32 Miles and The Itch

After not doing any cycling last week (my bike was in the shop getting tuned up for most of the week), I finally got out for a ride yesterday. I rode 32 miles on the Centennial Trail, mostly next to the Spokane River. That ride is becoming a staple in my training. It can get a bit boring, but it seems like a good distance for me at this point. Long enough to be considered a long-ish ride, but not long enough to take over my entire day (and wipe me out in the process).

Yesterday's ride, however, didn't feel all that great. I had no reserves at all.  When I'd push a little on an uphill, I could tell there wasn't much oomph in my legs. In hindsight (after waking up with a sore throat and runny nose this morning), I'm apparently coming down with a cold. Either that, or my allergies are really intense right now. Since colds have been going around, I'm assuming that's it.

I had a long ride planned for Friday, but my riding partner can't make it, so I'll either hold off (if I still feel lousy), or do a shorter, easier ride. Looks like it's going to be pretty windy the rest of the week, so that'll probably dictate my plans, too.

Now, there's that itch I alluded to. I hope you're sitting down. It has to do with running. Even though my left knee is 100% against the idea, I'm really getting the urge to become a runner again. I can only do what my body will let me do, but I really do miss regular runs and racing. I miss the long runs, tempo runs, hill training, ice baths (yes, it's true) and the camaraderie of a running club and the racing scene. I'm also, five years later, thinking about marathon v2.0, since I wasn't happy with how the first one played out. That, though, seems like a pipe dream at this point. My body has been so rebellious when it comes to even running a couple of miles pain-free that a full marathon isn't even in the realm of possibility currently. I don't want to get my hopes up. If/when I get this knee taken care of, perhaps I can do a very slow build and see what happens.

It has now been six years since I started this blog. A lot of things have happened over the course of that time, both good and bad. The key is to just keep moving forward, in one way or another, and deal with each setback as it happens.

And, head cold, bad knee and all, I think I might go for a little run today...

Random Thoughts

To start the week, I thought I'd jot down several running-related topics that have been rattling around my brain lately.

• I think I'll wear my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12's for every run this week. That should give me a pretty good idea if the additional support will have an effect on how my foot feels. I ran 19.4 miles last week (sadly, the most since August of 2010), and I'm feeling some soreness in my heel, my ankle and the arch of my foot (a hint of plantar fasciitis, me thinks). As always, I'll report back.

• Is the 2-hour marathon this generation's version of the 4-minute mile? Before Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier in the mile in May of 1954, it seemed unlikely that it could happen. Once he accomplished the feat, the floodgates opened and several runners duplicated it. I'm no prophet, but my guess is that the 2-hour barrier in the marathon will be broken within the next 5 years and, once it is, several (Kenyans?) will follow suit.

• Who else is excited for this year's Olympics? I watched more of the Olympic Trials recently than I ever had in years past. I think it'll be an exciting one, and here's hoping that the American distance runners (finally) raise some eyebrows among the always stiff international competition. To do that, they'll have to run some smart, tactical — and gutsy — races. That said, I'd bet cash money that the Kenyans will sweep the medals in the Men's Marathon. Well, an Ethiopian could sneak in there, too. I hope I'm wrong, but they're obviously in a class by themselves.

• Along those lines, I'm thinking of posting a short series, profiling Olympic distance runners that had an impact on me when I was just getting into running in the early '80s. There were several that I followed. Even if nobody else is interested, it'll be fun for me to rekindle those memories.

• I've had the privilege to do some "professional" writing recently. I just completed my third article for Northwest Runner magazine (due out this fall). This was a fun one, about the do's and don'ts of dealing with injuries (that was a real stretch for me ;-)). I also illustrated the article with some pretty humorous drawings. If you're local, keep an eye out for it. I'll try to post it here on the blog as well.

Outdoors NW magazine also commissioned an article (and accompanying illustration work) for their winter running issue. I'll be writing about — you guessed it — winter running. I'm looking to do more writing and, if appropriate, accompany the articles with illustrations. If you're a magazine or newspaper editor and you're interested in my running-related prose & illustration work, email me!

