14-Miler

Daily Quote:

"Most runners come to this sport with a metabolism trained for speed: I.E. burn lots of carbohydrate fast. What you need for ultras is a metabolism trained for endurance: I.E. be stingy on carbo burning and burn fat instead. Any damn fool can run fast for 20 miles. To run well for 50 requires a specific type of response from the endocrine system. You can train your body to deliver that, but only if you run long enough to get tired and hungry. For most runners that implies doing 3 or 4 runs in the range of 25-30 miles."

--Karl King, ultramarathoner

Today I achieved a 14-miler, which is my longest run since the 2008 Boston Marathon on April 21st...I have a long way to go before I can accomplish runs in the 25-30 miles range as mentioned in the above quote, but I have plenty of time to gradually add mileage before "Labor of Love 50k" next April.

10:30 a.m. Medium-Long Run, progressive. 13 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 4 miles at 6.3 mph, 5 miles at 6.4 mph, and 5 miles at 6.5 mph. Average heart rate: 152 bpm. Cardiac Drift 161 bpm. No aches nor soreness and I appear to be fully recovered from my sore right ankle from last week as well. The gym was crowded and noisy and my Sony CD Player came in handy as I listened to "Elton John's Greatest Hits." I drank one bottle of Gatorade and could add a bottle of water to my next Medium-Long Run as well...next week I'll attempt a 15-miler!

Today I received a thank-you letter from a passenger I had in my cab two months ago. I normally give away running magazines to those in my cabs who are runners or those who had conversations with me in regards to running...John Noren from Phoenix was one of those passengers who asked how I stayed so thin driving a cab when he's 33 years old and 300 pounds...as usual I told him my story of losing weight and regaining my youth via running. At the end of the fare, I gave him my "Runner's World Magazine" that I just finished reading. I often consider myself the Johnny Appleseed of running, but I didn't expect to receive a thank you note! He stated that our chance meeting had changed his life and he's now running three times a week. Funny, I didn't think that a passenger would look me up via my magazine's mailing label, nor that I would change his life, which does give me a warm glow!

Relaxing Weekend

Daily Quote:

"Don't let the distance scare you; run from aid station to aid station and the distance will take care of itself."

--Karl King, Ultramarathoner

Relaxing weekend!! I didn't do many chores nor errands, pretty much relaxed with the wife and visited friends Mary and Glenn last night. I didn't spend much time on the computer this weekend either. Running was minimal; yesterday ran an easy six miler and today also ran an easy six miler, both on the dreadmill. Only two more months before I can run on the roads again due to Vegas hot summer months, I can hardly wait to run outside again. Keeping this post short as we'll soon be practicing bowling at the Gold Coast Bowling Lanes. Life is good!

Right Ankle is Better

Daily Quote:

"Training and racing are great teachers about health for an athlete. But the athlete must listen to what they have to teach."

--Scott Jurek, ultramarathoner (from his site, "scottjurek.com"

This morning my right ankle wasn't sore, nevertheless, I'm taking some precautions and setting the treadmill at a zero grade/elevation, also if my ankle becomes sore anytime during the run, I'll stop the workout.

10:15 a.m. General Aerobic Run. 9 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a zero grade. 5 miles at 6.3 mph and last four miles at 6.4 mph. Average heart rate: 140 bpm. Cardiac drift: 146 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart is 190 bpm). My heart rate was lower than last week and the run felt much easier, undoubtedly due to my setting the treadmill at zero grade.

Ankle wasn't sore during or after the run; tomorrow is a Recovery Run, which should help the ankle heal even more. I'll also be icing both ankles after work. Next Friday I'll be increasing this General Aerobic Run to ten miles, which will then be a Medium-Long Run. Eventually, Monday's Medium-Long Run will become a Long Run. Slowy adding mileage is exciting for me as it shows real progress as I dream of future glories in the marathons and ultramarathons.

