Wow…..it’s already May 9, 2007. I can’t believe in 2 and half months, Badwater will officially begin. On top of that, it’s only 6 and a half weeks until the Western States 100. Argh! I’m still working out the kinks in my right knee, so I’m looking forward to a great race in Reno on 5/19 to really test it out. A great run at the Silver State 50 may be just what the doctor ordered. You can never underestimate your body’s need to rest and recover from injury. While our bodies are amazing instruments, I’ve also come to realize that the body can be stubborn when necessary. The body is designed with self-preservation in mind, so it is never looking to put itself out of commission. It is the never ending dialogue between the body, mind and spirit that is the most fascinating thing. They are each stubborn in their own right, so it’s interesting sometimes to see who wins out. I wonder what a dialogue between the three would look like…..
Body: Ok, I’m done. I’m beat.
Mind: I’m usually not in agreement with you, but this time I have to agree.
Spirit: No way, I will not let you quit.
Body: Aw, come on, you’ve proved your point. You did 50 of the 100 miles.
Mind: What a minute, did you say 50? That means we’re more than half way.
Spirit: That’s right, which also means you have less distance to travel than
you’ve already traveled.
Mind: That’s right. Come on, Body, did you hear that?
Body: Oh, I heard it. I’m not very happy about it, but I heard it.
Mind: So, what do you say?
Body: Well, I guess I could give you a few more miles.
Spirit: Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.
I’ll try to include about 40-50 miles of running in the week leading up to the Silver State 50, to give myself a 100 mile week. I’ll try to put in another 90-100 miles each of the following three weeks as a way to cap off the training cycle (which includes the San Diego Rock N’ Roll Marathon June 3) before the two week slow down leading to Western States. This week, it looks like I’ll probably get in about 60, which is a bit of an off-week. However, I’d say it was acceptable considering the circumstances……
It’s exciting to be able to share in my brother Daniel’s college graduation coming this Saturday. Daniel is earning an associate’s degree from Patton College in Oakland, and he’s definitely worked hard for it. There’s been ups and downs along the way, as in any journey. In the end, he was able to pull through and do so with excellent grades to show for it. I don’t know if future schooling is in the cards for him, but the rest of family and I are proud of what he’s accomplished. It’s all rather simple; talent + work = results. The work portion of the equation is always the hardest to master and the easiest to apply, and yet it is the talent portion that we desire the most. Go figure.
I think the graduation ceremony probably takes precedence of any long run on Saturday, hehe. Maybe, I’ll just have to run late at night on Saturday….we’ll see. For those that think 100 miles running is a long journey, make sure to thank all the mothers out there on Sunday. Being a mother is like running a marathon day after day, trying to take care of all the responsilities that come with it. So to my mother and to all of yours; Cheers!
Stay strong and keep movin’. God bless.
Gundy
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Disciplined Mind and Body
What’s up?
Wow…..what a weekend. It was packed with a lot of things going on. On Saturday in the morning, I helped take a group of high schoolers from my church down to a soup kitchen to help them prepare lunch and greet the people. In the midst of this, they were participating in a 30 hour famine as a way to raise money to help feed the hungry, develop discipline and self-control over something we consider a life necessity, and gain a greater appreciation for the blessings that God has given them. As you can imagine, being around food only heightened their awareness of the fast. But in the midst of that, being able to serve people whose daily transience is built around finding the next soup kitchen or the next homeless shelter is a humbling thing. There is a severe shortage of a continuous awareness of how we can serve those most in need. There is not a gated community or security system in the world that should keep these images out of our consciousness. It’s not just about giving the guy on the corner $1 every time you see him; it’s an awareness that everything I own and everything I do is an instrument to do God’s good works.
Sunday, it was off to the Mt. Diablo 50 Mile Run. It didn’t start off too well; I was almost late to the start due to a gasoline fire in the East Bay which melted a couple of overpasses (yes, I did say melted). But I got there and to the start a couple minutes before the approximately 7 a.m. start. The nice thing about getting to a race early is the opportunity to relax, stretch fully, and ease into it. This time, it was just arrive, put the gear on, put the bib number on the chest, wait a couple minutes and just get going.
The first 8 mile climb to the summit was long and treacherous at points. I was using a softer trail shoe to compensate for the tendonitis in my knee, which also meant a softer base. A couple of sharp downhills on the narrow trails left me struggling to keep my outside foot on the hillside. It didn’t help that my back wasn’t yet fully stretched out from the hurried start. While this muscle tightness would go way, every once in awhile I would stop and pause to bend my back backwards to loosen up the muscles on the steep inclines of this beginning climb.
