Six times three

Sunday morning was nothing like the stormy Thursday. The sky was a pleasant blue, tarnished by the smoke from the burning substation off in the distance. We lost power during the storm Thursday (yeah… the one I was out running in). Then on Saturday the date-night movie was ruined by the power going out again, this time while we were in the movie theater. The cause of the outage was a sub-station that caught fire and exploded. On Sunday when I headed out for my 18 mile run, the station was still burning.

One lap around the Hillsboro airport is almost exactly 6 miles. Very handy for an 18 mile run. I parked my car on a little dead-end road near the airport and trotted out. It was cold (around 35 degrees) but pleasant when dressed right. Not much wind and overall just a wonderful day.

The first lap flew by. I stopped at the car and drank some fluids, ate a few slices of orange and chewed a bit on a powerbar and headed around again. After the second pit stop it was a bit harder to get moving again. Normally on my runs I only stop if I am at an Intersection, but I have to say after the second lap where I actually sat down, it was hard to get moving again. I felt like a train trying to build up some steam.

Everything felt pretty good until about mile 17. Then I started to hurt. Nothing in particular… just everything. I was trying very hard to hold on to 9 minute miles, and it appeared I was on my way. But after mile 17, I just wanted to finish… I didn’t care whether it was a 15 minute mile. When my watch beeped that I was done, I hit the stop button and my pace came up.

Exactly... 9 Minute miles.

For a split second I felt emotional and did the little suck of wind you hear when people are fighting crying during a sad movie. Of course, being a man I quickly beat that piece of emotion back into the closet when it belongs and threw the key away again. =) It was quite an effort to keep that pace, especially at the end. The goal I set for myself long before I knew better, was under 4 hours. If I kept the 18 mile pace I’d be at 3:54. The only problem is that… well… I know at this point I could not keep that pace up. I do have another 4 months of training though.

Through the storm

Last Thursday was my most ridiculous run ever. For the most part I believe in sticking to a schedule with robotic like precision. I don’t want to have to ask myself… ‘should I run today?” It is easier to just follow the chart. Sometimes the chart and the weather don’t get along very well though. Thursday I was scheduled for 6 miles. The weather was very iffy. By iffy I mean we were expecting 100mph winds on the coast and a ton of rain. I didn’t want to run at the gym though, so after testing the waters so to speak, I headed out anyway.

Big mistake.

When I started my run is was very blustery but just barely raining. I’ve been out in similar weather, so no big deal I thought. It was one of those days where the wind seemed to be coming from every direction at times, and the gusts bump you about like you are slam dancing at the Mayor’s Ball. (Not that I know anything about that) ;) Anyway… before I’d reached the 1 mile mark, the rain joined the wind, and the wind obviously thrilled at the new company, really started to rock. It was predominately at my back for the first 3 miles, and somewhere past the 2 mile mark it really picked up, and it occurred to me… ‘oh…my… God… I am going to have to turn around and head into this mess’.

My normal turn around point is a bridge over a beautiful pond. I couldn’t get there though… because the pond was flooded up over the entrances to the bridge.

And then I turned around.

In the NW our storms don’t have cool names. In general we don’t even refer to them once they are gone. Occasionally one will pick up a lasting name… like the ‘Columbus’ day storm, but in general they come and go with generic terms like the ‘wind storm’ or the ‘ice storm’. The storm last Thursday, while lacking a proper name, was one hell of a storm nonetheless. “Hurricane like” it was described as. And there I was, one man soaked to the bone plodding along in his Nike running shoes against a very pissed off Mother Nature... like I’d just brought her daughter home late from a date with lipstick all over my face.

The second leg was as bad as I feared. The wind was gusting near the airport at more than 50 mph. The next closest town to us recorded 70 and next the the airport I bet it was pretty darn close to that. The rain was stinging my face like little needles. Bits of trees were flying everywhere. I could hardly see, and I was not making much progress at ALL into the wind. A few hundred yards and I was just about spent, but I still had 3 miles to go. Those 3 miles were the slowest I have covered so far in my training, and unless I decide to run up Mt. Hood, they will always be my slowest. To say I was soaked might be an understatement. It was like I had been swimming. At times I was running through 3-4 inches of water... and there was no getting around it either.

When I stopped at an intersection to cross, with the wind and rain in full force, it really sunk in how stupid I was to be out there. I wished I could teleport myself my self back home. The whole thing wasn’t hard-core, it was idiotic.

I vow never to run in hurricane like conditions again, but at least now I know that if I am trapped in one with 6 miles to run to safety… I can do it. =)

The Storm Part III - Abort Abort

Due to bad weather, I diverted around my scheduled 18 mile run this Sunday. Instead, I bought a 11'4'' Christmas three and hauled it into the house, then out, then in... (it was one mother of a tree and took some coaxing to get planted straight in our living room) "Does that look straight to you?"
"Um well... it depends on how you have your head tilted." Actually... it wasn't really the weather. My legs were dead tired. I topped 40 miles this week for the first time, and there just wasn't enough juice in them for 18 miles the next day. Yes... I could have done it anyway... but I believe it would have probably done more harm than good. I have plenty o slack in my training schedule actually... I need to be careful or I will peek too soon.
I have a neutral foot. I suspected as much, and stuck my foot in some water and then on some black paper to verify. In that respect, from a running point of view (especially for long distances) I am very lucky. There is a lot you can do to train and take care of your body, but some of it comes down to genetics. I can remember my cross country coach, Jack Oft (yeah we laughed about his name) saying that I had a perfect body for running. It wasn't really my feet =) but the fact that I was skinny and had relatively decent form. I did definitely have the body of a long distance runner. Of course, sometime between adolescence and adult hood, that perfect long distance running body up and ran away. I do have relatively the same two feet though, and they have served me well.

Last night as I was nearing the ¾ mark of my run, the sun was setting to the west over the cascade range... lol... like the sun could ever set to the EAST... but anyway... it was one of those amazing and awe-inspiring moments that can just rock your world. Missing that sunset would have been a crime. Running takes you places (bumper sticker?, OK maybe not... how 'bout Marathon runners do it long and slow? Uh no... some do run fast... how about "My Dad went to Boston, ran a marathon and was too tired to buy me a T-shirt, so he just wrote this on my chest with a black permanent marker", or... "Pardon me... I've got the runs..." or "Boston Marathon 2008. I was going to run a 10K, but I got lost and was too stubborn to ask for directions")

ANYway... running takes you places that you may not ordinarily be, and sometimes the results are amazing. When I was in the Army, some of the most god-wakeful situations could be amazing in their own way. I remember being on an exercise in Alaskan wilderness near Fairbanks... it was very cold... -30 -40 -50 all the same... and the wind was blowing right through our SUSV (google it... it is a military vehicle built for snow) and at some awful hour of the morning (midnight) my SUSV was wandering around a snow storm trying to find our unit. The conversations went something like "where the hell are you?" "on top of a hill" "so are we... what do you see?" "nothing but blowing snow... it is pitch black". It was desolate. Finally we gave up and hunkered down for a break in the storm. I crawled into my super military sleeping bag... ducked my head inside... and I could still feel the cold blowing through the vehicle... through my bag. It was not good. It was the kind of night where the cold could do some serious damage. While I was in the shiver state (good sign... very good... the comforting numb bliss of hypothermia is where it gets dangerous) the wind died down, the snow stopped... and the clouds parted to show the most amazing northern lights I ever saw. If you have only seen them on TV... forget it... not the same... but there they were, so beautiful you could cry. That moment... like the moments I experience sometimes while running... would have been missed if I had not ventured out into the storm ( regardless of whether I had to abort on the 18 miler) =)

Long runs are like...

Long runs are like hangovers. Soon afterwards when I am feeing the pain I think to myself 'never again!' This continues to the next day. By the 2nd day after to run have to hobble out again and do my recovery run. At that point I am still usually not very happy about the whole running experience. By the 3rd day I have forgotten about the pain enough that I am willing to try it again. Lather rinse repeat.

My computer room is littered with running attire. Hats, jackets, sweat pants, running shirts etc… etc… all hanging to dry out before I can toss them in the laundry. Actually, there are quite a few things hanging around that are probably dry already. I must have at least 10 running hats. I usually reject two or three with the sniff test before I find one that won’t make my eyes water during the run.

My cats know what it means when I reach for my running shoes. They are creatures of habit, and they are quite aware of my routines, and they know when I reach for the running shoes, I am getting ready to head out the door. The are also aware that when I come back in the house, I am in a sorry state of exhaustion. Neo, the most expressive of my cats, looks at me like ‘NOOOO!!! Don’t do it!!!’ when I reach for the shoes. In some ways… cats may be smarter than humans.

