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January 29, 2006
WEEK NO. 16
REASON NO. 11 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
If I can beat my brother across the finish line, I will become the first in our family to cross the finish line of a marathon.
From the research that I have done, no-one in our family (going back several generations) has ever ran a marathon. If I am successful in beating my brother, I will be the first person from our “family tree� to cross the finish line of a 26.2 mile race. This will give me bragging rights at family dinners for a long, long time.
Training this week was pretty tough. After my 21.75 mile run on Sunday, I was really beat up for a few days. Pretty much everything below my hips hurt on Monday, and Tuesday was not much better. I worked through the pain on Tuesday, and did a 4 mile treadmill workout at In Motion. Again, half way through the workout the treadmill belt gave up on me, so I had to shift to the next treadmill. Wednesday I was scheduled for a 9 mile run, but between the previous long run, taking my son to 6:30 AM basketball practice, and an evening dinner/awards ceremony to attend, it just did not happen. I scrubbed that run completely, and then on Thursday did a 5 mile run early in the morning in Durham. On Friday, I did a 4.5 mile hill run in Paradise.
Saturday was a cross training day, we went to In Motion with my family, my wife ran on the treadmill, and I swam about a ½ mile. It was good to get back in the pool again – it’s been probably 3 weeks since my last swim. I did a 100 yard warmup, then 6 sets of 100 yards – and I was able to keep my time under 2.0 minutes per hundred. Then did a couple of 50’s, a few warm-down laps.
Sunday was a tennis warm up with my son, and then a sorta long run. I started at In Motion, headed east through lower Bidwell Park, then up into upper Bidwell Park. Upper park has a quite a few “gentle� hills, which was my intent – I wanted to make sure that the hills of Napa are not a surprise to my system in a little over a month. I made it all the way up to Salmon Hole, which is about 2/3’s of the way up the upper park road. I was out about 2.5 hours, which is somewhere around 15 miles – I didn’t bother to map out the run beforehand.
Posted by Dennis at 03:55 PM | Comments (2)
January 22, 2006
WEEK NO. 15
REASON NO. 12 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
Training for a marathon has reinforced my diet changes, and helped me continue to lose some of those “extra pounds� I have accumulated over the past 20 years or so.
I used to spend a lot of time fretting about weight gain – and still, watched every year as I gained 3 or 4 pounds. In the four years that I have been training, I have now been able to witness my weight gradually (about 5-10 pounds per year) disappear. I have been able to do this without really counting calories, counting “points�, buying a freezer full of “weight loss� frozen food, using weight loss drugs or eating greasy pork rinds and salami every day (AKA Mr. Atkins).
Granted, I have changed my eating habits to accomplish this. First, and in my opinion most important, I told myself that I would not, under any circumstance, eat “fast food�. Not only is the calorie load huge, but also the trans-fats and grease used in the cooking process is horrible for your body (and cholorestoral levels).
The second most important change is to try to “limit� my sugar intake. I was never a real big “sweets� fan, but the big bowl of Ice Cream every night was problematic for me. While I still have Ice Cream, I have reduced both the frequency and serving size – using it more as a reward for an especially tough workout, or as a “carbo-loading� for a planned long run the next day.
Lastly, I try to eat four or 5 smaller meals a day, rather that 3 large meals. This helps keep my metabolism up during the day (burning more calories) and also keep me from overeating at mealtimes.
These relatively minor changes in my eating habits, as well as increasing the amount of calories burned through exercise, now allow me to eat more that I ever thought possible. On days that I have a long run, it is not unusual for me to eat 3500 calories (or more). I’m now running just short of 40 miles a week, which means that I am burning on the order of 4000 calories a week just with the running – not counting the cross training and weight training.
Speaking of running – training this week went pretty well. Sunday was a 9-mile hill run, so I was plenty sore on Monday and Tuesday. I pushed through the soreness on Tuesday and ran 4 miles in the morning before work. Wednesday I needed a little extra rest (and sleep in the morning) so I ran on the treadmill after work – 8 miles, in 77 minutes, 05 seconds. As can be expected, the gym was an absolute zoo – as we are now in the middle of the annual, once a year, for one month migration of people to the gym (you know the ones, every year they swear that they are going to “get in shape�, and by February they will have completely forgotten about working out.
Thursday was rest day, and the Friday was another early morning run, 5 miles, at a time of 45 minutes, 40 seconds.
I’m gradually trying to pickup the pace of my runs, as I now have fully developed my running “base�. This is the “peak� phase of my training, where I will gradually increase the tempo of my shorter runs, to train my body to work efficiently at the higher levels of exertion.
Saturday was just a little basketball, an hour or so of tennis, and a few miles on my bike, conserving my energy for my long run on Sunday.
