I'm not really sure if this is a remix or not, but as I ran today, on the last day of 2011, I thought about what a great year it was and how excited I was for 2012.
2011 was a year in which I had run/raced for 12 full months. It had highs, and lows, but as I look back I know I learned a lot from the lows and that made the highs that much more cherishable.
I broke PR after PR this year, which made for a lot of exciting races. I shaved minutes off my best times and was fortunate enough to place in my age group in many local races. BUT, the goal I wanted most, the chance to run in the Boston Marathon, escaped me. That's ok though, life is full of heartbreak and uncertainty, and if most of my challenges in life thus far are running related I'll take that, I know I won't always be that lucky.
2011 was a year where my view of health and life in general changed a great deal. I believe firmly this is the result of my running and my passion for life and how these things together continued to build upon each other. When I was training for my first marathon in February, I had just read a great article about "running mantras" that give people the strenght and motivation to push themselves when things get tough. I came up with one of my own...."Run YOUR race, no one elses". It's easy to hear the gun go off, see people passing you and lose sight of what YOU goals are. This is the mantra I used every race. It worked. I'd see people pass me, I'd want to chase them down, but didn't...I ran MY race. And you know what, I ended up passing a great deal of those people by the end of the race :)
Then I realized that this isn't just about running....it's about life too. Run YOUR race, live YOUR life. There's always going to be someone out there that's faster than me, and there's always going to be someone who has a better job, or more money than me. Who cares, I'm living MY life and I'm HAPPY with what I've created for myself. Once I looked at things that way, it was amazing how much stress melted away. It was easy to look at someone and be upset when they got the promotion I wanted, or had the nicer boat I wished I had. But 99% of the time, when I look at the big picture, I wouldn't trade MY life for THEIRS for a few upgrades. I love my life, the relationships I have, the things I have, the job I have. It might not always be rainbows and puppies, but it's mine, and that's what makes it special. Cheezy enough? Thought so.
Anyway, so long 2011, you were a challenging year, but I think I squeezed as much love, joy, and happiness as I could hope for from you. Better warn your buddy 2012......I'm comin' after him next!!! COMIN' A-YEAH-HA!!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Remember and respect where you came from.......
"I hate this place, it's boring and there's nothing to do"
Hundreds of kids before me and hundreds of kids after me have said this or something like it about East Jordan. I know I did. But what did I know, anyway? I was a teenager in a small town, I had no idea what I really liked, or who I really was. Of course, had you tried to explain that to me at the time I'm sure I would have scoffed and took off on my BMX bike, or later taken off in my '84 S10 with two 12" subs in the back....yeah, I was THAT kid.
That's why running here is so special to me. It's the ultimate trip down memory lane. In a car, you'd blink and be through town, running allows you the chance to ABSORB all the little things that make this town special. So, take all the "mysteries of the universe", "who are we" mentality described above and combine that with running through all your childhood spots......it's simply amazing. Today was one of those days where everything seemed to click and my running and mind were synched, and running took me back to my simplist days in EJ. The days when it was just me and my friends, and our bikes. Just ridin' around.
It was snowing, which had me excited already so I finished my coffee and headed out. I had a short track workout today but figured, "what the hell" and ran the 2.7 miles to the track instead of driving. I sang, air-drummed, and even did a heel-click as I bounded down the road along the lake. Passing my dads house, the tree we used to play in as kids, past the tourist park and the beach we swam in all the time. Past Marty's (god, if that place was open in the winter.....) and the basketball courts we played at until dark during the hot summer months. Running over the bridge is my favorite part. Lake on the left, river on the right. LiTerally, my two favorite things in life. I always love seeing the new changes to downtown when I come home. New bank, new owner of "Jans" (now Chicken 'n' stuff...really?) but same 'ol hometown feel. Everywhere I look I'm flooded with great memories. Friends old homes or parents houses, routes to and from school. The old sledding hill, which today had a couple kids on it; made me so happy.
Hundreds of kids before me and hundreds of kids after me have said this or something like it about East Jordan. I know I did. But what did I know, anyway? I was a teenager in a small town, I had no idea what I really liked, or who I really was. Of course, had you tried to explain that to me at the time I'm sure I would have scoffed and took off on my BMX bike, or later taken off in my '84 S10 with two 12" subs in the back....yeah, I was THAT kid.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you "running changed my outlook on life" but, it has.....crap, I lied. When you run 40-50 miles/wk, that's a little over 1 hour per day alone with my thoughts.....sprinkle in a little "runners high" and POOF! The mysteries of the universe and purpose of life are there for the pondering. Ok, so maybe it's not exactly like that, but kind of.
Once I left EJ and got a taste of the real world I found myself with a new found respect for "home". I think I've shaped up into a pretty good guy and, although I think we all should take responsibility for our actions, I think there's a lot to be said for one's environment and how that shapes you into the person you are. That being said, I always credit my value as a person today to 1) my parents and 2) EJ. Without my parents I wouldn't have the value system I have or the work ethic that's made me successful. Without my life in EJ, I wouldn't have the appreciation for relationships and nature like I do.
That's why running here is so special to me. It's the ultimate trip down memory lane. In a car, you'd blink and be through town, running allows you the chance to ABSORB all the little things that make this town special. So, take all the "mysteries of the universe", "who are we" mentality described above and combine that with running through all your childhood spots......it's simply amazing. Today was one of those days where everything seemed to click and my running and mind were synched, and running took me back to my simplist days in EJ. The days when it was just me and my friends, and our bikes. Just ridin' around.
