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11/26/07 Two months from today I will be running 50 miles on my 50^th birthday. I am excited and humbled to be on this journey. I will be raising money for Hands-of-Hope, a Guatemalan charity that truly “walks the walk.” This is the least I can do for those who are saving lives every day. I am grateful to all of you participating with me and am really looking forward to the 26^th of January. 11/27/07 Out to the track this morning for some faster running. This is my first time back to the track in about 3 months. It feels good to be back running circles. I ran 1200, 800, 400 (x2). The weather is better in Tampa now that it has cooled off.11/28/07 Just an easy 8 miler this morning. I am feeling the training along with the fatigue of working on my house all day. We have been doing renovations to our house. Off to get the girls from school. Ana and Elsa are planning on running a few blocks with me at the end.

11/29/07 I ran a tempo run today out on Davis Islands. I am not running as far today in anticipation of my half marathon this coming Sunday. I wanted to mention how hard Mary has been working on this project. I appreciate it and could not do it without her and her never ending support.

 

12/30/07 Wow, December  already. Santa will be here soon. As you can guess, Christmas time for 6 year olds is really special. I went an easy 7 miles today. I am feeling the effects of getting up so early, but my body will adjust.

12/01/07 I ran with the blue sharks from the downtown Y. We meet every Saturday at 5:30 for a Davis Islands run. I went 6 miles today. I don’t feel the pain in my hip anymore, just a little stiffness. Full speed ahead into the half marathon tomorrow.

12/02/07 Brandon ½ marathon was this morning at 7 AM. I ran a controlled 1:30. A few seconds faster than last year and felt pretty good most of the way. This is my second race in quite a few months. It feels good to be back to racing. I took 3^rd in my age group and brought the girls a trophy home. A 54 mile week .

12/03/07 This is my day off. No running but still working on the house. Cross-training of sorts. I keep hearing from more and more people that they will be joining me for some of the 50 for 50. This is great that people are interested in doing this. I really appreciate the support and interest.

12/04/07 Kind of sore today from last Sunday’s race. Off to the track for 12 x400 repeats. Now I am seeing improvement in cardio at the track. Always a good sign of improving fitness. Ran for a total of 8 miles today.

12/05/07 Back to doing 10 mile Wednesdays. I am still feeling the effects of last Sunday’s race but this will pass soon. I want to start doing these 10 milers faster than today’s but that will come in time.

12/06/07 Tempo run on Davis Island. 4 miles at 6:30 pace with a couple mile warm up and cool down. This is the kind of running that gets you in shape. We try to do these once a week. Ana was sick last night so I am running on empty.12/07/07 I took today off after a hard week of running. I am cautious these days of injury and my quad was in question. All will be well with some ibuprofen and rest. I have a weekend of higher miles coming.12/08/07 Ran with the running group from downtown Tampa, the Blue Sharks. I ran 12 miles at 7:30 pace and felt pretty good. The quad is still sore but usable. Every day I hear more people taking about the 50 for 50 and I think we will have a good turnout.

12/09/07Ran 22 miles with my friend Jim Malone at Flatwoods park. We ran a slow pace in order to simulate the 50 miler. Jim said to think of it as “just” a hike. Some hike.

12/10/07 Sore hip from the long run. Took off today in order to let it heal up. I will try again tomorrow.

12/11/07 Ran a few slow miles and still am feeling the hip. I am tired of this injury stuff, I have a major run to do.

12/12/07Took off today and just worked on the house. I am feeling better but trying to be cautious.

12/13/07 Ran a few miles today to “test” it out. As runners, we tend to push ourselves when we should hold back. Life is short, hard to hold back.

12/14/07 Took off today in anticipation on the Saturday run with the Sharks.

12/15/07 Ran 11 miles today at a slow pace. I was feeling my hip after about 4 miles. I am not sure I will be able to do a long run Sunday.

12/16/07 No long run today. I was limping pretty bad most of the day. I guess I overdid it yesterday although the other 3/4 of my body did not think so.

12/17/07 Ran 5 miles easy and felt ok. I think all is healing although I keep irritating it. Who ever said runners where smart.

12/18/07 Ran 2 miles today because of soreness in the hip. I will be OK it is just hard to wait it out.

