Thanks, good luck in Carlsbad tomorrow.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Harry, the Jerusalem marathon will be right near the end of this challenge...and yes, time on feet is really the most important!

Also....much easier to give out advice than follow my own. Yesterday, I ended up speed skating in the morning. The ice was almost perfect as was the temperature (around minus 3), so the 45 min speed skate turned to 90 minutes. Which ended up cutting into my time to drive over to the XC ski trails and do a classis style XC ski and then drive home. I calculated that trying to ski would mean 50 minutes of extra driving followed by potentially missing lunch and a very short ski. Rather, I ran for 55 minutes then drove home and had time for lunch. The nice thing about running is that you can do it anywhere. But today I am feeling my quads like I ran a marathon. There is a reason why speed skaters have to supplement skate volume with biking, too much eccentric load just like running....put them back to back and it is even harder! But I just ended up running because of the accessibility! No commute, no equipment needed, no facilities needed (well, you need shoes and a road).

Man, I was thinking "FINALLY! someone slower than I am at 10K" and then re-read (RIF) and realized that was a MILE time. :( But GREAT JOB for you! :)

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

I like the options you have, speed skating, XC sking and running, keeping that up will make marathon running easy. I wonder where you are based. We are in the middle of summer, most days our temperature is around 30 C with about 80% humidity. Those of us in training start our runs at 5.00 am and usualy done by 7.30 to beat the heat. Take care

I'm training for my first marathon. Using the Hanson plan, I am required to run 5 days a week for now, and 6 two weeks from now until the end. Doing some calculations, it seems that the highest number of runs I can do from this point is around 76. If I have a two week holiday and end up missing a few runs, that's it... I'll barely make the lowest category of the Challenge. And that will be despite having some really high mileage weeks.

A bit depressing.

In addition I am training for an Olympic triathlon. Not sure how I will be able to fit in riding when my legs are so tired.

Thanks. Couldn't break 80 today - had to settle for a 1:21, which is a PR. Ended up 3rd AG. I think I remember you now. Pretty sure you passed me late in the run in Solana Beach once.

Going to take another rest day tomorrow, then get back on track. 12-week Pfitz plan for Boston starts the following week. Still have some races to deal with, but I don't want to get distracted by those. Will work them in as workouts.

Hello from Paris !

just ran my 35th time. Never ran so much in my life. Legs are feeling good.
So far, the winter has been unusually warm here in France and I was able to run almost every day.
Also trying to save some legs for bike rides : will be racing the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a tough bike race in April + preparing my next IM in July and a few other B races.
Unfortunately, my good friend and training partner known as utoktome in this challenge who was in the top 20 had to give up last week due to a bike crash: nothing serious but he can't run for the next 6 weeks.
So, I'm running alone now most of time but actually I'm feeling energized by the 600 or so girls and guys who are also participating to this challenge and who like myself, be it rainy, snowy, dark or cold are going out, just for the fun of running.
So, thank you all and special thanks to Paul for making this happen !

Jeff

Thanks for playing from Paris! Is there an amateur LBL bike race that happens at the same time as the pros? Sorry to hear about your friend's crash.

Harry, I am based in Ottawa Canada, which is technically the second coldest capital city on earth after Ulan Bator Mongolia. We have a ton of winter sports options. In the end, today was a big training day...20 min of easy spinning which encouraged me to run, then I went out and ran 13K with some hills. Then some friends called and said they were going for a classic ski, so we ended up on the trails for 2:45 with 2:30 of actual skiing. Then I was done for the day, but my friend who is a multi time Kona qualifier said, 'what do you mean, we can't end without a 15 min transition run". Then got in the car, drove home and got on my spin bike for 15 more minutes to loosen out (so 75 min run, 30 min spin bike, 2:30 XC)....so that was the day, . My son is preparing for exams so I basically have all day on the weekend to do nothing but train and work, and I'm back in the office now getting some stuff ready for this week's biz trip. I was going to actually work in the afternoon, but I could not pass up the offer to train with friends (actually all 4 in our XC ski group today have done Kona, I believe there are 12 KQ finishes and around 50 IM finishes in the crew, so there are many fitness ways to skin the Kona Qual cat, but most of them involve a fair amount of training, but they don't need to be sbr all year all the time).

Dev

Hi Paul,

indeed, there is an amateur LBL the day before the pro race (April 26, this year): the full LBL is 276km, around 5000m elevation gain and tough belgian weather conditions.

http://www.sport.be/lblcyclo/2014/eng/

Jeff

I've been keeping up on the challenge and am 2 behind (I haven't uploaded from strava to ST Training log recently) but I'm probably going to put an end to it. Cool concept, great challenge, but with Oceanside in less than 10 weeks I need to focus on that instead.

