Sunday, 3/31 Off – Did 3 Advanced Open Water Scuba training dives and I was pooped. This is the most time I have ever spent in the ocean in such a short amount of time. Saturday, 3/30 43 minute out and back run on the main road in Koh Tao. … Continue reading
Sunday 3/31/2013 Big dive day with three dives. We could have run in the morning but thought maybe we’d run between dive 2 and 3 for the day. Wrong. No time and we were exhausted when we finished dive number 3 after dark. Saturday 3/30/2013 43 minutes with Julie in … Continue reading
“Campers, it’s 5:30. You should be up by now. Actually, it’s 5:29 and 37 seconds.” I didn’t hear my alarm clock go off, but I heard the voice of David Horton, the race director of the Holiday Lake 50k++ race, pierce through my cabin walls as he stood outside at … Continue reading
From the moment we met David Horton last July at the White River 50, I think we’ve steadily heard the phrase “You’ve got to come out and run one of my races!”. And then after he read Julie’s new book about the Appalachian Trail, he emailed and said we had … Continue reading
My second marathon in eight days was a winner and filled with good times and a few firsts in my running career. After last weekend’s night marathon in Indianapolis where Julie won the women’s race and I finished second in the guy’s race, we spent the next few days with … Continue reading
Thursday, 2/28/13 57 minutes with Matt, with 6 by 30 second strides in the middle of the run. Tried to run at Riverbend Park to get in some trails, but they were all flooded with the recent rain, like 3 feet of water. Headed over to the reservoir after that … Continue reading
Thursday 2/28/2013 We went to Riverbend today in order to avoid some of the wind of the Reservoir. Instead, we were thwarted by flooding trails. Nearly the entire system of trails in the park were flooded out so we made our way on foot to the Reservoir to take our … Continue reading
As we arrived at Eagle Creek park on the outskirts of Indianapolis late yesterday afternoon there was definite excitement in the air and it’s fair to say that Julie and I were both a bit nervous. Despite racing 26 combined marathons or ultras last year, neither of us had raced … Continue reading
Last night was a lot of firsts. First time running a marathon at night, first time running a marathon on snowy trails, first time running a marathon in 20 degree weather, and most surprisingly, first time winning! The race started at 6:30 last night and was exciting all the way … Continue reading
Thursday 1/31/2013 25 minutes with Julie around Findlay. We nearly turned around 45 seconds into the run and went back inside due to the cold wind. So we’re lucky to have even gotten in the 25. The winter novelty is wearing off and getting out in this biting cold wind … Continue reading
Thursday, 1/31 25 minutes around Findlay. Really cold and windy, in the low teens, if that, with the wind chill. Looking forward to leaving town with the hope that it’s better somewhere else. Wednesday, 1/30 55 minutes in Findlay with 6×30 second strides with a one minute rest. Legs feeling … Continue reading
As this year wraps up it’s time to make plans for the next. We’ve had an awesome 2012 on many levels, running included, and as a result, we’ve set the bar high for ourselves to keep pushing on for new experiences and new perspectives. We’re currently road-tripping down the West … Continue reading
12/13 – 12/31 Ok, so I ran for the rest of the month, but totally slacked in updating my training log. As with most things, I’m going for a fresh start in January. If you really want to see what I ran (as that’s how I was going to cheat … Continue reading
Monday 12/31/12 Took another day off, this time without the driving excuse. We simply didn’t go run. We had fun walking around the city with our friend Jed and then going down to Fremont to spend the New Year with our long time friend Dan Casey. On to the next … Continue reading
Over the course of the countless races that Matt and I have run, none of those races would have been possible without the volunteers. They help with sign-up, they mark the course, they hand out water and Gatorade and they block the road crossings. They are definitely the unseen heroes … Continue reading
It’s time for another update on my runs over the last several days. I finally feel like I’m getting back into a routine where I’m getting faster and it doesn’t hurt so much to go further. I did find out from a blood test last week that I’m deficient in … Continue reading
I did my second week in a row of a long run this Sunday, and afterwards I thought, “Damn, it feels good to do a long run.” I love the feeling of finishing, heading home famished, taking a hot shower, putting on the sweats and sitting down to a satisfying … Continue reading
