Snowy race

So I decided on Saturday that I would run the Winter Cup race in Pohorje for the second week in a row. I was still a little sore from the last one, but figured that it was just going out in a multiday race. Anyway I stayed at my friend's, who just happens to be the race organizer, on Saturday night. As we left for the race there was a light snow falling, he showed me on his computer that there was snow on the race course. The temperature was also below freezing. There was a big starting field of 173 runners and walkers. Once I got going I did not feel so bad and quickly warmed up. I had changed my shoes from last week to ones with better grip, but once I got onto the steep snow covered slopes I began slipping a lot. In general I felt better when I finished, with a slower time than last week and I have to say that my recovery has been much better.

An Improvement

So at this weeks 2 mile race we had 7 participants. It was once again 2 C though not misty this week, just a little overcast. The Sun did make a brief appearance near the end. I will be out of town for the next 4 weeks and will try to have someone else organize the race while I am away. I am hoping that the field will grow.
Last Sunday I was in Maribor for the second race in this years Winter Cup on Pohorje, it is a 3.8km race up the Pohorje mountain. This is the 3rd year and the field has been steadily growing. There were 155 runners and walkers. The course is a little different each week combining trails and ski slopes. I was a little faster than when I raced in January, but then you cannot compare. I was really tired and quite sore afterwards.

New life

The weekly 2 mile race here in Ljubljana has been sadly lacking of late, so I decided to make a few announcements and try to be a bit more organized. Well this morning 4 runners showed up, which is 3 more than last week. I had apples for prizes and cookies as an after race treat. There were promises that more runners will come next week, so we will see what happens. Because the race is on a 400 meter track it is difficult for me to race direct and also run, but maybe that can change in the future. Everyone had fun and will try to invite more runners.

Keep on running

It's been 100 days since I last missed a day of running and since I ran this morning it is now 101. Over the years I have had a few running streaks, the longest being just over 4 1/2 years. I never plan them they just happen and on they go.

2 mile races

Last week I kind of jogged the 2 mile race in 16:29. It had been a late night and I was not feeling so great, but once again it was a chance to run faster than I do during the week.
Today was a little different, though cold. I did not feel like I was running fast and in fact was quite comfortable, but my time was 15:36. Which I am happy with at this time of the year. This is now 89 days straight and in a few days will hit the 3 month mark.

World Trophy 50k Championships

I became friends with Amanda Stickel in February of this year and was lucky enough to see her run in the US Nationals 50k championships on a very cold day in March, in New York. She finished 3rd in New York, her first real ultra race. She has battled with an eating disorder and a lack of self confidence, but through all this she has continued to do the one thing she loves strongly and that is run.
This past weekend in Gibralter she ran in the IAU World Trophy 50k Championships, in conditions completely opposite to those in March. For a brief time she ran in second place, behind the leader and eventual winner of this race and the one in March, American team mate Kami Semick. She would eventually fade back into 5th place ( second American woman ), in a very respectable time of 3:52:38. Certainly showing the World that she belongs there. Congratulations Amanda! Job well done.

Ljubljana Marathon

After being sick the last 2 weeks with a cold and also a sore right calf, I had decided not to run the marathon. Nataliya, sister of Dima ( both of whome ran with me on the World Harmony Run in May)had come from the Ukraine to run and was in good shape. There were about 7 Africans who had been invited, plus a couple of Ukraine and Russian women. So the field was quite strong. Nataliya was in about 11th or 12th place as she came through the 1/2 marathon in 1:23 right on her target pace. When I saw her with about 3 km to go she was in 10th place, which is where she finished with a personal best time of 2:48. She was of course very happy!

Did not take gloves

I am back in Ljubljana after almost 3 weeks and the weather is much different than it was when I left. I went out for a run this morning with a full track suite and a warm hat. I noticed right away that I could see my breath and though bright and sunny it was quite fresh. After just a few minutes I realized that my hands were cold and I had not thought to bring gloves. My right calf is bothering me a little, which has been on and off for the last 2 weeks and I was still sore from playing football for an hour on Sunday. All in all I feel quite strong though.

50 Days

I arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia this afternoon and it is quite warm here. I went out for a 20 minute run from the place where I am staying, to the famous Holiday Inn and back. It was a landmark run, in that it is the 50th straight day on my current running streak.

World Harmony Run

Tomorrow afternoon I will take a train to Belgrade with my friend Milan. We are going to join the World Harmony run. He will be with them for about 5 days, but I will be there for almost 2 weeks.In May I was on the run in Slovenia and Italy. This time I will be going to Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria. You can check out the website worldharmonyrun.org and get some information on it and see daily reports. If I get a connection and the time I will post something during my trip.

Oh yeah! I signed up for the Ljubljana Marathon, it's on October 25th

15 minutes

The weekly 2 mile race in Ljubljana is on a 400 meter track. This morning the weather was overcast and quite mild. There were the usual 3 runners and believe it or not, this week I was 2nd. I was working herd to go under 15 minutes, but as I crossed the line the clock rolled over to 15 minutes. Of course this is an improvement and I am happy with it.

