Pinhoti 100, or How ITBS led to a bad case of Buckle Envy

When GUTS first announced they would be manning the mile 23 and mile 75 aid stations at the Pinhoti 100 Endurance Run, I immediately wanted in on the action. Problem was, I was running the Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon the following weekend, and wanted to stay close to home for a last long run and a little R&R (and to soften the blow to the fuel budget).

Fast forward two months. After a trip to Zambia and two long runs within 24-hours of a 18+ hour flight, the ITBS in my left leg had reared its ugly head. Same leg that put me on the bench from February to May of 2008.

So... Chickamauga was now likely off the table. But I needed my fix, even if I couldn't run. So I volunteered for AS14 at the Pinhoti 100, the all night shift at mile 75.

I won't go into the details and logistics. David Ray already did a fine job of that. But volunteering gave me a true sense that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Until this past weekend, I would have thought 100 miles was impossible for a hack runner like myself. I still have a long ways to go, but I know I can do it. I've got an itch that needs to be scratched, and I figure a 100 would be an incredible 40th birthday present to my body and my soul. And the buckle a great gift to my ego.

So congratulations to all the runners, especially the GUTS runners: Roxanne, Tony, Christian (his report linked), Lane, Philip, Mike. And to all the volunteers and pacers.

After Pinhoti, I dealt myself a healthy dose of HTFU and stopped the pity-party about my IT band. Back to eating healthy and strength training.

Long overdue marathon training update

I've avoided this blog for a few weeks now, completely bummed out by a recurrence of the ITBS in my left leg, which last reared its ugly head in Feb 2008. So the training has been put on hold while I rehab with rest, ice, and the foam roller. I had a sports massage on Monday, and she pinpointed the area of inflammation.

I had an amazing experience volunteering at the GUTS aid station at mile 75 of the Pinhoti 100 this past weekend. The self-pity I've been feeling from my injury has been completely washed away after watching the runners come through the AS and through the finish. That experience deserves its own post, which is coming I promise.

I'm going to try a short run tonight. Hopefully my knee behaves and I can get this marathon training show on the road.