Flat Rock 10k Trail Race - 2 days out

Starting to look forward to this Saturday morning and the Trail 10k I'll be running here locally in Flat Rock Park. It's being put on by bigdogrunning.com, our local run shop, and promises to be pretty sweet. This will be the first non-marathon/ultramarathon distance race I've run in at least a year.

I haven't run at Flat Rock before, but our oldest son, Josh did some of last seasons cross country practice runs there. It's funny, but the race advertisements call it "trail racing", but after a few ultras, I find it pretty humorous that a dirt road is now considered a "trail". No bother, I'm looking forward to seeing how many other racers show up, and seeing what I can squeeze out with a shorter distance race. Even though I don't think this is anything close to technical terrain, I doubt this will be a PR-level race venue, but I could be wrong. And rest assured, I'll put in a PR caliber effort - yeah, baby!

Oh, and I just happened to stumble across mention of the fact that Elite Racing's Rock n Roll Marathon race series is now hosting a stop in Savannah later this year. May be able to swing over to the coast and run along the river. I haven't run one of the R n R races since my wife and I ran Nashville back in 2005, I think. Anyone run any of them recently? 

2011 Mercedes Marathon race report

Having run as many races as I have, I should have known better.
Having spent so many blog posts talking about "pre race strategy", you would assume that I wouldn't make rookie mistakes.
Talking at length to other friends and runners about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it, one would casually attribute some level of expertise to me.

You'd be dead wrong on all counts.

Here goes...

T minus 24 hours and counting...All systems "GO"
My wife and I traveled to Birmingham Saturday around lunchtime. Our three boys were spending the weekend with my parents, so we had a nice Valentine's weekend/Chris-has-got-to-run-another-race adventure in the works. Everything was good. I had been following

my pre-race nutrition plan to include my tried and true 70/20/10 carbs/protein/fat consumption all Saturday. We had a nice lunch in town when we arrived, and I continued to supplement my intake with my Boost regimen.

We made it to the Expo at Boutwell Auditorium around 4:45pm, and I was able to pickup my packet, verify my D-Tag, and make a quick exit. All of this in less than 15 minutes, no less. After checking into the host hotel at the Start/Finish line, we moved our gear/luggage from the parking deck across the property, into our 4th floor room. At least, I THOUGHT we moved everything from the minivan. (Note: this assumption of mine will play a pivotal; albeit catastrophic role later Sunday morning) After some shopping that evening, we returned to our hotel room for the night.

I spent the usual 30 minutes getting my gear laid out for race morning. Plans called for temps around freezing on race morning, so I laid our a short sleeve compression shirt, short sleeve running shirt, armsleeves, race ready shorts, socks, running visor, Garmin, iPod and sunglasses. Everything ready for a nice brisk morning of running the urban streets of downtown Bham. Looking good so far.

It was now about 11pm (or so) and I realized that I didn’t see my remaining 3 bottles of Boost anywhere in the hotel room. At this point, my feeble, pea-sized brain realized that I had inadvertently left the Boost in the minivan.

Great.

(Another note: At this point, an intelligent man would realize the potential impact of not fulfilling his nutritional plan, and would quickly scurry the 10 minutes to the parking deck, grab the Boost bottles, come back to the room, and continue with the regimen.)

…an intelligent man would, but not me.

Instead, I decided to myself that I was probably alright not to worry about the remaining Boost regimen. I didn’t want to have to schlep across the hotel property, down into the parking deck, etc…. I’m such a complete moron…At this point in our story, my fate is pretty well sealed. I have made a fundamental error in thinking, and my ability to show up at the Start line with a full glycogen tank is now impeded. As such, my ability to perform is diminished, and I’m completely oblivious to it.

Race Morning: Let’s make a couple of additional stupid mistakes, shall we?
I awaken from a good night’s sleep and start the routine of getting ready now. Nothing unusual here, and everything is going fine. I start to scrounge around looking for breakfast, and decide that I have failed to bring my standard breakfast items of wheat bagel and honey pb.

Brilliant.

This combination has always given me the energy I need, without providing any of the potential stomach upset that plagues so many racers on race day. I’ve lived by this breakfast, and I now don’t have it with me. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and it’s true. I decided to go with a Nutrigrain bar and a package of granola bars. Now, I still don’t have Boost to replenish my glycogen stores, so what do I elect to go with instead?

Diet Dr. Pepper.

No comment needed.

So, that’s my breakfast; a Nutrigrain bar, half a granola bar, and a diet Dr. Pepper. Talk about a breakfast of champions, right?

I proceed down to the hotel lobby, eventually leading out to the Start corral, and find my place amongst the 6:30 min/mile runners. Too fast a crew to line up with? Yep. Did I do it anyway? Yep. Am I courting disaster by not going out at MY needed marathon pace? Yep.

…3…2…1 GO!
The starting gun is fired and the 7,241 runners lurch forward through the widening streets of downtown Birmingham. Because the marathon itself isn’t large enough to justify a corral/wave start, everyone starts together. Now, I’m not a fan of this because you just don’t know where to line up at the Start. Wanting to not get caught up behind slower runners, I chose to start out with a faster group of runners than I should have been aligned with. All of my good intentions of slowing down past the Start line and dropping down to my 8:22 pace never, ever happened. As is the norm for me, I found myself caught up in the first few miles of the race, and was just ripping it up from the outset. The crew I was running with was entirely too fast for my sub 3:40:00 goal time, and running with them was an exercise in spending too much energy on a pace I couldn’t maintain for 26.2 miles.