Aches and pains

The day was pretty uneventful as it goes.I did go out for a run this afternoon in a light rain and it was very nice.I have noticed that the last couple of days I have had a few minor aches and pains. Not sure if this is because of old age or the change in the weather.

Better

I figured out what was causing my sore ankle and treated it. Sometimes the problem is not the ankle,but the calf muscle. I found the spot where it was hurting and used a little acupressure. I then went out and ran for 33 minutes without a problem. It actually felt good and I felt like I was running with good form.

A week later

Last week in New York it was raining for the 2 mile race. This week in Ljubljana it was also raining. For some reason my right ankle began feeling sore on my run home on Friday and was still feeling so when I ran out to the race, so I decided to not race, but just jog a couple of miles. Funnily enough it started to feel better on my way back home.

My friend Abichal ran in a 6 day race in Sweden which finished on Saturday, he had a final total of 501 km. Another friend, Sarah Barnett won the women's division with a total of 713.9 km. Well done to both of them.

Wet but happy race

There has been quite a lot of rain the last 24 hours and and it has become quite cold for August in New York. This morning it was still raining lightly as we ran the weekly 2 mile race, just 4 days after the marathon. I usually try to run under 16 minutes in these races when I have run a long race just before. So I was happy with my 15:47 especially since I felt quite strong at the end and sprinted the last 200 meters passing a couple of runners before the finish line.

Hamstring

It seems my payment for running the Marathon yesterday is a sore left hamstring this morning. I did go out and run a few K's as is normal for me and it made it feel better. Running a marathon is never easy, but sometimes the body remembers things from before and that makes it easier to go on to the end.

No excuses

I probably have a lot of excuses as to why I ran a 5:07 marathon today, but none of them really matter. I ran it and I still feel pretty good at the end of it.The weather was quite cool to start with and although it got quite hot in the Sun, there was a nice breeze on the first half of the course and that helped a lot. Anyway it's another marathon under my belt.

New shoes

After a cool breezy night it was very pleasant to go for a run this morning. I was inspired to go shopping and bought a new pair of running shoes, Asics gel strike.They feel really nice on my feet. We will see if I run in them in the marathon tomorrow. Stay tuned.

No speed, well enough for now.

I ran the Saturday morning 2 mile race. It had rained quite heavily during the night and was still raining lightly when the race got underway. There was quite a big field of runners and I firmly planted myself in the middle of them. My time was 15:34 which was in fact 4 seconds faster my race in Ljubljana 2 weeks ago so not too bad. I do of course have a marathon to run in 4 days so it was a nice workout.

After the rain it is a little cooler, but the humidity is still there for now.

No speed, well enough for now.

I ran the Saturday morning 2 mile race. It had rained quite heavily during the night and was still raining lightly when the race got underway. There was quite a big field of runners and I firmly planted myself in the middle of them. My time was 15:34 which was in fact 4 seconds faster my race in Ljubljana 2 weeks ago so not too bad. I do of course have a marathon to run in 4 days so it was a nice workout.

After the rain it is a little cooler, but the humidity is still there for now.

Trans Slovenia run

A friend of mine from Belgrade has just arrived. He has come here to run the first Tans Slovenia run. Which will start on Wednesday morning. It is a stage race that will cover 397km in 5 days. I had originally planned to run the race myself, but will now try to help him.
Although it is the first time this race has taken place there will be around 28 runners, with the majority coming from Slovenia, but others coming from as far away as Australia.
I will try to post updates during, or at least a report after the race is over.

First race in Slovenia.

This morning I ran my first 2 mile race in Slovenia. I had not run a 2 mile race since the morning that I left New York. So I was not exactly in race shape. I this kind of situation I usually try to run under 16 minutes.
The race was on a 400 meter red tartan track and there were on 4 runners and my time was 15 minutes 38 seconds. I am happy with that.

Infection

My body seems to be fighting an infection and my kidneys have been working really hard. So for the last couple of days I have not been running. This morning I had the feeling I should run and when my friend Milan asked me if I wanted to I said yes.
It is a cool morning after the hot days that I ran on the weekend and as the run progressed I felt more and more like it was a good thing. I also felt that since it is 2 1/2 weeks since Triglav that my legs are recovered and stronger. Anyway it was a good run.

A different workout

This past weekend I went to Triglav mountain. It is quite a hike from the parking lot where we started to the rest house just below the summit. I was told that the distance was around 7 km and the rise in elevation was around 1700 meters. I can tell you that my legs got a real testing and when I ran on Monday I knew I had really worked them. I know my legs will be much stronger after this and of course my breathing will be better too. I guess you could say this was my first experience with altitude training, well sort of. I am sure I will feel the benefit later in the year.