The storm week 2

I live it a great place to run for a running computer geek. Sounded by Nike and Intel, it is a running computer geeks dream. My typical run route takes my by the Hillsboro airport, where if I am lucky, the Nike hanger is open. It is lit gloriously and on the back wall massive sports banners hang from the ceiling to the floor. Nike has a couple of private jets that call the hanger home, and if the jets are not parked inside, a couple of fancy sports cars may be waiting for their arrival to wisk their high profile cargo off to the just as impressive Nike headquarters.

My runs also take me by the Intel Hawthorn Farms campus. I have to say I am glad Intel is near. Geeks are awesome. When I live on the East site of the Willamette, geeks were a rare breed. Over by Intel, they are everywhere, and I feel right at home.

Today’s run took me by neither landmarks however. I was physically sick during yesterdays simple 4 mile run… but I was shaken enough that I decided to run around the track at the local high school, so I could make a quick exit if I was sick again. It turns out… I managed to finish the 16 miles without stopping. One Powerbar and 2 12oz bottles of sports drink was enough to keep me moving. Barely. My time was atrocious. I didn’t have my GPS watch, or even ANY watch, but based on the time my play list on my IPod should have taken, and when I finished… I think it must have been around 10 minute miles. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, because I think I was running at 9 minute mile pace… so I think I missed counting some laps. I know I covered at LEAST 16 miles though.

That is a LOT of laps around a track. The surface is sure nice on the feet and legs, but it is a bit repetitive. The weather was absolutely perfect. Cold… but perfectly sunny. Wonderful wonderful weather for this time of year. Next week I have an 18 miler. Hopefully somehow to pain of today’s run will be gone by then. =) I am almost done with the 10,12,14,16,18 long run sequence. The long runs are insanely long. Maybe I will download an audio book for next weeks run. That might keep my mind occupied.

I am exhausted right now. Hobbling around the house. I feel like I am 80. I am too tired to feel that good about my run… my longest ever!!! Maybe tomorrow or the next day I will get the wind in my sails to enjoy it.

"Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired." - Jules Renard

The Storm Week 1

I finished the 14 miler Saturday at 8:48 pace. It was faster than I planned on running. I wasn’t really pushing for any pace in particular, just running. My long run was supposed to be on Sunday, but about 1 on Saturday the sun was shinning, and I knew there couldn’t be too many nice days like that left in the year, so I quickly changed my plans and headed off in into the wild blue.

The run went OK I guess. I took my IPod along for the first time in a long time and I am glad I did. Two hours is a long time to be out there, and I already am familiar with the damage an annoying tune can do on a long run when it gets stuck in your head. You know… I knew the long runs would be hard. I was warned. I was warned again. Everyone said, ‘find a running partner for the long runs’, but no… in order to save some time… I just run alone. And I tell you what… those long runs can get pretty freaky. I have heard that people trapped on deserted isles or deprived of social interaction can go crazy. I am thinking the same thing holds true for long runs. =)

A few times, even in the chilling cold, I ah… disconnected a bit and it was warm spring day. And that is all I have to say about that. In generally I was pretty comfortable, though my hands froze. I think gloves might be in order. My knee was killing me of course, but after two hours of running in the cold... can I really expect to feel like a spring chicken? Heck no… just waking up every day after 40 is an excuse for ibuprofen.

I tell you… I sat down to Blog on Saturday after the run, but had to stop myself. I just couldn’t do it. I know enough already to know I should just wait a bit and let my body and mind recover before I start typing away.

Any minute now I will grab my shoes and head out for a 4 mile recovery run. Err.. JOG I mean JOG. What blows my mind is that I have some 20+ mile runs coming up… with 1 day rest and then 5-7-6 on the next three. Where is the REST? When am I supposed to recover?! It seems a bit insane… but I will do the best I can. I just need to think positive, drink a lot of water, carb load, stretch, eat right, manage my time, avoid injuries, mitigate blisters, keep my shoes fresh and oh yes… maintain my sanity.

“Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more…” Henry V

The calm before the storm

Well… actually… there was a bit of storm this morning on my way to work. The wind was howling… the rain was blowing and it was another of those hurricane-like days. A few times my car almost blew off the road. About this time the clouds started to light up with the explosions of transformers... 3 of them in the span of 1 minute. It reminded my of the way the sky would like up when I was in the Army during a live fire exercise (field artillery).

For my running the storm begins Sunday with a 14 mile jaunt, and continues with a 16 mile run the next week, and an 18 miler thereafter. Good lord, that will be close enough that I will almost be able to reach out and touch the last 6 miles.

Can I make it through the next three weeks? Will my body physically stay in one piece? Right now… I don’t know. I will give it my all, and let the chips fall where they may. I will have to be one hydrating fool, and watch my nutrition very carefully.

My shoes were so soaked after my run on Sunday I put them in the garage. Big mistake. Now they smell like one of the dead things I pass on the side of the road. Mental note, never leave wet things in the garage.

I ran on the treadmill again today. The weather was cold and rainy, (big shock). If I put the treadmill on an incline of 1… it almost feels like running. I will never do a long run on the treadmill… mentally that would kill me, or should I say, I am not mentally strong enough for 2+ hours on the human hamster wheel.

I feel like a plane that has just taken off into the fog… flying by instruments… into the hazy misty weather… just hoping I make it out to blue sky in a few weeks.

Treadmill Tuesday

I actually ran on a treadmill yesterday. Six miles. I had to force myself NOT to look down at the mileage more than once per song on my IPod. Otherwise… time stands still even more that it seems to when on the treadmill. I think perhaps the motion of the tread in the tight circle warps the fabric of the time-space continuum causing time to proceed slower when running on a treadmill. Over all though… it wasn’t TOO bad. Better than running in the cold rain. I may run on the treadmill on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. I am running in the dark part of the time right now… and on some pretty narrow roads… with dark clothing. I don’t really have a death wish… just haven’t had time to get anything reflective.

My knee is finally starting to feel a little better. Maybe it was my shoes wearing down after all. I sure hope so. The knee cap still kind pops out a little after a run, not painful, the pain I think is from it doing that repeatedly on the run. Maybe I should wear something to help hold it in place when running. That would be a mess to keep clean though.

I am currently 499 miles into my marathon training!!! My schedule calls for at least 1000. I can’t believe I am half way there! AND I have survived two weeks on the big boy marathon training schedule. I am scheduled for 36 miles this week after 34 last. My knee problems really kicked in after my 39 mile week a month ago… so fingers crossed that everything holds up.

I bought Nike shoes that take a sensor that communicates with my IPod somehow. Probably something like ‘ouch ouch ouch… this guy weights too much… can you believe how slow he is running?’ or something like that. Actually… it is supposed to track you miles and pace somehow. I really an not sure how… I guess the sensor fires on the foot strikes… but how to they now how long your stride is? The sensor is only 25 bucks or so… and being the computer geek I am I will have to try it out. I usually don’t run with my IPod outside… but I will have to try it.

Driving on

Another week, another 34 miles. We… actually just 30 for me so far… but Saturday’s 4 will make it 34. Then we start the next with a 12 miler. Yahoo! Can I say that? Or is that copyrighted now? You never know with the web, click you mouse freaky and you may find someone already patented that freaky click.

There were a couple of interesting points in my running this week. On Tuesday I started running and as soon as I reached the edge of the field near my house, I came to a dead stop. It was weird… because I didn’t even think about it before it happened. So there I was, pondering, what the heck am I doing? No, not by stopping, but running! The weather was crappy, my knee was hurting, I had a cold and few about 2 seconds I considered just taking a month off and picking it up fresh. I could… it would fit into my schedule and give my knee time to recover… but NO!!! That is crazy talk. I quickly started running again and never looked back.

The Wednesday as I headed out for the 8 miler it started POURING. I know I have said it was raining on some of my previous runs… but this was apocalyptic stuff! It is literally flooding here. Not at my house… but near some rivers. I think the county declared a disaster or something. And there I am, heading off in the torrential rain. I swear I was honked at once, and another time someone yelled ‘idiot’ or something as nice out of their car or truck window. Another time there was a truck stopped at the light and the window rolled down and someone shouted something bizarre… like some weird outburst you would only let out when no one was around. I locked eyes with the driver and she seemed rather shocked that it came out of her. I guess it was as if my stupidity was causing the dunces to shout and jump for joy. Either that or they just expected that no one in their right mind would actually BE there in that rain.

That 8 miles was hard. I was dark by the time I finished… and I was so tired and cold and there was so much ruble on the paths that more than once I almost fell. My ankle twisted as I was approaching a crosswalk and I fell against the pole. Not exactly graceful, but I needed the pole to hold me up at that point.

During that run I just kept thinking that during my marathon I will have a whole chorus of little devils on my shoulder trying to convince me to give up… to stop or to walk. During those last six miles, they will all be there, and I must figure out how to line them up and knock them off, one by one.

