A Change

I've moved...

To another web address that is...Here is where I'll be writing from now on: 

http://beerunner.wordpress.com/ 

This was a way to archive training for and completing my first marathon. My new blog is about running firstly, and anything else that comes to mind. 

Thanks for reading these past months and hopefully I'll keep things interesting enough on the new site.

A Marathon Race Report

So, it is done. I have come to the end of my marathon adventure. And I can say, it was an amazing journey. I’ve had really good experiences and really bad experiences. I’ve been hurt and I’ve run through pain that I’ve never felt before. I’ve been on the verge of crying. I’ve been angry and I’ve been happy.

And I can’t wait to do it again!

Sunday morning came quickly. I think I slept ok, but by 6 am, it didn’t matter. Sarah and Emma walked with me down to the starting line in the freezing cold. The start area was jammed with people trying to use the porta-potties, check their gear, say farewell (for a few hours) to loved ones and cramming into the starting corral to get that prime position to start running. After using the bathroom one last time, I gave Sarah and Emma a kiss goodbye and went to stand in line to start, 26.2 miles was ahead of me.

It took only about 4 minutes to get across the start line. Not too bad considering 15,000 people were all trying to do the same thing. The first 3 miles were nice and easy down Broad Street. It was mostly flat with a little downhill. The next 3 miles were pretty uneventful. I was feeling really good and moving at a pretty good pace. At this point, I just kept counting down the miles until I got to see my fan club, “Team Brian” (thanks to great art and a clever idea from Sarah)!

Around mile 7 came the first time to eat. I was under the impression the race was handing out Cliff Shot Blocks (a chewy candy like energy treat). However, the race handed out Cliff Shots - a gel and not what I was expecting. I grabbed one to try it and opened the package. I tried to squeeze out the gel, but it was practically frozen from sitting out in 35°. I put a little in my mouth and promptly spit it out! So I reached into my fuel pack and grabbed a bag of Chomps (the chewy candy like energy). I quickly downed the package of 8 chews, drank some water and started running again.

Miles 7 & 8 were still pretty easy going. I came to mile 9 and started looking for the white hats. When I turned the corner to start heading south on the route, I was wondering where everyone was. Then I heard the loudest screaming coming from the right hand side of the road. There they were, full of energy and excitement. I had the biggest smile on my face seeing all of them standing there braving the cold. Wow.

Miles 10 through 12 again were easy going. I was feeling good and after 11 started the 4 mile run up High Street. Heading up High Street I finally took some time to walk. I was starting to get a little tired and realized there was still a long way to go. After mile 12, I passed were the marathon started and it was quite amazing at how different that place looked.

Mile 13 came and I started looking for my fan club again. I watched as many, many runners turned off to finish the half-marathon on my left. On my right I start to hear Team Brian screaming out as they were running up to the course to cheer me on. I smiled again and started to focus on the second half of the run. Then out of nowhere, Curtis appears next to me screaming my name and cheering me on. I got a good laugh from that!

And now the marathon truly begins. Miles 14, 15 and 16 went very smooth. Up High Street to Ohio State University. The course took me down “Frat Row” before stepping foot on campus. For the record, no one seemed to be interested in cheering us on down Frat Row - most likely everyone was at church that morning.

Next it was onto OSU. The campus was beautiful. It was very quiet with not that much crowd support. The few college students who were awake that early were looking at us like we were beyond crazy. That’s fine, we were (are). It was cool running by Ohio Stadium. I started thinking back to 15 years ago when I saw UW play Ohio State there. Where does the time go?

It was soon after that the run started to get more difficult. Mile 17 and 18 were not fun. Then, Sabrina and I remembered that mile 17 on the long training runs was also difficult. So, we pushed on with the thought that mile 20 was only a few miles away. Break it down, break it down, we kept telling ourselves.

Miles 20 through 22 were a blur. I remember my name being called out at mile 20 and running through some very nice neighborhoods. I remember the crowd support was nice through this area and those with good eyesight did their best to cheer us on by name. There was a good amount of walking during these miles. It was all I could do at some points to keep moving forward. It hurt to walk and it hurt to run. Sometimes, it hurt more to walk. But the end drew nearer with every step forward.

Then, somewhere between miles 23 and 24, I hit “the wall”. I’ll never forget it. We stopped to stretch on a bridge over the river. I leaned on the rail, looked at the water and just wanted to cry. I was tapped. I thought I gave all I could. I just wanted to stop. It had been a while since I was that emotional. I wasn’t panicking, I was simply done. Then Sabrina started talking about how we were so close, we can’t give up, we’re almost there. I started moving and said, this is THE MOST pain I had ever experienced in my life! But onward I went.

After the mile 25 it was Sabrina’s turn to start breaking down. I said the same things she told me plus, I was able to say, without a doubt, we’d be done with the marathon in less than 10 minutes. This seemed to work because we were moving after that. Between miles 25 and 26, candy Buckeyes were being passed out to the runners. As I saw this, the only thing I could think of was not throwing up. Don’t get me wrong, Buckeyes are one of my favorite candies, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating one. I got to the last person handing them out and grabbed one anyway. I thought Emma would enjoy it!

I made the turn onto Park Street and people kept yelling “It’s just around the corner!” “You’re ALMOST there!” Where around the corner? I couldn't see the finish line, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m not ALMOST there! This stretch was pure agony.

Then I saw it, the 26 mile marker and the turn to the finish line. Right as I got to the turn, Team Brian was there, yelling and screaming! I remember getting the biggest smile on my face, because they were there and because I was done. An easy downhill slope to the finish line. I ran all out. I threw my hands up and I crossed the line, a marathoner! What a feeling. Joy, relief and the worst pain ever all at the same time! All I wanted to do was to sit down, but I knew this wasn’t a good idea - yet!

I got my mylar blanket, got my medal, received a winter cap with the race logo on it and downed two bottles of water. I took a bite of a bagel and spit it out. I took a bite of a Krispy Kreme doughnut and spit it out. I picked up a bag of potato chips and chose not to touch them. I couldn’t eat anything. All I wanted to do was to find Sarah, Emma and the rest of Team Brian and celebrate. When I found everyone, I smiled and sat. I took a minute to take in what I had just done.

It still has not sunk in what I have accomplished. I’d say that if it were up to miles 22 through 25 of the Columbus Marathon, I would never run another. Fortunately, there’s mile 26.2, an ice bath, a hot shower and 3 ibuprofen that got me thinking I could do this again. And now, there’s 3 days removed and knowing I could do better the next time.

And most importantly, knowing that I still have some unfinished business with that 26.2 mile distance.

The Night Before, The Night Before

I am off for Columbus in the morning. It will take about the same amount of time to drive to Columbus that I'll be running the marathon. That's pretty crazy!

I have started to pack and I didn't realize how involved it would be. This is insane...I'm just running, that's all!

Well, this will be my last entry until I run 26.2 miles! I look forward to writing about the event in a few days - hopefully with a smile on my face!

(BTW - Congrats to Kelly and Mike! And welcome to the world Audrey! Glad you are here to cheer me on too!)

An Addendum...

To my previous blog.

I meant no offense to anyone who felt slighted by my “support team” comment. I was only referring to those who would physically be in Columbus on Sunday. Of course my overall support team would also include my mom, my sisters Kelly and Katie, my brother-in-law Mike, my niece Baby Steffen (who is on her way), my mother-in-law and father-in-law, my friend Curtis and anyone else who I have forgotten!

Thank you all.


On a side note, I am still feeling like crap and am going to the doctor today. Hopefully I can get on some good drugs that will knock out this funk by Sunday. Of course, I’ll be running no matter what - it may just be a bit slower!

Humbled

I am a humbled person.

To say I have a great support system is an understatement. My wife, my daughter, my family and even my wife’s family. Someone or someones has or have always been there for me. In good times (which is 99.9% of the time) and in bad times (which I have had my share).

This has been no more evident than the past 5 months. Ever since I seriously started talking about running a marathon this year, I have had support. When I was still unsure about running this distance, Sarah turned to me and said I could do it. Even Emma has been really hyped to see me run a marathon. It is a blessing to have these two women in my life and I feel their love and support on a daily basis.

I also have two very supportive parents. My mom and dad have never told me I couldn’t do anything. Even when all I wanted was to study art in college with who knows what kind of job prospect on the other end! They have been supportive of all my major accomplishments - even going out of their way to be there in person for these events.

