Let's take a look back....

It has been too long since I have been in this world and communicating with all of you. To that end let me start with a brief recap of what has been going on in my world and let's start with my recollections and thoughts as they relate to having completed the Goofy.

I don't know why it is, but the Goofy was harder for me to run then when I ran my first 50k. In the runDisney world when you do all the marathon weekend runs your running what they call the Dumbo. That is a total of 42.4 miles. Now that may sound like a long distance and it is, but I did it over the course of three days where I completed the 50k over just seven hours and all though I would be having rest breaks between the runs it would make a difference, I know it did, but it didn't.

This was one of the hardest runs I had been a part of, the distance wasn't insurmountable,but I think the psychological stress was more then I was prepared for. I had the energy for the 5k,that was easy (don't hate), I was able to do the half-marathon with some anxiety, but the marathon was an adventure in true mental training. I must admit it did not help that I could not keep an accurate record in my head of my pace versus the sweep time and my anxiety was super high through out the entire race. I was always sure I was going to be swept. I literally let my imagination runaway with myself.

Needless to say I did not get swept and I had plenty of time to spare. I ran so hard that I actually caught a pace group. I then had it in my head to catch the next pace group up from that one. I did well for a long time, but my efforts eventually burned me out Audi got passed by the pace group again, but toward the end it was ok they left me with about 5 miles to go and at that time I was fine I knew I would pass e finish as,on as I stayed I forward motion.

The last three were the hardest for me this time, I had noting left in my tank for any speeding was running on empty and that meant to simply keep moving. As I crossed the finish line I was told I looked good, but trust me it was all an act. I often don't think about Disney as an exhausting place, but these runs, these races were totally that exhausting.

After it was over I remember stretching and relaxing on the bed and then ta-da I woke up hours later and ready to go back to bed. I felt good having that level of tired in my bones it showed that I did something remarkable. Would I do this race series again? You better believe it. I guess the one drawback to doing this race was that I've had a hard time getting motivated again. My spring training has been suffering and I need to find my mental motivation for the next race. I accomplished what I had been focusing in for over a year and now, I hope this is not an example of mental laziness or overconfidence. Maybe I don't have enough runs on my plate.... Hmmmm that maybe it.

I think I need to do more racing.

And now the Goofy or is it Dopey?

I am now less then two weeks away from a great test of endurance. Next Friday I will be traveling to Disney to run the Goofy Challenge and for those of you who do not know that is running the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday and that alone is a challenge in itself. I have been thinking hard about how to plan for this adventure and how to manage my shoe exposure. I know what you may be thinking "manage your shoes?", it's a legitimate question and I have an equally legitimate answer and that is I have nearly 200 miles on my new shoes that were bought in October so that means their half-life is quickly approaching. I had recently felt that I need to get serious and invest in at least two pairs of running shoes to help preserve my feet and keep me enjoying this activity.

Anyways, back to the Goofy if you take a minute and do the math that's 39.3 miles in 24 hours, now some of my long running friends will find that to be nothing and some of my never running fiends will find it to be an incredible feet. I think it's somewhere in the middle. It is a big deal, but one that I've been training for for a very long time and I am not worried about completing the task. I am looking forward to wearing that Goofy medal, for me I think of my Disney medals as examples of good runs at a great location put on by a class act.

I did hear recently in the runDisney world that to run the 5k on Friday would be considered "Dopey" when you're going to complete the Goofy as well. I decided that I could not pass up the challenge, I mean after all it is a lot of walking and slow running so that I can focus on the challenge that is the marathon. It being Disney that means I would walk out with a set of four medals if I succeed in all these races. Is it Dopey that I signed up to run that race? Maybe, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

However, I feel that my true measure of success is that my lovely wife is going to run the 5k with me on Friday morning! This is a big deal as she has not run a race in over a year, probably close to 18 months and she is going full tilt with her training and dedication. I am so thrilled that she is with me and I look forward to sharing in her success.

Here's to your good running!

What's ahead

Well, it has been completed. I have officially ran my second marathon and it was an experience. I must first insert a disclaimer here and state that I recognize that all my running at Disney has colored my impression of how things should go, I mean nobody does it like Disney, and once I took off that filter I was in a much more enthusiastic mood to deal with my run. All that being said I thought it might be helpful if I gave an impression of my experience and I must say after this couple of weeks it is hard for me to truly recall the event in the vivid detail I did for my first, but I now focus on the training ahead for my January run. I think this new mind frame is the meaning behind an old runners saying "your not ready for your next marathon until you have forgotten your last".

this run was a change for me I had been training off and on for several weeks and probably because of that I was having a much tougher time then I should have during the run. I think I hit my proverbial  run with some miles left and I don't know if it was mental or physical or a combination of both but my feet turned to concrete and my legs forgot how to work and lastly I'm not even sure I had a coherent thought in my for at least a mile or two. I was simply moving my feet in a forward type motion and recognized that quitting was not an option. I had a moment of doubt mind you a very brief moment, but one no less.

I don't like that feeling and I can tell you that as I plan for my current race I am taking my training much more seriously then I did this summer. I have remembered that if I want to do something well I must stay focused and not take my prior success for granted. I think I can apply that same philosophy of attentiveness to several more areas of my life as well. I will say this that so far my return to training has been pretty good and I have made it a little more challenging and I look forward to a really big payoff in the coming race.

Simply Amazing

I enjoy being motivated and I have to tell you that I recently became very motivated by an article related to a 100 year old man running the Toronto Marathon. Here is a link to a short article about it...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/19/secret-worlds-oldest-marathon-runner-100

His name is Fauja Singh and here he is in the marathon:









He is a man that waited to start running when he was 89 and his take on life is simply amazing. I think any person that recognizes a challenge and goes that extra mile should be admired for what they do or undertake. It is not easy to run a marathon, if you don't know its only about 1% of the people in the world that have ever run one marathon let alone multiples.

He keeps the right mindset about why he does what he does and seeks no glory from it simply to make him feel better and be happy. If you look at his shirt you will note it says "Sikhs in the city" get it - get it! Well if not think about it. When I become impressed by others I look for how to apply it to my life and I think that for me when I see a story like this it confirms that I have made a smart choice for something that helps to clear my head, invest in my health, and helps to bring me into commune with the wonders of God's world. Heck I even like the man's thoughts on running :

Singh told Adelson (a reporter), “I won’t stop running until I die.”

Sounds like a good plan to me!