Lance Runs the NY Marathon

So Lance Armstrong, sports super-hero runs the New York Marathon. I was following his story closely because for me it was interesting to try to guess how he would finish. He finished a little better than I thought he would, and I only say that because I know he really hasn’t been training for it that long. I knew he is an AMAZING athlete though… and I couldn’t wait to see how he did and what he felt about it. I think he is a pretty cool dude too.

He finished in under 3 hours, which is remarkable, but what worries me is that in order for me to qualify for Boston I’d have to finish in 3:20. LOL. On one hand you have super-athlete at 3 hours, on the other you have super-coach potato with an affinity for IPA and Christmas beers. What am I thinking?!

I can’t help but laugh at myself. Now… don’t get me wrong… I will be laughing all the way while trying… I’m not giving up, but my sanity (what little is left) also knows that it might be stretching the limits of the physical universe for me to qualify for Boston… I mean… the space time continuum would have to warp, OJ would have to go to jail… dogs and cats living together and all that stuff. Somewhere along the line my Boston dream might disappear with all those free-spirited people who dress up in costumes to run a marathon. (Like it isn’t hard enough without being stepped in a Darth Vader mask trailing a cape and in storm trooper boots) They start and then somewhere along the way… quietly… they just fade away. I don't know much about running, but I do know this, you see a lot more people in costumes at the starting line, than the finish line.

So he runs it… and does great. Then what does he say?

“that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done” Lance Armstrong

From http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/sport_sto1002235.shtml

WONDERFUL. That is just peachy. I had a kidney stone once and seriously thought of killing myself to end the pain. Unfortuntely (or not?) I was on a prop plane flying from Fairbanks Alaska, to Arkansas. I imagine the marathon might be worse, given all the Lance has been through.

I can just hope this quote holds true for me. It may be my only hope.

“At mile 20 I thought I was dead/ At mile 22 I wished I was dead/ At mile 24 I knew I was dead/ At mile 26.2 I realized I had become too tough to kill”
-Author Unknown

I found that quote at Running Cuckoo's marathon blog. Check it out http://runningcuckoo.blogspot.com/

It is official

I am officially training for a marathon. Not that I wasn’t before, but I was only on my mileage buildup schedule. Buildup About 4 months ago I started training… and now I am moving to the next level. (Hopefully all my body parts will join me)
Marathon Schedule

I planned on running 428 miles, but only ran 407. I got sick there once and missed one run because of my knee. Three 10Ks and a 15K.

The races were
#1) Livestrong challenge
Time 55:14
Pace 8:54

#2) Wildwood Trail Run
Time 49:28
Pace 7:59

#3) Mt Angel 10K
Time 47:45
Pace 7:42

#4) Blue Lake 15K
Time 1:13:43
Pace 7:56

I have made a conscious choice to slow down for a bit. My knee is still not 100% but I have told it that it will just have to figure out how to keep up. I have come too far to let something stop me. My knee actually felt much better today on my 10 miler than it has lately. Let’s hope it still feels good tomorrow. =)

I got my first blister from running today. The wet shoes just did me in. I even put body glide on my foot before the run. (And other parts) The chaffing never got me all summer because I wore synthetic clothing, but when it is raining… I might have to come up with some different approaches.

I haven’t seen any runners out lately. Just me. The Portland Marathon was the crown jewel for around here I guess… and I think most people are taking a break. The weather probably has something to do with that too. Today was in the 50s and raining, which is much better than the 40s last week. If all winter was like today I’d be happy.

During part of my run I couldn’t even see the sidewalk because it was covered in fall leaves. I ran carefully to make sure I didn’t take a dive. Up and down some slight hills is especially tricky.

All and all I am just happy and grateful that I can run and keep running. I wasn’t sure there for a bit whether my knee was going to hold up. Again though… the body should follow the mind, and my mind is made up.

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." - Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

Avoiding the big kahuna

This morning on NPR I heard Frank Shorter talk about ‘avoiding the big kahuna’. The ‘big kahuna’ he was talking about was that injury that takes you out of action for an extended period of time. A big kahuna would be devastating to my marathon hopes right now. Heck… a little kahuna might do me in. =) This weekend’s 10 mile run will be a check point for me as I try to figure out whether my knee is a kahuna at all.

Here comes the rain… … and I say… it’s alright…

As Yukon Cornelius would say in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, yesterday was not ‘… a fit night out for man nor beast’. Forty four degrees and pouring rain. Once again… not the misty Oregon variety, but the drenching downpour that we don’t really get here too often. I figured this was time for the full body running gear, so I jumped into my Nike running suit, threw on a baseball cap and headed out. On cold days I was planning on not wearing a baseball cap, but something that covered a bit of my ears, but the rain was going to soak just about anything instantly so I just wore a baseball cap. My ears would live.

Really, the hardest part of running on a miserable day, is just getting out the door. I tried to warm up a bit in the house before I headed out, and stretched quite a bit. I can’t really control whether my knee falls apart or not, but I want to give it the best chance I can to stay together. Once I got out there and moving, it wasn’t TOO bad. Yeah, it wasn’t too great either, especially the spray from a large truck driving by, but I did it… although a very slow 8:50 pace.

Saturday is my LAST run for my mileage build-up schedule.

Uh oh

It has been at least 3 weeks my left knee has been bothering me. I hate to think talk or write about it. I hate injuries because I am a bit of a control freak, and I don't have a lot of control over injuries. I have tried pretending it wasn't an issue. Tried resting a bit. (This is my EASY week) I tried new shoes, Ibuprofen, double doses of glucosomine, but the sad simple fact is that something is wrong with my knee. I am not a Dr., but I did tear my meniscus in my right knee before (one of me few serious injuries ever) and this feels much like the months leading up to that injury.

Back then, my knee bothered me for months. I was in the Army so I pretty much had to keep running… and my unit ran a LOT. (3-5 most days and longer on Fridays) I knew something was wrong with my knee, but they deal with a lot of people faking injuries to get out of all the running so the few times I tried to see someone about it I never got passed the PA and was just told to take some Ibuprofen. One day we decided to head off and run through the woods and running up or down a hill I felt a bit of a catch. I kept going of course… that is just me, but when I stopped, my knee didn’t want to move anymore. I had it scoped and now it is as good as new.

I fear my left knee is on the same path now, and I am having a hard time accepting that. It doesn’t really bother me much when I am running… but it sure does afterwards. 450 miles and now this… [insert expletive of choice here]

Running can be expensive

In general, running is a sport that can be enjoyed without a lot of equipment. Just slap on a pair of running shoes, and off you go. I think that is one of the great things about running. I remember playing tennis against the preppies with $200 racquets in high school, and my K-Mart special racquet put me at a distinct advantage. While it certainly is inexpensive to start running, like all sports, the costs can run (pardon the pun) up. I started out slow, ran with the shoes I already had, but after 6 months I spent:

Running shoes: $265
Clothing: $200
Entry fees: $80
Gatorade: $75
GPS watch: $95

Granted this includes yesterday’s purchase of two identical pairs of running shoes. I read somewhere to buy two… break them both in… then put one away for the marathon. I seriously hope I didn’t just buy two pairs of crappy shoes. =) I should have done some more research, but I have always figured my first marathon would be a learning experience, and I don’t expect to do everything right the first time. After the Eugene marathon is where I have to get really serious. I still think I might need a few caps to keep my head warm… and perhaps some gloves for the really nasty cold days. I was scraping ice off my car this morning… those days are almost here.

I skipped a 7 mile run scheduled last Thursday because of pain in my knee. This week is a recovery week, and I thought the time off would be more beneficial than being a slave to the schedule. The knee has been bugging me for awhile now, and I fear I could be nearing a repetitive motion injury. Two runs thereafter were better… but still painful.

I also thought my shoes might be getting a little worn down. I put 425 miles on the last pair, and while they still look like they are in good shape, I have read that between 400 and 500 is the most you can expect from them. By the way… that 425 miles means I am nearing the ½ way in my marathon training miles. In fact, there is also another big milestone coming up at the end of this week. On Sunday I will transition off the mileage build up schedule, and procede to… ta… da… MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE. I feel like I am graduating, except I don’t have to walk across a stage dressed like batman with a square cap.

The number of miles I run in a week will not significantly increase, but the length of the long runs do. Miles average about 37 per week with long runs of 10,12,6,14,16,18,6,20,14,7,21,14,8,22 and then taper. At minimum I will have 3 20+ mile runs in before my first marathon. (Maybe 4 because the will be repeating the last month once) How I survive doing all that through the cold and windy winter… well that is the million dollar question now isn’t it? Just as most runners are finishing their fall marathons, I am started to gear up for my Spring one. Lord help me.

