Done and in the BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ram my first marathon today I finished in 4 hours 38 minutes and 50 seconds notto shabby for my first one......... Now I start training forthe NYC Marathon!!!

The training is OVER!

Now the work begins. I have completed about 100 training runs to get ready for the marathon. I know it will be fun and on 10/19/10 Starts the training for the NYCM. I hope I get a lottery draw. I cant wait to go to fit fest on Saturday, the looks on the faces of those at the NMCCF when I give them the 800.00 I raised will be well worth the running on Sunday. To all my friends and family who are supporting me I say thank you to you all!!!!!

5 .......................

Woo hooo................ 5 more days and counting tonight was the last hard run before the marathon. Tomorrow will be a easy night and then a jog on Thursday. Rest on Friday and Saturday before the big run!

6 MORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good gravy batman, there are only 6 days left. Tonight was a nice run 50 minutes I can tell my stride is changing the last few weeks. I am running the same speed but my pace is faster so I have to keep slowing down a little. That's a good thing. So after the marathon the next runs will be the Inaugural Great Prostate Cancer Challenge. Then the Vets Day 11k and in December will be the Faralitos Run. As of January 1 I will start training for hopefully the NYC Marathon. Gotta keep my fingers crossed for a lottery drawing for that one. More to follow!

8 more to go OMG!

Today was my long run day only a 1:55 almost 11.4 miles. Looking forward to the Fit Fest next Saturday and then the run the marathon on Sunday. Going to go have some frozen yogurt in a few................. more to follow.

10 days and counting

Well only 10 more days to go until the first of many big runs lol. I want to run several marathons including the NYC the Chicago and the Marine Corp then I want to do an ultra. Ultra you say..... what is an ultra? An ultra is anywhere from 50 to 100 miles. Nuts I know but just to say I did it lol. More to come.........

Marching on!

12 days to go. Tonight was another interval night. These runs are becoming easier and easier every time. Tomorrow night I will be taking the night off and going to my running club meeting. More to come follow me to the finish!

13 and counting

Were down below 2 weeks. Tonight was a good run night starting the tapper down to the marathon. It was a good run I know I am ready for this and I will make it to the end. After the marathon I need to start the application process for the NY City Marathon next year. It is a lottery system so I will need to keep my fingers crossed. More to follow!

15 and counting

Only 15 more days and counting. Today was a long run day I ran 13.51 miles in 2:15. Just a few more work outs until the marathon. I am looking forward to running it and accomplishing the distance. More to come as we get closer!

Getting closer

Tonight was the last run of September!!! It was an interval run. A nice small run nothing major. Looking forward to going out for Chiness food tomorrow night andthen a nice long run on Saturday. I have raised $800.00 for the NMCCF, WOOOO HOOOO! More to follow after my long run.

19 and counting

Tonight was an interval training run. I flew threw it like nothing, it felt great. Looking forward to the marathon. I know I will be ok. I rewarded myself with some good frozen yogurt from Love Frozen Yogurt.

20 more days to go

Tonight was a recovery run after my 20 miler this weekend. I am batteling the stomach bug going around, so working out has been hard. I am officially at 765 so now the rest is gravy as I tell Cheyenne. Well more to come as we break in to the teens!!!!!!

22 more

Ok so were almost at the 3 week mark oh boy! Today was a good long run my longest run so far 20.40 miles. I am averaging about 10 min a mile which is my desired pace for the marathon. I burned over 2700 calories this morning and had the best recovery breakfast.....chocolate malt frozen yogurt from Love Frozen Yogurt.... Yummo! Well now starts the slow down to the big run, to make sure I am rested to run!

24 more days to go!!!!

Tonight was a nice easy recovery night. Nothing to bad at all, the coaching system wanted me to take it easy since Saturday is a 3:25 run. I talked to my dad yesterday and he has put me up over the top on my goal!!!! Thanks dad and thank you to all the people out there who donated to the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation!

And the beat goes on!

Well we are a whopping 26 days away..................... oh boy!!! Tonight was another interval run but shorter and faster pace. I was able to get another 5 miles in tonight. I am only 45.00 away from my goal!!!! I know I will hit the mark! Well more to follow soon. Tomorrow I think I am taking the night off, I am getting another new tat so I will see how I feel!

27 more and counting

Tonight was a nice interval training night 70 minutes lots of peaks and valleys. Yesterday Cheyenne and I ran a 10k together, I am so very proud of her for finishing in 1:11 a new pr for her she was the only under 17 competitor in the event, and got a medal!!! More to follow as we get closer.

