pain in my gut only got worse and worse and worse. I kept running, my mp3 player ran out of battery juice, and I crossed the I-5 bridge. By the time I hit downtown Vancouver, I had run nearly 17 miles. All done! I walked the 1.5 miles home; I figured the jostling created by running would lessen if I just walked. And it did - I let some gas out and felt much better.
It turns out wheat grass is insanely good for you, but, it "clears out" the intestinal tract; probably not the best timing for an epic run...

like.... ever??!!!! It felt great! The first part of the jaunt was 10 miles to Lloyd Center in Portland; I was checking out how long it takes to run to rent a Zip car for the day; about 1:20. I caught a light rail train back and started running from the Rose Quarter. Again, still feeling good and racking up a few more miles. I intended to catch the light rail again, but I needed to purchase a ticket and by then, the train was gone. New Seasons market was right next to the train stop, the next train was 10 minutes out, so I headed over to the market. Lots of free samples available, some crackers and soup, and I bought some electrolyte drink and an energy bar. On my way to the check-out counter, I spotted samples of wheat grass, available in a 4 oz. drink. I guzzled it and moved on to the counter.
I caught the next train in time and it saved me 3 miles of running and probably 20 minutes on my feet. As I headed off, my stomach didn't feel...

me, and I racked my brain, trying to remember a convenience store or something en route. Nothing was coming to mind; the only store I could remember even remotely close was a Fred Meyer that has been closed for atleast a year. I finally clicked another mile, mile 4 down, 2 more to go and there is a convenience store in site! Plus, I actually have cash on me, but then I started to second guess myself: "How long will this stop take; will I be able to continue running if I stop; will people look at me like I'm a mad man...." So, I kept running... I made it to my favorite local bike shop, directly across the street from the dance studio (my destination). I decided to check the time, and to my surprise, it was 10 mintues to 5:00 pm! Though I felt like the tortoise, I made average time here! I asked my bike mechanic if he had any carbs, and he instantly hooked me up with an energy drink. After inhaling half of it, my numb brain started coming ba

01-08-10
It was supposed to rain like crazy, so I decided to run to work. The 6 miles there in the morning; perfect. Felt great. Getting ready for the afternoon run home, there was a slight hitch in my training regimen: fuel supply low. At 3:05, I headed down to the cafe downstairs, intending to grab a coffee and maybe a pastry or candy. When I arrived, the doors were shut for the weekend. Damn! Now what? I thought I would be fine, I drank some water, downed 2 Advil, donned my running gear and headed out in the rain for the trip home (4:05 pm).

I felt okay, as the steady drizzle proved to keep me cool.... but 3 miles in, I started to feel crappy. I could tell I was quickly starting to "run on fumes." But, I kept at it, though I felt my pace was c-r-e-e-p-i-n-g. I intended to make it to my destination by 5:00pm , meet up with my wife, and grab my books from her to study. "Can't stop now, you've got to keep pushin..." I told myself. (t

(cont.) and the lenses were encased in a layer of H2O. I believe we received close to 2 inches of rain today! I continued to run as the miles for the last day and a half ticked on 14, 15, 16..... I was maintaining a steady enough pace, until 1 mile from home. I decided to stop (not my brightest idea) and have a quick chat at my local bike shop. Roughly 3 weeks ago, my favorite bike mechanic encountered a nasty wreck on his bike. He was cycling, his only form of transportation, and it was a cold, icy morning. He slipped on the ice, started to go down, and stretch to stop his fall. However, this position threw all his weight on one side, and he broke his femur! OWWW, it still hurt me to think about it! Apparently, Mikey is doing alright, as his spirits and attitude are up. Good 'ol Mikey, he is 60-something after all!
I said "goodbye" and headed off to finished my run home. Now, the pain receptors were in full swing; it felt as though knives were jabbing into both quads.

(Cont.)
I awoke to sore calves, tight quads, and an achy back; not purely age-induced! I suited up in my bike kit, fully intending on cycling to work today. Knowing the streets could still be a bit slushy, I decided to "light up" the cross bike for commuting and slug through the slush. However, one step onto my local street in my cycling shoes proved the conditions to be icy, slushy and more than a little bit uncertain. So, I hung my cross bike back up on the rack, laced up my running shoes again, and hit the pavement. I was definitely a little slower than the previous day, but again, no real consequences encountered on the usual route to work.
Fast forward: 6 hours later and it's time to return home. They let us out of work 3 hours early, I left 2 hours early, and the run home was painful at best. Plus, it was raining like crazy; not that I mind. 2 miles in, I had to shed my sunglasses as there was no sun to shield me from (see cont.)

first time in "I don't know how" long. It snowed 2.5 inches Tuesday afternoon and evening, though it was supposed to have rained and melted away before Wednesday morning. So, Wednesday's commute to work consisted of me lacing up my running shoes and hitting the asphalt for the 6 mile route to work. There was plenty of snow about on the streets; I mainly stuck to the wheel tracks left by cars, as the traffic was extremely light. My major goal was to complete the run, no matter what the time deficit was, and not "blow up" during. It worked, I did slow down a little during mile 6, but I arrived at work feeling refreshed and energetic for most of the day. My wife picked me up at 5:00, we dropped the boys at a birthday party, and we argued about what to eat for dinner (slight miscommunication?)

(Continued)

As I was saying, I was riding "on top of" the gear. I am always a little apprehensive when I feel this way; if I continue to push too hard, I'm likely to hit headwind on the way back and be totally exhausted. But, all was well; I continued to feel "tight"!

And then, a new discovery, something I have never experienced before while riding; I'm not sure I can really explain it??? As I was pedaling, I began to feel as though my legs were connected with the crank being the pivot point. Instead of feeling disjointed and separate, it was like they were both pulling exactly the same in completely synchronized fashion. Not sure how amazing a discovery this is, but it felt sick! As I said, in the 6+ years I have spent commuting and racing on a regular basis, this was a first.

I stopped at Starbucks in our 'hood to guzzle some water and coffee. I finished the ride with 26 miles in 90 minutes, equal to an average 17.6 mp

Nutcracker Performances today; get outta bed & RIDE!

5:30 AM, Saturday morning, MEEP, MEEP, MEEP! The alarm sounds, rain is nailing the roof of the house; time to get up! I hardly rode at all this week, it was a "rest" week from the bike. I trained really hard last week, needed to take a breather, and we are ramping up for Nutcracker this week.

We have two Nutcracker Performances today, but I really wanted to get some miles in my legs. Resting this week has proven to leave me stiff. So, I snuck out of the bedroom, suited up in my riding gear, grabbed some breakfast and energy drink, and hit the road.

By the time I did, the rain has chilled, and the streets were just good and wet. I'm training on my 25 lb. single speed, so no warp speeds available, but it did feel really, really good this morning. I felt that I was a bit into a headwind, but my legs felt great. You know how it is when you're "on top of" the gear?

Trained hard this week; morning temps in the teens for the ride into work, BRRRRRRRRR!!! But afternoon temps in the low 30's; pushed really hard then and today, all the muscle groups in the legs were sore. I thought about an ad I read in my Triathlon mag today; something to the effect of "BECAUSE WE CAN, WHEN OTHER CAN NOT." We are all blessed to have healthy, strong bodies that are capable of pushing to the limit over and over again! I know I push mine constantly!