The downtown area is nothing but uphills/downhills and a few flat stretches. We were blasting the uphills and absolutely screaming down the downhills.. it was definitely a blast being out there. I didn’t really think too much about it until I hit the 5k timing mat. I crossed it only 1:00 off my 5k PR time, and that sounded an alarm in my head. I have been racing long enough to know that setting PR’s in a marathon should NOT happen. It shouldn’t even be close to happening. I should have crossed that 5k timing mat about 4 minutes off my PR if I had been sticking to my pacing plan. But even with this clock staring me in the face as I zipped past it, I STILL didn’t sense the degree of danger that I was running in. I knew I needed to slow down and settle into MY pace, but I didn’t sense the urgency of it.

Fast forward to the 10k mark. I crossed the 6.2 mile timing matt less than 50 seconds off my 10k PR time. Not only had I failed to slow myself down, I actually sped up in the process…

At this 6.2 mile marker, again I knew that I needed to try harder to slow my pace and regulate my effort level so I don’t have issues later. But still again, I just didn’t perceive the significance of my situation. For years now, I have preached to racers that going out the Start gate at even 10 seconds faster than your goal pace can KILL your chances of running the race you have been training for.. and here I am running over a minute and a half too fast?? What was I thinking?? Actually, I WASN’T thinking, that’s the problem.

For the next 5-6 miles, I tried to slow my pace and settle into the 8:22 range. Because of the ongoing ups/downs of the race course, getting an accurate gauge on current pace was difficult. The Garmin just didn’t have an easy time splitting the averages of the slower uphill climbs coupled with the zippy downhill rips we were taking. I approached the 13.1 mile halfway point and was eager to see how much time I had managed to re-deposit into my tank.

Say hello to my new Half Marathon PR.

Apparently, I sped up after the 10k mark. I ran a new Half marathon PR by nearly 2 minutes. And let me say that my Half marathon PR was something I had worked HARD for a couple of years ago. I had trained for it exclusively. I had worked on it consistently. I didn’t expect it to fall for several years, and I beat it badly on the first half of a hilly, marathon course.
Can you just sense what is about to happen in the next few miles? Can’t you just see it coming? 

The Dark Side of the Moon
At this point in our story, yours truly is realizing, in increasing degrees, the errors of his ways. I am now starting to feel some signs of minor fatigue, dehydration, and general lethargy as I approach the Miles 14-16. Aside from these realizations though, I reach the more disturbing conclusion that I am absolutely powerless to influence my own destiny in the coming 12 miles.
That was a slap in the face, and it was completely caused by my own bad decisions. From the night before until the present mile, I had crafted the disaster that was now falling on top of me, and I could do nothing more than shake my head, ask myself how I could have been so stupid, and pray (and I mean PRAY) for strength and grace as the pain started…

Miles 17-18 saw my body start to feel a fairly sizeable amount of leg pain, specifically isolated to my right hamstring. I never hit the wall in this race, and I didn’t cramp up anytime, but I surely felt like it was a possibility. These two miles had me looking off into the distance, searching for any sign of where the Finish line might be. If I had known how to get back to the Start/Finish line, I would have surely left the course and gone there. I would have crossed the line and counted it as a Half marathon. I felt shame for even considering this as an option, but that is the degree of trouble I was completely aware of at this time.

Miles 19, 20, 21 took me to new dimensions of pain and suffering. While I was able to maintain hydration through the Powerade and water that was provided, I realized my energy stores were completely gone. My poor nutrition decisions the night previous were now playing their havoc on my ability to perform in the race. I never felt this at Disney a few weeks back, but I followed my nutrition plan in Disney, so it’s no wonder I had no problems there. Here, I didn’t do as good a job of being smart and fueling smart. And boys and girls, I was hurting for it.

When I reached Miles 22, 23 and 24, I started to feel actual stomach uneasiness. Now, this is a new phenomenon for me and I haven’t felt it more than once in a race before. I have no doubt I simply consumed too much Powerade and water along the course as I tried to supplement my poor pre-race fueling plan. At this point, I had to lay off the Powerade/water for a water stop or two, which only made the dehydration and energy loss worse. It’s like I said earlier, it’s a death-spiral once you get in this situation.

As Mile 25 rolled into view, I knew that I would finish the race, obviously. I began to concentrate on learning from my mistakes over the past 18 hours, and I swore I would NEVER, EVER let this happen again. At this point, the pain actually became a bit amusing. Realizing  that I would have certainly laughed at someone else going through this same scenario, I came to see the humor in being so stupid about race decisions. This humor helped get me through Mile 25 (my slowest mile of the race)

I hit Mile 26 and saw my wife on the sidelines behind the barricade. She yelled, smiled and took a photo of me coming through the Finish chute. I’ve said in earlier blog posts and race reports that seeing her at the Finish line gives me the kick I need to finish strong…

Not this time… (sorry, babe) I just didn’t have anything left in me.
I crossed the line in 3:55:00. Utterly exhausted, completely broken and hurting, thoroughly elated to be done with this torture. I made my way to the food tables and stood over the fruit and GORGED on at least 4 oranges until there was nothing left but the peel…oh my goodness.. they were so, so good on an empty stomach… 

Lessons to Learn
1. Do NOT do as I did on this day. Develop your plan and follow it. No excuses; No exceptions
2. Find your pace EARLY and stick with it. Don’t get caught up in the Start line hysteria. Run your race.
3. Find a pace group, if offered. Take the mental anguish out of pacing and just follow the guy/gal with the balloon on the dowel rod.
4. Plan for the contingencies. Consider what you will do if the unforeseen happens. Trust me; it DOES happen occasionally.
5. Even in the midst of suffering, relish the gift. There are many, many people that would gladly trade places with you and I for the chance to feel something, even suffering on a race course. Let’s not ever take that for granted. We have been given a gift. Lord, help me never to forget that.

Taper Madness and a Day of Reckoning

It's hard to believe, but I'm less than 6 days away from toeing the line at the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham. It's strange how I've come to this place in my race preparation, and I find myself feeling...well, different about the upcoming race this Sunday.

