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February 25, 2006
WEEK NO. 20
REASON NO. 4 & 3.
Reason No. 4 for Running a Marathon –
Training for this event has completely changed how I look at running. It used to be that a 5-mile run was a “LONG RUN�, and anything over 6 miles was pure torture. I actually caught myself this week saying that “it’s only 12 miles, it wasn’t a long run�. The incredible thing is that after a 12 mile run, I am still capable of functioning. It used to be that a 6-mile run would wipe me out for the rest of the day. After my 12 miler on Monday, I went out with my son and played tennis for an hour or two.
Reason No. 3 for Running a Marathon –
The whole training and tapering process has reached a plateau. Almost everyone I work with has asked my how it is going, am I ready, etc. Running this marathon will be an epic event in my life, and will give me lots of new war stories to tell my friends and co-workers for months to come.
This was a really good training week. My last “long� run was Monday, which being a Holiday was really convenient. I ran my usual 12-mile route around Durham, early in the morning. It was about 29 or 30 degrees, but very little wind, which made for a really nice run. I like running early, watching the sun rise while I am running, and being all done by 8:30 AM or so. My pace was really good, finishing the 11.86 miles in 117 minutes (9 minute, 51 seconds per mile). This helped convince me that my current planned race pace is good, and should be doable as long as I do not slow down too much the last 4 or 5 miles.
As I’m now seriously into my taper for the race, I rested on Tuesday, and then ran my usual 5 miles around Durham on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were rest days, and Saturday I did a six-mile pace run, at a speed of 9 minutes/mile. Also dusted the cobwebs off my Cannondale, and went for a 20 mile ride. It was a drop-dead gorgeous afternoon, and the almond blossoms are in fully swing. It felt really good to get back on my bike, and wake up some of those leg muscles that have been hibernating since my last Triathlon in September.
Almost everyone you talk to about a marathon will tell you not to do anything new on race day. In other words, train the way you are going to race. This even includes equipment. I broke out my brand new Nike Air’s this morning for my six-mile run. I’ve only worn these a couple of times on short treadmill runs, as I wanted to keep the shoes in nearly new condition for the race. About 4 miles into my run today, I realize that my shoe had come untied. This is almost unheard of for me, as I am fastidious in how I carefully tie my shoes, and then just as carefully double knot them, to avoid this problem. I thought, oh well, it was just a fluke, right??? By the time I reached mile 6, the damned thing was untied again. This is when I realized that I had taken the original Nike shoelaces out, and put them in my set of trainers, since I originally had speed laces in them. My new shoes actually had a set of New Balance laces, that I had never used running (I took them out when I bought the shoes and put speed laces in them also). So, by carefully trying out my new shoes, I was able to save myself probably 3 or 4 minutes, and a ton of frustration if my shoes had came untied repeatedly over the course of 26.2 miles.
These are my Nike Air Pegasus training shoes, that have carried me across 450 miles, in the last 20 weeks. This is their last week of "active duty", and will be retired after my last run on Wednesday.
My total mileage for the week was 23 miles, which now seems like an incredibly easy week. Three months ago a 23-mile week would have killed me!!!!
Posted by Dennis at 01:15 PM | Comments (2)
February 18, 2006
Week No. 19
Reason No. 6 for Running a Marathon
It is great to have people ask you if you have lost weight. Twice during the last couple of weeks, co-workers and friends have asked me how much weight I have lost during my training.
Reason No. 5 for Running a Marathon
I ran our local Durham “Almond Blossom� 5K race this week. I completed the race with the fastest time of my life (22 minutes, 7 seconds), beating my previous best time by a minute and 30 seconds. The best part of the race, however, was a young female runner (probably 18 years old or so) tried to pass me as we approached the finish chute. I was able to kick into high gear, and keep ahead of her by enough to go through the chute first. Once the race officials took off our race tickets, I saw her over on the sidelines, very close to “losing her lunch�. I spoke with her later, and she was incredulous that she could not pass “the old guy�, because she was on the High School Track team, and a sprinter!!!
That moment, knowing that I was able to beat someone at “her race�, that was less than half my age - made all the pain of training worthwhile.
Training this week was much improved over the previous week. Most of my ankle pain has abated, and I have stopped wrapping it before runs.
I did not run over the weekend since we were in Tahoe, so I was well rested by Monday. I started the week with a 12 mile run out amongst the almond trees in Durham. It was a gorgeous day, and was a really good run. I was able to hold just slightly over a 10-minute mile pace, without pushing too hard. I purchased some GU’s (specific brand of gels) and have been using them on the longer runs. This is the brand that will be available to runners at the race, so I wanted to make sure that my system was OK with them. Everything on the run went well, I got home and within 5 minutes my son wanted me to go play tennis with him and his friend.
I reluctantly agreed, as long as they understood that I would not move on the courts – they would have to hit the ball to me!!! I definitely did not want to reinjure my ankle. We finished and stopped at the local Mexican food place for a huge plate full of food – I was famished!!!!
Tuesday was a rest day, Wednesday was a 5-mile run after work. It was a good, quick, cool run, with a time of 43 minutes, 50 seconds. Thursday and Friday I rested, as I wanted to be reasonably fresh for the Almond Blossom Race on Saturday.