I am aware of how much my mom wanted to be here this weekend for my run. However, another major event is about to take place in our family. My sister, Kelly, is about to give birth - in the next few weeks - to her first child. So, Grammy is on standby one to fly to Salt Lake City to be there. A perfectly reasonable excuse! Now, I think, what is dad doing in all this? Well, usually, he stays at home and “mans the fort” while mom travels.

But it has come to my attention (strictly through my own detective work) that my dad is going to fly across country this weekend to watch me run 26.2 miles. This is what humbled me. That they would be willing to put their lives on hold and spend the money for a plane ticket to watch me run 26.2 miles. Honestly, my support team (Sarah, Emma, Aunt Jean, Grandma & Dad) might get lucky to see me once or twice in the 4-1/2 hours I expect to be out on the course. That’s a long time for them to be braving the cold to watch me run. But knowing that they are all out there in the crowd somewhere has boosted my strength and spirit this week.

So, while I was surprised that this had been planned for so long, I’m not really that surprised that my dad is going to be here. Because he and my mom are just doing what parents should do - going out of their way to make sure their kids know that they are loved.

I only hope I can be half as good to Emma as they have been to me!

For the record - I figured it out. Sarah only told me because she didn’t want to lie to me.

The Pressure Is On

Sinus pressure that is...

I’ve been battling some sinus issues for the past 3 days. It has gotten to the point where I am about to call the doctor and get on some meds. The only problem is, I don’t want to be wiped out in any way between now and Sunday. I would also like for my sinus issues to be stopped now and not move down into my lungs. So in writing this blog, I believe I have decided I will call the doctor.

Of course, some of this could just be in my head. I’ve been told by fellow runners, who have a good bit of marathon experience, that this is perfectly normal. We’ll see. At this point, there’s not much that’s going to stop me anyway.

So now I relax for the next few days. An easy 3 mile run on Friday will be my last before the big one.

Taper Madness Has Set In

“The Tapering Marathoner will be irritable, anxious, nervous, overly emotional, short-tempered, restless, tired, cranky, depressed (even more than normal). Sounds like a great three weeks doesn’t it?  It is not unlike the addict going cold turkey. This is a span of time where most Marathoners go a bit crazy.”

First and foremost, I am sorry Sarah and Emma!

I realized last night - via Sarah pointing out how moody I’ve been over the past few days - that I am experiencing Taper Madness. It is not fun, nor did I expect it to happen to me. It caught me off-guard. When I was thinking of training for a marathon I had read about the taper and how difficult it can be. However, knowing this information, I figured I go into the taper and not have anything happen to me. I guess that’s why it’s completely thrown me for a loop.

So, again, I tuck my tail and want to let Sarah and Emma know that I am sorry for my moodiness. I’m hoping we all can deal with this for the next 10 days and that by race day, it’ll be gone and all will be right with the world again!



Of course, I won’t mention the “Post-Marathon Blues...”

Less Than Two Weeks

That’s right, in less than 2 weeks, I’ll be a marathoner. I can’t wait. Well, I can wait. I’ve enjoyed the training and I am trying to enjoy the taper. I don’t feel like I’m doing enough, but I guess that’s to be expected.

We ran the last double-digit long run this past Saturday. An easy 12 miler. It’s funny to write that, an “easy 12 miler.” But it was easy. It was a piece of cake compared to the 22 miles the week before. We started out at 5 am. We took it slow for the first 7 miles and then gradually increased our speed for the rest of the run. In fact, at one point I looked at my watch and saw we were running at a sub 7:00. Now, that’s fast! (For me...)

I beginning to gather my overall thoughts regarding my training. There have been a lot of ups and downs, some frustrations and injury. I look back on the way I was feeling back in May when I was still unsure about the training and the marathon. 26.2 miles was an overwhelming distance to me back in May. I looked at that distance and thought, I can do this, but it’s going to be darn near impossible. Of course, I remember thinking a half-marathon was an unachievable distance. And now I’ve run 2 and could go run one today if I had to. 13.1 miles seems like an easy weekend run to me now.

I’ve gone back and read some of my first blogs, about how nervous I was or unsure I would be adventurous enough to take this journey. Since then, I’ve logged over 480 miles, made it through a foot injury and have run a 20 mile and a 22 mile long run. It has definitely been a “Marathon Adventure!” Most importantly, Sarah and Emma have been EXTREMELY supportive - through the ups and the downs. From waking Sarah up early (as early as 2:45 am) and telling her I was heading out to making plans for Emma to sleep at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s so I didn’t miss a long run when Sarah was not home to me going to bed early and missing quality time with Sarah. Not to mention, I am running this marathon on her birthday! I have tried to work around our home schedule without disrupting it as much as possible (hopefully, maybe Sarah!?). I can already see myself wondering what the next challenge is going to be. Sarah has already asked if I was considering a marathon in the spring!

Well, I know this for certain, I can’t answer that until October 19. If all goes as well as I’m hoping it should, then I plan to be training again soon. I might just be addicted to this marathon thing.

(If it’s ok with Sarah and Emma, that is!)

I Survived...

(I wanted to post this 3 days ago, but life seems to have gotten in the way!)

More like, I kicked butt! 22 miles down and a marathon to go!

Saturday started out VERY early. I woke up at 2:45 am ready to go. I put out the water and Gatorade and was at the gym ready to go at 3:30. We started out for an initial 12 mile loop. It’s amazing how many crazy people are out at 3:30 in the morning. What are these people doing? I know I’m nuts for being out that early, but when do people sleep?

During our 12 mile loop the skies opened up on us a few times. This actually felt great as it was 72° and felt like 100% humidity. The first 12 seemed pretty easy. We just got out and ran and relaxed knowing there was a long way to go.

When we got to the gym, we decided to “mix things up” on the next 10 and go out to the water stop “backwards.” Backwards from our “normal” 10 mile route. This just about killed me. It was too late to turn back when I realized we were running on a gradual uphill for 3 miles. It was everything I could do to get to our water stop. My legs have never felt so tired.

Our intended route back to the gym - running it “backwards” - would be over a lot of hills. There was no way I was going to be doing that. From this point, we had 2 options: Go back the same way we just came or Run the 3 miles back to the gym and only do a 20 mile run. That’s right, ONLY 20 miles. I let everyone know what the options were and waited for input. With some hesitation, the majority said it would be fine if we went back the same way we came (i.e. downhill for the most part). So off we went, back down 31W for the third time that morning, knowing when we reached the gym, we’d be done and have completed 22 miles.

I actually felt really good when we finished. I wasn’t hobbling around and I waited a couple of hours to take any ibuprofen. All in all, it was a great run. I officially feel ready for Columbus. It’s only 17 days away and I can’t wait!

Am I Ready?

I guess I’ll have to be.

That’s my answer to the question, “Am I ready for the 22 miler in the morning?” I honestly haven’t been focusing too much on the run this week. Sure I think about it, but I’m trying not to dwell on it. It is the last long distance run before the marathon and I’m beginning to experience the down side to training. Everything I have been focused on for the past 4 months is now in the final stages. I’ll certainly miss the long runs, but I’ll also enjoy taking it easy for some time. I’ll miss sticking to a schedule, but I’ll enjoy being a bit more carefree with my running.

What a mix of emotions! I’ve always heard about the ups and downs of training for a marathon, but here I am, finally experiencing them. The more I think about it, the more “numb” I feel. It’s a very odd feeling.

The only thing I am not looking forward to about tomorrow’s run is the potential for rain. Kentucky has been swamped with rain this past week. the good news is, it’s coming to an end. The bad news is, the end is on Sunday. But, I must carry on, even in the rain. There are no guarantees that on Oct. 18th it’s going to be sunny and cool in Columbus. (Although those of you who want to pray for that, I won’t complain!) Rain is always a possibility and I guarantee that after all this training, I will be running that marathon - no matter the weather conditions! So, we’ll see how tomorrow goes. We start at 3:30 am and will most likely be going until around 7:30 am. Nothing like 4 hours of running to get your weekend started!

After this weekend, the taper officially begins. I’ve also read that “taper madness” can set in and to be aware of the symptoms. I’ve been building up my milage and focusing on my schedule and suddenly, everything drops off. Of course, the theory behind this is that the taper gives the body time to heal and be as close to 100% ready as possible for the 26.2 miles. It’s a great theory, but I just know it’s going to be hard to not run as much and truly give my body a chance to heal.

Certainly more to come on that!

Burnout, “Only” 10 Miles, and Feeling Good

The title pretty much sums up the past week of my running.