It was snowing, which had me excited already so I finished my coffee and headed out. I had a short track workout today but figured, "what the hell" and ran the 2.7 miles to the track instead of driving. I sang, air-drummed, and even did a heel-click as I bounded down the road along the lake. Passing my dads house, the tree we used to play in as kids, past the tourist park and the beach we swam in all the time. Past Marty's (god, if that place was open in the winter.....) and the basketball courts we played at until dark during the hot summer months. Running over the bridge is my favorite part. Lake on the left, river on the right. LiTerally, my two favorite things in life. I always love seeing the new changes to downtown when I come home. New bank, new owner of "Jans" (now Chicken 'n' stuff...really?) but same 'ol hometown feel. Everywhere I look I'm flooded with great memories. Friends old homes or parents houses, routes to and from school. The old sledding hill, which today had a couple kids on it; made me so happy.
Since I had to run a track workout, I figured it was appropriate to "take my talents to Boswell Stadium". It was pretty cool to go back to place where I had run track briefly and cheered on my friends during football games. As soon as I walked in I could see it all like it was yesterday. Stadium lights on, little kids playing nerf football by the concession stand. "Back in Black" blaring over the loud speaker while our team took the field. How surreal was this? I'm standing here, 11 years outta H.S., training for my second marathon on my xmas break and doing it on my old home track.....life is a funny/awesome thing sometimes.
The workout itself wasn't that great. I kept getting snow packed into the gaps in my tread and I was sure I was going to destroy my knees but I made it. I wasn't sure I would even want to run home again, but I had so much fun on my way there, I decided to hell with it and jogged back. I even took time to stop at a friends house, Luke Meredith, to catch up. That's what makes this town special to me, the relationships that form out of living in small town, USA. We all grew up knowing each other from grade school onward, hard to beat friends like that. And if there's one thing I can say with certainty, EJ Boys are the best friends you could ever have. I have a lot of friends, a lot of great friends, but EJ boys have your back no matter what, will greet you each time with a genuine smile, and open arms for a hug. From there it's good conversation and good beer drinking and in 10 minutes, it's like we never left each other.
That's why I love EJ so much and I love coming back to pay hommage to the people and places that made me who I am today. Thank you.
Monday, December 19, 2011
snow, wind, running...Pure Michigan
Week 7 completed.....enter the holidays!! I actually really like running on vacation. It's all I have to do......get up, eat, run. From there it's free time.....take a nap, eat, take another nap. Not ready to run after breakfast, take a nap, then run. I love it.
Week 7 ended with a 13 mile easy run. I was in Schoolcraft (south of Kzoo) staying with Josh and Katie and woke up Saturday morning with exactly what I needed to motivate me that morning....SNOW! That might seem odd to some, why would snow motivate me? I love Michigan and to me, the fresh snow that morning symbolized why I love this state so much. There was no snow when I got there the night before so I was now pumped to get on my shoes and head out.
Schoolcraft is nice and flat, and has some great backroads for running. As soon as I headed out I was emersed in the sounds and smells of Michigan in the winter. I could smell the woodfire fireplaces, I could hear was the snow crunching underneath my feet, and see my breath leaving me on each exhale. Running like this is truly a beautiful thing. The snow hit my face lightly, not to a point of annoyance, but just enough to remind me it was there. Off to my left and right I saw empty farm fields with snow dusted equipment, like we were all on vacation together.....I'm still amazed when running 13 miles can be so relaxing :)
It's nice running in a new area because you're constantly looking around, taking in all the new surroundings. I love admiring the differences in the land, homes, agriculture between Michigan and NC. Probably the one that made me the happiest was right before I was suppose to turn around. I saw a "T" in the road up ahead, and when I got to it I saw a lake! You dont get surprised by random lakes in Asheville, and my captains blood rushed as soon as I saw it! How perfect was this.
Week 7 ended with a 13 mile easy run. I was in Schoolcraft (south of Kzoo) staying with Josh and Katie and woke up Saturday morning with exactly what I needed to motivate me that morning....SNOW! That might seem odd to some, why would snow motivate me? I love Michigan and to me, the fresh snow that morning symbolized why I love this state so much. There was no snow when I got there the night before so I was now pumped to get on my shoes and head out.
Schoolcraft is nice and flat, and has some great backroads for running. As soon as I headed out I was emersed in the sounds and smells of Michigan in the winter. I could smell the woodfire fireplaces, I could hear was the snow crunching underneath my feet, and see my breath leaving me on each exhale. Running like this is truly a beautiful thing. The snow hit my face lightly, not to a point of annoyance, but just enough to remind me it was there. Off to my left and right I saw empty farm fields with snow dusted equipment, like we were all on vacation together.....I'm still amazed when running 13 miles can be so relaxing :)
It's nice running in a new area because you're constantly looking around, taking in all the new surroundings. I love admiring the differences in the land, homes, agriculture between Michigan and NC. Probably the one that made me the happiest was right before I was suppose to turn around. I saw a "T" in the road up ahead, and when I got to it I saw a lake! You dont get surprised by random lakes in Asheville, and my captains blood rushed as soon as I saw it! How perfect was this.
Needless to say, this was pretty much the highlight of my run and day. Now, onto EJ for the remainder of my break, and lots more running. I'm really looking forward to this!!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
wk 6, it's not how you start, it's how you finish.....
225 miles down.....611 to go.
This week was all about being flexible and testing of my patience....which I don't have. Monday it was raining and 40 out during lunch. As much as I hate running on a treadmill I did it. I hated it so much I only ran 3 miles, and planned to run 3 more at the Rush after work.......only had to do ONE MEASLY MILE before my abs class so Mondays total: 4 out of 5...no biggie, but I never like starting out the week behind schedule.
Tuesday was sprinkling but the temperature was ok enough to be able to run my workout outside on the track. 3x1200 @ 5K pace, then 2 miles @ 10K pace. I ran all 1200's at least 12sec faster than normal, and my 2 miles after were almost 10sec faster than 10K pace. Not too bad.