• It looks like I'm done "racing" until mid-September. I put "racing" in quotes because I'm nowhere near race shape. Still, I'm enjoying my 5k circuit this year, even though I can't race to my potential. Having been "coming back" from injury for over two years now, I'm taking the concept of "baby steps" to an entirely new level. For now, the Zone 2 heart rate training will continue, along with one quick-ish run per week (either in the form of a race or short speed work). At least it's running. I am, however, planning on running one or two 10k's later this year. I want to first get my long run beyond that distance, along with getting my weekly mileage consistently above 20.

Have a great week, my friends, and Run Happy!

Runners Round Table, Episode 101

I was privileged to co-host tonight's Runners Round Table (episode 101), for which the topic was "Course Management: Things to Remember on Marathon Day."

We were hosted by Mark Ulrich (who is running the Chicago Marathon this weekend). Co-hosting with me were Chris Russell, Stephen Tarleton and Pete Larson (who just ran his first BQ marathon this past weekend!)

They even forced me to play clips from a couple of my parody songs ;-)

I was in the company of FAR more experienced marathoners than I, so I looked at it as a learning experience and didn't feel like I had a heck of a lot I could offer in regards to running marathons. Someday, though...

But I always enjoy my experiences on the show. Give it a listen, if you haven't already.

Photos - Windermere Marathon, May 15, 2010

Before the start, still feeling surprisingly fresh.


At the half marathon mark. The heat is getting really...well, hot.


Nearing the finish.


Crossing the finish line, totally spent.


Feeling even worse than I look (Adam R., who seems to think I always take good race photos, this is for you)


Fake smile, but cool medal. Let's do this again!

Windermere Marathon Race Report

Everyone always says that your first marathon is special and you'll never forget it. With mine only one day removed, I don't have the benefit of weeks, months or years to reflect on it. But I already know that it will be special and memorable for many reasons.

After several months of focused training, I finally ran my first marathon. The Windermere Spokane Marathon started, ironically, in Post Falls, Idaho at 7:00 am on Saturday, May 15th, 2010. My wife brought me to the start 30 minutes prior to race time. Most of those minutes were spent standing in a much too long port-a-potty line. After the pit stop and a good-luck kiss from my wife, I lined up near the back of the pack, along with roughly 400 other marathoners. The skies were perfectly clear and it was cool enough to make my teeth chatter as I stood wearing my Brooks ID kit - a singlet and shorts that I wish were just a tad longer to cover more of my pasty-white chicken legs. Around my waist was my Brooks Aid Station belt, which held a 22-oz Nathan bottle full of Heed, and two 5 oz flasks containing Hammer Gel. I kept a handful of E-caps in a zipper pocket on the belt. After a 10-minute delay to make sure the chips for the full marathoners were synchronized with the chips for the half marathoners (who started at the same time, but 13.1 miles closer to the finish line), we were off. Led by a race official on a bike (more about this later) we made a large loop around a strip mall before being led onto the Centennial Trail, headed for downtown Spokane, Washington. The first three miles seemed to fly by in no time. I was just a tad ahead of my planned pace, averaging 8:25 per mile. My desire was to go out even slower than I felt I should, then increase my pace later in the race. But I felt fine at this point. In fact, the first 10k felt great, at a fairly slow 51 minutes. Here, I took my first hit of gel. The sun was beating down on my shoulders and the temperature was creeping up as I continued drinking every mile on the mile. My heart rate was higher than I had hoped, but I chalked it up to race nerves. At about mile 8, things weren't feeling quite as effortless, even though I threw in an 8:15 and 8:17 for miles 9 and 10. I reached the half at 1:50, where my wife was waiting, ready to swap a cold bottle of Heed with my now empty bottle. During the quick exchange, I told her "this is going to be tough". I was now feeling the heat, and my legs were already feeling some fatigue. I was surprised by how heavy the new, full bottle felt as it replaced my empty one on my belt. iPods weren't against the rules, but were discouraged. I decided against wearing mine for this and other reasons. So, without the distraction and/or motivation of music or podcasts, it was about this time that the mental games began. I kept thinking, "oh no - I didn't plan a 'mantra' ahead of time!" I quickly adopted whatever positive self-talk I could come up with. I started telling myself "You've got this. You're strong. You've done the training. Run steady, you've got this". As the miles clicked off, I was a bit frustrated with how difficult it was to fight the negative voices in my head, saying "My legs feel dead! My breathing is far too labored for this pace! There are still so many miles to go. It's too hot", etc. It became a pretty intense battle.