First, the “Burnout.” Last Monday I barely rolled out of bed to run a 5 miler. I was exhausted still from the 20 miler on Saturday. I wondered why I was getting up and why did I have to run that day. It was a classic case of training burnout. I’d had it. I was done.

Somehow I managed to get up and run. Surprisingly, I was not as sore as I expected to be that morning. Monday done. Next up, Wednesday and a 6 to 7 miler. Again, this was not a good run. I was tired and didn’t have any motivation to get out and run. But, again, through determination, I made it through that one. Thursday came and I swore I wasn’t getting out of bed. I was sleeping in and I was through with running. However, I did get up and did end up running 4 miles that morning. Thank God for Friday and resting. If I had to run that day, I would have been done with it for good!

And now onto Saturday.

I had an epiphany on Friday afternoon when I asked by my coworkers, “How far do you have tomorrow?” And my reply was “Just a 10 miler.”

JUST A 10 MILER?

At what point did running 10 miles become so casual? I realize I’ve been putting in some long distance runs, but “Just a 10 miler?” Well, it turns out that 10 miler was every bit as challenging as running that distance sounds. I hated the first 5 miles of this one. HATED THEM! Even thought about cutting it short. All I kept thinking about was getting home and going back to sleep. Well, thankfully I didn't turn back. I trudged on and I ended up really enjoying the last part of the run.

So, lessons learned from last week: 1) A 20 mile run will kick your butt. 2) There is no need to overdo it with running the week after a run that long. 3) Even the following Saturday, you will still be worn out!

Monday arrived and I was up and ready to go. For the first time in over a week, I wasn’t exhausted when I got out of bed. I met up with the group at the high school and we went out for our 5 mile run. I felt great the entire time! I was able to maintain a pretty fast pace for the duration.

The burned out feeling was gone and I am ready to take on the week! On Saturday, we have our longest run before the taper, 22 miles this Saturday morning. I can’t wait! And, I’ve learned my lesson from last week, no running next Monday and take it EASY for the rest of the week (and beyond). After all, Columbus is only 3-1/2 weeks away!

20 miles!

Well, it's official, I have run 20 miles at once. I still can't wrap my head around that distance. It seems so long and yet I'm still so far from the marathon distance.

The morning started at 4am. We went out for a 6 mile loop. This 6 was uneventful. We took it slow, but not as slow as in the past. Still not any problems.

Sabrina and I met up with Rick at 5am and left for a 14 mile loop. This distance is the furthest we've ever run at once from the gym, so we had a lot ahead of us. We made it to our first water stop (around mile 5 - 11 overall). It was good to stop and refuel a bit. Then it was off to the hills of our route. This proved to be challenging. We had to push each other through this part, we kept saying - Columbus won't be like this, if we can do these, then Columbus will be easy!

Whatever it took...

We made it through that part and miles 6-8 (12-14 overall) I ended up telling the story of what brought me to Louisville to begin with (Bellarmine) and the reason I still live in Kentucky (Sarah). That worked really well because I don't even remember those miles!

Another water stop and it was on to the final stretch. The run started to get quite a bit more difficult here. My legs and feet were sore. I still felt strong, but I knew that there was a lot more to go and I just had to keep moving forward. We had to detour a bit to make sure we hit 20. This was nice because it was something different. At the final water stop (mile 18 overall) I was wondering what was going to get me to the end. I stretched my legs and felt GREAT! We had planned on walking one of the final hills - not far after the water stop - but our legs felt so good, we powered on. It was also around here that my legs went numb. Not in a bad way, but I'm pretty sure they were in so much pain and so exhausted, that this was some sort of defense mechanism. Whatever it was, I didn't care, I was still moving.

Finally, I could see the end of our run in the distance. I knew we didn't have that much further to go. At this point, I started to understand why mile 20 is considered "the wall." There really was a part of me that thought, no way, I just physically cannot go any further. I now understand what people are talking about. But, I did go on. I finished that 20 miler and I won't look back.

Today, I'm a bit sore, but not too much. I look forward to my run tomorrow morning to "flush out" the long run. This week is relatively easy with a 10 mile long run this Saturday. But in 2 weeks, we're going to conquer "the wall" in our last long run of 22 miles. Yes, this leaves us 4.2 left for the actual marathon, but mentally that's nothing. And running, as "they" say, is 90% mental.

Look out Columbus!

Potentially Wet, Definitely Fast Week

So far, this week has been pretty productive. It almost wasn’t on Monday though. We decided to “sleep in” and run an hour later Monday morning. When I got to the gym it started to sprinkle. Off in the distance I could see lightning. My only thought was, who’s going to show up?

Well, everyone who said they’d run at 6 did! We laughed about who would or wouldn’t show up inside the gym and then decided it was time. As we stepped out, the sky opened up. I mean, it...opened...up! I hadn’t seen rain come down that hard in a long time. If only we had met at 5! We even saw runners from one of the other groups (runners who run in ANYTHING) come to the gym saying they weren’t going out in this downpour.

We stood there and watched as our Monday run was getting washed out. Still unsure about what we were going to do, it suddenly stopped raining. What a difference 10 minutes makes. We looked at each other and decided to chance it. As it turns out, we never saw another drop of rain. In fact, there were parts of our run that were dry as a bone. Yes, Kentucky weather.

Wednesday was supposed to be an easy day. As it turned out, we did speedwork. A nice “up tempo” run. While it felt good to do a speed session, I like to be prepared (mentally) for those kind of runs. Oh well, Thursday, Thursday will be a nice slow run before the 20 on Saturday.

Nope.

We started off at a nice steady pace. I was enjoying the leisurely pace. But then around mile 2 we started increasing our speed. Then we made a turn to go 5 miles (which is what I wanted to do). But our pace just kept increasing. In fact, my last mile this morning clocked in at 8:10. That’s pretty fast for me.

Fortunately, I have a day of recovery and then the 20 miler. I actually can’t wait to run this distance. Yes, a marathon is another 6.2 miles, but there is something mentally awesome about reaching that 20 mile mark.

Tough (But Good) Week

Well, this week started out with me skipping Monday's run. I woke up that morning and felt horrible. I guess the 10 mile warm up for the 5K wore me down more than I thought it would.

No worries though. Tuesday I was back out there running. Took it really easy that day and only ran 4 miles. This was Sabrina's (my training partner) first day back as well, so we made it a light running day. Wednesday I was out there and put in a 5 miler that morning. Feeling pretty good, I decided to run 10 on Thursday, as Sabrina had to work this weekend and she wasn't going to be able to run long. So on Thursday morning, I was up at 3:15am to meet at 4am. We went and ran 5 and came back to the gym to meet the others who "slept in." I got the additional 5 run and my time was pretty good. In fact, it was 6 minutes slower than my race time from April. Six minutes over 10 miles is not that much! I actually felt pretty good all day at work - even shocked my co-workers at my crazy stunt from that morning!

Now for Saturday. It started out normal. We ran a 5 mile loop, came back to the gym and planned an additional 5-6. The first 5 were really good and this is probably were I should have stopped. But no, I wanted to go on. I even thought that running 11 was not enough. Apparently, I forgot that I had just run 10 miles 2 days prior. Well, the second loop was hell, absolute hell! Uhg, it was miserable. I knew it was bad while I was out there, but it wasn't until later that day and into today (Sunday) that I realized how bad it was. I had to dig really deep to get through that run. Yes, ultimately this will make me a stronger runner, but I cannot express enough of the misery I felt from this run. Perhaps, running a 10 miler and then 2 days later running close to 11 may not be a good idea after all.

Well, lesson learned. This week will be a "normal" week. I've got a 20 mile run on Saturday and I'm not going to do anything crazy during this week that will zap my energy. In hindsight, I'm glad yesterday's run was so awful. I need those every once in a while. Hopefully this means the "bad one" is out of the way for a while and it's smooth sailing to October 18th! Hopefully!

I do want to take a moment and recognize my friend Ben Stafford who ran the Virginia Beach Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon this weekend! He told me his time was right around 2 hours. Outstanding! I'm really proud of him getting out to a race and hope he enjoyed it enough to do more in the future. I also hope at some point to meet up with him and run at least a half - perhaps full? - marathon with him! Nice job Ben!

Crazy Weekend

First and foremost, no, I did not run 20 miles this weekend. My training partner's back is injured and so we chose to delay that run for a few weeks. The good news is, everything's on the mend and we'll be off logging more miles in no time.

I did however go crazy with my running this weekend. I ended up calling another runner on Friday night and we ended up running an "easy" 10 miler on Saturday morning. Sounds good, right? Well, that was my "warm-up" for the 5K race I also ran that morning...

