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Saturday, September 30, 2006

The 5K "Run for Erin"

Today's Run: 1.7m + 3.1m (5K)
Run Time: n/a + 28 minutes flat
Total Miles to Date: 9.3m

Thoughts on the Run:

It was nice to participate in my first race in quite awhile and what will be part of a regular schedule moving forward.

I did not special last night - no crazy "pre-race" ritual as it is just a 5K.

This morning I woke up at 7:00am. I got dressed and was excited to don the new running pants my wife bought me for warming up now that it is starting to cool down in Atlanta. I think it was mid-to-high 40s this morning, probably mid-to-high 50s during the run.

My pre-run nutrition was a cup of water and a cuban coffee with some cream mixed in. I do cream instead of sugar so I get a few calories but without the crash from a sugar high (so it wasn't a true cuban coffee - no sugar).

I convinced one of my co-workers to run with me and he showed up at 7:45am with his roommate. We decided to jog to the location (1.7 miles away) to warm up and it was a good decision because we needed that time in the cool air. We arrived to much excitement with loads of people. I know the race has capped at 300 runners in the past, my number was 330 so I believe they had a phenomenal turnout. We stripped off the extra layers and shortly were ushered to the start line.

I wasn't sure what to expect so I settled into a pace that felt comfortable and was a notch above what I train at. My intention was to run the race at a 9:30 pace which would have me finish at about 29:30. The initial run was through a parking lot - no worries there. The group started to spread out and distribute. There was a group of may six serious runners who began blasting to the front, while we were sort of in the front-to-mid section.

The parking lot then dipped onto the road - no worries there. Then, at the bottom, time for guts, as there was probably a 3/4 mile stretch going up hill. I made the decision that I would not stop and would keep a steady pace and plodded to the top. It was actually a relief to have plenty of energy there when we looped around the cones and began descending the same stretch heading back to the school. This is where our little group separated, first with my co-worker's roommate pulling ahead. We followed it down and then back up a steep grade (the welcome "downhill" from the beginning of the race) and then began two loops around the school.

Here, I broke away from my co-worker. I felt good so I settled into a steady stride and kept the same pace going up and down. I realized this was my opportunity to run my first race nonstop. All other races I'd been known to come out blasting away and then ended up walking a bit. One loop done, another to go. I knew I had it so I pushed forwarded a bit more and next thing I knew, I was done with the loop and routing onto the track.

In hindsight, I wish I would have pushed harder here becaue I wasn't sure if I had a lap on the track. Turns out we just went onto the track and straight to the queue. I opened up into a solid sprint and finished at exactly 28:00 or just over a 9-minute pace. I was very happy.

We waited and cheered for my co-worker to finish and then grabbed some refreshments. I had a small chocolate chip cookie, a banana, and a Gatorade. Everyone was fishing for the ones in the cooler but I definitely preferred mine at room temperature.

It was great to have nearly a 2-mile walk back - we all agreed it helped to cool down. I'm very happy to have run this race and feel it is definitely a stepping stone. The next race will be a 10K and then it's the Half Marathon!

posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:26 AM | 0 comments


Friday, September 29, 2006

Just Signed up for the Atlanta Half Marathon

Today's Run: 0
Run Time: n/a
Total Miles to Date: 4.5

Thoughts on the Run:

Today is a rest day and then a short 5K tomorrow. While I'm eager to get out and do more mileage, I also know from experience that building in a little rest here and there is beneficial to my own program. I've since learned that rest is NOT necessary, as I used to believe - after reading the biographies and interviews of many ultramarathoners, I found some run only a few days out of the week and then hit it hard, while others train pretty much every day with no planned rest periods.

I just added a new movie to my DVD queue: Running on the Sun. It details what many call the "most grueling run," or the Badwater. For more information on this run, check out the official website. I'm excited to receive the documentary and learn more.

I've been following Dean Karnazes through his blog. Just the other day, he ran the full marathon at Deadwood (this was my first half marathon). It was interesting reading about his experience and remembering the various locations ... in fact, had we not decided to home school our daughter, she would have gone to the elementary school he mentioned that rushed out to greet him at the finish line.

I have to agree with him on one note: beautiful country. I used to see fawn and wild raspberries along the trail. It's ironic because some years even though the formal race is in June, there is still plenty of snow blanketing the sides of the trail.