Wednesday.....RAIN, AGAIN!!!!! This time I was supposed to run 6 miles but I left work late for lunch and could only get 4 miles in on the treadmill.....now I'm 3 miles behind for the week.....DAMN IT!
Thursday was supposed to be a hill workout, about 2.25 miles, but since my race is gonna be flat, I called an audible and ran 20 min alternating 30sec @ 30 sec faster than 5K, and 30sec jogging. With warmup and cooldown that got me 3.5 miles, so I gained back 1.25 miles.
The week thus far was one that, although I ran well, was frustrating because of all the schedule changes. Friday brang some unexpected motivation and provided a nice mental shift.
Again my schedule was altered due to our department lunch so I was forced to run after work. I was able to get out by 4 and got to Biltmore Park and ready by 4:30, just enough daylight left. The last thing I felt like doing was running, the week was over and I just wanted to be home....oh well, I toughed out the first 3 miles and then my head cleared a bit and I finally started to enjoy things. Coming back into Biltmore Town Square, all the lights in the trees came on. It was awesomely motivating and a fantastic way to finish my run. I needed this because Saturday was gonna be tough.
Goal pace workouts have thus far been my weakest workout and have manifested into some awesome anxiety that breaks me down mentally. I'm getting ready to go into the "Holiday Crunch" so I really wanted to do well today. 6 miles at goal pace.....figure it out.
1) Fuel properly - Bagel, coffee, milk, cheerios, chia seeds. Good carbs, little protein, caffeine, and chia seeds for the added boost!
2) Proper clothing - CWX Compression tights, new shoes, gloves, iPod.
3) Longer warmup - usually I run a mile warmup for this type of thing. It was pretty cold so I thought two might be better.
Off to a great start, my iPod died before I finished warming up! This might have actually been the best thing that could have happened. It made me pay attention to my body the entire time. My breathing, my gate, my posture.....I was running a diagnostic check the entire time. It's a surreal experience when you feel like your body and mind are one. Your clipping along the roads hearing nothing but your own feet hitting the ground and your breathing. I'm getting good at knowing my pace off these things alone....something I used to scoff at when I heard other runners talk about being able to do. I changed my strategy for this run versus what I've done in the past for this type of run. I was gonna let myself run a little behind in the beginning and then make it up when my legs felt best. First mile was 6:48, 8sec behind....perfect. I needed to make up 8 seconds in 5 miles, no sweat. I had that made up by the end of mile 3. I knew my body well enough by now I knew I could only get faster going back.....and I did. Mile 4, 6:36; mile 5, 6:29; mile 6:14!!! Total avg pace: 6:33, 7 secs faster than goal! FINALLY a good goal pace workout!!
Oh, and the best part was turning back onto US25....they had the entire street closed for a parade, which had just started but a mile up the road. The road was lined with hundreds of people on each side, and I decided since the road was closed.....I'd run right down the middle. I never get to do that except for a race, so I took advantage of it. It was funny because it felt like I was racing alone and no one was cheering for me....they probably all were wondering what the hell I was doing, but I loved it :) A great way to end a great workout and a great end to a tough week.
I just hope I can keep this going through the upcoming holidays. It's a snowy couple weeks of training coming up!!
This week was all about being flexible and testing of my patience....which I don't have. Monday it was raining and 40 out during lunch. As much as I hate running on a treadmill I did it. I hated it so much I only ran 3 miles, and planned to run 3 more at the Rush after work.......only had to do ONE MEASLY MILE before my abs class so Mondays total: 4 out of 5...no biggie, but I never like starting out the week behind schedule.
Tuesday was sprinkling but the temperature was ok enough to be able to run my workout outside on the track. 3x1200 @ 5K pace, then 2 miles @ 10K pace. I ran all 1200's at least 12sec faster than normal, and my 2 miles after were almost 10sec faster than 10K pace. Not too bad.
Wednesday.....RAIN, AGAIN!!!!! This time I was supposed to run 6 miles but I left work late for lunch and could only get 4 miles in on the treadmill.....now I'm 3 miles behind for the week.....DAMN IT!
Thursday was supposed to be a hill workout, about 2.25 miles, but since my race is gonna be flat, I called an audible and ran 20 min alternating 30sec @ 30 sec faster than 5K, and 30sec jogging. With warmup and cooldown that got me 3.5 miles, so I gained back 1.25 miles.
The week thus far was one that, although I ran well, was frustrating because of all the schedule changes. Friday brang some unexpected motivation and provided a nice mental shift.
Again my schedule was altered due to our department lunch so I was forced to run after work. I was able to get out by 4 and got to Biltmore Park and ready by 4:30, just enough daylight left. The last thing I felt like doing was running, the week was over and I just wanted to be home....oh well, I toughed out the first 3 miles and then my head cleared a bit and I finally started to enjoy things. Coming back into Biltmore Town Square, all the lights in the trees came on. It was awesomely motivating and a fantastic way to finish my run. I needed this because Saturday was gonna be tough.
Goal pace workouts have thus far been my weakest workout and have manifested into some awesome anxiety that breaks me down mentally. I'm getting ready to go into the "Holiday Crunch" so I really wanted to do well today. 6 miles at goal pace.....figure it out.
1) Fuel properly - Bagel, coffee, milk, cheerios, chia seeds. Good carbs, little protein, caffeine, and chia seeds for the added boost!
2) Proper clothing - CWX Compression tights, new shoes, gloves, iPod.
3) Longer warmup - usually I run a mile warmup for this type of thing. It was pretty cold so I thought two might be better.
