The Last Man to Run

Ever wanted to do a Ragnar? Here are a few "soundbites" if you will, if you want a bit of insight about it. A Ragnar can be torture or a lot of fun. It just depends on who you ask. Really! There are some people here who look like they can't wait to hit the next Ragnar. And then there's people like me - probably not many - who are just thinking "ok, been there, done that, mark it off, don't need to do it again". LOL Aside from that, it has been a good test and exercise of will over mind. Oh yes, and the elements. It was freaking cold here in Las Vegas, I think the only thing I did right in preparing for this was bring 2 sweaters, 2 long sleeve shirts and flannel pajama bottoms. Without those items I would have not been able to survive. It was that cold. There are a couple of things that could have made this a great experience, not that I didn't have fun; it's just that it could have been so much better. I think the problem here with me was t...

For someone who said he'd never take up running, doing a Ragnar might seem a bit of a stretch. Even in the leg I chose is one of - if not - the easiest of them. Still, doing 12 miles in one day seems like quite the undertaking for me right now. I don't know why I let people talk me into this. Or do I? I think deep inside I really wanted to do it, I wanted to find out if I could really do it. I've been pushing my limits quite a bit lately and this might be a more measurable (and visual - show and tell) way to accomplish the same. At least I can get a cool story out of this, a small bragging right. 12 miles in one day. 12 miles is what I have done in, maybe, a week before. In all honesty, the last man to run is really living up to his name; and might, for all intents and purposes, live up to it in the race and be the last man to run through his leg's check points. It's also a lot more involved than I imagined, had I known everything you have to do to run this thin...

I'm looking more like I want to. Running is the best slimming exercise I have ever tried, and I have tried lots. I'm not done yet but I'm reaching my goal and I have made good progress. Look at my pictures, end of May to mid-October. Running is effective. Enough said.

It's been a bit of time since I have had time to publish on here, which is too bad because I had one of my most exciting experiences ever. I went for about 5 miles a couple of weekends ago. And while I paid for it later, I will say it was well worth it. My knees were actually inflamed by the end of the day. In my inexperienced opinion, I must have been doing something wrong, something incorrectly with my form. That was a fair price to pay for the exhilarating experience that is Runner's High. My friend Will got me to push myself yet again. I was really worried and afraid to go for 5 miles because it sounded intimidating but more than anything I didn't want to be lame and slow Will down.Fortunately he's very good at dealing with my rookie-ness. This allowed me to push past mile 1, then uphill onto mile 2, then down hill for mile 3 and then... boom!! There it was. I remember thinking "I feel good, I'm feeling pretty good right now" then I just kept g...

This week I have tried to go hit it hard, but after only half a mile, wear out sets in, it becomes a mental battle just to keep going for that first mile. Mile 2 seems almost unreachable. At least that's how it was 3 days ago. I ran again last night, it was cold, and that made it a bit more painful than usual. Because I've never done that before, my chest became yet another thing to battle; another element to try to push out of my mind. I tried to go for a fast mile and after less than half a mile it became painful to breathe. You know, that blood taste feeling in your mouth. It was hard and discouraging. However, I did another 8 minute mile, which is my fastest mark to date and I hadn't done that in a few days. That was a little encouraging but just a little, after all I am not training for a sprint but for endurance and distance. Does anyone have any tips for running in the cold? I'm still feeling its effects in my esophagus. Thanks for the comments and advice....

It is totally logical to rest and the concept of recovery. However, I have found through unfortunate circumstances that even what seems like just a little rest can be detrimental. I was sick for almost a week and then I traveled for work for almost a week, back to back. This made for 1 run in almost a week and a half. I tried going for a quick 2 mile run last night and after the first mile was done, so was I. The side shin splits were burning so bad, and it didn't matter how much mental toughness I wanted to apply the pain got me. Last time I ran I did a fulfilling 4 miles, and I swear it wasn't much harder than last nights 2 miles. The moral of the story: Resting does have value. Too much rest seems to have no value. At least not for starting amateurs such as myself. I did read an article about Bernard Lagat, the U.S. Olympian who's pushing the boundaries of running and age. Most people figured he'd be out of his prime and competitiveness because he's 37. Yet,...

I had an interesting thought today. I went out for a run, predetermined to push myself a bit more than I had in the past. I set a distance goal in my head and then went for it. 2 things happened: ONE: I made it in better fashion than expected. I went from point A to point B without stopping - something I didn't think I was ready for at least for a couple of weeks. And TWO, when I shared my accomplishment on Facebook, someone commented "I wish I could do that too"; which evoked a series of thoughts in my head, leading to this one in specific: there are no rules when you go running. Anyone can do it, but you have to want to. I didn't just wish I could do it, well, maybe once upon a time I did but that was never enough. I decided I would go as far one way or another. I didn't worry about the details i.e. my speed or how often I would stop. I just started reading a book my friend, running partner and volunteer trainer Will lent me - Runner's World Complete B...