Magnum Week

The last week of August was my biggest training cycle in the last five years. Monday started with a 4.44 mile run, a weight lifting session, and 2,000 meters of swimming at Twin Rivers. Tuesday I ran 6.9 miles and knocked off 6,200 meters at the local pool. Wednesday I shuffled 12.12 miles in the afternoon, had the first meeting of my film course, and then went to the pool after class for a dark 1,300 meters. Something was sore, I don't remember what, so I decided not to run Thursday. At the pool that day, I was tired and only did 1,500 before leaving to go home and get to bed early.


I lapped the watch between runs and swim
so the actual workout was five hours.

Friday I went to the pond with the hopes of running and swimming myself silly. I got out of bed a bit fatigued so I knew there was a distinct danger I would tap out early. Once I got going, however, I kept it up, alternating swimming and running for five hours. I

swam 1.23 miles
ran 2.35
swam 1.32
ran 3.18
swan 1.37
swam .67
ran 2.17
swam .74
Total: 7.7 miles of running and 6.38 miles of swimming.

I was pretty happy with that, especially considering I was alone and started the day tired. Randy went to the coast to visit his mom leaving me to try to hammer out a long session without any encouragement or competition. Too bad he wasn't here because I would have kicked his hinder parts for sure.

Saturday we went to Hillbilly Heaven to help out and care for Penny's mom. I ran. Since it was pretty warm, I left with not one but two hydration packs on my back. Next to my skin, I had a Camelbak Classic with 44 ounces of Gatorade. Over that I had a Nathan with 32 ounces of water. In addition to the fluids, I had a Clif Bar and some gels. I needed all the liquid. In fact, I found a water source on a gravel road a little over 10 miles into the trek and I stopped, drank, and refilled my Nathan with another 32 ounces. The whole trip was 16.48 miles. I ran 11.14 and walked 5.34 miles.

Double-packed and ready to go.

For the week, I

swam 21,265.42 meters,
ran 42.31 miles,
lifted weights one time, and
walked 10.59 miles.

This was the kind of training I need for the Great Noxapater Journey Run. I am shooting now for Thanksgiving week. I've even toyed with the idea of doing it sooner. There is a real advantage to making the run during warm weather when rain is not an issue. By November, it will be necessary to stay dry if it rains on me anytime during the trip. But the only way I could pull it off early would be to leave on a Thursday after work and make it to Winona by seven or eight. Then I would have to finish on a Sunday and get picked up and driven home the same day to be back at work on Monday. The problem with leaving on a Thursday is I would feel pushed, and one of the main reasons I do this sort of thing is I love the feeling of freedom I get when I am on the road dependent on my wits and fitness to make it and not having a schedule. I absolutely love that feeling, and although I pursue it with vigor, it is something I experience only a few times a year.

I need it now.

I want it now.

I'm trying to come up with some intermediary training trip that I could complete in two days, Friday and Saturday. The problem with that is it will knock me out of two days of swimming, and with the Suck coming up that's just not wise if I'm going to defeat Randal Beets. Also, I haven't come up with an idea that really appeals to me. It has to click inside me and all the thoughts I've had in the direction so far haven't done it for me. But one of the great things about endurance athletics, for me at least, is it leads to dreams. I just keep dreaming and eventually I come up with one that I turn into reality.