As far as training and prep is concerned, it's all good. I'm still in good condition from the Disney marathon a few weeks ago. I've managed to keep my mileage base up around the 40 miles per week range, and I'm confident that I haven't lost anything at all in the interim. From the perspective on being able to run a Disney-comparable race in Birmingham, I'm confident in my ability to run a sub 3:45:00 marathon this Sunday. But my strong desire is to shave my performance goal down to a sub 3:40:00 marathon, and that is simply going to require a much more rigorous effort on my part this Sunday.

I don't have anything to lose by going for broke on race day. I've already set a PR this season, and if I fail miserably on Sunday, I can live with it. But, I don't handle failing very well, and I really (and I mean REALLY) want a sub 3:40:00. I think that is the thing that keeps coming back to me; HOW badly do I want it, and how much suffering am I willing to endure to get it?

Right now, I'm willing to endure a lot. I'm trying to get my "A game" mindset rolling, and my body will follow along with it. But for the first time in a couple of years, I am finding myself confronting the fact that my desired goal is going to cost me something. Since I don't run races for "fun", each one has to be at full effort. And for me, I know confidence is going to be absolutely crucial this time around.

I'd better set a course PR, that's for sure!

So, the bottom line for Sunday: 

CASH or CRASH...

I'm going to achieve one of the two in stellar fashion.

Ramping it back up; Just in time to taper it back down

Disney Marathon around Mile 23

I'm hitting a nice stride in post-Disney Marathon/pre-Mercedes Marathon training, and now have less than 3 weeks until race day in Birmingham.

I'll be running a 20 miler (or so) with Speedy Dave on Saturday morning, and that will be the only 20+ mile long run I'll get in before race day. I should have time to grab a couple of 16-18 milers in the next 2 weeks, so I'll be ready.

And on a more serious note...

Little nuggets o' deliciousness

I've also discovered that I am addicted to the Hostess white powdered donuts that come in a bag at the grocery store. I can't seem to stop thinking about them, and I have been eating about 2 bags per week now. I don't typically eat junk/garbage such as this, but I believe they have crack in them, and I am therefore hooked.

I may need a donut intervention.

2011 Mercedes Marathon on Feb 13; Here I come

I just booked a hotel reservation for my wife and I in Birmingham for Feb. 12, the site of the 2011 Mercedes Benz Marathon. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you likely remember that this race is my favorite marathon course of all. I'm really stoked about running it again, and also getting to turn the weekend into a Valentine's weekend with my wife makes it even better.

The Mercedes Marathon (www.mercedesmarathon.com) is just such a fantastic course through the downtown Birmingham area. It's not like the other urban city marathons I've run, because you don't really go through the urban blight areas/warehouse districts that so many other inner-city races force you to traverse. Birmingham is simply terrific for a venue, and the hills that are thrown in throughout the course make it even better in my book.

What's my strategy for this marathon? Well, I'm obviously planning on taking advantage of my training and periodization I have left from the Disney Marathon training cycle. Since I"ve been able to reach a new PR this early in the racing season, I'm absolutely going to push Birmingham a fair degree harder than I did Disney. In terms of a time I"m striving for?

3:39:00

Is that a lofty goal? Yes. Is it within my ability? We'll see. I think it is, or at least is close to my ability. I don't have any delusions about the fact that running a sub 3:40:00 will require suffering and toil on my part, but I'm willing to pay that price for the goal. I've honestly got nothing to lose, so why not? My plan is to begin the race with the 3:40 pace group and follow them until around Mile 24. If I'm able to stay with them until that point, I will then attempt to peel off and squeeze everything out of what I have left in me.

Now, there's no way I would ever attempt a target this aggressive, had I not already reached my season goal of breaking 3:45:00. But like I said, why not go for broke? I still have two additional marathons in March and April that I may run, so time is still on my side. We'll just see how this one works. 

Between now and the race, I've got about two weeks of training time. In that time, I'm going to just do some tempo work and long runs (now that I have my trusty new treadmill :)) I'll leave the final week before Valentine's Day for tapering, and I should be able to show up at the Start line in good order.

Of course, I could be completely, dead wrong on all of this..

We'll see.

Let the midnight-til-3am-running-in-the-garage-in-pitch-darkness BEGIN !

I think I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but I finally ran (no pun intended) our treadmill into the ground. Actually, I know that I did. Time for a funeral, but I don't have a hole big enough to bury the thing in.

Guess I could cremate it? Anyway...

Over the course of my running life (6 years now) I logged over 1,000 miles on that treadmill. I know most of you guys don't like the treadmill, and I don't either. For the most part, that is. And admittedly, it doesn't get very cold here in Georgia. But I've gotten to the point where it is a bit harder to get up at 4:30am every morning and head outside into 20 degree weather for a 9 mile tempo run, and in those types of cases, make no mistake about it, I LOVE the treadmill.

Here's the thing, here's the reason for my love: Since I am one that is prone to decide at the last possible moment (go figure. Just ask my wife) that I want to go grab a 14 miler, the mill sitting in our garage gives me that ability. Did I mention that my run will likely BEGIN around midnight? Getting out in the neighborhood just isn't as appealing at that hour, so having the mill here gives me the flexibility I need, where I need it.

This past training cycle, I logged at least three 15 milers, two 16 milers and a whopping two 20 milers on the mill. Again, most (if not all) of them took place after midnight when the rest of the family were sound asleep. Besides that, it's a heck of alot warmer in the garage.

Having resurrected our previous treadmill from the absolute dead at least 4 times in the past 2 years, I knew it was time for some new technology. I did my homework, read the reviews, asked the questions. I know what I'm looking for, I just needed to find it. Mind you, I am what you might call "cheap", so you're not going to find a $1,200 treadmill in our garage. Not considering that I am absolutely going to run it until it won't work any longer.

The previous mill was a nice ProForm RT2.0, and it held up like a champ. We decided to go with another ProForm, and I found it at a great price as well. Can't beat that.