Longer runs

Last Sunday I was in Split Croatia and ran 1 1/2 hours. During the week I was in Maribor and had runs of 1 hour and 45 minutes. Then I gave a workshop on Meditation in Ptuj, Friday night and Saturday morning, a small group, but it went well. Made it back to Ljubljana tired and happy and slept long.
The weather is so nice and I went out with my friend Milan and we ran through some country trails and by the river Sava. Finding some nice wild plums on the way back, I added them to my muesli.

Getting back

This weekend I think I started to get my running training back into some kind of shape. While I was in Zagreb for a visit, I had a nice 45 minute run on both Saturday and Sunday. When I got back to Ljubljana I think one of my roommates got inspired and suggested we go for a 1 hour run this evening, There is a nice loop we can run that takes about 28 minutes, so the plan was to run it twice. However after the first loop I was not feeling so great, since I had been out late the night before and didn't get so much sleep. So I made a short cut and rejoined him later in the loop, but still ran 47 minutes. I also heard of a 24 hour race in Italy in September that I am thinking to Run, don't know all the details yet, but it is something to aim for.

New discoveries.

I ran for almost 1 hour this morning in Ljubljana and it was a mix of outskirts of the city and almost countryside.. I feel like I am running at a comfortable pace and my form feels good. I have a slight problem with an old back injury, but I can live with that. Where is your friendly neighbourhood Chiropractor when you need him. Anyway I will sort that out.

Something new.

Over the last couple of winters I have run in Flushing Meadow Park and out to Shea Stadium and the new Citi field Stadium. I would take photo's of the progression of the new stadium and the end of the old stadium. Well one of my photo's of the new stadium has been selected to be included in the 7th and latest edition of the Schmap city guide. It can be see at the following link;

http://www.schmap.com/newyork/activities_activities/#r=none&mapview=Map&tab=Places&p=356459&topleft=40.82303,-74.0250

Changing skin

For the last 2 weeks or so the skin on the bottom of my feet has been peeling of . This is normal for me after a multi day race. It is like the old skin of the race is changing into a new one.
On Monday I did my longest run for a few weeks and the next day was shorter, but then I started running longer each day and also running with more pace. I am feeling as though my form is good again, actually I thought my from was good on the Harmony run, but it's hard to tell when you are carrying a torch. Anyway I am happy with my running.

Getting back in the groove

My running has been quite limited for the last week, but now that I am back home in Ljubljana I can be a bit more focused. I have 2 or 3 running routes worked out and these give me good variety. There is a 100k race coming up this weekend in Vienna, Austria, that a few people have asked me to go to. I don't think I am quite ready for 100k, a 50k would have been nice. I also will probably be in Croatia this weekend taking care of some business. It is nice though to look at some different races around Europe that it is now much more easier to think about running. There is a whole new playing field out there for me now.

One to watch

Each summer I am part of the crew at the Self- Transcendence 3100 mile race. this year I will not be there, well maybe I will be there in spirit. I am posting a link to a youtube video of the only female runner ever to run the race. If the link does not work just go to youtube and type in The spirit of the runner and feel it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J_2kzYDMTo

World Harmony Run

For the last 2 weeks I have been participating in a global relay run. I started in Slovenia on the day I arrived from New York. The plan was for me to just run on the Slovenian part. However after 1 week and with a shortage of runners needed for the next week, I went on to Italy. I got to see a lot of Slovenia that I had not seen before. I averaged around 10k a day in running, which was pretty good considering that I only had 1 week of recovery from the 6 day race. When we got into Italy it was unusually warm with temperatures in the 90's F ( 30's C ). We visited a lot of schools to spread the message of world harmony. It was good training. sometimes at altitude and I was with a great team of international runners. I am now back in Slovenia and will start training for a race later this summer, though there is a possibility of a 100k race next month. We will have to see about that.

6 Day race part 2

The 4th day was much cooler, but of the runners in the race had left which affects the race a little. My day started quite well and when I took my sleep break I slept really well, in fact I took the longest sleep of 5 hours. When I woke and went out on to the track I noticed I was struggling a little. I had the feeling that I was not as strong as I thought after my sickness 3 weeks before the race. I tried to hold it together, but had my lowest day of 38 miles.
Day 5 was better and Andy Cable who was just behind me in mileage pushed me on a little . It was interesting to see how the top 2 ladies in both the 10 day and 6 day were pushing each other along. My blister problems started to improve with the cold weather and I ended up with 41 miles on day 5.
Shortly after day 6 began the rains came. They were quite hard at times and parts of the course got a little flooded, which made things interesting. Since it is the last day a lot of runners spend time on the course. Most are looking at possible finishing distances. There was a respite from the rain during the night and then one last storm before the end of the race.The last few hours were pretty exciting because Dipali was approaching the World record and Pam reed in second place was approaching the American record. For me Andy had closed up to with 8 or 9 miles, but could not catch me so I settled for 270 miles, a last day of 38. I had done 273 in the first 6 days of the 10 day last year, so that seemed alright.