The Almond Blossom is held every year in Durham, and is a fun race. I actually started my running career with this race in 2002, so it is one of my favorites. Since my wife was going to run this one (her first race ever) I ran the 5k (that way I could be at the finish line when she crossed).
I started with the front group (probably a 100 total runners), and my first mile clocked in at 6 minutes, 58 seconds. The second mile was around 14 minutes, 20 seconds, and my final finishing time was 22 minutes and 7 seconds. My previous fastest time on this course was 23 minutes and 37 seconds, so I was really happy with my time. I was able to cirle back, and run a little bit with my wife and her friend Lorri - they both finished in around 36 minutes - a great time for her first attempt at a 5K race.
As noted above, being able to beat a high school track team sprinter through the finish chute was just the final highlight to a great day of racing. Oh, wait, the final highlight was being called up to the Podium to receive my medal.
I finished third in my age group, and tenth overall. This is only the second time in my life I have received an age group medal, and this is the first time in my life I have been in the top ten of any of the races I have participated in.
Posted by Dennis at 02:35 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2006
WEEK NO. 18
Reason No. 7 for Running a Marathon
All Finishers of the Napa Valley Marathon get a “free� goodie bag!!!
Reason No. 8 for Running a Marathon –
All finishers of the Napa Valley Marathon get a “free� long sleeve “T� shirt. This is not something you can buy – you have to earn it!!!!!
Well, this was anything but a normal training week. With my messed up ankle last Sunday, and the beginnings of another virus of some sort (head cold) on Monday, this week might as well not have even happened. I’ll call it my “rest week�, if there is such a thing in marathon training.
Sunday was all about ice, ace bandages and trying to stay off my left ankle. Monday it was a little better, but still hurt anytime I turned or twisted funny. Tuesday I was able to walk a little bit, and everything felt pretty good.
Wednesday I was able to get in a very gentle three mile run (taking care to have the entire run on dirt, rather than pavement). It was a beautiful, 70 degree day and the run felt pretty good. I kept my ankle taped up, and that seemed to help avoid any pain issues.
Thursday I ramped up a little bit more to 4 miles, out at Bidwell Park - mostly on the dirt trails. I tried to run with the bandage on but that did not work at all - took it off and all was good.
Friday was my “long run� for the week, if you can call it that – 6 miles. Again, life really made it hard to have a good training week – as we left town for three days to go up to Incline Village (Lake Tahoe Area) for a family vacation. It’s really hard to run when it’s twenty degrees outside and icy!!!
So bottom line, my mileage went from a high of 41 miles to 14 miles in the course of one week. My only consolation is that most of my training is done – with less than 20 days until race day, it’s unlikely that anything I do at this point (other that tapering properly) would be able to help my race ability.
Posted by Dennis at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2006
WEEK NO. 17
REASONS NO. 9 AND 10 FOR RUNNING A MARATHON
Since I have less than 4 weeks until the race, I will need to “double up� on the reasons why, to reach 26 by race day.
Reason No. 10
Training for this marathon has given me a newfound confidence that there is very little in terms of physical challenges that I cannot do. If you had asked me just 3 months ago If I could run over 20 miles in less than 4 hours I would have emphatically said “NO WAY�. Seventeen short weeks later, a sub-four hour twenty-mile run is possible (I've done two of them), and my 15-mile runs are my "short runs�, that I do on recovery weeks.
Reason No. 9
I have met lots on new people while on this little journey that have encouraged me to see this challenge to the end. Everyone I have met has truly been supportive (especially those that know first hand the effort that goes into completing a marathon).
Training this week was fairly routine. Monday was a rest day, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were all 4:30 AM 5 mile runs around Durham. On Tuesday and Thursday I threw a little twist into the run, and did a timed 5k run in the middle of the run – to try to get a least a little bit of speed work in anticipation of the Almond Blossom Run coming up on February 18th. I will probably run the 5k race, so that I can be at the finish line to cheer on my wife, who will be completing her first ever 5k race.
Friday was a rest day, and Saturday was just a little bit of cross training (bike riding and basketball) trying to get all my lower parts and pieces rested (and not sore) for my last long run of the training program on Sunday.
Race day is just 30 days away – so this was planned to be my last run over 20 miles until the marathon. My plan was to do 23 miles, assuming everything felt good. If I had any issues (knees or otherwise) I was planning on cutting it short at 20 miles.
Well, that was the plan, anyway. My left ankle was sore yesterday, but I just figured it was one of those fleeting pains that would go away. I played some basketball yesterday that probably irritated things a little bit more. By Saturday night, it hurt to walk – and I knew that my plans for a long run were in trouble. I did the only thing you can do, rest and ice Saturday night. By Sunday morning, it felt better, but it was still unhappy any time I twisted or turned. I scrubbed the run plans, and went to the gym instead and did 1200 yards in the pool, and some easy spinning on the bike. Spent the day resting and icing (in Between Super bowl Parties). This is the first run that I have had to cancel because of an injury – hopefully I will be able to recover quickly from this, and not have to deviate too far from my training plan.
Posted by Dennis at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)