So, let's show some t'mill love around here, guys. After all, treadmills have feelings too.

Disney; Here we come

So, we leave for the world of the mouse tomorrow afternoon. Here's the summary of where I am, in terms of preparation for this race:

1. Training is done.
2. Training went well.
3. Injuries are none.
4. Excitement is high.
5. Confidence is higher.

Objective for this weekend's 26.2 mile journey:

BUST it.

Uh, Greg.. I thought this was a taper???

Second post for the day, but it's relevant...

So, this is taper period right? 

My trainer/coach doesn't seem to understand that, apparently. I pulled out my training plan that Greg McMillan (mcmillanrunning.com) created for me, and I fully expected to see todays workout consisting of something akin to "75-85 minute recovery/easy run".

Not so much.

Instead, Greg threw in a nice, 10 mile tempo interval session that literally kicked my $**()#*%$) halfway down the street and back. Here's the lowdown as I found it in my inbox:

30 min warmup @ 8:30 pace
3 x 2000m @ sub 5k pace
  w/ 2:30 recovery @ 8:45 pace
3 x 40 sec @ 6:45-6:55 pace
  w/ 1 min recovery @ 8:45 pace
20 min cooldown @ 8:50 pace

Lucky for me it was nice and cool out there, because by mile 4, I was flat humping it. I haven't had an interval session like that in months, and he saves it for 10 days before race day??

My running coach that pummels me with 3x2000m tempo
repeats @ sub-5k pace the week before a marathon !!!!

Thanks Greg. The marathon plans you've prepared for me in the past have been epic feats of endurance, suffering and toil, but they have never failed me on race day. I don't doubt the results of your plan, but crap dude, I sure would have appreciated a bit of advanced warning about today's torture session.

And now, my fatigued, sore and limp body is able to type, but nothing else.




(I did take a peek at tomorrows session -)

"60 minute recovery run"

WOOT

20 milers = Magic confidence pills

Have you ever noticed how much confidence you feel after completing one of your long runs? If you're in marathon training the 20-22 miler range is where you probably peak at in terms of long runs, and half-marathoners usually peak around 10-12 miles for their longest long run. For any race distance though, don't those nearly-race distance long runs really help put a capstone on your training leading up to the race? They do for me.

I've really deviated over the past couple of years when it comes to long run philosophy. For a couple of years, I was absolutely committed to training regimen that was created for me by the coaching arm of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project (www.hansons-running.com), and their emphasis on a long run of no farther than 16 miles. It was against the age-old conventional 20-22 mile wisdom that has prevailed in marathoning circles for years, but I was a believer. I still am, in fact, but I have softened my adherence to that prerequisite over the past few years as my endurance has improved and injury rate has fallen off.

Back to the topic of confidence - I just (a few minutes ago) completed a 20 miler, and capped a reasonably solid 5 day running week of around 55 miles. I'm happy with that, and I feel great after the 20. I'll be fine for my planned 8 miles tomorrow morning, and should end the weekend with a nice reassurance that all systems remain "GO" for my upcoming Disney Marathon appearance in January. But I started to wonder how my confidence would be standing if I had NOT been experiencing solid long runs in the past few weeks. It's happened before to me, and it's the stuff that sleepless nights are made of. When race day approaches, I don't...check that.... I can't.... have things to look back on in training and see that they didn't go according to plan. That is a recipe for a sub-par performance on race day for me. For me, confidence is everything. We get it from many places and through many avenues.

Long runs are one of the places mine come from.

Reliving the moment

Do you remember the exact moment you crossed the finish line of your first marathon? Can you remember how much it hurt at Mile 23? Does your right quad nearly cramp up when you relive that last big climb before the stretch to the Finish line?

I sure do. I bet I'm not alone, either.

This January will mark the 5th anniversary of my first marathon. I probably wouldn't have really even thought much about it were it not for a friend of mine at work who just ran his first marathon last weekend. We've talked several different times during his training cycle, so I knew he was working hard at preparing for the race, yet I also knew that he really had NO idea what to expect from his first excursion into 26.2 miles of suffering and misery. 

That realization reminded me of the excitement, confusion, eagerness, fear, relief, disbelief and utter exhaustion that my marathon of five years ago brought into full view on a Sunday morning in January of 2005. I wonder how much of those memories shapes us as runners, even today. What I mean is "Am I chasing after that same kind of fulfillment still today?" Having put in the hours and miles and hours and miles of training, WHAT propels me even now to "chase the race"?

I guess for me it comes down to being a very goal-driven guy. You can ask my wife, she'll attest to the fact that if I don't have a marathon scheduled, registered and in sight, my running won't be very consistent. I don't know why exactly, but I do know that I envy alot of my fellow athletes that are out on the road every day with zero training goals in mind. They just run for the sheer joy of running.

I really envy that, and I hope I get there someday.

I'm not there yet, though.

For me, I absolutely LOVE to race. I love the challenge of training hard, working hard, and just following the plan. That's easy to me. No concentration; just follow the plan. It only requires the discipline needed to "just do it". Race day is addictive to me. I get so pumped standing at the start line, I just want it to be like that forever. It's the point of what I call "uneducated, optimistic obliviousness". At that starting line, I'm completely convinced that I will reach my goal performance that day. I'm absolutely certain that I will nail my mile splits every single time. I am 100% sure that my fueling and hydration plan will do exactly what I want it to.

Completely oblivious to the hand that "uncontrollable" factors can have on my day.

But isn't that part of the mystique and allure of the marathon? Staring a tremendously challenging objective in the eye and trying to convince yourself that your hard work will prove to be enough to conquer the 26.2 miles? It is to me, and I bet it is to you as well.

Then again, I may just be a goofball... :)

CONFIRMED: The hay is in the barn

It's race week. It's what you live for as a runner, and you know you're ready to give it everything you have got.