Through mile 15, I was still averaging 8:24 miles. Even though the whole course had a net elevation loss of 240 feet, there was an uphill portion from about mile 16 to mile 18. It may not have been terribly significant, but by now it seemed like a small mountain. This is when the walk breaks started. I was getting a slight cramp in my right calf. I was still able to run, though. I had begun taking my E-caps at about mile 6, then every few miles after that. I only took 8 during the race, which I thought was enough. At about mile 20, I started thinking that maybe it wasn't, as my right quad started cramping and having spasms. To make things more interesting, it seemed like my system quit processing the fuel I was taking in. I felt like I needed to continue drinking and taking gels, but my stomach was getting more and more bloated. By this point, the heat was a major factor, as more and more runners were resorting to walk breaks. The course continued to roll along, up and down, with just enough little hills to spur on more cramping in my quad and, now, both calves. I was down to averaging 8:35's at mile 20. I started doing some math. The dream of a 3:30 finish was gone a long time ago. I'd have to run a 49-minute final 10k to finish in 3:40. Normally not difficult, but at this point, there was no way I'd even get close to that. I walked the first two minutes of mile 21. Miles 21, 24 and 25 were the slowest - all a little over 10 minutes. My hopes went from a 3:40 finish, to a 3:45 finish, to thoughts of "okay, I just want to break four hours!" At about mile 24, there was an active train crossing. As I approached it, spectators were yelling "you can beat the train if you hurry!". I saw the flashing lights and the gate across the road, so I willed my aching legs to sprint. I and a couple other runners ran across the tracks seconds before the train came through. Wow.

As we got into downtown Spokane, my leg cramps were intensifying. I felt like I was dragging my right leg, as I had little power in my quad, and my calf wasn't allowing much push-off from my foot. As I ran past the Gonzaga University campus, toward Riverfront Park, volunteer on bicycles rode toward us every few minutes, asking, "are you trying to qualify for Boston?" Of course, I kept answering "no", but wondered why they were asking this. As I began crossing the bridge over the Spokane River to run the final stretch toward the finish, my sister appeared, frantically telling me that I needed to turn around and run more if I wanted to run a full marathon. By now, I was experiencing a bit of brain fog and thought, "okay, this is NOT a funny joke, Andrea". But she kept explaining as I ran by and, given the BQ questions from the bike people, I realized that something was wrong. I didn't mention it before, but every mile marker in the race was quite a bit off. They were coming far too early, according to my Garmin (and everyone else's around me). When I reached the finish line, the announcer was telling everyone that they needed to turn around and run another point-something miles if they want to run a full marathon. Either he didn't say the exact amount as I was finishing, or I just didn't hear it. Not thinking, I ran across the timing mat and said to the volunteer, "I want to run the full distance. What do I do?" She gave me a confusing answer, so I just followed another runner that was doing the same thing. When she turned back around, so did I, crossing the finish line for a second time. I don't know the whole story, but the official on the bike that I mentioned earlier apparently didn't take us on a big enough loop at the beginning of the race, so we were short of the full distance. Oops. In an otherwise well-organized event, this was disappointing and frustrating. Those of you who have finished a marathon know how ready you are to finish when you cross that line; how your brain and body are ready give up the battle. It was disheartening to have to turn around and run even a short distance further. After I finished for good, I received my medal, met my wife, two daughters, dad, step-mom and sister, who escorted me to a chair, where I promptly collapsed, dizzy and nauseous. Twice they tried to get me to stand up, but it wasn't going to happen, as I turned pale and nearly blacked out. After some chocolate milk and several orange wedges (the only food that sounded good), I finally made my way to the bathroom with my dad's help, then to our vehicle for the ride back to my folks' house for an ice bath and, eventually, some solid food.

I can't say I was disappointed in my performance, but I know I can do better. When I ran my first half marathon 7 months ago, it was the hardest thing I had done at that point. Now, this marathon takes that distinction. I still have some work to do, but I'm excited to move forward and shoot for a faster finish in the future. After the soreness dissipates, of course!