Sunday was (once again) the longest run of my life – 21.75 miles. I did two food/water drops for this run, one at mile 8.3 and another at mile 17. Fuel/food for this run consisted of a banana (1/2 at each drop), an orange (2 quarters at each drop) Accelerade (1 bottle at the start, 1 bottle at the last drop), Water (50 ounces, in my CamelBak), Accel Gels, 3 at each drop, and a redbull energy drink at the last drop.
My new running shorts came in yesterday – so I was able to try out everything that I will use on race day during my training run. The shorts worked out perfect – no issues there. The top I was going to use (Desoto Tri Top) had some chafing issues on one arm, so I’ll be making a switch there.
Run went pretty well – it was 41 degrees, with a stiff north wind when I started, so running tights and a long sleeved shirt over my other stuff kept me just about the right temperature. Took off the tights and over shirt at mile 12, and of course ended up dropping the tights (and having to go back and retrieve them). At mile 17, I gathered up the stuff I had left alongside the trail, took off running, and left my Redbull there – so I had to backtrack to pick that up also. The last 3 or 4 miles were pretty hard. I walked three times, for about 2 minutes each time to stretch out and try to loosen up some. Probably the best part of the run was seeing two Bald Eagles - I've spotted this pair before, but this is the first time I was able to get really close to them - what an AWSOME bird. I tried to get a photo of them, but by the time I got my gloves off so I could mess with my camera phone they were long gone.
I finished the run at 3 hours, 59 seconds and some change – but who is counting seconds after a four hour run.
This works out very close to 11 minute miles, which is a little slower that my goal – but I am hopeful that another 40 days of training, a real good taper (meaning my muscles will be rested) and race conditions will help me hold a faster pace in the race.
Posted by Dennis at 05:05 PM | Comments (4)
January 15, 2006
WEEK NO. 14
REASON NO 13 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
Training for and running a marathon will introduce me to training techniques and resources I can use to improve my performance in other sports
The process of training for this race has been pretty interesting. For an average runner such as myself to be able to complete 26.2 miles in a single 5.5 hour period, everything has to be “just right�. Every decision, from the type and style of running shoes, to the type and amount of electrolyte drink to carry must be carefully thought out, tested in practice runs, and then executed on race day.
With less than 50 days to race day, I just about have all the parts and pieces in order (I think). Here is my plan as of today:
Shoes – Nike Air Pegasus, purchased new last week (Fouth pair I have owned), will break in with 20-30 miles of training runs first.
Socks – New Balance, received as a gift for Christmas
Running Shorts – RaceReady compression shorts, on order.
Top – Pearl Izumi Triathlon Top
Fuel Belt – NorthFace single bottle.
Fuel – 1 bottle of accelerade, 10 gels
Cold weather top – a “sacrificial� long sleeved t-shirt that will be discarded once the race begins.
Gloves – white cotton, to be sacrificed also
If temps are really, really cold, use Nike running tights.
Rain gear – garbage bag or el-cheapo poncho.
Training this week was anything but according to plan. Tuesday was a four-mile run in Durham. Wednesday was a rest day, and Thurday I did a 1.5 mile speed workout. I have hooked up with a coach from Butte College, that is doing his Masters Thesis on runners over 40, and how plyometrics may help improve their running. Anyway, the 1.5 mile timed run was part of his “testing� process, to see what our starting point is. My time was 10 minutes and 45 seconds, which equates to a time of 7 minutes, 9.6 seconds per mile.
Friday was a gym workout, with upper body weights, 15 minutes of spinning, and 1000 yards swimming.
Saturday was the second “test� for the study, which consisted of a timed 5K run at the Chico State track. Myself and three other runners braved the rain and wind to test our 5K run time. My time was 23 minutes and 48 seconds, which is almost a minute slower than my personal best. I attribute this slowdown to the fact that I have been doing almost zero “speed work� in the last 6 months or so.
After the 5K run, I jogged around the campus, and then ran the stairs at Holt Hall. I remember “in the old days� doing multiple sets of these stairs. One set was enough for me this day, after pushing pretty hard on the 5K.
Sunday was an 8.7 mile run in the hills of Paradise. I ran from Neal/Skyway, up the trailway all the way to Pentz (about 1200 vertical feet), then down Pentz to Bille, across to Clark, then up to finish at Clark and Wagstaff.
This was the first time I have ran the entire trailway, and it was incredibly easy!!!! It was a brisk 48 degrees, and beautiful sunny weather.
Posted by Dennis at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2006
Week No. 13
REASON NO. 14 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
Not many people can finish a marathon – and I like being able to do things that 99.90% of Americans cannot do.
