Finally, I've found a race after searching the web for the last few days! The Magredi Mountain Trail 100 is a race that takes place in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains in an area known as Magredi.
I chose this race because it's fairly rugged with a some steep technical running as well as the location. I've always wanted to hike this area now it's only gotten better by actually racing through the area.
I'm all signed up but still have lot's to do in order to "officially" be registered for the race. In Italy, a health certificate must be signed by a doctor that includes a physical. So I'm off to get my health checked out! Ciao, Ciao, Ciao....
Magredi Mountain Trail 100
Training plan to be posted soon
Friday, April 26, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
ULTRA OR BUST!!!!!
I can't sleep....
There's a slight flicker of light in the ceiling fan fixture that reminds me of someone's headlamp flickering off in the distance. I close my eyes in hopes that I can focus on something else and have a flashback to an adventure race that I was competing in. There was a point in time where our team had to literally outrun a blizzard that was taking out teams behind us. Luckily for us, we were on the opposite side of the mountain range and only had to deal with some heavy winds and the never-ending swirl of snow. For years after that race, I would be reminded of that very specific moment in time by an image of the ray's of my headlamp light reflecting off the snow flakes in front of me. If I closed my eyes to blink...the image would be there. If I closed my eyes for an extended period of time...I could literally watch the flakes swirl around in my headlamp. Our team was physically and mentally tasked and without a doubt one of the most challenging times of my life. I learned a lot about myself both professionally and personally. It was this very race that exposed my weaknesses as a leader and follower as well as my skills. I will never forget that experience and talk freely about the good and bad of that race.
I've been on an emotional roller coaster the last few weeks. The marathon was supposed to be the challenge that was going to work me like "no other" and give me the same lessons in life that previous races have given me. Don't get me wrong...I am very happy with my accomplishments but I long for a challenge and the high stakes of failure. My #1 lesson from the Rome Marathon was the true power of pace for sustainment. This lesson alone can be applied to my personal life as well as the business side of things. For some reason, the idea of failure was not there. After a few weeks of training, the marathon was obtainable and I knew I could finish and it was a matter of principle at that point.
Now, I know it's all in my head and my fears can be mitigated through strategic planning. So here I am, laying wide awake in bed and staring at the ceiling fan slowly rotating in the breeze. I'm struggling with the idea of participating in something where the challenge (in my mind) is unobtainable. A challenge so foreign to my skill level that I am even scared with purely the thought of participating. A challenge that will get in your head and keep you up at night in deep thought. For me....this is running a 100 miles and attempting to do it as fast as I physically can do it.
The idea of running 100 miles is very intriguing to me and the seed of thought has harvested to a full blown addictive thought. I've competed in multi-sport events that were over 100 miles and also participated in adventure races that were a couple hundred miles in length but never participated in an "ultramarathon".
THAT'S IT....DECISION IS MADE....I'M UP AND OUT OF BED....TIME TO FIND THE ULTRA THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK ME!
There's a slight flicker of light in the ceiling fan fixture that reminds me of someone's headlamp flickering off in the distance. I close my eyes in hopes that I can focus on something else and have a flashback to an adventure race that I was competing in. There was a point in time where our team had to literally outrun a blizzard that was taking out teams behind us. Luckily for us, we were on the opposite side of the mountain range and only had to deal with some heavy winds and the never-ending swirl of snow. For years after that race, I would be reminded of that very specific moment in time by an image of the ray's of my headlamp light reflecting off the snow flakes in front of me. If I closed my eyes to blink...the image would be there. If I closed my eyes for an extended period of time...I could literally watch the flakes swirl around in my headlamp. Our team was physically and mentally tasked and without a doubt one of the most challenging times of my life. I learned a lot about myself both professionally and personally. It was this very race that exposed my weaknesses as a leader and follower as well as my skills. I will never forget that experience and talk freely about the good and bad of that race.