...and then you get to the Start line and wonder to yourself...


...did I train hard enough for this puppy?
...is my mind ready for the pain and suffering that I KNOW is coming toward me?
...will my nutrition plan hold up and keep me moving forward?
...am I going to make a complete idiot out of myself on this run?
...why AM I talking to myself again??

Seriously.

You've all done this same thing, I bet. I'm pretty convinced that no matter how solid the training cycle has been, no matter how incredible your fitness level is, no matter how much planning you have dedicated to your race strategy, doubts always show up on race week. They do for me, at least.

Having said that though, and perhaps it's because this is completely new territory for me, I feel incredibly confident that I will hammer the North Face Endurance Challenge 50k on this coming Saturday. Call it foolish optimism, inexperienced exuberance, or just plain old fashioned dementia, but I really do feel that I am ready to go the distance, hammer a PR, and have an incredible time during my virgin ultramarathon.

..but I could be wrong.


Completely, totally wrong !

Nothing noteworthy to mention in terms of training, as the title of this post declares, all of my training is now stored up, ready to be called upon. There's nothing more to do on race week, aside from rest, hydrate, and fine tune your race plan. I've done all of those things thus far, and now I'm going to try and make my 1 week taper count. I haven't run since last Friday, and will only get in about 6 miles later tonight and possibly 7-8 tomorrow. Wednesday will mark the beginning of my "no-run" block leading up to race day on Saturday. I'll augment with stretching, some core work, etc., but no mileage. (I hate even SAYING that)

Trying not to go out of my mind in the next 5 days... we'll see if I make it. I'll post an update a day or so before race day.

Pray for me. SERIOUSLY

And the beat goes on

Well, here I am, smack in the middle of Week 8 of Fall 2010 marathon training for Ridge to Bridge in North Carolina on Oct 30. Time is zipping by, that's for sure. It's hard to believe that summer (calendar-wise) is nearly over, the boys are back in school now, and the cooler temps can't be far away. I'm cautious to wish for the cool days of Fall because I know that the colder days of Winter are not far behind that.

The weather here in Georgia has been nothing short of Sun-like for the past 3 months. The average daytime high is around 97 degrees, AND the relative humidity hangs at 85%. In spite of that stifling combination, my body has managed to acclimatize fairly well and pretty quickly. While most of my weekly runs are done in the 5:00 am time range, I have been running a few per week during lunchtime and on weekends during the hot hours of the day.

Remarkably, I now find them pretty much non-problematic to rattle off. The heat doesn't bother me at all, and the humidity doesn't pose much impediment to performance either. My body has adapted to both conditions incredibly well, and I can nail out a mid-day 8 miler at near-normal pace without much problem. 

Amazing how God made our bodies so adaptable...

Training continues to go very well, and I am now setting new monthly mileage records every month. I'm averaging between 43 and 55 miles per week now, and that will be increasing to around 70 miles per week in the coming 6 weeks. My body has been responding very well to the increased demands I've placed on it, and I've suffered no injuries or issues to slow down my training. I am eternally grateful for this blessing, believe me.

What are my goals for the remaining 2 months of training? I'm glad you asked ;) My #1 goal is incorporate at least four 20 mile long runs into my remaining schedule. That's ambitious for certain, but my race performance will benefit greatly by my ability to eat 20 mile runs like CANDY. The only way to get comfortably fast with them is to do them. ALOT.

My #2 goal is to show up to the starting line of Ridge to Bridge on Oct. 30 in peak physical and mental shape. This will involve ongoing self discipline with nutrition, stretching, self-talk and refining my race day strategy. (My next blog post will be dedicated to my race day strategy and how I fine tune it.)

That's it, guys. I hope your training is going well. If it's not, just focus on getting out the door TODAY. If you do that each day, training and performance will follow.

Oh, I almost forgot; I finally broke down and ordered a new Garmin... I didn't go with the 305 I had previously, but instead went with the 205. It was about $35 cheaper, and I don't use the HRM that much anyway. Waiting for it to get here.

Theme Park Mayhem

enturing off the topic of running for a post (I know, I know; unusual, huh?), my wife and I took our three boys to Six Flags over Georgia Tuesday for some quality bonding time in 98 degree heat and 94% humidity... it was flaming that day. Anywho, we had a great, great time. Did some quality coaster time on these gems at Six Flags...

The Georgia Scorcher: (our new favorite roller coaster)

Mind Bender:

Georgia Cyclone: 

Great American Scream Machine: (a classic)

Benefits of Consistent Training

I am nearing the completion of Month 1 of Fall marathon training, and I have been noticing some things I had forgotten about this training thing. they have encouraged me and I hope they will encourage you as well.

The first benefit is fairly obvious, but it bears repeating anyway. Consistent training will change your body and its ability to do what you ask of it in running. I confess that I am guilty of sometimes looking at training as nothing more than an obstacle that must be overcome in order to be  race-ready in three months. I sometimes fail to appreciate the physiological adaptations that training yields. It is truly miraculous to see how your body will adapt to the mileage demands of consistent training and become better at performing it. Tough runs get easier, faster and longer.

Equally noteworthy is the psychological change that occurs during training. Those initial workouts and the fear/uncertainty they brought begin to disappear and confidence takes its place. You begin to realize that you CAN reach this goal. You CAN stay focused and disciplined during training, and that you WILL reach your goal, no matter what it is. This IS truly amazing.

Finally, I have noticed how consistent training jump starts your excitement about running. It's no secret... running consistently is difficult. If it were easy to do, obesity wouldn't exist, nor would the illnesses that follow unhealthy lifestyles. Accept that being consistent is going to be challenging, but thY doing so is worth it. Look at the people around you and vow to make the best use of the body God GAVE you. I firmly believe He intended us to use our bodies to their fill potential.