Sore Right Ankle

Daily Quote:

"The biggest difference I noticed in running an ultra is the amount of walking you do. When most people train for a marathon they want to run the whole way if possible. No one (well no one as slow as me, at least) runs a whole 50 miler the first time. I don't know for sure but I'd guess I walked close to half of my 50 and I finished okay. So one thing I'd definitely recommend is to practice walking as part of your long runs. It is a lot easier to run 30 miles either walking the uphills or walking 1 minute every six or whatever than to just run it straight."

--Andy MacGinnitie, ultramarathoner

This morning when I awoke my right ankle was slightly sure, therefore today not only will I run a Recovery Run, but also run slower as well as set the treadmill's grade to zero.

9:45 a.m. Recovery Run. 5 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at zero grade/elevation. All 5 miles were at 6.0 mph (10 minute miles). Average heart rate: 137 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 143 bpm. Took my ankle just 5 minutes to warm up and then didn't feel any soreness. After my run I quickly did a weight circuit training. Went home from the gym, took a shower and then proceeded to massage my right ankle with the shower massage head with cold water at full blast. Hopefully my ankle will feel better for tomorrow's general aerobic run.

Faster Tempo Run

Daily Quote:

To become a better and safer downhill runner, concentrate on using
a relatively short stride with a very fast turnover. Try to think about
lifting your foot up the very instant it hits the trail. Let your
legs go free. Don't tense up or pull back- you waste energy braking.
You will feel tired due to the very fast turnover, but you are actually
doing your legs a favor and they recover in no time at the bottom. There
are practical limits to this method: you may have to brake at
switchbacks, and you must maintain control on dangerous or crowded
trails. As always, you must start slow and build up. If you do not
do speedwork, the fast turnover will fry your hamstrings. If you are
doing this on pavement, it also works, but you will want to build
up your shin muscles.
I used to be a slow, conservative downhill runner, but improved
dramatically in very little time with this technique.

--Howard Breinan, Ultramarathoner

Today is my scheduled Tempo Run, I haven't done speedwork since June 12th due to Recovery Week. I decided to slightly increase my speed to 7.5 mph, if it's too much I could always slow down the treadmill or cut the workout short.

11:00 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Total Distance: 6 miles. Warm-up: 2 miles at 6.3 mph. Tempo: 3 miles at 7.5 mph. Cool-down: 1 mile at 6.3 mph. Average heart rate: 159 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 174 bpm. (Note: My maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) I was able to increase my speed and maintain my form with no problems, heart rate is a little higher than what I wished, hence I will run the same tempo run next week.

As usual, whenever I finish a strong speed workout I start fantasizing about entering a 5k race soon...as soon as I returned home browsed the local running internet sites...I soon awoke from my fantasy as Vegas is too hot for races in the summer months.

Last night I went to the Union Meeting during work (Note to supervisors: I took a lunch break)...they had FREE donuts, I was a bad boy and had two chocolate eclairs.

No Rest Today

Daily Quote:

Pacing is critical! Especially the first few hours. Go out very
conservative. Create a plan whereas you forget about laps (but not forgetting to
pack your counter). Try a run/walk strategy such as 20 minutes of running
followed by 10 minutes of walking. Continue this pattern for each half hour for
as long as you possibly can.

--Paul Olson when asked advice on reaching 100 miles in 24 hours.

Normally I would take a rest day after a previous day running a Long or Medium-Long Run, but today I'll be running a Recovery Run as I strive to run seven days this week.

9:30 a.m. Recovery Run. 6 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Three miles at 6.3 mph and the last three at 6.4 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 147 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) No aches nor pain, felt tired, yet still wanted to complete a weight circuit after the run. Did two sets on the weight circuit and headed back home for a much needed nap.

13 Miler!

Daily Quote:

"I gazed in envy at ultra runners whose quadriceps had the kind of definition
that tells you Secretariat is somewhere in their family tree."

