My Plan, a Full Nelson

I think the few of you that read my blog are well aware of my challenges in preparing for a planned marathon in April. With the Kearny 9 mile run on February 21st, followed up with a successful 12 mile run on the 28th, I started to do the calculations. With 7 weeks until the Salt Lake Marathon I am asking myself if there is a logical path between where I am right now and the possibility of running a full marathon on April 18th. By "logical" I mean that there is a training plan that follows safe guidelines to prepare me for 26.2 miles that doesn’t take shortcuts which would open me up to even more injury. I think there is, but only one.

Every plan you look at has two basic elements of minimal training to realistically prepare for a marathon. One, you have to have run at least one run of at least 20 miles and Two, you should not increase weekly mileage by more than 10-15% week to week. Beyond those elements there are other things that are desirable but not as critical. Things like, you should be running at least 35 miles a week (and if you are doing 20 on one day, this is really not that hard!), you should aim for your long runs to be no more than 50% of your weekly miles, you should have a 2-3 week "taper" to allow your body to rest and repair training damage prior to race day. There are a million other things, but these are the elements I contemplated in my situation.

First, where am I right now? The last two weeks have been 18.5 and 22 miles respectively with the long runs I mentioned above, 9 & 12. I have been doing almost all of my weekday runs on a treadmill and not once over 4 miles. The miles on the treadmill are easier on my knees and I can do more of the proper stretching on a carpeted floor in a heated house than leaning up against a car at 5am in 40 degree weather. So, as much as I cringe at the treadmill training, I think it will be key to getting me to the Full Marathon.

So the key to my plan is the month of March! Each Saturday in March my long run will have to lengthen by 2 miles; 14, 16, 18, 20. If I can do that, I can then taper back down to race day in April; 16, 10, 26.2. If for any reason I fall off of that schedule, I think it would be unrealistic and dangerous to run the full marathon and I will step back down to train for a half-marathon which I am confident I would be able to complete that day. (Unless my knee completely blows up... then I walk the 5k… but that’s not going to happen, right?)

So here is the plan, you can follow my log on the right side of the page to see how I do each week but I will keep you posted on any significant deviation or development.

Week Ending......Long Run Length (miles)....Total Miles for Week
March 7....................................14.........................................25.5
March 14..................................16.........................................29.5
March 21..................................18.........................................34
March 28..................................20........................................39
April 4.......................................16.........................................34
April 11.....................................10.........................................24
April 18 ...................................26.2......................................34.2

The other element of my training that has had me thinking a lot lately is what to use as my motivation. I have almost always had the motivation of wanting to set a new personal record in any race I have run. The ONLY instance that I didn’t improve on my previous record at a race distance in the last 3 years was last years Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July when I was running with 55,000 people and it was more for the experience than a PR. But I still ran a good time.

This time around I am not trying to kid myself into thinking I will improve my marathon time. I hope I do, and I will pace initially for a 4 hour marathon, but I would be shocked if this level of training and my patched together knees would allow me to finish there.

Last fall I found the fundraising I did for Diabetes Action to be very rewarding and provided a lot of strength and motivation over the final grueling miles of that run. I’m not doing another fundraiser at this point, one because I can only humble myself to ask for donations from friends and family only so often, and two because I have neither the time nor resources to put something like that together like I did last year.

So I asked myself, "Why am I running in Salt Lake when injury and lack of training would dictate perhaps putting it off?" It started off as something that would be fun to share with more of my brothers and sisters but that alone doesn’t get me over the hurdles I have been jumping. The biggest reason I can’t pull out now is that my two sisters would probably KILL me, but that gets me to Salt Lake, not through 26.2 miles.

I haven’t asked my sister if this was okay, but I hope she will forgive me. Last Saturday, on my long run, I had a kernel of an idea that sprouted into a full concept in a dream I had Sunday night. My nephew Nelson has been fighting more health issues during his 10 years of life than any human should face in a lifetime. He went into the hospital on Saturday, I’m sure that is why he was in my thoughts. The further I ran that day, the more the concept of completing the Full Marathon became a reality to me.

Forgive the terrible play on words here but I kept thinking things like, "Run the Full for Nelson" and other pun variations of the worlds most notorious wrestling headlock… "I can escape from a Full Nelson", "Life is a Full Nelson", you get the picture. Sunday night I dreamt that I ran the whole race wearing a shirt reading "Put me in a FULL NELSON!" with my nephew’s face on the front. If you have ever been put in a Full Nelson (as the youngest of 8 kids, trust me, I have) it can be suffocating, frustrating, and painful. The key to escaping this hold involves flexibility, relaxation, strength, and perhaps more than anything else, patience. What a great metaphor that is not only for my race, but life in general.

The more I have thought about it, the more right it feels. So, I hope my sister and brother-in-law don’t mind but I am dedicating this run to their son who has shown more flexibility, strength, and patience than most grown men have been asked to have. His relaxed, matter of fact demeanor that I have seen in him, belies the pain and struggle he has faced and overcome each time. I hope I have half his composure when I hit the wall somewhere near mile 23 (based on previous experience).

And what if I falter this month and can’t do the full marathon? Hey, a HALF Nelson is a wicked strong headlock as well!

Wildlife or is it Wild Life?

I thought I would throw up something so everyone would know I'm still alive. I am slowly getting back to the running routine. After 3 runs for 18 miles last week I'll probably be up to 4 runs for just over 20 this week. I'd like to get over 22 so I can keep my "at least 40 miles a month" streak alive. Celebrate the little victories, right?

My leg is holding up well and I haven't had any IT band issues since I resumed my running. The biggest hurdle I have now is the weather. I keep wimping out at 5 am when I know it is going to be under 40 degrees F. I run on the treadmill in the evening instead but just don't have the same satisfaction or euphoria from the experience. I ran a 10 mile run on Saturday and saw a total of 22 deer! That is such a cool feeling to connect with wildlife that way. That's not to say I'm not checking them out for antler size and debating whether or not I could get away with hunting just off the running path...

I keep wondering if I am pushing into another Marathon too quickly. Salt Lake is only 2.5 months away now but I'm confident that I have retained a good amount of my training from the fall. Unless the injury resurfaces, I am confident I can be ready! I am REALLY looking forward to it. Partially for the run but a lot for the chance to see family and friends! FYI - I fly in on the evening of Thursday April 16th and I will fly back out on Monday morning the 20th. I hope to see many of you that weekend and would LOVE to see you running the 5k on the 18th while I'm slogging from UofU out to Holliday and back to Temple Square.

The other trip I am making soon, like just over two weeks from now, is out to Arizona. I am flying in for business and then staying through the weekend to visit family. I fly in on Monday, February 16th, stay in Tucson all week for work, and then drive to Kearny on Friday night before flying home late Sunday afternoon. I hope to see as many of you as time allows. (of course I will have to work you in around some running time too...)

I hope all who read my blog are happy and healthy and enjoying the new year. Hopefully your new years resolutions are still alive if even just on life support... Hope to see many of you soon!

Proof I'm not Superman...

Through all of my weight loss and Marathon Training I suffered very few and minor injuries. I had some heal pain after my first 10 miler. I had some blisters before I invested in some good socks and shoes. But nothing bad enough to really sideline me. Well, gone are the idyllic days of running without injury or consequence! Shortly after my marathon I noticed a nagging pain in my right knee. Nothing that stopped me, but I certainly felt it. It was bothersome enough that on the day of my Half Marathon I took two Acetaminophen so it wouldn't bother me and that worked just fine. As I started back running again in December I noticed the knee pain came back and was slowly working up my outer thigh. It then progressed into a dull ache not just during running but for a day or two after each run. Early in my Christmas vacation I went for a simple enough 10 mile run and by mile 8 I was in a full limp and struggled to use stairs for days. So I finally looked into it...

Turns out I developed a case of Iliotibial Band Syndrome or ITBS. The IT Band runs from the back side of your hip, connected to the glueteus medeus muscles, down the outer edge of your leg, through a small sheath along the outside edge of your knee, and connects to your tibia near the top. It is responsible for helping to bend your knee and also to stabilize your knee during use. Unfortunately, long distance runners are prone to developing a condition where this band becomes inflamed due to overuse and then rubs the sheath it passes through near the knee causing even more inflammation.

