Oct 24: Saturday Running

I had a very good run through the Park and around Lake Merced today. Covered about 17 miles, the longest I have run in over 6 months, but it felt fairly comfortable. Things are looking better...!

So now, I'm getting a bit more ambitious! Would it be possible to run the North Face Endurance 50k run in early December? It's a big ask, but it may be possible to do it at a very easy pace (and it would certainly give me a taste of what Ultra running -- and runners -- is all about.) Thinking about it...

Marathon des Sables Status Update

Got on to another waiting list for the Marathon des Sables (via the dreamchasers outfit.) Apparently, the waitlist is very short and there's a very good chance I'll make it for the 2010 race! (And... I should get a definitive answer by the end of the month.) Surprisingly encouraging -- maybe the race is on...?

To October 20: Getting back on the Horse!

It's been a bit of a struggle for the past couple of weeks. Plenty of excuses, but - bottom line - I havent been doing enough running and I havent accomplished too much.

Last week marked the beginning of a recovery of sorts - I was on vacation in Hawaii, and I squeezed in a few runs during the week: one good 6.5 miler along Alii Drive in Kailua (along part of the route used for the Kona Ironman the previous week) then a couple of fairly demanding runs in, of all places, the grounds of the Four Seasons resort at Hualalai. Not a great amount of mileage, but some exposure to running in fairly hot conditions. (On each of the days, the temperature was north of ~80F.)

This week has started well, with a few solid runs back & forth to work interspersed with some beneficial Yoga sessions. May soon be time to up the mileage...!

But - most significantly - still no update on my status at the MdeS. It really is quite hard to get motivated properly without a definite, confirmed objective.

To October 3: First Week's Running

It felt like a good, informal, first week. For the first time in several months, I completed more than a couple of runs in the week. I managed to run to and from work three times during the weekdays - easy-enough runs of roughly 3 miles each way. I used the backpack to carry my work clothes - making the runs a bit more challenging. Slowly but surely, though, I got used to running with the pack. (Interesting, though, my running style is quite obviously different with the pack, with a greater stress on the quads.)

On Saturday, I completed a fairly long run of ~13 miles through the Presidio and over the Golden Gate Bridge. It felt relatively comfortable - again, I credit some of this to the recent Bikram yoga sessions. I feel generally stronger, and my breathing seems better, even while under stress. A final run on Sunday morning rounded it off, adding up to ~35 miles for the week, more than I have run at any time since before the Boston Marathon. Encouraging - hopefully, I can maintain it in the coming week.

Another declaration of my seriousness about the MdeS - I have finally completed and submitted my formal application. The wheels are now in motion -- let's see what happens...