Run Like a Deer

We wake up to gun fire around here at the start of deer season. The season actually starts next Saturday, but there is a special youth hunt today and tomorrow, so I heard the distant rifle booms this morning as I contemplated an early morning run.

Although I'm thankful for the legions of men, and women, in my neck of the woods who bravely take to the forest to protect us from the poor defenseless Bambis out there, I do feel like I should wear hunter safety orange while running. Occasionally I'll hear gunfire while I'm out, depending which trail I take, but I comfort myself knowing that if I hear the gunfire, then they missed me.

I actually have nothing against hunting, and maybe someday I'll go. I would want it to be a challenge, however. I mean, c'mon man! I've been out running and seen deer close enough to hit with a rock, let alone a rifle and a scope. In the paper there'll be pictures of kids with deer they killed. "Susie Q, 8 yrs old, from Podunk, MO, killed this 12 pt buck Sat. morning." I never heard of an 8-year-old completing an Ironman. See, there's a challenge!

Completing an Ironman must be a serious challenge, but training for one is challenging as well. For instance, I'm sitting here procrastinating a run and using the excuse that I need to update the blog. Can you blame me? It's 34° outside. I have a warm quiet house because the kids are at their Grandmother's, and I just made some coffee in the coffee press. So why in the world should I go outside and exert myself? Oh, and another reason to stay hunkered down, the woods are filled with children and firearms today.

Seriously, I'll have another cup of joe, or two, then I'll get out and do some running. No trails today. I'm going to keep it in town. There's an Ironman somewhere calling, and I need to be ready, and I don't want to get tagged by Susie Q.

Branson 70.3 Tomorrow

Today's the day. Not the day of the race, but the day I get to go over and pick up my race packet and get all checked in for the Branson 70.3. My wife and I will drive over to the host hotel, I'll show them my ID, I'll pick up my swim cap and the obligatory tee-shirt, and I'll look at all the high-priced memorabilia in the Ironman store. There'll be a meeting I have to attend to explain the rules and logistics, then I'll go down to the beach and check in my bike and get my body marked. I'll probably go on over to The Landing and get my running stuff dropped off at T2 so I don't have to mess with that in the morning. After that, who knows.

My goal for this year is to do a little better than last year. The biggest opportunity is on the bike. I brought my Garmin so I can keep track of my speed. However, I plan to consume more calories this year than last year. That should make the biggest difference. I don't think I ate enough last year and by the end of the ride I was dragging. The hills here in Branson aren't a joke, so it's going to take a lot of Clif/Powerbars to get this done.

One thing that worries me are my various knees. They have been sore for a little while. Nothing major, just a little ache when I walk and stuff. Those little aches can turn into big pains when trying to run 13.1 miles. I did give them some rest leading up to tomorrow, so maybe it'll be OK. Still, I thought I'd better go ahead and get my excuse out there for why I might not finish.

Should I try for a full Ironman? I'll let you know after tomorrow. I'd like to say I finished one, I just don't know if I have the patience to train for one. Anyways, two 70.3s completed a year apart make ones 140.6, right?