Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Last post

I should probably just delete that last whiny post, but I'll leave it up so Dr. Andy or someone else can yell at me to quit whining and get my butt in gear.

5 comments:

David Ray said...

I was thinking along those lines but figured you were just crying in your beer. :)

Jamie Anderson said...

Damon dude, c'mon man, just think how epic THIS year is going to be! The first ever WS after a cancellation from wildfires! Yeah, you've been around the ultramarathon block quite a few times, but dude, you know it'll be BIG fun. You still have plenty of time to get ready. I was hoping to get in at least long run with you sometime this spring, so please get crackin'!

Dr. Andy said...

15lbs? I thought you looked a bit pudgy in the pictures from last weekend, but this is serious.

It sounds like you are burned out. Maybe a few days off and then back into it?

My not at all humble advice is that you've got to get your weight down by WS. With the climb into Robinson Flat back in, any extra weight will kill you, even if it is muscle. I know you are really into lifting, but I think you should figure out something to get lighter.

Ultimately, it is your life and your race, but I'd hate to see you DNF again.

Dr. X

Laurel said...

Damon, we all struggle with motivation at times. You need to shake up your training a little. Get out on some new trails, run with different people, run at different times of day than usual, just add some variety to make it exciting again. Just think, Vermont trails will be down to bare ground pretty quick. That should help! As Barbara S. said to me when I was slacking off a few years ago before my WS, "you can probably finish it on your base fitness alone, but you'll have a lot more fun if you get crackin' and run it well trained!"

Damon said...

Thanks for the virtual kicks in the butt everyone.

I got in a good workout last night and today will be my favorite run of the week. On Thursdays, I work at my second job and I get to do a long run along the shores of Lake Champlain. I'll do an easy 12 tonight and then I'm going to do 20 on Saturday morning.

Jamie, I'll be there and I'll be ready. There should be some good chances for us to run together still. The DRB race isn't full, so you could do that one a week from Sunday. I'll be at Pineland. And, the first Sunday in May, I'm hoping to get some people to do some repeats on Mount Mansfield's Toll Road here in VT.

I talked to the other Vermonter entered in WS recently and he probably won't be going because he's a few weeks away from becoming a first-time dad. So, I have to represent the state well.

Laurel, your comments are dead-on about slogging to a finish vs. having a good run. I was talking to my wife about that last night, saying it's important for me to be in good enough shape that it's not a 30 hour death march.

Andy, I'm currently re-evaluating some of my workout priorities related to lifting, bodyweight, etc. I'll get back to where I was last year, but it's going to take some work, and I might need to sacrifice some things I love for the next 12 weeks in favor of what I need. That likely means lifting and beer.