December, 2010

When you are approaching something as cool as running in Disney World you cannot start but to get excited and I mean

REAALLLLYYYYY  EXCITED.

I talk to my good friend Jim, and he is in the same boat.  I talked to my online training mate form Canada, Pearl, she is excited.   We are almost there, and we have 1 week of training, and then race week!  Even though I have run this run before, I am even more excited than the first time.  Maybe it is I know what to expect, or maybe it is I am ready to run and take lots of pictures.  Santa even brought me a small digital camera to carry, instead of the disposables I used last time. 

I adjusted my schedule a touch this week to get my last 12 mile run in on Monday.  Since the gym was closed on Saturday I did not get the run last week.  I probably would have done this today, but a good friend of mine DJ wanted to try 12, and he is available on Monday.  So I said lets go for it, running with company is a great thing.  I hope I can help him get the distance safely.

More importantly I will have some good cross train days this week, and getting ready to pack and head to Mickey’s House!

So here is what I have in store for this week:

Alright so this last week was a GREAT week!  I got my 20 miles in on Sat. and I felt great.  The only bad thing all of it was on the Tread Mill, that is what cold and snowy will do to your training schedule.  It was a good run, and I chatted with several different folks through out my 3:31:46 ordeal, Quite frankly I am not sure how the fellow tread mill folks put up with the beautiful odor, I developed by the end.  :-). 

But overall I was glad with the time and the mileage, and one the folks asked my how do you prepare for a long run?    It was a good questions and we chatted for a bit.  Running 20 miles really started back on week 1, and building up to it and getting the muscle memory ready for the run.  I will not focus on the lead up, you have my other posts for that.  So what is next, aside from proper prep,  is needed for running 20 miles on a Saturday morning.  My prep actually started Monday by drinking lots of water and keeping well hydrated throughout the week and lots of rest.  However, the person I was running next too was curious what I did the morning of before the run and during the run.  So here is how I prepared, I break it down into 4 categories, mental prep, pre-run nutrition, during the run nutrition, and recovery.  Now I am not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but this what I have found works for me.  You will have to discover what works for you, hopefully this will provide a baseline for you to go off of. 

• Mental Prep:  This involves building confidence (psyching yourself up).  The first thing I did was pray to God and got mentally prepared.  I also told myself I was not going to stop and if I had to walk I would walk, but I was going to have my 20 miles done!
• Pre-Run Nutrition: This key to a long run, I am not a huge believer in carb loading the night before.  However, I am fanatical about eating before working out.  Regardless of what you are doing eating first thing is a good thing, think about it you just slept for 8 hours, you need fuel.  I had some Kashi oatmeal (like the 9grams of protein),  I like food that is easy to digest but has some staying power.  I also highly recommend a new product, I just tried thanks to Jim:   Generation Ucan.  This is a new pre-race drink I tried and I have to tell you it works, helped me get a great start for my race.  More importantly, it TASTES Great!   If you never heard of Ucan , check it out this is from their website:

By utilizing both carbs and fat for dual fuel, Generation UCAN products put your body in its ideal performance state so that you can start strong AND finish strong.
Our product innovation is "Powered by SuperStarch" the only energy source of its kind. Both the Sports Drink Mix and the Protein Enhanced Drink Mix are rich in electrolytes, contain no added sugars and can be used before and after your activity.

Give it a try, I did and it really helped, I used the pre-run energy drink and it was great!  I just wish they made packs for during the run nutrition: http://www.generationucan.com/store/  I bought the combo 6 pack and the shaker (I need one for all the travel for those of you, who ever tried to mix an energy drink in a hotel coffee cup, you will think this one as well)

• During the Run Nutrition : This is another area I think most runners new to long distances struggle with.  Depending on how long you are going to be out there and how long you burn fuel you will have to factor this in.  I run into a lot of passionate runners that just cannot seem to get past the 6-8 mile marks, and if I had a stop watch for their runs my guess would be that is around 60-80 minutes for them.  What happens, they probably ran out of fuel.   To really understand what you will need, make sure you how many calories it takes to fuel and sustain you.  During and after the run carbs are a key thing, mainly because the body can process that fuel the fastest.
  