29 more days and counting

Only 29 more days to go till I reach the finish line of running my first marathon. Today was a nice 12 mile run, where I was joined by my friend Violet. Violet is also running in the Duke City Marathon, she will be running the half distance. I capped off my morning with a big bowl of Chocolate Frozen Yogurt from the bestest frozen yogurt place in town, Love Frozen Yogurt. More to follow after Cheyenne and I run the 10k tomorrow!!!!

31 more days!

Tonight was a nice and easy run. Looking forward to my longer run on Saturday. It feels like just yesterday I said hey I will run a marathon and I have over 90 runs to do for training now I'm below 20. Time flies when your having fun. Stay tuned!!!

33 to go woot woot!!

Tonight was a good long interval run 53 minutes strong lol. I cant wait to run the marathon I have two tattoos designed for afterward to showcase my heritage and my achievements. I have also been toying with the idea of after running the NY City Marathon (once I apply and get accepted) to train for an ultra but that is not anytime soon. Let me accomplish this goal first lol!

One step at a time!

Today was my long run a nice 2 hour run did not feel like 2 hours lol. I did not stop at 8:46 am but I did say a prayer for all those lost and there families. I clocked 12.35 miles and burned 1559 calories. Me and the fam are going to Red Robin for lunch and refueling.

37 more OMG!!!!

We aer getting closer and closer........ I moved last nights run to this afternoon. Cheyenne had open house at school and I wanted to be there for her. It was a nice interval run 49 minutes feels real easy now, two years ago i would have laughed at you if you told me I was going to run a marathon lol. Tomorrow will be a short run only two hours should get in 12 miles or so. More to follow.

40

No not my age thats how many days left till I run lol. Tonight was a good run another interval night increasing speed then slow the increase you get the idea. It feels good to just push hard. I know I need to keep my pace for the long distance and can not bonk out. I was going to wear my fuel belt durring the marathon now im not sure. I know there will be water every 2 miles so should i carry or just refuel? i think I will carry water just incase there not there. LOL.

41 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was a recovery run day. A nice 30 minute easy run to recover from the 16+ mile run on Saturday. Nancy and I did about 90 min of yard work and then I fully detailed my car with Cheyenne. Ready for the week and getting some new ink done on Wednesday to celebrate my family members who have had and survived cancer.

43 more to go but who is counting!

Well today was my long run day. Headed out about 7:30, and ran 2:55. I was able to squeak in 16.87 miles and burn 2308 calories. Tomorrow is a day in the gym not sure if I just want to sleep in or go push my self to work out. I think I will work out since I wont be able to work out to hard Wednesday after I get my tattoo. I am getting a cool design I made up of 4 awareness ribbons for all the different cancers my family members have had and survived. More to follow

45 to go

Well tonight was a easy run night just a nice recovery run. Banged it out no problem. Saturday is a nice LONG run day of 2:55 min. I am looking forward to it to get out and just run and run. On the fund raising front I am at 620.00 only 130 more to go not to shabby I am hoping to blow past my goal of 750. I know my dad is sending me a donation I think that will send me over the top. I have a few people at work still wanting to donate so this should be easy.

Letter

August 30, 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

Eleven months ago, I ran my first half marathon, about the longest distance I had ever run. I have run a total of five half marathons. Less than fifty days from now, I will be crossing the finish line of the Duke City Marathon in Albuquerque, New Mexico after having run 26.2 miles in the course of about four and a half to five hours.
I am raising funds for the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation. With my help, the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation will raise thousands of dollars this year.
The New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation was formed in 2002 by the physicians of New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Ltd. (NMOHC) to help cancer patients with unmet needs, and to provide patients and medical staff with accurate information about cancer.
The physicians of NMOHC working at New Mexico Cancer Center recognized that many of their patients’ needs are not met by insurance coverage. A diagnosis of cancer often means the loss of a job. Sometimes the spouse must also stop work in order to care for his or her loved one. This poses a significant hardship for cancer patients and their families. Insurance covers some of the medical expenses but co-pays and deductibles often take the family savings very quickly. The physicians of NMOHC have seen many patients having to choose between paying for rent, child care or food, or paying for medications. We have traditionally assisted patients with procuring free chemotherapy medications and other medicines, but we have not ever been able to do anything about their ongoing living expenses such as rent, utilities, child care or transportation.
For that reason, NMOHC physicians established the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation as a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to helping patients meet their other expenses. The Foundation's primary mission is to use the money donated to it to provide financial assistance for New Mexico Cancer Center patients. Funds granted by the Foundation are NOT used for medical expenses, insurance co-payments or account payments at New Mexico Cancer Center/New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Ltd.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." In that spirit, I have set a goal of raising $750.00 for the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation. I invite you to join me in this effort by making a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation. ANY amount would be appreciated, but please consider contributing $1-5 for every mile I run.

