AUGUST 23 Days 241.6 Miles
July 26 Days 248.8 Miles
June 25 Days 260.0 Miles
May 26 Days 261.7 Miles
April 23 Days 231.1 Miles
March 26 Days 235.4 Miles
February 24 Days 220.2 Miles
January 26 Days 283.9 Miles
Total 2016 199 Days 1982.7 Miles
Monthly Archives: August 2016
Training August 20th – 26th
This week 51.2 Miles
Saturday August 20th – 4 Miles, 5 sets of 70 push-ups, 21 minutes of Planks
Sunday August 21st – 20 Miles LSD in 4:14.17. 3 sets of 30 squats
Monday August 22nd – 4.8 Miles, 4 sets of 7 chin-ups, 3 rounds boxing the heavy bag.
Tuesday August 23rd- 4.8 Miles, 5 sets of 70 push-ups, 21 minutes of Planks
Wednesday August 24th – 8 Miles LSD in 2:33:07. 3 sets of 30 squats
Thursday August 25th – 4.8 Miles, 4 sets of 8 chin-ups, 3 rounds boxing the heavy bag.
Friday August 26th – Date night with my Wife!
My walking workouts have been great. I feel like I did before the Centurion in England. I am staying patient with the recovery mileage. A repeat of workouts this next week. My strength training also didn’t miss a beat except chin-ups. There is something about chin-ups. You are hanging from the bar all vulnerable. Either you can get your chin over the bar or you cant. It is a great exercise. I can gut out push-ups and Planks. Chin-ups , no. They keep you honest. I remember three years ago learning how to do chin-ups. I could do two kicking and straining. I worked up to four sets of ten. Now post race, four sets of seven. Tonight four sets of eight. How does it help walking? I use my arms to drive my legs walking. Chin-ups are closer to how I hold my hands and arms walking. Does it help? I associate my Centurion Success directly with my strength workouts.
I had a big development take place the end of last week. My Friend Double Badge Centurion and Ultra walking legend Ulli Kamm is the “keeper” of the U.S. Centurion Site. Ulli passed the baton to me after His more than 20 years of Service. I am far less qualified than Ulli. I am both nervous and excited to be “keeper” of The United States Centurion Walkers.
Training August 13th – 19th
This week 32.0 Miles
Saturday August 13th – 4 Miles
Sunday August 14th – 5.6 Miles
Monday August 15th – 4.8 Miles
Tuesday August 16th- 4.8 Miles, 5 sets of 70 push-ups, 21 minutes of Planks
Wednesday August 17th – 8 Miles LSD in 1:45:08. 3 sets of 30 squats
Thursday August 18th – 4.8 Miles, 4 sets of 7 chin-ups, 3 rounds boxing the heavy bag.
Friday August 19th – Date night with my Wife!
Back to work this week with light recovery miles. Wow, nothing hurt, nothing sore. No high gear but I feel great. My training plan may not be for everyone but it sure works for me. No ill effects after a one hundred mile race is hard to imagine. I will be patient with my recovery. Same plan I used after my race in Australia.
August 6th – 12th
This week 100 Miles
Saturday August 6th – Start of the 105th British Centurion Qualifier
Sunday August 7th – 100 miles in 22:19:37.
Monday August 8th – Day Off
Tuesday August 9th – Day Off
Wednesday August 10th – Day Off. One L O N G travel day.
Thursday August 11th – Day Off
Friday August 12th – Date night with my Wife!
What a Great Trip and Race. Everything about this experience far exceeded my wildest dreams. Resting now. Eating a bunch of food I have had to pass on for weeks. I ended up with one blister on each heel. A sore left knee. Start back walking on Saturday. Strength training starts on Tuesday. A nice slow recovery. Then just enough miles to maintain my Fitness level. I will not be doing any hard training this cycle. No back2backs. My goal is to step onto the African Continent with rested, fit legs in 10 weeks.
My Next Next Big Goal
I did it. I Achieved my Big Goal of Becoming a British Centurion. The oldest Centurion Club in the world. Now it is time to set my Next Next Big Goal. The Inaugural African Centurion on Robben Island, South Africa, October 22nd. The opportunity of a lifetime to have a New Centurion Qualifier Start up while I am in peak Centurion condition. The moment this race became a reality it has consumed my thoughts.
The quest to Walk 100 miles in 24 Hours in Africa!
Going to be Fun!
International Centurion Races
Take a race as demanding as a Centurion. Add in long travel. Change of time zones. Sleep deprivation. New foods. POW you have transformed a tough race into an even tougher race. Below are a few tips that have helped me with International Centurion Races.