The next 6.5 miles was a long, winding road down into the canyons. Most of this was a breeze, cruising down at a sub-8:00 minute/mile pace overall. At times, the gravel and rock covered trail was too steep to run, especially in the shoes I had chosen. For me, the pivotal point in the race came a few miles later between miles 17 and 21. My right knee was starting to throb and even the smallest of downhills was becoming a grueling chore. For the briefest of moments, 21 miles into the race, I even sat down on an uphill beneath an oak tree just after a stream. I sat there with my leg outstretched trying to coax it into being less painful. My physical condition as well as, to a lesser extent, the toll it was taking on my overall time was killing me inside. The mental and spiritual desire to keep driving and keep moving was coming in direct conflict with what my body was allowing me to do.
More and more, in all manner of races, managing the intensity of the race is as important for me as managing my physical condition. The individual who can manage the mental and spiritual is often the one who can snap out of “the funk” that often accompanies the relative physical low-points of any race. I am naturally a very easy-going individual, so when my sense of humor starts to go, the intensity can build expotentially. Despite the fact that I watched a few people pass me by, it was the chance meeting with a fellow runner that helped me immensely. I had told him that my knee was killing me, to which he offered a couple of Aleve tablets. He even offered me a little bit of extra fluid from his water container to help keep me a float. While the Aleve was a first step in getting my body back into it, it was the simple gesture of giving that really picked me up. I would end up having a brief 7-10 minute conversation with him, which helped brighten my spirits in general. I needed to get beyond my general malaise and see that there was a bright future in this race. Sometimes, we forget that no matter what race we are running (i.e. 10k, half-marathon, marathon, ultramarathon), there will always be those relative down times. I don’t think there’s been a marathon or ultramarathon where the thought of not finishing has not crossed my mind, even for the briefest of moments. It was good for me, both personally and for my future races, to experience that again. It’s often how we deal with being in those physical, mental and spiritual valleys that will dictate the end results. It doesn’t hurt that God seems to sends angels in the least likely of moments when we need it most.
The pain relief kicked in a few long miles down the road. By that time, I was mentally much more alert and took the time to more fully hydrate myself at an aid station. The pain became more tolerable and I was more relaxed and refreshed. I had sped past the half-way point around 5:47, which was a little slower than the 5:30 needed for a 11 hour pace, but felt light years ahead of where I had been just an hour and a half earlier.
I also employed a new running technique. With my right knee still in relative discomfort, I was still determined to speed up on the downhills, which is where my time was being hurt the most. So, I started to let my left leg lead jumping off ledges and would extend my left leg further on downhills. Once the left leg hit the ground, I would hold the foot planted to allow it to absorb a great deal of the energy of the impact. This would allow me to shuffle the right leg just above the surface and plant quickly before moving my left leg into position again.
Now, let me caution anyone out there from doing this on a consistent basis. This is not ideal physically, as it puts an uneven amount of stress on particular joints. While I have seen some people adapt due to limb amputation, running asymmetrically or even partially “off-balance” as a regular practice can only lead to bigger injuries. All of your supporting joints, particularly your back, are designed to work best with a upright posture.
That being said, it ended up working well for me considering my situation. The biggest benefit was the increased speed on the downhills. While the overall soreness of the tendons in my knee still suppressed my speed, I was able to move more fluidly which limited the herky-jerky slowing down I had done earlier. Over the last 8 miles of crunching downhill and gravel from Mt. Diablo’s summit to the finish, I was able to average 10.5 minutes/mile again. I even let gravity take me and really opened my stride on the flats and moderate downhills. Not to say that it was all comfortable on my right knee, but the fact I was able to find that more fluid running motion helped immensely. Of course, it didn’t help that I got lost and ended up doing an extra 3.5 miles didn’t exactly help. I was not very happy about that, but hey, an extra few miles for Western States training works for me. Even though my “official” 53.5 mile time was 13:16, when my GPS watch hit 50 miles, I was at 12:25. 12:25 for 50 miles in that state park considering my various ailments was a good step in the right direction. It was an excellent training race with my body still in the recovery phase from the tendonitis. It definitely bodes well as is a good marker towards the sub-24 hour finish I desire at Western States. With over 13,000 ft. of both vertical climbing and bone crunching descent, it is harder time-wise than most 100k (62.1 mile) races.
Priority number one for me, at this stage, has to be getting my knee well. That will have the single biggest effect on my overall time/well-being during the Western States 100 and eventually Badwater. The goals of a sub-24 hour (silver buckle) at Western States and going sub-34 hours at Badwater (135 miles) remain the same, but my body needs to be able to effectively function for that to become a reality. I feel much better in my legs today, and will continue stretching and going to the sauna to continue training. What I’m hoping is to get my tendon/joint issues sufficiently dealt with in time for the Silver State 50 in Reno, NV on 5/19. That way, I can get a much fuller picture of how I’m doing and what I can do to improve in the last weeks. This is my second year running ultras, so I’m definitely gauging it in relation to that performance curve as well. Everyone’s always looking for that perfect race or the perfect indicator of performance. I’m not sure if that perfect race actually exists considering most of us will have more “bad races” than “good races”, whatever that means for each of us. However, there are always things that I can do both training-wise and health-wise to bring me one step closer. I’d rather be one step closer to perfection than one step further away. Perfection is a journey, not a destination.