--Liz Zelandais, writing about the Dam 50k Run/Relay

Today is the first day of my next four week cycle, (I will increase my mileage each week during the first three weeks and use the fourth week for recovery) What better way to start the cycle than my longest run since the Boston Marathon!

9:30 a.m. Medium-Long Run, progressive. 13 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 4 miles at 6.3 mph, 4 miles at 6.4 mph, and 5 miles at 6.5 mph. Average heart rate: 150 bpm. Cardiac Drift 159 bpm. Bad rash on my inner thighs, need to remember to apply Body Glide next time. Drank one large bottle of Gatorade, but could have drank more as the gym was very warm this morning. After my run I had a feeling of great satisfaction that I'm doing very well and improving steadily. Next week I'll attempt a 14-miler!

2008 Labor of Love 50k Participation

Daily Quote:

"Perhaps the genius of ultrarunning is its supreme lack of utility. It makes
no sense in a world of space ships and supercomputers to run vast distances
on foot. There is no money in it and no fame, frequently not even the
approval of peers. But as poets, apostles and philosophers have insisted
from the dawn of time, there is more to life than logic and common sense.
The ultra runners know this instinctively. And they know something else that
is lost on the sedentary. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, that
the doors to the spirit will swing open with physical effort. In running
such long and taxing distances they answer a call from the deepest realms of
their being -- a call that asks who they are ..."

--David Blaikie

My long range goal is to run my first ultra race, "2009 Labor of Love 50k," and today was curious about the attendance of this year's ultra race and discovered only 20 runners started the race with 18 finishers!! The overall winner was Scott Gilson, 37 years old from Las Vegas, he finished in 4:59:28, which was a 09:38.3 pace. The winner in my age group took 5k place overall, he's Min-Seok Chae, he's 52 years old from Lynwood, California, he finished with a time of 5:38:41, which was a 10:54.1 pace.

I've never ran a race with so few participants! During marathons when my motivation starts slipping around 20 miles and I frequently use the trick of targeting and passing other runners as to push myself harder...I may need to find another motivating tool! Since this is my first ultra race I have no time goals, but do wish to give it my best effort.

Today is my last day of Recovery Week and will end it with a Recovery Run.

10:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 6 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 3 miles at 6.4 mph and 3 miles at 6.5 mph. Average heart rate 142 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 148 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Listened to Gwen Stefani's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." CD on my Sony Sports Player. I need to add more CD's to my collection this week.

Later in the afternoon I became carried away and bowled seven practice games! I did well, six of my games were above my bowling average, the last game I was very tired and was below my bowling average.

Tougher "General Aerobic Run"

Daily Quote:

"Few of us know what we are capable of doing… we have never pushed ourselves hard enough to find out."

--Alfred A. Montapert

I'm still in Recovery Week, but since yesterday was a Rest Day, I decided I could run today's General Aerobic Run a little longer.

9:00 a.m. General Aerobic Run. 9 miles. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 5 miles at 6.3 mph and last four miles at 6.4 mph. Average heart rate: 143 bpm. Cardiac drift: 149 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart is 190 bpm). My left foot, fourth small toe had a small blister about the size of a dime, which I believe was due to old worn out socks, I'll need to purchase more socks soon. Other than the blister, I had no aches nor pain.

Easy "General Aerobic Run"

Daily Quote:

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

--Lou Holtz

I'm currently in my Recovery Week therefore today's General Aerobic Run will be only seven miles at a very easy pace.

2:10 a.m. (after work) Warm-up: 10 minutes on upright stationary cycle. 30 minutes weight training circuit. Cool-down: 10 minutes on elliptical. Shoulder Press was very difficult this early morning, may need to take five pounds off next time.

9:00 a.m. (after sleep) General Aerobic Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 7 miles. All seven miles at 6.2 mph. Average heart rate: 140 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 146 bpm. Felt very strong

Marathon Bills Are Now Mostly PAID!!

