.

It was 43 degrees when I left this morning. I ran the entire forest road around the lake but that only got me to 8.35 miles. I didn't want to run on the main highway so I doubled back and took off on a dirt road to parts unknown until I had run far enough to get my full miles in. It was a beautiful morning among the dense forest and perfect quiet. I ran 22.05 miles.

An easy 10.03 miles.  Last run up in Montana on our vacation.

It was 65 degrees this morning.  I ran 8.66 easy miles.  I am running the Mesa Falls marathon this Saturday to get #99 in before Pocatello the next Saturday.

It was over 70 degrees this morning...yuck.  I ran 6.55 miles.

It was 68 degrees and muggy this morning. I ran up to our running group and ran a couple with them before taking off with Barry and a new runner Troy. Troy just moved here and has completed several marathons and seems to be comfortable right at our running level. Total 6.80 miles.

It was a very comfortable 57 degrees this morning. Barry and Troy came by my house a couple minutes after 6 and we ran a nice steady 6.72 miles.

It was overcast and about 50 degrees at the start.  Temperatures stayed pretty comfortable the whole way.  I ran this race easy as I am running #100 in Pocatello next week.  I still finished top 3 in my age group so I was pleasantly surprised.  Hopefully I will recover enough for a good effort in Pocatello, otherwise next Saturday will just be a big celebration and I will enjoy it just the same.

5.23 easy miles.

6.48 easy miles.  I have a very early morning meeting tomorrow so I will not be able to run.

Today was just a celebration for me.  Work this week has been hectic with 16-17 hour days and poor sleep added to the fact that I am running a marathon for the 2nd weekend in a row.  I had a pre-race dinner at my house for some runner friends last night and we had a great time.

Troy and Barry came by about 5:05am to pick Kathy (sis-in-law) and myself up to get to the bus.  I rode up with Kathy to give her some last words of encouragement since this would be her 1st full marathon.  She ended up doing just fine and ran about what I thought she would.

I wished Jeff Shadley good luck at the start but unfortunately his hips didn't hold up for him.  I was able to see lots of other runners I know before we started.  Barry, Troy, and I decided that we would stay together for the most part and just have a fun day.  We hit the half just as the gun went off for them to start.  Barry pulled a bit ahead of us as I talked to some of the half marathon runners.  Troy and I just stuck together during these miles.  I started to feel the effects of the back-to-back marathons around mile 16.  I was beginning to have to walk through the aid stations and then some.

Around mile 20 we caught up to Barry again.  He was getting tired too as this was his 1st marathon in 2 years.  He only ran because it was my 100th and he wanted to be a part of it.  We decided it would be cool to finish together because we had never done that before.   Around mile 23 we caught up to Fabian.  He was really struggling to even walk due to an issue with his knee.  He told me he was on a 3:15 pace through mile 18 when he couldn't stand the pain anymore.  I let him lean on my shoulder and decided that I was going to bring him in.  He was able to run for about a tenth of a mile before having to walk again.  We repeated this process all the way to the finish.  Because I was staying with Fabian, Barry and Troy pulled ahead and I figured I would see them at the finish.  After talking to Fabian I found out that he has lost 93 pounds in the last several years and just started running marathons in the last couple years.  I have seen how hard he works out at the gym so I knew this experience was just killing him.  There was no way I was going to leave him behind.

When you think about someone's character there are always those moments that tell you all you need to know.  Case in point...When Fabian and I hit the 26 mile marker, Barry and Troy were waiting right there for us so we could all run in together.  I will never forget that and the picture that Sue took of us crossing the line together will always be one of my favorites.

I actually very much enjoyed how the whole day turned out.  I was able to accept lots of congratulations on completing my 100th and celebrate with many of the good friends I have made along the way.  This will by no means be my last marathon because I would miss them way too much.

Later I was interviewed by KPVI Channel 6 news and they did a nice story on me and my 100 marathons.  My story was actually the lead on their website on Sunday.

Here is the link:

http://www.kpvi.com/content/news/local/story/Pocatello-Man-Runs-100-Marathons/BvEn-759OUumX9MoC6oHsg.cspx

I got on this morning and realized I hadn't entered anything all month.  My life has been pretty hectic since the end of August but I think I am getting to a better state of normal now.

I ran 6.54 miles this morning.  It was actually in the low 50's and windy.

5.28 miles

28 degrees and calm

5.39 miles.

22 degrees and calm.

5.00 miles on the TM

6.00 TM miles.

11.00 TM miles on Turkey Day.

5.00 TM Miles