To average 6:52 I'm going to have to run 6:30...

I never thought of this, but recently read it in an astronomy magazine. Rainbows, like vampires, do not have a reflection. When you see a rainbow you are seeing the refracted light from water droplets in the air. So if you turn a mirror to it and see a rainbow in the mirror, you are actually seeing a completely different one. The rainbow you see only exists on the back of your eye, only at that very point in space. Anyone else viewing the same water droplets are actually seeing a completely different rainbow from a different angle. Very cool :)

Monday I ran 13.1 at a pace of 6:59 minutes per mile. I started at 7:30 per mile on the dreadmill and increased it by .1 mph each mile. It probably would have been easier if I would have just ran the 13.1 at 7 minute pace instead of running easy for a while and then finishing at 6:30 per mile but it felt good.

After that I did not feel like I was done so did 100 front squats ass to grass with the 35 lb bar and then did 2 barefoot miles up on the track.

As an ultra distance athlete I have to teach my body and my mind to run when I simply do not want to. To run when I am lacking nutrients, strength, sleep, etc. Monday's run was done on nothing more than 3/4th a bottle of water. No nutrients were taken in during the run. Generally if someone is doing a workout longer than an hour some type of nutrition is consumed. I like to try to avoid this. I feel not taking in nutrition during a strenuous workout will make me mentally stronger since it does make the run a bit more of a struggle. That along with doing 100 35lb squats and doing two barefoot miles up on the track....that was tough. Oh boy, those two miles were a struggle.

Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. The sweat from the run diluted and really spread out the blood, I did not even notice it until I looked down while doing the last two up on the track. Yeah, I'm hardcore, just reminding everyone :p It did really hurt when I got into the shower afterwards though...

The treadmill tends to really shred up the bottom of my foot if I go too long without a long run on it. I can sometimes feel the heat through the Vibrams from the friction between the platform and the belt if I have it going fast enough. Also I believe the movement of the track and my foot in opposite directions causes movement and a great deal of friction between my Vibrams and my skin, causes blisters and lots of wear. Well after going on vacation to Rapid City and seeing Desi for a week and not running, then jumping on the treadmill for a 91 minute half marathon really shredded my soles. I probably drained three blisters, seriously.

With my nutrition lacking during many of my actual runs. My post run nutrition is very good. I always try to get a shake in as soon as possible and a good solid meal eaten within an hour or two of getting home.

Kyle Nickels is teaching a brick class that I may try to make it to each week. I believe it is a 40 minute spin session and then they do some type of workout up on the track. It would be a good way to get some biking in. If they have a deal on cardio cards once school starts I may pick one up.

Jason Melby is also doing a new Masters swim type class Sunday evenings. For my new availability at work I am going to make me unavailable during the class time so I have no excuses but to make it to the pool.

I had someone msg me on facebook who I have never met before, but she saw a post of mine on the Vibram facebook page and had some questions for me about them. I was also talking to someone recently about my Vibrams, cannot remember who it was actually, but the same thing came up about landing softer and the lack of cushion in the FiveFingers. Ok this is actually the FIRST thing to come up in almost every conversation about the Vibrams. People think it must be painful to run because there is no support and cushion in them. However the exact opposite is true. Shoes block sensory information that your feet and body would normally get from making contact with the ground. I distinctly remember how when running shod as speed would increase so would how hard my feet would slam into the ground. Now however wearing Vibrams the faster I go the smoother my stride becomes and the softer I contract the ground.

Wednesday my run was just brutal. Seriously I cannot remember a worse "easy" run. It was supposed to be eight miles but at three I decided to cut it back and stopped at five. I was running on a treadmill and my body just got super hot. I was sweating like crazy, and my stomach felt like some food was going to come up, so I called it quits. Not sure exactly what happened, no explanation, it was horrible.

Luckily Thursday's run went very well. Five miles at a pace of 6:45. The last two runs have been in my new Vibram FiveFingers Classics. They feel super heavy and stiff compared to my old model which is at 775 miles at the moment. I am afraid they may be too large of a size. Too large as in maybe 1/5th of an inch, super close. I have not been able to tighten them all the way yet though because of the strap design. It is a draw string that goes around the top of them and if it is pulled too far it hangs off the back. Hopefully just cutting this will allow me to tighten it fully and be able to run in them. I remember when I was first getting into the old pair of VFF I had the same blister issues and now they are perfect, so in time this new pair should be just fine.

Desi is all moved into her place in Mexico now (near VeraCruz) until Jan1st. She does not have a cell phone to use there so Skype will be just about the only way to talk to her now. Unfortunately her computer seems to be having issues with the webcam, I hope that gets figured out soon. The son of the family she is staying with uses Skype. Desi talked to him all the time here in the states so hopefully until her's is up and running she can jump on his computer. It is really tough not being able to talk to her between classes or when one of us is on a break at work. I keep my computer on at night now so if she wakes up and gets on her laptop in the morning I will hear her calling me and I can say good morning to her.

For as long as I have been a cyclist and switched to distance running getting in a good hammerfest workout has never been a problem. The hard part is taking those rest days. Even when I get to a rest day, I usually end up doing some lifting or getting on an elliptical, or anything besides running. That folks, is not a rest day. That is cross training, and there is a difference. Here is a page that every endurance athlete should read. It does a good job explaining that your actual training session does make you stronger. Your fitness increases during rest periods. Something I need start practicing more. Today for was supposed to be a rest day but I decided to do three miles since I cut a previous run short because of a super massive blister. After reading this I changed my mind and did not run. Yes I did 20 minutes on an elliptical and maybe 15 of lifting, but come on. If I would have done that run it probably would have been three 6:30's.

Last I have updated my 2010 race schedule. I have my three A races, the Brookings Marathon, Vineman Ironman, and Lean Horse Ultramarathon. However there are two more marathons out in the hills and now I found one taking place in a town near Sioux Falls. The entry fees for all of these are low. The Viborg one is only 50 dollars and it's only an hour drive away. A friend is doing the first Deadwood marathon with me so I could always carpool out there with him. However it would be more likely I would take a few more days off from work and go out there for a little extra time since I could stay at Desi's house for free. It depends on if she can come out with me or not. If she takes on the camp counselor job here again she will unlikely be able to make it out to the race at all.

Thanks so for reading :)