Stay strong and keep movin’. God bless.
Gundy
Wow…..what a weekend. It was packed with a lot of things going on. On Saturday in the morning, I helped take a group of high schoolers from my church down to a soup kitchen to help them prepare lunch and greet the people. In the midst of this, they were participating in a 30 hour famine as a way to raise money to help feed the hungry, develop discipline and self-control over something we consider a life necessity, and gain a greater appreciation for the blessings that God has given them. As you can imagine, being around food only heightened their awareness of the fast. But in the midst of that, being able to serve people whose daily transience is built around finding the next soup kitchen or the next homeless shelter is a humbling thing. There is a severe shortage of a continuous awareness of how we can serve those most in need. There is not a gated community or security system in the world that should keep these images out of our consciousness. It’s not just about giving the guy on the corner $1 every time you see him; it’s an awareness that everything I own and everything I do is an instrument to do God’s good works.
Sunday, it was off to the Mt. Diablo 50 Mile Run. It didn’t start off too well; I was almost late to the start due to a gasoline fire in the East Bay which melted a couple of overpasses (yes, I did say melted). But I got there and to the start a couple minutes before the approximately 7 a.m. start. The nice thing about getting to a race early is the opportunity to relax, stretch fully, and ease into it. This time, it was just arrive, put the gear on, put the bib number on the chest, wait a couple minutes and just get going.
The first 8 mile climb to the summit was long and treacherous at points. I was using a softer trail shoe to compensate for the tendonitis in my knee, which also meant a softer base. A couple of sharp downhills on the narrow trails left me struggling to keep my outside foot on the hillside. It didn’t help that my back wasn’t yet fully stretched out from the hurried start. While this muscle tightness would go way, every once in awhile I would stop and pause to bend my back backwards to loosen up the muscles on the steep inclines of this beginning climb.
The next 6.5 miles was a long, winding road down into the canyons. Most of this was a breeze, cruising down at a sub-8:00 minute/mile pace overall. At times, the gravel and rock covered trail was too steep to run, especially in the shoes I had chosen. For me, the pivotal point in the race came a few miles later between miles 17 and 21. My right knee was starting to throb and even the smallest of downhills was becoming a grueling chore. For the briefest of moments, 21 miles into the race, I even sat down on an uphill beneath an oak tree just after a stream. I sat there with my leg outstretched trying to coax it into being less painful. My physical condition as well as, to a lesser extent, the toll it was taking on my overall time was killing me inside. The mental and spiritual desire to keep driving and keep moving was coming in direct conflict with what my body was allowing me to do.
More and more, in all manner of races, managing the intensity of the race is as important for me as managing my physical condition. The individual who can manage the mental and spiritual is often the one who can snap out of “the funk” that often accompanies the relative physical low-points of any race. I am naturally a very easy-going individual, so when my sense of humor starts to go, the intensity can build expotentially. Despite the fact that I watched a few people pass me by, it was the chance meeting with a fellow runner that helped me immensely. I had told him that my knee was killing me, to which he offered a couple of Aleve tablets. He even offered me a little bit of extra fluid from his water container to help keep me a float. While the Aleve was a first step in getting my body back into it, it was the simple gesture of giving that really picked me up. I would end up having a brief 7-10 minute conversation with him, which helped brighten my spirits in general. I needed to get beyond my general malaise and see that there was a bright future in this race. Sometimes, we forget that no matter what race we are running (i.e. 10k, half-marathon, marathon, ultramarathon), there will always be those relative down times. I don’t think there’s been a marathon or ultramarathon where the thought of not finishing has not crossed my mind, even for the briefest of moments. It was good for me, both personally and for my future races, to experience that again. It’s often how we deal with being in those physical, mental and spiritual valleys that will dictate the end results. It doesn’t hurt that God seems to sends angels in the least likely of moments when we need it most.
The pain relief kicked in a few long miles down the road. By that time, I was mentally much more alert and took the time to more fully hydrate myself at an aid station. The pain became more tolerable and I was more relaxed and refreshed. I had sped past the half-way point around 5:47, which was a little slower than the 5:30 needed for a 11 hour pace, but felt light years ahead of where I had been just an hour and a half earlier.
