Our second Lupus Runner is running his big race for the year tomorrow. Tim will be running no less than the famous Boston Marathon! We are getting close to $1,000 in donations--let's see if we can take things into the triple digits for Tim! Have a great race and we look forward to report on how things go.
I'm also happy to announce that we have had another runner join Lupus Runners for 2009. Details soon!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
First Brian the Sociologist International Ultramarathon
Training plans are, in my opinion, schedules that tell you what real life has deviated you from. With summer coming close and the ultramarathon looming relatively near, I thought I would check the training plan I devised earlier this year and see how close I am. The bad news is that I am a little behind and that my weekly mileage has been below what I had hoped for. That being said, my long runs have been going well and I should still have time to get the runs that I feel I need for Burning River. Before Haliburton, I peaked with a late night 50 miler. If I can get a couple 50 milers in I should be in good shape.
So why did I titled this post "First Brian the Sociologist International Ultramarathon?" Well, if I follow this training plan I will be attempting one of my long runs, specifically my first 50 mile run, while I am in Beijing doing a preparing for a 2010 study abroad trip. The logistics of this are a little daunting as I won't have my full set of running gear, resupplying with water and food may be problematic (dumpling stops?), and many parts of Beijing are crowded enough so as not to be running friendly. I'm also not quite sure how I will fit it into my already busy itinerary. However, I think it is worth the effort as there are few better ways to see the city, if I can really get my act together I could do the whole thing on the Great Wall or someplace similarly cool, and with my GPS it is really pretty unlikely that I will get lost. Anyway, I posted on the ultrarunning listserve that I will be in China, but didn't hear from any Chinese ultrarunners so if anyone out there reads this post and has suggested routes or just advice, post a comment!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Have a great race, Deb!
I just wanted to let everyone out there know that our first Lupus Runner is running a half marathon tomorrow. Deb is a lupus sufferer and has done a great job of raising awareness and funds. She deserves our support. I've posted a note below that Deb wrote on Facebook about her race.
From Deb's Facebook site:
I suffer from a disease called lupus. It is a chronic, life threatening illness. I had several years where I couldn't walk for longer than 2 or 3 minutes without having to sit and rest. I have had kidney involvement twice, lung involvement, taken massive doses of steroids, taken chemotherapy - which left me unable to have children, been hospitalized 4 times, had a pseudo tumor.. that was fun.. the doctor told me that I possibly had a brain tumor, based on what he saw in my eyes.. but to try not to worry about it until I saw the neurologist in the ER, had 2 spinal taps, gained lots of weight, have major joint pain, have extreme sun sensativity, have tons of scars, have taken as many as 12 perscription medications at one time, lost a ton of hair, had years of depression, yet somehow managed to keep my sanity. ( no comments )
To see me today, you would not ever know that I was ill. Now is my turn to beat up on lupus. This is my revenge for the suffering and pain it has caused me. I will run the Illinois Half Marathon on Saturday, April 11, 2009. I'm asking for your financial support.
During the race, I will wear a pace tattoo on my arm, marking where I should be along the course at what time. If you offer your financial support, I will write your name on my arm during the race, and you will act as my mental support during that section of the race. I will really need your support, as I am coming off of two weeks of illness, and am just 4 weeks out from the race.
If you are able to support me, please follow this link to the Lupus Runners page. It is a team page, so you will not see my name, but rather a group page. If you leave a donation, please mention my name in the comment section. Thanks for your support. - Debbie
http://www.firstgiving.com/lupusrunners
From Deb's Facebook site:
I suffer from a disease called lupus. It is a chronic, life threatening illness. I had several years where I couldn't walk for longer than 2 or 3 minutes without having to sit and rest. I have had kidney involvement twice, lung involvement, taken massive doses of steroids, taken chemotherapy - which left me unable to have children, been hospitalized 4 times, had a pseudo tumor.. that was fun.. the doctor told me that I possibly had a brain tumor, based on what he saw in my eyes.. but to try not to worry about it until I saw the neurologist in the ER, had 2 spinal taps, gained lots of weight, have major joint pain, have extreme sun sensativity, have tons of scars, have taken as many as 12 perscription medications at one time, lost a ton of hair, had years of depression, yet somehow managed to keep my sanity. ( no comments )
To see me today, you would not ever know that I was ill. Now is my turn to beat up on lupus. This is my revenge for the suffering and pain it has caused me. I will run the Illinois Half Marathon on Saturday, April 11, 2009. I'm asking for your financial support.
During the race, I will wear a pace tattoo on my arm, marking where I should be along the course at what time. If you offer your financial support, I will write your name on my arm during the race, and you will act as my mental support during that section of the race. I will really need your support, as I am coming off of two weeks of illness, and am just 4 weeks out from the race.