Off to a great start, my iPod died before I finished warming up! This might have actually been the best thing that could have happened. It made me pay attention to my body the entire time. My breathing, my gate, my posture.....I was running a diagnostic check the entire time. It's a surreal experience when you feel like your body and mind are one. Your clipping along the roads hearing nothing but your own feet hitting the ground and your breathing. I'm getting good at knowing my pace off these things alone....something I used to scoff at when I heard other runners talk about being able to do. I changed my strategy for this run versus what I've done in the past for this type of run. I was gonna let myself run a little behind in the beginning and then make it up when my legs felt best. First mile was 6:48, 8sec behind....perfect. I needed to make up 8 seconds in 5 miles, no sweat. I had that made up by the end of mile 3. I knew my body well enough by now I knew I could only get faster going back.....and I did. Mile 4, 6:36; mile 5, 6:29; mile 6:14!!! Total avg pace: 6:33, 7 secs faster than goal! FINALLY a good goal pace workout!!
Oh, and the best part was turning back onto US25....they had the entire street closed for a parade, which had just started but a mile up the road. The road was lined with hundreds of people on each side, and I decided since the road was closed.....I'd run right down the middle. I never get to do that except for a race, so I took advantage of it. It was funny because it felt like I was racing alone and no one was cheering for me....they probably all were wondering what the hell I was doing, but I loved it :) A great way to end a great workout and a great end to a tough week.
I just hope I can keep this going through the upcoming holidays. It's a snowy couple weeks of training coming up!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A transformation is brewing.......
It was 55 degrees out, mostly sunny, and I came back into my subdivision after an 11 "easy" run. I felt fantastic. Legs were strong, lungs were clear, herat rate was right where I wanted it. Pace: 7:44? Damn, that's awesome. 9 months ago that was my goal marathon pace, now it was an easy stroll. Week 5 complete. 191.85 miles ran, 644 to go. Something was changing.....not exactly sure what it is, but I like it. I feel like my body and mind are finally synched.......if this were NBA JAM, I'm pretty sure you'd see me running with flames coming off me because...I'M ON FIRE!!
So what's changed? I thought about this a lot throughout the week. I'd been running ok, ups and downs, but this week was great. I think I can boil things down to two major changes.....
1) Mental Training: When I ran my first marathon, I was also reading Hal Higdon's book "Marathon", which I might add is an amazing book if you're training for a marathon for the first time. Reading that book in parallel with my training got my mind in a place where I developed a good mental balance that benefitted my training. As I read I gained confidence because I was learning about things I didn't know about. Obviously, reading that book again won't do the same thing, so I needed something that would create the same stimulation and motivation. Introduce "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.
I started reading this just before my training but never really got too far. Now I'm making a habit of reading it a little every night and I think it's making a difference. The premise (I'm not that far) is about a writer/runner from Men's Health tracking down a hidden tribe of "Super Athlete, Endurance Runners" in Mexicos Copper Canyons. Reading about this tribe is (as the Honey Badger would say) pretty bad-ass. Needless to say I know wanna be a part of the Tarahumara tribe on each run. Whatever, I think it's helping :) This book also helped me discover my #2 change of the week....
2) Ch-ch-ch-CHIA (Seeds)
I read about these seeds in Born to Run and I had to check this out for myself. Yes, the same ones used in the infamous Chia Pet.... Apparently they were what the tribe used as their fuel for these long ass runs. I looked online and it looked legit. Here's the stats I found:
•2 times the protein of any other seed or grain,
•5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that
helps transfer calcium into your bones,
•2 times the amount of potassium as bananas,
•3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries
•3 times more iron than spinach
•copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids...
You can eat these raw, like on a salad, or cook them, which I've heard hurts their nutritional value. I have been making Chia Gel. Add 1/3 cup seeds, 2 cups water......stir and let sit. It looks gross as hell, and has the consistency of rubber cement. But it really has no taste, so I just take a table spoon, stir it into some juice, shoot it back and BAM! I've only used for a few days but I gotta say I did feel rejuvinated after only about 10 min of taking it. It slows the use of water and transformation of complex carbs so basically it's like adding a fuel additive to your car, thus improving gas mileage.......I guess.
It's hard to keep yourself motivated for 20 wks and its a lot like a sports team. You need to peak at your race. I'll take any advantage I can get and welcome those things I find along the way that give me a kick in the ass and just hope my training shows it. I'm feelin' pretty damn good right now and I think I'm on to something here.......let's see if we can make it last!!
So what's changed? I thought about this a lot throughout the week. I'd been running ok, ups and downs, but this week was great. I think I can boil things down to two major changes.....
1) Mental Training: When I ran my first marathon, I was also reading Hal Higdon's book "Marathon", which I might add is an amazing book if you're training for a marathon for the first time. Reading that book in parallel with my training got my mind in a place where I developed a good mental balance that benefitted my training. As I read I gained confidence because I was learning about things I didn't know about. Obviously, reading that book again won't do the same thing, so I needed something that would create the same stimulation and motivation. Introduce "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.
2) Ch-ch-ch-CHIA (Seeds)
I read about these seeds in Born to Run and I had to check this out for myself. Yes, the same ones used in the infamous Chia Pet.... Apparently they were what the tribe used as their fuel for these long ass runs. I looked online and it looked legit. Here's the stats I found:
•2 times the protein of any other seed or grain,
•5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that
helps transfer calcium into your bones,
•2 times the amount of potassium as bananas,
•3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries
•3 times more iron than spinach
•copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids...
You can eat these raw, like on a salad, or cook them, which I've heard hurts their nutritional value. I have been making Chia Gel. Add 1/3 cup seeds, 2 cups water......stir and let sit. It looks gross as hell, and has the consistency of rubber cement. But it really has no taste, so I just take a table spoon, stir it into some juice, shoot it back and BAM! I've only used for a few days but I gotta say I did feel rejuvinated after only about 10 min of taking it. It slows the use of water and transformation of complex carbs so basically it's like adding a fuel additive to your car, thus improving gas mileage.......I guess.