Happy Halloween!
The family Pumpkins!

Dream big

Awhile back, my wife made a comment about when I set goals, I sure do set big ones. I like to have carrots dangling out there for me, and trying to run a marathon is certainly one big (strange) carrot. It is strange in that when I finally catch it, I am not really sure what I will have. I will have invested about 160 hours of training by the time I run the Eugene marathon. One hundred and sixty sometimes grueling... sometimes exhausting hours. At the moment I cross the finished line and
that carrot is in my grasp and I get to feel and check it out to see what I really have... what will it be?

I blame this quest on my childhood role models; Charlie Brown, Gilligan, and maybe Fred Flintstone and even Coyote. Think about it... each of them in them in their own way... was never allowed to cross their finish line. Charlie Brown always tried to kick the football... each time he actually thinks he is going to get to kick it... but each time it is yanked away. And then there is the well-intentioned Gilligan, always trapped on that damn Island... every episode ruining their rescue or chance for escaping. I watched it week after week thinking that maybe...just MAYBE they will get off the dang thing, but really knowing it was an exercise in futility. And of course, the not so well-intentioned Fred Flintstone. He was a bit of an unsavory character, but always scheming for a way to get ahead and yet somehow Barney or fate would ALWAYS ruin his plan, and by then end of the episode, he'd
end up back where he started.

So is it any wonder that I have a desire to grab that carrot? That is a
lot of childhood frustration right there... perhaps I am the champion
for all of the losing icons of my childhood. =)

Today was a mid-week 8 miler. I am not sure what my pace was... but I was taking it easy since I a still sore from the race this past weekend. Probably around 8:35 though.

Running in the rain

Just getting ready to head out for a run. There is no avoiding running in the rain in Oregon if you want to run year around. When I headed home from work today there were dark clouds threatening everywhere… but every now and then I would drive through patches where the sun snuck through and it was a beautiful fall day. Clouds are beautiful in their own right… a few whispers of clouds on a perfectly sunny day makes it even more special. The reverse can be true to… a patch of blue on an otherwise cloudy day can be pretty awesome. As I got closer to home, the blue patches and dark cloudy doom alternated. When I walked in the door rain was pelting the windows. Now, the sun is back. Before I return from my 6 mile run, I am sure the whether will continue its schizophrenia and the rain will return.



I resemble the weather. Saturday I was running strong. Two days later I am an old man. I have heard the expression ‘leave it all on the course’ but I think I took that step a bit too far and literally left my left knee, right shin and both ankles out there somehow. I am sure by the end of the week I will recover, riding the endless rollercoaster of peaks and valleys that is training. To more experienced runners, I am sure the ride is all too familiar.

Right now the Boston dream feels like the tip of a mountain too far for me to climb. I should just stay focused on my first step… the Eugene Marathon in April. When or if I crest that hill… maybe Boston won’t look as far away.

EDIT: The sun stayed out and it was a wonderful run... I cruised in at 8:10 miles, much faster than I planned.

Blue Lake 15K

My very first 15K race. I didn’t prepare particularly well this week, even drank a few beers LAST NIGHT, but I was determined to do the best I could. I was an absolutely wonderful day today… sunny… but a bit cool which is fine for running. Blue Lake is near Troutdale, Oregon, and unfortunately, at the West end of the Columbia River Gorge. What that means is… there is always a strong wind blowing down the gorge, and the first half of the run was right into it. It ate some people up. (Including me) It must have been at least 25 MPH steady, and more with gusts.

I wanted to run at a 7:45 pace. I think my body was ready for that. I did 10 miles at 8:14 or so last week. But that darn wind! Someone got the bright idea to draft on me, but alas, there was no one in front of me to draft on. About ½ through the race I figured I had no change to make 7:45. I saw one lap at 8:14 and I knew others were around 8. In order to catch up I’d figured I’d have to run 7:30s for the second half.

When we finally hit the turn around and headed with the wind, I was looking forward to taking off big time, but someone was chatting with me about running… marathons and the like. (Someone who has actually finished a marathon before) =) I was polite and talked even though I knew it was hurting my pace. When we hit another ¼ mile section into the wind I said heck with this and drafted on him. We had a little train of about 5 people and I was at the end being towed along. When we turned with the wind again, I just took OFF. Ka-Pow! If I wasn’t going to hit 7:45, at least it wouldn’t be for lack of effort. Running with the wind was wonderful. I was flying through miles 7 and 8.

When I looked down at my watch around 8 miles, I saw that it was theoretically possible for me to get back to a total 7:45 pace, but I would have to put on the afterburners like never before (for me). I did… and the result… a 7:02 pace for the 9th mile. When my watch hit 9.3 miles I was at exactly 7:45. For some strange reason the finish line was still a few hundred yards away, but darn it… I will take it.

All in all I am happy. I met my goal despite some horrendous wind and I hung in there when it didn’t look like it was going so well. Once again I realize how seemingly impossible it will be to qualify for Boston. Stranger things have happened though… and just like my race today… how knows… maybe… just maybe… I can make it. Portland Marathon 2007 will be my attempt.

Bonk Part II (or… the Meltdown)

For the second time this week I let poor nutrition help lead me into a major bonking episode. I am certainly aware the in order to keep the running engine moving, I have to eat, and eat right, but sometimes I get too busy and neglect to take care of myself properly. That, combined with 30 miles in 4 days, was a recipe for a serious bonk.

My typical day starts at 4:40 AM. I head out the door to work by 5:15. (Hey, I was in the Army, I can move fast when I need to) By 6 AM I am working. Sometime between 6 and 7:30 I grab a bagel or something for breakfast at the cafeteria or eat one I brought from home. I eat lunch at 11:15. If all goes well by 2:30 I am back on the road for home. If traffic cooperates I am home by 3:15 – 3:30. By 4 I am heading out for my run. When I get home I shower and head off to pick up the boys. Around 5:45 I cook dinner. (Wife gets home at around 6:15 and we’d be eating at 7 if she cooked… which doesn’t work well) This week I am working OT so by 7 I am on my computer and working from home. Between 9 or 10 I call it quits, fall asleep within 3 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. Lather rinse repeat.

Yesterday the forces of evil were plotting against me. I ate less then usual for breakfast. (Strike one) I had a service award for lunch, but they were serving pork roast (ARGH!) which I passed on so I just had some potatoes veggies and rice. (Strike two) Then I decided I would go to the gym today to run. GASP shock. I am trying to decide whether to cancel my membership since I haven’t been there in months, but I figure on very poor weather days it might be a nice substitute for running outside. I hate the treadmill but they have 1/12 of a mile indoor track, so I thought I would give it a try. My GPS watch wouldn’t work in door so I didn’t know how fast I was running and it was difficult to gauge since I was indoors. Needless to say… it was too fast for having covered 8 miles the day before. (Foul ball!)

The usual dinner time had to be bumped because of parent teacher conference. (Foul ball!) Then as the family was finally heading to eat… we have to stop for gas… (foul ball!) and my wife decides since we are at Costco… she would run in and pick up her glasses that were ready.

(Here comes the pitch!) Finished getting gas… park by the Costco door… and wait… and wait… and wait… (It’s a curveball!) and wait… my blood sugar-o-meter has been on 0 since the parent teacher conference but I start losing it. (He swings with all his might! And WHOOOSH!!!! STRIKE THREE, he is OUTTA here)

When my 8 year old asks where mom is for the 5th time I mumble something about her being a sloth. Not nice I know… and I shouldn’t have said it (but at this point I already struck out and was dejectedly heading back to the dugout). Of course my son taking after his dad… opens the door as my wife approaches and calls her a sloth. (Uh oh… this one is getting ugly… a brawl is breaking out! Both dugouts have cleared and they are going at it)

Instead of heading to eat… I drove home and when straight to bed. I couldn’t sleep though… just stayed there half comatose until the boys where in bed and it was time to make up.

Lesson learned? Eating is important to running. You can’t run well if you don’t eat right. If you try to keep running without eating right… get ready for a bench clearing brawl.

My new T-Shirt Idea

Today was an absolutely beautiful day for running. You can’t get any better. Cool, no wind, and fall leaves everywhere. At about halfway of my 6 mile run today, I ran around a few small lakes. The trees by the shore with their vibrant and colorful leaves were reflecting on the smooth water. As if the trees themselves were not enough! It was very cool, and just another of the many moments I would have never witnessed if I was at home sitting on my butt.

I think I have changed my mind on my Boston Marathon T-Shirt. The personal attacks, while nice to blow off some steam, are not realistic for my personality. This however might be.



8:15 miles today. It is going to be a rough week. Eight miles tomorrow for my longest mid-week run yet, and all while working 10 hours at day (plus 2 hours driving)

I’m number 5!

