I'm BAAAAACK!!!!!!! (aka I'm writing for the first time in 2 years and I don't know how long it will last)

WOW! October 2009 was my last post? That is REALLY SAD! AD – No teasing please!

No promises here but I will attempt to start blogging again as I participate in a local Sahuarita “Biggest Loser” competition. It is 12 weeks long. I will attempt to do one post a week to keep you up to date on my endeavor. This will be the first such post but hopefully not the last. After the 12 weeks, we’ll see where we go from there…

First, to catch you up… (its either this or you go back and re-read 3 years of blogs!) After my marathon in the fall of 2008 I ran a half marathon 2 weeks later. The combined stress of those two events plus the severe overtraining I was doing culminated in a shredded ileotibial band in my right knee. Following physical therapy, rests periods, reduced mileage, and a year of frustration, I all but stopped running due to the pain. After peaking somewhere in the 285lb range my running had dropped me to 183 lbs at the time of my marathon. I had lost just over 100 lbs and for the first time in a LONG time my BMI was classified as normal.

The year after my marathon and subsequent injury wasn’t without running. I still did another half-marathon in SLC but my weight did start to climb again as my mileage dropped from around 40 miles/week down to 10-15 miles/week. By the fall of 2009 however I was lucky to be running 1-2 times/week if at all. When my wife and I went on our cruise to celebrate our 15^th wedding anniversary that August, I was weighing in at 205.

As my career started a transition in the winter of 2009-2010 my amount of free time shrunk drastically and I focused for the next year and a half on that career change and relocation. The problem was, I let my weight go unattended and it climbed and climbed.

So, that brings us to today! A coworker has participated in some of these competitions in the past and notified me of this one starting. Knowing full well that competition is the key to my success, I figured it is now or never. Next March I cross the dreaded 40 year old mark. I hope by then I will be back in shape, ready to tackle my next marathon and that elusive 4 hour mark that I so narrowly missed on my first attempt.

As for the weigh-in for the competition, I weighed in at 246 lbs (242 at home with less clothing). 60% of my blood sweat and tears weight loss, lost! But just look at the whole new motivation I have to try again! I look forward to your encouragement, words of wisdom, mocking accountability, and probably quite a bit of general apathy as my running has NOTHING to do with your happiness.

Rise 'n Run Results - Name Change?

Just though I would put up the official results from my race back on the 19th. I was starting to wonder if they would ever publish them and then on the official website they put out a press release but never the overall results... but they finally did, kind of. Instead of posting them on their site, they emailed them out to all the participants. I thought that was different. I have never seen that done before, but hey, I got my results... kind of.

You see, in the official results my name is not listed. Once again I'm sure a well intending volunteer convinced themself that surely the list must be wrong, who would have "John" as a last name? That's right. So even though I registered electronically and even though the name was listed correctly on the sign-in sheet the morning of the race, at some point the volunteer (must keep reminding myself of that fact) took it upon themself to "rectify" the situation to which they had no evidence to the contrary other than their preconceived notion of what is and what isn't an acceptable last name... Although I am well accustomed to that happening throughout my life, I will NEVER accept it without at least a small twinge in my gut.

Okay, venting over, now the results!

Official time: 24:15 (as I stated in my original post)
Total Runners: 198
Overall place: 27th
Male place: 24th
Males age 35-39: 4th (yep, 1st non-podium looser!)

As for what is next. I am signed up to run the Cactus ChaCha in Phoenix Arizona the weekend I am out there for business. I am running that with my brother and one of his boys. Feel free to join us if you can. That should be fun!

New Kicks

Just a quick post to show off my new shoes. My old ones were up over 420 miles so it was time to transition to a new pair. I always like to have an overlap before I retire a pair of shoes somewhere around 500 miles. In a sad statement of how few miles I have run this year, my old shoes are the pair that I ran my marathon in last year. In the peak of my training I had a pair that only "lasted" for about 2 months of running. Of course I still wear the retired shoes for non-running activities, but I'm starting to get a collection of those built up.


So here they are. I have upgraded from the Saucony Omni 7's to the Omni 8's. Some changes have been made and the shoe actually received the Runner's World Editor's Choice award. The biggest change in my eyes is the removal of the plastic webbing on the outside edge by the toe that was added to the Omni 7's. It really bugged me when I was running and I debated switching to a new shoe. I guess enough people complained that they dropped it back off. The shoe is also a touch lighter, they have moved the arch support back slightly, and added additional cushioning to the heal. All in all, I think they have taken a step forward (no pun intended). My first run, 6.4 miles of mixed surfaces, on Saturday went well and was the longest run I've done since my Half Marathon in April. No pain, discomfort, or any other issues noticed. I really think I will like this upgrade and I hope it won't take me as long to reach 500 miles this time around.