After my second track workout of the week, I am happily feeling back on track with my running and on a good path forward to better racing. We both decided to hop back on the track to work on our speed for a couple reasons. First, after a long season … Continue reading
Matt and I were finally tired of just running an easy hour a day, so we started back on doing some workouts from the Daniels book again. I haven’t done a workout in nearly two years, and I’m sooooo much slower than I was before, but I need to start … Continue reading
Matt and I ran 70 minutes last night on a paved bike path near our apartment, the furthest we’ve run in a couple of weeks. We’re still getting our legs back after hiking the Colorado Trail in late August/early September. Then we got ghiardia, or at least it finally showed … Continue reading
1 hour training run with Matt from our apartment, to Green Lake, an outside loop around Green Lake, and then back home. My hamstrings have been horribly tight on all my runs lately, and it’s taken me about 3 miles just to warm up…which unfortunately is almost half my run. … Continue reading
I made it! I finished the 100 mile Race Across the Sky and while I know it’s a big accomplishment and that I dug deep in order to get through it, I also realize that there is indeed an element of luck involved. And while luck was in my favor, … Continue reading
Hanging with ultra-legend David Horton before the start of the White River 50 race I know we’ve titled a few blog stories just like this one, but there is no other title that fits the bill for the events that ensued this weekend while crewing for Matt in the White … Continue reading
Success. Awesome. Frustrated (a little). Prepared for Leadville, I think so. Overall experience, really cool. These are the basics when I think about yesterday’s 50 mile race through the mountains just outside of Mt. Rainier National Park. I ran the White River 50 miler yesterday, my second time running the … Continue reading
With the Leadville 100 quickly approaching (5 weeks away), training is getting serious. This weekend was supposed to be an epic run of the Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier. However, earlier this week I called the ranger station to find out it’s still heavily under snow and not ready for … Continue reading
I made a discovery this past weekend while running the Missoula Half Marathon: a half marathon is a fabulous alternative to the full marathon. I was done in half the time, my legs felt great afterwards, and I still felt that sense of accomplishment that comes from running a race. … Continue reading
The finishers of the Wildwood Trail in one run – Alex, Steve and Matt What can I say but that it was an awesome day! One week ago, it looked to be only Julie and I running the 30+ mile Wildwood Trail through Forest Park and by the time the … Continue reading
Things have been a little off in the Urbanski household lately, as I have been injured with stress-fracture like pain since the marathon in the Netherlands, so I’m taking time off and missing quite a bit of the summer racing and training that we’ve scheduled. The upside to my injury … Continue reading
This past weekend was our first official weekend back in Washington, and what better way to spend it than in Vancouver for a marathon? We always manage to fit a lot of stuff into a short amount of time, and this weekend was no exception. On Thursday we moved into … Continue reading
We woke up yesterday to crystal clear skies, temps climbing into the 80’s, and a 0% chance of rain, asking ourselves, “Are we still in Ireland?” Then we heard the gusty, 20mph winds and saw the whitecaps on the sea just outside our window, and said, “Yep, that’s the Ireland … Continue reading
While Julie was cruising to her 18thcareer marathon and staying in her beautifully consistent time range she has managed on her 8thmarathon of 2012 (along with a 50k and a 100-miler), I was dropping a bomb on the beautiful course in Leiden in the Netherlands. Julie put together her 5thfastest … Continue reading
Knee pain: check. Weather: check. Awesome city: Czech! After two weeks off from running the Madrid Marathon 3 weeks ago and not being sure if I’d be able to actually run the Prague Marathon or not, this weekend turned out about as well as I could possibly hope for. I … Continue reading
I’ve reached one of those “enough is enough” moments. Bogged down by a bum knee that doesn’t seem to be getting any better, a few extra lbs. from excessive pasta and gelato consumption, and all while staring down the barrel of a crazy summer racing schedule that is paid for, … Continue reading
