Boston Inspiration

I was able to find a live stream of the Boston Marathon yesterday, so I could catch the men's and women's finishes from my office at work.

It is amazing to me how fast the elite athletes are. Ryan Hall finished 4th (2:08:47) after running sub-5 minute miles for 26.1 miles. That is insane. That is basically a dead sprint. How can that not win? I can't even run one mile that fast.

Watching those fast runners is inspiring and depressing at the same time. Inspiring that makes you want to get out and run, and depressing that you will never run that fast.

Still, it was fun to watch, and congrats to all Boston finishers!

I ordered "The Stick" and received it yesterday. My wife said I could have made something like it, but I think she overestimates my handyman ability.

It is a pretty cool device, and I really wanted it to be able to roll out my calves a couple times a day. They get really tight.

Running Update

I've been nursing a sore foot (again), this time it is the top of my foot and I think it was caused by running in the orthotics. So, I put those away temporarily and am giving my foot a week or so of rest to heal up. I had been running 3 times a week until this past weekend.

Also, I've been reading "Running for Mortals" which was a gift from my wife, and I've found some really good tips in their. I like that it breaks things down for the average guy (or girl) trying to run.

Running the Sahara

Running the Sahara

I finally saw the movie "Running the Sahara" last night. I've heard about it for a while (it came out in 2008), but like most movies we wait until it comes out on TV.

The movie, if you haven't heard of it, is a documentary about 3 men (one from Canada, one from Taiwan, and one from America) who decide to run across the Sahara desert (4,500 miles).

Matt Damon is one of the producers and also does the narration.

I thought the movie was great. Even my non-runner wife enjoyed it. The struggles that they face amazing--including countless blisters, cramps, muscle fatigue, sand storms, high heat (140 degrees at one point), dehydration, etc, etc.

These guys ran about a marathon and a half a day for 111 days straight. No days off. Across sand. In blazing heat. Consuming massive amounts of liquid and food. Losing upwards of 40+ pounds. Getting lost. Across countries. Against incredible odds.

I can't imagine the wear and tear that this type of event would take on someone's body. My body can barely endure a 1/2 marathon. These guys were running 30-50 miles a day for over 100 days in a row. One of the guys said he had just taken up running late in life, got hooked, and became an ultra runner. This movie is definitely worth checking out if you're a runner.

Running Update

The latest Runner's World has an article that talks about coming back from injury and it states that if you've been off for more than a month, you should treat it like you are starting over. Well, I definitely feel like I am starting over (after being off for 3 months). I'm trying to take it slow, and run injury free. This week I had several 3 to 4 mile runs, and I am not running two days in a row to give my body the chance to rest in between runs.