Speed Work, Calories, New Medication and Crooked Hips.

I started some new medication last week which seems to have suppressed my appetite. This is kind of a bad thing, but so far it's been working out ok. I try to stick to 2200 calories per day with enough +/- variance to keep my body guessing. Unfortunately, due to this medication, I ended up with 2 days eating 1700 calories or less. This is bad when you're running and lifting like I am, but so far I haven't ended up too exhausted. I'm worried that my training might suffer if that goes on too much longer. Thursday was my weekly cheat day (Where I ramp up my caloric intake to ~2500 calories) and I sure the hell had fun making up for my caloric deficit; I had the best cheat day ever! I had 3 peanut butter cookies at lunch and a donut when I got home from work. I was so full and my stomach hated me for it, but damnit I feel great this morning!

I had been visiting the chiropractor these last few weeks to treat a muscle pull in my lower back from a stumble I took on the trails last month. He asked me to get some X-Rays after I told him that I've had lower back pain throughout my 20s. I always assumed it was from being a fatty or from my cheerleading days, but it turns out I was completely wrong! Apparently one of my legs is slightly longer than the other so my hips are off. In the X-Ray it was really apparent that my hips were crooked and he marveled at the fact that I've been able to run ultras with no major back issues. We determined that the uneven terrain varies each stride enough to make my crooked hips less problematic. This also explains why I would have lower back pains when doing long runs on the road, but not on the trails. The flat road would stress my crooked hips because my longer leg would dominate each stride and put more pressure on my already tweaked hips.

This week was a pretty good week in running, but I spent 2 days biking, so I didn't get the mileage I was looking for. I did a 20 miler on Saturday, which was my longest run since August and my body handled it really well. I decided to up my Gel intake on longer runs to a serving of Hammer Gel every 20 minutes and Stinger Waffle every 5th cycle. It seemed to work wonderfully. It worked so well that my 20th mile was actually as fast as my 2nd mile which is a freaking miracle. I had serious stomach issues between mile 16-18, but after some dry heaving and gas relief, I was fine! I also did my longest bout of speed work since July and it went really well, but I'm still sore 2 days later. I was so sore the day after that I had to ride the bike for an hour in lieu of running and follow that with a day off for muscle recovery. It felt really good to run fast and I look forward to working on speed work next week! I'm never gonna be fast, but that's ok. I like to think that the speed work definitely has its benefits on the trails. Today, i'll knock out an easy 5 and do another 20 miler Saturday before we head out to Disney World!

 On Saturday my mom and brother drove over here from San Antonio to drop off my nephew. Stevie will be watching the house while Tracy and I take Lilly to Disney World for the first time. Lilly is pretty excited and she's ready to see some Disney princesses! I have to admit, Tracy and I are probably just as excited about this trip as Lilly. I plan on taking the week off from lifting, but squeezing in four to five 5 milers as time permits.

Here's a pic from one of my first trips to Disney World 13 years ago. 

Hello Again

Ok, I haven't updated this in 2 years! I'm going to make a conscious effort to update this again as I begin phase 2 of beast mode. Since my first post, I have ended up completing many ultramarathons and it has become a serious passion of mine. There's nothing quite like running in the forest for hours on end and pushing yourself to your limits and beyond. I'm going to start using this as a place to store race recaps and other rad experiences. I'm going to make an effort to at least update once a week on Fridays, but I'll shoot for more.

Some of my medals from races in 2012

I had to take 4 months off due to, unfortunate, back-to-back injuries. I started running again in late December and have since made excellent progress over the last 5 weeks.

 Last weekend, some buds  and I volunteered at the DamNation aid station at the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile endurance run. I also had the chance to pace my buddy Peter (Beast mode ultrarunner) for the last 15 miles of his 100 miler. He kicked ass and the experience of volunteering at DamNation was wonderful. Of course, as soon as it was over I had to sign up for a race!

 I went ahead and signed up for my return to Ultrarunning with the Nueces 50K on March 2nd. This is the only tejas trails course that I haven't been on and I look forward to running it. I plan on taking it easy and making sure my ankle holds up. I hear the facility is beautiful, so i'm really looking forward to soaking it all in and just enjoy my time out of the city and away from computers. Based on my performance at Nueces, I'll decide if i'm going to do the 50k or 50 mile at Hell's Hills on April 6. I might just do the 50k and then do the 52 mile at a new race up in Possum Kingdom called the Possum Kingdom Trail Run on April 27.

I'll be taking my wonderful family to Disney World on the 17th, so i'm going to try to get at least one more update before then. Until next time, see you on the trails!

Houston 1/2 Marathon

Today was the Houston Half Marathon! I had a great time and it was quite challenging, albeit rewarding. The night before the marathon I was so incredibly excited that I literally could not sleep. I had so much anxiety that I ended up staying awake until 1:45AM. I woke up at 4:45 and tried to shake off the lack of sleep, but I wasn't very successful. Unfortunately, with the combination of rain and fatigue my time suffered. My time suffered but the experience was nonetheless amazing!!! I was a nervous wreck! I ended up crying on three separate occasions while running and I still can't quite figure out why! Luckily, I managed to get it together enough to start strong. I am so happy that I accomplished my goal of completing the half marathon and hope to run many more! 

I want to give Tracy a special thank you for allowing me to spend so much time, every week, running and helping me achieve my goals. Even though I only started running outside in September, I feel like I've put so much effort into this moment. I honestly feel like I'm on top of the world (but with sore feet haha).

Running

  10 years ago, I couldn't run because my knees hurt like hell. Fast forward 10 years and my knees have been reinvigorated. I find myself absolutely in love with the art of running. I'll be running my first half marathon on January 30th and I look forward to running many more. If my knees hold up, I can really see myself running for many years to come.

  There's something very primal about getting on the road and running for many miles. I feel a cathartic wave envelop me when my feet hit the road and I'm left alone with my thoughts. I often find myself thinking of nothing and everything (does that make sense?).  It's just me, my music and my thoughts willing my body forward. Sometimes a dog will chase me, other times a nice neighborhood kid will wave, but every time I finish, I feel cleansed. It is like a high that I could never achieve in my misspent formative years. I hope this love affair never ends :)

Here's a random shot of my lovely daughter.

Lilly Mae Canle

Footprint

I've decided to make an attempt at leaving some type of foot print on the internets. I don't really know what i'll be posting on this site, but I guess we'll find out together.

I'll start with giving a little info about myself. I am a 30 year old father and husband. I have been down many roads and I will definitely elaborate on that in later posts. I currently live in Tomball, TX with my family Tracy (29), Lilly (almost 9 Months) and our dogs Isabel and Leia.