Contact me to donate.

Warmest wishes, and my sincere appreciation,

Michael Nelson

48 days to go!

Well were did the time go lol. I am down to 48 days and counting, but really who's is counting. Oh yeah I am! So with the whole not shaving thing, I have decided that I will not shave till I either make my goal of 750 or the Marathon what ever comes first. Tonight was a good run night, even though I did sleep well last night and was up with a stomach bug most of the night. As long as its not a chest cold I'm running I need to train. Well more to come!

49 days and counting !!!

Well we are down to only 49 days! Wow!! It is hard to believe. Today was a weight day at the gym and then spent the morning cutting and freezing peaches, that my co-worker Sandra was so nice to give me !!!! So I have decided that I will not shave until I have completed my goal and run the marathon we shall see how that works out lol.

50 and counting!

Well 50 more days to go and I feel pretty confident I will get it done. Today was a 2 hour run clocked in 12.3 miles at my marathon pace, feeling good the weather was similar to what it will be in October. I have it all dialed in now, now its just run run run run and run some more lol. On the fund raising part I need 480 more to reach my goal of 750. I really want to help support the New Mexico Cancer Center, and if you want to help me contact me and let me know.

52 days and counting

Tonight was another interval night. 49 minutes total squeezed in 4.7 miles. Enjoying my training looking forward to my long run on Saturday, its a 2:05 min run. Tonight was the first run using the iRenew bracelet, and I was feeling great. More to come!

Weight night

well tonight was an upper body night the gym wasn't to busy, allot more teens then usually. I got my iRenew bracelet today and tried the as seen on TV demos and it worked lol. I am feeling better today looking forward to tomorrows run then dinner Friday!

54 days and counting!

Tonight was once again a interval night. 35 min 3.40 miles a good run. I broke the 40000 calorie mark tonight since I started training in May. Tomorrow night will be a upper body work out so not to bad of a night kind of easy as long as the gym isn't that busy lol.

Monday recovery day

Sorry I did not get to post last night I was having to update and fix my pacer software. Sunday was a nice full body work out, I do enjoy my time in the gym its a good way to just clear the mind. I also had my sports massage on Sunday, that about put me to sleep! Monday was a nice slow recovery run about 5.2 miles an hour I ran 2.6 miles in 30 min. tonight will be another interval run! More to follow.........................

And the beat goes on!

Well were getting there 57 days to go I have the shoes down the insoles down the compresion shorts picked and finnaly made a choice on fueling options. I ran 15.89 miles today at a pace of 10:06 per mile. It was a good day. More to follow!

58 to go

I havent posted in a few days, on Wednesday it was a nice upper body night. I moved Thursdays run to tonight because I felt it was more important to take Cheyenne to the movie set and help her meet the star. Tonight I ran a 30 minute slow recovery run. Now tomorrow I have a 2:45 min run so I am going to try my hardest to keep myself close to the pace I want to run for the marathon and not press to hard and bonk out!

61 to go

Tonight was an interval training run. 35 minutes long not to bad my right leg is sore still today. Looking forward to my massage next Sunday! This coming Saturday will be a 2:45 min run. I hope to keep myself in the "zone" this weekend and get this all figured out!

62 to go

Well I turned 39 today and only 62 days to go till my big run. Tonight was a good run night not to fast ran at my marathon pace. I plan to run the marathon at 10:00 to a 10:17 pace. I hope to finish between 4 and 4:30. I know it will be a cool morning so heat wont be a problem. I think I have the shoe issue worked out and the insoles locked in. I only have one other refueling option to try. I am going to try sports beans this weekend. I have a 2:45 min run on Saturday so we shall see if I can get that locked in.

Rio Grande Half Marathon

Well this fine Sunday morning I woke up at 5 am turned on the TV and watched the weather..... It was 79 degrees at 5 am holy crap. It figures right the one day I need to run an event it its hot before the sun comes up LMAO. Well we get down to the start and I meet up with other member of the Albuquerque Road Runners, we all chat about our hopes for the day and then we move to the start line. The gun goes off and were off running. I am trying Gu Chomps today to work out a fueling strategy for the Marathon. It works rather well which is a good thing lol. I ran a new PR today of 2:01:47 at altitude. Woo Hoo!!!! So 63 more days and counting. Tune in for more later!

66 days and counting

Tonight was a nice run night, another interval night. This weekend will be the Half Marathon looking forward to it....... The weather will be hot but I hope not to hot lol.