6 Day race report part 1

When the race started I was pretty relaxed, this is I think my 26th multiday race. It was already quite hot and the Sun was pretty strong. There were a lot of new faces and a lot of energy out there. With it being a hot day I tried to make sure that I did not do too much in the first few hours. My pattern is to take an early break and then run through most of the night when it is cooler. By the end of the first day I had a total of 66 miles and felt quite good. My second day was started after a 1 hour break and I was once again out there in the heat. I noticed that I was getting some blisters on my feet, in the usual places, but earlier than I usaully get them. I treated them as I usaully do and continued to run and walk. On the second day I try to establish my sleep pattern and find that helps my body deal with any physical problems that come along. The 2 blisters I had early on now seemed to be under control, but I was having a little problem with metatarsal pressure, one on each foot. This is an old problem and I know how to deal with it. I finished with 45 miles on day 2 and a running total of 111 miles for 2 days.
The third day was the hottest of them all with the temps reaching close to 90 F ( 32 C ). Although I was using sunblock I wa still getting some burning, though it was not bothering me too much. Day 3 is often thought to be a tough one, when the body makes a play to get you to stop this craziness. If you can get through this it gets a little easier. I also knew that the weather was going to turn cooler, so I just had to keep going. There were some showers and then it was quite humid, but then the temperature was so much nicer. But before things got better I started to feell some pressure on both of my heels. I have not had heel blisters in many years, but I now had a small one on the outside of my left and the beginning of one on the bottom of my right. I changed my shoe regularily and that seemed to stop it from getting too serious. My mileage for day 3 was 42 for a halfway total of 153 miles. I would have liked it to be a little more, but I was happy.

All done

Well I finished the 6 day race, we had some interesting weather. My total miles was about average for me, 270, but I did finish second in the over 50 age group. I will write more about it tomorrow.
Feeling good!

6 Day race

I am a little more than 3 1/2 hours away from starting my 6 day race. It is already quite warm out there and will be around 88 F ( 31 C ) this afternoon. I try to stay at home relaxed for as long as I can and will arrive at the race site an hour or so before the start.
I feel pretty good so we will see what the week brings.
I will write up some kind of report when I get back. Wish me luck !

Race starts tomorrow

At this time tomorrow I will probably be out at the race trying to relax before the start. This is my 26th multiday race I think ( you kind lose count after a while ). After all these years I still get a little nervous, but I know that will all go away once the race starts. The trick is to not use up too much nervous energy. As a veteran of these things people tend to ask me for advice and the best thing I can say is; just relax and enjoy the experience, whatever it brings.

2 days to go

The weather has turned quite warm and it almost feels like summer here in New York. Today is not so warm 65 F ( 19 C), but for the next few days it will be in the 80's and the evening temps will be like the daytime temps from a week ago.
I will take some more of my things out to the race site this afternoon, only 2 more days to go.

Stormy Monday, Boston Marathon

When I went out for my run this morning it was overcast and looking like it would rain. I ran an easy couple of miles and on the way back saw Utpal and ran another 3 with him.
I had to run a few errands and then I watched the Boston Marathon on the internet. The women had a very close finish with only one second separating first and second places.
In the afternoon the rain came and it got quite stormy as it went on. I was supposed to help a friend set up their tent out at the race site, but that was changed because of the rain.

Easy running

I guess it's time to taper for my race. This morning I just ran an easy 3 miles, though my legs did feel a little heavy from the 2 mile race yesterday. Also for some reason my stiff neck has not gone completely away. I hope to take a few things out to the race site in a couple of days and I have started packing some of my things. This time next week I will be well and truly into the race.

Racing again

With only about 70 runners at the 2mile race this morning, I was able to run the race. The temperature was 60 F and it was sunny with a light wind. I felt quite comfortable while I was running, though my breathing did feel a little laboured in the second mile. A friend of mine passed me just before the end and was just in front of me, so I raced him to the finish line. My time was 15:32, which I am happy with.

10 days to go

Such a beautiful day today. All the rain that was around has now gone and there is sunny blue sky above

I stopped by a local sports store on the way home and bought myself a new pair of running shoes. it is just 10 days to the 6 day race and I feel I need one more pair to take with me. It would be nice if the weather was like this during the race, but at this time of the year it can change quickly. One of my running friends from India who is running in the 10 day race, contacted me this morning to say that he is in Jersey city. So he has arrived a week early to acclimatize before the race begins.

The shoes I got were Asics Strike, I almost got a pair of Addidas Kanadia trails shoes, they looked really nice.

Happy Easter !!!

Happy Easter to everyone that celebrates this week. It is a bit of a cold one here in New York with strong winds, but there is bright sunshine and blue skies.
There is an annual 12 hour walk going on around a school in my neighbourhood. It started at 7 am this morning. So Utpal and I went to the start and watched them get going, probably 200 walkers. Then we went for a nice run, about 6 miles, which was nice to do after barely being able to run last weekend.
This time in 2 weeks I will be running in the 6 day race. So anything I do now is only helping me to recover from last week and prepare for that.