I also employed a new running technique. With my right knee still in relative discomfort, I was still determined to speed up on the downhills, which is where my time was being hurt the most. So, I started to let my left leg lead jumping off ledges and would extend my left leg further on downhills. Once the left leg hit the ground, I would hold the foot planted to allow it to absorb a great deal of the energy of the impact. This would allow me to shuffle the right leg just above the surface and plant quickly before moving my left leg into position again.
Now, let me caution anyone out there from doing this on a consistent basis. This is not ideal physically, as it puts an uneven amount of stress on particular joints. While I have seen some people adapt due to limb amputation, running asymmetrically or even partially “off-balance” as a regular practice can only lead to bigger injuries. All of your supporting joints, particularly your back, are designed to work best with a upright posture.
That being said, it ended up working well for me considering my situation. The biggest benefit was the increased speed on the downhills. While the overall soreness of the tendons in my knee still suppressed my speed, I was able to move more fluidly which limited the herky-jerky slowing down I had done earlier. Over the last 8 miles of crunching downhill and gravel from Mt. Diablo’s summit to the finish, I was able to average 10.5 minutes/mile again. I even let gravity take me and really opened my stride on the flats and moderate downhills. Not to say that it was all comfortable on my right knee, but the fact I was able to find that more fluid running motion helped immensely. Of course, it didn’t help that I got lost and ended up doing an extra 3.5 miles didn’t exactly help. I was not very happy about that, but hey, an extra few miles for Western States training works for me. Even though my “official” 53.5 mile time was 13:16, when my GPS watch hit 50 miles, I was at 12:25. 12:25 for 50 miles in that state park considering my various ailments was a good step in the right direction. It was an excellent training race with my body still in the recovery phase from the tendonitis. It definitely bodes well as is a good marker towards the sub-24 hour finish I desire at Western States. With over 13,000 ft. of both vertical climbing and bone crunching descent, it is harder time-wise than most 100k (62.1 mile) races.
Priority number one for me, at this stage, has to be getting my knee well. That will have the single biggest effect on my overall time/well-being during the Western States 100 and eventually Badwater. The goals of a sub-24 hour (silver buckle) at Western States and going sub-34 hours at Badwater (135 miles) remain the same, but my body needs to be able to effectively function for that to become a reality. I feel much better in my legs today, and will continue stretching and going to the sauna to continue training. What I’m hoping is to get my tendon/joint issues sufficiently dealt with in time for the Silver State 50 in Reno, NV on 5/19. That way, I can get a much fuller picture of how I’m doing and what I can do to improve in the last weeks. This is my second year running ultras, so I’m definitely gauging it in relation to that performance curve as well. Everyone’s always looking for that perfect race or the perfect indicator of performance. I’m not sure if that perfect race actually exists considering most of us will have more “bad races” than “good races”, whatever that means for each of us. However, there are always things that I can do both training-wise and health-wise to bring me one step closer. I’d rather be one step closer to perfection than one step further away. Perfection is a journey, not a destination.
Stay strong and keep movin’. God bless.
Gundy
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Greetings again,
It's game time this morning with the Diablo 50. The nerves are getting revved up and the stomach quesy. I love race day rituals, the things that always remind you that it's race day. For me, I get sick to my stomach until the first 15 minutes of the race is over. It's not so much that I feel nervous in my head, but my body just anticipates what I'm going to put it through. Usually, I feel a little better after a quick trip to the restroom before the race, which gets rid of last night's dinner. I'll put my clothes on, pray privately, get in my car and go to the race site. Usually at the race site before the race, I pray silently and quietly scan the crowd. It's just hard for me to be that social that early in the morning when most ultramarathons begin. I like to sit in my own world and really take in the journey that I'm going to go on. Today, with everything that's happened with my mom and her friend, I look forward to self-therapy. It sure beats paying a shrink $100 an hour when I can just run and listen to God and my own thoughts. Even when I'm moving during an ultra, the world just seems to stop and fade away. Who needs the ivory towers of man when God's creation awaits. Mt. Diablo is a reminder that even as man tries to create and re-create, perfection is already all around us. Good times, indeed (hehe).
Hopefully, a sub-11 hour race awaits! Stay strong and keep movin’.
God bless, Gundy
It's game time this morning with the Diablo 50. The nerves are getting revved up and the stomach quesy. I love race day rituals, the things that always remind you that it's race day. For me, I get sick to my stomach until the first 15 minutes of the race is over. It's not so much that I feel nervous in my head, but my body just anticipates what I'm going to put it through. Usually, I feel a little better after a quick trip to the restroom before the race, which gets rid of last night's dinner. I'll put my clothes on, pray privately, get in my car and go to the race site. Usually at the race site before the race, I pray silently and quietly scan the crowd. It's just hard for me to be that social that early in the morning when most ultramarathons begin. I like to sit in my own world and really take in the journey that I'm going to go on. Today, with everything that's happened with my mom and her friend, I look forward to self-therapy. It sure beats paying a shrink $100 an hour when I can just run and listen to God and my own thoughts. Even when I'm moving during an ultra, the world just seems to stop and fade away. Who needs the ivory towers of man when God's creation awaits. Mt. Diablo is a reminder that even as man tries to create and re-create, perfection is already all around us. Good times, indeed (hehe).