That's right folks, I went out and ran 10 miles at 5am and then ran a 5K race at 7:30am. Why you ask? Truthfully, just to see if I could do it. I wasn't interested in running my best 5K time that morning, I really just wanted to have fun. I still did pretty good considering the pre-race warm-up that I did.

26:07 was my "official" time, however, my watch said 25:59. Whatever the time was, it was still 10 minutes faster than my first 5K ever (3 years ago) and there was no way I was running ANY kind of distance before that race back then.

Back to normal this week and hopefully I'll get that 20 in sooner rather than later!


A side note to my blog tonight, Sarah wanted you to see this of Emma. She was having trouble uploading it to Emma's blog so I put it here. It is pure magic. Enjoy!

Ok, More Delayed Blogging

After countless inquiries about how I’ve been doing running I am back to blogging. Ok, really just two - sorry Sarah and Mom!

Since my last update I have logged over 37 miles - that’s in one week’s time! This included the 18 miler last Saturday. 18 miles, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that distance. And that’s knowing I’m still 8.2 miles shy of the marathon distance.

The 18 miler. Well, it all started at 3 am on Saturday. That’s what time I woke up to prep for the run. I left the house earlier than usual to drop off a water break bag. By 4 am we were off and running. We started with an easy 6 mile loop back to the gym. When we got back we picked up more company and headed out for the final 12. Nothing really exciting happened during our miles out. We did have two deer run out in the road in front of us in one of the sub-divisions we run through. We’re pretty sure one was a buck, which is unusual for me to see - I usually only come across does and fawns. That was cool. An advantage to running so early in the morning is how quiet everything is and all the wildlife I come across.

Our run time totaled 3:10:06 for the 18 miler. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good after we finished. My legs and feet were certainly hurting as we were nearing the finish, but it’s funny how 10-15 minutes later the pain subsides. I was a little sore on Sunday, but not as bad as I thought I would be.

This week has been a fairly easy week. This weekend will be a busy one. The annual Heartland Festival 5K is on Saturday. I have come to dislike 5Ks as I become a more experienced runner. For those who don’t know, a 5K is 3.1 miles. I do not enjoy the first few miles of a run. Yes, it’s true...there are parts of running I don’t enjoy. The joy I find in running is the overall experience. I have found, the further I go the more I love it! A 5K is too short. It’s an all out sprint for 3.1 miles. I have vomited more times from running a 5K than any other distance. So you ask, why am I running then? Well, I actually see it as a tradition. This 5K was the first one I ever ran 3 years ago and I feel like I have to keep that up. Plus, I’m planning on using it as my speedwork session for the week.

Although, I won’t be going that fast...because I will be doing my weekly long run the next morning. How long you ask? Well, 20 miles. That’s right, 20 miles the day after a 5K. I must be insane. I am still not sure why I want to punish myself like this, but I also look forward to the challenge. Besides, only 7 more weeks until the marathon.

Back Running, Delayed Blogging

Finally, I’m back writing about my marathon training adventure!

I’ve been back running for the past week and I have not run longer than 6 miles. The good news is my foot is not bothering me. (For an extended period.) I know, I know, it’s not 100%...so why am I running? Well, I have been very careful with my runs and my recovery and I am comfortable that I am not doing any harm to myself.

The real test was this morning. We went for the 6 miler this morning. I could tell that my foot was giving me some trouble about mile 1. The red flag went up and all I could do was concentrate on my foot. Which of course seems to mentally make the problem bigger than it really is. I focused on my foot for the next mile and decided that if it got too bad, I’d turn around and go back. Fortunately we started chatting about whatever it is we talk about to get us through the miles and the discomfort went away. I focused back on my foot - felt the discomfort again - then focused on something else and it went away again. Then, between miles 4 and 5, I didn’t feel anything...not even when I focused on my foot! I finished the run - at a pretty quick pace - and my foot was not giving me any trouble. The best part, I have not had one issue walking around today at all!

I’m not sure if this is a fluke or if I just needed a good run to “work out the kinks.” I’ll know more tomorrow - the last “short” run before the 18 miler on Saturday...

Awful News

Well, not awful, awful, but not good either. I’m off running for a few days. Possibly a week. I couldn’t be more down and out about it either.

This all started on Monday when I finished running a relatively easy 5 miler. I noticed a slight pain in my left foot. I rubbed it when I went got home and didn’t think about it again. I didn’t run on Tuesday, so Wednesday morning came and I was ready for the speed work. We were running a total of 7 miles with 4-1 mile repeats. What a killer workout! So killer, that it may have been the reason I am not running for a while. I could feel the pain returning in my foot at the end and took note.

Cut to this morning. I went out for an easy, and I mean easy, 4 mile run. As I started, I noticed my foot a bit, but it wasn’t “hurting.” In fact, I went a few miles without noticing it at all. However, we did take a walk break and I definitely noticed it there. I then mentioned something to the other runners about having some foot trouble and that I was going to the running store today. I didn’t know if I was getting new shoes or if I was going to pick up some inserts for my shoes. All I did know was that my foot was hurting and it was time to do something about it before I ended up at the doctor.

Before I go further, it is important to know I am severely flat footed. My pain is in my arch (or lack there of) and it’s tender to any pressure put on it.

So I stopped by Swags to ask about my foot and look at shoes. When I got there, I started talking to one of the employees that I trust (Steve). He was asking about what I was doing, how much I’d run and how often. He told me right off that I didn’t need new shoes. If I wasn’t having trouble before with my foot, then it’s not the shoes. He did say that it sounded like I stressed the ligament in my foot. He suggested that I ice it and take a few days off from running. Which led me to ask (in a way that I knew the answer but didn’t really want to know), “Does this mean no running this weekend?” To which he promptly replied, “Yes!” He went on to tell me that the goal of marathon training is to MAKE IT TO THE STARTING LINE. He also let me know that training for a marathon constantly toes the line with injury and that overdoing it will get you across that line.

Crap.

The logical side of my brain said - better to take a few days off than 3 or 4 weeks - while my heart says no way! Of course, this time my logical side will win. I got some good advice on my training when we talked about my schedule which I can go back to the others with. Now I just have to break the news to my training partners that I won’t be there for a few days. What is especially painful is that I was really looking forward to the 18 miler this weekend. Now that is not to be - for now. I’ll get there soon. Even sooner because I’m going to listen to my body and take a break, get better and get back out there even stronger!

A Crazy 16 Miles

First and foremost, I made it. Another record distance for me! And I actually felt better when I was done with this run than I was with the 14 miler.

But on to the craziness...

This was, without a doubt, the wildest run I've ever had in my life. It all began at 3:15 am (yes am) when I woke up to get to the gym so we could be running at 4:00 am. Nothing unusual there, just wanted to let you know how early I was up on Saturday! I was expecting two others to run the initial 6 miles with me and then meet up with the rest around 5:00 am to run the last 10. Only one showed up. Great! At least it wasn't just me! So we start out...slow! I was obsessive about keeping us at a 10:00 mpm pace or slower. 16 miles is a long way to go and I wanted to be sure to make it the full distance.

Honestly, the first 3-1/2 miles were uneventful. As we were running up Ring Road (a fairly busy 4 lane road with a "suicide" turning lane) I noticed a car coming toward us driving awfully close to the edge of the sidewalk. Then out of nowhere it drove INTO the curb and blew out it's front tire. It was very loud and it happened very quickly right in front of us! We ran off the road into the field to get as far way as possible. I'm pretty sure, based on the way the car was swerving, the driver was drunk. I wish I'd had my phone on me to call 911, but the only thing I was thinking at that moment was run and run away fast. (BTW - no one was injured, the idiot stopped in the middle of the road and changed his tire. Oh yeah, without any lights on. Where are the cops in Etown at 4:45 in the morning?) After we got some distance on the car I looked down at my watch and saw we were moving at a 9:00 mpm pace! Adrenaline, what a wonderful thing! We slowed back down to a reasonable pace and made our way back to the gym.

After a brief stop at the gym, we were off for the final 10. Soon after we started we were passing by McDonald's and noticed a group of kids running around. Each of them around 10-12 years old. Apparently they thought it would be funny to run with us. We asked them what they were doing out so early/late and one of them replied that they were bored at home. Hmmm. Then I said, "We're going 10 miles, are you up for that?" To which one of the kids said, "Oh yeah!" Then someone else asked them if they thought their parents would be ok with them running/talking to strangers. After that, they seemed to drop off and we didn't see them again. (Emma, I'm putting alarms on all the doors in the event you "get bored" at 5:00 am.)

