Back on the Horse

This morning, it was time to head out and "run" again after a 2-day hiatus. I really think it was simply an excuse for me to get out and listen to my MP3s again. I didn't use my MP3 player at the marathon. What the heck was I thinking??

My legs felt OK when I got out of bed this morning. But when I hit the pavement, I realized quickly that there was still some soreness. I suspect the extended soreness is due to the fact that I didn't stretch before or after the marathon Sunday, and then, I sat in a fetal position for the two-hour drive home immediately following the marathon. OK, not really a fetal position, but I was trying hard to rest and be comfortable and still. Another lesson learned.

After feeling the soreness, I decided that it would be best to combine running with walking at this point in my recovery, so I re-lived roughly 13 miles of this past Sunday's marathon, as I ran a short distance, then walked, ran a short distance, then walked, etc. etc. I felt no pain in my groin, nor on my left side--both sites of strain and cramping this past Sunday--and I was relieved that nothing serious seemed to be at hand.

I continued like this for 2 miles, just trying to be outside and moving for 30 minutes. Each time I went from walking to running, my legs felt better, like the soreness was falling off onto the street with each effort.

The exercise gave me a little more time to contemplate the marathon--what happened, what could be done to improve next time. I surmised that unfortunately, much of the issue was probably mental, which resulted in a sleepless night Saturday night. I say "unfortunately," because this problem is not something that can merely be practiced to perfection the way running hills or breathing properly can be. Still not sure how I'm going to resolve the problem.

Looking at the pace recorded by my Garmin, perhaps I could have slowed down more at the start. My average page in the beginning was at times under 9 m/m--a pace which does not lend itself to good negative splits that result in a 4:30ish finish which was my goal. Comfortable does not necessarily imply sustainable.

Oh yes, and next time, I will take a full Advil PM, rather than the measly half I took the night before OKC!

One final thought: this summer, I honestly hope to fully experience Oklahoma humidity during my training runs. It will actually be kind of tough to do so, since most of my runs occur at 5:30 AM, but I think that enduring in Oklahoma humidity throughout my training will make a November marathon--or a marathon in any other month--much more tolerable.

Hopefully much of the mental stuff will pass in November, as it will be my second marathon. And concern about beating my expectations (now, 5:00:51) are pretty minimal because, serious injury aside, it would actually be tough to have this past Sunday's experience again. (Famous last words.) And that's a good thing. While I'll always remember and, yes, treasure my first marathon experience, I don't really want to run that same race again.

4-29-09
Distance: 2.35 miles
Time: 29:57
Avg. Mile Pace: 12:43

My First Marathon: Mixed Feelings

It looks like the excitement about the OKC Memorial Marathon that motivated me for months also ended up being my "downfall." Saturday night, I lay in bed in my hotel room, and I tossed and turned and thought and strategized and worried and wondered...for hours. I was able to doze off into very light, restless sleep after quite a while, only to wake up again at around 3:00. I dozed off again, this time into a little more restful sleep, and woke up to the alarm at 4:30. My roommate got up to take a shower. I slept until 5:00 when my phone alarm went off. In all, I got less than 4 hours of sleep. I woke up to the realization that I would be running longer that day than I had slept that night.

We went downstairs and ate some breakfast. Actually, we grabbed our breakfast and ate it while power-walking 10 blocks or so to the starting line. I was feeling horrible already.

I slipped into the line with the 4 hour pace group. My plan was to start with them, and then fade back as necessary. After lengthy pre-run proceedings, the horn went off, and my first marathon had begun.

I was feeling good, going out at a moderate rate. Nothing strenuous at all. I noticed that a few miles in, I was sweating profusely. The sweat was dripping off the back of my shorts onto my legs. That seemed unusual. But otherwise, I was still feeling good.

It was at about mile 7 that things changed. Suddenly, I was completely drained. It was strange to me how weak I felt and how discouraged I was. Throughout my training, I was usually able to run around 15 miles without feeling notably stretched. Now I realized that the time of feeling stretched had arrived, and I was going to have a tough 19 miles, much of which was uphill and against the wind. I was a little heartbroken.

About 13.1 miles in, I started noticing a pain in my groin on the right side. It wasn't a cramp. I had apparently lightly strained the muscle. In order to keep from pulling it, I stopped once I realized that the discomfort was not going away. At that point, I started walking through water stops.

