So I agreed today to my first competitive multistage race, the RAGNAR – NWP, aka the Ragnar Relays at the Northwest Passage.  It’s a 187-mile race wherein 12 runners on each team race relay-style for the finish line.  From the Ragnar Relay website:

You and 11 of your closest friends running day and night, relay-style, through some of the most scenic terrain North America could muster. Add in live bands, inside jokes and a mild case of sleep deprivation. The result? Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it a Ragnar Relay.

Sounds kind of fun, right?  I got word from an acquaintance on dailymile that they were looking for a couple more people to fill out their team, and hey, I’m game for anything.  Plus I love the challenge of a clear, motivating goal.

So, July 23rd and 24th, I’ll be running, resting, cheering, encouraging, and probably occasionally gasping for breath   Looking at last year’s results, the winning over 30 pace was 7-something per mile, which is way faster than I can run ONE leg, let alone three legs.  Wish me luck during my training the next six months – I need it!

No, seriously, though, what’s a Ragnar?  Turns out he was a 9th-century Norse king.  Their about page has a special section for people like me who get a kick out of the name and want to learn more.

I’m very excited.

So I’ve been battling severe stomach cramps all morning.  I’m pretty sure I picked up something from the kids, but am not sure if it’s the stomach flu, or some lesser-known virus, or just some passing bug of unknown provenance.

The good news is that my legs are not sore/tired from yesterday’s 56-miler.  I was sort of worried when I was cramping up that I was overdoing it, but aside from my stomach, I feel like I could go out and go biking again, or go for a long run.  Well, let me take that back – my ass is really sore from four hours in the saddle, so I probably wouldn’t bike again today   Not to mention the fact that my stomach is REALLY killing me.  Every 30 minutes or so it cramps up to the point where I double over.

The bad news about getting sick right after (during?) my ride is that I didn’t have a chance to reflect on and digest all the things I was thinking about as I was pedaling.  Nothing like four uninterrupted hours to get some thinking done.  I mentioned a little while ago how a couple recent comments have sort of stuck with me, in a not-so-great way, but I think I made some headway about putting the comments into perspective in terms of where I want or need to go based on that information.  It’s not the most fun thing in the world, to feel let down in a way, even in an unintentional way, but it happens.  Life goes on.   Get over yourself (myself!).  So my ride was a chance for me to exorcise some minor demons, put the ghosts back in the attic where they belong, and see if I can try to put those comments out of my mind.

I suppose you could argue that the fact I’m blogging about them shows that I’m still dwelling on them.  Fair enough.  But it’s a process, not a light switch that you can turn on or off.

Do you ever talk to yourself when you bike?  I do, every so often – and no, I’m not weird.   I think!  But I found myself talking to myself once or twice yesterday, to put into words that I could hear the thoughts going through my head.  It helped.  Normally I think a mile a minute, but actually speaking the thoughts slows everything down and makes it clear what it is that you’re thinking.  And when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, there’s nobody around – just me.

I’ve been thinking about doing the bike-to-work commute starting soon – let’s see how this stomach flu or whatever shakes out, and maybe on good-weather days I can get in some exercise that way.  Still shooting for a major fitness milestone this week – will report more as I achieve or don’t achieve it.  But wish me luck!

Yesterday I rode 56 miles round trip – a good workout by anyone’s estimation, except maybe skinny Tour de France competitors.  I didn’t feel as good as I thought I might, considering my fitness level has been going up and up – it turns out, I found out later, that I was battling a stomach bug.  Last night both kids threw up and as I write this Monday morning my stomach is in knots and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay at work.

At least the weather cooperated.  Just a few hints of showers here and there, but mostly great biking weather – very little wind.  It could have been a bit warmer.

On the way back from my turnaround point my legs were cramping up, which is odd – I’m not normally a cramper.  That was the first sign that something was wrong.  I ended up spending all afternoon and evening on my back, in bed or on the couch.  Not a great way to spend the day.

One fun story, and proof that people are good at heart – I was about 45 miles in, on my way back home, and stopped at a red light.  A fellow on the corner, who appeared to be a little down on his luck, asked me how far I was going.  When I said “56 miles” his eyes got wide and he said “50 MILES????”  and then said something to the effect that this was awesome, he couldn’t believe it, I’m doing a great job, etc. etc.  It made me smile.

Anyone out there into orienteering?  I have a goal in 2010 to compete in at least one adventure race and orienteering seems to be a great way to pick up some essential navigation skills.

There’s a local club, the Cascade Orienteering Club (COC) (don’t ask me how to pronounce that – ed.) that holds events every week or two, and their Events Page says that “all local COC meets offer a course for beginners or newcomers unless otherwise noted.”  Their next event is February 6th in Mt. Vernon and I’m…intrigued.  Sounds like you need a whistle, a compass, trail boots or running shoes, and some rain gear.  Easy enough.

If you’re into orienteering and are a regular reader, drop me a line and let me know what I can expect to see at an event.  And if you’re also intrigued, but have never done it either, drop me a line and let me know if you’re interested in joining up on the 6th.

So I get to the gym tonight at 6:49, just in time to hear over the intercom: “Mieko’s will be closing in 10 minutes.  Thank you.”  WHAT?  I thought they stayed open until 8 PM on Saturdays.  My bad.  You’ve never seen a guy working out faster than me between 6:50 and 7:00 PM.  I did 9 total sets, very intense, but with good form,and actually felt like I got my money’s worth.

The good thing is I learned that I can work out faster and more intensely in my quote-unquote normal workouts.  This can only mean good things for my fitness.

Having said that, next time I’ll get there at 6:30

Last night I went to the gym and abused myself.  It may have been the most intense weight workout I’ve done in 15 years.  I really pummeled myself – endless intense sets with heavy weights, no rest, pushing myself to the max.

