I've been away for a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been training. Since the nine mile run I last reported on I have done a 17-mile, another 9-mile and this past Monday I did the longest run I ever have done, 20 miles. I am really feeling good about doing my marathon in February, especially since I have been sitting here tonight watching Running The Sahara where these three runners ran across the entire Sahara desert. As I watch they are on day 111 and about 30 miles from the finish at the Red Sea. It is incredible that they ran over two marathons a day for 111 days across the most forbidding landscape imaginable. So now it is over - 170 marathons without a day off! And I am worried about one little 26 mile run. I really think I can do this. I am just amazed though at what the human body can endure if the mental ducks are all in a row. Back to my training. Next week ends with a 5K or 8-10 miles, two week it's 8-9 miles, in three weeks another 5K or 8-10 miles then in four weeks 22-23 miles. Then a couple of short weeks before doing one last long run of 24-26 miles and then a couple of weeks of tapering to the marathon. That's a lot of miles! Although it doesn't seem like it after watching Running The Sahara. What I discovered doing the 20 mile run this week is that over 4 hours of running is not easy. Should I be surprised at that? The last 3-5 miles everything was definitely hurting but I found that I could get my self into a mental state that just allowed me to keep going regardless. Actually, it wasn't so much as 'getting myself into a mental state' as it was talking to God about the possibility that he could make it hurt just a little less. I spent quite a bit of time during the run talking to Him about how much I appreciated Him giving this old man the ability to enjoy something as much as I do running. I am so thankful that He has not only given me good health but He has kept me from any serious injuries that would preclude me continuing. I am blessed to be a runner

'Short' long run

So tomorrow I get to do 9 miles. It is no small thing for me to realize that in my training this is a 'short' long run. I can still remember when 9 miles was a long run period. Thank you God for giving me the strength and ability to do what I do

Today is a cross training.......

day in my marathon training program. So I decided to go for a hike in Hart Park. My wife and daughter were off on a girls day so it was just me. So I grabbed my hydration day pack, put a sandwich and something to drink in it and headed out. It was a sunny morning but not too warm as yet. I got to my favorite parking place by the sheriffs shooting range. There were quite a few cars there already, typical of a Saturday morning at Hart Park. I could tell that there were mountain bikers as well as hikers and runners. I come here all the time and have favorite routes that I run but today I decided to just take off walking and find some different trails. I headed up the hill that is the start of the Mr Toads Wild Run. This hill climbs for about 1 mile before it levels out and forks off to the left. I stayed straight ahead since I had never been that way before. The trail went through a series of ups and downs, typical of Hart Park in general. At one point I saw a coyote cross the trail ahead of me and trot off into the grass. I stopped to watch him, he stopped for a moment to see what I was going to do then continued off on his way. I wound around hillocks, down into gullies and back up, trying to work my way towards the highest peak, one I had ascended many times before. At about 4 miles I stopped and ate my lunch while enjoying the views. After leaving my lunch stop I was able to have a conversation with a mountain biker, Doc, who told me he was mapping all the trails in Hart Park and that they would be available for download soon. That was exciting news since it is very difficult to find your way around these acres and acres of hills and trails. I only hiked about 2.5 miles getting back to my car.