So for your oooing and ahhhhing pleasure, here are the pics. Now catch me if you can...



The top one shows you the tread, this one gives a clearer image of the profile. The other noticable change is making the webbing grey instead of the previous white. They also use quite a bit more metallic silver. They just look flashier than the previous models.

Roswell Rise 'n Run

Last Saturday I ran my first 5k race this year… kind of. Last May I ran in a 5k that was put on by my church. It was free and was more focused on participation than competition. I came in 4th overall behind two teenage brothers and their mom. I lost to the mom by about 3 feet having started my kick too late. That race I finished in 22:12 about 3 weeks after I ran the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. Because it was so small, not truly "open" to real competition, they started 30 minutes later than the announced time, and because I had to leave literally 2 minutes after I finished to get home, shower, and drive for 45 minutes to make it to my son’s Karate Tournament…. I guess I never felt like it was a real race. But looking back I guess I missed my best opportunity to brag about finishing in the top 3 for the males and 1st in my division! What was I thinking!

Anyway, as to this week’s race. Ever since Peachtree I’ve been taking a break and then after my cruise in early August started to think about running again. I went a couple weeks and realized that August had become my lowest mileage month in a year and a half. To get me off the couch and moving again I went out and signed up for the Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon here in Atlanta. I’ve done that race for the last two years.

Having signed up for that, I realized I needed some near term races to get me started now instead of say, the first week in November. So, after searching the Georgia race database, I found one close to home in September. The 4th Annual Roswell Rise n Run.

I had to show you the logo because it was a bit ironic. Sure, it was dry during morning registration, but for the last week and about 5 minutes after the race started it has been nothing but rain here in Atlanta. Not as bad as it was on Monday – Atlanta’s 100 yr storm event – but it was setting the stage for the flooding, saturating the ground.

The race is a nice 5k/1k fun run combo but as usual, that is always trouble. They lined us up all together and who do you think made up the first 5 rows? You guessed it, about 40 6 year olds with their moms to do the 1k. The director with the bull horn suggested that if you don’t run under 5:40 miles, you may want to move back but that didn’t seem to phase but maybe one or two of those kids. They blissfully got ready to run and the race director blissfully didn’t push the matter any further.

As they sounded the horn a swarm of 6 year olds broke out of the gate like they were running a 100 yd dash. There rabbit start probably saved them from a good trampling as it stretched out the field a little before they began to tire. It was funny to be weaving through kids with the sound of mothers behind me yelling at their kids to slow down. By the 100 yd mark I made it past the last kid just before the course took a 90 degree turn. I didn’t look back but I can only imagine how bunched back up that field got making that turn.

The course started at an Elementary school and ran into a nearby park. One of the first quirks of the race was the speed bumps. The road in the park had speed bumps every hundred feet or so it seemed making for some modified strides to avoid them. I was happy when the course turned off the road and onto a crushed stone path that winds through the park. That was however, about the time the rain started coming down. It never rained hard enough to detract from the running but it was a bit more than an annoyance.

At the 1-mile mark I realized I had gone out a bit too fast for the amount of training I had put in. Mile 1 was in 7:11. I was quite winded and knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold that pace. The course then took a turn through the woods over some marked roots and into a neighborhood behind the park. I’ve never run a race that included so many various types of running surfaces.

Shortly after returning to the park through a wooded trail section back onto the crushed stone I reached the 2 mile mark. Mile 2 was in 7:53. Slower but really more in line with what I was expecting. I came around a corner and saw the race photographer from True Speed Photo. He was sitting under a table to keep his camera out of the rain but it produced an interesting angle on the shots, almost diagonal and obviously from a low angle. I really liked them, except for the obvious pain in my face...


Mile 3 is where I really started to feel my lack of training. There were some more hills here and tight turns. Interestingly the course doubled back on itself several times so you were sharing a 6-foot wide path with runners going in the opposite direction. The organizers did a good job setting up cones to keep traffic flowing correctly though.