  I need to take in fuel about every hour, I need to keep the engine going.  It is not about  eating for that moment, It is for the moment a 1/2 hour from that moment.  I will change it up, and I have found a variety of fuel that keeps me going.  I like to eat either a protein bar, like the special k meal replacement bar for longer runs, I also like the Jelly Belly Sports Beans as part of my nutrition.  My general rule of thumb is I eat about every 1, remember I am out for over 4 hours, and I drink about every 1/2 hour.  As for my beverages of choice, H2O and Gatorade.  BTW a word on the Gatorade, I do not buy the G2, I buy the real stuff!   One for the energy and the other for the calories.  For example I burned about 3600 calories on Sat. and I knew I was going to need the fuel, plus it does taste better.  Normally I do like to have a sip of both water and Gatorade as I run.
• Recovery: Mentally , and regardless of distance always celebrate a bit!  If you prayed to God, make sure you thank him at the end.  I know I did it  and it does matter.  What about nutrition, in a word PROTEIN!  Find something that works for you, I have tried many different combinations in the past cottage cheese, eggs, chicken protein bars….etc.  The point I want to make is generally have it waiting and try to get it in you as soon as you can.  Again this is where I have to give mad props to Ucan!  Their protein drink (chocolate for me) is great and filling!  I absolutely felt it’s effects not only after my run but the next day as well..  Good stuff!

So that is the cliff notes for why I do things, and I am sure there is a lot of science behind what I have learned over the years.  For you the key part is find out what works for you and go for it.  Do not be afraid to try new things, you find a gem like I did.  Although, never, and I mean never try a new thing the day of the race, trust me, unless you like being picked up in the bus to drive you to the finish.  Make sure you plan to have the food and drink you are going to have during the run, ready the night before.  Again, always train with what you are going to eat during the run, and bring it with you.    For example, don’t train with sport beans all season and then not take them with you to your marathon and assume GU will work for you.  It may not, and more importantly may cause you to miss your goal.  Have a great week, only 3 left!!!!!!

Here is what I have in store for this week:

You may have seen several of my blog posts around Imagine Cup, well it seems Bill Gates is getting to see a lot of this first hand.  He wrote a great blog article here talking about students and imagine cup:

Real-World Solutions from World's Youth

Imagine Cup Solve This is a new program to provide inspiration for students looking to help solve the world’s toughest problems. Inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), Non-government organizations (NGOs) and non-profits will be able to enlist the help of the brilliant and passionate students competing in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems.

You can learn more about Image Cup Solve This here: Image Cup Solve This

Quiz number 6 Opens tonight at 8:01p.m. est!

Quiz 6:  December 15, 2010
December 14, 8:01 p.m. EST  (7:01 p.m. CST, 6:01 p.m MST, 5:01 p.m. PST)

Click here to register: http://imaginecup.com/register

If you are not familiar with the challenge, the Imagine Cup IT Challenge is designed to highlight the art and science of developing, deploying, and maintaining IT systems that are efficient, functional, robust, and secure.

Simply put, we want to see who really knows their stuff when it comes to IT systems. We’re talking genuine IT geniuses. Information technology experts. 

Are you a student, do you know a student or are you going back to school and can you answer this question, if you do, you may be ready for the challenge:

Which DNS Zone resolves IP address to a fully qualified host names?

A. Forward Lookup Zone
B. Reverse Lookup Zone
C. Stub Zone
D. DNS Zone

To learn more about the contest, check out my blog from last month: Students Are You Up for a Challenge? Enter the Imagine Cup 2011 IT Challenge NOW!

On Monday Dec. 13th 2010,  Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard Releases to Manufacturing RTM’ed.  If you are not familiar with SBS 2011 here are some of the key benefits:

• A great way to manage email with the powerful new Microsoft® Exchange Server 2010 SP1. Securely access and manage your communications—e-mail, voice mail, instant messaging, and more—from virtually any platform, Web-browser, or device.
• A powerful collaboration suite with Microsoft SharePoint® Foundation Services 2010. Enable your employees to access and share your business documents with exciting features and capabilities that help you collaborate securely online—no matter where you are.
• A rich platform to run your business applications. SBS 2011 Standard allows you to take advantage of the vast library of applications compatible with Windows Server 2008R2 technologies.
• A simple installation/migration path to limit your downtime. SBS 2011 Standard has been designed to simplify the experience of upgrading or installing a new server.

From the official announcement:

Starting in early January, you will find SBS 2011 Standard and Premium Add-On in volume licensing, and from mid-January you will be able to download a trial copy from our website.

Read the full announcement here:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2010/12/13/windows-small-business-server-2011-standard-releases-to-manufacturing.aspx

Only 4 weeks to go until race week, and the hardest part of this week is over I woke up on Monday!  :-).  Last weeks training was great!  I think I had my favorite day on Sat. when I got to run with my good friend Jimmy (a bare footing guru).  We were able to run the 5k in the morning on Sat.  In talking with Jim and deciding times to meet and what not.  He decided why don’t we run up to the 5k (4.7 miles), run the 5k, and run home (even though after the 5k we punted on this, we had too much standing around time after the run, and we tightened up).  I was up for it.