Hopefully, a sub-11 hour race awaits! Stay strong and keep movin’.
God bless, Gundy
Monday, April 23, 2007
Mourning into Running
Greetings again,
Once again, a new week begins. This weekend was a tough one for running, with the bulk of my focus devoted to the funeral service for my mom’s friend. Helping out with the reception, getting things setup, helping my mom with her eulogy, and of course, the service itself, was emotionally overwhelming. My mom’s pastor handled the service in the best way possible, his words providing comfort to those there in a multitude of ways. I don’t think I’ll ever get “used to it”, although I imagine the feelings are somewhat different when you’re a little older than just 29. Relative to those around me, I feel like I’ve been to too many of these services, playing a different role in each of them. As much as I love to run, I hope that when I pass that my life will reflect a richness and an impact that stretches beyond just “what I do”, like my mom’s friend’s life. God rest her soul.
Next weekend is the Diablo 50, a challenging run up, over and around Mt. Diablo in the East Bay Area here in sunny California. Anytime you look at race results and realize that “being elite” in this race means sub-10 hours, you know this isn’t just a run in the park. I’ll try to set a sub-11 hour race plan and we’ll go from there. I’m cautious with my knee inflammation lately, so the first half will be to maintain and the second half to try and let loose. With over 13,000 feet of elevation gain, I’m sure it’ll provide some spectacular views of the East Bay at the summit near 4,000 ft. elevation. I’m sure some people out there from the Sierras or Colorado or the Appalatians will have other spectacular views to talk about, but I think in and of itself, Mt. Diablo is a pretty nice place to run.
My patella tendon seems to be healing up from its inflammation. I took it for a 10 mile hard run (6:45 min/mile), and it held up well. The breeze was very cool and crisp in San Francisco; it’s nice to workout outdoors, especially when the nasty rains can take some workouts into the gym. I like to go out there and explore, but in terms of keeping up fluids and nutrition, going out on the 4.5 mile loop at Lake Merced just makes sense recently. I’ve been trying my darndest to get used to Sustained Energy from Hammer, but that stuff just makes me want to puke sometimes when I really exert myself. If anyone has something they use in the heat that they love, shoot me an email because I’d love to know.
Alright, that’s all from me. Stay strong and keep movin’. If there’s something I’ve learned recently, it’s that even though life is movin’, make sure to take the time to enjoy the blessings around you.
God bless,
Gundy
Once again, a new week begins. This weekend was a tough one for running, with the bulk of my focus devoted to the funeral service for my mom’s friend. Helping out with the reception, getting things setup, helping my mom with her eulogy, and of course, the service itself, was emotionally overwhelming. My mom’s pastor handled the service in the best way possible, his words providing comfort to those there in a multitude of ways. I don’t think I’ll ever get “used to it”, although I imagine the feelings are somewhat different when you’re a little older than just 29. Relative to those around me, I feel like I’ve been to too many of these services, playing a different role in each of them. As much as I love to run, I hope that when I pass that my life will reflect a richness and an impact that stretches beyond just “what I do”, like my mom’s friend’s life. God rest her soul.
Next weekend is the Diablo 50, a challenging run up, over and around Mt. Diablo in the East Bay Area here in sunny California. Anytime you look at race results and realize that “being elite” in this race means sub-10 hours, you know this isn’t just a run in the park. I’ll try to set a sub-11 hour race plan and we’ll go from there. I’m cautious with my knee inflammation lately, so the first half will be to maintain and the second half to try and let loose. With over 13,000 feet of elevation gain, I’m sure it’ll provide some spectacular views of the East Bay at the summit near 4,000 ft. elevation. I’m sure some people out there from the Sierras or Colorado or the Appalatians will have other spectacular views to talk about, but I think in and of itself, Mt. Diablo is a pretty nice place to run.
My patella tendon seems to be healing up from its inflammation. I took it for a 10 mile hard run (6:45 min/mile), and it held up well. The breeze was very cool and crisp in San Francisco; it’s nice to workout outdoors, especially when the nasty rains can take some workouts into the gym. I like to go out there and explore, but in terms of keeping up fluids and nutrition, going out on the 4.5 mile loop at Lake Merced just makes sense recently. I’ve been trying my darndest to get used to Sustained Energy from Hammer, but that stuff just makes me want to puke sometimes when I really exert myself. If anyone has something they use in the heat that they love, shoot me an email because I’d love to know.