Plan every detail in advance: The day of your trip is not the time to find out you booked the wrong night at the hotel. Plan everything in advance. Go over your plan again and again. Check your passport. Visa. Required vaccinations. Make sure you packed everything you need for the race. Warm gear. Wet Gear. An extra change of everything. Do not risk missing the Race you trained so hard for because you overlooked something. Plan well = race well = SUCCESS.
Plan extra time: Leave early for the airport. Arrive early for the train. Get to the race early. Plan extra time for everything. Avoid all stress on your trip. Avoid all stress on race day. Get worked up when they pin that Centurion Badge on your shirt. The rest of the time, Calm Cool Collected.
Fly Business Class: This might not be possible. Business class is expensive. All the little extras make it worth the price. A more comfortable seat. Possibly even a bed. Priority boarding. Use of the express lane at airport screening. Priority baggage handling. Use of the airport lounge during layovers. Save up your money. These little extras are worth the price.
Pack a Carry on Bag: Pack your race shoes, socks and clothes in your carry on bag. Pack every item you MUST have in this bag. Most of the time your luggage will arrive when you do. Don’t risk arriving at the race without your race gear. Carry it with you.
Drink lots of water: One of the perks of flying business class is they have a bottle of water waiting at your seat. Drink it. They will bring another. Drink all you can during your travel. I get so worked up during travel I forget to drink. Staying hydrated during travel will help you during your Centurion race.
Don’t change your diet: I love to eat. Travel brings new foods. New times of the day to eat. Take advantage of every new food and every meal you can “After the race”. Before the race do NOT change your diet. Nothing makes a Centurion race more uncomfortable than digestive distress. It is not worth it. Enjoy your race then eat your own weight in food after and on the way back home.
Take Airborne: Airborne® products contain a combination of key immune supporting vitamins and minerals plus a proprietary blend of natural herbs. Most likely you will not be alone on your flights. You will be sharing the air with several hundred people for as long as 14 hours. Some of them will be sick. Boost your odds of staying well with a boost of vitamins and minerals. Take as often as recommended on the package.
Sleep Sleep Sleep: Sleep as much as you can when ever you can. Have your seat on the plane turned into a bed. Sleep. When you get to your room. sleep. A 24 hour race is still a 24 hour race overseas. Stock up on your sleep.
International races are expensive. Failure is not an option: This is a mindset. International travel is very expensive. Flights, hotels, transportation, tours, food. Almost double if you travel with your spouse or a supporter. Failure can NOT be an option. You are going to do your Centurion race. You are going to be successful. Nothing is going to stop you. You will not quit.
Enjoy your International Centurion Race. Just because you have decided to make the race harder. Does not mean you can’t still enjoy the experience. Race hard. Become an International Centurion.
105th British Centurion Qualifier
The Redcar Blast in Redcar, England. August 6 – 7th. The One hundred fifth year of British Centurion Qualifiers. That is Centurion Qualifiers at this club since 1911. I have never seen anything like it. A 24 hour walking race with the atmosphere of a carnival. It looked like all of Northeast England came out to support the racers. Thanks to a Brilliant team of organizers and officials. An absolute joy to be a part of such an event. A lot of pressure on me. No one has seen an American walk 100 miles in 24 hours in Great Britain since 1965. U.S. Centurion John Kelly is the only American member of the British Centurion Club. One thing that made this race extra special for me was it was walkers only. Oh what a field of walkers it was. Six badge Centurion Sandra Brown. Four Badge Centurion Richard Brown. Three badge Centurions Frans Leijtens, Frank van der Gulik and Richard McChesney. Double badge Centurions John Bellwood, Jack Bertrums, Kevin Marshall, Alf Short, Martin Fisher. Centurions Sarah Lightman, Suzanne Beardsmore, Albert Bos, Jannie Bos, Richard Kok, Jimmy Millard, Ap van Gelderen, Gino Masto, Edmund Schillabeer. 20 Centurions in the 24 hour race. Plus 11 racers with the aspirations to become Centurions. I have been in their shoes. Never underestimate the ability of someone with a goal set that high.
In the shorter races there were 10 Centurions. Four Badge Centurion Susan Clements. Double Badge Centurions Karen Lawrie, Tony Mackintosh, Richard Cole, Christopher Flint . Centurions Mark Stephen Byrne, Daniel King, David Jones, Luc Van de Velde, Herwin Weststrate.
The Race Officials included 9 Centurions. Eric Horwill, Kathy Crilley, Pam Ficken, Colin Bradley, John Payn, John Eddershaw, Sean Pender, Michael Hague and Pauline Wilson. I also met triple Centurion Gerrit de Jong and Double badge Centurion Bob Watt. After the race started I saw Centurion Tony Hill and Double badge Centurion Jayne Farquhar in support of her husband. 43 of the biggest names in World Centurion races. That many elite walkers at one race will either fire you up or paralyze you with fear. It fired me up!