I was quite surprised to find a 5th place ribbon in the mail from the Oregon Road Runners Club for 5th place in my age bracket for the Wildwood Trail Run. For one, the race was quite awhile ago and I had forgotten all about it, and for another… I just didn’t think the speed at which I run was worth a 10 cent ribbon. =) Not since the participation ribbons I used to get in grade school have I been so honored. I had to check to see if there were only 5 people in my age bracket, and alas… there were actually 15. I’m thinking at least, AT LEAST five of them must have been dragged to the run by their wives even though they were not in shape for it. But still… I beat 50% of them? Good lord it is a sign of the end of times.

Today was a typically Oregon rainy day. The only not very typical is that I trudged out at 7:30 to run 10 miles. The first 5 miles were OK… as only the misty rain typical to the NW was falling, but over the last five drenching rain was falling. I was soaked, tired, cold and carrying an extra 10 pounds in water. Not to mention the wet feet, which is something I haven’t had to deal with yet. And still… I managed 8:09 miles.

Next Saturday I have a 15K (~9 mile) run in Troutdale around Blue Lake. (Like that narrows it down… could there be a more common lake name in all the world?) Anyway… I was trying to figure out what pace I should run. I am still not exactly sure… but I am thinking 7:50 might be about right. I haven’t been in a 9 mile race before… so I am not exactly sure what to expect.

Here is a little secret I have been holding. I want to ruin the Boston Marathon some day. Crazy I know. VERY CRAZY. Especially since a) I have never ran a Marathon and b) I am not a particularly fast runner and c) I don’t really have youth on my side. Mentioning this is about as stupid as hoping I can run under 4 hours in my first marathon. My first marathon goal is #1 finish, #2 finished in under 4:20 and my stretch goal is under 4. Boston would required me to run at about 7:35 miles. Right. It does seem crazy right now… it really does… but I have until next October 1st or thereabouts (Portland Marathon) to get ready.

OK, in case the ‘ruin’ part slipped your attention… by ruin I am referring to Gabriel Sherman’s article about slow runners ruining Marathons. I figure… hey… qualify for Boston, and then take 10 hours to run it! Just kidding… I am sure they close the course… but here is the deal… I am that slow poke runner Gabriel is referring to. Guilty as charged. And I will be perfectly happy to be my slow poke self and run marathons and keep my body in one piece. But that article pissed me off, and I really believe that if I put every once of effort into it… I can qualify for Boston. I may be the ‘slowpoke’ of Boston, but damn it, Marathons are NOT just for fast runners. I may just run in a T-Shirt that says Gabriel Sherman is an idiot too.

The drawbacks of road running

I love to run, don't get me wrong. Running on nice trails in the forest would be ideal, but unfortunately for me and a lot of people, we don't live in a forest. What I am left with is road running. I actually live in an area that has very runner-friendly sidewalks, including one around the Hillsboro airport that is double wide and has a nice row of trees in between the road and the sidewalk. I like to think of the trees as a buffer between my shins and car bumpers. There are however, some drawbacks to road running. The first has to be the car pollution. I am not a rocket scientist, but I don't think it can be that healthy for me to be gasping in air so close to all those exhaust pipes. Sometimes I hit areas where the stench of car exhaust is overwhelming. I try not to think about it, but I want to hold my breath like when the homeless guy sneezes on the crowded bus. Argh.

And then of course there are the dead things, of all shapes sizes and smells. If I had a dime for every squirrel that appears to have slipped while doing the high wire act over the road… I’d be rich. The ordors coming from the bushes are even worse… and they don’t go away over night… oh no… I have to run by them day after day until the smell finally fades away.

Another thing I don’t like is waiting to cross at intersections. Sure it is nice to stretch and take a breather, but after that is done and there is nothing but you and lines of cars waiting for the light to change… well… it is just awkward. It seems like I am checking my watch and staring at the pedestrian walk sign for years. I feel like those people who stand at the bus stop and stretch their next to peer further down the street to see if the bus is coming, like somehow if they see it… it will get there faster than if they don’t.

Near the end of one of my running routes is a hill… not a huge hill… but I can’t get up it at full speed yet. At the bottom of the hill cars are backed up over ¼ of a mile waiting to get through the light which for some sick reason will only let a few cars through at a time. I think I have seen it change from green to red before I crossed the intersection in my Jeep before. Anyway… I have to suck wind up that hill right next to the long line of impatient drivers trying to get home from work, and I am sure it doesn’t please them any that I will make it up the hill and home faster than they will.

Everything else about running I love I think. Well… sucking down a bug during a run isn’t fun either… or catching one in the eye… but everything ELSE I love.

Really.

I ran 7:55 miles today. Yahoo!

I'm back!

Like the 6 million dollar man… I am rebuilt… better… faster stronger… bah da da da… Anyway…

I am back. Back from the most I have ever ran in one week… a whooping (for me) 32 miles. Not epic I know… but it is my personal high. The final run was coasting at 8:16 miles. I think I am finally recovered from my cold. I am not quite back to where I was a few weeks ago… but I am back… yes sir… I am BACK.

I ran in Manzanita on the Oregon coast last weekend. It is always nice to tread somewhere new, and while I did run there once this year, it is just cool to run at the beach. I didn’t run ON the beach, I did that way back in like 1900 when I ran the Seaside Half Marathon when I was a kid. Seaside doesn’t even have a half marathon now, and you can probably find no record of it unless perchance scratched on a cave wall somewhere.

Boy those were the running days. I was a skinny kid, like a feather and I could run and run and run without breaking a sweat. Looking back, it was ridiculous that running could have been that easy. Boy what I’d give for some of that back. =) I was never really that great of a runner. I did run cross country… but I think the best I ever did was 6th at a district meet. Perhaps they were just not running long enough for me. =)

My knees where a little sore running this past week. I don’t know if I am starting to get too many miles on my shoes, or whether it was just my longest week getting to me, but it is something I will watch. I don’t think it is an injury, just a blip on the radar. With my history of knee problems (torn meniscus), I am amazed I have been able to run so far without a hint of pain in my knees. I am taking glucosomine every day… so maybe there is something to it. If my knees are holding up… it must be darn near a miracle drug. =)

Ode to the Portland Marathoners

On Sunday as any real marathon runners in the area were heading out on the Portland Marathon, I headed out for my Sunday 9 mile run. Just a horizon away I could imagine the hordes of marathon warriors heading off to face their 26 mile battle. I decided to dedicate my measly run to them… to harness a bit of my energy, toss it up over the west hills and be the cool wind at the right moment.

I certainly hope all achieved their dreams. One of the things I think is so great about running is that everyone has their own unique reason for running or wanting to run a marathon. Some want to challenge themselves physically and mentally, some run in memory or honor of a loved one or lost loved one, some run because they just love it… there are as many reasons as runners. I am still not sure why I run, but I figure before I hit the finish line I will know, and the reason at that time might not be what I expected when I set out on this journey. Foreshadowing?

The run Sunday was a lonely one for me… I knew the marathoners would all be downtown, and sure enough… only passed one runner jogging with a dog. I might be stereotyping… but probably not a marathon runner. Can dogs run marathons?
I was still recovering from being sick. Heck… I still am… but the training schedule waits for no cold.

The pace I was shooting for was 9 minute miles. Simple enough… but maybe not when recovering from being sick. At about mile 7 I began fading, and I quickly saw I was a good 250 feet behind where I should be at that point… and I was fading fast. I reasoned since I was recovering… that was fine… to be expected. But then I remembered the people running the Portland marathon… struggling along stride after stride… how I dedicated my run to them… and I quickly picked up the slack and finished at 8:58 pace.

Now… I know my body was recovering, but I also know when my mind said giddy-up, my body responded. I need to learn when my mind can dig the spurs in and get on the communicator to Scotty in the engine room demanding ‘More… power… Scotty!’ and when I really should back off. I think on Sunday, my body was faking.

Spring in Fall

I knew there would be setbacks in my quest to run a marathon. I knew I would not be able to keep to my schedule perfectly. This week, after having a marvelous week last week… including running my first half marathon, I was sick and missed 2 runs. I am talking missed work sick… the kind where you wake up in the stinky sick sweat.
After missing 2 runs… I felt I had to get back out there today regardless of how I felt, and I did. I have to say… I love Fall. There is something magical and melancholy about Fall. As I headed out on my run, I noticed some of the leaves had started to drop and they crunched under foot with my strides. It is sad on one hand… Fall that is. It is the ending of a cycle. What started with the joyous chorus of Spring, now ends.

My father was in ICU at the hospital recently. He took a nasty fall off a ladder that left him with a broken arm, shoulder, three ribs and a severe concusion. At times he had no idea of reality or who I was. He is in the fall of his life. Like the Fall leaves, I can see his dreams and accomplishments drying up, dieing and falling to the ground in a brilliant flash of colors, each one to become the soil for another dream, another Spring… another Summer… my Summer.