Alright, that’s all from me. Stay strong and keep movin’. If there’s something I’ve learned recently, it’s that even though life is movin’, make sure to take the time to enjoy the blessings around you.
God bless,
Gundy
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Sauna Time
Hello everyone,
Greetings from rainy San Francisco. Yes, it's raining again; I'm hoping it's not a repeat of last year, when it kept raining all through spring. It's almost that time again to begin sauna training. I know what you're thinking.....sauna's aren't always the most sanitary places. Thank goodness it's a dry sauna so I don't have to sit on people's sweat. With people sweating all over the place, that's a good thing. Other than that, let the random conversations begin. I don't know what it about being in a sauna that generates conversation, but I like the fact that this training can lead to interesting conversations again this year about everything and anything in life. This year's target: 180 degrees F for 75 minutes. If I train longer, go farther, and train faster, then the race will be its own reward. Right now? I'll go for 20 minutes tops at 180 degrees F by the end of the month. Onward we go...
Keep movin' and God bless. I'll write more tomorrow.
Gundy
Greetings from rainy San Francisco. Yes, it's raining again; I'm hoping it's not a repeat of last year, when it kept raining all through spring. It's almost that time again to begin sauna training. I know what you're thinking.....sauna's aren't always the most sanitary places. Thank goodness it's a dry sauna so I don't have to sit on people's sweat. With people sweating all over the place, that's a good thing. Other than that, let the random conversations begin. I don't know what it about being in a sauna that generates conversation, but I like the fact that this training can lead to interesting conversations again this year about everything and anything in life. This year's target: 180 degrees F for 75 minutes. If I train longer, go farther, and train faster, then the race will be its own reward. Right now? I'll go for 20 minutes tops at 180 degrees F by the end of the month. Onward we go...
Keep movin' and God bless. I'll write more tomorrow.
Gundy
Friday, April 13, 2007
Hello everyone,
This is my once a week (at least the last couple weeks) update, so not a terrible amount to report. It's been a trying week so far, with my mother's close friend passing away from cancer. I can't say I understand it all, but it's there's little about how this world works that I do understand. Once again, it refocuses my commitment to use the resources and abilities that I have to try and postively impact the world we all live in. I don't want to run aimlessly, but be purposeful in how I do things. The thing that sticks out most about my mother's friend was just how generous she was. Even into my twenties, she has always remembered my brother and I at times like Christmas, always giving above and beyond her means. Too many of us give out of our surplus, but she always gave out of the best of what she had. She did it because to her, that's what Jesus would have done. Her tremendous courage never wavered unto the end, a testament to strength of her convictions. I know that our actions always bear us out, always revealing our hearts. Remember that next time you run a race or go to work or spend time with family or go to church or talk to a friend. Sometimes the wicked live long and the righteous die young, but our races all end at the same finish line.
I've spent the week keeping my runs to around 10 miles each day, to allow the tendonitis in my knee to subside. Moving on the uphills/steps after my workouts has gotten much better since I've been icing my knee down every night. The Mt. Diablo 50 is in 2 weeks, and I want to perform well. On each of my runs, I've kept my pace to sub-7 minute mile, which has been good for my conditioning. I'll try to add on track workouts of sub-2:50 800s to get my speed back in order. I still want to PR at the San Diego Marathon in June, so these workouts are also important for that. My uncle keeps hammering in my head that if I can get my marathon around 3:00 (or sub 3 at some point), it'll help a lot of the 50s, 100s and 135 miles at Badwater. I am looking forward to spending a night at Yosemite this weekend, which should be relaxing. The slower paced hiking should be great for my legs so that I can get a great long run in on Sunday night. Life is always a process, and it's important to peak at the right times. I just need to be patient in that.
My new logo is up, along with a new tab dedicated to my sale of some of these technical shirts. All profits from the sale of the shirts will go to benefit World Harvest Mission. Just to give you a little knowledge about the logo, it's a soccer-style shield that goes on the upper left of the shirt. The banners say Badwater United on top and "Ora et Labora" on bottom, which means "Pray and Work" in Latin. The motto, the Benedictine monks motto, is symbolic of how much both Badwater and other ultras in general are about things that are both in our control and outside of control. It definitely is how I do it, because if it was all just me, I don't know. The top left corner is three crosses, representing our faith. The top right corner is the Rampant Lion, a symbol of my father's heritage as well as heritage of many other nations. It represents family. The bottom left corner is a flaming heart, representing charity. The bottom right is a mountain with the sun rising in the background. It represents new beginnings and the sun rising out of the darkness. The shirts will be white with large orange stripes running from the underarm down the torso on the right and left hand side. The screened logo version will be $29 and the embroidered logo version (very cool, like the European soccer jerseys) will be $39. I've just ordered them, so the screened version will start shipping in 2 weeks and the embroidered logo version in 4 weeks. Graphics are located on The Store page above.I'm contemplating trying to see the fruit of my labors with a trip to Uganda in August (maybe) if we can turn those funds into a well project quickly. Last time I was there, I didn't get a chance to get out to the orphanage that benefits from WHM, so I'll have to do that as well. I can post the video and photos here for you all to see how you've enabled me to do so much in this world. We'll see how the schedule works out, but I'm hopeful. This is just another step in the process of engaging and getting more versed in working to do bigger and better things for others. It's all about doing unto others as Jesus has done for me.