Thoroughly soaked at the 3 mile marker I was hurting and had a little discomfort in my right hamstring (so long as it is not my IT Band, I’m okay with it!). Mile 3 was painfully slow by my standards and I was pretty upset with my 8:29. That is training run time, not a race! Mad at that split I took off for the last .1 miles as hard as my winded lungs would let me. The last .1 miles was in 41 seconds (6:50 pace if you were to extrapolate it out…). Of course it helped that the final tenth of a mile was all downhill, but we can leave that part out, right? We’ll also ignore the fact that my PR of 21 minutes flat translates to 6:46 per mile for the entire race, not just the final tenth of a mile…

It all goes to prove that when we aren’t moving forward, we ARE moving backwards. There is no such thing as standing still.

Post race was interesting. It was the first 5k I have ever done that didn’t finish at the start line. We finished in the park and had to walk back to the school to get to the food, free stuff, and the T-shirts. At the finish line we asked which way to go and one of the volunteers pointed a group of us in the wrong direction. We ended up walking the long way around, back on the course with runners still going, probably going a good mile, instead of the ¼ mile short cut most people were pointed too. I guess I looked like I needed to walk a little bit more.

As for results, I can’t find them posted anywhere so I don’t know where I finished in my group or overall. My time as I passed under the clock was 24:15 but that was not "official". At first I got a little excited as I noted that I was the second card dropped in my division’s slot, then I realized he was pulling them out and logging them as he got them. I should have known that that time wouldn’t be anywhere near the podium in the 35-39 yr old male division…

So, there you have it, my first full race report in quite a while. And look Real, a blog post with NO mention of bowel movements, wait a minute, crud! Ignore this paragraph please. Anywho…

Poor Neglected Blog

Other than my wife, I have two dedicated friends who are probably the only people to have noticed the fact that I haven't posted a thing since May. Both of them have reached out to me this month with a gentle reminder that they do in fact care and want to hear from me. One was a college roommate of my wife to which I owe an unplayable debt of gratitude, the other is a cyberfriend that I have known for a couple years through the magic of the Runners World Online discussion Forums. One might think that I they have guilted me into writing this update, and one might not be entirely wrong, but on a bigger scale, there is a reason I haven't written of late.

As we all know, the bulk of my posts are about running. Guess what has been suffering this summer? After my Half in Salt Lake I really stopped running. Not cold turkey, but comparatively so. I think I ran maybe 20 miles a month through the summer, then in August it was maybe 15... Yeah, I "ran" the Peachtree in July, perhaps the first big race that I didn't do a race report for. Maybe I'll go back and do one. But the bigger issue was that even then I didn't feel like much of a runner. I walked for a short portion of that race because I was undertrained for it and got winded up Heartbreak Hill. Other than when I hit the wall in my Marathon, cramping in both legs from the hips down, that is the only race I have ever walked in a race. (Starting line crowd weaving not included) While some would kill for a 52 minute 10k, myself included 3 years ago, I am having a hard time stepping backwards to step forwards.

With September has come new attitude. I have rejoined the Runners World discussion forums, started running 2-3 times a week (for a start), and even signed up for a race or two. I'm running a 5k this weekend, looking at another 5k on October 3rd, there is a trail race in the park I do my daily runs in in early November, all leading up to the Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon that I have run the last two years. With that as a goal, I am striking out to get back to where I was a year ago. With determination, a cooperating IT Band, and a little luck, I'll get there.

There, ya happy? More to come.

Salt Lake City & the Half Marathon

The majority of my entries this year have been related to either my injury or my plan to run the Salt Lake City Marathon/Half-Marathon. It really is sad that even after all of that I have allowed over a month to pass since the event to record the experience. The fact that NO ONE has been clamoring for my write-up speaks to how little the smattering of readers I have even care. Well, I guess you have to put up with a report anyway.

After repeated attempts to train for the full marathon, each ending in IT BAND issues, I finally accepted reality and registered for the Half-Marathon. I guess it speaks well of my fitness and training to be able to just default to a 13.1 mile race without much concern. There was a time not so long ago when completing that 5k presented a significant challenge.

I arrived in Salt Lake on Thursday evening and was picked up by my sister Coleen. Even though I moved away when I was 14, Salt Lake will always feel a bit like home to me. After dinner at my sister Diana’s house we went up to my grandparent’s old house that Coleen now lives in. Perhaps no structure in Salt Lake holds more memories for me other than my childhood home. Despite the small rooms, even smaller closets, head trauma waiting to happen staircases, and general design for no one taller than 5’6", I love spending time in that house.