Great job none the less. And I'll miss racing on the coast this year, but racing in the mountains has it's own special qualities too.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Wow Paul that was a busy training day for you, I imagine you sleep like at baby at night. I find it very difficult to run during the day and evenings, for me it is up at 4.00 am, breakfast and then start the run at 5.00 which takes about 90 minutes then I am done for the day. I swim on Mon and Fri (when not involved in a challenge) as cross training.
I note that you reside in Ottawa, my wife is Canadian but has lived most of her life in Africa but still misses a white Xmas.

I've been too lazy to log workouts, but have been running 6x per week over the last month. It's been nice getting back into it after the off-season.

Raced the half at RNRAZ yesterday and hit 1:12:59, dropping another 2 minutes off of my PR from last month. Part of it was being in a good race with lots of competition, and finally hitting a time I should have done a while ago. I was completely un-tapered, too, after moderately hard days on Friday and Saturday. My legs were really sore at the start of the race and blew up pretty bad the last 1.5 miles. It also capped off a 50 mile run week, so I'm pretty stoked about the result. It does make me wonder what I could do with some run speed work, more mileage, and a real taper...

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speedySTATES

Fantastic time, a half in 1.12 59 well done. I will make sure in future posts to never reveal my time for the half.

As this is the closest I'll probably get to the top, I'm adding the pic for my future viewing pleasure. It sure is a lot of work getting/ staying here. You other people in the top 10 are kicking my ass. It's kinda motivating. Keep it up!

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

I am not worthy...that is a sic chart - you guys rock!

This is how my last 24 hour played out:

• Bike 60 min + Run 30 min + weights back at home
• Go to office for part of the day
• Go to airport
• Fly across atlantic to Frankfurt arrive 6:05 AM europe time
• Take Hotel Steinberger shuttle from Terminal 1 to hotel
• Go to 9th floor gym, drop 24 Euros for day pass for gym
• Change into running clothing
• Run 80 min the forest beside Frankfurt airport
• Return to gym, lift weights (not ST approved, but I don't care)
• Shower, pack up, shuttle back to terminal 1
• Snack in Lufthansa lounge which is 1000x better food than United
• Flight to Amsterdam
• Train to Eindhoven
• Walk over to hotel, check in
• Go to gym across the street, hit spin bike for 10 min, run for 10 min on treadmill lift more weights
• Shower, dinner with my VP
• Work conference call
• Get onto the internet
• Communicate with family
• Log into ST, log workouts

Just another day in the life of age group training where you fill any available slots with training, because if you don't training won't happen. This is a page from my old friend Chris Gleason RIP who passed away at mile 25 at the Philly marathon mile 25.5 on sub 3 hour pace. That's how Chris lived every day of his life.

Time for bed and need to get ready for tomorrow's biz meetings tomorrow early...too cooked now. Hope to hit the local track at Eindhoven university in the morning.

Dev

Im not even in the top 100. Your killing it. :) cheers

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"There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life".
Zappa

I was around the 65-70 place, but now dropping, have fallen out of the top 100...I think I have the flu, lots of joint pain and some swelling in my hands and feet, pissed off. Haven't run in 5 days, and not running today.

Wait. The Hotel you are staying in charges you 24 Euros extra to use their Gym for one day? Sounds like kind of a ripoff

Don't know how one can maintain fitness with that kind of schedule! Good for you !

Polar Vortex is back in town after a week of above average temps
50 minutes yesterday in -28c
Hill repeats on sched for tonight in sub -30C !!



.

In my experience the nicer a hotel is the more they stick it you for any amenity. Holiday Inn Express has free food, WiFi and usually a crappy but free gym. At a decent hotel you want WiFi? $9 a day. Gym access? $20 a day. Crappy buffet breakfast? $19.

I assume it's because most guests staying there are either business travellers who are expensing that crap anyway, or wealthy enough they don't give a shit. They charge because they can.

No when I have stayed at that Hotel at Frankfurt airport, the gym was included for free. Day pass to use it was 24 Euros, but I was barely there for 2 hours. On the other hand, it is easy to spend 24 Euros to eat. I'd rather workout than spend my money on nice food. That's just me.

Caught the flu and spent 6-7 hours cleansing myself in the bathroom last night. My running streak (going back before Thanksgiving) has ended...

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John Snyder @URNotAsCoolAsMe

You probably leapt ahead on the weight loss chart though! <sorry>