Now, you'd think that would be all that happened...well, no, there is more. After our water stop we were running up a hill by Target. At the traffic light there were two cars full of (I'm guessing drunk at 6:00 am) college kids honking and hanging out their windows yelling at us - not in a mean way, but in a "Hey we've been out drinking all night and we don't mind making jackasses of ourselves" kind of way. Of course, all we could do was laugh and wonder what else can happen this morning?

We got the answer to that as we were running down the main road in Etown (31W). Someone drove by us honking and pointing at us like they knew us. Of course, none of us could figure out who that person was. But by then, we weren't surprised that it had happened.

Fortunately, the last 2-1/2 miles were uneventful. We made it in without anymore kids, drunks or horns honking. And just like that, the 16 miler was done. I honestly hope the 18 miler next weekend is not as wild as this run was. Who knew Etown could be such a crazy place!

Rain, Humidity and a Skunk

What is it about Wednesdays and rain lately? Two weeks in a row!

4:30 came early Wed morning and I looked out and saw the rain coming down. I checked the weather and didn’t see any info about thunderstorms in the area and the temp was 71°. So, I got in my car and drove to the gym. Again, like last week, I was hoping no one shows up so I could go home and go back to bed.

As I was hoping for, no one showed up. Then the decisions started rolling through my head - “Do I go home? Do I go in to the gym and workout? Do I just get over it and run in the rain?” After a few seconds of hesitation, I thought “Screw it!” and got out to run in the rain. After all was said and done, I was glad I did. I ended up running 4.7 miles at a pretty quick pace. The rain actually stopped about halfway though my run. But by the time I got back to the gym, it was pouring! And I could have cared less! It really was so nice to get out and run in the rain - on a warm morning.

Thursday I woke up ready to get out and run. I got to the gym and was asked, “Did you run yesterday?” Yes. “Did anyone else show up?” Nope. “You ran in the rain by yourself!? Wow.” Yeah, that felt pretty good! I ended up running 5 miles that morning. The humidity was around 100% and it felt like it the entire time. I was as wet when I returned to the gym as I was the day before in the rain! But it was nice to flush out the up tempo run from Wednesday and prep for the long run tomorrow.

Now, on to the skunk. As I was running on Wed, I was about 3 miles in when I heard a noise to my left. I looked down and saw two eyes, a nose, a little black body with a distinctive white stripe on it’s back. The run/world seemed to pause as I locked eyes with the skunk. The only thought that entered my head was “RUN!” The words that escaped my mouth was “Oh, (beep)!” My speed increased dramatically for a few moments as I did everything I could to get away from my little stinky friend. The funny thing was, I believe if he could have talked, the words to escape his mouth would have been exactly the same as mine!

The issue I had next was that I can’t smell, so I didn’t know if I had been “blessed” with the scent of skunk or not. I didn’t stick around long enough to see if it sprayed and I didn’t hear anything, so I was hoping I was safe, but I just didn’t know. When I got back to the gym I broke down and asked the desk worker if I smelled like a skunk because I have no sense of smell. He gave me a strange look and told me no and now I’m pretty sure that I can never look him in the eyes again! I was still unsure, so when I got home I went right upstairs and woke Sarah up to ask her. She laughed and said I was fine (except for my natural “post run” smell).

What a morning. And to think I would have missed out on such a great story to blog about if I had wimped out and not run in the rain!

Tomorrow is a 16 miler. I could never have imagined going that far a few months ago, but I look forward to the challenge! More to come on that very soon.

Sluggin’ Through Last Week...

Last week was tough for me. It was known as a “recovery week.” These occur ever 4th week of training. While I didn’t mind the mileage on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, I did mind the mileage on Saturday. My schedule called for a 6 mile run. I ended up only running 5-1/2 miles, mostly due to the route we took and some weather that turned out to be pretty nasty...

Now, the logical part of my brain tells me that last week was good for me. I KNOW this. But my heart - which logic generally does not control - told me that it was a lazy week. A bad kind of lazy. It was a frustrating week for me. Needless to say, I was glad when Saturday’s run was over and I could focus on the coming week.

This morning I ran a little over 5 miles. I felt like myself again. The slug has been vanquished! This is a good week. Speed on Wednesday, recovery run on Thursday and a 16 miler on Saturday. If all goes well, this will be my first 30+ miles week ever!

I can’t wait.

Rainy Day, Recovery and Crazy

Recovery from rain? No, no, no. Recovery from playing paintball...

First, the rain. I woke up Wednesday morning exhausted for some reason. I went downstairs and looked outside - it was drizzling. I expected to see it raining. In fact, I expected to see a downpour, giving me every reason in the world to go back to bed. Since it was only drizzling, I decided to head to the gym and hope that no one showed up. I wasn’t trying to avoid running in the rain, I was simply tired and wanted to go back to bed. I got to the gym and waited in my car. I waited and waited and then two of my fellow runners showed up. Dang! I guess this means we’re running...

When I walked into the gym it was still drizzling. Wen I walked out to start running, the rain had picked up. Oh well, I thought, this should actually be fun. And sure enough, it was a lot of fun running out in the rain. I like to imagine all the people in the cars passing us were thinking, “Those people are crazy!” Yeah, we are!

Our adrenaline got pumping at one point in the first mile as a dog came running/barking at us. Fortunately, it was just telling us to keep away from it’s property and nothing more. It scared the crap out of us at first, then it ticked me off. We are within city limits and there is a leash law. It’ possible that it could have gotten out on it’s own, but it’s sill the owner’s responsibility to keep tabs on their pets.

OK, off my soap box...

I must be getting serious about this marathon thing. Last night I was playing paintball for 3-1/2 hours. What a blast that was! I was out in the mud and forest, moving around, running, trying to avoid getting hit the entire time. Then, we were treated to White Castle after! I looked around the table and everyone was showing their “war wounds” and talking about how sore they would be in the morning and how late they were going to try and sleep in the next day. All the while I kept thinking about my 5 mile run in the morning. I mentioned to everyone that I was planning on that and the overall response was, “You’re crazy!” It’s funny how I’ve been hearing or thinking that a lot lately.

Well, I didn’t get in bed until 11:30 last night and 4:30 came very early! I did get out to run my 5 miles this morning. It was a good run. Tough run, but good. When I got to work and people asked me if I ended up running this morning, I told them, “Of course!”

To which I heard the response..well - you know!

Long Run and More

Well, I’ve done it. I’ve gone further than I’ve ever run before. What an adventure!

It all started Saturday morning at 3:50 am. That’s what time my alarm went off. At 4:30 am four of us were off and running. We ran the first 4 miles at a nice slow pace and worked our way back to the fitness center. We met up with another two runners and headed out for the final 10. Again, the pace was nice and steady. It was a cool morning - lower 60’s - so that made it even better. We arrived at our water break at the 9 mile mark. We fueled up and headed back out for the final 5. I felt pretty good overall. I think the excitement of going this distance was giving me strength.

We stopped again for water just before mile 12. After we started back up, I began to feel tired. My legs were aching and I was struggling to maintain my form. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and continued moving forward. Our pace had quickened, as the more experienced runners told us that this is how one trains for a marathon. Oh my. I struggled keeping pace to the end. We finally turned the corner to the fitness center and my watch beeped 14 miles complete. I stopped running and my legs felt like Jell-O. Again, one foot in front of the other. My only thought at this point was “A marathon is another 12.2 miles??? What the hell am I thinking???” Ten minutes later, I was thinking, “Bring on the 16 miles in two weeks!”

Today was the usual, quick paced, 5 miler. I wasn’t sure about getting up at first. I was really tired from the weekend. I even went to bed early last night! But, I did drag my butt out of bed and made it to the high school by 5 am. The group went out together, but by the first mile those wanting to go fast were out ahead and those wanting to take it easy were behind. While I was running faster than I should have been going, I never felt like I was pushing too hard. I’ve come to really enjoy the challenge of Monday’s run, especially coming off the long run.

We’ll see if I still feel this way after 16 miles, 18 miles, 20 miles, etc.!

My Apologies!

I’m sorry that it has been a while since I’ve posted anything. It’s not that I’m not running, it’s because I get caught up with everything else in life, then at night - when I should be writing - I just veg out!