Rainy Day

It is one of those weekends when there are a lot of people in town and over 250 of them come out to the 2 mile race. So I run early and then help out with the organization of this weeks race.One of my friends from the Pacific North West wins the race with a time of 9:42
Later in the day it started to rain and has been doing so for a while. I spent some time with friends, partly talking about my move back to Europe and the new adventures that will bring. A couple of my running friends are already talking about a race in June in Austria, so we will see.
By the way, it is early in my friends training, so it was a comfortable 9:42.Though there was a guy on his shoulder until the final kick.

Foolish or Wise

After 2 days of not being able to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time and sometimes even less, I finally managed to sleep for about 4 hours in one stretch last night. I finally woke up and was feeling a little weak, my digestion has improved and my eating is still not great. When I weighed myself I discovered that I had lost 7.5 lbs over the weekend. This is probably the reason I am feeling weak.I am gradually getting stronger, I know this will take a few days, but I am glad I have finally reached that point.
Part of me wanted to go out for a run this afternoon, but I just took several short walks and found these were quite tiring. Whatever it was has taken it's toll, but as the old saying goes, " If it doesn't kill, it makes you stronger" and so it will be.
Sometimes when I am sick I have to look at whether I would be foolish or wise to go out and run. Sometimes I take the foolish tack and run anyway and it kinda works out, but today I decided to be wise and not run. I have a race coming up in less than 3 weeks and need to be strong enough to be foolish later. When I look back I will probably say that the loss of weight was a benefit, but I do not recommend that kind of weight loss to anyone. Losing weight through illness is not the way I want to do it.

A bump in the road

After whatever it was that hit me on Friday nigh I am slowly recovering. Food poisoning or stomach flu, whatever it was can take a lot out of you. I have had very little appetite for the last 36 hours and have lost about 3 lbs in weight. I did go out and run 2+ miles this morning, but quickly realized that I was quite weak. I have to build up my strength over the next few days and be happy with any training I can get in.

Rough day

Went to bed last night with a bit of a sour stomach. Kept waking up and finally around 1am, I had to make a dash fro the bathroom. In the beginning I thought it was just a bad case of diarrhea, but then the vomiting started, This went on and off for about 6 hours, with the occasional nap. I thought that maybe I had food poisoning, but I was also getting hot and cold flashes. So maybe it is a stomach flu.
Needless to say there was no 2 mile race for me this morning. I did manage to get out there with Utpal in the afternoon and run an easy 3 miles. Luckily I have 3 weeks to recover before the 6 day race.

Strange week

The week started with me experiencing blood in my urine. This has happened to me before in a 24 hour race. It cleared up after one day and though I slightly increased my daily mileage did not return. Not sure if it was a kidney or bladder problem. As I said I have increased slightly my daily mileage, I am quite happy with that.
3 weeks from today the 10 day race will be into it's 3rd day and I will have gone out there at least once to check out the race and to take out some stuff. I also like to go out and reserve a space in one of the dorm tents before the main crowd arrive.

A good week

Today was one of those wet Spring days. While I was getting ready to go out and run this morning, it was pouring down with rain. By the time I got outside the rain was very light.Utpal and I went out to Flushing meadow, at one point we passed some Cherry trees that were just coming into flower. My head cold seems to have gone and I felt pretty good out there running. After completing our 10 miles we had a little breakfast at our local cafe.
By the time I went out for my second run around 3:30 in the afternoon I was still feeling good. I decided to run what I call my 5k loop. So my total for the day was 13+ miles. I have had a good week.

Several factors

My race this morning was affected by a combination of many different things. First of all after my run run in the afternoon yesterday I developed a stomach problem, which was followed by a headache. I am not sure if this is a reaction to my current training or I have picked something up. When I woke up this morning I had a head cold.I must say that not of these things will stop me going out to run. The weather conditions were cool and a light rain. When the race started I felt OK, but with the first few 100 meters I had some pain from my lower back, so I backed off the pace. After that everything was fine, if somewhat slower. I finished in a time of 16:01, which of course I am still happy with and will be able to go out and run this afternoon.

Spring energy

You can feel the energy of Spring when you are outside.When I have gone out for my runs the last couple of days, I have been inspired to go a little further or maybe a little stronger.
It the the third weekend of doubles and for the last 2 weeks Utpal has come out with me on Friday and Saturday afternoons. It turns out he ran on his own this morning, so did not come out with me this afternoon. I tend to run a little harder on my own.

Grity second week

This is my second week of my twice a day runs. I seem to have gotten over my lower back problem, but was really sore this morning as we started out on our run. It was cold, just above freezing, but quite pleasant. Again we ran about 10 miles and there were periods of time when I felt quite tired and for some reason my right hip was a little sore. I have fallen into a pattern of taking a short nap in between runs on my double days. This afternoon when I went out the second time the temperature had increased by more than 20 degrees and so was a pleasant easy run. Though for some reason I have sniffles.