I worked out a lot of stress, anger, rage, disappointment, and frustration.  A good workout just grabs all of that out of you and throws it on the floor, for you to grind into the carpet with a 200-lb barbell across your shoulders.

Good news: I benched my bodyweight for 6 reps – a new (recent) PR for me, and worked my abs so hard that I’m really *really* sore (in a good way) this morning.  Sometimes abs are tough to target, but I was a  maniac last night.

Today?  Running after work.  I have a race in mind in a few weeks, another 5K, so I need to start the intervals.  The race is called the Valentines Day Dash and is held at Greenlake the morning of February 13th.  It’s nice to have a goal coming up to focus my training.  I want to hit 25:00 for this one.  I WILL hit 25:00 for this one.

So the full results are in for Sunday’s Jingle Bell Run, and I finished in the top third of my age group, coming in 70th out of 240 in the male 30-39 division.  I’m very pleased with that placing.  I felt worse than I actually performed; my hamstrings were sore and tight before and during the run, and in fact all day yesterday.  Today is a different story; I feel great and am not at all sore.  In fact, I was able to get to the gym this afternoon for a fairly intense weight workout.

All this focus on fitness and exercise is just a net good thing.  There’s nothing bad about it.  I’m feeling great physically, and although my diet has lapsed a bit in the days since my 100-day workout challenge, I know that it’s a temporary thing and that I can take the next step in my personal fitness goals whenever I decide to set my mind on it.

I’ll leave you with two words: adventure racing.

12,000 of my closest friends and I got out in the freezing Seattle weather this morning to participate in the 25th annual Jingle Bell Run in Seattle.  This is a kind of anti-race: the joy is in the participation, in the costumes, in the shared community spirit, not necessarily how high you finish.

Having said that, I did really well, ha ha ha!  I beat my previous 5K PR by over a minute, coming in at 26:01, or an 8:31/mile pace.  Pretty good considering I woke up with really sore hamstrings and ran the whole way with reindeer antlers.   I think that I can definitely get down to a 7:00/mile pace by mid-to-late spring, if I keep exercising and eating right.   Good things happen to good people, right?  And I’m DEFINITELY due for some good things to happen.

To the lady in the port-a-potty who forgot to slide the latch shut so that the label still read “OPEN – I’m really sorry.  It’s just that I was one of hundreds of people standing around, looking excitedly for the green “OPEN” labels, and I really didn’t mean to *cough* expose you to the world.  I hope the fright made you run a bit faster.  Next time I’ll knock first.

Best costume?  Hm.  There were quite a few Cindy Lou Who lookalikes, but my favorites may have been the two Santa’s elves who were taking pictures on the top floor of Westlake Center.  You two looked like you were having the time of your life, and your costumes were fantastic!

Full Jingle Bell Run race results here, for those of you interested.

I had a good weekend on the fitness front – I ran 6 miles Friday night and followed that up with an intense weight workout today – and am hoping to get a couple more runs in before next weekend’s Jingle Bell Run.  Since I stopped working out every day, my weight has hit a plateau, but I continue to lose a little fat and gain a little muscle mass.  People continue to comment occasionally on how fit I’m getting, which keeps the virtuous cycle going.  I’m thinking seriously about doing another 100-day challenge, but with this frosty weather my determination quails a little.  It’s COLD out there.  Can I exercise every day when some days I’ll be forced to be indoors?  I don’t know.  I’ll continue to think about it.

Spent some time on Craigslist today, randomly, which I haven’t done in a while.  It continues to surprise me how popular Craigslist is despite (or because of?) their funky interface.  Posting is dead-simple.  Searching?  Eh, not so great.  It’s still a great service.

Went with the kids to church this morning, where we lit a candle on the Advent wreath in front of a few hundred parishioners.  St. Nicholas made an appearance at the end, giving away cookies and simple Christmas ornaments to the kids.  I’m really looking forward to Will’s baptism in January.  He’s jealous that Audrey gets the bread during communion, as she was baptized last month while Will was home with the flu.

Did a bit of work this weekend, but not too much – I’m still sleeping a TON and getting sort of frustrated at my inability to get out of bed in the mornings.  Have to wait it out, as I’m fighting off something or just need extra sleep for whatever reason.

Looking ahead to 2010 and unsure what the future holds.  Need to do some planning for Crowdify, as I really want to get some momentum behind that service, but I also have some other projects that may pan out as well.  It’s a Black Angus buffet of opportunity, but which ring(s) will I be able to grab as they swing by?  Preparation, plus opportunity, plus luck, makes the circumstance.

“All I want for Christmas is….” Fill in the blank.  What would you write there?

Last night I participated in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Stair Climb, which is a 56-flight timed race up the stairwell in the Tower Formerly Known as the WAMU Tower.  This was my first stair climb challenge, but regular readers will know that I’ve put in many hours over the summer and fall on various staircases around Seattle as part of my ongoing quest to get fit.

I did fairly well, all things considered: 10:09, which put me near the top 1/3 of my age division and 87th overall.  I had predicted 9:59 beforehand, which I COMPLETELY pulled out of my ass, so 10:09 seems either (a) prescient or (b) lucky.  I was beaten on my team only by the CEO and Marketing Director, both of whom run marathons in their spare time.  Full results can be found here at onlineraceresults.com.

It feels good to be a part of a big athletic event like this, and the cause is certainly worthwhile.  I’m running in the Jingle Bell Run in about a week and will have to keep looking for ways to keep myself busy with racing and other participatory events.  Next year I’d really like to try an adventure race, and, if I can get swim time in over the winter and spring, another triathlon or two.