So Jim met me at the hotel in the morning and away we went.  It was great running with him and even better he got to see my form.  I have been trying to get away from heel striking as much as I could.  While I still strike, Jimmy noticed it was not as severe as before.  So I was very happy about that. We had a good warm up and then we ran the 5k.  I was very happy with my time of 27 flat!  9 minute pace after running 4 before the 5k.  I knew it was faster than normal for me but I felt strong!  I believe I felt strong for 3 reasons:

1. Running with Jim
2. Running Outside
3. Running with a crowd!

One of things Saturday made me realize is how much I miss running with friends or other people.  I have done a majority of my training on a tread mill this year it has been tough.  Even my friend Pearl did 20 last week on the tread: http://disneypearl.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/week-15/  (I hope I have the same strength this weekend).   With the weather getting even colder and Snow, I am inside more often.  So I realized just how much energy having a running partner can give you.  I feel even more confident after Sat. about the marathon!  Thank you Jim for running on Saturday and the conversation after!

ATTTENTION: On side note if you read this blog and are getting ready to run with me at Disney, please drop me a line and we can meet up in Florida!

The Marathon is the last chance to run Disney this year, still worth it.  This would be a great first marathon:

• Marathon registration at 98%!
• Half Marathon registration at FULL!
• Goofy Challenge at FULL!

And why am I even talking about this? Well closely following on the heels of our Windows Azure Boot Camp announcement, we are gearing up another boot camp series: For the Win: Window 7 Development Boot Camp. This new series of events will include evangelist-led presentations by none other than the purely awesome Jennifer Marsman as well as hands-on labs to help you really dig into developing client-centric applications using WPF and XAML, Silverlight, and Internet Explorer 9 (yes, client-centric integrations from your web site with just a touch of HTML5).

What's Covered?
Jennifer will cover application compatibility and transitioning your application to Windows 7, leveraging the Windows taskbar and jump lists, exploiting the taskbar and jump lists from your web site using IE9, taking advantage of new sensor, location and multi-touch functionality, and creating Silverlight 4 out of browser applications. Each boot camp will last a full day, starting off right at 8am local time, include lunch, several sessions and a couple of hands-on labs to help you really get a feel for how to take advantage of Windows 7 capabilities in your applications.

So, yes, this is a BYOL (bring your own laptop) event. Windows 7 is required, as is several other pieces of software: Visual Studio 2008 or 2010, Windows API Code Pack, Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers, IE9, and Silverlight 4.

What Cities?

• Waukesha, WI on 1/17/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Downers Grove, IL on 1/18/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Indianapolis, IN on 1/19/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Independence, OH on 1/24/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Columbus, OH on 1/25/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Mason, OK on 1/27/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Franklin, TN on 2/3/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Southfield, MI on 2/7/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Bloomington, MN on 2/14/2011 at 8:00 AM
• St. Louis, MO on 2/15/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Overland Park, KS on 2/16/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Des Moines, IA on 2/17/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Houston, TX on 2/21/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Irving, TX on 2/22/2011 at 8:00 AM
• Austin, TX on 2/24/2011 at 8:00 AM

That was the theme of running last week:

Are we there yet!

If you are a parent you hear this approximately 3.2 seconds after the garage door closes, and that is normally followed up by I have to go Potty.  So why am I using it, I am ready for the runs, and I am ready for Disney to hurry up and get here.  This normally happens in all of my trainings where I am just ready to get  there it happened in week 12 for my last goofy: Goofy Training Update Are we there yet?  So I am getting better, but still I am so ready for the run.  I blame the treadmill last week.  I need to get outside, too easy to hit the stop button and move on.

The frustrating day was on my 20 miler, as my buddy Jimmy can attest to the voice mail I left him, is I had no excuse I felt great, running well, heart rate good, nutrition good.  After mile 9 I just did not feel like running anymore, I was bored and ready to go.  Jimmy helped talk me off the ledge and and ran 10 miles the next day to see if I could make up for it.  You know what I felt great but still ready for Florida!  BTW Thanks Jim!!!!!

So I let last week be and I am ready for a great week of training this week.  The best part is I am going to be able to run with Jimmy in TX on Sat.  It is only a 5k but we will extend the miles and I am adjusting my schedule to get my long run before I had to Dallas.  I hope everyone has a great week and here is my schedule:

Last chance I would imagine to register:

• Marathon registration at 96%!
• Half Marathon registration at 99%!
• Goofy Challenge at 99%!

Well maybe not so lucky this week for me.  Not only do I have my really last hard running week (this is the week I was dreading)  I have to adjust my schedule to allow my lovely wife a vacation over the weekend.  So on the bright side no running on the weekend. 

I do have to mention last weekends runs were great!  Solid 12 before I got to go to Chili’s and watch my Buckeyes beat the school from up north.  I even had an adult beverage or two!

So this week plans to be fun as I get ready for 20 today!  So here is the week:

This is almost your last chance:

• Marathon registration at 96%!
• Half Marathon registration at 99%!
• Goofy Challenge at 99%!