I've been on an emotional roller coaster the last few weeks. The marathon was supposed to be the challenge that was going to work me like "no other" and give me the same lessons in life that previous races have given me. Don't get me wrong...I am very happy with my accomplishments but I long for a challenge and the high stakes of failure. My #1 lesson from the Rome Marathon was the true power of pace for sustainment. This lesson alone can be applied to my personal life as well as the business side of things. For some reason, the idea of failure was not there. After a few weeks of training, the marathon was obtainable and I knew I could finish and it was a matter of principle at that point.
Now, I know it's all in my head and my fears can be mitigated through strategic planning. So here I am, laying wide awake in bed and staring at the ceiling fan slowly rotating in the breeze. I'm struggling with the idea of participating in something where the challenge (in my mind) is unobtainable. A challenge so foreign to my skill level that I am even scared with purely the thought of participating. A challenge that will get in your head and keep you up at night in deep thought. For me....this is running a 100 miles and attempting to do it as fast as I physically can do it.
The idea of running 100 miles is very intriguing to me and the seed of thought has harvested to a full blown addictive thought. I've competed in multi-sport events that were over 100 miles and also participated in adventure races that were a couple hundred miles in length but never participated in an "ultramarathon".
THAT'S IT....DECISION IS MADE....I'M UP AND OUT OF BED....TIME TO FIND THE ULTRA THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK ME!
Friday, April 12, 2013
What's next.....
It's been almost a month since I finished the Rome Marathon. My recovery time seemed pretty quick since I literally boarded a plane the following day and have been traveling around the U.S for the last few weeks.
I took about ten days off after the marathon and in that time I've begun to treat the blisters on my feet. Over the last few days my toe nail has begun to turn purple. I'm pretty sure I have a blood blister underneath the nail-bed. I plan to pop it tonight and hopefully relieve the pressure under the nail.
The last few weeks have been focused on the idea that I completed 26.2 miles in a fairly descent time. It's not a sub-three hour but I'm proud of my time because I've learned so much in running. My biggest problem right now is controlling the thirst to do more races as well as the need to test myself.
As if 26.2 miles and the wounds I currently have isn't enough, the idea of running longer than a marathon has been at forefront of my thoughts.
I took about ten days off after the marathon and in that time I've begun to treat the blisters on my feet. Over the last few days my toe nail has begun to turn purple. I'm pretty sure I have a blood blister underneath the nail-bed. I plan to pop it tonight and hopefully relieve the pressure under the nail.
The last few weeks have been focused on the idea that I completed 26.2 miles in a fairly descent time. It's not a sub-three hour but I'm proud of my time because I've learned so much in running. My biggest problem right now is controlling the thirst to do more races as well as the need to test myself.
As if 26.2 miles and the wounds I currently have isn't enough, the idea of running longer than a marathon has been at forefront of my thoughts.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Small Voice in my Head
In 2009, I sat and stared at the wall in my hotel room for almost an hour. I knew sometime in my life I'd be faced with this decision-point but I didn't think it would be at the age of 31. I should be in my prime at this stage of my life but now I'm struggling to barely run a mile. I'm frustrated...mentally I can go for miles but physically I'm starting to lose my edge. This was my last "go" at running. Over the last two months, I've work up to be able to attempt a 20K run and today is the day. I was scared to leave my hotel room because I knew I was either going to come home a renewed runner or I was going to give it up. For me these were my only two options. I've chosen to run this alone. I walked outside, got into a cab and told the cabbie to take me out to a start point I've picked out. My route is along the Spokane River where I'll be able to run along fairly flat terrain. I got out of the cab, performed a nice long stretch, set my iPod to my favorite running playlist and set off. Within two miles, I was walking in sheer utter pain....the small voice in my head whispered "You're done". I would not buy another pair of running shoes until December 2011.
What got me back into running?