12/19/07 I took off today and think I will lay off for a couple days and let this really heal. I heard from my college roomate Bill Dobbertin and my cousin Sharon Keene that they are really looking forward to the run. I will be ready.

12/20/07 Another day off and getting plenty of sleep. My body should be ready to go soon.

12/21/07 I have heard that Gregory from “Hands of Hope” may make it to the bash.  That would be great.  He is one that walks the walk.  Running 50 miles is nothing compared to the work they do.

12/22/07 I did 30 minutes on the eliptical machine.  It is my fastest way back to running on the roads although I would much prefer running.  It is tough waiting this one out.

12/23/07 Another 30 minutes on the machine.  I do not know how or why people spend all of this time in the gym when they could be outside walking or running. 

12/24/07  Took off today to let things heal a bit.  Went to church where my friend Fitz is the pastor.  A nice service, now we are waiting for Santa to arrive.  The girls are jazzed up.

12/25/07 Merry Christmas everyone.  Today is the day to think about the big picture.  I am the luckiest person I know to have such a great supportive family.  Having 6 year olds at Christmas is a special time.

12/26/07 Hip is slowly coming around.  I did another 30 minutes at the gym today.  50 for 50 is rolling along and I will be too.  One month to go.

12/27/07  Back to the gym.  I can’t begin to thank all of you for your interest in this event, it will be a great time.

12/28/07 Took off today and felt OK.  I have been busy working out back so I guess that is my cross training.

12/29/07 I had a good night’s sleep and feel I have turned the corner.  I will do a test tommorow on the grass to see how it goes.

12/30/07 I ran out on the grass by the Peter O’Knight airport.  It went ok and I think I may have turned the corner on this thing.

12/31/07 I did 30 minutes on the eliptical machine and a mile on the treadmill.  I felt pretty good as the day went on.  2007 was a great year for us in that we are so blessed by good health, family, friends.  I wish you all a Happy New Year.

1/1/08 I did the same workout today as yesterday and it went even better so I am very encouraged.  The weather is suppose to cool off for us tonight with a couple of nights in the 30’s.  We get spoiled here.  I am looking forward to getting back on the road for a couple of miles tommorow. 

1/2/08 I did the eliptical again today and only ran 2 miles afterward.  It was not the result I had hoped for.  I will get through this no matter what.  I need to keep thinking positive.

1/3/08 I took off today in hopes of letting the injury calm down.  I am hoping to run a few miles this weekend.  I appreciate all of help I have been getting from Mary, Elsa, Ana, Coach Joe Burgasser, Kristine Cox for massages and all of your positive vibes.

1/4/08 I ran 3 miles this morning and it went just ok.  I had a massage and even tried something new, a cold laser treatment.  They claim it heals things 60% faster.  Bring it on, I will try anything to get back on the road.

1/5/08 I did 30 minutes eliptical and 3 miles on the road.  It did feel better but very sore for a couple hours after.  Ibuprofen seems to help. On the positive side, the donations are coming in. My injury is nothing compared to what some of the Guatemalans have to go through day after day.  I am humbled and inspired by them.

1/6/08 I did my usual routine today with not much improvement.  These injuries seem to have a timetable of their own.  I am just trying to speed things up.

1/7/08 I saw an Orthopedic Doc today and he took an xray of my back.  No problems where seen.  He did not say much other than to take ibuprofen and good luck with the 50. I am encouraged.

1/8/08 I did eliptical for 30 minutes and ran 3 miles today.  The hip did not hurt like it has been and I think I have turned the corner.  I saw a physical therapist (Lacy Jennings) who stretched me out and gave me some ultra-sound therapy.  This also seemed to help in that I am feeling much better today.  Things are looking up.

1/9/08 Same routine for today and it went better than yesterday.  The shirts have been ordered and they should be great. 

1/10/08 I ran 4 miles today with some people at the downtown Y.  It went good and I am gaining on this thing everyday.  I will be ready, how about you?

1/11/08 Off today with Mary out of town.  I can’t believe how the time is flying.  The girls and I are driving down to meet Mary in Captiva.  Looking forward to running down there.

1/12/08 I ran 5 miles this morning which went ok. Not a very fast pace at all but just covering the miles is the ticket for now.  I can’t wait to get back to “normal” running.