On Friday we had a relaxing day around the house. Then I went for a short run. That is when the panic set in. About a quarter mile into a 2.5 mile run my knee burned like it had at the peak of my troubles. I was so angry and upset and pushed through the pain (which I knew I shouldn’t do). I finished my run in severe pain but never let on to Coleen. I debated withdrawing from the race for fear of risking more damage. I don’t know what was different on that run, but it was perhaps the most humbling 2.5 miles I have ever run. Ultimately I decided that I had come to far to back out now so I stretched really well and hoped that I was just stiff from the flight and time change… (Yeah, that’s it, knee pain is attributable to jet lag! A desperate man will believe anything.)

Next Coleen took me to drive the route I would be running. This was the first time I have done this and it was really quite helpful the next day to know what was yet to come. From the endpoint we went to the Salt Palace to pick up my bib and race packet. The neatest part of that experience came in the form of an announcement over the PA system. They announced that a David Warden would be giving a presentation about Triathlon Training on one side of the conference center. I turned to Coleen and asked if they were referring to "our David Warden". She said that they might be as she thought he was a tri-athlete. We wandered over to the presentation area and there sat my 1st Cousin once removed, David Warden. We had played quite a bit as children before we moved away from Salt Lake but I’m not sure if I had seen him since! It was so cool to catch up with him.

After finishing up at the Salt Palace we went to Trolley Square. We had made a reservation at the Spaghetti Factory where all my Salt Lake family would help me carb load for my race. It was so nice to sit down to dinner with all 4 of my Salt Lake siblings and various members of their families. The trip to Salt Lake would have been worth it just for that. My mistake that night however played into the next day’s story. Looking over the menu, they didn’t have just plain spaghetti with marinara sauce at all. The closest I could find was the "Mt Vesuvius," which was close, but included Tobasco in the sauce… mistake! If anyone ever considers any menu item with the word Tobasco in the description the night before running any distance beyond the 20 feet from the TV to the toilet, STOP THEM! Other than that, the food and company were fantastic.

Due to the afore mentioned menu item, I visited the restroom 4 times between that night and the next morning. I was convinced that there was nothing left in my system to worry about, as there couldn’t possibly be anything left in my colon following the cleansing it had! (more on this assumption to come at a later time…)
Race morning I got up and went through my typical routine. I was dressed, showered, and ready to go well before race time. I ate some toast with peanut butter and proceeded to consume most of my sister’s grapefruit juice as I had drank most of her orange juice the day before. Only then did I wake her up and ask her to drive me the few short miles from her house to the start line. As we approached the start line we came to an intersection where the cops were stopping cars from getting any closer. I reacted quickly, handed my bag to my sister while asking her to bring it to the finish line, and then I bailed out of the car so she wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of finding some place to park. Only after she drove off did it hit me that I had forgotten to call my wife as planned. My phone was in my finish line bag, pulling away. It was the first "hitch" to the day.

The temperature was perfect, cool but not cold. I had on some gloves and a hat along with my standard running gear and that was more than enough to keep me warm. At the start area I realized that Vesuvius was not done erupting and found my way through the port-a-potty line again. I jogged a bit to warm up but didn’t want to press my luck with my knee too much before the actual race. I lined up a bit further back in the pack than I should of, partly due to lack of faith in my knee, partly due to lack of faith in my ability to run at altitude, and partly due to my general lack of faith in my preparation and training. The other thing that I found a bit amusing was the start line entertainment. It was a Baptist Choir singing gospel music. Not exactly the "pump you up" race music you would expect, and oddly out of place in this bastion of the Mormondom.

When the race finally started it took me almost 2 minutes to cross the start-line and initiate the timing chip strapped to my foot. The first mile was quite frustrating weaving through very slow runners and groups of 8-10 people that present very imposing obstacles when they move en mass. Although I was moving at what I though was a quick pace my watched beeped at the 9 minute mark and I had not yet seen the 1st mile marker. I hit the lap button, convinced that I had just missed the marker.

The field continued to thin and it became much easier to find my way through the crowd but I was still passing a lot of people through that second mile. When I reached the second mile mark and my watch was still on 6:53, my suspicions were confirmed about the first mile. So including the crowd weaving I was on an 8 minute pace early on.

The third mile is where I developed a side stitch. This is not common for me at all and I think this was the first sign of running at altitude. I consciously increased the rate of my breathing to try and compensate for the lower levels of oxygen (I have no idea if this is the suggested approach to such a situation). That seemed to work as the stitch relented and didn’t come back the rest of the way. Mile 3 took me 7:32.

