Two-Twelve: Adding the Extra Degree

"The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it is possible." - Rich DeVos

Motivation. We all get it from somewhere...from someone. Often, we (and I mean endurance athletes) have the innate ability to find motivation within ourselves. I mean, seriously, out on the roads training or out on the race course, there are times when we are all alone. No one is there to encourage us, to push us forward. What keeps us from quitting right then and there?

I believe what sets us apart is the fact that we gather and save motivation and support from each other - from other athletes, from our tri-spouses, from our families/friends. Many people think that what we do is crazy - no matter what distance in which you compete. But we do it. We may not necessarily look great doing it, but we do. We have the will to try it, the will to train for it and the faith to believe that we're going to finish...and finish strong.

We are a special breed and I am happy to know that I belong. I am thankful for all of you out there that provide me with that inspiration and motivation that I need to continue to train and compete.

I had a great 18-mile training run on Saturday. I knew I could do it.  Not only because I was with a training group that wouldn't drop me, not only because I'd done this distance before, but because I was motivated and inspired by all of you...all of us.

Sometimes, though, we need more. I find motivation and inspiration from my personal relationship with Jesus. I also know that there organizations out there that put together "training" materials that motivate and inspire. Recently, I was told that I might want to check out 212° the extra degree. The premise here is built on the idea that only a small amount of extra effort can have a big impact on results. "At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. Just one extra degree can make all the difference."

There is a motivational introductory video on the site too. I checked it out and thought it was interesting...

I can't speak to the whole "training" of two-twelve, but I definitely believe and agree with the notion that the only secret to success is that there is no secret - hard work, commitment and perseverance is all that you need to achieve your goals.

Meeting New People

Moving to a new town, full of new faces and places to explore, is exciting. Moving away from your comfort zone, far from your training partners and favorite runs/rides, is sad.

To make it somewhat tolerable, okay, to make it fun and to find new folks to train with, I recently joined Meetup. If you haven't been on the site before...wow, you're in for a treat. There are meet ups for every imaginable interest. Crazy. To make sure I didn't get unsavory things sent my way, I set my "profile" to specifically find running, outdoor fitness, triathlon...and, well, just see this:

I am happy to say that the first Meetup I attended was awesome - thank goodness. Dedicated to Raleigh's "Fitness Buffs," the Live to Train...Train to Live group is full of athletes that are just looking for some no-nonsense motivation and camaraderie. The group is led and managed by Tim Kelly, a good Christian man and dedicated, highly-qualified trainer. Check him out at LivetoTrain.org.

I've already gone to two meetups, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Tuesday class was "ADVANCED Fitness Bootcamp" and the Wednesday class was "Running Class" (we did interval hill repeats). Needless to say, I am super sore today. Both meetups beat me into submission. I am excited, though, that I will be adding some true cross training to my NYC Marathon training. Yeah, I'm doing New York - awesome!

Anyone have Meetup stories - good or bad - to share? Anyone out there doing NYC?

Gone to Carolina...

Shooter Jennings sings, 

Every time I think I smell that sweet southern rain

It takes me to a station on the long black train

I wanna hear the wind blow and feel the earth move below me

Despite of all the good times, I gotta rest my soul

So I'm gone, yes, I'm gone

Gone to Carolina, where I know that I belong...

Alright, I think it is time. Time for me to get back at it, to check in and start chronicling my journey again. Not that I've been missed, but if anyone was curious as to where I've been, I have relocated to Raleigh, NC. Little did I know that Mr. Jennings would be so accurate.  I've not yet been here for two months and we've already felt the earth move below us thanks to the quake that was centered in VA and, well, the wind did blow thanks to Ms. Irene.

I am still running - training for the NYC Marathon. The training is going well, but the with the move and all, I am still trying to find a good group to keep me company on my longer weekend runs. I hope to get back to triathlon, too. I've been looking a few 2012 races that I may want to target.

Stay tuned here for more. I hope to be more active here and I look forward to resuming our conversations.  You excited?

Be well,

Jeffrey

Key Bank Vermont City Marathon 2011

Last Sunday, the 29th of May, I finished my second open marathon - the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT.  It was hot, humid and, by the time we reached mile 20, the signs posted at the aid stations read, Caution - High Risk. While the race officials were Ready for the Heat, that didn't keep it from affecting how I felt while running. Not to mention the pothole I found at mile 7 (see the image of my foot below from Monday afternoon). That bruising and swelling did go away pretty quickly and, according to my awesome podiatrist, Dr. Marc Lederman from West Hartford Podiatry, there are no broken bones. I think I lucked out there.

Excuses, excuses, I know. My gun time was 4:17:30. That is 7:07 slower than my first and I was in WAY better shape for this race. What changed? Everything! I wasn't doing this race for me...well, I was, but in a different way. I was running this one with Ted (even though he is a little behind me in the first pic - we really did run it together!). This was his first full marathon. He got to experience all of the challenges first hand. We were using this race just for the experience, so he can know what to expect when we take on the ING NYC Marathon this coming November. I think we will be in a great position to really enjoy it!

So, about the race...it isn't my favorite course - by far. I think we crossed under the start line three different times, as the course is designed (as it was explained to me by a 3:45-finish pace leader) somewhat like a clover. It felt more like an X to me. Out and back one way, out and back another, etc. Also, while the 3:45-finish pace leaders were friendly and inclusive, I felt that they went out WAY too fast. There is a pretty significant hill at mile 15 that we were planning for by "putting time in the bank" early on, but by the time we got there, the group had thinned out significantly.

I haven't uploaded my splits from my Timex Global Trainer, but if my memory serves, we had at least three sub 8:15 min/mi with one definitely sub 8:00 min/mi. When you are shooting for an 8:35 min/mi overall pace, that is pretty quick early on - in my opinion. I am more of stick to pace in the beginning and then negative split the last few miles. I thrive on that model and, after this race, think I will no longer utilize pace leaders.

To wrap it up, I am glad that I did it. It was a good trip and I had another great race with Ted. Having a running and training partner is awesome. Enjoy! It is good to be back with you all.