Here are the numbers:

Chip time: 3:46:20 (when I accidentally crossed the mat the first time)
Actual finish time: 3:49:32
Avg. pace: 8:45
Overall place: 67/344
Gender: 54/180
Age Group: 12/32

To all those who I've had the privilege to share this journey with either in person or online: thanks again for the tremendous encouragement, support, advice and friendship. The journey doesn't end here. It's just getting started!

Photos to come...

First Marathon DONE

More later, but briefly: Very hot, lots of carnage out there, bad calf & quad cramps from 18 on. Held on for a 3:49:32. Not what I was shooting for, but for a first, and given the conditions, I'll take it. I'll post a race report later (including the story of the 'finish line fiasco'). Thanks for all the support!

Oh, and congrats to Adam C. in Florida for guessing the closest finish time. Message me on Facebook with a shipping address and I'll get the movie out to you soon. Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for the guesses and encouragement! I'm hoping that sleep the night before a marathon is overrated, because not much of it happened last night for this marathon rookie. Got out of bed at 4:00 for a light breakfast and coffee. Looks like a beautiful, if not a bit too warm, day ahead. I'm a little nervous but also very excited. Even though there are MANY more races to come, it feels like the last few months of training are being boiled down to this one day (thus the nerves, I guess). I know that the earth won't leave its axis if I have an off day. Still, like all of us, I want the race to go according to plan and to be able to report a good result. But good or bad, it'll be here for the reading!

Again, thanks for joining me on this journey so far.

Week Wrap-Up

This ended up being a great training week. Funny how running has its ups and downs just as life in general does. I started the week with a "long" run on Monday of 12 miles. This was "week 2" in my marathon training plan, so the long run only goes up from here. I threw in a nice 6-mile progression run on Wednesday on a hilly trail, then capped the week with a 6.5 mile tempo run with the Mill Creek Running Club this morning (7:08 pace, which was admittedly too fast). But all in all, I felt strong this week. My knees have been a bit achy, but I've been icing them regularly and it seems to be helping, as they felt fine this morning. Oh, and I gotta say (not just because I'm a Brooks ID member, either) that I'm REALLY loving my Brooks Launch shoes! Every time I wear them, I like them more and more. They just feel fast (whether I really am or not!) I'll run my next half marathon in them, and may even try to run the full in them in May. We'll see.

Here's how the week played out:

Runs: 6
Miles: 38.5
Long: 12
Time: 5:28:07

I should be back over 40 miles next week, as I build to a 60-mile week later in the program. That could be interesting, but I'm looking forward to that uncharted (for me) territory.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and happy running!

No Harm, No Foul...But Plenty of Fowl

Before the holidays (going back to Thanksgiving), I was weighing in at 146 lbs. Yesterday, my first official post-holiday weigh-in, I tipped the scales at...you guessed it! 146 lbs. The only explanation I can give is the increase in running mileage, because it CERTAINLY isn't from being "good", from an eating perspective. This week will be my fourth straight week of 40+ miles of running, which is the first time I've ever managed that modest feat.

Speaking of that, my body is feeling a tad beat up this week. I ran a 10-mile tempo run on Wednesday, which I probably should have run at an easy pace. I'm running a slow 12-miler today, then meeting tomorrow morning at 5:30am for a 1-hour group run. Should total about 44 miles for the week. My mission is to gradually get my weekly mileage up over 50 within the next couple of months. If I can top out at 60 without getting injured, I'll give that a go, too. I want to have as much base as possible going into my marathon in May.

Signed Up!

Well, I did it. I am officially signed up for my first marathon (May 15, 2010). And while I was at it, I signed up for a January half marathon and a March half marathon. I can't say my wife was happy to see me writing three checks last night. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.

I'll probably treat one or both of the half marathons as long tempo runs leading up to the marathon. I wouldn't mind getting a PR in at least one of them, though, but I don't want to wipe myself out in either race. I'll also throw in a 10k or two (as speed work) before the marathon. As for the rest of 2010, the schedule is up in the air. I may try for a fall marathon, and possibly my first ultra somewhere in there. I have committed to running as part of a relay team in July in Spokane, but I don't have any details yet.

So as 2009 winds down, I'm eagerly looking forward to running and racing in 2010! I hope '09 has been good to you.