Mile 4, in 7:42, is where it hit me that I hadn’t even thought about my knee, let alone felt any pain from it whatsoever. It is almost just as frustrating to not have issues because it highlights the unexplained times when it blows up on me.
I had settled into a good rhythm and those middle miles went by in a blur, or should I say without incident.

Mile 5, 8:08
Mile 6, 8:14
Mile 7, 7:52

Somewhere in mile 8 the red pepper sauce from coastal Louisiana decided that it wasn’t done and I felt the growing need to find a port-a-potty once again. I went quite a ways trying to convince myself that I could hold it or perhaps that it was just gas and I could let it out and be done but eventually rightly concluded that the next available outhouse would need to be occupied. Mile 8, 8:18.

As I was passing the 9 mile mark, 8:27, in Liberty Park I was in near panic, looking for the park lavatories, debating asking a local home owner, anything short of ruining a good pair of running shorts. Then I saw the row of plastic green sheds up ahead that had never appeared as such a godsend to me before. I jumped in and stopped my watch (I didn’t want to count non-running time!). The pit stop took me almost exactly 2 minutes and was far more enjoyable than any "No 2" should be. As I took off running again my knee twinged for the first time all day and I nearly panicked but within a few hundred feet the pain went away, never to return the rest of the run.

Mile 10, which included a little of the in and out of the potty was run in 8:55. Miles 10 and 11 went by with a new lightness afoot but still were slower due to the stage in the race I was at. Mile 11 took 8:46. Although I was slowing, I was still quite happy with my overall time considering all of the obstacles I was facing coming into the race. I had set what I thought was a realistic goal of 2 hours, roughly 9-minute miles, given those obstacles, so my splits up to this point had all been gravy. Then I hit the biggest obstacle the course had to offer, State Street climbing up to South Temple. Most of the course is downhill, something like 400 feet net from start to finish, but mile 12 is a straight shot that gets steeper and steeper as you go. The capital building and the stupid arching bird monument over State Street at South Temple are deceptively far away and taunt you the entire climb. Mile 12 was my only split slower than 9 minutes (other than my miss timed 1st mile) and that beast of a hill nearly broke me, 9:32. It was the one of the few places where I noted several people passing me and perhaps the most apparent example of my lack of altitude training.

The run down South Temple to the old train station was relaxing in comparison. I ran Mile 13 in 8:34. The turn into the shopping center that was the finish line was really cool. The last .1 miles (39 seconds) was through a relatively narrow outdoor mall that crowded the family and friends right on top of you. I saw Coleen with her two boys and heard her screaming my name. Only later did I see how poor of a videographer she was. ;) Diana and Adam were down the chute a bit further, near the finish line. It was so cool to have them take time out of their day to cheer me on.

So, the final results:

Gun Time (from when the gun starts the race until I finished): 1:52:48
Chip Time (subtracts the time to cross the start line - what the organizers use to assign placements outside of the "winners"): 1:50:53
Watch Time (did not include the potty break): 1:48:49

Placement:

802nd out of 4139 Half Marathoners
545th out of 1588 males
79th out of 248 35-39 year old males

Overall, I was ecstatic with the finish. It could always be better, but halfway between my fastest (1:40:35) and my slowest (1:59:05) Half Marathon times was a perfect compromise given the challenges of injury, elevation, and digestion that I faced.

That evening we went swimming at Cottonwood Spa where I really learned how to swim as a kid. I went by my childhood house that has changed SO MUCH since my childhood. On Sunday we went to Church in my Grandparents old ward house. That may be the first time I have been in that building for anything other than a funeral. Then Coleen hosted a big dinner with the whole family coming over. It was a great get together that could have only been improved with the addition of my wife, parents, and other missing siblings. It is times like that that make me miss not living closer to the bulk of my family.

I flew home Monday morning, having failed to make time to visit a college friend that I had hoped to stop by and see but for the most part I had accomplished what I had set out to do that weekend. In the end the trip was less about the run and more about my sister and my family for many reasons but I was glad that the run had given me a reason to be in Salt Lake at that particular window of time. Hopefully, at some future date, I can return to the valley and conquer the full 26.2 miles I had intended to run.

Let's Try This Again

This morning at my Physical Therapist I was officially cleared to start running again. He says to do 3 miles Thursday and Saturday, 5 miles on Monday and Tuesday, maintain the stretching and hip exercises I have been doing and he will make the call next Wednesday whether or not to clear me to continue.

