Wow, has it been a long time since I’ve jotted down any thoughts or what??? Guess that proves what my lovely wife says when she says I have no thought process at all!

Since the last “spins” I have been laying low and just letting my body recover, so to speak. I had a big finish to the 2011 season culminating with a top ten finish at the Door County Fall 50 (a 50-mile Ultramarathon). After the Fall 50 my body was just “worn out” and kind of “beat up” and needed a break. I had some issues after the Fall 50 with a possible neuroma situation and just general aches and pains. Have no fear though, as I am well rested now and ready to go after it and make 2012 the best possible year so far!

But onto the issue at hand: INJURIES.

Yes, injuries do happen and if you do enough activity the chances are that at some point you will have to deal with some type of injury.

There are two basic ways of dealing with injuries when they arise:

The first way is to get negative and upset and sad and go off into the corner and pout the days away. OK, that might be a little extreme, but you get the point. If one chooses to go this route, two things tend to happen. 1 – After the initial shock and disappointment of the injury the person might take a day or two off and then get right back at doing what caused the injury in the first place resulting in the injury becoming more serious and leading to even more time away and great frustration. 2 – The person just gives up and doesn’t come back to whatever the activity was, which could lead to a sense of “failure.”

The second way to deal with the injury is to look at it as a positive. How can an injury be a positive thing? Well some of the most common injuries are “over-use” injuries. By these coming up your body is saying “HEY, BREAK TIME! DIAL IT BACK SOME OR ELSE!!” (Yes, your body can have a threatening demeanor from time to time!). So by listening to what your body is telling you not only can you avoid the injury to begin with but you could also find out that maybe something isn’t quite right with your form which, for the most part, can be fixed to avoid having the injury come back repeatedly.

So, in closing on the injury issue, actually take the time to LISTEN to what your body is telling you. Your body is a highly complex machine with many moving parts. If one of these parts becomes damaged it has an effect on the rest.

In other DCS news, the Community members are off to a great start for the 2012 season with many coming close or actually setting personal bests at the races they have done so far this year. Once the weather turns to the warmer temperatures, I’m sure there will be lots of personal bests set at lots of various distances!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

To update on the Rim-2-Rim-2-Rim Grand Canyon run, the date has been set for October 13, 2012. The athlete roster is becoming more solidified each day and I will have bio’s up for each person in the near future! Some of the athletes may even blog about their journey along the way and after the event as well!

Hopefully everyone is off to a great start to the 2012 season.

Until next time,
Coach Dave

What a difference a year can make. But on the other hand, funny how some things remain the same from year to year as well. Last year at this time I was fretting and worried about my upcoming event, which was just days away. I decided to do this particular event for a few reasons: One, it was something I had never done before, and two, it would help me with my 2011 Ironman Wisconsin. The event? The Fall 50, a 50-mile ultramarathon that starts at the tip of Door County, Wisconsin at Gills Rock and runs down into Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Well event day came and I ended up doing better than I could have hoped and realized that I actually liked that distance and maybe had found a new “calling” so to speak.

Well here we are, one year later from that day, and once again I sit here thinking about my upcoming event which, of course, is once again The Fall 50. I am hoping to improve on last year’s finishing time and place and I am also über excited that so many of my running friends will be there as well, running the event as a relay.

I have put in a LOT of miles for this year’s edition. Some people have called me crazy for doing so while others just shake their head. But in addition to all the time on the pavement running mile after mile I have also read some articles and books as well to help in my quest. I have read up on topics like nutrition as well as just general motivational and inspirational books too. Basically if it had anything to do with running or ultra’s, I might have read it.

So was the case when I read an article in Runner’s World recently. This article had quite an impact on me as well as my 2012 race schedule. My 2012 schedule was set up to look a little like this:

• January – Icebreaker Indoor Marathon
• Spring – 50- or 100-mile ultramarathon
• October – Lakefront Marathon

That’s it. Pretty light schedule compared to my past few years but it wasn’t going to lack in training. However, back to the article. The article I read was about a person who didn’t have a good first attempt at something he wanted to do and was going back for another crack (boy sounds like my Ironman odyssey!) The event he was doing? It’s called R2R2R – as in Rim to Rim to Rim – as in running across the Grand Canyon and back. This set my mind in motion and I was excited from the moment I put down the magazine! I knew I had to do that event! (This isn’t an actual “official” event where there’s a starting line and finish line complete with timing chips, aid stations and finisher’s medals. It’s just basically someone deciding to do it and then going and doing it.) I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it alone, so I started thinking about all the people I know that would be just off “kilter” enough to go along with me on this adventure!

One year…

Yes, one year from today is one of the dates that a group that has been formed has set as a target date to do our own R2R2R event! The course we will be taking is 47.5 miles long and we will have to bring along all the water and nutrition we will need for the crossing. We also plan on blogging about our experience along the way, from training all the way to completion. But first I would like to introduce the group of crazies who have expressed interest in going with me on this adventure!

• Dave (me) – Ironman Wisconsin finisher (2008 and 2011), Fall 50 finisher (2010), Boston Marathon qualifier (2011), Ragnar Chicago ultra division (2011), six marathon finishes (Icebreaker Indoor Marathon 2009/2010/2011, Green Bay Marathon 2010 and Boston Marathon 2011).
• Mason – Ironman Louisville finisher (2009), Ironman Texas finisher (2011), Northface Wisconsin ultra (2011), Ragnar Chicago ultra division (2011), six marathon finishes (Whistlestop, Red Rock Vegas twice, Run the Calderon – New Mexico, Fox Cities and ReMax Waukesha)
• Dana – Seven marathon finishes (Lakefront Marathon – 3 times, Green Bay Marathon – 2 times, West Bend Marathon and Boston Marathon)
• Scott – Ironman Wisconsin finisher (2008, 2009), 2 marathon finishes (Las Vegas, Boston)
• Ben – Six marathon finishes (Chicago, Lakefront Marathon, Twin Cities, New York, Boston and as part of the world record-setting “Jennipede” at the Lakefront Marathon in 2011)
• Joe – Ironman Wisconsin finisher (2007, 2009), Ice Age 50K finisher, four marathon finishes (Las Vegas, Fox Cities, Green Bay and Boston)
• Jim –  22 marathon finishes (Chicago – 6 times, Icebreaker Indoor, Remax Waukesha, Navarino, Eau Claire, Lake Geneva, Green Bay – 4 times, Madison Marathon, Dances With Dirt, Fox Cities – 2 times, Rails to Trails, Whistle Stop – Boston Qualified and Terre Haute Marathon)
• Ron – Perhaps the craziest of the crazies above. No Ironman finishes, no ultra finishes and no marathon finishes. The pure “rookie” of the group that comes with tons of heart, desire and motivation!

So there you have it. The current list of crazies that have expressed interest in joining in on my little adventure across the Grand Canyon. Eight Ironman finishes, four ultra finishes, 53 marathon finishes (one world record!) and six Boston Marathon qualifiers!

So yes, sometimes a year can make a difference. Yet sometimes things remain the same. I wonder if I will be worried about an ultra event one year from this date next year… time will only tell!

Until next time,
DJ