The good news is that with rest and anti-inflammatory medication ITBS is easily alleviated. The bad news is that means I CAN'T RUN!!! Just when I am excited about starting my training for Salt Lake, I'm sidelined. I tried to just run slowly, or reduce my overall miles, but the pain quickly comes back. My only hope is to stop running completely for two weeks and then slowly add miles. For the sake of preventing this recurring, lets all pray I have the patience.

One of the most frustrating things has been the timing. To not be able to run during the Christmas break has been painful. I had great plans of kicking off my Salt Lake training with gusto as I had plenty of time off but limped through only 2-3 runs before convincing myself I need to rest it completely. Of course with Christmas and vacation comes snacking, boredom, and EGG NOG! Oh vile dairy confection that enslaves me each year! So you guessed it, I have put on quite a bit of weight over the holidays. Reduced running, increased eating, guess I should have seen that coming. I didn't loose all of 2008's gains, but more than I would care to admit to.

For now I am trying out biking in the morning (if would stop raining!) and spending a little more time on the Wii Fit. I always said I needed more cross training, guess this is someone's way of making sure I get it! They say a good prevention to ITBS is strong abductors as well.

Anyway, hopefully you will see my mile reports come back in a week or three. I am trying to make some lemonade here with these lemons but boy it sure is sour! Hopefully it is just a pit stop, not a derailment...

Done Deal, Running the Salt Lake City Marathon

After taking a few weeks off from running to let my body get a rest and clear my mind, I’ve got the bug again. I went for my first run since my Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon yesterday morning. And although I was quite sluggish, well off my pace, and sore for a good part of the day after only running 3.7 miles, my thoughts for two days have been squarely focused on taking another crack at a Full Marathon and the sub-4 hour run that eluded me the first time.

Maybe this is my version of "baby hungry". My wife and many other women occasionally suffer from an ailment, starting about a year after having a kid, where the sight of a newborn brings a rush of emotion where she insists she is ready and not only wants but NEEDS to have a newborn to cuddle up with, YESTERDAY! Lost is any rational thought about the 9 months of pregnant discomfort, the pain of child delivery, and the sleepless nights over the previous year. It is all worth the reward.

This is VERY similar I believe to my desire to run another marathon. Lost is any memory of the 1000 miles I ran in training with the associated fatigue, injury, leg cramps, and 3 pairs of $100 shoes. Lost is any memory of the suffering incurred at mile 23, hitting that wall, and having my body shut down. Lost is that blissful feeling the last month of sleeping in (to 5:45 instead of 4:45) every morning. Lost is the foresight that last time I trained in 45-70 degree mornings and this time it will be 25-50 degree mornings. All, in my mind, is worth the reward.

So it is done. I haven’t signed up for the race yet (budgets dictating the new year for that) but I have pulled the trigger of commitment (or is that "should be committed"). Today I booked my frequent flier mile financed flight to Salt Lake City, Utah, the weekend of April 18th. I couldn’t see myself waiting an entire year for Atlanta on Thanksgiving before taking another crack so I weighed my options and turned west. As I looked at spring marathons I wanted to run a larger race, on a Saturday, and where I wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel. With family in Salt Lake it was a perfect fit. By using my frequent flier miles I only had $5 to pay today to cover the flight taxes.

The Salt Lake City Marathon is a net downhill course that spans the length of the valley. Starting near the University of Utah at the Olympic Legacy Bridge, we will run south along Wasatch Dr and Foothill Dr, turn west on 2100 S. to Sugarhouse Park, and then south to Holladay Blvd and 6200 South before turning Northwest up Van Winkle Expwy. We will then run north up 500 East, past Fitts Park and through Liberty Park. The race finishes with a series of 90 degree turns zigzagging through downtown, ending at the Olympic Legacy Plaza near South Temple and RioGrande St. A full map of the course is found HERE.

I share the course because it actually helped me realize just how far 26.2 miles is! For me growing up this would have been a trip from just past Grandma’s house, almost to my house, and then downtown to temple square. Are you kidding me? That DRIVE would have taken us an hour to do when I was growing up and we would have finished the alphabet game 2-3 times (depending on the spacing of the Quaker States, School X-ings, and Zions Banks along the way…).

My only regret is that we can’t afford to fly my wife and kids out with me on this trip as they were such a pillar of strength to me in my first crack at this. I am looking forward to hopefully celebrating with siblings and if my parents can swing a trip north, celebrating with them as well. The question that has to be asked here however… are there any of my Salt Lake friends and family willing to take the leap with me? Come on, you could always run the Half Marathon or the 5k that day as well…

Atlanta Half Marathon - Earned My Turkey!

I ran my first Marathon on November 8th and didn't think I would recover fast enough to run the half 2.5 weeks later. I ran this race last year but I haven't run the distance since then as I prepared for my first marathon. A friend suggested that I approach the Thanksgiving day run just as a fun run for the experience and tradition. So I signed up.

The next morning I called Fleet Feet and begged them to let me ride their bus to and from the race despite the sign-up window closing a week earlier. Their generocity shined upon me and I was told that if I came in that day they would let me ride... so I did. I was told I was "absolutely the last person" they would let sign up. Maybe the several hundred dollars I've spent there this year swayed them... The nice thing about the bus is that you don't have to worry about dragging your family out of bed or riding the train. The bus is allowed inside the closed road portion of the start area, less than a block from my start corral. The bus was heated with a toilet onboard so we could stay warm right up until 15 minutes before the start of the race. It really is worth the $30 bucks they charge. They even throw in a T-shirt, a pair of throw away gloves, a separate baggage claim, a finishers tent with better food, drinks, and even beer for those who want it. I don't think I would run this race without that option. It is nice to be spoiled every so often.

Oh yeah, I ran a race too... This whole "fun run" thing just doesn't compute in my head. I had only run 15 miles since my marathon, none of which were at a pace faster than 9 min/mile. I programmed the pace alarm on my watch for 8 minute pace the first 5 miles, 7:45 pace the next two downhill miles, 8:15 pace for miles 7-12, and gave myself 9 minutes for the last 1.1 miles. That would give me a finishing time of 1:45:45, slightly slower than the first half of my marathon but conservative considering my recovery and lack of proper taper and all that. If you remember, I ran the first half of my marathon in 1:44:12 (7:57 pace) and I think that led to my struggles at mile 23 (my goal pace that day was closer to 8:40).

The weather was almost perfect, perhaps a little cold but nothing too bitter cold and definately better than the downpour during the first mile last year. Since the Weather Channel was sponsoring the event perhaps they had something to do with the nice weather. ;)

Something new this year was corrals for the runners. During registration they asked for your estimated finish time (I said 1:50) and assigned you to 1 of 5 corrals. I was in the second corral, perhaps a little further back than I should have been. But its always a good feeling to start a race passing a lot of people.

The first several miles I was feeling really good and my splits were showing it: 7:35, 7:24, 7:39, 7:31, 7:40. I think 5 miles in I knew my 1:44:12 was going to be broken, but it was a matter by how much. I then hit the downhill 2-mile portion: 7:21, 7:08. At the bottom of the hill was an aid station and Jelly Belly sports beans. I love those things but unfortunately, at 35 degrees, they are more jawbreaker than jelly bean.

The next mile is a HILL. It is the same hill that is run as part of the 4th of July Peachtree Road Race. It is lovingly called Cardiac Hill due to the hospital conveniently located near the crest. It slowed me down a bit: 8:08. From there though the course proceeds through a series of flat to rolling but with more up than down: 7:36, 7:55, 8:06, 8:04.

I had begun to contemplate the possibility of a sub 1:40:00 run somewhere around mile 10 but I had forgotten how rough some of those late hills could be and with miles 11 and 12 over 8 minutes that possibility slipped away. Surprisingly I was feeling really good. My breathing was much faster than it had ever gotten during my marathon but nothing ached, not my knee, hips or calfs.

At the 12 mile marker I did the math and realized that it would take a 7:50 final 1.1 to go under 1:40 and although that was unprobable, that didn't stop me from trying. Of course that short steap hill from 12.25 through 12.5 had something to say about that... I continued to push but my lungs started burning but then I caught sight of the Olympic Rings that marked the finish line of the 1996 Olympic Marathon. It is amazing how that sight lifts the runners spirits.

I kicked to a sprint and enjoyed the refreshing and empowering feeling of passing others in that final stretch. But alas, I was not fast enough to go sub 1:40:00 but still far better than I had expected at the start of the day. My final split for 1.1 miles was 8:24. I had a chip time of 1:40:35 (7:41/mile pace).