I have ridden the roller coaster of rest/run several times this winter with the same results. This time I took the extra step of working with the PT and doing daily stretches and exercises focused on getting my IT Band back in good order. Today, during my appointment, I ran over a mile on their treadmill and felt no pain or discomfort at all. I felt better than any run I've done since November.

I am trying not to get to hopeful and count my chickens here, but I really do feel the difference in my hips and core strength. I am really looking forward to Salt Lake in 2.5 weeks. But more than anything, I am looking forward to a return to normalcy with my knee and not having to stress about it each time I lace up my shoes!

Keep your fingers crossed.

What do you do when your Dr. says you have a weak butt?

Well, after weeks and weeks of trying to avoid the inevitable I finally broke down and went to to the physical therapist last week. I know I should have done it sooner, but hopefully this will be the kick I need to get me back to running without pain. So what did I learn?

First off, my IT Band issue is not a one event injury. What happens is the band rubs on the side of the bone and gets frayed over time. Being white tissue, it just doesn't get the blood flow needed to repair itself. That also means that it takes longer to heal and most of the things I am doing now are to make sure it doesn't fray again.

Next, my physical therapist told me I have a WEAK BUTT!!! Runners have strong legs but the muscles in the hips and buttocks don't get worked with running. With weak glutes your hips flair out further with each stride, tightening the IT Band just at the moment it passes past the knob on the bottom of the femur. Stronger Butt = Less Hip Swing = Less Damage to the IT Band. How does that song go? "Leg bone's connected to the hip bone...."

Prescription? A kick in the REAR! Lots of exercises and stretches for the upper leg and hip. After my appointment with him this morning, I can hardly sit! He has me doing a daily routine that takes up to an hour to complete. I'm not allowed to run for another week but I think I'll be good for Salt Lake next month.

The other thing he has me doing is pinpoint icing my IT Band for 10 minutes 1-2 times a day. I always thought that it was just to prevent inflammation but my PT has told me it has the added benefit of inducing blood flow to the area. Remember how I said that the white tissue doesn't get enough blood flow to help in repair? Well, by making the area supper cold the body says, "HEY, we better send some blood to Sector 7 to warm it back up." That extra blood helps to repair the damaged tissue.

So, if any of you have a desire to start running, don't forget to cross train your butt and hips or risk long term damage to your knees!

The Half Nelson It Is Then

Sorry. I don’t know why I feel the need to apologize. It is not like I didn’t give it a try. I gave it probably more of a try than I should have considering the injury and pain I have been dealing with. I guess I feel like I am letting some people down (including, and perhaps primarily, myself) and any time I think I may be disappointing someone, I feel the need to say sorry. The mind was willing but the body was not…

If you didn’t guess from that first paragraph or from the blog title, (either you haven’t been following my blog or you are really slow today) I’ve failed in my plan to prepare for and run the Salt Lake City Marathon on April 18th. During Saturday’s scheduled 14 mile run from my PLAN, I had to cut it short due to severe knee pain around mile 6. I slowed to an 11:30 pace and "crawled" home completing only 10 miles. Although some would be happy with that pace, and I would have loved to have run that pace at the end of last year’s marathon, the pain would have slowed me even further had I pushed out to 14 (let alone 26.2) miles.

So, as I stated in my last post, if I couldn’t follow that plan there really is no way I could properly prepare for a full marathon in just over a month from now. And considering the shape my knees are in, it would probably do more harm than good anyway.

So what does this mean? Today I officially signed up for the Half Marathon. I still won’t be gunning for my 1:40:18 PR at that distance but I am cautiously optimistic (not that my optimism has helped me of late…) that my knees will hold together for at least a 2 hour goal. I am still VERY EXCITED to visit my family and run in this event.

I also finally scheduled my visit to the Physical Therapist. After my doctor visit (and the drugs they gave me) the pain really went away. That, combined with a hectic work schedule, kept me from going to the PT that the doctor had referred me to. Well, this last Saturday was the last straw. My knees are recovering much more quickly following my runs now but I want to learn what I need to do to stop the in-run pain.

One last affirmation… Salt Lake City has not defeated me, my knees did. In the words of MacArthur "I shall return!" or Mr Schwarzenegger if you prefer "I’ll be back!" I hereby promise to run the full marathon in Salt Lake City someday.

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!