This week has been a very good week for running. So far, I’ve put in about 15 miles. Monday was a good “recovery” run from the 12 miler on Saturday. I put recovery in quotes because a true recovery run should be slow and steady - to work out the crud that builds up on a long run. However, my run on Monday was a bit faster than expected. An 8:53 pace to be exact. (BTW-that’s fast for me.) Weather was cool to start, but I was definitely warm by the end.

Wednesday was my speedwork day. A 5 mile total run with 3 miles up tempo. My tempo averaged 7:58. This was not easy for 3 miles. Plus, I was not feeling great that morning. I was tired because I was back to my normal schedule and Monday’s run wiped me out a bit. Overall, I was happy with my speed. And I was really happy to be done!

Now Thursday...

Thursday was supposed to be an easy day. An “easy recovery” day from the speedwork. Again, supposed to be...We started out great! A nice easy 10:00 minute pace. We kept this up for the first 2-1/2 miles. Then, for some reason, a few people started to speed up. And for some other reason, I decided to as well. We were really moving for a while - then took a short walk break. Then, the real speed came into play. We started running much faster (mostly to finish faster, but also due to egos). A runner’s ego is a dangerous thing. It’s really not about outrunning someone else, but about pushing your limits to see how far/fast you can go. And we were running very, very fast. According to my Garmin, I hit a max speed of a 5:15 pace. That is insane! I was glad that it was over quickly. I then realized that elite runners move faster than that for 26.2 miles! No thank you...

Needless to say, I am thankful for my rest day today. And I can’t wait for tomorrow - venturing into the unknown territory of a 14 mile run. This is the start of my “long” runs. From here on out, except for a recovery run every 4th week and of course the taper, the runs are 16 miles or longer - topping out at a 22 miler! I am really excited.

I feel that my training is now officially beginning!

Back in the Saddle!

Finally, after a crazy week, everything seems to be getting back to "normal" around here. The sinus infection is gone and it's back to work for me - tomorrow...

I got out on Saturday for the 12 mile run. It was hot and humid as usual and I was very nervous starting out. Having only run once last week (an easy 5 last Monday) and being sick made me a bit apprehensive about the 12. My energy throughout last week was zapped. By Friday, I was feeling much better and thought the long run on Saturday would be tough, but but certainly doable. Pretty much nailed that feeling. We started out slow and steady. But, for some reason after mile 2, the pace picked up. Someone would comment that we're going too fast and we'd slow down, but soon we would be moving again. All I kept thinking was that if we continue this pace, I will not make the full 12. Fortunately, we did find a pace to keep everyone happy. We made 3 water stops - all were ABSOLUTELY necessary! By mile 10, I was just about done. I didn't have much left in the tank.

At this point, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and I started wondering if this is what the last few miles of the marathon would be like. Then I thought, that's 26 miles - this is only 12! I finally got to our stopping point and wanted to collapse. It was already everything I could do to get there, now I have to walk 1/4 mile to the gym??? I was pleased that I got through that run. I felt like it was a confidence booster.

This morning we ran 5 miles. It was at a pretty quick pace (as usual for a Monday). I was very sore starting out. But flushed out everything by the end and I'm feeling really good now. Funny thing about Kentucky weather, this morning it was cooler than Saturday, but much more humid. Within 2-3 hours, the humidity was gone and today has turned out to be one of the nicest days of the summer! I'm am so glad I didn't have to work today!

Tomorrow is a rest day then speedwork on Wednesday and an easy 4 on Thursday. This weekend I journey into the unknown. The farthest I've ever run in my life so far is 13.1 miles. I will be passing that distance with a 14 miler on Saturday!

Honestly, I can't wait!

Vacation and sickness

Yes, it has been a while since I've blogged. As the title suggests, there are two very good reasons for this. I've been in Ohio for the past 3 days - sick. I got a chance to run on Monday and that was awesome, but I have not been able to do much since.

The good news is, I am on the mend. I hope to be back up to 95%-100% by Saturday's 12 miler. And hopefully a good report!

Happy Belated Birthday America!

Very typical for me - a day late and a dollar short when it comes to birthdays!

Yesterday's run was terrible! Awful, awful, awful! OK, it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either. Having run for a few years I expect the occasional bad run. I always look forward to getting them out of the way so I can get back to the good runs. Well, Saturday, the bad run came - always seems to show up on long run days too. We went 10 miles yesterday. After 1, I was ready to head back.

I woke up at 4:30 am feeling sick. Sarah and Emma had something over the past week that finally caught up with me. So, off to a good start. Plus, I was still sore from the speed work from Wednesday. Strike two! Strike three was the run itself. It was all I could do to get through it. I never felt good. We finally made it back to the gym and I was never so happy to be done with a run!

This next week should be fairly easy. I'm on vacation so sleep can come much easier. Plus, I'll be able to take an extra day off this week from running. I've got a 12 miler this weekend, then on to distances I've never been. I really can't wait. I love this about running; even though yesterday's run was crappy, I still can't wait to get out there!

I Survived!

The first day of speedwork is done! Thank goodness. I can say that now that I've let several hours pass. It was a killer this morning. Just terrible!

Actually, it wasn't that bad. It was painful and at times it did suck, but really it wasn't that bad. We ended up doing 5 miles total - 3 miles at an up-tempo pace. The first mile was a nice warm up. The temperature outside was nice, there was a nice breeze blowing. It seemed like all would be fine. Then we hit mile two and we took off! I wasn't sure I was that "warmed up" by that point and was ready to be done right then! But I kept going. I reached mile three and I was still cruising. We went down a huge hill to our turnaround point and started back up. Uhg. I was ready to yak by the top of the hill. Fortunately, I got through that and hit mile four. I just kept going - at this point I knew I only had less than a mile to go at this speed. Finally, I reached the end of the speed distance and stopped, then took a nice stroll as I waited for everyone else to catch up. (Note: I was not the first to the stopping point...) We walked a little and then ran really easy into the gym. First week of speed - done.

As we finished, I told everyone I had "good news" and "good news" regarding next week's speedwork. The first good news was that we only had to run 2 miles at tempo during a 5 mile run. The second good news was that I wouldn't be there (VACATION!!!!!) so they wouldn't necessarily need to do that workout. Win, win!

Next up, an easy 5 and then a 10 miler on Saturday. Yeah, I think I've decided not to run the 5k and just do the full distance.

Finally a break!

From the heat! But not yesterday...

Staurday's long run was a short run - relatively speaking. We ran 8 miles in the oppressive Kentucky heat and humidity. It's really bad when at 5 in the morning, one is sweating before even starting to run. Overall it was a fast 8. We had a few slow miles but the last we ran at and 8:11 pace (this is faster than a 10k pace for me)! This marked the end of an easy week. Now onto more mileage and of course, speedwork.

I have a dilemma facing me next Saturday. There is a 5k that some of the people in my running group are planning on doing. Now I personally hate 5ks. It is and all out sprint for 3.1 miles. I usually don't feel good in a run until after 3 miles. However, I do enjoy running in a race - no matter the distance. This is not my dilemma however. The issue at hand is that Saturday I am scheduled for a 10 mile run. I feel it is more important to do the distance rather than a race. I have two options...1) Run the 10 miles and forget about the race all together or 2) Run 7 miles early and get my last 3 in the race. I am not sure what I'll do. My running partners who are racing have said they have no intention of running 7 then racing. So I'll be on my own there. I would imagine there will be others who would be willing to run the 10 with me if I went that route. So I have 5 days to make up my mind!

Now, the weather. The heat is still here, but the humidity seems to have left us for now. I've seen where it may even get down to the lower 60s at night! I'm sure it won't last long, but I will enjoy it while I've got it!

Thursday report

I'm sorry to report that nothing truly interesting has happened over the past two days of training. Wednesday's run was five miles. It was a tad cooler that morning, but the humidity was off the charts! Today was an easy four mile run. It was a little warmer today, but the humidity was still incredibly high. In fact, the humidity is still so bad around here, that I was just outside and could actually see the haze in the air - at 9:15 at night!

Uhg, I sure hope this breaks soon. It would be nice to actually stay cool on a run and not finish with a layer of sweat coating me. I think I'll suggest putting squeegees out with our water stops!

Next week the fun begins. Speed work! I really don't look forward to speed runs - nothing like going all out for a pre-determined distance. (For those who don't know why speed work is important, it teaches the body to deal with the stress of running a long distance. The more uncomfortable I can make myself in a controlled way, the better my body will respond to being uncomfortable during a long race. At least that's the theory behind it...) I am nervous because speed work is where injuries can develop. So it will be very important to do it correctly and listen to what my body is telling me during those runs.