There were 11500 registrants but only 8695 ran with a chip that makes them part of the official results. Here are my official results:

- Overall Place = 702/8695
- 35-39 Males = 94/708
- All Males = 575/4433
- Clock Time = 1:42:04
- Chip Time = 1:40:35

For perspective, last year this race was my first (and only) Half-Marathon with a time of 1:59:05. From summer 2006 until that race in 2007 I lost 55 lbs. In 2008 I only lost 15 lbs... but I would say that this is the year that I moved from jogger, to runner.

A runner with the ID of Boo*Boo on the Runner's World discussion boards had encouraged me earlier in the week with her story of her best race ever when she ran a 15k race few weeks after a full marathon. Those words of encouragement helped me to believe in myself when I started out fast. I too had the "best race of my life"... so far.

My Marathon Journey

A middle aged runner’s first marathon is perhaps held in a different light than those of our youthful counterparts primarily because many of us had to find our way back to running instead of merely extending a high school or college sport. My first marathon on Saturday November 8th was no different. It was perhaps far more significant because of the path I took to get there, not the 26.2 miles I traveled that day. No race report I write of my first marathon is complete without the context of how I got there.

I grew up fat. There is no way around that fact. I am a twin and for years I heard, "He’s the fat one". Although I was conscious of this, and it did bother me at times, I was not obsessed with it. I wasn’t hugely overweight nor was I sedentary, but even the sports I played accounted for my size. I was the lineman in football, valued for my bat not my fielding in baseball, and man could I set a pick in the low post! I enjoyed sports but only within the constrains of my size.

My senior year in high school planted the seed that changed my life. After a misunderstanding and some frustration with a coach change that year with our high school baseball team, I decided to switch sports and join the track team. Not to run, but to be a thrower, shot put, discus. As the team ran some 3-5 milers to get in shape at the start of the season, Coach Smith noticed that I was coming in behind the distance runners but before the sprinters, jumpers, and other throwers. He convinced me that under my belly was the heart and lungs of a distance runner. By the end of the school year I was a different boy. I dropped 40 lbs and was running the half-mile, mile, 2-mile, and 2-mile relay anchor in every track meet including qualifying for and competing in the state finals. I ran some my freshman year in college (good thing I met my future wife then) but during and following my two-year mission to South Africa, that activity fell by the wayside.

Fast-forward 10 years to my high school reunion. I had gained over 100 lbs and was approaching my peak weight of 275 lbs. What happened? College, marriage, kids, job, and graduate school… really, just life. It was about this time that my diabetic father started hounding me with stories of how every male over 40 and 230 lbs in our family developed Type II diabetes. He begged me to do something about it. I knew running worked for me based on my time in high school so that’s what I did. Over the next 6 years I floated between 240 and 265 more times than I can count. I would run a couple times a week but never with the discipline nor passion required.

In the fall of 2006, sitting at 255 lbs, the company I worked for sponsored a team in a local "Corporate Health Challenge" 5k. The missing element of the last 6 years was found. I found it was not the running alone that sparked me, it was the drive of competition and the race. That first 5k was painful but I lost close to 15 lbs and met my goal to run sub 30 minutes. After a series of 5 and 10k’s I decided I was ready to train for a half marathon. I trained for and ran the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day 2007 coming in just under my 2-hour goal, reaching my 200 lb goal the week of the run as well. It was on that day that I decided I wanted to do the full marathon. After some research and discussion I settled on the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon run on a historic civil war battlefield just south of Chattanooga, TN.

During 2008, as I prepared for my marathon I slowly upped my miles per week as well as the length of my weekly long run. I also came to realize that although I had done the bulk of my half marathon training on our treadmill in the evenings, that wasn’t going to cut it this time. I changed my running schedule to the early morning and I started running outside. This had its challenges but really was the only way to fit in all the training I would need. In the process, I rediscovered the joy of training in solitude on the road and in the park. Running on a treadmill is now only done out of necessity of weather, childcare, or temporary insanity. My weight dropped very slowly the first half of the year only into the mid-190’s, but starting in August something changed. I lost weight every week from mid-August right up to my marathon where I weighed in at 185. Sometime during the year I decided to include an element of fundraising to my run. After taking a poll and researching various causes, I decided it was the threat of Diabetes that had inspired me in the first place. Thanks to family, friends new and old, and even strangers from the Runners World Discussion Board, I was blessed to raise $1,120 for the Diabetes Action Team by race day. That is the rough perspective from which I entered the race last Saturday.

Although Chattanooga is only 2.5 hours drive from our house in Georgia, we decided to go up on Thursday evening so we were not rushed in any way. We decided to drive up by way of some back roads through the mountains of North Georgia to enjoy the fall foliage. It was stunningly beautiful. On Friday we took our 4 children to the Tennessee Aquarium, and IMAX movie, and Ruby Falls (a 165 ft underground waterfall in a cave). Although the day involved some walking, by and large it was a very relaxing day and one I’m sure my kids will remember far more than their sweaty dad the following day. Friday night we picked up my race packet. This went smoothly but the expo for such a small race was disappointing to say the least. One guy sitting behind a table selling GU, not much more. We were staying in an extended stay hotel suite so we went back and my wife cooked my spaghetti dinner. It wasn’t until we were back at the hotel that I noticed my bib indicated I was only 31 years old, cutting 5 years off my life. Not a big enough deal to worry about but the official results did group me in with the next class down, oh well.

Race morning I arose at 4:30 and spent some quality time, um, lightening my load. After a shower and a light breakfast we were on our way to the race around 6 am. We had requested a late check out so I could come back after the race and take an ice bath but they couldn’t make a commitment until 9am so my wife planned on coming back after the start to find out. The weather was a bit chilly but really almost ideal. It was 45 degrees at the start line rising to 60 by the time I finished. Once parked I left my family in the car and went to, um, lighten my load again.

We made our way to the start area and took some pictures (above). There was a good crowd at the start area as both the Full (600 runners) and Half (700 runners) races had sold out. My wife took the kids to a point 100 yds past the start line where she could film me. The start time of 7:30 came and went with loudspeaker announcing that we would be waiting for a few last minute registrations and for the lines at the port-a-potties to clear out. Apparently not everyone got up at 4:30 to attend to this… During this time my wife showed up and wanted to see where I was lined up so she knew which side of the road to stand on to get the best shot. She quickly gave me another good luck kiss and ran off. The runner standing next to me proclaimed, "She was cute, that should be good for at least 3 minutes off of your PR."

Finally the race started about 15-20 minutes late and for some reason I started my watch with the gun instead of as I crossed the start line 13 seconds later. I was full of caffeine, adrenaline, and good ol’ ignorance as I ran past my wife giving a high 5 to my older two children. I settled into a comfortable pace, convincing myself not to push. Perhaps instead of "not pushing" I should have been actively reigning myself in. I had set a goal of 3:48, which translates to 8:42/mile.

1. 7:47

Really, at the first mile mark my watch read 8:00, which I knew was faster than I wanted but I told myself, "at least it wasn’t in the 7’s." Of course, I failed to do the math subtracting the 13 seconds at the start line… I was in the 7’s! Water/Poweraid stations were every 1.5-2 miles and I made a point of getting a drink at each whether I was thirsty or not. Over the next several miles I repeatedly told myself to slow down, don’t push, stay comfortable. Despite my mantra, the splits were much faster than I planned!

2. 7:34
3. 7:44
4. 7:41
5. 7:45 – First hill on the course. Long and gentle and extending through most of the next mile as well, no issues whatsoever.
6. 7:51

My watch at the 6-mile mark read 46:35, quickly I did the math in my head. You just ran a 10k in about 48 minutes! Your PR is 47:43, what the heck are you doing? I kept assessing myself, I felt great, relaxed, breathing easy, not pushing, just slow down a little I thought, and I’ll be fine.

7. 7:57
8. 8:04
9. 8:06
10. 8:13
11. 8:13
12. 8:17 – Somewhere in this mile the half marathon runners turned off to return to the start/finish line while we turned for a second loop of the park.
13. 8:15
14. 8:15

Actually there was no 13-mile sign, just the 13.1-mile sign for the half marathon. As soon as I realized this, about 50 yds short of the sign, I clicked my watch for the split. It read 8:45 but the 14 mile split was 7:45. I split the difference and gave the same amount to each as an estimate. As I ran past the Half Marathon sign they also had an official clock which read 1:44:25. If you take off my 13 second start delay you get a Half Marathon time of 1:44:12. The one and only half I had run a year earlier was in 1:59:05. I was 15 minutes ahead of that pace! In training I had run as fast as 1:52:00, but I was even WAY ahead of that. The funny thing with my half split is that if I would have just been running that race I would have come in 63rd out of 700 and 6th in my division… all without "pushing it".