My breathing was good

My 2 mile run this morning was done with a certain amount of caution. Due to the stiffness in my lower back earlier in the week, I wasn't sure how much I could push. I started out quite slow, I was not sure exactly how slow since I didn't get a 1 mile split time.I tried to keep my shape as they say in English football terms and I felt my breathing was good. I ran twice yesterday as per my training schedule and was happy to run 15:51. The temperature was 30F (-1C) and I tend to run a little slower when it is cold.

Still working tired legs

After 2 days of running twice a day, I went out this morning and my legs let me know what I had been doing. Utpal and I ran out to Flushing Meadow a nice 10 mile run by the end of it, then I went out again in the afternoon, for another 2 miles. I like the feeling of being able to fall asleep quite quickly when I go to bed. This is just the kind of training I feel I need to prepare for the 6 day race. I did similar workouts 2 years ago when getting for 24 hour races. It gets the body used to running on tired legs.

I have used 4 different pairs of running shoes over the last 3 days.

A strange feeling

I felt strange before the 1 mile race this morning, The temperature was just above freezing, but with bright sunshine. The feeling I had was almost like nerves, but there was no reason for me to feel that way. Anyway as soon as the race started it was gone. In the early part of the race I had no idea of how fast I was running and at the 1 mile split my time was 7:47, which I think is 2 seconds slower than last week. In the second mile I felt much better and tried to maintain my pace. Everything was good and I felt like I was pressing through to the end of the race. I finished with a time of 15:24, which means my second mile was 7:37. So all in all an 18 second improvement on last week.
When I was running over to the start of the race my shoes felt very comfortable on my feet. I now from my multi day experience that some days shoes can feel good and other days not so. It is my feeling that when the shoes feel good the body is quite balanced, usually that results in a good run.

A week later, seven to go.

So it is one week after the 50k Championships. What a difference a week makes, last week it was 30F and snow flurries, this week it was 44F when Utpal and I went out for our Sunday run. After running the 2 mile race yesterday on tired legs, the legs were not too lively this morning. These Sunday runs are about 2 friends spending some time running together and talking about the past week. So we managed to eek out about 7 miles and have a pleasant run. It is 7 weeks to the start of the 6 day race, so I now have about 6 weeks of decent training to put together.

A week later, seven to go.

So it is one week after the 50k Championships. What a difference a week makes, last week it was 30F and snow flurries, this week it was 44F when Utpal and I went out for our Sunday run. After running the 2 mile race yesterday on tired legs, they legs were not too lively this morning. These Sunday runs are about 2 friends spending some time running together and talking about the past week. So we managed to eek out about 7 miles and have a pleasant run. It is 7 weeks to the start of the 6 day race, so I now have about 6 weeks of decent training to put together.

Fastest this year

It's 6 days since the 50k race and a beautiful morning. There was bright sunshine and although the temperature read 42F, it felt warmer. I felt pretty good as I started the 2 mile race, but was not quite sure how fast I was running. There is a short steep hill about half way around the loop, I always try to maintain my leg speed up this hill and sometimes re pass runners who have passed me just before. About half way through the second mile I started to feel my legs were tired from the race last Sunday, but I just tried to keep my form. I had gone through the first mile in 7:44 then ran the second mile a little slower in 7:58, for a finishing time of 15:42. Which is not as fast as my friend Amanda thought I should run, but still my fastest time so far this year. I can usually get it down to around 14 by the summer.

Just a little more.

I just would like to mention that these days, running at a slower pace, gives me a chance to watch what is going on in a race. I was lucky that as I was completing a lap the winner passed me and I got to see him finish. His name is Micheal Wardian and he is the defending champion, his winning time was 2:56:36, about a minute slower than last year. It's just my opinion, but I think the conditions and course were probably harder this year. I got to congratulate him and he seemed very happy.

Caumsett Park 50k

Ray K called me around 6 am to say he was on the way to pick me up. There was a light snow falling and the temperature was between 30 and 32 F, it would stay like that all day. It was about a 25 minute drive to Caumsett Park, it was not snowing when we got there. After picking up up our race numbers and chips, we had a chance to talk with some old friends. I got to say hello to a new runner friend from Ohio who I have been corresponding with for a little while. Her name is Amanda Stickel, that's her with her father/coach in the photo. This was her first 50k race. This race was also the US National 50k Championships. It's a tough course in that it is 13 + loops and has 2 hills on each loop. As I said before the temperature never got above freezing, there was strong wind that made it feel like 19F. Figured I could run 6 1/2 hours, but hoped for better. A couple of laps in I was being passed by the leaders and got to see that Amanda was in second place and cheer her on. I did quite well for the first 25 K and was on 5hr 20 minute pace, I knew I would slow down. The main aid station had a good selection of stuff and I was gratefull to get a cup of potato soup late in the race. Most of the time I seemed to be running on my own
with the occasional boost from Amanda as she passed me 4 times and and the odd other runner that came by. I noticed that near the end of her race Amanda was struggling a little and slipped back into 3rd place. I got to see her a little after she had finished and recovered a bit and she was really happy having run 3:46:30 in her first 50k and finished 3rd in the Nationals. She will only improve.
My own race was down to 4 laps and I hooked up with an old friend, Andy Cable for 3 of them. My last lap I once again ran alone and crossed the finish line in a time of 6:14:45. which I am very happy with. Ray had finished just less than an hour before me and was ready with the car to drive me home. We were both satisfied with our days work I think.