Weight day

Nice easy night.... who ever thought I would say that a night of upper body work in the gym would be an easy night lol! After working out I went to the store I needed fresh berries for a cake I am making for work tomorrow. Now I'm just chilaxing watching Through the worm whole on the Science Chanel..............

68

Tonight was an interval training and I switched my Adidas MiCoach from heart rate to Pace based traning. It went much smoother, I have the pace based traning set to where I want to run my marathon pace. We will see how it works Sunday at the half marathon.

69 days and counting

Well tonight was a recovery run...... nice and slow just a way to relax and enjoy a good low tempo. I also got a chance to break in a new pair of shoes which I will use this weekend for the Rio Grande Half Marathon which is in support of New Mexico Special Olympics. Got my sports massage yesterday and felt like a million bucks but didn't want to do a damn thing lol......

70 more days

I took yesterday off from running I wasnt feeling it lol. So I hit the gym hard today full body workout and then road the bike for 30 min hit 7.12 miles. I got my massage and feel wonderful I will hit the training hard this week and I have a half marathon on sunday in support of the special olympics. 70 more days and counting now comes the fun lol. Gonna go out for a walk with the fam later.

73 to go!

Tonight was an easy run night just 30 minutes in the low heart rate zone. Its funny the more I follow the Adidas training program the easy and better my cardio is getting. Tomorrow night going to go out and have some pasta so I can do my long run Saturday, 3:05. Then I get my bi-weekly massage, Sunday, woo hoo!

8-4

Ahhhh took a night off to relax from the daily workout regiment.

75 days to go

Tonight was a interval training run. 35 min run I completed 3.6 mile not to shabby lol. Felt good tonight no problem with my heart rate tonight. Tomorrow night is a weight night but first I will go to the running club meeting. More to follow for those tuning in...........

Last Night

Well I didnt get a chance to post last night. I had a 30 min run last night it was hot and muggy in the gym. My heart rate was up again last night not sure whats going on rt now. I know i have gained a little weight even though my clothes dont fit different. The only thing that I really changed in the last few weeks is adding in a new sup. This new sup is a natural type of ibuprofen. The one other use of this sup is that it aids in digestion and promots more absorbtion of nutrients, so that can be why I have gained a few pounds so I am going to stop taking it and see if the trend reverses itself. 75 more days to go.............

Sunday Sunday Sunday

A nice relaxing sunday? Oh heck no lol. I was up at 4:45 to volunteer at the La Luz Trail Run. This run is 9 miles up the mountian with a gain of 4600 feet of elevation. I was at the start then at the finish handing out shirts and guiding runners to the food and medical personel. Runners World Mag is doing an artical on the toughest trail runs in the US and this one is on it cant wait to read the artical when it comes out. So back to my day lol, after the run I cam home ate lunch then off to the gym for my workout. Now just chilling, tomorrow will be another run day for me, Wooooo Hooooo! 77 more days left but ummm whos counting!

Long run day!

Today was a long run day down by the river. I had to walk 2 times during the run today. I think the heat and the rare humidity we have got to me. I had plenty of water with me but I still scummed to the heat lol. I also have been trying different energy supplements so I can refuel during my marathon in 78 days. I cant tell you from the bottom of my stomach that honey almond butter is not one I will use lol. I believe the GU Chomps will be the best its just like gummy bears lol. But back to the long run...... I completed 16.5 miles in 3 hours not to shabby if I do say so myself. More blogs to come........... lol.

79 days and counting

So the count down goes on lol. Last night was an easy run, just a recovery run to keep loose. Tonight were going out for pasta and tomorrow I have a 2:55 min run. I still need to raise over 500 bucks I hope I get there :o(

7/28/10

Tonight was a upper body workout at the gym. Feeling good just had my dinner and now chilaxing

Training moves on

Good run tonight a progression run trying to get my heart rate up was hard, I can tell my cardio is getting even better because I have to push really hard to get my heart rate up

Training and the count down goes on!

I had a nice massage yesterday I feel it is really helping my training. Tonight I had a nice training run 3.01 miles, was very humid in the gym tonight but empty. I love it when it is empty!! 83 more days till the marathon on 10/17. I have changed my diet a bit, changed up my breakfast from fish and fruit to flax waffles fruit and eggs adding in a banana and almond butter as a pre run / workout snack adding about 500 calories to my diet brining it up to 2250 calories a day. Could be that I was not eating enough but we shall see how this experiment will work out!

Work out

Spent a few hours in the gym on full body conditioning. Tomorrow will strart the runs for the week. Keep on counting down.

The count down

I have 84 days till I run my first marathon. I started running may 2008 and could barely finish a 5k, but this morning I ran 15.5 miles so I am well on my way. I will be running the Duke City Marathon 10/17/2010.