Knee Roller Coaster

Since my marathon I have been riding a physical and emotional roller coaster. I have lovingly called it my "knee issue" or "IT band struggles" and many cuss words not fit for documentation in this blog. It has been a mix of denial, pain, optimism, depression, prescription and over the counter medication, doctor visits, rest, limping, new sleep positions, questioning my commitment to running, rapid weight gain, some periods of weight loss, stress induced eating, recommitment, bodily betrayal, comments on how good I am looking, questions as to whether I have put a few pounds back on,...... I think you are getting the picture.

Here is how it looks in graph form. This is my last 52 weeks of training miles. Gradual building of miles, running a 10k every few months, peaking in September, tapering in October, and then a brutal race schedule of Marathon on November 8th and Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving day. Over 1000 miles, NO INJURIES. Then it hits the fan.
Following a planned rest period in early December I tried to start running during Christmas break. What had been observed just before my Half Marathon as a minor knee irritation in my right knee exploded into severe pain after each run, no matter how long or how hard. By the end of the year I had identified it as an IT Band issue and resolved to take three full weeks off and let it rest and then commence my training for Salt Lake.

I resumed running the last two weeks of January. Each run had pain or discomfort but I "pushed through" thinking it might ease with time. (I am not claiming to be the brightest crayon in the box here.) At the end of January I couldn't fool myself any longer. I was taking two Advil and two Excedrin every 4 hours just to numb the pain enough to walk. I finally went to see a doctor. She gave me a far better anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxant to allow me to sleep.

With that two week rest and better pharmaceuticals I was pain free for the first time since November. I began running again VERY SLOWLY and with A LOT of stretching in mid-February. The first week I ran until I felt even the slightest discomfort. At first sign I would immediately stop and walk. If the tightness or discomfort didn't subside, I stopped.

While visiting my parents in Kearny Arizona last weekend I went for a morning run. I ran to one side of town, okay, to the other side of town, a little off but not discomfort, two miles around my old high school track, and then it happened. I noticed that for the first time in three months, I couldn't even feel my knee! I ran to the top of town and then winded back to my parents house all at a faster pace and with NO Pain! Now don't get too impressed, it was only 9 miles total as Kearny is just not that big, but for the first time in a LONG time I felt optimistic.

This week I have three runs for a total of 10 miles under my belt and so far, not one bit of pain... I have a hard time thinking what I may have done right or what the true cause of my change of condition may be but I am not complaining. The only other change I have made is at the end of January I stopped umpiring our church basketball league. The knee pain came before I started umpiring but it certainly got FAR worse during the period I was umpiring... I don't know but really I don't care.

It remains to be seen if my knee will hold together for training over the next month and a half. I am committed to run in Salt Lake on April 18th... its just a matter of WHAT I run. 5k? Half? or Full Marathon? I haven't ruled out any of those options just yet and I am realistic to know that I will not be setting any personal records, no matter which distance I run. At this point I only appreciate that I will be running something!

For all my Salt Lake friends and family - If I can push through these obstacles, I am confident you can push through yours and join me on April 18th in some measure. A 5k can be WALKED in under an hour! Are you going to join me?

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!

On the Road Again...

I RAN! I know it is not a big deal for most of you (nor was it to me not so long ago) but going over three full weeks and not running was somewhat traumatic for me. I knew I had to do it to nurse my ailing IT Band back to health but extra biking and Wii Fit time just does not cut it.

I was able to run on my treadmill last night. Just 4.1 miles and with a very slow warm-up and a max pace of 10:00 per mile for only 2 of the miles, but I was running. I didn’t have any IT Band pain with this run, we’ll see how it holds out for longer runs. I have been doing some abductor strengthening stretches but frankly they are so odd looking that I wouldn’t do them in public. They look like some kind of demented dance moves but I think I’ll stick to my tried and tested MC Hammer moves for now!

So on with the training for Salt Lake. Lets hope I have retained enough of my fitness from the fall so that 3 months of training will get me to where I need to be for that Marathon. Unfortunately I did gain some weight over the holidays as I mentioned before. I went from 185-186 for my November marathon to actually having one day on the scale saying over 200. That was fleeting however and I am now weighing in at the 192-193 range. Still not all the way back but I think another 2-3 will come off quickly as I resume running and the 180’s is still somewhat amazing to me. The goal is to get back to 185 in time for Salt Lake, April 18th.