Perhaps it was the reality of knowing the course on my second loop and what things lay ahead, perhaps it was the torrid pace catching up with me, perhaps it was the caffeine and adrenaline wearing off, perhaps it was insufficient training, but whatever the reason, I soon started to see my splits slowing significantly.

15. 8:45 – wow, slower than my required 8:42, and 30 seconds off the last mile… what happened?
16. 8:40 – that’s a bit more like it, hold steady, just ahead of pace… now just hold this and you are GOLD!
17. 9:29 – Remember that hill at mile 5? Here it is again, this time… issues.

This was the first uncomfortable mile of my run. I swear that hill got steeper and longer since the last time I was there. I told myself, "Hey, you built yourself a 10 minute buffer on your goal time, you are allowed to burn it, especially on this hill." I don’t know if it was just the day getting warmer or if my body was heating up but also during this climb I shed the $3 gloves I had been wearing all morning.

18. 10:02 – okay, you were just recovering from that hill, you still feel strong – the 3:40 pace group flew by me like I was standing still, that’s okay, I wasn’t aiming that high anyway
19. 10:09 – that’s it, just hold 10 minute miles and all will be fine, you may miss 3:48, but certainly not 4:00 and hey, a few miles at 10 and you may get a second wind…
20. 10:53 – what? Is my watch right? Was the marker in the right place?

After 3 over 10 minute miles my head was quickly figuring out that I was burning through my 10-minute buffer VERY quickly. This was the first point where I did enough of the math in my head to know that unless something drastic changed, I wouldn’t make my 3:48 goal because I knew I didn’t have it in me to get back to sub 9-minute miles. I also realized that despite the fact I had never slowed below 11-minute miles in any of my long runs, I was now going into uncharted territory beyond 20 miles. I was however, still somewhat confident at this point that I would come in under 4 hours. I mean come on, I had over 70 minutes to run a 10k, surely I could do that! That was only 11:20 per mile!

21. 11:08 – slipped some, but you can keep it in that 11 minute range no problem
22. 11:34 – crud, NO MORE! The next mile will be faster than this one, FOCUS.

I’m convinced I was pushing harder during the 23rd mile. I started to pass a few runners that were dropping out. Perhaps the first runners I had passed since mile 15. Since then it had been nothing but a parade of well paced, disciplined runners blowing by me. Despite a small quiver in my thigh early in the mile, I was feeling a bit stronger than I had for quite a while. Then it happened. 100 yds short of the 23 mile marker, without warning, EVERY muscle in my legs from the hip down, thigh, hamstring, calf, foot… every single one in both legs locked up in one swoop. I almost fell to the ground as it hit but I managed to keep my footing and keep walking.

An aid biker riding along the course pulled up along side of me and asked if I was OK. Through tears of disbelief I told her I was fine… just "a" cramp. I walked like a mummy fighting diarrhea, not letting myself stop and recover. I told myself I wouldn’t walk, with the cramp I modified that goal to not stopping. My first thoughts were "This is not happening, I have too much invested in this, WHY ME?" I soon realized that these were questions of the defeated and I was not going to fail! I can honestly say the thought of not completing the run, never entered my mind. I walked all the way to the 23 mile marker before the worst of the cramps subsided. At the top of the next short hill I felt good enough to run again. The remainder of the race was a series of walk for 20-30 seconds, run until the muscles cramped up again, usually 1-2 minutes.

23. 12:50
24. 12:56 – Late in this mile the 4:00 pace group went by me. I tried to pick it up and stay with them but promptly locked up yet again. It was only then that I allowed my mind to grasp that I was going to miss that goal.
25. 13:23 – Actually the 25 mile marker was missing. In all my duress it didn’t hit me until I was at least halfway through the next mile. My watch splits indicate 18:49 and 7:58 for these two splits, I averaged them out…
26. 13:24

Early in this mile another runner ran past me during one of my walking phases and encouraged me with a "you can do it, come on!" I replied to him, "Tell that to my calf!" A few steps later he pulled up grabbing his leg. As I ran past him I said "you can do it, come on!" He replied, "tell that to my hamstring." Over the 26th mile we played leapfrog several more times, each time I would pass him I would yell out, "come on hamstring!" and as he would pass me he would return "come on calf!"

The last .2 miles I told myself I didn’t want to walk again and I would push myself across the finish line. I was unable to meet that goal yet again as I cramped up briefly and walked for 5-10 seconds. Making the final turn to the finish line I was able to run all the way through the gate and probably faster than I had for several miles. My wife had begun to worry if she had missed me somehow as I had told her I would be surprised to not make 4 hours, but she waited and captured video of me down the homestretch, half crying, half dead. I never even saw her. The last .2 miles took me 2:23. In the first few minutes after I finished the race I said to my wife, "That is the hardest thing I have ever done!" I may have been biased at the moment, but not by much.

Chip Time --> 4:07:18 or 9:27/mile
Clock Time --> 4:07:31
Second Half Split --> 2:23:06
Place --> 249th out of 551 tag wearers
Men 35-39 (my true class)--> 38th out of 68

I drew on many thoughts during those final 3.3 miles to fuel me to the finish line. Each time I was halted by cramps I thought about one of my children and the example I needed to set for them. I remembered all those who donated to my fundraising, about all the well wishes so many had expressed, my Runners World discussion board friends that had held me accountable for my mileage and weight loss each week, my father and his battles with diabetes and his many pleas for me to do something about my weight, and about my wife, who I don’t desearve, who put up with me and my training not to mention my weight for many years. It is amazing what you find for fuel when you absolutely have to.

So, the day didn’t go exactly according to plan, but the mere fact that it went at all has changed my life. One question I was always a bit wishy washy on before the run was whether or not I would ever do this again. My answer came, most certainly YES. My wife proclaimed, "well, I guess you have to do this at least two more times." I asked her how she figured that? She said, "At least once more to go sub 4, and again with me in a few years because we both know I won’t be anywhere close to that!"

Shortly after my run they held the Jr. Marathon. This was for all 1st through 6th graders. To qualify they had to run a total of 25.2 miles in the months leading up to race day and then they ran the last mile on race day crossing the official finish line of the marathon and getting a medal as well. My 10 yr old son participated and had great fun.



The day ended on one more sad note however, the hotel wouldn’t let me check out late so my wife had checked out during my run. Oh how I wanted that ice bath! I think it is partially due to missing that post race cool down that today, Wednesday the 12th, 4 days later, is the first day I have used the stairs without pain.

The Marathon - Raw Numbers

I want to do the race report full justice but I have not had the time today to do it. I usually use my lunch hour to post but I was preparing for a meeting I was hosting at 1:00pm today so I didn't get to it. As so many of you have sent me questions on the results, here are the raw numbers. Although this may make the story to follow less climactic...

Mile Splits

1. 7:47
2. 7:34
3. 7:44
4. 7:41
5. 7:45
6. 7:51
7. 7:57
8. 8:04
9. 8:06
10. 8:13
11. 8:13
12. 8:17
13. 8:15 ---- Half Marathon 13.1 miles at 1:44:12
14. 8:15
15. 8:45
16. 8:40
17. 9:29
18. 10:02
19. 10:09
20. 10:53
21. 11:08
22. 11:34
23. 12:50
24. 12:56
25. 13:23
26. 13:24
27. Last .2 miles -->2:23

• Clock Time --> 4:07:31
• Personal "chip" time --> 4:07:18 (difference represents the 13 seconds it took me to cross the start line)
• Averages to --> 9:27/mile
• Overall Place --> 249th out of 551
• 35-39 yr Male --> 38th out of 68
• My Half Marathon time would have been good for 63rd out of 671
• Total money raised for the Diabetes Action Team $1,120

I hope to post the STORY tonight.

Into the Home Stretch

Well, here I am only 5 days out. Am I ready? I can definitively say, I DON'T KNOW. Being my first Marathon, I can only plead Ignorance. "Ready" can be defined in many ways I guess. In some ways I can proclaim that yes, I am ready, but in others, I just can't make a call. Thankfully, the only aspect that I can at this time define as "NOT READY" would be that I have not yet packed for the trip. Everything else is in some stage of completion.