Daily Quote:

"Dozens of local companies and organizations that do business with the Las Vegas Marathon are finally getting what they want from the event's owner.
Paid.
Devine Racing, the Chicago-based company that bought the race in 2005 and has been in arrears to vendors to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, has finally begun to distribute about $300,000 of what it stated was about $550,000 in obligations.
Last week, Devine Racing sold the Los Angeles Marathon -- easily its most attractive and lucrative event, and one that garners 25,000 participants annually -- to media executives Russ Pillar and David Kingsdale.
Las Vegas area vendors began receiving overdue payments -- some for services rendered for the December 2007 race, and some dating to the December 2006 running -- in the past few days, via FedEx overnight or in several cases hand-delivered by race director Terry Collier.
"It was in the back of my mind that we weren't going to see anything for a while," said Paul Loebig, general manager of Bailey's Sweeper Service, which was due $11,200 from last year's race. "Then they called on Friday. I was very surprised. I didn't expect anything as fast as we got it."
Devine Racing's extreme financial woes in Las Vegas were reported by the Review-Journal on May 14. Following that report, company officials had a discussion with Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid -- a major proponent of the event -- in which Reid expressed his displeasure and demanded a speedy resolution. Devine Racing proposed a June 15 deadline, which it apparently narrowly met with last week's sale of the L.A. Marathon.
Reid is waiting to comment further until he can evaluate Devine Racing's progress in making payments.
Devine Racing CEO Chris Devine, who had been unable to comment as the company worked out its financial problems, was thrilled to be moving forward toward this year's Dec. 7 race. But he was equally humble.
"I have been a number of things throughout this process, most of all totally embarrassed," Devine said, alluding not only to vendor issues, but to problems meeting payroll for his own employees. "But we are wholly focused on fixing things in Las Vegas."
Devine insisted that the Las Vegas race has now become his company's top priority in the wake of the sale of the Los Angeles race and the Chicago Half-Marathon, deals that netted "double-digit millions." "We just screwed it up in Los Angeles," said Devine, acknowledging several financial issues with that event, as well. "In Los Angeles, we didn't grow the business, not by one entrant or even one dollar.
"But we've been lucky enough with the support of the Las Vegas community that we've taken this event from 6,000 entrants to 17,000 entrants. Los Angeles was No. 1 for us in terms of revenue and popularity. I was willing to sell that marathon in order to take the capital from the sale and use it to focus on the Las Vegas Marathon. ... Las Vegas is where we have the most potential."
Apparently, even vendors who were owed money have regained some faith in the event. Several contacted Tuesday indicated they were indeed paid and that they would be willing to provide services for this year's race -- provided there are some guarantees.
"I'm not going to do anything until I get at least half the money down and in the bank," said Loebig, adding he's still due several hundred dollars in late fees. "I don't know whether I'm gonna bust his butt on that or not. But I like having our trucks out there."
Todd Wirth, owner of Graphics 2000, received about $5,000 Monday, a payment overdue by 18 months. Yet he sounded optimistic about coming back after flatly refusing Devine Racing's interest in retaining him last year.
"Hopefully, they change their ways, and we'll take it step-by-step and see how it goes," Wirth said.
Devine said there will indeed be a new operating procedure for dealing with local vendors.
"There are a couple different ways we are going to approach our vendors," he said. "The first is, where possible, we will have face-to-face meetings to pay them. But second, and more important, we're going to prove ourselves by paying in advance. ... There will be some percentage put down (on all contracts). We will create a comfort level that is acceptable to us and the vendors."
That would mark a big shift from the company's first three years since taking over the race, as it rarely agreed to any upfront money unless pressed to do so -- as it was by the city of Las Vegas, which got nearly $100,000 in advance of the 2007 race and another $60,000 less than 30 days later.
Dozens of businesses remain to be paid, including a few companies that declined comment but whose total bill runs into six figures. And 2007 men's overall winner Christopher Cheboiboch is still due his $20,000 purse, plus an undisclosed appearance fee, according to agent Tom Ratcliffe, who said he still has not been contacted by Devine Racing.
However, most of those cited in the R-J's May 14 report have received payment, including the Las Vegas Track Club, due $16,575 for the past two years of organizing the Roadrunners program, which helped hundreds of local runners through six months of preparation for the race.
Though long overdue, the payment was timed perfectly."--Las Vegas Review Journal, June 18, 2008

I'm so relieved Devine Racing is paying its debts, I now have confidence that the Las Vegas Marathon will happen this December and I can keep my streak alive.

