Follow Up..

I know its a while since I " blogged" but things are busy and training is taking a lot of time.
Zane G 50 miler was awesome, I finished with a smile in 14.30 hrs.
My next goal is the SJS 50 miler in Co, training went well...just missed the high elevation runs in Flagstaff! (oops)
SJS is supposed to be one of the hardest 50 miler and we shall see how that goes.
They still have some heavy snow and may change the course , not sure yet...its still 11/2 week away!! LOL
Anyways, we are leaving here next week and by then I should know what the course will be.
Either way, I dont pressure myself...get there and having fun...thats what matters :)
For now its taper time and I will be back for a Race report and pics !

Countdown for Zane G trail 50 miler !!

Well, its taper time and I have finally time to write a post!!
Training for ZG went well, my running buddy JJ found the most rockiest up and downhills in Arizona and it was fun !
We did some Trail work last Sat from M 44 to M 33, cutting trees and clearing the trail...8 hrs later!!
It gave me a small preview and I am glad that I trained on "rocks" !! hehe

I think it will be a great race, a big challenge as it will be my 1st "real mountain" Ultra.
We shall see...
I am looking forward to meet all the runners who will run this race and sure enough share the experience with my friends who will run the race too.
Taking it easy until Race day will be a challenge !!!
Wohooooooooo Cant wait!

Training is going good...

Last Weekend was another great trainings weekend.
28 miles at the W Tanks and 20 miles at the McDowell Mts.
Awesome running company , needless to say that my legs a bit tired this week.
I also tried my new hydration pack, the GoLite Rush...worked well after a few adjustments.

Got a lot of storage room , the Bladder for water and 2 bottles for my special "mix".
This weekend will be a bit less...20 miles on Sat and 10 miles on Sunday..wohooo

Awesome weekend

Last Weekend we (IronCare Sports Therapy) organized a fun run for the Tri clubs with Pancakes at the end.
Start was at our Office location (Shea/101), going to the greenbelt and run as long as you want.
I did wear my Spira shoes , as it was pavement and thats the only Road running shoe I use right now.

Almost forgot how good they feel and they made my 10 miles "easy".
No pounding, very light...just great.
Sure enough after 10 miles I had Pancakes....yummy.
Great run , great People and great food.
Then on Sunday another test for my legs , did I use too much "energy" for the faster 10 miles on sat?
The Cave Creek Trail Marathon is a lot of fun ,but a tough course.
It was an awesome day, met a lot of friends out there, weather was perfect, trail was great and I was running with my "Ratty+Rocky" running buddy JJ.
It was soooo much fun and I improved my time from last year. (by 1 hr)
So, needless to say...my legs passed the test !! wohoo
Its was perfect training for the Zane G 50M !
This weekend will be nice too, a shorter week as I have my CD week , so it will be a ~ 19 M in the W. Tanks and a bit shorter on Sunday.
Legs...ready..gooooo

2010..almost done..

Well..2010 is almost over.
I took a month of after MR 100, gained 10 Lbs...its time to start again :)
My training for Zane G 50 miler is starting, nice and slow, as I lost all my speed and base.
What are the plans for 2011:
-ZG 50 miler
-SJS 50 miler
-AC 100 miler
and some other 50K's.
Ok, time to get my butt in gear :)

Mother Road 100 (OK)...thoughts

As things are going back to normal , its time to write a bit about my 100 mile race in OK on Route 66.
I have to say that this one was a tough one..pavement..uneven shoulders..cold temps...lots of blisters!!
One thing is for sure, I will never ever do a "cold" race again , I cant deal with cold temps, give me 90 during a Race and Iam happy..but the temps dropped to 33 during the night!!!
Even  the start  was already cold, I wore a Jacket, hat and gloves and arm warmers and shirts and I was more then happy to finally move and get warm!
I decided to wear my Spira Shoes which turned out to be a great choice.
As I mentioned before the Spira Odyssey have the Wave spring technology and they are well cushioned, I never felt "Route 66"!!
Unfortunately , I had to change shoes after 20 miles as the Toe box was getting to tight. Bummer!!!
Switching into my normal Running shoes was a big difference..WOW..My Spira shoe was light and cushioned and my regular shoe felt heavy and I could feel the pavement right away.
Well, nothing I could do...wish I had another pair of the Odyssey with a bigger toe box..I did run the rest of the Race in my normal running shoes.
The 1st 50 miles went well and I was right on "time" , but as the temps dropped, my pace slowed down.
There is something happening to my body when it gets cold...I cant move!! ????
The night approached and I got even colder , wore 2 jackets , 2 hats , 3 pairs of gloves , 2 shirts and still, I was freezing.
At mile 64 we had a nice heated aid-station , the thoughts of just staying there and not continue....yeah, what to do...
But I wanted to finish and I wanted the Belt buckle !!!
So, I moved and got out in the cold again.Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I already had a bunch of blisters on my L foot and being very cold I did not run anymore, the Death march started.
30 miles to go , a long way to walk...so, I walked and walked...
The sunrise did not help with the temps , still cold and still wearing all my running cloth , I still walked..
20..10...5..3...1 mile left , I was able to see the finish. Wohooooo!!
Entering the High School track and having 300 meters left felt very good , forgetting the pain , I finally started
to jog and crossed the Finish line with a big smile.
29:35 hrs later...Yeahhh
I know its a slow time , but Iam just happy that I got through this race and I finally got my Buckle!
Back in the hotel , taking a long hot shower felt like "Heaven"..finally warming up!
What an Adventure!!!
Luckily I had an Awesome Crew for this race, Shay and Vaden volunteered to crew people. I never met them before , a day before, we met and talked about the Race.
They had to crew 3 other runners beside me and they did a great Job!! THANK YOU!!
My friend Debbie was running the Race too , we decided to run together and we helped each other through this one. THANK YOU!!
Now its time to plan for 2011..so far , I have two 50 milers ( Zane G and SJS) and some 50 K's and some shorter ones. Looking for another 100 miler...a "warm" one..LOL
Any Suggestions???
Ok, thats my MR 100 Race report.
Moving on.....

 Spira shoes Summary :

To add to my race report , I wanted to add a summary about the Spira shoes too.

My experiences so far are really good , now lets compare the Spira shoes to my "normal" running shoes:

• My Spira shoes are lighter then my other running shoes
• The cushioning is exceptional
• Based on their Wave spring technology they have a great "Energy return"
• Running with the Spira shoes feels easier

I am planning to run all my Road races with the Spira shoe , I do like the feeling they provide and the comfort.

Not one of my other "road" shoe is comparable with the Spira shoe !!

Proud Owner...

Done with my last 5 miler before Mother Road 100....The Spira shoe and I are Ready!!
Left...3 miles...2 miles..rest...rest...rest...LOL
Count down....less then 1 week!

Ok, it was early in the morning...not much smiling...;)