I also enjoyed reading a few interviews with Dean on a separate blog, with one here. Then there's the absolutely amazing accomplishment of running 350 miles. No, not 50. Not 100. Not even 200 - that's 350 miles. Many people cannot even ride a BIKE that far, let alone run it. Here's an interview about running 350 followed by another one about tackling an even bigger goal: running 500 miles continuously.

I'll let you know how the race goes tomorrow. Today I am still sore and stiff from upping my running but learning how to run through it. Will pamper myself with a nice hot bath. Should be a fun run, I talked a coworker into joining me who hopefully will also be at the Atlanta half.

Take care.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 9:28 AM | 0 comments


Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Road to Ultra

Welcome to the Road to Ultra!

I will be posting my progress, training, and thoughts along this amazing journey.

First, a quick introduction. Until just a few years ago, I was the "poster child" for an unhealthy adult. I was obese, lazy, and my diet consisted mainly of alcohol and fast food. When my wife became pregnant with our daughter in 1999, I decided that it was time to change - and change I did! I lost over 65 pounds and completely transformed my life. I was a finisher in a top physique transformation competition, became certified as a trainer and a nutrionist, even left my job in the technology industry to start a health and wellness company.

Most of my journey is detailed in my book, Lose Fat, Not Faith.

Now I am starting a new journey and wish to share it with you. During my years of training, while I loved the strength and muscle definition that came from training with weights, I always found that I loved jogging the most. This is ironic because when I began my journey, I absolutely dreaded the days I would do cardio. Somewhere along the way, however, I began to enjoy pushing myself to new limits.

Years ago, 4 miles seemed like a "long run" to me. I would push my limits and run 6 or 7 miles on mountain trails, but never made it beyond that. Then, living in South Dakota, I realized the stress and hours of running my own business had taken their toll and I had gained weight and was out of shape again. I never stopped eating healthy or exercising, but without a specific goal, I let a lot of my discipline slide. So, I decided I would train for and run a half marathon - the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon, which ended practically outside of our front door.

I trained for the marathon in 7 weeks and successfully completed it with only a bit of walking.

After that, I continued training but kept my runs to shorter 4 or 5 mile runs.

Then, the bug caught hold of me again and I decided to pursue another half marathon. Only, along the way, I suddenly realized it was time to pursue an even bigger goal: a full marathon.

Then, one of my friends handed me a book and told me to read it. It was Dean Karnazes' "Ultra Marathon Man." Suddenly, a marathon didn't seem like such a huge goal at all. I wanted to taste something even more extreme ... I whet my appetite for an ultramarathon.

So, here I am, early in my journey. My goal is to train for and run the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day, 2006. Then I will enter and run the inaugural Georgia Marathon in March of 2007. I don't know what event will be my first ultra, but I intend to run a 50-miler late in 2007.

So, let's begin our journey!

Today's Run: 4.5 miles
Run Time: 50 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 4.5

Thoughts on the Run:

I really did not want to run this morning. Felt cold, tired, and sore. Then I laughed, because 4.5 miles is a far cry from 50. So, I jumped out of bed, had a glass of water, and hit the pavement. The run was phenomenal. My knees started "tweaking" early in the run. I decided that I did not have time for that pain and focused on my posture and stride. I am truly blessed to run where I am, because we not only have a lot of hills, but the top of those hills command beautiful views to nearby "mountains" (really, just large hills). I was very excited because the hills no longer stop me. I keep a steady pace and just shorten my stride. Where just a week ago it was a struggle to reach the top, this time the longest hill was not as much of a challenge. I believe I will be ready to start hitting the steeper elevations of Kennesaw Mountain in a month or so - first I'll hit the more level runs.

This is my last run this week until Saturday, when I run a 5k - the "Run for Erin" which is literally 5 minutes from my house. No longer run this weekend. I'm doing the races to get some experience and am not focused on a specific speed goal right now - all of my training for this first half will be about distance and time, not pace.

It's also time to clean up my nutrition. I need to start getting more fruit and vegetables - I've been cutting myself short on those for some time and my body is really starting to crave healthier foods now that my distances are increasing.

posted by Jeremy Likness | 11:47 AM | 2 comments



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