I feel very sad yet very alive each fall… and when I started out on my run this morning I was very weak and tired. My breathing was all messed up, and I could barely manage 9 minute miles. I was a sad reflection of myself a week prior. Funny how fast things can change… of one minute you are the brilliant leaf on the tree… and the next you are clogging the gutter. I knew that I had to start somewhere… that I had to at least get out there regardless of how bad I felt… and I did! It really was a sad sad run… but when I was done I could hear trumpets blaring and angels singing, and in the end… I stuck another leaf up on my tree, a present for my future Fall.

Doubt

I skipped a day I was supposed to run. So there you have it. I feel dirty, I feel like I have cheated myself, and there is a little voice on my shoulder that is whispering ‘you might never run again!’ As absurd as that sounded a few days ago, it is a tiny little fear.

For the first time ever I can see myself logically coming up with excuses why I can’t run… I have to build my fence before it starts raining… I should visit my father who just got out of the hospital… etc… What the heck happened to me? The bottom line is I could always rationalize a reason why I should be doing something else, but I just have to keep focused on my goal.

Was it the article I read on slate.com by Gabriel Sherman on how newbies are ruining marathons? http://www.slate.com/id/2149867/?GT1=8592 or perhaps the horrid run I had on Tuesday where for the first time I was so hot, so tired, and has such a stitch in my side that I considered stopping a mile from home. I have never once stopped in all my training so far. Well… I stop at intersections when I have to cross the street, but other than that I have motored on. It is important to me, because I am not sure if I stopped once if I would ever start again. Is that weird?

I did learn that I should probably be a little careful after running a half marathon. That was more miles than I was ready for, and even though I felt fine, my body had a serious case of the ass two days later on my next 5 mile run.

By the way… that Gabriel Sherman article was a joke. It might have been something that could go over at a private meeting of ‘elite-runners-R-US’, but I think Gabriel either miscalculated the actual audience of the piece, or is just an asshole. I find it hard that anyone could actually be that big of an asshole, so I will surmise it wasn’t intended for us ‘sluggish marathon ruining newbies.’ Oh, by the way Gabriel, your ego was blocking my view of Mt Hood this morning.

The Two-hour Tour

Sometimes life throws you a curveball. As someone who has played a lot of baseball… including adult baseball… I know you just have to hang in there and hit it to the opposite field. I am not a flincher in a sporting sense, because that is exactly the sign of weakness a pitcher is looking for. I have taken fastballs to the shoulder thinking it was a curveball... but I was unwilling to flinch.

My training plan didn’t have me running half-marathon distance until around Thanksgiving, two months from now, but I missed some runs this week because of a family emergency, and found myself with 18 miles to cover for Saturday and Sunday. I considered two 9 mile runs, but then decided to split it to 5 and 13.1. That would give me a taste of the half-marathon. But would I like it?

Even though I am running 25-30 miles a week right now… my long runs are still short… 8 miles being the longest so far. I know people on programs only for a few months that are running much longer than that. I had a serious case of long-run envy. I already planned on running a half-marathon race on October 29th, but again, sometimes you get curveballs.

The family issues the past week put me prime in the mood for self-punishment. It is a bit ironic that I could use a 13 mile run to drive me to the same place I fought so hard to avoid the past week, emotional and physical exhaustion, but hey, if I am going to be exhausted it will be on my terms!

I guess I succeeded. The run was not really that difficult, but I am certainly tired. I ran at a very slow pace, 9 minute miles, and finished in 1:57:57. I think I could run quite a bit faster, but I wanted to be sure to not hurt myself. Now I know what a long run is. (At least for me) It was a bit more of a struggle in my head than on the road.

Within a mile of heading out I made the mistake of thinking that it was only two hours and I would be back. That led to two-hour tour (even though the theme song for Gilligan’s Island was really a 3-hour tour) and thus began the nightmare of the theme song that wouldn’t go away. For most of the run that stupid theme song was stuck in my head like a broken record. “The Minnow would be lost, THE MINNOW WOULD BE LOST.” Argh. Someone please veer off the road and run me over.

I had trouble getting into a comfortable rhythm during the run. Whether it was Gilligan’s Island, or the slow pace or something else, I just was never in ‘the zone’. Given the fact that I wasn’t really ready for a half marathon, I feel pretty good the day after. Everything seems to be working fine, and I think I will be able to continue on with my training without a hiccup.

There is a lot more I could write about that 13 mile run. It was its own little adventure in time… an aberration in my schedule… a curveball so to speak, but without flinching… I hung in there, and smacked a double to right field. I guess you could say I am half-way home.

Easy run

Today was one of those runs that just felt effortless. One of the few. =) I was planning on an easy 8:45 pace, but instead ran the 5 miles at 8:30, and hardly broke a sweat. Either I am getting a bit more used to running, or I ate my Wheaties this morning.

My wife hinted I was obsessing a bit much about running. I don’t really agree… I have only run 3 10K’s all summer. I typically dive head first into most of my endeavors, so I wouldn’t imagine running would be any different. I have tried to ease her mind that 1) I am not crazy and 2) I do not want to be one of those extreme runners who run 100 miles in a day. She is still eyeing me suspiciously though.

Really… I am just at the very beginning of my running journey. I figure I will cover 1000 miles training for the Eugene marathon, of which I have only covered about 250 so far. I haven’t really lost any weight; though I am sure I leaned out a bit. I still eat like crap, but I am working on it slowly. I have a physical today so I will find out how my cholesterol and all that are doing. I feel as fit as a fiddle though.

Mt Angel Octoberfest 10K

Oh who am I fooling… I bet a run a few more 10Ks before the marathon. I finished the Mt Angel 10K in 47:45 or thereabouts. Official times are not posted yet. I was camping at Champoeg before the race, and headed over to Mt Angel in the morning for the run. In my rush, I forgot my GPS watch. As my wife said, “isn’t that your main piece of equipment?” Um… yeah… well… for running. ;) Anyway, I planned on setting my watch for a 7:50 pace. As it turned out… I think I ran around at 7:41 pace. Maybe forgetting the watch was a good thing. =) I picked the 7:50 pace because it was still faster than my previous best, but would still leave enough gas in my tank to run the 8 miles I ran this morning. I’ll take 7:41 though.

The 8 miles this morning was a bit tough to start. I am always a bit ookie (for lack of a better non-word) when I get up in the morning while camping. Heading out for a run I felt like I needed some WD-40 on my joints to get me going. Once I was warmed up it was OK. Not as fun as most of my runs though… maybe the 10K the day before had something to do with that… or the camping… or perhaps the monster coffee drink my wife made me by the campfire. Regardless… it was a long 8 miles. Very peaceful though… nothing but miles and miles of farmland. My legs feel pretty good today considering.

Last 10K before marathon?

Tomorrow I am running another 10K… probably my last in a while. I think there is a 15K I will run in a few weeks… but there are not many running events in Oregon in the winter. Too rainy I guess.

Speaking of rain, yesterday was the first day of the year I ran in the rain. In fact, there were some thunder to add a nice backdrop. It really wasn’t that miserable, but granted the temp is still in the 50’s, and the rain really wasn’t that bad. I can say I am still concerned about how I will make it through the winter and stay on track. It will take a lot of dedications. As the Gatorade commercials would say… ‘is it in me?’.

I also wonder what attire will work right for running in the winter here. I have plenty of experience running in cold weather… 4 years in the Army in Fairbanks Alaska where it was not unusual to set off into the ice fog in -30 degree weather for a 3-5 mile run. We ran in sweats and balis as we called them (balaclavas) … the things that look like criminal hats really. There isn’t much wind in Fairbanks so you could keep your heat for a bit. As long we didn’t have to wait in formation too long we were OK. Where it was nasty was when we had a Battalion run or something like there were it took so long to get formed up that we were on the verge of frostbite before we ever started. The worst of it was trying to stay upright on the ice. In general the traction was OK, but near intersections where cars may be spinning their wheels when starting it would be slick. Sometimes one person would fall and take half the company out.

So long 3 miles runs… I knew the well

I finished my last short run in my training schedule. All my runs from here on out are 4 or more. It’s actually been 3 weeks or so since I ran just 3 miles… but just for old times sake… ok… it was there on my ‘take it easy’ week one last time.

So do I just take a stole down memory lane and trot along at a comfortable clip? Well… about now that seems like it would have been a better choice, but nope… I ran just about as fast as I could… which ended up being 7:36 miles. Now before you laugh… these are MY miles… and this is MY pace… and you can’t really compare one to another. Well… you can… but it isn’t like apples and oranges. So if you are much faster than me… kudos to you! Really. And if not… whoop-te-do… so what. Your pace is the perfect pace for you, and mine… is well… too fast for me right now. =) There is age to take into account, training level/time, body type, weight, past injuries and heck, some people were just born to run.