Oddly enough I have had some serious leg pain the last three days but not related to my IT Band issues at all. On Saturday I served as a ref for my church young adult basketball league. For three hours I ran up and down the court. The problem was that I ran backwards each time instead of turning to jog or run down with the play. My calves didn’t appreciate the workout and are still SCREAMING at me! Lesson learned I guess...

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.

Gluttony on Thankgiving Day

Perhaps it was temporary insanity, maybe just a love of running, perhaps I just didn't want to let a nascent tradition die. But whatever it was, I think it is easy to determine that I am a glutton for punishment. Let me explain.

When I signed up for my marathon I decided to run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon because it was a much flatter course than the Atlanta Marathon held on Thanksgiving Day. If you remember, I ran the Half-Marathon last year. During my training I often contemplated if I should just go ahead and run the Half again this year but figured I wouldn't have the desire so soon after my marathon. I figured wrong. Almost as soon as I finished two weeks ago I contemplated that it is not too late to run again on Thanksgiving. At the time I thought I would be out of town or have other Holiday plans but as the date approached, those plans fell through for various reasons. Then came Sunday...

While at church I was talking to a runner that I ran the first mile with last year and asked her if she was running again this year. She said that she was and asked me if I was. I mumbled some excuse about having just run my marathon and something about doubting I could best the time I clocked for the first half of that run... She then answered, "You can't expect that, run it for the fun, you know you can do it, it's a short training run compared to what you were doing for your marathon."

At that, I realized she was right. I was running 16-20 miles each Saturday for two months, all at a pace faster than I ran my Half Marathon last year! Although I ran the first half of my Marathon in 1:44:12, my official PR for the Half is still at 1:59:05 because that is the only race at that distance I have run.

So I did it. That night I went online and signed up for the Half Mary on Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday I arranged for a bus ride to and from the race with my local running store. Despite the fact that they had "closed" the sign-up window a week ago, they made one, and only one exception, for me. Why? I don't know, but I was explicitly told that I was officially the last registrant. A sign?

The only running I have done since my Marathon is a grand total of 3 runs for just over 13.7 miles... less than a mile more than I will be running on Thursday. With the lack of running, the celebratory food I consumed after my marathon, and the sheer amount of leftover Halloween candy I have consumed since then it is no wonder I am up 2-3 lbs since my marathon, but still in the 188 range. I will not even think about gunning for that 1:44:12, don't worry. It is about the fun and joy of running and continuing a tradition I started last year. It is about earning my Turkey. It is about being a glutton for punishment.

So my questions for you...

1. Am I crazy for even trying this so soon after my marathon?
2. What is your guess on my finishing time (assume I do finish...)?
3. Is this any less insane than playing football with a bunch of teenagers from church that morning?

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.

Shadow Dance

Well, we have expanded the John household once again. This time Jamie didn’t have to suffer through 9 months of discomfort to do it. We have added a dog to the mix much to the delight of all of my kids. Here he is, Shadow. He appears to be a Weimaraner/Labrador mix. He is a bit too dark for a Weimaraner but is distinctly gray/silver which is really unheard of for pure Labs.

Last Friday shortly after I arrived at work one of my coworkers came inside and asked if I had seen the puppies. Going out to investigate we found two puppies roughly 3-4 months old had been abandoned in our parking lot. One of the two puppies was very friendly and immediately made a connection with me. I called Jamie to let her know. She wasn’t 100% onboard until I sent the picture, then it was a done deal. A coworker took the other puppy.

To say we are happy with this dog so far is an understatement. So we have had a few accidents two days into house breaking, other than that he has been Wonderdog! He travels well just laying still the entire time in the car. He shows no aggression towards the kids at all. And with a 3-year-old pulling your tail, ears, jowls, and tormenting that dog just about every way you can think of… his mellow demeanor has been put to the test. He was friendly to visitors we had Saturday afternoon without hesitation. When Jamie came home Saturday night he barked twice when the front door opened and calmed immediately when he saw it was Jamie. He has slept in his crate with very minimal crying each night and without having an "accident". The kids are learning the value of picking up their toys, shoes, etc. if they don’t want him to carry it off. We should have tried this a while back!

I’m sure it won’t all be fun and games, we have the food and the vet bills, the housebreaking and the shoe chewing, the "what to do with him when we travel" discussion and general cleanliness of our house issues. But hey, I couldn’t ask for a better personality in a dog and at least for now the kids are gah-gah for him. And yes, I am REALLY looking forward to having a running buddy at 5 am.

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.