The 2012 screaming pumpkin race in springdale cemetery last night went very well. I finished almost the same mapped loop we did for the ivs half marathon with the same time of 1:05 with a nagging lower back flare and Wendy did it in 1:07 this time with a hip flare... i tied my record for this course but did not make my goal of <60 minutes. This is a very hilly and demanding course with a few very large (over 1/8 mile) hills and it never gets easier to attempt even in training mode/paces. To get ready for this one I actually had to scale back training due to alot of reoccurring back flares from my l-4/l-5 herniation and disk degeneration along with newer mid back bulges. Despite all of that my times are getting better compared to 2010 when I averaged a 1:08-9 for the same loops. My training for the rest of fall and winter is going to focus on tae-bo/insanity, more wieght and stationary bike workouts to gain some cardiac output results and cross train. Running as a clydesdale(200+) @ 215lbs is very challenging and I do supplement alot. This year to increase red blood cells so I could use oxygen more efficiently was a combo of: iron,b12,b6,folic acid,boron,milk thistle, and a better multi vitamin with many pro hormones and antioxidants. I used that along with: creatine monohydrate, ginko biloba and l-arganine. One other thing I added this year was a new balance 750 which is a lighter shoe with molded cushioning along with my aetrex lynco sports L405 insert for my own pressure points. This combo did very good in the hills for my larger frame. My knees, calves and hips did very well overall this year. I've concluded my back will allways be an issue until surgery repair or my retirement from running at my top speeds.... Its allways a pain or a tightness; but I've found on most days its very manageable with non narcotic sports medication but progressively getting worse. My next race will most likely be in late November and shorter in distance. I look forward to this fall/winter training plan....#Romneysteinsucks