Normally Wednesdays are Tempo Runs, but since this week is a Recovery Week I won't be doing any speed drills, I opted for an easy Recovery Run instead.

10:00 a.m. Recovery Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 6 miles. 3 miles at 6.4 mph and 3 miles at 6.5 mph. Average heart rate 144 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 149 bpm. Listened to the "Best of Bread" CD on my Sony Sports CD player...the music is slow beats and works well with my slower run.

Adding More Weights

Daily Quote:

"Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run."

--Jumbo Elliott

My weight training workouts had become rather easy, therefore today added five pounds to every exercise in my upper body workout stations, which are: shoulder press, chest press, lat pulldown, triceps, and biceps. I didn't have any problems with the additional weight and know that I'm much stronger than ever before! I'm an ectomorph body type and find it very difficult to add muscle mass, nevertheless, creating large muscles isn't my goal, I want to be stronger and be a lean, mean running machine.

10:30 a.m. Recovery Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 4 miles!! Speed was 6.1 mph for all miles. Average heart rate: 138 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 142 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) This week is a Recovery Week and I'm cutting mileage in all my runs, normally my Recovery Run is six miles, but today just a very easy four miles. I have so much energy I feel like I'm going to burst...can hardly wait to add higher mileage next week.

Recovery Week

Daily Quote:

"Any idiot can train himself into the ground; the trick is working in training to get gradually stronger."

--Keith Brantly, U.S. Olympic Marathoner

Today is my first day of my Recovery Week, my training is three weeks of gradually adding mileage with the fourth week being a recovery week.

I'm at a loss to say about my training this week as it'll be rather ho-hum, no mileage milestones, no pressure, just taking it easy with cutting back my mileage and smelling the roses, or in my case as I'm in the gym, smelling the rubber burning on my treadmill belt.

Today's Medium-Long Run is only 10 miles and it's going to be slow.

9:45 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 4 miles @ 6.1 mph, 4 miles @ 6.2 mph, and the last two miles @ 6.5 mph. Average heart rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 150 bpm. (note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) I listened to the Rolling Stones CD, "Voodoo Lounge" that kept me distracted from the normal gym background noises. No aches nor pain and had plenty of gas in my tank.

Father's Day Weekend

Daily Quote:

"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right."

-- Bill Cosby

Didn't have much time to log onto the computer due to Father's Day Weekend, but did manage to run Recovery Runs for both Saturday and Sunday of six miles each. Nice recovery and this coming week is my cutback/recovery week. (I increase mileage for three weeks and the fourth week I reduce mileage then start the cycle all over again)

My daughter, Lisa, bought me two movie tickets and my wife and I saw the movie, "Don't Mess with Zohan." The movie was good escapism, but the laughs were due to the shock value...plenty of shock and lots of laughs.

Progression Run

Daily Quote:

Progression runs aren't new. Paavo Nurmi, who won nine Olympic gold medals, used them back in the 1920s. Over the last few years, they've seen a resurgence, popping up on the schedules of top athletes and in programs designed for recreational runners. Why? Their versatility. "You can do an infinite number of progression runs, different lengths and different intensities," says Greg McMillan, who coaches elite and recreational runners in Flagstaff, Arizona. Long runs, tempo sessions, and base miles can all be turned into progression runs. And they can be used at any time throughout the training cycle

--Alex Hutchinson, Runner's World Magazine article

Today is a General Aerobic Run that'll be done in progression.
10:30 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 9 miles. 3 miles @ 6.3 mph, 3 miles @ 6.4 mph, 3 miles @ 6.5 mph. Average heart rate 151 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 162 bpm. Run went well, no aches nor pain, and I'll add more progression runs to my training routine next week.