This last weekend my fundraising efforts on behalf of the Diabetes Action Team surpassed the $1000 goal I had set for myself. I even have a few more people who have pledged but not yet donated. They will be appreciated but are no longer critical to meeting my goal. I send a big thank you out to all who donated to this cause as I know that required various levels of sacrifice. Special Thanks go to my two sisters who, along with my Parents, made some of my largest donations. I am truly humbled by all.

Mentally, I think I am ready, but that is subject to how I feel those last few miles... Of course it would help if my wife would stop sending me emails about how I have been doing it wrong all this time or reading articles that I might DIE on Saturday. I am excited about this challenge and I am already playing out in my head how I think it will progress and how I will respond to various challenges that may arise.

Physically, I am not perfect, but I am confident. My 15 day moving average weight puts me at 185.3 lbs. A weight that I haven't seen since my High School PROM! And I have seen several daily weigh-ins in the 183-184 range, which would give me a BMI of 24.9. Officially changing my category from "overweight" to "normal". A far cry from the "obese" 37.5 BMI I used to sport. I have not had a significant injury during my training and indeed my muscles and joints feel great. I am just getting over a cold that moved into my chest a week ago but I think I am all but over the worst of it. I could always be stronger or have better conditioning, but I am confident in the training I have put in.

The weather, I can't control. The forecast varies depending on which website you trust but all hint to a storm front coming in on Friday taking away the near ideal conditions we will have all week long. Instead of the upper 40's to low 50's morning temps we will enjoy each morning until Friday, the front will lower the Saturday temperatures into the low 40's or upper 30's. Brrrrr, but better than the 32 degrees that one forecast had it last week...

My mileage, although not awe inspiring, has been sufficient to meet most beginner marathon training plans. During my Marathon I will surpass 1000 miles for 2008 and 1200 miles since September 2007. I have run four runs of 18 miles and three runs of 20 miles. I have run no fewer than 15 miles a week since March and at least 30 miles a week since July.

In the pursuit of this endeavour, I truly believe I have redrawn my stars. I am healthier than I have been my entire adult life. I finally feel like I am setting an example of health for my children. Having been overweight for so much of my life it is almost difficult to not view the world from this perspective, but it is a different world. Although the changes have exhibited themselves most noticeably through my weight and health, I have also seen positive change in confidence, determination, perspective, optimism, and, perhaps not fairly, how others view me.

For a "free" sport, it has cost me plenty however. I have burned through $300 worth of shoes in the last year. Add on top of that roughly another $200 in shorts, shirts, socks, Gatorade, Gu, headlamp, and other various equipment. Add to that the several hundred dollars I've spent on race registrations, and you quickly see I have some real money tied up in this little hobby. But beyond the money, the cost of time has been felt by my whole family (not to mention my yard). I have mowed my lawn this summer only when it reached the embarrassing stage and even then my wife hired the neighbor boy to mow it once. My wife has had to work around my runs for countless activities and shopping trips. I want to thank my whole family, particularly my loving wife, for putting up with my training this summer as it hit its peak, dictating which weekend activities would and wouldn't get done.

Barring some unforeseen news, this will probably be my last post until after my run. So I will sign off wishing you all well and asking you to keep me in your prayers.

12 More Days!

The time is rapidly approaching for my Marathon. I am under 2 weeks and I only have one more "long" run before then. Even that run won't be long by most standards as it will only be 10 miles. I am nervous but at the same time, I think I have done all that I can do. It is odd to feel nervous about a competition where my only competition is myself. Yes, there will be other runners but as I will be nowhere near the front, this will be a race against only my expectations. It will be odd to see how I judge myself. Mere completion should be enough for a "victory" but will I allow that emotion if I don't reach my time goal?

We are just outside of the 10 day window that weather.com provides a forecast for. Based on earlier in the week and historical temperatures it should be in the low 40's at the start of the race and into the upper 50's by the end. 60 degrees is ideal but I'll take cooler over warmer EVERY time.

In my last real training run on Saturday I ran 14.1 miles in 1:57:58. That is about 8:22 per mile. If I could run that pace on race day I would far exceed my goal of a 4 hour marathon. Anything faster than 9:05 per mile will get me in under 4 hours. Of my 7 training runs over 18 miles, only one was slower than that pace and that was the first one that I wrote about where it was into the high 80's and I got dehydrated badly. Shouldn't be a problem running in the 40's...

I still haven't reached my fundraising goal of $1000 for Diabetes Action, but there is still time and still some "pledged" donations out there... It will be close. For those of you who "have been meaning to make a donation" now is the time. Follow the link on the right...

My 15 day moving average for my weight puts me at 186.8-187.4 depending on which of the two tools you believe that I use. I most certainly won't make the 183 which would give me a BMI under 25 but 185 is not out of the question... but still unlikely. Either way, I am more than happy with the 13-14 lbs I have lost since last year's half marathon. It is certainly harder to loose weight the closer I get to my ideal weight.

3 Week Countdown

What once felt like forever away is rapidly approaching. No, I am not talking about election day 2008. Although, that is the same week... I am less than 3 weeks away from my marathon on November 8th. I am a little nervous but when I’m nervous I reflect back on where I have been and that generally brings a feeling of empowerment. It is almost surrealistic to see pictures of me now compared to pictures of me in 2001-2003.

The months of preparation now wind down in what runners call the taper. It is a gradual reduction of weekly mileage leading up to the race. My long runs the next two weekends will be 14 and 10 miles respectively which will come as a nice rest. I have six runs in excess of 18 miles under my belt, three of them over 20. I’ve run over 1100 miles in the last 14 months. My 15 day moving weight average is 187.7 which is roughly 87 lbs below my all time high and about the weight I was as I left to South Africa as a 19 year old. At my peak I wore 42" waist pants, now my 32" pants require a belt and I need to move to at least a 31" if not a 30". Just two years ago I completed my first 5k and celebrated the fact that I broke 30 minutes during that run (by 10 seconds), I now complete the distance in 21 minutes. No pun intended, I have come a long way.

Thank you to all those who have supported my running and my fundraising. I am always humbled when I get an email notifying me that a donation has been made in my name. My fundraising is at $615 right now with a handful of others who have "pledged" donations. I am still hopeful to reach my $1000 goal, which is just amazing to me!

The whole experience has also reinforced the notion that anything is possible with enough work and sweat put in. I hope many of you have been inspired to set your own goals and work towards them. If you have, let me know how I can support your effort like you have supported mine. Until then, keep me in your prayers… please. I need them more now than ever.

Rant, September, Weight, Race, Donations

Maybe this should have been 5 posts instead of 1, oh well. First of all, is my blog still active? I know they haven’t been provocative or page-turners but 1 comment for the last 3 posts combined? Really? Has my running become that mundane to the rest of you?

Anyway, as for the update. Here is my monthly running chart you have seen periodically for a while now:
Each month I am surprised that it continues to climb but this time I think I can safely say it has peaked. During the month of October my running will taper off as I approach my Marathon in early November. It would also be very difficult to do better then September given that I have already doubled the number of running days missed in that month. September 3rd was the only non-Sunday that I didn’t run all month long. Due to a funeral in Ohio, I have already missed two days in October.

My weight plateaued for a LONG time at 196 but about 2 months ago it started a slow decline. I have weighed in below 190 lbs every day for a week now and my 15 day moving average is sitting right at 190. I think it is realistic to be in the 180's on race day, I won't make it to the 183 before then that had been my goal a year ago after I made it to 200, but it is definitely harder to loose weight when you are training so much, the apatite is insatiable!

The other element I wanted to mention was my race on Saturday. I ran my first 5k in over a year. I ran the Stonemill Race for Autism. The Stonemill 5k was the last 5k I ran as well so it was a great measure to see apples to apples how much better I have become with a 1000 miles logged between races. I knew I had improved, just not how much.

When I ran this race in late August last year my time was 23:50. This year, 21:00 flat, a pace of 6:46 per mile. The organizers were smart and asked everyone that ran under an 8 minute pace to step forward first. Due to this, I found myself in the front row for the first time. As luck would have it, I was on the right hand side of the road as well. The course turns 90 degrees to the right 100 ft from the start. When the race started I won the sprint to the corner and found myself leading a race for the first time ever. I cannot tell you how odd it is to look up and see nothing but a police car and pace bike in front of me.

