Last week, I moved to a neighborhood that is 7 miles from the Active Network headquarters, cutting my daily commute by fourteen miles in one direction. I was cycle-commuting an average of once a week from my previous residence. The ride itself would take an average of an hour and a half so it became a major commitment to ride the full 42-miles. Now that I live this close, my cycle-commute only takes thirty minutes. I never ran to work from my last residence so I decided today was the day to give it a try. I left my house this morning at 6:00 am wearing a headlamp and carrying a flashlight and backpack containing my clothing and food. My 7-mile run was primarily on sidewalks and streets but there was a fun trail portion that descended into a canyon. I’m going to run home from work today too for the full 14-mile round trip. I’m excited to have running as a convenient alternative to driving or cycling to work. I arrived at 7:15 am, total time 1:15, average heart rate 146, peak 180, 1031 calories burned. Here is a map of my route:



So the run home went well and I maintained a faster pace because I wasn't carrying a backpack. It took me 1:07, average heart rate 164, peak 195, 1135 calories burned. There seemed to be a lot more traffic and longer waits to cross streets than on the way to the office. Overall, I found it to be a liberating experience and I hope to make it a part of my weekly routine. It's a great way to help the environment (as does cycle-commuting), save $$ on gas and get in additional run miles during the week. This is important for my training now that the SD100 is only 121 days away!!!

While Marie and I were traveling to Catalina earlier this month for the Avalon 50, we were discussing my race calendar for the year that I've since settled on and shared with you Tuesday. I use the expression "settled on" because I felt as though something was missing from my schedule. More specifically, I wanted to attempt an Ironman-distance triathlon in 2008.

Yesterday, my wish was granted. I received the news that the SD100 has been moved up four months from October to June. Not only will I be faced with the challenge of preparing for a 100-mile run with 4-months less time, but I'll now add an Ironman-distance event to 2008, the Silverman full-distance triathlon. I'm not sure what to say except thank you. Is that sick? In no way is this meant to discredit the difficulty of the SD100 but it seemed like the year was very spread out and I feared burnout with my peak race so late in the season.



Adjustments to my racing calendar will be minor. The major change leading up to the SD100 will be an increase in training volume with attention to the long runs. Since the race will be in Cuyamaca State Park, and not on the Pacific Crest Trail, I'll be sure to get out there as often as possible between now and June 7.

When I shared the news with Marie, she responded by asking, "What do we need to do to make it happen?" (Isn't she amazing?) She even suggested we replace the Mountain of Gold race on March 16 for a training run in Cuyamaca SP. Plus she had already recruited her coworker/training buddy, Rebekah, to be a part of my crew team for the race. Marie and Rebekah crewed for Joe Decker and his girlfriend Nicole in the 2007 SD100 so they already have experience crewing in Cuyamaca SP. I'm honored to have them in my corner and that much more confident things are going to workout.

Are you guys in my corner too!?