It's hard to keep yourself motivated for 20 wks and its a lot like a sports team. You need to peak at your race. I'll take any advantage I can get and welcome those things I find along the way that give me a kick in the ass and just hope my training shows it. I'm feelin' pretty damn good right now and I think I'm on to something here.......let's see if we can make it last!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Reality check 1, 2...1, 2.....
I've been doing this long enough to know that I'm gonna have good workouts and bad workouts. You can't "win" them all. I hate that about training. Training isn't just a test of ones physical limits, but it takes a strong mind as well to go out and give it everything you have.
I'm now 4 weeks into a 20 week transformation. I've run 152 of 834 miles, and this past weekend was a reality check.......
My last training plan was tough, but I'd never done it before so I was blissfully ignorant in what was coming. Which workouts would be tough, how the holidays, weather, eating, etc would play out. Now I know. This is good, and bad. I know it's ok to shuffule things around some, I know what kind of meals to eat before long runs. BUT, I'm operating now on some razor thin margins if I wanna hit 2:56. Before I was training for 3:30, and on my pace runs, I struggled some, but I always ran at least 10sec below. Now, with a more advanced plan, and a more aggressive pace, I'm battling each workout to hit the numbers. It's been a huge dose of reality..........this ain't gonna be a "just do the workout" ride.
The toughest workouts so far have been the "run for ___ min at goal pace". Seems easy enough, running 45 minutes or 60 minutes at 6:40 is waaaayyyyy less than a marathon, WRONG!! For whatever reason, this workout has eaten my lunch twice thus far. First time was in week 2, run 45 min at goal pace. I should have been able to run ~7 miles and ran 6.61. I struggled so bad at one point I stopped at mile 3.5 screamed a few expletives into the sky and had a mini pep talk with myself just starring back at the road until I had the confidence to finish the workout. I finished 9sec off pace, and was pretty pissed off. I thought I had things figured out for the next time this workout showed up......wrong. This time I was 1,000 miles from home over a holiday and felt like I was training for an eating competition, not a marathon. I had mastered the art of over eating.....which, if you want to know, the secret is to eat til you almost throw up, then lay flat on your back on the floor to take the gravity off your stomach. Taking a nap while performing this workout works too :) Anyway, I digress. Saturday after Eats-giving, I had to run 60 min @ goal pace. I knew I needing something flat so Maura and I drove to a nice rail trail close by. We'd run this last year so I knew it was "flat-ter" than her neighborhood. I'd fueled up, temps were good, I was ready to do this.....redemption time.
Started out good, first miles were in the 6:40 range, not perfect, but acceptable. Then, I hit a couple rolling hills. Shit. A sure sign that this isn't gonna go well is looking down and seeing 7+ in the pace section of my watch. Reality SMACKS me in the face.....6:40 is F-ing fast and is gonna be a battle all day. The trail was beautiful, and I wish I had some pics, I was a better cameraman than runner today. Tall trees, a bubbling brook, sun peeking through the branches and lots of people all out trying to better themselves.....usually a receipe for a great run......YOU HEAR THAT RUNNING GODS!!??? AH-HEM!!! "RECIPE FOR A GREAT RUN!!!" No answer. Fine, I'll do this on my own today. Stupid trees, stupid inclines, stupid......bah!
This is my kryptonite......mentally I build myself up so much before a big run that I have a hard time holding on if things sputter for too long. I start to doubt things, start calling Manning-like audibles on my goals half way through..."pace 6:42, watch the hills, check that heart rate, I think we need a stretch, laces too tight!..." Lame. Mile 7 of 9 was at 7:10!.....heart rate was like 185, way too high for that kind of pace. A this point I wanted to just be done. I didn't have anything left. Maybe I didn't eat enough, drink enough before I went out. Maybe I need to adjust my pace.....not an option yet. I'm on unfamiliar ground....I wanna destroy every workout.....but maybe that's not how this works. Maybe I need these struggles because that shows me that it IS the right pace...I'm not that far off, and most workouts I do kill. Great things are accomplished under stress. Do I wanna weather the storm....or BE the storm? Week 5....looks like it's time to make it rain!
I'm now 4 weeks into a 20 week transformation. I've run 152 of 834 miles, and this past weekend was a reality check.......
My last training plan was tough, but I'd never done it before so I was blissfully ignorant in what was coming. Which workouts would be tough, how the holidays, weather, eating, etc would play out. Now I know. This is good, and bad. I know it's ok to shuffule things around some, I know what kind of meals to eat before long runs. BUT, I'm operating now on some razor thin margins if I wanna hit 2:56. Before I was training for 3:30, and on my pace runs, I struggled some, but I always ran at least 10sec below. Now, with a more advanced plan, and a more aggressive pace, I'm battling each workout to hit the numbers. It's been a huge dose of reality..........this ain't gonna be a "just do the workout" ride.
The toughest workouts so far have been the "run for ___ min at goal pace". Seems easy enough, running 45 minutes or 60 minutes at 6:40 is waaaayyyyy less than a marathon, WRONG!! For whatever reason, this workout has eaten my lunch twice thus far. First time was in week 2, run 45 min at goal pace. I should have been able to run ~7 miles and ran 6.61. I struggled so bad at one point I stopped at mile 3.5 screamed a few expletives into the sky and had a mini pep talk with myself just starring back at the road until I had the confidence to finish the workout. I finished 9sec off pace, and was pretty pissed off. I thought I had things figured out for the next time this workout showed up......wrong. This time I was 1,000 miles from home over a holiday and felt like I was training for an eating competition, not a marathon. I had mastered the art of over eating.....which, if you want to know, the secret is to eat til you almost throw up, then lay flat on your back on the floor to take the gravity off your stomach. Taking a nap while performing this workout works too :) Anyway, I digress. Saturday after Eats-giving, I had to run 60 min @ goal pace. I knew I needing something flat so Maura and I drove to a nice rail trail close by. We'd run this last year so I knew it was "flat-ter" than her neighborhood. I'd fueled up, temps were good, I was ready to do this.....redemption time.