1/13/08 Hey, today went even better with a 6 mile run.  I stood in the Gulf afterwards for awhile to get some cold water on my legs.  I hope this continues.

1/14/08 I only went 5 miles today and it was not as good as yesterday.  I hope it was because I went further yesterday. I saw the physical therapist this morning and feel fine.  I am hoping for a better run tommorow.

1/15/08 A much better day running.  I ran 5 miles on Davis Islands solo.  I have been doing these low milage days solo in that I do not want to push it by running with a group.  I ran into a friend (Leon) this morning and he wants to run 10 with me. I am getting pumped up about the event.  My friend Barry wants the girl’s old bike trailer to put on his bike to carry food and supplies on the run.  Thanks again to everyone involved, I could not do this without you. 

1/16/08 I ran 5 again this morning and it went even better.  Soon I will check out the weather for the 26th.  Not that any kind of weather would be a deterent for me to do the run.  Guatemala has closed down adoptions at this point until some laws are changed.  We are so lucky to have Ana and Elsa.  They are pure inspiration.

1/17/08 I had physical therapy this morning and ran 6 miles.  It went fine other than some normal quad pain that comes from running.  We have an unusually overcast day here today with light rain.  Very nice running weather. 

1/18/08 I took off today.  I am really looking forward to next week.  It is hard to believe that I will be 50.  I remember not even knowing (or wanting to know) people over 50, unless I was related to them.  Times change and I realize how lucky I am to be doing this run. 

1/19/08 I ran 9 miles this morning.  It went well.  Next week at this time I will be in deep.  Slow and steady will work for this run.  I am looking forward to seeing all of you and again, thanks for being a part of this. 

1/20/08 I ran 8 miles this morning with Joan Benoit Samuelson.  She was the first woman to win a gold medal in the LA Olympics and also won Boston twice.  Joan is a very humble person who seemed to be just another runner out for a run.  I felt good and inspired by her.

1/21/08 I ran 5 miles this morning and had physical therapy after.  I talked to my ultra friend, Jim Malone, and he suggested I run 5 miles and then walk 5 minutes.   This will be the framework the I will work with.

1/22/08 I took off this morning. Here we are just a few days away from the run.  I will be running 6 miles Wednesday, 5 on Thursday, off Friday and run, run, run on Saturday.

1/23/08 I ran 6 miles this morning with some friends.  It is always easier to run with people although at times it is nice to go solo.  I have been getting many words of encouragement from people, which is great.

1/24/08 I put in 5 miles this morning for my last run until 50for50.  I will take off tomorrow.  The t-shirts came in today along with some relatives and friends.  I guess this is really going to happen.  I can’t wait to see you all out there somewhere on the course.

1/25/08 Well, it is finally in sight.  I took off today.  My cousins are in from California and Ohio.  My brother and his wife are in from North Carolina.  My aunts and uncle are in from Arizona and Ohio.  My college roomate is in from Ohio. I truly feel so fortunate to have such  supportive family and friends.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  And to Mary, Ana, and Elsa , all my love.  See you all on the other side of 50.  Off to bed (8:26 PM), I have a few miles to run in the morning.

 1/26/08  - 2:22 AM - I got up and got ready to head out on the journey.  My friend, Barry, is towing the food/drink trailer behind his bike.  He has been out in front of my house since 2:00AM.  Twelve people arrive to start with me.  I am humbled by this turnout.  We take off on the course at 3:00AM.  The weather is perfect for running.  We start on a slow pace, not knowing what was in store later in the run.   The miles were clicking by pretty good, lots of off color commentation helped pass the time.  We met up with a big group of runners at the YMCA at 6 AM, that was at mile 16 and all was going well.  We ran down the parade route on Bayshore where I was joined by a couple more friends along the way.  I still cannot believe the support I have had during this, I am very lucky.  We hit the Davis Islands bridge at mile 26.  Joe Timberlake, an ultra runner, kept me on pace for about 20+ miles until he had to leave.  My friend, Mark Woods, came down from Jacksonville to run with me and did 31 miles.  I have run many miles with Mark over the years and was so glad he was along for this one. I passed my family a couple times over at the baseball field, a highlight for me. Barry Hanerfeld was keeping things upbeat throughout the run and I can’t thank him enough for his support. Channel Drive was starting to fill up with parade watchers and this proved to be a nice diversion to look at. Then we were off to the other side of the island which was very quiet.  I liked that part also.  After mile 43 I was in new territory in that I had never run further than that.  I stopped to fix my sock because I felt a blister coming on.  I ate a couple peanut butter/banana sandwichs on the course along with Gatorade, water, and pretzels.  I came by my family again and had 5 miles left.  I stopped to give Mary, Elsa, Ana and my niece Maddie a kiss and I was off to the final leg.  I had 1.5 miles to go and my old friend, Bill Dobbertin, was on the course to run the final mile with me.  I was so glad to see him there.  I passed 50 miles!  I ran to the finish line that my cousins Debbie and Sharon had put up, and crossed with Ana and Elsa. One pair of shoes $85.00,  running shorts $25., crossing a 50 miler with my girls…priceless.  I want to thank my Mom who make all of this possible and I want to thank all of you for your support throughout this quest.  You all inspired me to finish this run and we did it!

