In DC, kids start school in a week or two, whereas in Virginia, they start the Tuesday following the holiday Monday during the Labor Day Weekend. Either way, that means two things for me:
1) Summer, sadly is almost over AND
2) I am only a few short weeks away from another marathon.
The next race will be on Monday, September 7 (Labor Day Monday) and it's called the American Discovery Trail Marathon in Colorado Springs. (see: www.adtmarathon.com)The race itself is an off-road trek set at 7,200 feet of elevation. To put it in context, that is comparable to what the elite Kenyans are training at in Eldoret and Iten, Kenya. Conversely, I am at sea level here in DC, 0 feet of elevation. The substantial change in altitude is incredibly daunting and is known to produce 'altitude sickness' and that's in people who are simply trying to acclimate on an everyday level; not people who are trying to come from sea level and run a 26-mile marathon.
A former client is out there and says that when he first made the move to elevation, it felt like he was breathing through a coffee stirer with a clothes pin clamped on his nose, as his lungs were set ablaze with kerosene.
Ok seriously, I am NOT making that up. Those are his words, not mine, and to this day, I consider him one of the toughest athletes I have ever known. That said, I've really got my work cut out for me for the eighth marathon in the 10-12-100 Campaign. Without a doubt, this is the only one for which I've almost had a sense of dread. First, I've never done any racing (whether short or long) at that kind of elevation. Second, this will unquestionably be the hardest of all ten marathons and I'm not getting to it until the eighth marathon in a ten-race line up. Regardless, I'll get the job done.
The challenge will be to keep getting in the training miles necessary to maintain my base fitness while work ramps up during the fall season--the four month period of time that is the busiest for me as an Agent and this growing business. To illustrate, earlier this afternoon, Courtney and I charted out my prospective travel schedule from September-December and I will be gone as much as 16 weekends, with multiple one and two-day mid-week trips sprinkled in between. This is the period where I go to watch, meet and talk with prospective clients (all within the ambit of the NCAA, SPARTA, and governing state laws) as well as see current clients as the fall football season ramps up.
With thousands of miles to run and thousands of miles to travel for work, this is going to be an incredibly busy fall for me, the office and the campaign. I'll be sure to do at least two postings per week as I've gotten a lot of requests to know what a 'typical day in the life of...' means for me as it relates to DLE Sports and the 10-12-100 Campaign.
Additionally, per your requests (and haggling) I will be posting a lot of pictures to the blog and also to our Facebook page (search: 10-12-100).
As always, you can contact me directly with any comments, questions, concerns or support.
Thanks for your prayers, well wishes, and continued donations.
Doug Eldridge
President
DLE Sports
