So how do you run 61 miles?
...Asking for a friend…
Popcorn will tell you that preparation is everything! The training he did for his 60th Birthday Run shaved 3 hours off of his time from the year before. Now he is an epic runner, but as he prepares to run 61 miles for his 61st birthday, it will be all about him putting in the miles. In fact, as we sat down to hear his story one afternoon, he had just completed a 13 mile training run.
That’s a half-marathon, folks!
And he did it on a Tuesday afternoon!
We asked him about his training plan. He told us that 4 days a week he will run 10 miles in the mornings and then do another 5-10 miles at night. His long run will be Saturday where he will run about 20-25 miles followed by tapering on Sunday with a 10-15 mile run. He will also mix in some cycling for cross training.
It goes without saying, endurance builds over the years of competition. Usually, when someone runs long distances, they have been running for years. Popcorn is in that boat. Starting at 5 years old, new recruits from the Thai Army Base where his father served would run by his home at 5:30 a.m. and he would join them. He figured they ran 3-4 miles together and when it was over they invited him to breakfast as a reward. This routine continued into his adulthood. While living in Austin, he ran for fitness 3-4 times per week and 4-6 miles each time. At 38 he finally got serious and trained for the Capitol 10K in Austin, started hitting the road races, and at 59 got into ultramarathons. We're looking forward to helping Popcorn celebrate his 61st Birthday with another big milestone run!
There is so much to Popcorn and we have enjoyed getting a glimpse into his life. If you want to join in, we have two great ways. First, come see him finish up his epic 61 mile run at The Attic SuperHero Run. You don’t have to run it but if you want a taste of his victory, you can register at www.TheAtticSuperHeroRun.com. Also, you can make a donation toward his goal to raise $5,000 for The Attic. To do that go to www.TheAtticFN.org/give and select “Popcorn’s Run” under My donation is for*