I'm planning on an easy Father Day weekend, with Saturday and Sunday being Recovery Runs.

Improved Tempo Run

Daily Quote:

If your idea of healthy eating is a bar of dark chocolate every day, you might want to re-think. A study at the University of Western Australia found that eating chocolate on a daily basis could reduce bone density in women. The researchers believe this could be because it contains substances that prevent calcium substances that prevent calcium from being absorbed properly. However, running and other weight-bearing exercise increases bone density, so the more you run, the more chocolate you can eat.
--Runner's World Magazine (England Edition), June 2008

Today is a Tempo Run, which will be exactly the same distance and pace as last week.

10:00 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Total Distance: 6 miles. Warm-up: 2 miles at 6.3 mph. Tempo: 3 miles at 7.4 mph. Cool-down: 1 mile at 6.3 mph. Average heart rate: 156 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 169 bpm. My tempo run this week has improved from last week as my heart rate numbers are lower!! Last week my average heart rate was 159 bpm, and my cardiac drift was 172 bpm. I'll either increase my tempo run to 4 miles next week or perhaps increase the pace to 7.5 mph.

I noticed that my blog photo had somehow disappeared, hence I added a new photo, which is my last push during the 2008 Boston Marathon.

Shift Bid

Daily Quote:

"A good breakfast doesn't just set you up for the day, it could also stop middle-age spread. This comes from a study of 7,000 over-40s in Norfolk. Despite consuming more calories each day, those who ate the biggest breakfasts had the lowest BMI and gained least weight over the next few years -- suggesting time of consumption was significant."

--Runner's World (England Edition) June, 2008

Today is Shift Bid! Every six months Checker Cab Company has shift bid that determines what shift (time of hours, day or night), my days off, and what will be my assigned taxi. Everything is based on seniority, since I've been driving for Checker Cab for 18 years I pretty much get what I want in shifts, days off, and a new cab...and everything went as expected...I'm still working Monday through Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., and driving the new Checker Cab #3977! Also, my seniority number has gone up by two (one driver died and another driver is in jail for going berserk and trying to run over two motorcycle cops); out of 859 Checker Cab Drivers my new seniority number is #34.

Since shift bid starts at 6:00 a.m., I was only able to get three hours of sleep last night, therefore, I decided to take a Rest Day and return to bed.

New Shoes!

Daily Quote:

"No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes."

-- Don Kardong

Found a good deal on running shoes, $79.00 for "New Balance 768!" I decided to wear them today for my medium-long run of 12 miles.

9:45 a.m. Medium-Long Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 12 miles. 4 miles at 6.3 mph, 4 miles at 6.4 mph, and 4 miles at 6.5 mph. Average heart rate: 148 bpm. Cardiac Drift 157 bpm. This is my first medium-long run done on the treadmill for the summer!! New shoes worked well, didn't even notice they were on my feet, which is always a good sign for good running shoes. I'll be alternating these shoes with my older pair of Nike Air Structures.

Tomorrow morning I must awake at 5:00 a.m. as Checker Cab Company has shift bid! It's going to be a very long day. Now I must work 12 hours (2 pm - 2 am) and will be lucky to get two hours of sleep tonight.

Need New Shoes Soon

Daily Quote:

First we will examine typical mileage values for how long running shoes will last. The generally accepted consensus is runners will require a new pair of running shoes every 300-500 miles. This means a runner who has purchased a new pair of running shoes recently will require a new pair after he has logged approximately 300-500 miles on his running shoes. This distance is best gauged by keeping an accurate training log which includes a section for accumulated mileage. The runner may record the amount he has run each day but should also keep a running total of the total distance he has run since he purchased a new pair of running shoes. This will make it easy to see when the runner is approaching the threshold of the range of 300-500 miles which typically signifies the need for a new pair of running shoes.