Seems like the turn at Hefner Lake came around mile 15 or 16. The wind I had been wishing for previously was now a pretty decent detriment. The news said to expect 20-25 MPH winds Sunday morning. I believe they were pretty accurate, as the gusts were sometimes so hard, it felt as though I could have leaned on them and remained upright. At this point, I saw TATUR Dave. I yelled out to him with a pretty weak voice. I was surprised he heard. He was there with another from the Runner's World group. It was good to see familiar, friendly, encouraging faces. Dave's words from a few weeks back were going through my mind at that point: "You will want to quit..." He was right. But the thought that was implied in Dave's comment was "...but don't." I'm so glad I didn't

As we started the slow uphill ascent starting at about mile 20, I was feeling completely, unbelievably weak. I was trying to stay positive. I kept reassuring myself, but I was to the point to where I wasn't sure if I was running or walking more. I kept thinking about my training, and how 16 miles was relatively easy, how 18 miles was a little bit of a surprise, and how 22 was tough, but do-able, and how I felt like I could have gone ahead and run an additional 4.2 miles that day without too much trouble. I didn't understand how, in all of my training, I had never walked (unless it was to stick with my running group), and now, I was having to force myself to run even a sliver of each mile.

At mile 23, I had what I suppose was a cramp that started at the front inside of my left leg, and extended back to the left side of my glute. It was kind of the last straw, and if a medic had come by in a cart and offered me a ride, I'm not sure what I would have done! But the spectators were great, as was the race crew--very encouraging the entire time, even toward a hobbling participant like me.

I hit mile 25, and I couldn't believe that I was one-point-something miles away. My remaining mileage was in the ones! I knew I was going to have to save some strength in order to be able to run across the finish line. I walked a pretty decent section of that mile into the 26th mile. Then, I turned the corner and saw a glorious sight: the finish line. I was about 4 blocks from it. I walked two of the blocks, and then dredged up my last bit of strength to push me to the finish line at a slow run...a mere 53 seconds away from beating 5 hours. Again, disappointed, but glad to be done, and glad to have my first marathon under my belt.

I shared with my wife on the way home that one ray of hope was that at no time during the race did I ever think to myself, "I never want to do this again." On the contrary, I was contemplating my Wednesday run this week, my next training schedule, and my next marathon, all the way through the race.

Next on the list: the Tulsa Run and the Route 66 Full Marathon.

4-26-09
Distance: 26.2 miles
Time: 5:00:52

End of Training

I ran this morning because my kids were up quite a bit the night before last (which means that Mommy and Daddy were also up), and since the race is on Sunday (so I won't be running on Saturday as I usually do), I figured I would go ahead and space the week's runs apart every other day.

So today was the last time I'll run before the marathon. In other words, the next time I don my running clothes, and my Asics touch a track, it will be to run 26.2 miles. I told my wife that I didn't want for this to end, that I wanted for it just to continue being my first marathon. I know that from here on out, each marathon I run will be unique and meaningful for different reasons, but my first will always be a special one.

While it would be exciting for my first marathon to be in Chicago or New York, or maybe even in Orlando or Las Vegas, I am kind of glad that my first one will be the OKC Memorial Marathon. I remember that day vividly, and it's good to know that my first marathon will honor the memory of that day.

I'm making a mental list of what I need to take with me tomorrow: Gu, red sunglasses lenses that make me look like Cyclops from the X-Men, running undies, oh, and my tennis shoes--an especially important item to remember.

I do plan to continue blogging, even though at first, this blog was designed simply to focus on preparations for my first marathon. But the next time I blog, it will be after having finally run 26.2 miles.

4-24-09
Distance: 3.88 miles
Time: 31.47
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:10

4-22-09
Distance: 3.86 miles
Time: 31.03
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:03

Fun New Toy

This weekend, I finally broke down and bought a Garmin Forerunner 305. I used it for the first time this morning. It's pretty cool. I can see myself spending way too much time messing with it. I've read complaints about the heart monitor, but aside from having to get used to a strap around my chest, I thought it was pretty simple.

Today I brought my run down to 4 miles. In doing so, I also modified my track, which was nice. Even though I'm running on almost all of the same streets I had been running on before, I have changed the direction of my run on almost all of them. As simple as it sounds, it's nice to see them from a different direction after over 4 months of the same track over and over.