I knew it wouldn’t last but it was a great feeling while it did. I lead down the first hill to the next turn. I lead up the next incline leading us through a parking lot. In all I lead for just over 2 minutes, the first third of a mile. I guess I should have focused on the last third, not the first third. A group of 7 runners passed me over the next third of a mile. I fell to as low as 8th but I still felt strong. By the two-mile mark I would climb back up to 6th only to be passed again by one of runners and finish 7th overall, out of a field of 190.

The fun part was that I made the podium for my age group. I was awarded 2nd place for the 30-39 year old males. It is the first time I have placed in any group in any race. I just got a certificate, but man it felt good. Now I just need to cut another 20 seconds per mile off and get under 20 minutes, THAT, would be something!

Well, I am now down to less than 5 weeks of training until the big day. As for my Diabetes Action Team fundraising, I have officially logged donations of $290, have another check in hand for $250, and a handful of people who have told me that they have either mailed in a donation or intend to do so. At this point it looks like my $1000 goal is still a bit of a stretch, but not out of reach. Thank you to those who have donated, those who are still planning to donate, and those who are donating your prayers and good wishes. I am humbled by each and every one.

Mille Borne

I don't know if you ever played the card game but it was the first thing that came to mind this morning when I logged my run and noticed that I went over 1000 miles since I started logging my miles 13 months ago. I used to LOVE playing this game with my siblings, particularly my sister Coleen as she would say all the french words correctly. Even if she was the most ruthless player out there...

The 1000 miles took me 149 hours and 49 minutes of running. Makes me wonder why I didn't just run for 6 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes strait and gotten done with it. Somehow something you can do in just over 6 days doesn't sound like as much of an effort as it really was. If you do the math it calculates out to 8 minutes and 59 seconds per mile.

Hopefully I will have all the safety cards during these last 6 weeks of training so I can call out "Coup-Fourré" if injury or an empty tank hit me!

Suwanee Day and Other Stuff

Oh the fun life training for a marathon! I have wanted to write for over a week now, but this time it is not my fault. I ran a 10k on September 13th and I have been waiting for the official results to be posted to put up a race report. Based on the organization of the race I should have known it would be a long wait. So here I am, 10 days out, still no results, but how can I withhold my writing any further and deny all of you the pleasure of reading about my… sweating?

First, the race. With all of my focus (obsession) with running this summer, some of it finally wore off on my wife. As I wore on about how a good race is "the validation of all your hard work"… blah, blah, blah… I finally talked her into signing up for a race. The perfect opportunity came in a local town’s annual carnival affiliated race, the Suwanee Day 5k & 10k Classic. I call it perfect because it is the first race I have seen where they run the two races an hour apart allowing Jamie to run the 5k and me to run the 10k.

First let me say that I am WAY proud of my wife. I think she obsessed about her training schedule more than I do. Of course she was more obsessed about running etiquette than the actual running I think. You can read about her view of the experience HERE, but my view of the experience was one of awe and pride. I can tell you that she did way better than I would have done decorating a cake or the million other crafty things she does! Although she missed her goal but roughly a minute, a post race drive of her roller coaster coarse made me wonder why they didn’t suggest a Sherpa for the runners. Holy Hills Batman!

It was during her race that I had my first signs of the lack of organization. About 300 yards from the finish line the runners crossed a set of railroad tracks. The leaders had come across but somewhere around 25 minutes, a looooooong train came by holding up every runner that would have finished in the 26 to 30 minute window. In a 5k, that’s probably your largest group. When the train passed, a slug of roughly 50-60 runners all sprinted to the finish making a nightmare at the finish line where they couldn’t hand out slips fast enough and the line backed up to where people were waiting in line to cross the finish line… almost comical. Of course, with the train interruption, its not like they were setting any PR’s anyway! I also noticed that the only thing they had for the runners finishing was a bottle of water, no fruit, no food, no other drinks. All of which is fairly common at most races. Jamie also reported that they only had 1 water stop during the 5k and although I have seen that for some 5k’s, the better-organized ones usually have two.

Thankfully, the 10k course went the other direction and other than one big hill (½ mile) down to start and the same hill up at the end, was almost completely flat. As usual I started out a bit further back than I should have as there are a lot of runners who feel like they have to be at the front despite the fact they know they are not fast enough to be up there. I spent the first ½ mile passing people. With the steep downhill gradient and my push to get past these slower runners that first mile was FAST. As they didn’t have mile markers, I don’t know how fast, but I knew I was going out faster than normal.

When we reached the bottom of the hill I slowed some but still tried to push it. The interesting thing about the course was that it was held on a popular local jogging route on a Saturday morning so there were almost as many non-racers as racers out there. At about the 2 mile mark one of the non-racers pointed at me and said "You’re number 22". It was great feedback that I don’t often get in a race. With that as motivation I pushed to see if I could break into the top 20.

I soon discovered that the 10k only had one water stop as well. That was a first for me and it was really not enough on a warm and very humid morning. The water stop was at the turnaround point (more of a small loop than point), I assume somewhere around the 5k mark. After drinking, I glanced at my watch and it read 23:15. I had caught and passed 2 runners by that point moving me to 20th. Pushing back the other way it was odd to pass runners going in the opposite direction. I have only raced loops or point to point courses in the past so an out and back course was a different sensation.

I could tell I was slowing somewhat but not too much. In my mind I wanted to save something in the tank for that last ½ mile climb at the end. On the back half though a few runners did catch me, 3 or 4. I still felt good about my running though. My PR for the 10k was 48:00 set on Memorial Day. I had about the same 5k split then but then really tailed off to finish at 48:00. Since that race I had run over 400 miles. I had confidence that that training would prevent the much slower 2nd half split.

When I reached the hill at the end I pushed into it with full vigor. I did catch one runner on the climb and I was closing on 2 more when we crested. With that I thought it was just a short sprint to the finish but one of the volunteers yelled out, "not yet, you have one more". I thought he meant one more hill and if we did a lap around the park we would indeed have one more hill so I delayed my sprint as I scanned the horizon for indications of the course. It had been as I thought originally, I kicked anew and was closing fast on the two runners I had almost caught on the hill but ran out of course before I got there. Maybe that volunteer meant one more sprint or one more tenth, who knows, and who knows if I actually could have caught them if I had started my sprint where I intended too. But I later discovered that one of those gentlemen were in my age group, and not catching them would hurt.

In the confusion of the finishing area I accidentally cleared my watch before I saw the time. I had vaguely seen the finish clock at the line in the rapidly approaching 47:30 so that is what I put on my finishing card, a new PR by 30 seconds. I glanced at the other cards in my age group, I was the 5th card in with the 4th card listing a time of 47:27. A volunteer was writing down the top three for each age group and I saw the 47:27 time written in the third place slot. This meant that the top finisher in my age group had finished in the top 3 overall. So instead of giving that person an award for both overall and age group they are removed from the age group pool to determine those finishers. So long story short, I missed the podium and a medal by 3 seconds, one of those runners I didn’t catch… 35-39 M is the most competitive age group out there. To put it in perspective, I would have finished on the podium in every other age group!

Of course the organization woes continued. Not only did they not have food for the 10k runners either, they had run out of water after the 5k and hence had NO WATER for the 10k finishers. They had hastily set up 2 coolers (well away from the finish line) with Powerade but had no volunteers working with the runners so you were on your own to get a cup and fill it. The delay posting the results was just the icing on the cake. I’ll let you know the official results when I get them.

My facebook friends also know I completed a 20 mile run on Saturday. This was my best long run to date by far. It has given me the confidence that I will meet my 4 hr (9:05/mile) goal for the marathon. I ran the 20.06 miles in 2:59:24 which works out to 8:56/mile. I felt great the whole way and after an ice bath, I was good to go about 2 hours later. I will repeat the 20 miles this coming Saturday, hopefully with the same results.

I also have to say how proud I am of Caleb who is now running a bit and will complete a 1 mile fun run on October 4th, the date of my next race. I will run the Stonemill Race for Autism 5k while Jamie and Caleb do the 1 mile fun run a little later. Hopefully that will be a better experience for my wife. Caleb is also running the "Jr Marathon" that is part of my marathon. For that he is required to log 25.2 miles of running before the November 8th race day, then he runs the last mile on race day, while I am doing my marathon, to complete his 26.2. He will get a medal just like the full marathon finishers.