Completion of this marathon will put me in pretty elite company. It is estimated that only about 300,000 people a year finish a marathon. This is out of the 300,000,000 population in the United States. This means that only about 1 out of every 1000 people in the United States are capable of running a marathon in any particular year.
To meet the challenge of running 26.2 miles in less than 5.5 hours, I have been following a fairly intense training program. This training program was preceded by about 4 years of pretty consistent training in swimming, biking and running. Hopefully this level of fitness will allow me to finish this race with some element of form, and within the 5 ½ hours allowed at this event.
This week started out with a four-mile hill run in Paradise on Tuesday, then an evening 8 mile run around Durham on Wednesday. I felt just a little beat up on Thursday, so I postponed my Thursday run until Friday, when I ran 4 miles up the Memorial Trailway in Paradise.
Saturday was a cross training day, so my wife and I went to the gym, she ran her first ever 2.5 miles on the treadmill, and I spend about 40 minutes in the pool working on TI drills.
Sunday was my long run – and this week it was 20 miles. This is the longest run of my life, and I was just a little apprehensive. I plotted out my route the night before, and carefully put my water, food and equipment together.
A good general rule is that a runner burns about 100 calories per mile. That means that I will have to consume somewhere near 1500 to 2000 calories to keep from crashing on this run. I packed 8 gels (90 calories each), a chocolate power bar (200 calories), 24 ounces of Accelerade (about 200 calories), 70 ounces of water in my Camelback, a separate 24 ounce bottle of water, a banana and an orange, and my latest “secret weapon�, a Red Bull Energy Drink. After trying to stuff all this into my fuel belt, I finally gave up and drove to the halfway point, and dropped off the water bottle, two of the gels, the banana and orange and Red Bull.
The run went really, really well. The most eventful part of the run was when a couple of dogs came out to either attack or greet me. I pulled out my pepper spray just in case – and they ended up being harmless. I put the pepper spray back in my belt, and didn’t think about it again. I rubbed my face with my gloves at some point during the run, and suddenly my whole face lit up like it was on fire!! Apparently the pepper spray had leaked, and I transferred it too my face from my gloves. For about 20 minutes, I had to really struggle to see, and to keep my motivation to keep going. Eventually the problem went away as quickly as it started.
The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. I started at 8:00 AM, and finished right around 11:30 AM. I was plenty tired at the end, but still “had something left�. This was a great run, because it made me realize that I can do this – I will be able to finish 26.2 miles.
My wife and son greeted me at the driveway with a smoothie and a hug – It was a great feeling to be back, and to have that huge running milestone under my belt.
Rest of the day was pretty slow, updated my blog, went into Chico and played some “low speed� tennis with my wife and son.
Posted by Dennis at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2006
Week No. 12
REASON NO. 15 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
Training for a marathon has allowed me to see and experience things that I never would have been able to as a “couch potato�.
This week, my long run was along Butte Creek, following the near flood stage storm event we had on Saturday, December 31st. Lo and behold, about a mile south of Durham Dayton Highway (on the east side of the creek) there were three survey lath about mid-bank of the levee. These marked a 10 foot long, by about 6 inch wide crack that had developed in the levee. This is on the same stretch of levee that had several “boils� appear in the January 1997 flood event. Hopefully the Department of Water Resources will get serious about repairing these levees correctly, so that we do not have our own little version of New Orleans here in Durham.
Every run, every workout, is a part of life that I would have missed had I not embarked upon this fitness journey. Some of the more memorable experiences have been riding my bike around Lake Almanor, riding my bike over Brockway Summit and back again, running the Dan Beebe trail in Oroville, and running the railroad grade from Shasta Lake to Redding. Running has given me access to all corners of Bidwell Park, every square inch of the Butte Creek Levee system, as well as knowing every twist and turn in the Bidwell Park loop. I have experienced every inch of the Paradise Memorial Trail, as well as almost every road within a 10-mile radius of my house.
Training this week again was a struggle – with the last of the Christmas events, and New Years Parties, as well as the nasty weather, it made for a hectic week.
Tuesday was a 3-mile run on the hill program at the gym, followed by a 7 mile run around Durham on Wednesday. Thursday was a four-mile run in Durham.
I did my long run this week on Sunday this week, as Saturday was blown out by the weather and demands at work.
I ran from my house, east to Midway, then crossed over to Butte Creek and headed north to Durham Dayton and back. This was a recovery week, so the run was only 12.5 miles. This run felt really good, and I was able to pretty easily hold an 11-minute mile pace. I took two water bottles with me, and 4 gels. Taking a gel every 30-40 minutes seems to work out the best for me. That means I will need to carry (and consume) 10 gels on race day, along with a couple of power bars.
Posted by Dennis at 07:14 AM | Comments (0)