Hopefully the blog will be a little more entertaining next week. Then again, a boring blog means I'm doing everything right and not getting hurt!

Heat Lightning

4:30 am came very fast this morning. I heard my alarm, turned it off and wanted to go back to sleep. But that darn commitment to training got me out of bed eventually. When I went downstairs, I looked outside and saw lightning. I looked closer and saw that everything was dry. So I decided I would head out and see if anyone else showed up. At the very least I could go to the gym and do something.

When I got to the high school (our Monday meeting place) there were already three people there. Then more showed up. I guess we were running!

We were treated to a light show as we went out. The "heat lightning" was incredible this morning. Bolts of lightning snaking their way through the clouds giving the illusion of clouds on fire. It was an amazing site. One I would have missed if I had slept through this run or decided to not venture out.

Good five miles this morning. Fast, yet fun. Summer has definitely set in. All I keep thinking is that Columbus in October can't be this bad...at least I am praying it's not this bad!

By the way, I was never nervous about running outside this morning. I run with runners who have years of experience. If they're not worried about the weather, then I don't worry about the weather.

Father's Day Reflection

First, report from yesterday. Twelve miles again, very hot, very humid, very glad when it was over. I had dead bugs all over me by the time I finished. It was a pure, nasty, Kentucky summer morning...oh wait, technically yesterday was still spring. Meaning, the next three months could be extremely brutal when it comes to the long runs. However, we did see a deer run out in front of us around mile five. It ran across the street, stopped, looked at us - as if to say - "You people are crazy to be running this morning!" and ran off. Yes, yes we are!

On to Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all who are reading! What a great day! I got to relax and mow my yard today! For those who don't know - I have an acre to mow. Yes I have a riding mower, but it's still an acre and it's still over 90° outside!

But I digress...

While I was mowing it occurred to me how significant Father's Day is to my running. It's because I'm a father that I run. Without meeting a certain beautiful little girl almost four and a half years ago, I would never have imagined myself being a runner. I used to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and do nothing - a lot!

Oh sure I wanted to exercise, but it always seemed like something better would get in the way - again, like sleep, food, tv, etc...There was never any motivation - even at the time Sarah and I talked each other out of doing exercise on a daily basis. I remember I used to watch the start of the Derby Mini Marathon and think, I could do that - but I don't really want to.

Then, I met Emma. My how she changed everything. Although, it did still take me another year before I really found the motivation. I also found Sarah could be very influential when it came to taking care of myself. She pointed out that at the rate I was going (with my lazy lifestyle) I would be lucky if I ever saw Emma graduate high school, college, get married, have kids, etc. - you get the point. So did I.

I've always had this fascination with running. Mostly up until that point I was fascinated with how much I hated it. But there was something about it that drew me to it. Something that said, "Hey, I can do this." So, I decided to start running - for Emma. I started by doing a lot of walking and a little running. That led to a few 5Ks. Which led to a few more, and a few more. Then, the idea of being on blood pressure medication at 32 and having sleep apnea led to more changes in my health.

Three and half years, 14 races (including two half marathons), and 60 pounds lost has led me to this path to run and complete a full marathon. Because I am a father to a precious four and half year old (had to get that last part in) I run. I run because I want to see her grow up. I run because I want to see her graduate high school and college. I run because I want to see her get married (at age 37 of course). I run because I want Emma to see that being healthy is important and no matter what is going on in your life, there is always time to exercise!

Thank you Emma for a great Father's Day!

I was attacked by...

...CARBS! Yes, that's right, carbs. And I didn't even see it coming! (More on this later.)

Today's run - easy, easy, easy 4 miler. We took our time and just enjoyed sweating like it was going out of style! It was nice just to go out and relax on this run. I went into the run pretty nervous because of my knees from Monday. Side note: on Monday, I iced my left knee and stretched it out. This morning, I spent extra time stretching to make sure I was loose before the run. I believe this helped because my knees felt just fine. I purposely took it easy, didn't push it, didn't run any more than I needed to, just ran. What a relief! And the best news is, my knees haven't been bothering me at all today!

Now, back to the carb attack...

I had not planned on eating out today for lunch, but for whatever reason, I ended up riding along to the J-Mall. (A mall close to work that has choices for everyone when no one can agree on where to eat.) When I got there, I knew I was going to have pizza from Sbarros. While I was in line, I decided the bread sticks looked good, ordered two and made it a combo. When I sat down to eat, this hunger beast inside me took over and I tore into the pizza and bread sticks like they were the last scraps of food on Earth! This stuff never tasted so good!

After I had my fill (which by the way, there was a fair amount of a bread stick left) I realized that I had some kind of carbohydrate craving! Apparently the increase in running has set my body into carb deficiency mode. I certainly hope this does not become a daily occurrence as my weekly mileage increases, but it was a lot of fun!

The lesson I learned from this: Running is good!

Pains are starting...

I'm a little nervous. Actually, I am scared out of my mind. I've been sitting at work today with one thing on my mind. My left knee is bothering me a little. Uhg, not again! I'm really hoping that it's just from the mileage I've run in the past three days and nothing more. Fortunately, tomorrow is a rest day. Here's hoping all will be well by Wednesday morning.

Now for today's report. Another very humid morning in the city of Elizabethtown - close to 100%. So bad, that it was extremely foggy this morning. But, oh well! Today's run was fast, mostly because I wanted to challenge myself. The group split about two miles into the run and I was initially in between. I made the choice to keep up (as best I could) with the faster group. We were moving at a fast pace, but I was holding my own. I got a little break when we stopped for water around mile four. Then it was off to the races to finish strong and it was mostly uphill. But I did it!

I've earned my day off tomorrow!

Let the long runs begin

12 miles. Yes, 12 miles this morning! This is longest I've run since the mini marathon in April. And it felt like it!

(A note of warning: I am planning on being very frank about what happens to me out on these runs. Lots of "fun" things happen to runners when the distance gets longer...You have been warned. OK, it's really not that bad...)

Overall, the run was really good. We took our time and made it through the 12 miles. A few water stops and a few walk breaks along the way makes for a good time. It was also pretty warm and really humid this morning. Needless to say I was soaking wet by the end. As we were walking to the gym after we finished, one of my fellow runners looked at me and said "You're bleeding." The first thing I did is feel my face. Then, it dawned on me what was bleeding. That's right, my nipple. Ouch! A wet shirt rubbing for 12 miles will cause a lot of pain! I actually had a feeling that this was going to happen today. The distance and the humidity made for the "perfect storm." However, if this was the only issue I had with this run (which it was) I'll take it - there are far worse things, believe me!

Now it's onto another easy week - no speedwork yet and then capped off by another 12 miler. This time I will be prepared for the rubbing!

Washed out!

What a night here in Kentucky (at least Etown)! Lightning and thunder woke me up around 2 am. Pretty strong stuff as I usually sleep right through storms. The rain started falling harder and all of a sudden, it sounded like rocks hitting the windows...that's right, hail! It was pea sized, but enough to get me out of bed to check the weather alerts. Nothing severe, but we were under a tornado watch until 6 am. I crawled back into bed and had a restless sleep after all the while hoping the storms would pass before 5 am so I could get my run in.

No such luck.

I was startled out of bed by thunder and lightning around 4:30 - right before my alarm was about to go off. I wearily worked my way down to the computer hoping still, that the radar was going to indicate this round was about over. It was not to be. The rain was coming down in sheets and the lightning was "cloud to ground" as all the weather alerts stated. So, I worked my way back upstairs to bed. I decided to watch the show mother nature was putting on for a little while. It really was beautiful - continuous lightning and rolling thunder. Finally, back to sleep for another few hours.

When I woke up at 6:30, I looked out and it was still raining. I realized I made the right choice by not running and I hope everyone else who was meeting this morning did as well. I still feel a little regret and a lot of guilt for missing the run. But I know I have my 12 miler to look forward to on Saturday and I'll still get over 20 miles for the week.

Plus, the whole not being struck by lightning or not being hit by a car who couldn't see me in the driving rain is a positive!

On a side note: When Emma woke up this morning and came into our room, I asked her if she heard the storm last night. Her response was, "It stormed last night?" At least one of us in the house got a full, restful night's sleep!

I was wrong!

Really!

My mistake!

(Somewhere Sarah is hitting the floor...)

I'm actually running 12 miles THIS Saturday!

I know - what a teaser title. You're thinking: "So what?" "Why are you so excited about 12 miles?" "No normal person would want to run that!"

