Week 10 Training Update

Well I made it back from a one week vacation but now I need time to recover :>) I ran 11 miles the morning we left for vacation in Tennessee; that was a new personal best for me. It was a tough run with too many hills for my taste but I made it. I always run with my IPOD shuffle to help keep my mind off of the "pain and suffering"; I even added some new songs this time. However, after about 2 blocks the battery went dead and the next 11 miles was "music free". It was a tough run with no entertainment along the way.

After some recovery time following the 11 mile run we drove 6 hours to Crossville Tennessee for a week of vacation at Fairfield Glade - a Timeshare golf resort. We played 36 holes on Sunday, 27 holes on Monday, 27 holes on Tuesday, 18 holes on Wednesday, 18 holes on Thursday, and 9 holes on Friday. I also ran 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and 8 miles this past Saturday. Needless to say I was pretty "whipped" at the end of the week.

Too bad there's not a "golf" marathon event ; I think I'd be ready to compete in that event. I figured out that 26 miles of golf would equal about 135 holes or 7.5 18-hole rounds; since it takes about 4 hours to complete a round of golf it would take about 30 hours to complete; it would be fun trying..........

This week is 26 miles of training with another big test for me - a 13 mile "group" run on Saturday. I've completed about 115 training miles and so far no major ailments other than "mental" fatigue. I have noticed that I really have not lost any weight during the last 10 weeks; I think its because I'm hungry all the the time and allot of the protein needed is also high in calories. I run with a heart rate monitor and have noticed that my resting heart rate has decreased and my "running" heart rate has also declined; I'm told this indicates a "healthier" heart so even though I'm not "thinner" my heart is getting in shape.

I run on a bike path and its really hard watching all these bicyclists zoom by me while I'm chugging along. A little voice keeps whispering to me that I could go allot further and faster on a bike........maybe I'll try a Triathlon next since I'm a former competitive swimmer and can ride a bike....


Cheers
Ray Baumann
http://www.active.com/donate/tntgmo/SeeRayRun