--The Runner's Guide

I currently have 502 miles on my ASICS GT 2102, which I rotate with my Nike Air Structures (currently 220 miles), and need to replace them soon. I'm not a slave to any particular name brand, but I do make sure the shoes are stability shoes as I have flat feet. Time to start looking for a good sale at the local shoe stores.

Yesterday was a Rest Day as I took my wife to see "Phantom of the Opera" and to a nice Italian Restaurant inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino. I've ran six days this week and hope to increase running seven days next week.

10:15 a.m. General Aerobic Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. 7 miles. 2 miles @ 6.3 mph, 2 miles @ 6.4 mph, 2 miles @ 6.5 mph and 1 mile @ 6.3 mph. Average heart rate 147 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 155 bpm. Comfortable run at conversational pace, listened to Cure's CD "Bloodflowers" that was a good escape from the gym's humming noise.

A Little Tempo Run

Daily Quote:

Tempo-pace running is designed to maximize aerobic capacity and increase aerobic efficiency. Regular threshold training enables runners to increase pace without suffering from lactic acid accumulation. Athletes should do these runs at a pace that can be maintained for 15-35 minutes. Tempo runs should be done at a pace that acclimates the athlete at, or slightly above, the anaerobic or lactate threshold.

--Paul Greer's Running Weblog

Today was my first speed training for the summer, a little tempo run of three miles at my half-marathon pace of 8:06 minute miles (7.4 mph on the treadmill.)

9:30 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade. Warm-up: 2 miles at 6.3 mph. Tempo: 3 miles at 7.4 mph. Cool-down: 1 mile at 6.3 mph. Average heart rate: 159 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 172 bpm. The first two miles of my tempo was tough and the last mile was a struggle! Man, I'm really out of shape!! I plan on doing one tempo run per week during this base building phase.

I'm so happy that today is Friday and I have two days off from working!! Tomorrow I'll be taking the wife to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Venetian Hotel and Casino...nope, I'm not a big spender, received two free tickets from the Venetian because I'm a cab driver.

A Mix Bag of Exercises

Daily Quote:

"BTW, I still think the WS trail is one of the most beautiful places that I have vomited."

--Mary Gorski, 1999 WS attemptee and 2001 finisher

Today I did a little of everything in regards to exercise!

2:20 a.m. (after working 12-hours) Practiced bowling with three games at Gold Coast Bowling Alley, bowled 177, 210 and a 183 (my league bowling average is 164 pins)

11:30 a.m. (after sleeping eight hours) Warm up, 10 minutes on upright stationary cycle. 30 minutes of weight circuit training...then immediately jumped on my favorite treadmill.

Today is a Recovery Run. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% Grade. 5 miles. 6.1 mph (pace 9:50 minute miles) Time, 49 minutes. Average Heart Rate: 141 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 145 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm) Listened to the Beatles "Revolver" CD, which is my favorite Beatles album! Comfortable run and within my zone for an easy run, next week all my Recovery Runs will be 6 milers.

Devine Racing Tries to Sell L.A. Marathon

Daily Quote:

Devine Racing's cash-flow problems have grown increasingly public in recent months. Zappos, the online shoe retailer, on May 30 severed its ties with Devine Racing's Las Vegas race, citing the company's financial problems. And some business owners in Los Angeles continue to complain that payments are slow in coming.

--Los Angeles Times, read article, "L.A. Marathon operator scrambles to make good on debts"


I was considering replacing the Las Vegas Marathon with racing in the L.A. Marathon instead, but Devine Racing is not paying its debts in L.A. either and is trying to unload the L.A. Marathon...geez, Los Angeles is fairly close to Las Vegas, only a 4-hour drive, I may have to research Phoenix for my next marathon. I'm getting discouraged, hopefully Devine Racing will have Las Vegas Marathon's bills paid before June 15th as promised and my fears will be for naught.

