Monday, June 30, 2008

June Roll Call (Angi)

Hi all,
Pat just had to take this picture-yes, I biffed going down Barr
Trail on the Peak this past weekend. I was just below Barr Camp (over half way up Pikes Peak) and unfortunately ate it. I was just tickled to still be able to
move my limbs to get to the bottom-no permanent damage-
just some embarrassment and bruises. My running buddy
Courtney and I have been on the Peak the past 3 weekends-familiarity defiinitely helps-we made it one mile past Barr Camp this past Saturday feeling pretty good. Gearing up for the 12K Summer Roundup race this weekend with the steep incline that goes on and on-not really. Hope you all are doing well with training and staying injury free, and like the signs on the Pikes Peak highway say "Hot brakes (or in this case shoes) do fail" when descending!

Run for Life,
Angi

Monday Clydesdale Weigh-in

Big Brown has challenged me to a friendly wager - he who loses the least will pay the most at the "poop" meal in Chicago. As part of this accountability, we will be weighing in and posting our weight each Monday. As fellow large human beings with hefty girth a plenty this is truly a noble endeavor. I was looking back to last September when I was 20lb's trimmer and my pace times were nearly a 1:30 faster! Needless to say this will be a good thing for both of us in meeting our race goals. I've already begun trimming the portions, and eating more healthy (lots of fruits/veggies).

OK, I weighed myself this morning at...

218lb's.

That is down from 224 nearly one week ago. I'm sure my 10 mile run yesterday had nothing to do with this...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

June Roll Call - The Great Plains Strider a.k.a Clydesdale or Big Poppy

OK, I am pleased to say that I have been running the past three weeks consistently for the first time in months. The knee is holding up well. I guess the best thing I could do was rest it. I am not experiencing any pain during or after my runs, but I am being over cautious with mileage and stretching. I am determined to make it to the starting line first and foremost. My biggest challenge at this point is my weight - I'm at a whopping 220lb's at this point - true Clydesdale fashion. My goal is to get around 200lb's by October. Ideally I would like to be under 200lb's but we'll see how well I can manage my diet alongside the running. This is always a challenge with the amount of travel I do, but things are slowing down at work now.

Pat, gave me a good pep talk on not over training (he knows my competitive nature). Needless to say, my lungs feel great - they can handle much more than my legs at this point. I'll get my legs back soon enough, so I see this as a positive. I recently did a 10 miler and it was uneventful. I finished and that is all that matters. It was arduous at best.

My wife Tina (no given nickname - you can call us the "Long couple" though) is also training alongside me for a half marathon in September. It will be her first so I'm getting an opportunity to "mold" her a bit. We've had some nice runs together. She's really getting into it and playing it safe (focused on stretching and following her program). Tina was a very competitive 800 runner in high school, so this is totally different mindset for her. She's doing awesome though - I'm very proud of her.

Thank you to all that participated in the bashing I called upon myself. It was truly memorable and motivating. I am no longer a lolly pop sucking wannabe drowning myself in Doritos's, sour cream and chocolate/peanut butter shakes at midnight.

Can't wait until July when I'll be struggling to complete my runs battling wicked heat and humidity (usually mid to upper 70's and humid at 6am)...I'm sure you'll hear me whining about that next month...

Saturday, June 21, 2008

June Roll Call (Mountain Antelope)

Living In Faith Exchange Runners (LIFER's) Chicago Marathon Team
* Shane, John, Tracy, Steve, Chad, Bill, Rich, Courtney, Angi, Pat, Scott, Ben, Doug, Kevin
* Team blog at marathon-for-life.blogspot.com.
------------------------
Hi, LIFER's Team!

Please do a June Roll Call post with any updates on goals, inspirations, training, injuries, faith and ProLife fundraising. The Roll Calls help us build team spirit, collaborate on running issues, share our faith, and encourage each other. Please label your post "Roll Calls" (bottom open box). Last month we only heard from Angi, Rich, Chad, Kevin, Scott and myself...let's try to get a Roll Call from everyone this month...thanks!

Training: The 18 wk marathon training schedule began 8 Jun...be sure to use it! Run a local race each month leading up to the marathon to help maintain your training focus. LIFER's from C. Springs plan to run the Bear Creek Park 12K (6 Jul) and the Pikes Peak Ascent/Marathon (16/17 Aug). It was fun having Rich (aka Moby) in town for the Garden 10 miler...he ran with Angi and helped her get a personal best. Looking forward to having Steve (aka Big Poppy) and his family in town for the Ascent. Angi (aka Anginator), Scott (aka Skippy), Doug (aka Big Brown because he is a true clydesdale) and Courtney (aka Fleece because she loves to run in it) all trained on Pikes Peak this weekend.

Nicknames: If you have a nickname, please include it in the June Roll Call and explain the origin. If you don't have a nickname, I'm sure Skippy would be happy to give you one :)!


ProLife Ministry: Angi and I are running to support the new local Pregnancy Center in Old Colorado City. The building lease was recently signed. Now begins renovation of the building...

Run for ProLife,
Mountain Antelope
Phil 4:13


* Team mission: God first, ProLife, encouragement, fitness!
* ProLife support: I have ProLife wristbands for everyone. Ask friends and family to sponsor you ($/mile) to raise money for a ProLife ministry of your choice.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Sure footed downhill flight

Hi Lifers

Ben and I had a great time running the GOG 10 miler. One thing I noticed is our ability to really fly on the downhills. This was great during the race, but difficult to reproduce during my training. I'm probably concentrating too much, but my downhill footing seems a little unstable and my knees seem to take a good beating.

I guess bear creek is a pretty good incline at the beginning, but I'm not sure if there are any downhill parts?

Any suggestions on tackling the down-hill with sure footing and knees?

- Chad
Thank God for the down hill