Started out good, first miles were in the 6:40 range, not perfect, but acceptable. Then, I hit a couple rolling hills. Shit. A sure sign that this isn't gonna go well is looking down and seeing 7+ in the pace section of my watch. Reality SMACKS me in the face.....6:40 is F-ing fast and is gonna be a battle all day. The trail was beautiful, and I wish I had some pics, I was a better cameraman than runner today. Tall trees, a bubbling brook, sun peeking through the branches and lots of people all out trying to better themselves.....usually a receipe for a great run......YOU HEAR THAT RUNNING GODS!!??? AH-HEM!!! "RECIPE FOR A GREAT RUN!!!" No answer. Fine, I'll do this on my own today. Stupid trees, stupid inclines, stupid......bah!
This is my kryptonite......mentally I build myself up so much before a big run that I have a hard time holding on if things sputter for too long. I start to doubt things, start calling Manning-like audibles on my goals half way through..."pace 6:42, watch the hills, check that heart rate, I think we need a stretch, laces too tight!..." Lame. Mile 7 of 9 was at 7:10!.....heart rate was like 185, way too high for that kind of pace. A this point I wanted to just be done. I didn't have anything left. Maybe I didn't eat enough, drink enough before I went out. Maybe I need to adjust my pace.....not an option yet. I'm on unfamiliar ground....I wanna destroy every workout.....but maybe that's not how this works. Maybe I need these struggles because that shows me that it IS the right pace...I'm not that far off, and most workouts I do kill. Great things are accomplished under stress. Do I wanna weather the storm....or BE the storm? Week 5....looks like it's time to make it rain!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The thrill of the hunt.......
Fresh of my new found motivation of NOT getting into Boston I knew my next steps were to stalk a victim and sharpen my tools. Quickly I started stalking silently through the tall grasses of the internet in search of the perfect race to set my sights on. Being the dork I am, I created a spreadsheet to evaluate my potential kills, who doesn't love a good spreadsheet? Communists, that's who. I wanted something fast, flat, preferrably driveable, and with a good crowd. Fast and flat for the physical part of running, and a good crowd for the mental part. I will NEVER forget how the crowd in Jax motivated me and literally moved me to tears.....I craved that again. I also wanted something early in 2012 so I could start training relatively soon. I reviewed many, many races, but in the end I found "The One". The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, St. Patty's day weekend 2012. I've run in Va. Beach before, it's nice and flat, and this race was big enough that a rowdy crowd was a given.
Now that I had picked a race, the next steps were goal setting and scuplting a training plan to get me there. Setting goals with running are a double edged sword. If I set something too agressive and miss it, I'd be crushed. Set something too easy, and I might train a little too lightly. Something I had been using that seemed to be the most accurate and "safe" thing to do was using the Runnersworld.com calculator. Basically you plug in a race time for any distance race you've done before and this calculates what your projected times in other races would be. That being said, I had crushed a couple races earlier this summer, setting PR's in both the 5k and 10k by a lot. I plugged those times into the calculator and was amazed, and terrified of what I saw..........
Based on my recent 5K (Human Race in Waynesville, June) of 18:24, it was conceiveable that I could run a marathon in 2:56:19!!! My first instinct was "yeah right", but I checked the projected 10k time and saw 38:21......I had run the Independence Day 10K in Boyne this summer in 38:26.....this was doable!! 2:56 was a 6:40 per mile pace......which was my best 10K pace in January of 2011...weird to think of how far I'd come in just 11 months from then.
With my goal set, it was time to figure out just how the hell I was going to get in shape for this. I needed a training plan that would turn me into a machine. If Rocky, and Prefontaine had a baby with wonder woman (because we need a womb strong enough of course) and she listend to jock jams and G&R during her pregnancy and then that baby grew up training with Usain Bolt.....that's who I wanted to be.
My plan to get there looked like this:
Monday: 5-6 easy miles during lunch, core training and heavy weightlifting
Tuesday: Speed work ranging from 6-11 miles
Wednesday: 6 easy miles during lunch
Thursday: Tempo runs / repeats at lunch, core training, and taking Maura's "power" class at the Rush
Friday: 6-7 miles easy
Saturday: Long run using the "step up, step back" approach, starting at 9 miles, then alternating weeks going up 2 miles and reaching 23 miles by week 17.
Sunday: Rest
It was 831.98 miles in total, 20wks long. It was gonna be tough, it was gonna take time, but I knew that if I didn't follow this precisely, I wouldn't have a chance at 2:56.........TIME TO GO KICK SOME ASS!!
Based on my recent 5K (Human Race in Waynesville, June) of 18:24, it was conceiveable that I could run a marathon in 2:56:19!!! My first instinct was "yeah right", but I checked the projected 10k time and saw 38:21......I had run the Independence Day 10K in Boyne this summer in 38:26.....this was doable!! 2:56 was a 6:40 per mile pace......which was my best 10K pace in January of 2011...weird to think of how far I'd come in just 11 months from then.
With my goal set, it was time to figure out just how the hell I was going to get in shape for this. I needed a training plan that would turn me into a machine. If Rocky, and Prefontaine had a baby with wonder woman (because we need a womb strong enough of course) and she listend to jock jams and G&R during her pregnancy and then that baby grew up training with Usain Bolt.....that's who I wanted to be.