Well, I'm ready to start putting some long mileage back into my training. There is such a feeling of accomplishment to run a long distance. Of course, I had to break it to my running group this morning that I was wrong about the 10 they were expecting on Saturday. No worries for them though, the 12 mile loop I'm planning to run has plenty of opportunities for them to head back to the gym and not go the full distance. This will really come in handy for them as my mileage increases!

Nothing crazy to report about today's run. Easy four miles at a slow pace. It was hot, humid and miserable. I was sweating before we even started running and the air was as thick as pea soup. (Full disclosure, I've never had pea soup, so I'm not really sure how thick it actually is! But it sounds good...) Speedwork starts in the next few weeks, so Wednesday's reports will hopefully be more interesting. Although, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

What a difference...

...two days makes! Ahh, Kentucky. The weather never ceases to amaze me, especially how quickly it can (and does) change. I've heard that if you don't like the weather in Kentucky, stick around for a half hour!

Two days removed from the perfect running weather and the temperature at 5 AM is 20 degrees warmer and the humidity is about 75%! And it's only June!

Other than the heat, this morning's run was an easy 5 miles. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. After the workout I got on Saturday moving boxes/building shelves/unpacking boxes for 8 hours at Sarah's brother's new house, I wasn't as exhausted as I expected. I did choose not to go too fast today (a 9:18 pace) and four of my fellow runners were all too happy to run at that pace as well.

Tomorrow is a day off and then back at it on Wednesday and Thursday. I've got a 10 miler this Saturday, but I'm really looking forward to the following weekend when the mileage starts increasing!

For some reason I just love long runs!

Saturday report (on Sunday)

Yesterday I ended up running 9-1/2 miles. A good long run. The best part was how perfect the weather was for running. When we started, it was 50º. (In June!) By the time we made it to our water stop 50 minutes later, it had cooled off to 48º! When we finished, it was around 50º again.

Let me repeat myself, this was perfect running weather! I ended up wearing a short sleeve shirt and shorts - the right amount of clothing (not too many layers and not dying of sweat/heat exhaustion). It was nice and cool - almost cold - when I started and I warmed up fast. The further along I went, the better the chill in the air felt. By the time I finished, I was still sweating, but cooled down very quickly. I actually got a little cold after and had the heat on as I drove home!

Some additional news...

I may have found a few others to train with me here in Etown. There has been some expressed interest in the Columbus Marathon and even the Half-Marathon by some of the people I run with. This would be great to have a few additional fools to train with! Plus, my long runs are going to start increasing soon and it would be nice to have company as that mileage starts to build - right now, my longest training run before the race is scheduled for 22 miles!

Thursday's Run = Wet Run

When I woke up this morning and looked outside, I saw a good amount of rain coming down. You see, I was expecting to see the rain, but hoping against hope my expectations would be wrong. I looked at the radar and it showed a big green blob over where we live, but not at the gym. Yes!

Wrong.

As I drove to the gym, the rain never let up. It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make me wonder if anyone was going to show up to run. Well, they did. There were four of us this morning that chose to brave the rain (and cooler temps, I might add). Sure, it was cold at first and uncomfortable. But as we went, the rain seemed to let up. I'm sure it was drizzling on us throughout, but the more I ran, the hotter I got and the better the rain felt. By the end, I was thankful for the rain. I actually enjoyed it!

I'm writing about this because in the past, I have done everything I could to avoid running in the rain - "sleeping through my alarm," "forgetting to set my alarm," "not feeling good," etc. I might have taken a step in the right direction to get past my "fear" of running in the rain. Running in the rain really should be easy - hell (funny choice of a word), with as hot as it can get here in Kentucky, by the time I finish a summer run, it's like I've been out in the rain anyway. (All together now, "Ewww, gross!")

Lesson hopefully learned. Running in the rain is enjoyable (down to a certain temperature - that is a line I'm not sure I'll ever be able to cross!)

On a side note, I am starting to get very excited about the marathon in October. I know this is the right decision and I really look forward to the training as much as the race itself.

What's done is done...

Well, it's official. I have signed up to run 26.2 miles in Columbus, OH on October 18th of this year.

Wow...

I'm not sure if it's relief, excitement or absolute terror that I'm experiencing right now. Everything feels numb. Now that I am registered, I can start to focus on my training and really dig in to meet my goal of finishing a marathon this year.

Wow...

Monday, Monday...

...So good to me.

This morning's run was truly an exciting run. The group I usually run with meets at the local high school track with another running group every Monday. There were 11 of us out there this morning, getting up at 4:30 am to meet a 5. (Are we nuts or what?) The other group has VERY strong runners and as usual, we went out fast. (Fast for me is anything consistently under 8:45 minutes per mile.) We got to the three mile mark of what is usually a 5 mile run and I look at my watch and it says we are moving at 7:30 mpm! Now, according to the Garmin this was only at that moment, but what I want to emphasize is that we were moving. At that point, the people I normally run with decided to break off from the speed demons and head back to the track at a more comfortable pace.

As we were nearing the high school I looked to see we were only at the 4.2 mile mark and we really wanted end up running the 5. So we decided to turn left and go "around the block" to our cars. Well, that ended up adding another 1.7 miles to our run! So, we start out thinking we were only going 5 and end up coming in just shy of 6! And I ended up feeling so good, I could have done 6 more!

This is why I really love running - there are so many unknowns every time I lace up my shoes and hit the streets.

More decisions, decisions

I'm having trouble deciding which marathon to run this fall. You'd think 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles right? But apparently all marathons are not created equal. There are locations, dates on which the race falls, hilly or flat or trails, number of participants and number of spectators. So many things to consider.

The Indianapolis Marathon in Nov seemed like a good idea. It's flat, the date worked, Indy is relatively close to Etown. However, it is also a new race - this is the second running - and I'm concerned about the number of participants and how big the crowds will be.

For those of you who have never raced before, these last two elements are vital to a good race (for me). The bigger the number of runners, the more energy to feed off of - the same goes for the crowds that cheer the runners on.

The Columbus Marathon has everything I would look for in a race. The marathon is in October, Columbus is also relatively close to Etown, the course is flat (so I've read and been told), 5000 people running the 26.2 together and the crowds are plentiful (again, so I've heard). Plus, Columbus is an established race - it has been around for a while and people who have run it say good things about it.

Seems like it would be an easy choice, right? Well, if I choose to run this race, I'll be asking for another "sacrifice" from Sarah. October 18, the day of the race, is Sarah's birthday. Birthdays are very special to Sarah and I want to make sure that day will be. I know we'll have a great time - we'll probably end up making a weekend out of it! I just want to thank her (again) for her support and let her know how much it means to me! And of course, Emma too!

I love you both!

It has begun...

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
-Lao-tzu

Or in my case, 26.2 miles.

This morning I ran a little over 5 miles. During this run, a feeling came over me that I was doing the right thing by training for the marathon. Of course, this is easy to think on the first day in the first week of 24 weeks of training. Everything felt right. I'm looking forward to this journey more and more every day. Now the only thing left to make it official is to sign up to run the race.

Until next time...

A Saturday long run

Today was the last "recreational" long run before training begins. Ten miles, nice and slow. It's actually pretty easy to get through these runs with a group. We're all suffering together and we'll all finish together.

I have sent out a few invitations to family an friends to follow me. (Hello to all of you and thanks for showing some interest.) I may very well have decided as of last night that I am going to go through with this thing. I guess when I clicked on that "Send" button I committed myself to this adventure. Let me tell you that I sat here and looked at that button for about 5 minutes before I clicked it.

Honestly, for the next 3 or 4 weeks it won't be much different than what I run normally. After that is when the work begins. My main focus for the next few weeks is to slowly start adding miles without hurting myself. (For those of you who don't know, I injured my knee in January from adding too much mileage too quickly training for a half marathon. Three weeks of no running and 10 visits to physical therapy make me a little more cautious these days.) BTW - I did get to run that half marathon at the end of April.

Until next time...

Will I or Won't I?

Welcome to my first blog entry - ever.

I started this blog to document my journey through my first marathon. I am still unsure whether I'll be running one or not. I know what you're thinking, why am I blogging about training for and running a marathon if I haven't even committed? Well, I need to start somewhere and I need to get how I'm feeling off my chest. Most likely I'm extremely nervous about this adventure. There is a lot of work ahead of me, but I really want to complete a marathon and I feel that I am as ready as I'll ever be. I was encouraged a little this morning when the group I run with told me they would help me out.

Training technically starts next Monday for the November 7th marathon. Decisions, decisions...

Until next time.