1/27/08 Wow! What a great feeling to know that we raised so much money for a great cause.  We are off to NYC for a few days.  I plan on taking today and Monday off. I don’t want to but I need to.  There is a difference.

1/28/08 The girls have never been to NYC and they are in awe of it all.  Of course, the toy store has been the highlight.  I am floating, knowing I have completed 50.  What a journey.

1/29/08 I ran 4 miles in Central Park today.  No pain, just the quads being sore.  Normal marathon stuff x2.  Central Park is one great place to run.  I once ran 24 miles there, which is 4 loops.  Lots of runners who never speak to each other.  Kind of wierd but just like NY.

1/30/08 I ran 4 miles again at a little better pace.  The soreness is going away and I am looking forward to training for Boston.  We went to the Statue of Liberty today. Very inspiring.

1/31/08  Back in Tampa.  I went for a run of 4 miles this morning out to the airport where I ran last Saturday.  I still can’t thank you enough for all of your support and for being there on one of the top 5 days of my life.

2/1/08 I took off today to let the legs heal a little.  I am just a little sore from the run which is exactly what I wanted in order to start my Boston marathon training.  It feels good to be back to running again.

2/2/08 I ran 7 miles from the Y this morning.  Nice and easy does it at this point.  The speed will come back after increasing distance. 

2/3/08 I went over to St. Petersburg and ran with a group for 12 miles.  It makes it so much easier to run when you have a few people to run with.  I was planning on doing 10 miles but felt pretty good so I continued on.  A good sign.

2/4/08 The donations are now just over $8000. which is unbelievable.  This money will go to save lives which makes this all worthwhile.  I ran 8 miles today.

2/5/08 Today I went for a 7 mile run through the Hyde Park area in Tampa.  These are very nice houses but I prefer living on Davis Islands, it suits us better.  The legs are feeling a bit tired but overall all systems are go.

2/6/08 I ran the hill portion of the Gandy Bridge today for 7 miles.  It is a nice run however the surface is not great for running.  Too much concrete running is not good for your legs.  I went easy but pushed some of it to test out the legs and overall fitness.

2/7/08 I ran 5 miles today on the 50for50 course.  I am going to do a 15K run Saturday.  It is the Gasparilla weekend of running with a 5K and 15K Saturday and a marathon and 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

2/8/08 I took off today but went to the runners expo at the convention center.  Many people have been congratulating me on the 50 miler.  How did you do it?  I am still trying to figure that one out.

2/9/08 I ran the 15K this morning in 1 hour and 4 minutes.  This is off of my pr time of 59:00 but considering that I did 50 two weeks ago, I will take it.  I am feeling no hip pain at all.  They wrote a nice article in the Tampa Tribune today on 50for50.  A good day for running.

2/10/08 I went up to San Antonio, FL to run the hills there.  I ran 16 miles at an easy pace.  I saw a bald eagle tring to get a dead possum off of the road.  I have seen things running that I would never see. I am lucky to be a runner.

2/11/08 I took off today in that my legs are sore from the past two days of running.  I am so glad to be out there again, pounding the pavement. I am looking forward to Boston.

2/12/08 I met up with some friends at the Y downtown for an 8 mile run.  We tend to meet at 5 AM.  It is over before the sun comes up.  I like to run in the dark, there is something to it.  It is so nice to be able to go out now and just run, I hope I never take this for granted.

 

 

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