My plan to get there looked like this:
Monday: 5-6 easy miles during lunch, core training and heavy weightlifting
Tuesday: Speed work ranging from 6-11 miles
Wednesday: 6 easy miles during lunch
Thursday: Tempo runs / repeats at lunch, core training, and taking Maura's "power" class at the Rush
Friday: 6-7 miles easy
Saturday: Long run using the "step up, step back" approach, starting at 9 miles, then alternating weeks going up 2 miles and reaching 23 miles by week 17.
Sunday: Rest
Sunday, November 13, 2011
As Roland would say...."are ya kiddin'?"
Nearly 7 months had passed since the marathon and every run was littered with thoughts of what it would be like to run Boston. I thought about the crowd, the city, the fact that "little old Andy, in his first attempt, got into Boston and ran with the best of the best". I already had friends and some of Maura's family saying they would be there IF I got in. IF. The new registration process got annouced just days after my race and I spent the whole summer trying to calculate my odds of getting in. The new process worked like this:
Registration opens on Sept. 12th. The first two days were open to those beating their qualifying time by 20 minutes or more, next two days, 10 min or more, last two days, 5 min or more. Then, IF (I was really starting to hate this word by this point) there was room left in my age/gender group, I could register. HOWEVER, even then IF (grrr) I got to register, I had to wait another week while they sorted the remaining entries by who was fastest, and then capped it when it was full. You got all this? I didn't, but I tried.
When it was time for me to sign up, I was slightly relieved to see that there was still room!! A glimmer of hope. I literally sat at my desk and hit "refresh" on the site until it opened on that Monday. My fingers flew across the registration page like I thought that the faster I signed up gave me any better chance of getting in. I double and triple checked my information.....this was it. I hit "send" and let out a sigh. However that was the easy part. Now came the waiting game. I had to wait at least a week while others just like me registered all over, all of us vying for whatever spots were left like interns trying to get the lunch meeting leftovers in the work kitchen. It was a long week.
I checked my email 100 times a day, even if I knew I wouldn't have anything yet. It was like waiting for Christmas, but not knowing if I was gonna get toys, or coal......or if and when Santa would even show his red ass! The days went by and I kept myself occupied. I was now in Germany for a week for work and that shifted my focus....a little. As much as I liked the distraction from staring at my Yahoo! inbox, it left me vulnerable when the email arrived. I wasn't even ready for it!
I woke up at 7am and groggily went to my computer and pulled up the screen. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes and shaking off the Pils and jet lag I looked at the screen. I had left it on my Yahoo! inbox as I had been for probably the last 8 days. SHIT! There it was.....I quickly shut the computer screen. I wasn't ready for this right now. It's too early for this. Too late though, I knew it was there. I saw the BAA and the subject "Your application for the 2012 Boston Marathon". I sat there, now fully awake, heart racing while I tried to determine my fate based one the subject line....enough, let's do this. I opened up the email, 1,000 thoughts rushing through my head.......
My heart and head sank. A wave of dissappointment crashed over me. I didn't get in. This was the first real time that running and dissappointment had combined and really hit me. Until now I had a great streak of killing PR after PR and I felt like a racing bib was a bullet proof vest. This was a shot right to the heart. I read it over and over again, making sure I was reading it right.......that's when I saw the salt that got rub into my fresh wound. "Entries from applicants in your age group were accepted through, and including the time 3:08:46"!!
ARE YOU F-ING KINDDING ME?!?!? I missed getting in by 2 damn seconds! My mind immediately re-ran my race in my head, highlighting everything I COULD have done to squeeze 2 seconds from a 26 mile race. I couldn't have known all this at that time, so it was useless. My "ESPN Story about lil Ando and his amazing trip to Boston" was done..........or was it?
After a couple minutes of being genuinely sad and frustrated, I actually found myself smiling and almost laughed a little. "2 seconds, you gotta be shittin' me" I thought to myself. Then I made a decision that I think I will look back on for years. In the biggest race, the race of life, I was standing at a cross road. Which direction was I going to take, which story do I want to tell? The one about me falling short and giving up, or the one about falling short and taking adversity, using it as fuel and going out and kickin' some serious ass!? Well, I'm proud to say I gave the "other way" the middle finger, dusted off my race bib and my Mizunos and headed down the trail that might be a little longer than the one I had hoped for, but this time I'm not gonna let 2 seconds stand in my way......I'm gonna run a marathon so fast that there's no way I'm gonna be out next time. Now I just gotta pick my prey......
Registration opens on Sept. 12th. The first two days were open to those beating their qualifying time by 20 minutes or more, next two days, 10 min or more, last two days, 5 min or more. Then, IF (I was really starting to hate this word by this point) there was room left in my age/gender group, I could register. HOWEVER, even then IF (grrr) I got to register, I had to wait another week while they sorted the remaining entries by who was fastest, and then capped it when it was full. You got all this? I didn't, but I tried.
When it was time for me to sign up, I was slightly relieved to see that there was still room!! A glimmer of hope. I literally sat at my desk and hit "refresh" on the site until it opened on that Monday. My fingers flew across the registration page like I thought that the faster I signed up gave me any better chance of getting in. I double and triple checked my information.....this was it. I hit "send" and let out a sigh. However that was the easy part. Now came the waiting game. I had to wait at least a week while others just like me registered all over, all of us vying for whatever spots were left like interns trying to get the lunch meeting leftovers in the work kitchen. It was a long week.
I checked my email 100 times a day, even if I knew I wouldn't have anything yet. It was like waiting for Christmas, but not knowing if I was gonna get toys, or coal......or if and when Santa would even show his red ass! The days went by and I kept myself occupied. I was now in Germany for a week for work and that shifted my focus....a little. As much as I liked the distraction from staring at my Yahoo! inbox, it left me vulnerable when the email arrived. I wasn't even ready for it!
