Free Tibet

http://iFresnoBeePress

A couple  weeks ago I did an interview with my local news paper about the run I'm planning on doing from my home in Fresno, Ca to Washington D.C.

Today I got a few text messages from some friends saying they read the article in today's paper.  I'm happy to know that word is getting out about the run I'm planning and the charity that I'm doing it for.

I am planning on running about 3,000 miles to raise awareness of the human rights violations that the people of Tibet are experiencing by the hands of the Chinese government that has been occupying Tibet since the 1950's.  I'm still working on a long list of logistics that comes with trying to run across America.  I have the route half way planned out.  I have a rough draft of the Fresno, Ca to Washington D.C. route already done.  I have a list of Fleet Feet running stores that I'll visit on my way across the country, and now I'm adding Buddhist Temples to the route.  I hope to have the route better planned out by the end of this year.

I'm still trying to raise funds for the trip.  Running across the country is going to take a lot of time and money.  I'm currently looking for help with the cost of the trip, and for anyone who can help out with supplies.  So far Balega socks are on board with giving me enough socks for the run, and it looks like Saucony might be helping me out with shoes.

This is going to be a big adventure, and I'm really hoping that I'll be able to pull this off.  The more support I can get the better. 

I hope to have more info posted on my plans soon.  Hopefully I'll have friends come out and run part of the route with me, and hopefully I'll be able to make new friends along the way.

This is a cause that I really believe in.  Even if you can't donate money to my run, or the Tibetan cause, please take a few minutes to do a little research and see for yourself what's going on in Tibet.

Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

Today's Run

Today I went for a trail run.  I ran just under 22 miles on the San Joaquin River Trail.  The trail is about 20 mins away from my house and I really enjoy running on it.

I met up with Kelly and Louis and ran the first few miles of my run with them, and it was really nice having company at the start of my run.  The three of us were able to knock out the early miles pretty fast.  Around mile 4.5 Kelly and Louis turned around on the trail and headed back to the car.  I still had a few miles ahead of me, so I set off to run the next few miles solo.

I really enjoy running on the trails by myself.  Most of the time I'm out on the trail I'm able to clear my head and refocus. There's something very comforting about running on the trail and looking at the mountains, the trees, the river, and just being able to take it all in.  There are times out on the trail when everything just seems to feel all synced up.  I'm able to get lost in the moment and the miles just fly by. 

Sometimes I stop in the middle of a run and just look at the mountains and think about how lucky I am to be out there running on the trails.  I never take a moment on the trail for granted, even when I'm suffering on it.

Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

You Can Do This

I took the day off from running today.  Instead of running I decided to get in a workout on my bike using my bike trainer and riding in the garage for an hour.

My goal today was to keep a cadence of 100 rpm during my entire workout.

I started in a gear where 100 rpm felt good, but slightly uncomfortable and I kept that up for 20 mins.  After that 20 mins was done I dropped down a gear on my bike to increase the resistance on the trainer and maintained the 100 rpm at a more difficult effort.

My original plan was to ride the final 20 mins in the next gear, making the effort once again more difficult, but I decided that 10 mins would be a better idea because I have a long run planned this weekend and don't want to get hurt riding my bike.

The next 10 mins in the more difficult gear were pretty hard.  Keeping up with the 100 rpm wasn't very easy.  I kept say to myself "You can do this!!!"  I started out just saying this in my head, but twords the last 2 mins of this 10 min effort I was having to say it out loud to myself.

My goal was to ride for an hour so I needed to figure out how to end the last 10 mins of my ride.

I decided to ride 2 mins 30 secs in the gear I started in, 2 mins 30 secs in the 2nd gear, 2 mins 30 secs in the hard gear, and then I ended in the easy gear for 2 mins 30 secs to cool down.

I'm not much of a cyclists, and really have no idea what I'm doing on a bike.  For me riding my bike is just a way to balance out my training.  I'm starting to push my bike workouts more and more lately.  I'm excepting the fact that my workout lately aren't easy, and that they hurt... and I'm ok with that.

There are a few races coming up that I really want to do well in, and I'm doing what I need to do to hopefully be successful in those races.

Sometimes I just have to remind myself during those workouts that I can handle the pain and to keep pushing hard.  The more comfortable I become with being uncomfortable, the better I'll do during my races. 

Hard workouts aren't easy, and they shouldn't be.  I know what I need to do to have a successful run at my next race, and sometimes I have to remind myself that I can handle the pain and discomfort.

Sometimes I just have to tell myself, "You can do this!"

Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!

Finding Center

Today I went on a solo training run up on the San Joaquin River Trail that's located just about 20 mins from my house.

I've been feeling a lot more focused lately and more centered.  My workouts have been more intense and purposeful.  I've been running pretty well for the last couple of weeks and I'm feeling pretty strong.  My training partners (running and jiu jitsu) have been pushing me outside of my comfort zone, and I'm becoming more and more comfortable with the discomfort of pushing myself physically harder again.

I'm starting to eat healthier again, especially since I have a race coming up in a few weeks, and I'm feeling pretty good.  I've started meditating again everyday and playing chess as well.  My head feels less cloudy and I'm feeling more and more centered again.

During my trail run today I felt pretty good.  I was focused on the trail, and ran a little faster than I normally do.  The miles flew by and I was totally "in the moment" during my run.  I ran as hard as I could up and down the trail and took in the magnificent views along the way. 

I got back to my car about 30 mins faster than I had planned.  I felt pretty good about how my 16 mile run had gone, and felt even better about the head space I was in during the run.

I'm going to try to hit the trail again on Sunday,  and hopefully I'll be able to take some company with me.  As much as I enjoy hitting the trail alone and clearing my head, sometimes it's nice to share the experience with my friends.

Until next time...

KEEP RUNNING!!!!