Today is a General Aerobic Run. 10:00 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% Grade. 2 miles at 6.3 mph, 4 miles at 6.5 mph, and 2 miles at 6.3 mph. Average Heart Rate: 155 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 162 bpm. (Note: my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) The gym was very warm this morning and was sweating up a storm! Only brought small bottle of water, next time I'll bring a larger bottle of Gatorade.

I'm finding it more difficult to work, run and bowl AND keep this blog up-to-date! I'll just do the best I can...how I wish I work a normal eight hours rather than my current 12-hour work nights!!

Las Vegas Marathon Title Sponsor Quits

Daily Quote:

Las Vegas Marathon title sponsor quits, cites race finances

ASSOCIATED PRESS
7:31 a.m. June 3, 2008
LAS VEGAS – The title sponsor of the Las Vegas Marathon is walking away, citing financial troubles involving the race owner, Chicago-based Devine Racing.
Zappos.com sponsored the 2007 race had been expected remain on to sponsor this year's race, scheduled Dec. 7. It had an option for the 2009 race.

But spokesman Chris Peake says the Henderson-based Internet shoe and apparel company was upset to learn Devine Racing hadn't paid pay some vendors, charities and last December's men's overall winner, Christopher Cheboiboch.
Devine Racing chief executive Chris Devine issued a statement thanking Zappos.com for sponsoring the race last December, and saying he's confident a new sponsor will be found.

Devine promised last month to sell two unspecified “significant assets,” and use the proceeds to pay race bills by June 15.

The company also owns the Los Angeles and Salt Lake City marathons and the Chicago Half Marathon. Devine also has a financial interest in several radio companies.

I'm very worried that Devine Racing will cancel the upcoming Las Vegas Marathon in December due to not paying its bills and now losing their main sponsor, Zappos Shoes. I have ran the last eight Las Vegas Marathons and fear my streak will end this year. I should look for a backup marathon for this late winter or early spring.

Today is a Recovery Run. 9:30 a.m. Life Fitness Treadmill set a a 1% Grade. 5 miles. 6.1 mph (pace 9:50 minute miles) Time, 49 minutes. Average Heart Rate: 142 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 146 bpm. I adjusted surprisingly well to the treadmill after many days of running on the roads! I'll now be running on the treadmill exclusively until fall season...it's going to be a long summer!!

Last "Road" Run Until Fall

Daily Quote:

Proper ‘easy’ training should feel utterly easy, like there’s no effort at all. And the obsessive don’t like that, not at all. It doesn’t feel like it’s accomplishing anything (No pain, no gain, right) so the intensity starts to climb. Where it should be an easy 130 heart rate or lower, it’ll start climbing to the aerobic range or higher. Suddenly, what should have been easy days start becoming medium days.

But it’s even more insidious than that: these medium days end up being too easy to really stimulate fitness, but too hard to allow complete recovery. It’s this weird no-man’s land that doesn’t accomplish anything good.

Which has another major consequence, without the ability to recover sufficiently, the hard days can’t be as hard. Because you can’t do a quality session when you’re tired. So the hard days start becoming medium days as well. And it all goes wrong.

The hard days can’t be hard enough, the easy days are too hard and the whole week ends up being this weird sort of medium intensity across the board.

--from the blog, "body recomposition" by Lyle McDonald.

Yesterday my 5-mile Recovery Run was ran in the mid-90's, and today's 12-Mile Medium-Long Run was in the upper 90's, hence it's now time to say good-bye to road running for the summer...my summer runs will be on the gym's treadmill.

10:30 a.m. General Aerobic Run. 12 miles. Time, 1:56 (Average Pace, 9:40 minute miles). Out and Back on Alta Road. Sunny, 93-97 degrees, Winds south at 11 mph. Average Heart Rate: 150 bpm. Cardiac Drift: 161 bpm. I pushed too hard in the heat and suffered dizziness after the run; believe I was very close to sun stroke, yup, it's time for the dreadmill throughout the duration of the summer.