It finally happened: I’ve made it through a 100 mile race, a 50k, and 5 marathons already this year with only minor issues (serious soreness and a lost toe nail) but after the Madrid Marathon 9 days ago, I’m still not running. At first it wasn’t a big deal, ”rest … Continue reading
Today marked not only the first running of the Madrid Rock n’ Roll Marathon here in Spain, but also the first time for us to run a marathon in Europe. Without fail, it turned out to have its highlights, its highs and lows, and though I’m not happy that this … Continue reading
While we’re kicking off our spring marathon season this weekend with the inaugural Rock N’ Roll Madrid Marathon, we have also recently set our summer racing schedule by signing up for a host of races that should prove adventurous , challenging, and rewarding. Plus, I’m feeling highly over-confident today and … Continue reading
Those that know the excitement that comes with signing up for a race online will appreciate the joy, apprehension, and pleasure I felt this past weekend, but add to that excitement the fact that we’re talking about marathons in Europe and that I signed up for four different races in … Continue reading
What’s an ultramarathon in Guatemala without a few “firsts?” Already, I’d like to forget and never repeat some of the first-time experiences from this race, yet there are a few keepers in there that were pleasant surprises. On Saturday morning, Matt and I rode the 4 hour bus ride from … Continue reading
Each morning here in Guatemala, I either go for a 5-7 mile run, or a 3 mile walk, just to get some exercise in before the sun has gathered heat and before the rest of the town is awake and bustling with people, cars, motorbikes, buses, and everything in between. … Continue reading
Being able to run is such a wonderful ability and a wonderful activity; I am so glad I can get out there and go. The endorphins must still be pumping strongly for me right now because while yesterday’s 62k (~38 mile) adventure around Lake Atitlan was an awesome experience, there … Continue reading
Somehow, running always finds its way into everything I do, regardless of where I’m at. And Guatemala has not been an exception. Tomorrow, with a friend from school, I will be embarking on a crazy run from the town of Panajachel on the far side of the lake and running … Continue reading
The Plan Based on last year’s failure after 60 miles, I decided that this year, I needed a plan. Not that a plan could guarantee success, but it sure couldn’t hurt. The plan started with getting to the race course a full 5 days before the race even started. We … Continue reading
I slept for about 10 minutes and then I heard Julie’s voice. She had finished the race and was so excited. Normally I’m there for her at the end cheering her in and this time I’m laying face down in a tent under blankets with twenty miles left to go. … Continue reading
As I woke up in the tent on Saturday afternoon after almost 3 hours of sleep my first thought was about my stomach. It wasn’t hurting nearly as bad and wasn’t bloated anymore. I ate some crackers, no problems. I drank some Gatorade, it felt pretty normal. I took some … Continue reading
The race kicked off in the pouring rain at 6 am. I had decided I was going to start in the front and get out quickly because the trail narrowed 100 yards into the race and had lots of sharp turns in the first couple miles. Plus, I thought I’d … Continue reading
There is so much to tell when it comes to the culmination of Marathon Madness 2012 and the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler that I am breaking my story up into four parts. Not only do I have three stories worth of stuff, but I’m also only covering my race experience … Continue reading
After a nice stay in Hilton Head, SC last week and a great visit with new friends in Birmingham, AL, we are now here in grand Texas; Huntsville State Park to be exact. We are looking to put an end to the Marathon Madness for awhile by completing the Rocky … Continue reading
Summary – A decent week of training. I was sore the first part of the week; way more sore than I thought I would be since we only had one marathon this past weekend. However, the hills of Ocala along with the accumulation of marathons (5 in 16 days) took … Continue reading
Marathon Madness has come to an end, and marathon #5 in Ocala, FL certainly closed it out with many more memorable experiences. It was one of the hardest races of the 5, not only because of the course, but because it was the last one. This past week, I made … Continue reading
With the completion of Sunday’s Ocala Marathon in Florida I’ve now completed 12 marathons and for only the first time in my brief marathoning career, I actually hit negative splits. I stayed mentally positive throughout the race and wrapped up our 5 Southern States marathoning tour with a good run. … Continue reading