I woke up at 7am and groggily went to my computer and pulled up the screen. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes and shaking off the Pils and jet lag I looked at the screen. I had left it on my Yahoo! inbox as I had been for probably the last 8 days. SHIT! There it was.....I quickly shut the computer screen. I wasn't ready for this right now. It's too early for this. Too late though, I knew it was there. I saw the BAA and the subject "Your application for the 2012 Boston Marathon". I sat there, now fully awake, heart racing while I tried to determine my fate based one the subject line....enough, let's do this. I opened up the email, 1,000 thoughts rushing through my head.......
My heart and head sank. A wave of dissappointment crashed over me. I didn't get in. This was the first real time that running and dissappointment had combined and really hit me. Until now I had a great streak of killing PR after PR and I felt like a racing bib was a bullet proof vest. This was a shot right to the heart. I read it over and over again, making sure I was reading it right.......that's when I saw the salt that got rub into my fresh wound. "Entries from applicants in your age group were accepted through, and including the time 3:08:46"!!
ARE YOU F-ING KINDDING ME?!?!? I missed getting in by 2 damn seconds! My mind immediately re-ran my race in my head, highlighting everything I COULD have done to squeeze 2 seconds from a 26 mile race. I couldn't have known all this at that time, so it was useless. My "ESPN Story about lil Ando and his amazing trip to Boston" was done..........or was it?
After a couple minutes of being genuinely sad and frustrated, I actually found myself smiling and almost laughed a little. "2 seconds, you gotta be shittin' me" I thought to myself. Then I made a decision that I think I will look back on for years. In the biggest race, the race of life, I was standing at a cross road. Which direction was I going to take, which story do I want to tell? The one about me falling short and giving up, or the one about falling short and taking adversity, using it as fuel and going out and kickin' some serious ass!? Well, I'm proud to say I gave the "other way" the middle finger, dusted off my race bib and my Mizunos and headed down the trail that might be a little longer than the one I had hoped for, but this time I'm not gonna let 2 seconds stand in my way......I'm gonna run a marathon so fast that there's no way I'm gonna be out next time. Now I just gotta pick my prey......
Saturday, November 12, 2011
My first marathon....the start of something special.......
I've decided that this stuff needs to be kept on paper. Running has given me some amazing experiences and I want to keep them logged in for reference in the future. I'm starting with a little history here, I wrote this a couple days after my first marathon and I still read it periodically to keep me remembering why I do what I do. This first post is the start of something I hope turns into a great story I can keep adding to for many, many years.
Marathon #1
What an experience!! The race was amazing and the outpouring of support was something I've never experienced.
We were right on the grounds of the race so we could walk 5 min to start line, which was awesome. Weather was about 40's or so and I somehow was in the first wave of runners. I found myself standing ON the start line with my friend Nick. Under the huge TV screen and start clock watching the police motorcade pull up in front of us, lights flashing and ppl cheering, waiting for the start. I couldn't believe what I was about to experience, I've never been that close to the start. The Kenyans and other "elites" eventually showed up to take their spots in front of us, which I expected, but just being around them was cool too.
Then, tragedy struck......my Garmin watch wouldn't turn on....at all!!! It was plugged in all night, but for decided to crap out just minutes from the start!! How could this happen, how would I know my pace, my distance, my, my, EVERYTHING!? I held together and Nick and I calmly laid out my 5, 10, 15, and 20 mile split times and that's all I could do now, I couldn't go all "onions on my hamburger!!!??" now, it wasn't worth it. I needed to harness all my training, trust my body and my mind and do this.
We were right on the grounds of the race so we could walk 5 min to start line, which was awesome. Weather was about 40's or so and I somehow was in the first wave of runners. I found myself standing ON the start line with my friend Nick. Under the huge TV screen and start clock watching the police motorcade pull up in front of us, lights flashing and ppl cheering, waiting for the start. I couldn't believe what I was about to experience, I've never been that close to the start. The Kenyans and other "elites" eventually showed up to take their spots in front of us, which I expected, but just being around them was cool too.
Then, tragedy struck......my Garmin watch wouldn't turn on....at all!!! It was plugged in all night, but for decided to crap out just minutes from the start!! How could this happen, how would I know my pace, my distance, my, my, EVERYTHING!? I held together and Nick and I calmly laid out my 5, 10, 15, and 20 mile split times and that's all I could do now, I couldn't go all "onions on my hamburger!!!??" now, it wasn't worth it. I needed to harness all my training, trust my body and my mind and do this.
I started off way too fast, as I expected....mile 1, 7:08!! YIKES!! I got to the beach around mile 4, still too fast, about a 7:10 or so and didn't know what to do. Eventually a pace team came up on me, it was the 3:10 pace group. I made an executive decision: stay with them as long as I could. 3:10 was Boston qualifying which I knew, but didn't want to recognize for fear of letting that become a new goal and a sure let down if I couldn't last. My fastest 10 mile run was only a 7:19 pace, no way I could do 26.2 faster than that!! The sun was coming up while we ran on the packed sand, a beautiful morning for sure! The miles started ticking away. 5....6.....9.....10....I still felt good!! Every time I ran over a timing strip I thought about the automatic posts and ppl sitting at home wondering why I was going so fast and I was then determined to stick this out as long as I could. So many ppl outside their homes cheering and with signs "save the ta-ta's, I'm a survivor, thank you!" it was impossible not to stay motivated. Ppl go through pain 1000 times worse than I would ever feel today and that's why I was there, so suck it up!! "Pain is temporary, pride is forever" I kept telling myself. Eventually, the group that was 12-15 was me, one other guy, and the pacer. Every time I heard "wow, that's the 3:10 group, that's
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