Alright, that's all from me. Stay strong and keep on movin'; the race is long, no matter where it ends. God bless.
Gundy
This is my once a week (at least the last couple weeks) update, so not a terrible amount to report. It's been a trying week so far, with my mother's close friend passing away from cancer. I can't say I understand it all, but it's there's little about how this world works that I do understand. Once again, it refocuses my commitment to use the resources and abilities that I have to try and postively impact the world we all live in. I don't want to run aimlessly, but be purposeful in how I do things. The thing that sticks out most about my mother's friend was just how generous she was. Even into my twenties, she has always remembered my brother and I at times like Christmas, always giving above and beyond her means. Too many of us give out of our surplus, but she always gave out of the best of what she had. She did it because to her, that's what Jesus would have done. Her tremendous courage never wavered unto the end, a testament to strength of her convictions. I know that our actions always bear us out, always revealing our hearts. Remember that next time you run a race or go to work or spend time with family or go to church or talk to a friend. Sometimes the wicked live long and the righteous die young, but our races all end at the same finish line.
I've spent the week keeping my runs to around 10 miles each day, to allow the tendonitis in my knee to subside. Moving on the uphills/steps after my workouts has gotten much better since I've been icing my knee down every night. The Mt. Diablo 50 is in 2 weeks, and I want to perform well. On each of my runs, I've kept my pace to sub-7 minute mile, which has been good for my conditioning. I'll try to add on track workouts of sub-2:50 800s to get my speed back in order. I still want to PR at the San Diego Marathon in June, so these workouts are also important for that. My uncle keeps hammering in my head that if I can get my marathon around 3:00 (or sub 3 at some point), it'll help a lot of the 50s, 100s and 135 miles at Badwater. I am looking forward to spending a night at Yosemite this weekend, which should be relaxing. The slower paced hiking should be great for my legs so that I can get a great long run in on Sunday night. Life is always a process, and it's important to peak at the right times. I just need to be patient in that.
My new logo is up, along with a new tab dedicated to my sale of some of these technical shirts. All profits from the sale of the shirts will go to benefit World Harvest Mission. Just to give you a little knowledge about the logo, it's a soccer-style shield that goes on the upper left of the shirt. The banners say Badwater United on top and "Ora et Labora" on bottom, which means "Pray and Work" in Latin. The motto, the Benedictine monks motto, is symbolic of how much both Badwater and other ultras in general are about things that are both in our control and outside of control. It definitely is how I do it, because if it was all just me, I don't know. The top left corner is three crosses, representing our faith. The top right corner is the Rampant Lion, a symbol of my father's heritage as well as heritage of many other nations. It represents family. The bottom left corner is a flaming heart, representing charity. The bottom right is a mountain with the sun rising in the background. It represents new beginnings and the sun rising out of the darkness. The shirts will be white with large orange stripes running from the underarm down the torso on the right and left hand side. The screened logo version will be $29 and the embroidered logo version (very cool, like the European soccer jerseys) will be $39. I've just ordered them, so the screened version will start shipping in 2 weeks and the embroidered logo version in 4 weeks. Graphics are located on The Store page above.I'm contemplating trying to see the fruit of my labors with a trip to Uganda in August (maybe) if we can turn those funds into a well project quickly. Last time I was there, I didn't get a chance to get out to the orphanage that benefits from WHM, so I'll have to do that as well. I can post the video and photos here for you all to see how you've enabled me to do so much in this world. We'll see how the schedule works out, but I'm hopeful. This is just another step in the process of engaging and getting more versed in working to do bigger and better things for others. It's all about doing unto others as Jesus has done for me.
Alright, that's all from me. Stay strong and keep on movin'; the race is long, no matter where it ends. God bless.
Gundy
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Greetings again,
I hope everyone is well and that the new year is treating you well. As for me, it's a new season for a lot of things. First of all, I have a new job with a new company, so that's exciting. Anytime you go somewhere new, there's always a new challenge, and I'll definitely be challenged with some of the biotech process design and project execution work that I'll be doing. It's not always that exciting, but it's a great chance for me to step outside of the box. Special thanks to everyone at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, which helped support my run last year at Badwater with a generous donation to help pay personal expenses. Hopefully, I'll be able to leverage that relationship to do some good fundraising this year for World Harvest Mission as part of my 2007 Badwater Ultramarathon adventure. Goal is to raise $4000 dollars this year. Let me know if you want to help; I'm designing some soccer style technical shirts to sell to help meet this goal as well.