Me on the other hand, I was born to take naps. I am a nap expert. If there were nap Olympics, I bet I might be able to qualify for the US team. No… I don’t get to take naps much anymore… very rarely in fact, but when I do! OH YEAH… I am a sacrifice at the alter of the Z-Monster.

I have another 10K this weekend. Octoberfest run… which of course means maybe some beer afterwards. =) That might be interesting. I better be careful.

Keep running.

I Hail from the land of Nike

I have always liked the Nike brand. Perhaps it is because it is a local company (I live right near the Nike campus), perhaps I just like the swoosh… or maybe it is the cool commercials… but there it is… I like Nike. I don’t buy super expensive shoes for my running right now… but I do buy Nikes and I have never had a problem with them. I did have a pair of court shoes for racquetball that fell apart, but the running shoes seem good to me. But what do I know. If any Nike executives would like to hire me as a programmer in gratitude for my free advertising… please feel free to stop me somewhere on the loop around the Hillsboro Airport any Sunday morning. (In theory, someone might read something in this Blog… in theory at least)

This morning as I set out on my 8 mile run, there was a full moon to the west and the sun was coming up over the Portland west hills to my East. The ground was wet… it actually rained for the first time in quite awhile, and it must have been about 50 degrees. I remember reading on another site, if you are comfortable when you start your run, you won’t be shortly… and I was definitely cold to start. My nose immediately started running and my eyes were watering. (At least I wasn’t dehydrated)

There are some very subtle things that happen when I am running that I like. I like how sometimes you can run through pockets of air that are significantly warmer or colder. I like to watch the water evaporating off the street as the sun begins to ride. I like the occasional peacefulness when I am running on a stretch with few cars. I like the zones I can get into where I am not even aware I am running at all… like I am standing on one of those moving belts in the airport. I admit… that doesn’t happen too often… but it does.

I passed just one runner today… going in the opposite direction. He was listening to an IPod. I don’t run with head phones on outside. I really don’t need the music to distract me. If I am on a treadmill I will use music… but on a run I think the music would be more annoying than pleasant. There seems to be a natural rhythm to everything sometimes when I am running, and I think music would just ruin that balance. Not to mention… I have had 2 Ipods die on me back to back… both after running. I think a cheap MP3 player would be a better bet.

The run was rather uneventful. I picked a very manageable pace as a target (8:50) and finished at 8:48. For an 8 miles run… I am pleased with that. I felt I had more in my legs both speed wise and distance… but didn’t want to push it. The last thing I need right now is an injury. I was only supposed to run 4 miles but I missed the 8 miler on Sunday because I ran a 10k… so I figured I needed another long run. Next week is my take it easy week. Though my goal is to run a marathon… I have yet to run 26.2 miles in a week! This week I topped out at 25.2, and I am tempted to run another mile tonight just to make it a marathon. =) Nah. All in good time.

I ran with my fuel belt on. I feel a bit dorky with it… but the liquids came in handy. I know they are not that necessary on runs less than 10 miles… but I didn’t have time to drink a lot before taking off. I filled two of the 4 containers with Gatorade Endurance. I hardly notice the belt when running. I won’t be taking in to marathons because they will have plenty of liquids along the way… but I think it will be handy for some of my longer runs… and at least eliminate most of the need to stash bottles on loops.

I think I am about 250 miles into the 1000 I plan to cover training for a marathon. I know a lot of programs are shorter than that… but I am trying to build up a good base, and I want to be completely ready come marathon time. Failure… is not an option.

I have been browsing some of the other online running Blogs lately. There are quite a few good ones… and I am learning a lot about running. It is nice to read some info that is not written by the extreme ultra athlete, as I am just a geek who is learning to run. Eventually I will get around to listing some of the Blogs in the links of this site. Still sorting through them right now.

Why are we doing this again?

Why are we doing this again? That question was posed by another runner as we were getting ready to start the Wildwood Trail Trial run. Good question indeed, and one that I am not entirely sure how to answer. The question seems irrelevant after the race though. Everyone knows the answer then, even if it is hard to put it into prose.

I finished the 10K in 7:58 pace, which for me seemed an unreachable goal a few months ago. It was a trail run, and I have not trained on a trail yet… so that was interesting. It was certainly beautiful scenery though. The run was on the Wildwood trail in Forest Part, which is one of the largest (if not the) part within a city limits in the US. About 7 years ago I used to ride my Mountain bike through the park, but many of the trails, including Wildwood are off limits to bikers.

There was another interesting quip from another runner in the race. I used to live near the park, and knew the last ½ mile was horrendous. It is something I could barely run up years ago when I wasn’t running much at all… and that was on about a 1.5 mile run tops. As we approached the start of it, I said something like ‘this is not going to be fun’. I realize I probably broke a few running rules right there. It is a negative thought and one I should have kept to myself. Another runner shot back, ‘yeah… tomorrow we get to go to work’. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I think it was a nice way to make me realize that this WAS the fun… that tomorrow was the work.

Looking back, it was certainly fun. I ran better than I could have hoped. If it wasn’t for the ½ up hill at the end I would have shattered my pace even for a 4 mile run. But regardless of the numbers, it really was enjoyable. I am starting to like this running thing.

I have a lot to learn about running

Boy do I have a lot to learn about running. It seems rather simple… just put ‘one foot in front of… the other…’ as the Christmas classic goes… but the reality is, it is a bit more complicated than that. I am a long way from considering myself a runner. I read running blogs and running articles and have no idea what some of the information is referring to. Part of the reason I am following the training schedule I am… is because it didn’t have any track related terms that I didn’t understand. Just running. That is all. For my first marathon, that is fine and dandy.

After my Skagway run I realized something… I like running because it is a bit of an escape. In that case… an escape from the crowded ship and annoying kids. Yes, I love them to death, but it does take a lot of energy to referee sometimes. Running gives me a chance to relieve stress and clear my mind. It does zap my energy for a short while, but I think in general my energy level is higher than when I wasn’t running. I am amazed everything is holding together and I haven’t had any injuries.

By the way… the training schedule I am following is from http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_mile.html Right now I am just on week 11 of the mileage build up. Not even to the marathon training schedule yet! =) I figure the long route might help me avoid injury… I want to make the 1st a good experience so who knows… maybe there will be a 2nd. I ran 24 miles last week. Funny… I am pretty worn out and that is less than a marathon! Do I really know what I am getting myself in to?

A new personal best

I finished a 4 miles run today at a pace of 7:46. Big deal you say… well one month ago my 4 mile pace was 9:13! Now, I admit that I was really pushing it… but I also have a cold and did not feel like running at all. Oh, and I skipped dinner because I knew I had to run. I thought I’d just try for under 8, and not be too upset if I couldn’t reach it since I wasn’t feeling that well. I am very happy. Just one short month ago I couldn’t run a mile at that pace! I think I am starting to like this running thing. =)

I guess it is time to admit that my stretch marathon goal is 4 hours. I know I shouldn’t be setting a goal yet, and I know not having completed a marathon, I shouldn’t be setting such a lofty goal, especially for a 40 year old, but darn it… I am just going to throw it out there. My realistic goal will be 4:20… and yeah… I will be happy if I just finish upright.

Man I am tired. =(

The Chilkoot Pass

I just returned from a week long cruise to Alaska. It was like jumping forward two months in time to 60-65 degree weather and misty rain that is so common in the Pacific Northwest. I knew that it would be a big challenge to somehow maintain my miles and not gain the average 1 pound a day they say you do on a cruise.

The first time I ran on the ship on a treadmill. It had been quite a while before I did the hamster dance on the… (oh darn… I just finished a 7 mile run and my brain is just too tired to finish that sentence) Anyway… the miles on the treadmill were agonizing. I didn’t have any music and it seemed like time crawled. It was horrid. I am rethinking my wife’s suggestion to get a treadmill for the basement for the winter. I don’t know if I can handle running on that thing for so long. My miles fly by when I am running outside… but on the treadmill… the odometer seems stuck.

For the 2nd run we were docked in Skagway, so I decided to just run off the boat. It was very windy and cold at the bottom of the gangway as I waited for my GPS watch to synch to the new timezone. I was thinking… what the heck am I doing? This is NUTS!

I was supposed do a 5 mile run, but somewhere along the way my brain froze and I decided I would just do 8 and skip the 3 the next day. That sounded like a fine idea. Except…

Skagway is not a very big town. I suppose it is about 2 miles through most of the inhabited parts… but I do know for sure that when you head N NE from the docks toward Canada… at about 2.5 miles you start up a canyon leading to the historic Chilkoot Pass. Bottom line is that I had not really trained on any hills to this point. Just gentle sloping ones… not anything like what I ran into. And for my first 8 mile run ever no doubt.