My Grandfather. He passed away February 2011 after an amazing battle with cancer. I needed a release the morning after he passed on so I put on some shorts put my approach shoes on and went running up the mountain near their house in Mission Hills, CA. I was running out of anger, running to feel "real" pain in hopes that it would rid the emotional pain. My hip flexors and knees were on fire as I ascended up the trail but I didn't care. Soon, the pain was too much to bare. My mind was racing with thoughts, that damn little voice was back whispering to me to "quit and walk". As I was getting ready to slow down, I flashed to seeing my Grandfather lying in bed the last few hours he was alive. I could see the extreme pain he was in and I could also see how composed he was trying to be. I knew my Grandfather was in a fight but it would only be a matter of time. I've always admired my Grandfather and there I was completely astonished at my fathers love for this world and pure grit to not give in. My Grandfather was always a fighter (literally) and he fought to the last breathe. In that moment, for the first time in my life, I witnessed a true will and passion to live. My Grandfather's last words to me were "don't be afraid because in the end, I know you'll be standing". I'm not sure what happened but I something inside me clicked. Instead of walking, I bit down and kept running. I ran the entire mountain trail up and back down. I could barely walk for weeks after that. I ran the rest of 2011 to purely mask pain with pain. I missed my Grandfather, at times, running was my way of spending time with him (in spirit). As time went by, I was able to run without much pain and slowly became disciplined to run again. I ended 2011 with a commitment to myself to keep running and ultimately race again.
Fast-forward to 2013:
I'm laying on the floor trying to stretch my sore muscles just two days after running the Rome Marathon. I'm staring at the ceiling and reflecting how far I've come along in my "come back" in running. I've been back to training for a little over a year and can not believe how much I've grown as a runner. The marathon was an eye-opener for me. This was the pinnacle of my training for almost a year. The race is finished and I still have my legs intact. I thought it was going to be harder, I thought this was going to be my last summit in running. I thought the pain would be back and I'd have to struggle. Yet, here I am staring at the ceiling. I'm watching the fan slowly rotate, I'm breathing through my deep stretches and quietly listening to that small voice in my head whisper..."You're not done yet".
What got me back into running?
My Grandfather. He passed away February 2011 after an amazing battle with cancer. I needed a release the morning after he passed on so I put on some shorts put my approach shoes on and went running up the mountain near their house in Mission Hills, CA. I was running out of anger, running to feel "real" pain in hopes that it would rid the emotional pain. My hip flexors and knees were on fire as I ascended up the trail but I didn't care. Soon, the pain was too much to bare. My mind was racing with thoughts, that damn little voice was back whispering to me to "quit and walk". As I was getting ready to slow down, I flashed to seeing my Grandfather lying in bed the last few hours he was alive. I could see the extreme pain he was in and I could also see how composed he was trying to be. I knew my Grandfather was in a fight but it would only be a matter of time. I've always admired my Grandfather and there I was completely astonished at my fathers love for this world and pure grit to not give in. My Grandfather was always a fighter (literally) and he fought to the last breathe. In that moment, for the first time in my life, I witnessed a true will and passion to live. My Grandfather's last words to me were "don't be afraid because in the end, I know you'll be standing". I'm not sure what happened but I something inside me clicked. Instead of walking, I bit down and kept running. I ran the entire mountain trail up and back down. I could barely walk for weeks after that. I ran the rest of 2011 to purely mask pain with pain. I missed my Grandfather, at times, running was my way of spending time with him (in spirit). As time went by, I was able to run without much pain and slowly became disciplined to run again. I ended 2011 with a commitment to myself to keep running and ultimately race again.
Fast-forward to 2013:
I'm laying on the floor trying to stretch my sore muscles just two days after running the Rome Marathon. I'm staring at the ceiling and reflecting how far I've come along in my "come back" in running. I've been back to training for a little over a year and can not believe how much I've grown as a runner. The marathon was an eye-opener for me. This was the pinnacle of my training for almost a year. The race is finished and I still have my legs intact. I thought it was going to be harder, I thought this was going to be my last summit in running. I thought the pain would be back and I'd have to struggle. Yet, here I am staring at the ceiling. I'm watching the fan slowly rotate, I'm breathing through my deep stretches and quietly listening to that small voice in my head whisper..."You're not done yet".
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