Sub 3:30 and another 50k on the way

Training 

Well, I tried to bounce right back into running after the Napa Marathon, but the body wasn't having any of it. So, by Thursday and a little over 8 miles for the week, I figured its time for a 4 day running break. (With 2 days of skiing inserted instead, to see if the beard keeps me warm in the snow...NOPE, but the snow sure is fun).

Its also been a week where I may of indulged in a beer or two extra...Have to fix that one it the coming weeks. Monday morning bright and early the regime begins (or resumes).

So here is the rough training schedule between now and the Woodside run on April 9th.

• Mondays: 7 miles
• Tuesdays: 7 miles + gym visit [Need to work on taming the beer belly]
• Wednesdays: Hill Climbs - 5 miles
• Thursdays: 8 miles
• Fridays: Rest (or Easy Bike)
• Saturdays: 20+ In the local hills
• Sundays: Rest OR gym visit and maybe a wee bike ride.

After that it will be 2 short weeks to my 1st 50 mile event (54 miles I believe).

Why am I doing this again? Right! Please donate what you can here

Fundraising Progress

We have made a great start, and a huge thank you to all that have contributed so far, please post it on your facebook, instagram, or myspace / bebo page (those are still a think right!) so that we can hit our goal.
Heidi has taken it on herself to come up with as many crazy ideas to raise money as possible. Her current agenda is to dye my beard green for St. Patricks Day, if the fundraiser gets to $2500. All you have to do is contribute a couple bucks and I will have the dubious honor of going to work green for the day on Thursday.

I'll be quite happy if we hit $2500 after Thursday.

Roots Ethiopia Update

Here is just one example of the great work they do.

The Mugunja Primary School is an Ethiopian School where 80 children regularly cram into one classroom hoping for a seat. The kids that do get a seat commonly share it with three other students. In addition to the lack of seating, there is no furniture for the staff, hardly any books and minimal teaching materials. The teachers struggle to teach which results in kids struggling to learn. As is the case in many Ethiopian villages, test scores are low and kids are not passing national exams. It’s a cycle that we are committed to breaking one school at a time in Southern Ethiopia.

Roots Ethiopia, through their donations, will assist the Mugunja Primary School in Ethiopia with books, furniture, learning materials and sporting equipment. Read all about it here

Leap Years: An an extra day for running

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Roots Ethiopia Update
Just want to remind you all that this is about Roots Ethiopia and the great work they do in Ethiopia.
Their work is more and more important when you consider the current drought is estimated to be the worst in 50 years. [Link]

“People are not starving, but they’re close to starving. We need to address this moment right now, before it gets worse,” says Sebhatu Seyoum of a Catholic welfare organization in Adigrat, Tigray’s second-largest town. “The government is trying its best, but it needs assistance.”
The work of Roots Ethiopia, will allow children to continue to attend school, and provide food assistance to the families under their umbrella.
While we are enjoying the rains brought by El Nino in California, it is having a devastating effect in other regions of the world.

Please, please donate…

Training Update
Stats to date: 47 hrs. , 306 miles run, and I’ve had a few more runs without being tracked.
Next Sunday, I get to the 1st milestone on this journey when it’s time to run the Napa Valley marathon. Don’t think I’ll be setting any records; I’ve been a little too fond of the after run beer to get to race weight, and my pace training never really started either.
Hoping for a time between 3:30 – 3:45. Let’s see what happened.

From that point on, the race schedule is:

April 9th - 50K - Woodside Crossover - I ran this last year and it really hurt. I was out of shape, so hoping that this year will be better.

April 30th - 54 Miles - From Shore Line to the Sea. This is a self-supported run with a group of running buddies who decided last year that the Bay to Breakers was for wimps. If anyone is interested in running portions of this, let me know—the more the merrier. Heidi will be at Skyline at Saratoga Gap to be our aid station if anyone wants to join up and cheer us on.

May 17th - 50 Miles – Silver State 50M out of Reno and up the local mountains, advertised as a perfect training run for the TRT100. Well, we will have to wait and see…

The beard…
It continues to grow at the rate of a small rainforest--it must be all the heat & sweat I’m generating. New pictures are added on the fundraising site.

The crew…
They are still pretty patient with me and accommodating my run schedule. Pity help then when it starts becoming back to back 20+ mile days at the weekend. They are planning a few fundraisers involving coffee, cupcakes and crafts; I’ll let you know when that happens.