I was too late to sign up for the Way To Cool 50k, so I just did the Ruth Anderson 50k on Saturday. What a beautiful day in San Francisco! I am convinced that a low 70s day with a cool breeze is probably as good as it gets at Lake Merced, close to the beach and the Pacific. It'll probably be cold as heck in the summer knowing San Francisco, but for now, it's all good. I ran a respectable 4:16, but was slowed over the last 1/3 of the race with soreness in my right knee. I was definitely picking up the pace at the end and felt good about staying below a sub 7:00 50 mile pace. My patella tendon was irritated and I've been going through a regimen of icing and heat to get it back to normal. I have the Diablo 50m in three weeks and the Silver State 50 in May, so I don't want be out of commission.
I pride myself on keeping my body in excellent physical condition, but I take extra precautions as it relates to my right knee since it was the one surgically operated on 9 years ago to repair a torn ACL. I do not want to tear other ligaments and keeping my muscles/tendons strong is a big part of that. I can still hear the tearing in my knee from that day 9 years ago while playing a stupid intramural flag football game, like tearing the fabric of a blanket in two. As the training ramps up for Western States 100 (in the Sierras) and the Badwater Ultramarathon, the hardest part is to continue to maintain the balance in my life. There is so much other stuff that contributes richly to my life, such as the work for World Harvest Mission, or my work with high schoolers at my church, and I don't want to marginalize it. The most exciting thing I'm looking forward to. I have a friend from Uganda who is visiting here in the States. He's staying in Texas but having problems getting the documentation so he can start working. He's trying to save up money to pay off expenses back in Uganda and help his family out, so if you can say a prayer for him, it would be much appreciated. I'm not quite sure how to help him, except to try to see what procedures were available for him to obtain the visa and work papers he needs to do it legally.
Alright, that's all from me. Stay strong and keep on movin'; the race is long. God bless.
Gundy
I hope everyone is well and that the new year is treating you well. As for me, it's a new season for a lot of things. First of all, I have a new job with a new company, so that's exciting. Anytime you go somewhere new, there's always a new challenge, and I'll definitely be challenged with some of the biotech process design and project execution work that I'll be doing. It's not always that exciting, but it's a great chance for me to step outside of the box. Special thanks to everyone at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group, which helped support my run last year at Badwater with a generous donation to help pay personal expenses. Hopefully, I'll be able to leverage that relationship to do some good fundraising this year for World Harvest Mission as part of my 2007 Badwater Ultramarathon adventure. Goal is to raise $4000 dollars this year. Let me know if you want to help; I'm designing some soccer style technical shirts to sell to help meet this goal as well.
I was too late to sign up for the Way To Cool 50k, so I just did the Ruth Anderson 50k on Saturday. What a beautiful day in San Francisco! I am convinced that a low 70s day with a cool breeze is probably as good as it gets at Lake Merced, close to the beach and the Pacific. It'll probably be cold as heck in the summer knowing San Francisco, but for now, it's all good. I ran a respectable 4:16, but was slowed over the last 1/3 of the race with soreness in my right knee. I was definitely picking up the pace at the end and felt good about staying below a sub 7:00 50 mile pace. My patella tendon was irritated and I've been going through a regimen of icing and heat to get it back to normal. I have the Diablo 50m in three weeks and the Silver State 50 in May, so I don't want be out of commission.
I pride myself on keeping my body in excellent physical condition, but I take extra precautions as it relates to my right knee since it was the one surgically operated on 9 years ago to repair a torn ACL. I do not want to tear other ligaments and keeping my muscles/tendons strong is a big part of that. I can still hear the tearing in my knee from that day 9 years ago while playing a stupid intramural flag football game, like tearing the fabric of a blanket in two. As the training ramps up for Western States 100 (in the Sierras) and the Badwater Ultramarathon, the hardest part is to continue to maintain the balance in my life. There is so much other stuff that contributes richly to my life, such as the work for World Harvest Mission, or my work with high schoolers at my church, and I don't want to marginalize it. The most exciting thing I'm looking forward to. I have a friend from Uganda who is visiting here in the States. He's staying in Texas but having problems getting the documentation so he can start working. He's trying to save up money to pay off expenses back in Uganda and help his family out, so if you can say a prayer for him, it would be much appreciated. I'm not quite sure how to help him, except to try to see what procedures were available for him to obtain the visa and work papers he needs to do it legally.
Alright, that's all from me. Stay strong and keep on movin'; the race is long. God bless.
Gundy
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