Updates & Week 3 Training

As of 10 minutes ago, I turned in my second to last assignment for the semester. The end is near. One more semester until I graduate. In the meantime, my training has been going pretty well. I wasn't sure how I would manage to fit my runs in last week, with Thanksgiving and all.

I surprised myself and ran on Thanksgiving. The 30 minute run with my brother on Turkey-Day at our cabin in the foothills of the Smokeys was a great way burn calories in preparation for what was about to come (although it didn't matter, not after what I ate). It was by far the steepest run I have done in my training regiment. Halfway through my gluteus maximus had flashbacks of my climbing Mt. Whitney.

The rest of my body has been holding up nicely; however, I could feel the effects of eating too much turkey this past Sunday during my 9 mile run. During my long run, I wore an iPod for the first time while running ever. And I liked it a lot. My brother gave me an iPod shuffle as a belated birthday gift. I know I'll be agonizing over the perfect playlist to create while running in the coming weeks. Well, I'm going to go for a run on this last day of November and the fist day of Week 3 training.

Here's what I'm up against this week:

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: off
Saturday: 10 miles
Sunday: off

Week 2 Training

The first week is in the books. Despite lots of late nights, heinous quantities of frosty beverages, and a diet that consisted of meat and cheese, my body feels pretty good. Here's the agenda for this week.

Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: off
Thursday (Turkey Day): 4 miles
Friday: off
Saturday or Sunday: 9 miles

Preparing for my first Long Run

I'm surprised at how tech savvy I feel right now. I embedded Html text or something to get that map. I'll try to post my long runs this way.

The end of the semester is aproaching fast and as a result I've had to focus on school stuff. I will say that running is going great. I've hit all my runs for the first week. I'll be doing my long run on Sunday mid-morning-ish. The forecast is calling for rain, fantastic. I promise once the school stuff cools down some, I'll be able to lay down some fresh material. Onward!!!

Week 1 Training

Day 1, of the 19-week training schedule, has come and gone. All went well. I'll try and post my training schedule each week. So here's Week 1's:

Monday 3 miles

Tuesday 4 miles

Wednesday Off

Thursday 3 miles

Friday Off

Saturday or Sunday 8 miles

With company coming in for the TN and Vanderbilt football game, I'll most likely run on Sunday. I'm also trying to figure out how to post some maps of my runs.

Food, Get In My Belly!

Fall is one of those seasons when all the elements are right like abundant sunshine, cool to warm temperatures, and beautiful foliage is an unstopable force like Pete Rose's Big Red Machine, the orignial Bash Brothers Mark McGwire and Jose Cansaco, John Wooden's UCLA Bruins, or Herb Brooks' Mircle on Ice. If you were in the 100-mile radius of Knoxivlle, TN this past weekend, then you surely understand my abundant sports analogies. What made it even better was having the family branch that extends into Deep Central Arkansas, be present with us.

Rachel's family made a brief vist of 38hrs to Knoxville to partake in a long standing tradition that is College Football Tailgating here in E. TN. All involved had a great time. About an hour west of Knoxville, there was a different family gathering taking place. On Saturday, Rachel and I paid our last respects to a dear friend who passed last week. Lot's of her family was in attendance and it was a somber reminder of how precious life truly is at times. Marty, I'm not sure if you're able to read blogs where ever you are, but I will always remember how you graciously opened your home and welcomed Rachel and I. We will miss you.

Often times when I think about family I can't help but think of food. We made baby-back ribs, cornbread, fresh cheese dip, a bean casserole of sorts, and plenty of frosty beverages for Rachel's family. I think I consumed enough calories for 2.78 marathons. I've read that when you train for a marathon your diet sort of works its way out. What does that mean "works its way out"?

This has been bugging me, and something that I've chosen to ignore, since I started running this summer. You see, I love food. I come from a long line of healthy eaters and I take great pride in my genetic predisposition of enjoying food. My father, in his younger days, is infamous at the Minnesota State Fair where he single handily ate over 15 foot-long hot dogs AND managed to eat an array of other deep fried objects in one day! My mother's family has a long standing tradition of making Klub which is a Norwegian dish and basically a mass of potatoes with onions and bacon pressed into it and for good measure doused in bacon fat and then topped with butter. My own story of eating conquests happen this past summer in what is known as The Ludicrous Burger incident. To start: make a grill-cheese with two strips of bacon, then place a hamburger patty on top with cheese and two more strips of bacon, then top with another grill cheese sandwich ... yes with two strips of bacon in it. Bliss, insanity, utopia, no its just plain ludicrous.

The Holidays are approaching and more family gatherings are already on our calendar. And also approaching is my start date for the Real Training. I'm not a believer in quitting cold turkey; rather, I like to think of warm turkey when it comes to my diet and running. My long runs will most likely be on Saturday mornings, so eating my weight in pizza on Friday nights will have to change, and probably should stop. I'm also a realist, and know that if I drastically alter my diet that it will not last and the experts agree and say that this is bad to do anyways. I'm really trying right now to get enough liquids into my diet and eating more meals spread out longer over the course of the day.

Well, its dinner time at the Sievers household and I really should get going and tonight it's leftovers: ribs, cornbread, cheese dip, and probably a frosty beverage...I know, I know. Lastly, if you do have some tips or ideas about good snacks to eat during the course of the day I would love to hear about them. Cheers.

Making My Bed

Rain was coming down at a steady pace and there was mud all around. On Halloween I participated in the 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth Mountain Bike Race. I know what you're thinking, how's this realted to the marathon. Trust me, it is (more on this later).

Rain is not ideal for a bike race. It makes for a muddy slippery mess. The race course this year was an estimated 7.5 mile loop with about 1,200 ft of elevation gain (this means lots of ups and downs). The race lasts 12 hours. It's a "who can turn the most laps wins," sort of thing. A participant has the option of racing by themselves or on a 4-person team. I raced on a 4-man team. Our team name was "Every Day is a Holiday", taken from our friends at Glitterville. Here are some pictures from the race:

Before I go any-further, my dog Rosie, pictured here,

decided to go on a 10 hour spirt quest at the start of the race (i.e. we lost her). Rachel and I were a worried sick, but thankfully a fellow biker found her in a bush and she is safe and sound. Ever since Saturday, she has been sleeping soundly.

In marathoning lots of people talk about hitting a "wall". So far I have not experienced this "wall" while running. But during the bike race, I didn't hit the "wall" I smacked the "wall" and that's when the marathon entered my mind. "How would I cope or handle this during the marathon?" The simplest way I can describe how I felt during the bike race was defeated, I just wanted to go home. At the time I still hadn't found my dog and that made it difficult to choke down any groceries and get the needed calories for such an event. Meanwhile, on the race course I was now pushing my mud-caked bike up FLAT ground and during my night lap, my head light went out on two crucial down-hills forcing me to slide down the hill and walk my bike a great distance. I have never cheated during a race, but if there was a time that race was it. I'm sure that thought crossed a number of other riders as well.

When I came in on my final lap and I saw Rachel holding Rosie in a dark navy-blue blanket, my sprits were lifted. And when I stop and think about it, no one forced me into this race where I new the conditions would be horrendous and misserable. I guess you can say that I made my own bed, or however the saying goes. I'll be thinking about that saying in the next coming months as I'm training. Because in reality no one has force me to run a marathon, it's been my choice all this time. I've made my bed.