If you are able to support me, please follow this link to the Lupus Runners page. It is a team page, so you will not see my name, but rather a group page. If you leave a donation, please mention my name in the comment section. Thanks for your support. - Debbie
http://www.firstgiving.com
Monday, April 6, 2009
Does this count as speed work?
Well, I completed the Martian Marathon with a chip time of 3:53. I'm really happy with that because I averaged 8:55 minute miles when I've been training at 10 minute miles. Also, this is approximately the same time that I had the last time I ran the Martian, which was 6 or 7 years ago (woah.) The race was fun, although it reminded me why I still prefer the culture of ultramarthons. Even though this was a relatively small marathon I still felt a little like I was part of a herd. Still, it was a nice way motivate me to put in a long run and it was fun to see all the people excited about the race (but really, do you need a hydration pack for a half marathon?) As always, Running Fit had everything very well organized, included some insane looking technical t-shirts and had some wonderful greasy pizza waiting at the end.
I was planning on doing the whole thing in around 4:20 and adding on a 4 mile run in the end to make a nice round 30 mile day. However, at the halfway mark I overheard someone say that we were at a 4 hour pace and decided I would rather speed things up and get home early than stretch it out another few miles. I need to write a blog post one of these days about the honey/salt/molasses concoction that I have been using on my long runs. I switched between that and the Gu that they had at aid stations. Interestingly, I felt a tiny bit nausious around mile 15 after a few Gu packets, but felt perfectly normal after going back to the honey mix. Kept pretty even splits throughout so I'm feeling pretty close to on pace for the 100.
Kudos to Deb who has kicked up the fundraising! I need to clear some grant reports off my plate and then hopefully will have the chance to start bringing in some money.
I was planning on doing the whole thing in around 4:20 and adding on a 4 mile run in the end to make a nice round 30 mile day. However, at the halfway mark I overheard someone say that we were at a 4 hour pace and decided I would rather speed things up and get home early than stretch it out another few miles. I need to write a blog post one of these days about the honey/salt/molasses concoction that I have been using on my long runs. I switched between that and the Gu that they had at aid stations. Interestingly, I felt a tiny bit nausious around mile 15 after a few Gu packets, but felt perfectly normal after going back to the honey mix. Kept pretty even splits throughout so I'm feeling pretty close to on pace for the 100.
Kudos to Deb who has kicked up the fundraising! I need to clear some grant reports off my plate and then hopefully will have the chance to start bringing in some money.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Martian Marathon and my aerobic capacity
Heading down for the Martian Marathon this weekend. I did this a few years ago and it was a nice run. I've more or less lost track of my training program; however, I did manage a 25 mile long run a couple weeks ago and a 20 mile long run the week before that so I'm feeling relatively solid. I might add a 4 mile run after the marathon for a nice even 30.
My weekly runs have been really hit and miss. This week for instance I did 12 on Monday and 6 on Wednesday. It is unlikely that I'll have any time to run before the marathon on Sunday. Still, I was comfortable running 10 minute miles during my last 25 mile run so I think I'm making some progress. I'm not sure I could get away with such intermittant training if I hadn't gotten myself in shape for the 100 last year. I hear the endurance you build for ultras has more of lasting effect than for shorter distances--that might be just one of those web rumors though.
On an interesting side note, I stopped by a health fair at SVSU where, among other things, some kinesiology students were testing aerobic capacity. Ironically, I tested in 20th percentile, which basically means that 80% of the rest of the world is in better shape then I am. That doesn't bode well for the marathon. Actually, the test was based on heart rate and, based on my experience with a heart rate monitor, I have a relatively high resting and, in all likelihood, maximum heart rate, which throws things off. One of my students told me that the kinesiology department does have the equipment for me to test my VO2 max, which would give me an accurate measure of my aerobic capacity. I might just be curious enough to track that equipment down...
My weekly runs have been really hit and miss. This week for instance I did 12 on Monday and 6 on Wednesday. It is unlikely that I'll have any time to run before the marathon on Sunday. Still, I was comfortable running 10 minute miles during my last 25 mile run so I think I'm making some progress. I'm not sure I could get away with such intermittant training if I hadn't gotten myself in shape for the 100 last year. I hear the endurance you build for ultras has more of lasting effect than for shorter distances--that might be just one of those web rumors though.
On an interesting side note, I stopped by a health fair at SVSU where, among other things, some kinesiology students were testing aerobic capacity. Ironically, I tested in 20th percentile, which basically means that 80% of the rest of the world is in better shape then I am. That doesn't bode well for the marathon. Actually, the test was based on heart rate and, based on my experience with a heart rate monitor, I have a relatively high resting and, in all likelihood, maximum heart rate, which throws things off. One of my students told me that the kinesiology department does have the equipment for me to test my VO2 max, which would give me an accurate measure of my aerobic capacity. I might just be curious enough to track that equipment down...
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