Stay tuned and keep running. There are countless reasonable why you should.

The plan and paradox of "easy" pace

I have absolutely confirmed, in MY mind at least, my 4-year old theory about marathon pace training. Here goes: by following the mcmillanrunning.com pace charts, my "easy" pace is more difficult for me to maintain than is my true "marathon" pace. I have always thought it to be the case, now I am certain that it's true.


Roughly four (4) weeks into marathon training, here is what I have witnessed: 

My marathon finish time goal for the upcoming Ridge to Bridge Marathon is sub 3:40. According to the McMillan running calculator (as well as the pace charts at Runners World and Hansons Running), my "easy" pace is around 8:50 min/mile. For the past several weeks, I have followed my training plan explicitly and stuck to that pace. It's crazy, but I feel so much fatigue at that pace, I have found myself absolutely zapped after a relatively short 8 miler. I've never been tired after a short run like that... what gives? 

I had nearly concluded that Father Time is just catching up on me and imposing basic fatigue on my 40 year old carcus...

...but then...

I got up at my usual 4:32am Tuesday morning and prepared for an "easy" 9 miler. Now, I had been holding strictly to my 8:50 "easy" pace as prescribed in my well thought out training plan until this point. When I got outdoors though, I decided that I was going to find out what I was still capable of running. In addition to my assumption that my age was affecting my performance, I had likewise assumed/concluded that I wouldn't be able to run faster than easy pace for a marathon distance. Heck, if I can't run 8:50 pace without tiring, how in the world would I EVER run 7:50 pace again during a race?

Here's what I found out: After about 30 yards of warmup (not much, I know), I started to stretch out my legs and get "back into the groove" of what, for me, feels like "easy" pace. I didn't look at the Garmin because I wanted to lock in on "my pace" and get to where I could feel it again as I did in marathon training cycles past. After about 2 miles of what felt like easy running, I looked at the Garmin on my wrist.

7:57

Then it hit me. Easy pace, according to the charts, is simply not natural for me. It causes more fatigue, more mental strain, more recovery needs and more sheer frustration  than running at a faster clip ever did. Long story short, but I ran my 9 miler at an average 8:04 pace, and I could have kept going for another 10 miles. When I called it complete, I felt no fatigue, no labored respiration, no muscle soreness, nothing. The only thing I felt was sheer, re-invigorated confidence. Confidence that I hadn't lost everything to "40", that I hadn't lost fitness and that I hadn't lost my mind thinking about all of this.

So, where do I go with training now? Not sure. I'm going to try and find a happy medium between "my easy pace" and race pace. Once I find that sweet spot, I am going to try and focus my racing energy into that zone. I think it will reap benefits for me in North Carolina on Oct 30.

Who would have ever guessed "easy" could be so "hard"...

Back in the early morning groove...

It's hard to believe that winter is essentially gone here in Georgia. For my state, this winter has been unusually (and I mean UNUSUALLY) cold and lingering. Typically, Georgia winters don't even require me to take a jacket out of the closet.

Big difference this year.

I realize that some of you live in the arctic grips of the northwestern United States, and that my claims of Georgia having anything related to "cold" is a joke, and you're probably right. But hey, that's what I have to work with, you know?

Anyway, the past week or two has been gifting us with 80 degree days and around 45-50 degree evenings, which is just perfect running weather in my book. This winter has really curtailed (okay, eliminated for the most part) my 5am runs on a daily basis, and replaced them with loosely-planned midday and late night runs. Now, this is fine I guess, I mean, I got the runs completed, right? 

But it not's the same. Does anyone else fall into this same problem, or am I just the strange one? (okay, I shouldn't have invited that one on myself...)

I'm so conditioned to early morning runs by now, it's been a very distracting (and often, frustrating) winter for me because of the instability of my training schedule from day to day. At least when I run first thing in the morning, the rest of the day is a piece of cake. It doesn't matter what happens during my day from that point forward because I got my training run completed. Everything else in the day is cake, right? Right.

Now that the weather and temps have moderated so much in the mornings, my early morning mileage buildup began this morning around 5am. It felt FANTASTIC to be out on the road in the wee early hours of the morning while everyone is sleeping.. that's just awesome to me.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have begun 10k training. So far, everything seems much easier than marathon training ever was. The mileage accumulation is less of course, but the intervals and speedwork sessions are definitely more intense. It does feel good to break out of the marathon training thing and do something different. It's got to be good for my body as well.

Oh, and I also just noticed in the new Runners World magazine (it just arrived in my mailbox this afternoon) that Dean K is now part of the Road ID team. I swear by Road ID and wear one all the time. It just makes sense to me to provide myself with the best possible chance of survival in the event of an injury/accident on the road. For $20, they're a cheap investment.

Here is the one I use and have used for years. Do any of you use Road ID or similar products to keep you safe on the roads? 

Happy Running, guys. I hope you have a great workout tomorrow.

2010 ING Georgia Marathon Race Report

I had a very solid race today. All things considered, I am very, very satisfied with how I ran. 

Here are some brief details: 

Packet Pick-up on Saturday at the Georgia Dome - No issues; Joy and I spent the afternoon doing the pick-up thing and driving to/from home together. 

Race morning: 

Alarm wake-up at 4:00am. Eat, hydrate, dress, load-up and drive toward Atlanta by 4:40am. Both of us were half-asleep. 

Arrive near Centennial Olympic Park at 6:25am. Joy drops me off on a corner, and I follow other runners to the Athletes Village. Decide to wait in Porta-John line, but man, they are LLLLLONG. At least 40 people deep per line X 50 lines.. Yikes. Anywho, wait and move up, wait and move up. I finally get to 3 back from the front of the line, and the clock is less than 5 minutes from race start. This is going to be close. 