I’m also proud of my twin brother who has been running in the morning for 2 weeks now. Although I am the only person on the planet that he has the desire to be competitive with, I think it is killing him to know I am 20 lbs lighter than him after spending 35 years as "the skinny one" of the two of us. Eventually he will get used to it. He can always fall back on being "the bald one" now. ;o)

FAILURE - Overcome

I wanted to put up a follow-up post to my previous FAILURE post. I said at the time that I would re-run the 18 miler on September 6th, correct the errors I made the first time, and pray for a better result. By all accounts, I think I succeeded in my efforts. It was not perfect, but it was good enough to keep me motivated to continue. So what did I do differently?

The first big change I made was being hydrated to start with. I can't tell you how much I drank on Friday, but based on the fact that I had to get up in the middle of the night... it was enough. If anything, too much.

The next change was the time of day. Instead of the 9:30 start time in 75 degree weather that had me finishing after noon in 85 degrees, this time I started just a little after 6:30 in 65 degrees and finishing by 9:30 in 75 degrees... BIG DIFFERENCE.

I also changed the course slightly. To get 18 miles the first time I ran 2.3 miles to the shaded "Greenway" which is a 6 mile trail, .7 miles past the far end, and the the same course back. While the Greenway is shaded for 95% of its length, the 2.3 and .7 mile stretches are not. Some of the hardest running was that final 2.3 miles in noon day sun. To avoid the additional heat I overloaded the front end of the run to 4.39 miles by running around my neighborhood more, cut out the 1.4 miles in the middle of the run, and took the shortest path back from the Greenway at the end of the run, 1.65 miles.

The last and I think very important part of my success was including my wife. She ran the first 4 miles with me. We went at a relaxed (for me) 12:40 pace. That allowed me to warm up slowly and really break my run into two parts. At the 4 mile mark she turned for home and I continued to the Greenway. She was a great trooper and I was impressed by just how far she has come in a few short months. The first time we ran she walked most hills and we stopped several times over the 1.5 miles we covered. This time we cut several minutes per mile off and we stopped only twice the entire run. She is ready for her 5k... IMHO.

So how did it go? Strong. After separating from Jamie I pushed hard with a goal of running the last 14 miles at 9 minute pace. After I logged the next 7 miles at 8:30-8:40 pace I decided that perhaps I was pushing too hard and should slow down to ensure my success of finishing. Tapering off to 9 minute pace I cruised comfortably all the way through the Greenway portion of the course. When I emerged onto the road portion I noted some slight discomfort in one of my calves but not enough to slow me down. I pushed hard and ran the last 1.65 miles in easily under 9 minute pace.

All in all it took me 2:56:57 to run 18.04 miles. That averages out to 9:48 pace. It was :40 slower per mile than my goal time for my marathon, but still a successful run. I didn't stop a single time the last 14 miles, no cramps, no walking, no near death experience. Guess I have to keep going with this foolish plan...

I'm running a 10k race this weekend (Jamie is running the corresponding 5k), but my next distance is 20 miles on the 20th... wish me luck!

End of August Running Update

Despite my last post, the month in general was successful. I ran at least 30 miles in each week of the month. The last week was my highest mileage to date, over 38. I only missed 3 of the 26 "running days" in the month. I started the month stuck in a weight range between 196 and 198 that I have been in since May. I ended the month on a 15 day average of 193.7, progress at last and I have been 192 for several weigh-ins. I had hoped to reach 183 by my marathon, that may be out of reach but under 190 definitely isn't...

I started tracking my running during the last week of August last year. Since then I have logged over 800 miles. Here is my chart as of the end of August this year. Still climbing, but not by much.

Just over two months to go for my Marathon, assuming I don't have many more days like today between now and then. As for the Diabetes Fundraising, I'm at $190 in hard donations with another ~$160 "pledged" based on my mileage run by November. I don't know if I have told you on this blog but my goal is $1000. So donations to date only bring me to 35% of my goal. For those of you who have given, thank you!

FAILURE - It doesn't always go according to plan

Just had to post what a terrible long run I had today. (All those who revel in my failures, read on. All those who think I'm superman, don't be too disappointed.) I haven't had a run that went this bad for almost a year and it was a tough pill to swallow.

I have been building longer each weekend in preparation for my first marathon in November. Today was my first 18 miler. When I did 16 two weeks ago it went GREAT. Today, I think I made some mistakes that cost me.I didn't do my run in the morning yesterday so I had to do it last night. So, I did a 5 mile Tempo run that finished around 9pm last night. I don't think I ever fully rehydrated from that considering my daily weigh in this morning was down quite a bit. Instead of fully hydrating, I just drank my usual pre-long run amount.

My next mistake was that due to the fact that I have been getting my wife to run lately, I let her go first this morning while I watched the little ones so I didn't even get out until 9:15 and in Georgia this morning it was already 75 on its way to 85 by the time I finished. I've done heat, never that much heat.

By mile 10 I knew it wasn't a "great" run, but I was still feeling okay. By mile 13 it all went to you know where in a hand-basket. My pace dropped off by over 2 min/mile and I even walked a few .5 mile increments. I started mild cramps with 4 miles to go. With 1.5 to go, the gig was up, I walked the rest of the way in. With 100 yds to go both legs locked up in 100% cramps from toes to groin. I had to stand with my house in sight for almost 5 minutes before I could even walk the rest of the way.

I spent the next 3 hours in an ice bath, getting an icy-hot rubdown from my wife, eating bananas, and screaming in pain as my calves cramped periodically. It was the first time since I made my mind up to do this in March that I found myself considering that I may not be able to do it... I will repeat the 18 miles next Saturday, fixing the mistakes I made this week, I'm sure it will go better.

Thank you to those who have donated to my fundraising efforts. Your sacrifice is the fuel that keeps me going after a run like this, even more so than after good runs.

Getting Washed Out by Tropical Storm Fay

First off, this post is in no way meant to deminish the gut wrenching impact and flooding that some have suffered as a result of Fay!

It is odd to think that over the course of my marathon training I have had very little weather to work around. Perhaps that is a function of the drought we have been suffering for close to two years here. I encountered my first weather obstacle this week.

What was left of Tropical Storm Fay dropped close to 4 inches of rain on North Georgia (over 8 inches in spots) over the last 3 days. Getting out of bed at 5am can be hard enough. Getting out of bed at 5am to run in the rain is more than I was able to rise too (ok, pun intended). So where has that left me?

Monday night I ran on the treadmill - yuck! Once you have tasted running through nature, running on a treadmill is BORING! (but doable in a pinch) Last night I went for a run through slight drizzle (I didn't have to wake up and do it). The river that runs by the wetlands I run in had overflowed its banks and was actually flooding the wetlands, instead of the other way around. An 1/8th of a mile section of trail I run was under water. It was IMPRESSIVE. As I didn't run again this morning, drizzle, I may have to do another evening run.

With my trip last week and the rain this week, I actually haven't gone for a 5am run for almost 2 full weeks now. The longer I go, the harder I know it will be to get back into that routine. Ironically, by running at night to make up for the missed morning run I actually make it harder to wake up less than 8 hours later and go out to run, continuing the cycle...

We really did need the rain here so I can tolerate the impact I guess... just so long as Gustav doesn't derail me again! Happy running to all!

BTW, just 2.5 weeks to my next 10k and Jamie's 5k. She is going to do great!

Beaches, Bigfoot, Books, and Shoes

It has been a week or two since my last post. I seem to do this in waves. I wish I could do a post a day type theme but lets just face it, my life is just too boring to fill that much space. Since I last wrote much has happened with our family, part of which is responsible for me not writing for a while.

My brother David planned and took his family to Ocean Isle Beach North Carolina for vacation. A couple weeks back he called and invited us since the beach house he rented since it was capable of sleeping 13 people. We gladly joined him for 5 days 4 nights of fun, sand, and surf. Who cares if we shoved 14 people into that house right? When we rolled out on Wednesday afternoon we were very jealous that they got to stay another 3 nights. I want to publicly tell my brother THANK YOU. We enjoyed his family and our beach visit immensely! So while my twin was hanging out with my sister in a mountain cabin, we hung out in a beach house. Who wins that one? Could argue both sides really.

Caleb loved the boogie board and spent most of his time doing that. Of course the waves were so big that trying to get out into the surf to where they were breaking was quite the task for him and we frequently found ourselves going down the beach a couple hundred yards to retrieve him and return him back to our section of the beach. His most successful rides were when I went out with him and pushed him into the ride. When I did that he frequently rode the wave all the way to the beach. By the end of our trip he had boogie board sores on his stomach and thighs but I don’t think that deterred him one bit.