The thing is… I was stressed from the trip on the ship… the constant bumping into people… lines…mass humanity… not to mentioned trying to referee my 2 and 8 year old step kids. I was determined not to turn around until I hit the 4 mile mark. I didn’t, but that last 1.5 miles of the first half was brutal. If it wasn’t for the awe-inspiring beauty I was running though… I would have actually been work. As it was however… the run was one of the highlights of my trip.

Time stands still

Time stands still when I run. I don’t mean that the hands of time literally stop, but in general, once I start running I don’t think of much at all until I finish. When I first started running my thoughts were on agony. My legs hurt… I can’t breath… I am tired… I will never make it… what excuse can I come up with to stop this nonsense and still feel OK about myself? Now… nothing. If I ever stopped to consider the journey before the first step, I am not sure I could continue. The most I run right now is about an hour… but if I stopped to think about the next 7 miles… could I start?

When I am driving in the car sometimes it occurs to me the shear distance you can cover while running. I know the sidewalks by heart… where each bump is… how long the pedestrian lights take, where the dead animals are on the side of the road. I know the streets that for whatever reason, appear to be up hill both ways.

So far I have never had to run in the rain. I started in summer and well… two plus months later it still really hasn’t rain. I worry how I will hold up in winter. I am dreading the first foggy rainy morning… having to drag myself out of bed to head off into the haze.

Why?

To reach the finish line.

I feel a bit like the little engine who could… chugging up the hill… at first thinking…. ‘I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…’ Someday I hope to know I can. I am sure going to try.

The one-man race

Sunday morning I was prepped and ready for the Garlic Festival 10K run. The butterflies were flittering though my stomach and I think I woke up about an hour before I planned. I donned my race gear and header over to North Planes, which is about 15 minutes or so from my place near the Hillsboro Airport. I was worried about finding a decent place to part, as always. When I approached the race area though… something was amiss. There was no one. No hoard of cars… no runners warming up… nothing. At first I thought… maybe it is just a small race… maybe there isn’t going to be a hoard of runners… but alas… the race was on Saturday.

What to do with all that adrenalin? I had already decided that I would run 8:30 miles for race… so I headed back to the Hillsboro Airport, and parked. I decided to try a new feature of my Forerunner 201… the training assistant or something like that. You set the pace and the distance, and the watch tells you if you are ahead or behind your goal. It worked… well… awesome. I was really surprised. I hit my pace target exactly, and I always knew how I was doing. I am definitely going to keep using that setting. I have new faith in my Forerunner now. I also realized it does autolaps… but you’d have to be looking at the watch when you hit a lap to know what the last time was. I think it beeps… but for someone with a hearing loss like me… it doesn’t do any good. I wish it would show you your last lap time. Ah well. I still like the watch though.

Garmin Forerunner 201 Review

I use the Garmin Forerunner 201 to assist in my training. I is a wonderful tool to tell me how far a given run was, especially when I don’t know the course. It is fairly light and I hardly notice it when I am running. The satellite reception is spotty in trees, and I assume it would be in the city also.

The pace feature is all but useless. I tried changing the interval that it measured the pace every which way and learned to just ignore it. It does measure time (I should hope so… =) ) and distance quite well. If I hit lap every mile I know what my pace was for that mile. That requires a bit of attention to the watch… more than I would like to give at times. I think the 301 has an auto-lap feature which will pace on mile / kilometer of whatever. That would have been a very very handy feature for me. If I upgrade in the future… that alone will be the driving reason. The 301 was quite a bit more expensive though. In think I picked up the 201 for $89, while the 301 is twice that!

I really haven’t messed with any of the other features the watch has yet. I may never. Most of them are just not applicable to what I am interested in right now. I currently don’t do any heart rate monitoring, which I think the 301 offers as well.

Bottom line, the Garmin Forerunning 201 is a great tool to tell you how much ground you have covered. It works best on straight courses, with a clear view of the sky. It seems to have more of a problem on trail running because I think the basically draws a straighter line than you may be running, and of course, the reception is worse on trails. It is wonderful to take on a vacation and just head out and run… then you can turn around when you have covered half the distance you want.

I am happy with the purchase, especially since the price was rather cheep, but I sure wish it could accurately tell me my pace.

Chris Carr's Blog

No running partner today… just me and 4 miles. Ran an easy pace 8:50. It was a bit hot for running… around 80, but the heat really didn’t bother me. I soak my hat with water before I head out and that keeps me cool for most of the run.

I am discovered the wonders of running with synthetic fabric… much preferred to cotton. Cotton is rotten is what I remember reading in Chris Carr’s Blog. (http://www.startribune.com/blogs/marathon/?p=101) Chris works for a newspaper and decided to keep a Blog of his marathon training efforts. I am not copying Chris. I swear! OK… maybe I am, but honestly… no non-runners want to hear anything about running… so I am using this as my outlet so to speak. I might have even copied that from Chris. =) Anyway… check out his Blog… pretty cool.

I feel some shin splints coming on. I have been lucky to avoid them so far… but now two months into training and they are starting to be a problem. Hopefully it won’t slow me down though.

Eight seconds shy

I tried to hit the 24 minute mark for 3 miles but came up 8 seconds short. I really felt I was pushing it… but alas… it was not meant to be. I think my times from a few weeks ago may have been wrong because I felt I ran quite a bit harder for just a few seconds. Perhaps my first mile was too fast and I lost it at the end. Or maybe… I forgot to hit the stop button on the watch at a red light. Doesn’t matter… there will be another day… and soon that 8 minute mark will be history… and the 7 minute mark will be in my… um… well… my dreams.

After finishing the run I dunked my head in the sink, stretched a bit and then collapsed in my familiar spot under the ceiling fan in the living room. (Yes… I threw a towel down first) My cat Boo always joins me in my post run comatose, getting his love tanks filled. Sometimes it gets very hard to get up after watching the hypnotic fan go round and round and round and round.

I will be sore tomorrow I bet.

Rest

Today was a day off from running, but for some bizarre reason I was thinking about running. My wife just caught me drooling over a Nike Shoe add. Hey… if I’m going to get caught drooling over something on the Internet… best it be shoes I think.

Right now Monday’s and Friday’s appear to be my off days. This Sunday I will run in a 10K, so I might reorganize the schedule a bit to not run as far on Saturday. I just received the photos from my last 10K, the LiveStrong Challenge. (http://www.livestrongchallenge.org/) and I must admit… I look like I need to do a lot more running. Hey… I am just starting… I can’t expect to be lean and mean like most of the runners out there. I definitely looked like I needed an oxygen mask at the end of the race though. I think maybe race photos are just a bad idea, period.

I talked to a friend at work about running during lunch. That would give me a bit more time after work… as I can’t run in the morning since I work at 6 am and it is an hour commute. It would be nice to have a running partner that will push me a bit. John is certainly in better shape and a better runner. He beat me by 20 seconds or so on the last 8K we ran together. I’m in better shape now, but he has been running for longer than I have.

I think tomorrow is a simple 3 miler. I don’t think I have finished 3 miles in less than 24 minutes yet… so I think that will be my goal. I haven’t tried to be too worried about time yet… I figure it is best to just not hurt myself. But still… it is a bit embarrassing to be passed by an 8 year old girl in a fairy costume like I was in a race a year or so ago. Oh to be young and 45 pounds again. =)

And so it begins

I am going to run a marathon. Twenty six point two miles. Why? I don’t really know. Midlife crisis? Maybe… maybe. I suppose I really should have a reason… a GREAT reason really… to go though that torture. My wife thinks I am crazy. I say… in this world, you have to be crazy to be sane. I guess the biggest reason I am going to run a marathon is because I put it on a list of things I wanted to do before died, and at 40, I know it isn’t getting any easier.

I have been running for a few months to train already, but I am hardly a runner. A few months ago running a mile twice a week on the treadmill at the gym was the most punishment my legs could take. This morning I completed 6 miles, and I still feel pretty good.

If figure if you are reading this… you fit into one of three categories.
1) You are a runner… a real runner… the kind that fly by me like I am standing still, or that I see heading back on the other side of the road in an out and back race when I am still at the ¼ mark.
2) You are interested in becoming a runner. To that… I say… go for it! To say that anyone can run a marathon may diminish the achievement a bit, but anyone really can. I was not running AT ALL less than 6 months ago.
3) You get some sick pleasure in seeing lemmings jump off a cliff. Probably were an Ant Bully or perhaps are a mental health physical trying to make sense of this madness.

Regardless… welcome… I am glad you stopped by. I will share the advice I have collected along my way… and please share yours with me.

And so it begins.