Good race.

Drove out to Long Island early this morning with Ray K, who had driven up from South Carolina yesterday. The weather prediction was for snow with some accumulation. It was col, around freezing and there were some snow flurries during the race, but also a very short period of sun. I will write a full report on my blog tomorrow, but I will say that I ran 6:14:45, which was only 3 minutes slower than my time in Chicago 2 years ago.I expected to run a little slower, so of course I am happy.

The day before

So it's the day before the 50k race. It's actually a really nice day, but things are supposed to change. The latest forecast says that there will be some snow and the temperature will stay in the low 30's F. My run this morning was nothing great, of course I did not do the 2 mile race. There is also a local marathon going on today and 20 years ago I would have contemplated running that easy and then running the 50k, think that was good multi day training. I will probably run for 6+ hours tomorrow and will try and post something when I get back.

At the end

It was an overcast morning for our Sunday run, but the temperature was around 40F. It was the first time this year that Utpal had run out with me to see the baseball stadiums. When we got there Shea stadium was gone. You can see from the photo that the view west from Willetts point station is completely different.
We ended up running about 10 miles, which is good because it's about a third of what I will be running at the same time next week. It began to rain lightly as we finished our run.

A week to the race

The 50k race is a week and a day away, so it was OK to run the 2 mile race this week. It was a little cold, but nice and sunny. Though I was running quite fast it felt almost like slow motion. I managed to maintain my pace and finished with a time of 15:55, which was only a few seconds slower than 2 weeks ago. I know that next week I will run a more relaxed pace, so I thought that this was a good race. I realized after the race that I am not fully recovered from my cold, but I have another week and it should not really be a problem anyway.

Cold and rainy, but fun

So this afternoon, I went out for my run and it was cold, well not too cold, but it was rainy. But you know when I got out there, it was so much fun!

Feeling bouncy

My day went quite quickly and before I knew it I was on my way home The afternoon was a little warmer than I expected. After checking out my e mails and stuff I went out for a run. Although I am not 100% it felt as though I had a bit more spring in my step. So barring any major setbacks I think with 12 days to go, I am OK for the 50k on March 1st.
I have only missed one day of running in the last 10 months and it is this kind of consistency that helps me to feel relaxed with a race coming up. I don't really compete these days, I just enjoy participating in the race, I see it as another chance to learn something about myself.

Back to normal, sort of.

Now that Utpal is back from his travels I had company for the Sunday run. I think not racing yesterday paid off, because I felt a lot better this morning. However it did feel colder than I thought it would, at least at the beginning of the run. We went out to Flushing Meadow park. With Utpal suffering the effects of jet lag it was decided to just run around the lake and back. I am quite happy with the run and actually felt fresh at the end of it.

Oh yeah! I did not run the 2 mile race yesterday. My throat was still bothering me and I thought that the best option was to be cautious and not wipe myself out 2 weeks before the 50k. I just jogged a couple of miles.

Running Frog

I woke up this morning with a deep croaky voice, we often use the expression, "I have a frog in my throat". So when I went out for my run this afternoon, I was taking the frog out for a run, so to speak.

Old creaky legs

It was a nice morning, with the temperature already at 40F when I left the house at 10 to 7 .I felt kind of sore and my left hamstring and knee seemed to be telling me something was a little tight. When I got out to Flushing Meadow Park, things were a bit different from last week, though there were still a few icy patches. Once again I went out to Shea stadium and Citi field. My run of 2 hours felt good, but still a little sore at the end.

Official race starter

Due to a lack of officials, I was the starter for this mornings 2 mile race.The other official stayed at the finish line. I was given his watch, which I started the race with and handed it to him as we ran by on the first loop. There were only 6 official starters, not sure why this was, as the weather was much better than in previous weeks. For some reason I was feeling a little sore when I left my house for the race, so I did a little extra warming up before the race.I finished 4th with a time of 15:52, yet another improvement on the previous week. So slowly, slowly I am getting some speed back.

In Perspective

I have been sorting through some of my things and the other day I found my diary from 2001. Yesterday I sat down and looked at a few pages, I was interested to see what I wrote on September 11. This is what I wrote;" The day started out so normally. When the flight got to within 3 1/2 hours of New York, we were told that terrorists had attacked. The plane had to go back to Vienna. We would land in London first.The airspace over London was closed, so we landed in Manchester. Then finally on to Vienna, arriving back 13 hours after we left".
My final note was; My running streak ended today
4 years 6 months 8 days.
I don't know why but that is what I wanted to post today.