The setting was the Redcar Esplanade. 2 miles back and forth along the seaside Promanade. An almost pancake flat concrete sidewalk course. The weather was very pleasantly cool. For an Okie to spend the first week of August with temperatures between 62 and 72 is like going straight to heaven without the judgement. Overnight and Sunday morning I thought I was back in Oklahoma. The wind gusted over 30 mph. There were times the wind stopped me dead in my tracks. Twice my hat blew off and I could not run it down because I would get disqualified for running. Both times supporters chased it down for me. A large food table. Separate Drink tables I like that set up. Grab a drink and finish it. Then grab a bite later. You don’t have to try and eat and drink at the same time. Lots of great supporters handing you cups, sponges. The food table always ready and loaded. This kind of support saves the racers time.
I trained hard all summer for this race. My goal, A British Centurion Badge. I also wanted to have an easier 100 mile race than my last three. Improve my finish time. Despite the Carnival Atmosphere and the cool weather I changed my race strategy for this race. I set a 13:30 minute per mile pace. That is a pace slower than I train. A pace slower than I started my last three one hundred mile races. A pace I felt like I could hold for 100 miles. In all of my other Centurion qualifiers I started faster and later slowed. This race I started slower and tried to hold the pace to the finish. Make the race feel easier. And I would have a PR finish for me. This pace made figuring the splits in my head easy. 27 minutes per lap. 54 minutes every 4 miles. 2 hours and 15 minutes every 10 miles. Figuring time splits gives your head something to do during the race. Later in the race figuring splits is hard to do. You have to really concentrate. It takes your mind off what is hurting. I like to keep my mind busy. What am I going to eat next round consumes a lot of my thoughts also. The best thing about an out and back race is You see everyone every lap. It is amazing what you can learn about someone just by Racing with them. I think this is what bonds the Centurion Brotherhood together so tightly. We race together. We suffer together. We fight the wind together. We Celebrate together. We all stepped on the same cracks in the sidewalk. We all felt the sun. We breathed the same air. We Shared the same food and drinks. We are One. We are Centurions! I felt so good in this race for a long time. I loved the set up and the elite company I was in. Just a comfortable race for Me. Very early Sunday morning the wind changed the race. A mile with the wind. A mile against. That mile against was a bear. At that point I started to feel the race. Once again the Centurion’s, racers, supporters and fans pulled all of us along. A BIG shout out to my sweet wife Brenda. Brenda stayed from Saturday afternoon, all night and then to the end of the race. She stood on the hard concrete. Was pounded by the wind and sand. Cold. Waited on my every need and want. A tired racer during a tough endurance event is not always a joy to be around. Thank You Bren. Love You Bunches. After the New Zealand Centurion Qualifier in October 2017 You can pick the vacation spots. I got my PR. Finished sixth overall. 100 miles in 22:19:37. My third Centurion badge. Half way to my ultimate goal of all six World Centurion Badges.
What a Great event. Thanks again to Redcar and the brilliant team of organizers and officials that made this race possible. 10 Racers crossed the One Hundred Mile line. Congratulations to Centurion’s Frank van der Gulik, Sandra Brown, Kevin Marshall and Martin Fisher who Added another 100 miler to their Britsh Centurion totals. Congratulations to Jimmy Millard and Gino Masto who added The British Centurion badge to their Collections.
Welcome New members to the Centurion Brotherhood. Colin Vesty, Kim Reed and John Borgars. I am so glad I got to watch you race on your big day. My new Centurion Brothers and Sister. I guess I am an old softy. Just watching you finish made me tear up. Thinking about the flood of emotions you go through in a Centurion race all coming together at the finish. That is the kind of Brotherhood a Centurion embodies.
Yep. All that work for this beautiful Badge and Number. None of us knows what the future holds. British Centurion badge number 1169 will always belong to Rob Robertson
Post Race. Thanking everyone for a Great race with Great Support. Thank You Sue Clements for the Photo.
Split times.
Training July 30th – August 5th
This week 24.8 Miles
Saturday July 30th – 4.8 Miles
Sunday July 31st – 8 Miles LSD in 1:45:45.
Monday August 1st – 4 Miles
Tuesday August 2nd – 4 Miles
Wednesday August 3rd – 4 Miles early before catching my flight to Great Britian.
Thursday August 4th – Day off touring Beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland
Friday August 5th – Date night with my Wife in Redcar, England.
All that training……. All that time…….. All that healthy food…….All those steps……..All those Miles…….. All those shoes……. All that travel………. It all comes down to this moment in Time. Let’s Do This!
Going to be fun!