Get done with "bio break" and sprint (literally) down the hills, through Olympic Park and onto the sidewalk. I run up in front of CNN Center as I listen to the PA system announcer barking out corral locations (about 20 in all). She yells across her microphone that "Corral D" is "up this street a few blocks", so I fire off in a blaze, sprinting way past tempo effort to get to my corral. Finally, a I make it a few blocks and find my corral, but cannot find my way through the fencing that surrounds the corrals. Less than 1 minute to start... 

I squeeze through an opening in the gates and get into Corral D just in time to hear the final countdown and the starters pistol. Drat. I didn't have time to weave through the throngs and make it closer to the front corral. Our corral, which is close to the front corral, waited without moving for at least 7 minutes. Frustrating, but chip time is what is measured, so it shouldn't matter much. I knew that I would likely be able to hop on the sidewalks and rip by the hundreds of folks that managed to get ahead of me in the corrals. 

Corral D and myself finally started moving and made it to the Start line. I started the Garmin on its journey, and the field opened up a fair amount, so I was able to stretch it out and start making a move. Since we were running down the middle of midtown, I quickly figured out that I would either be doing alot of weaving through runners in the roadway, or I could jump on the sidewalk and open er up. 

Sidewalk, baby. 

Me and a couple of other guys hopped onto the sidewalk and just started ripping out some leg turnover. Becuase this is urban Atlanta sidewalk, I only looked at my Garmin once to see what pace I was running at. 6:02 min/mile. Nice groove, but I knew not to stay in this pattern too long or it would short circuit me later on. 

As I said, this is urban Atlanta sidewalk, and there were hazards EVERYWHERE. Fire hydrants out of nowhere, street signs popped up right in front of you also. Since there were some guys in front of me, I didn't have the benefit of seeing far ahead of me. I had to focus on the guy in front and react however he reacted. If he jumped to the left quickly, I instantaneously assumed it was because something bad was upcoming, so I also jumped to the left. Factor into this chaos the shart curb-dropoffs, unevent sidewalk pavement and the occassional pothole, and the sidewalk was a choice made by only the lesser-intelligent fellows like myself... :) 

Around Mile 3, I had managed to pass quite a few other runners (I'm guessing at least 300-400), and was able to jump back into the roadway, and settle into a more leisurely pace (8:04 min/mile). By this point in the race, we were running toward the outer reaches of true midtown and it was then that I started to feel pretty warm. I was wearing an Asics tech singlet, Race Ready shorts, armsleeves and a long sleeve cotton shirt on top. I decided to ditch the cotton long sleeve (I felt plenty warm and figured it would be getting warmer now that the sun had risen) 

Didn't work out that way. 

I slipped into a comfortable race pace and hung with it, feeling strong and fresh. 

Then the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. 
Then the rain came. 
Then the wind came. 
You just gotta laugh. 

So, I near Mile 6, and the Half Marathon course begins to peel away from the Marathon course. In light of the deteriorating weather, I actually gave thought to whether or not it was the best day for doing the 26.2 mile route to the Finish line. In the end though, I knew this would be my last marathon of the Spring season and I knew I would kick myself if I bailed and elected to finish the half, so I stayed in the right lane, and hung a hard right turn as the half'ers hung a sharp left turn around Mile 7. 


Miles 7 through 13 passed uneventfully, and I was still feeling fine. I had actually been wondering to myself whether or not I would feel any adverse impact after running the Mercedes Marathon just 4 weeks prior to this very day. I had spent the week after Mercedes just recovering and doing some light mileage, as to not get injured. The remaining 3 weeks saw me do no significant mileage (around 30-35 mpw), so I was naturally curious as to the TRUE state of my fitness. 

The aid stations were really well run during this race, and the volunteers were numerous and very enthusiastic. In light of the less-than-ideal weather conditions, it's amazing just how cheerful and excited they were. Great job on that, guys. 

I remember passing the 13.1 mile timing mat, and the rain soon stopped thereafter. The course was still a large grouping of hills that were starting to hurt alot of my fellow runners. I was able to consistently pass many, many people on the largest hills after mile 13. I don't know why (training, I assume) but hills don't scare me. In fact, I LIKE hills. They are like the summertime heat; the great equalizer. I don't have any magical formula for them, I just shorten my stride, increase my turnover and power up them. It's a confidence booster every single time. Plus, you get to explode off the top and rocket down the other side. 

I don't recall anything signficant occurring between Miles 13.1 and 21, so I must have been in my zone during that stretch. I was hydrating as needed and feeling fine. By Mile 21, there were alot of hurting people on the course, and I was able to pass alot of them as I approached back into the city of Atlanta. 

Miles 21 through 24 led back into the downtown area (after a log out and back at Piedmont Park). Around Mile 24, I started to feel some fatigue in my forefoot. Both of them. Just plain tingling and falling asleep. In retrospect, it probably has something to do with the fact that I ran this race (and Mercedes, for that matter) in the Asics Gel 3010's, which have over 450 miles on them. Forefoot cushioning is probably not providing as much shock absorption as I need, but I couldn't chance running 26.2 in the new kicks just yet. Not enough miles on them. 

As I reach Mile 25, I know I'm nearing the Finish line and the crowds are getting larger. More runners hurting and walking; so I tried to encourage as many as I pass by. 

Mile 26 arrives and I can hear the announcer calling out peoples names as they cross the Finish line, and I can hear the music blasting through the speakers.. I KNOW I'm just a block away from the Finish line, and then I see my wife on the side - that gives me the last boost of mojo I need to power across the Finish and feel fantastic while doing it! 

Marathon #10 - 3:57:20

Mind you, I'm not tremendously happy with my finish time, but with the rain, wind and cold, I'm not very disappointed either. Plus, I ran a Marathon PR less than 1 month ago in Birmingham. All things considered, I'm pretty happy with Marathon season, Spring 2010. 