Mischa tried the boogie board a few times and it was only on the last day she learned that if I pushed her she could ride the waves as well. She was most content playing in the surf and helping me dig for shells. Joshua was a bit timid at first and preferred staying at the beach house if given the option but by the end of the trip he really enjoyed the shallow surf quite a bit. He tried the boogie board once but nose-dived and barrel rolled on his first attempt "nearly drowning", after that, I couldn’t convince him to try again.

Liesie LOVED the beach, but wasn’t too thrilled about going anywhere near the surf if it got water on her head (her mother’s daughter). She loved the shallows and loved playing in the pits I dug at the water’s edge. Here she is playing while I dig.

What can I say, I’m a geological engineer that works for a mining company. I like to dig looking for hidden treasure. I found several shells I was quite proud of. I would also like to confirm that despite reports of Bigfoot being found in the North Georgia Mountains, this is not a picture of him on vacation in North Carolina! Perhaps my next marathon could be run to raise funds for laser hair removal for my back? Maybe that will be more successful than my significantly slowed marathon fundraising efforts for Diabetes… (there is your dose of passive begging for the post)

This last Monday the older 3 started school. Continuing the tradition of taking each kid to his or her first day of Kindergarten I dropped of Joshua and gave a high 5. I had been worried that he might be a bit to timid and not ready to be away from Mama just yet but after the first three days of the week, all concerns are gone. That kid is having a blast. Mischa also rode with me while Caleb opted to ride the bus. Based on the end of the day, maybe I should have picked them up as well.

The other mini-event, was that my first pair of really good running shoes logged their 500th mile this week. You may be thinking "Wait, I thought he bought new shoes?" Or, "Does he really track that?" But more likely you are thinking, "Why the heck should I care?"

I did buy new shoes when these ones reached 400 miles. When I went to find the post I could have sworn I did to mark this occasion in June, I couldn't find one. Maybe I never put one up... huh? Anyway, I just upgraded from the Saucony Omni 6 the current year's model, the Omni 7. They may look quite similar to my first pair, but they took some getting used to. They are almost an ounce lighter but rub ever so slightly on my right forefoot. Since June I have worn each pair alternatively to transition into the new shoes which now have around 180 miles on them (I have been wearing them for the long runs hence they get almost twice the mileage each week).

I track the mileage to help avoid injury. The cushioning (even in a $100 shoe) is only good for so much stress and depending on the shoe, type of surfaces you run on, and the size of the runner, most books (not just the shoe companies) will tell you that you have anywhere from 300-500 miles in a shoe before it should be replaced. It is probably not as important for the casual runner logging 5-6 miles per week running 2-3 times per week. But for marathon training, logging 30+ mile weeks running 6 days a week, the body needs all the cushioning it can get. The last thing I want to do is derail my marathon training with 3 months to go. I definitely notice a difference in the cushioning from when I first bought them, still, $100 bucks is quite the pill to swallow and despite the fact that I have my cost/mile down to $0.20, I may keep running in these for a while more (600 miles?). If nothing else, I have a GREAT pair of regular everyday shoes now.

As for why should you care? You shouldn’t. Just another insight into the running world for your gee whiz collection. Also, I like to pad my blog post length with worthless filler. Maybe I should have broken this into it’s own post but then this wouldn’t be a "catch-up" post, now would it?

Anyway, with school begun and vacations over, the summer is all but over. I would argue that this was one of the more enjoyable summers I have had for a while now. My family brings me so much joy and it was nice to spend almost two full weeks (separated by a month) with them instead of at work. All good things come to an end so they say.

100 Days to Chickamauga

I just did the math and discovered that today marks exactly 100 days until my Marathon. That made me ponder the state of my preparation. Where am I meeting my goals and where am I still lacking? Besides running a marathon, many of you may not know what my goals in relation to it are. For the sake of accountability, I will share my Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) with you. (Yes, I am a geek engineer, with a MBA to make matters worse...)

1. Miles per Week: 35 – Many of the books I have read on the subject have indicated that this is the minimal level of training required to run a "successful" marathon. To date my highest mileage week has been 34.5 miles. As my long runs get longer I should reach this goal. I may have to start adding a second run a couple days a week or come to grips with the concept of rising EVEN EARLIER to get more than 3.5-5 miles in each morning. Especially after school starts and I will be pinched for time in the morning.
   
2. Weight: 183 – This was established as my goal long ago based on the significance of that being the weight at which my body mass index (BMI) would fall below 25. I would then no longer be classified as overweight, which is where I am now with a BMI just over 26, or obese, which is where I started with a BMI over 37. My 15-day moving average weight is currently 196.0. After my half marathon last fall I weighed 199 but then "took a break" over the holidays and drifted back up into the 202-203 range. Putting in the miles I am, this one is harder than it sounds as the hard training makes me HUNGRY, but I am still hopeful as that really only works out to 1 lb per week going forward. Problem is, I have been in the 196-198 window for about 3 months now…
   
3. Run Sub-4 hour Marathon – This one is a little hard to measure without running the full distance. If you do the math, 4 hours to run 26.2 miles works out to just over 9 minutes and 9 second per mile. I ran my half marathon at 9:05 pace to come in under 2 hours but somehow I know I couldn’t have kept that pace for the next 13.1 miles… back then. Since then, my 10k times have improved from 53 minutes to 48 minutes. Plug a 48 minute 10k into various prediction calculators that account for slowing over the course of the longer distance and they predict I should run somewhere in the 3hr45min range for a Marathon. The other observation I made looking at my running data since March though, is that my average pace is SLOWING each month. Starting in March my average pace per mile has gone 8:43, 8:45, 8:45, 8:52, and 8:53. Although this was a bit of a surprise to me at first, there are some explanations. Since March my monthly mileage has tripled from 42 to 132 increasing the wear and tear on this poor body. Since March the morning temperatures have doubled from a refreshing and dry 35 to a hot and steamy 70+ (some scientists say to expect add 30 seconds for each 5 degrees over 60). Lastly, since March more of my miles are now coming from my Saturday long runs which are generally run at a slower pace ~9:00/mile. I’m not in panic mode on this one yet.
   
4. Run 6 days a week – This one is based on knowing that the key to my success is consistency. I always take a rest day on Sunday for the Sabbath of course but it also works well that my long runs are on Saturday. I’m not saying I won’t backslide, but this, with the loving support of my wife, is the metric I’m doing best with for now. In the month of July I only missed 3 days (not counting the 4 Sundays of course). One was the day we went to Six Flags and I would contend I walked a good 20 miles that day. The next was the Monday following my week of vacation where getting myself out of bed at 5 am… just didn’t happen. The last was pure and simple laziness last Thursday. There have been a few evening runs to make up for missed morning runs but for the most part, it is now part of my morning routine. Over the month of July I averaged 5.5 miles for each day I ran or 4.9 miles per available running day.
   
5. Raise $1000 for Diabetes Research/Treatment – This is one that is a bit out of my control. As you all know I chose to join a fundraising group, the Diabetes Action Team, as part of my marathon training. After an initial flurry of donations, I haven’t seen anything for a while. To date I have raised $170 through the good graces of some of my friends and family. I hope I have been true to my word to not harp on you and drown you with emails and solicitations but if you haven’t donated yet, please consider donating as you read this. I am truly humbled each time I get one of those "A donation has been made in your name" emails and it always drives me to rise each morning. Some of my best runs have been the day after a donation as they push me to be my best. So I ask you again, to share in my joy and help me reach my goal. If I can run 500 miles year to date with probably another 400 or so over the next 100 days, is a donation to a worthy cause too much to ask? Either way, I love you all and hopefully, if nothing else, I have your thoughts and prayers.

Roswell 500

GENTLEMEN, START....YOUR....ENGINES!!!

OK, so they aren't quite ready to introduce that as the next event on the NASCAR series but I thought I would drop a quick note celebrating that with my run this morning I eclipsed the 500 mile threshold for 2008. By the end of the week I will pass 700 miles since I started tracking last August. I don't think I will reach the 1000 mile mark for 2008, but I may get close... I think it will all depend on how much I slack off after my marathon in November. If history is followed from last fall, I have no shot of reaching 1000 (see chart below), but perhaps if I sign up for a spring marathon I will be motivated to push through the cold months as well. We will see. Got to get the first marathon under my belt first...