Race Day

In about 1 hour I will go and have breakfast and then get a ride out to the race site. It is quite hard sometimes to stop myself from getting excited and just relax. In the few hours before the race you get a chance to meet up with old friends from other races and tell a few stories about what has gone on since last we met. I will be back in a week and a half to let you know how things went

This time tomorrow

OK so this time tomorrow I will be about 4 hours into the race, which considering it's 10 days long doesn't seem that much. There is a big field of 40 + runners, so I won't get lonely. It is usually quite busy out there and I have a lot of friends in the race to talk to. The weather is supposed to be nice for at least the first 4 days. After this time about 30 more runners will start the 6 day race, then it will really be jumping.

This what the 6 & 10 day race site looks like 3 days before the start. The area where the cones are will be filled with personal tents. The big white ones are the dorms. In a couple of days this place will be buzzin'.

Run Out

OK so this is me running in the Ottawa 24 Hr race, but in 3 days time I hope I will look something like this as I start running in the Self Transcendence 10 day Race. The race as usual is in Flushing Meadow park New York, which is not far from where I live.
This morning Utpal and I ran out to the race site to see how things are going with the setup. It was pretty quiet, but just as we got there a runner from New Jersey showed up with some of his things, including his tent which he wanted to set up. We chatted for a little while and then Utpal and I headed home. He will drive me out there in an hours time with some of my stuff, in readiness for the race start on Wednesday.




Photo by Utsahi

8 days to go

yes I have just 8 days to go to the start of the 10 day race. I have been feeling a bit off the last couple of days, but then I always seem to feel like that before a race. maybe it's my bodies way of making sure I don't overdo it. I heard the other day that there will be something like 45 runners in the 10 day race, with another 30 or 32 6 day runners joining 4 days later. There as been a course change from the one we have been using for the past few years, so that will make it interesting The weather can be unpredictable so we just have to make do with whatever happens. This is the lot of the multi day runner.

Running shoes

I guess everyone has a favourite pair of running shoes. I have a pair of Asics right now that feel so comfortable when I wear them. I used them a lot in my races last year, but of course they do not last forever. Then hopefully another pair comes along that feel just as good. During multi day races I have had the experience, that a shoe that feels great one day can suddenly feel not so good a few days later, but I find generally that I manage with alternating between 3 pairs of shoes. I tend to change them every 6 to 8 hours if I can.

Flushing Meadow

After something like 6 weeks Utpal and I resumed, our Sunday morning ritual of running out to Flushing Meadow. This includes running on part of the 6 & 10 day race course, where I will be in just over 2 weeks time and our pilgrimage to the new baseball stadium being built. This is Utpal standing in front of part of it. It is the longest run I have done since before I went on my trip. I did feel somewhat the effects of the 2 mile race yesterday.
If I am fairly consistent for the next 2 weeks I think I will be in good shape. Though hopefully most of what I did in January and February is still there.

First in 6 weeks

Today I ran my first 2 mile race in 6 weeks. I gained a couple of pounds during my trip and I am not race fit, but it was good to get out there.
The weather was nice 50 F ( 9 C ) and it had rained a little earlier. Ran the first mile in 7:46, the second in 8:05 for a 15:51 time. I felt OK for the first mile and just tried to hold my form for the rest of the race, pushing in the last 50 meters.