But mark my words, I WILL absolutely break 3:45 in October at Ridge to Bridge marathon, and WILL break 3:40 in Disney in January 2011. 

Wait and see, but it WILL happen. 

Mini vs Mega - Which race do I like best?

Apologies for the lack of postings over the past few days, but baseball season is now in full swing (that's a good thing:)) and we have spent most evenings at baseball practice with our boys. With the weather getting warmer (finally) and the daylight stretching farther into the evenings (also, finally) it's good that baseball is back around again. It can only mean that Spring and Summer are not far away.

I was thinking about this topic earlier today while trying to complete the paperwork that is required for me to pick up my race packet next week for the ING Georgia Marathon in Atlanta. Having just completed the Mercedes Marathon 2 weeks ago, I had the feeling of a distinctly "smaller" type marathon experience there. As the numbers go, there were still 4,000 runners that competed that weekend, but nothing near the 30,000 that will compete in Atlanta at the ING. Which do you prefer being a part of, the smaller, hometown races or the running-a-pallooza-type productions such as Phillie, Chicago, NYC, etc.?

Since I have spent the previous three years worth of Summer's in training for a small-town, low key marathon in rural North Carolina each October, I've gotta admit that I love the smaller races. There is just such a sense of community and a more close-knit atmosphere, and that really speaks to me as a runner and as an individual.

I average about four marathons per year, give or take. I run races that differ in size from a field of 30,000 to a field of 175. Vast difference, huh?

Yep.

Of the regular marathons I run over the course of the year, my absolute favorite to date is the Ridge to Bridge Marathon in North Carolina. Without question, it's the best in my opinion. Not because of the course, race promotion, organization, volunteers or amenities, which are all good, but because of the small size of runners that it caters to on race day. You actually get to know the people that will be traveling with you along that 26.2 mile odyssey on race morning. I just don't feel that sense of community and shared purpose amongst 30,000 other runners at a major marathon; whether Disney, ING or the Rock n Roll series. I just don't.

For me, give me that small-town feeling in a race, and I'll be a happy runner. I don't need a huge piece of bling for a finishers medal. I don't need an expo the size of a football arena. I don't need 25 corrals at the Starting line either. Yikes! Just give me hometown feel, friendly folks that WANT you to be there racing in their town. 

Happy am I.

ING announces new corral placements for Atlanta

This is cool news; ING has just announced that they will offer more starting corrals for the Georgia Marathon in 4 weeks. Having run this marathon since its inception 4 years ago, overcrowding in the starting corrals has always been an issue. Having them break the corrals up a bit is a very welcome piece of news to me.

Of course, your corral placement is determined by your estimated completion time for the marathon, and I've been placed in Corral B each year thus far. It's typically worked out fine, but I have found it nearly required to peel out of the Start line at around 6:20/mile pace, and hold that stride until around Mile 2 or so. If you don't/can't do it, the overcrowding in those first couple of miles will definitely slow your movement in a big, big way. Since the first few miles are through the heart of downtown Atlanta, the roads are not terribly wide. With the added corrals (and obviously, less crowding within each), this should make the starting couple of miles much easier to stay on race pace without losing yourself in the throngs of other runners.

Lessons learned

I am a firm believer in the ability to learn from others; both their successes and their failures. Over the past 4 years, I've spent a considerable amount of time pouring over the training plans, logs and strategies of other marathoners around the world. I've learned a few things I want to do, and I've learned many things that I am sure to never do. Here is what I hope might be helpful to you - from my most recent training cycle.

• Incorporate one (1) run per week at race pace. If you need help identifying what pace you should run at, I highly recommend www.mcmillanrunning.com and the running calculator. Greg McMillan has developed a custom training plan for me last year, and it was the single greatest investment I've made in a long time. His stellar record of coaching some of the finest athletes in the world bears out his gift in the area of competitive running.
• Don't forsake the long run. Probably the single most important training run you will do on a regular basis is the long run. At the peak of your training (about 3 weeks prior to your race), your long run should cover approximately 85% of your upcoming race's distance (22 miles for a marathon, 10 miles for a half marathon, and so on) The long run conditions your body and mind to accept the tedium and discomfort associated with being on your feet for a prolonged period of time. The run should be 1.5 to 2 minutes slower than your goal race pace, so you shouldn't have to struggle to maintain the pace. Time on your feet is what you are shooting for here. Don't forsake the long run !
• Allow for a rest day following your long run. I have wrestled with this for a few years, but I've found it to be a key for recovery. Remember, your body doesn't improve fitness during the run; it improves as it rests following the run. Give yourself the best advantage possible by letting your body recover properly. Stick to sound nutrition, stay hydrated, get adequate sleep, and take a rest day.
• Fuel wisely. Over training seasons in the past, I have learned the hard way that four bowls of Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch cereal at midnight is usually not going to afford me the ability to run well in the morning. But man, does that stuff taste GOOOOD in the middle of the night !! Seriously, remember that food is fuel for runners. You don't have to eat wheat germ and kale for breakfast, but remind yourself that what you eat will directly affect what your body provides you during the run. Garbage in -- Garbage out.
• Stay focused and stay positive. If you need motivation and encouragement to get out the door for the runs (and don't we all?) just look around at your co-workers. If they are anything like mine, they are the epitome of what you DON'T want to end up being like. I always get a rush when I run by the houses of our neighbors and I realize that while I am out putting in the piles o' miles, they are likely face-down in a bowl of Double chocolate cookie dough ice cream while watching "The Bachelor". Can I digress for a sec and say how stupid that show is? Sheesh. Jerry Springer comes to prime time... anyway. Whatever it takes to get your feet out the door, focus on it. You're a runner. You're doing better than 99.5% of the American population.
• Stretch carefully and consistently. Enough said.

These helped me over the past few training cycles, and I hope they help you too. I'm still learning alot at this running thing, but the beauty is how easily it is to learn from one another.

Run long.