On fresh snow

It started snowing around 9am, so by the time I had come home from work and settled a few things, there was maybe 3 inches of snow on the ground. Probably because the temperature as stayed at 30 F all day, the roads have stayed clear for the most part. For some reason as I ran with fresh snow all around me and more blowing in the wind. It reminded me of a run I had at the beginning of the year in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Shea Stadium says goodbye

I think the last time I ran out to Shea Stadium was in November with Utpal. Today was a good time to go out there again. The temperature was just 1or 2 degrees below freezing when I started out and by the time I finished 1 or 2 above. As you can see from the photo about 3/4 of it has gone. The lake in flushing meadow was almost completely frozen. I ran for 2 hours, so I am quite happy with my run. I have about 3 weeks of training before the 50k race, which is also training for the 6 day race in April.

A free race today

Due to the cold and somewhat icy conditions today the fee for the 2 mile race was waived. The turn out was quite small ( I think about 10). There was a strong headwind again just like last week. It felt like I was pushing for the whole race, but at times it also seemed like I was in slow motion. The runner just ahead of me looked like he was jogging, but I couldn't seem to get any closer. My finishing time was either 15:59 or 16:00. There was a problem with the clock and times were given from my watch, which I had given to the race director at the start.
Despite all these things I was faster than last week and have slowly improved with each race, so far this year. I think my times were better last year, but the weather was much warmer. Anyway I am happy to go out and try to run fast short races.

Running in the cold with a cold

Still a bit congested and have a little bit of a bronchial cough. But that was not going to stop me going out in 16 degree F weather for my Sunday run. My Sunday running partner Utpal is off in sunnier climes for a few weeks. So it was up to me to get out there and run alone. It actually felt a little colder than I thought when I got out there. You know once you get going you soon warm up. I managed to run for an hour and maybe because of my physical condition, felt a little sore at the end, but I was happy I went out there and ran.

Strange race today

This mornings 2 mile race was kinda strange for me. It was not too cold, but there was a strong wind. It is a loop course, but it seemed as though I was running into a headwind for more than half of the race. It was only during and after the race that I realized I was a little sick. I have found in the past. that if there is something there, the 2 mile race will bring it out. Now I have to spend the weekend getting rid of it.
Speaking of the weekend, it is the FA Cup fourth round and my beloved Wolves are home to Middlesborough.

Snowy Sunday morning run

Much milder than yesterday, but still cold, 25 F ( -4 C ). There is snow falling, but right on 7am I met Utpal on the corner and off we went for our Sunday run. Of course it was a chance for us to catch up on a few things, but mainly it was jst nice to be out there running in Queens on a Sunday morning. Stopping in at our local cafe
( Panorama ) for a hot tea and scone at the end of our run.

Cold first race in New York

Woke up with a bit of a stuffy nose and it was 8 F out there, that's -13 C. The usual 2 mile race took place and of course I was out there, wrapped up pretty good, so it didn't feel that cold. I do not run that fast when it's that cold. I am just happy to run the race, but it does set my starting standard for the year. My time was 16:20, which I am quite happy with. Many of the top runners are out of town, so I managed to place 6th amongst the men, 8th overall.
It was interesting for me to see how I felt after my race 2 weeks ago in Slovenia and all the traveling I have done in the last 9 days.
I made the decision to run a 50k race on Long Island March 1st, so that gives me about 6 weeks to get ready.

Last run A449

This is my last day on this trip, I fly back to New York early tomorrow. So this morning I took my last Sunday run up the A449.It got really cold last night, but the weather was kind to me this morning, a little windy but not too cold. I ran out to Acton Trussel, actually running for 67 minutes. I did feel my legs a little bit, maybe the result of the 2 mountain runs and the traveling. I do feel that this has helped me get stronger and will pay off in the Spring. Though I did miss 1 day on this trip, I think it has been a good month of training.

Running on snow

Yesterday in the afternoon I went with Marjan to a different part of Pohorje and ran on x country ski trails, for 2 hours. My legs were quite tired when I ran just a couple of miles this afternoon. I am really happy with the few days of winter traing that I have been able to put in.

Mountain Run

This morning I ran in a race up a mountain called Pohorje. We started on a snow covered road and then went on to trails and ski slopes. Most of the runners use ski poles or walking poles, it is very difficult, especially without poles. The race is only 3.8 km, but rise 700 meters in elevation.. The last part is like going up a very steep flight of stairs about 200 meters long. It really works the legs and lungs. At the top you get a health food bar and hot herbal tea. Then you go back down to the start and easier way. It took me about 55 minutes and then another 40 to get back down. Later we had a Pizza party and a slide show of the seasons races. It was really nice.