4-20-09
Distance: 3.86 miles
Time: 32:14
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:20

Tapering Has Officially Begun

This morning, I ran my shortest Saturday run since February 7. Today's 7-mile run officially began my week of tapering, leading up to the marathon next Sunday. Appropriately mellow songs shuffled through my MP3 player this morning, and my only goal was to stay around 9-minute miles (preferably 9 minutes or less). I was able to do this, but I still didn't like seeing my stopwatch showing 1 hour.

Speaking of stopwatches, I received a strange error message when I hooked my iPod (which is just an expensive stopwatch now) up to my computer last night. It said that my iPod needed to be formatted, and since I don't use my iPod as an MP3 player anymore, I clicked OK. This morning, the iPod and the Blackberry were only fractions of a second off. Apparently, my iPod righted itself. I'll still be using 2 stopwatches until I get a Garmin anyway.

This morning was the first Saturday since the very beginning of my marathon training (which began last December) that I have not run with the Runner's World group. (I think I may have missed early on during the holidays, if even then?) This group has quietly become a very significant part of my life, and I was disappointed to miss, as I'm sure there was lots of celebration and inspiration this morning (as well as a potluck breakfast), but duty called--and my son and I are having a great morning together.

This will be an interesting week. I hope to get some good sleep and to eat some great meals.

4-18-09
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:00:09
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:28

Back in Shorts Again

I love Winter. It has always been a favorite season of mine. I even enjoy running on Winter days. That being said, there's something about shedding the tights and donning a pair of shorts for my morning run that just feels good. Of course, my neighbors may not appreciate the change as much as I do.

I think that part of what makes running in shorts so great is that more of your body is exposed to the air, or, to be a little cheesy, to nature. Thoreau has always been a favorite of mine. I think he must have been a runner, because of the sheer exposure to nature that running affords. But unlike Thoreau at Walden Pond, I live in the suburbs. Doesn't matter though. Granted, the exhaust from the passing cars brings one's feet back down to earth pretty quickly, but during the other times, when the rawness of one's effort makes contact with fresh air, especially as the sun begins to appear through eastern clouds, it's pretty transcendental (and a little stinky). That is, "transcendental" in the literary sense (says the former English literature teacher). Not in that goofy nature-is-divine sense. (Although, admittedly, that probably was Thoreau's denomination. But what do you expect? The man was a hermit living in solitude next to a pool of stagnant water.)

New 5-mile PR this morning, and this time, I know it's accurate. I've been timing myself with both my iPod (which apparently recently lost its timing accuracy) and my Blackberry. Sure enough, my Blackberry was 4 minutes slower than my iPod this morning. I will err on the side of conservativism and go with my Blackberry time. (I can't wait to get a Garmin!) Compared to my times in past runs, it seems to be more realistic. (Which translates into, no amazing 7-minute improvements on a 7-mile run in a week's time.)

4-16-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 39:05 (PR)
Avg. Mile Pace: 7:45 (PR)

Christmas in April

This morning's run was still kind of tough--still feeling the effects of Saturday's 22 combined with Monday's follow-up 5 I guess. But I did feel much better today than I did Monday. Just kind of fatigued in the calves, and I felt like I could not get a good rhythm.

This morning, I was thinking about my personal marathon preparation, and strangely, it reminded me a lot of Christmastime. Religious aspects aside, to me, the most exciting aspect of Christmas is the time leading up to the big day. Putting lights on the house, putting up the tree, even shopping in the busy malls all contribute to my positive concept of the "institution" of Christmas. Granted, not all aspects of the days leading up to December 25 are overly pleasant, but as a whole, it's a period of time that I really enjoy, perhaps even as much as the day itself.

I have had April 26 etched into my mental calendar for months now. And while it has not all been pleasant, there has been something about my training leading up to that day that has been exciting and meaningful, well beyond the fitness and health rewards. When I lay down at night, I think about the race. Every night. I can't wait for it to be here, but I also hate for it to be here, because once it arrives, it will then be over. Just like Christmas.

No doubt, much of my anticipation is due to the fact that this is my first marathon. It will be my first time to know what it feels like to run 26.2 miles. I contemplate my next endeavors often. I can definitely see a 50K in my future, and I suppose that I will always be able to try to make better finishing times and to visit new places. And just as I had favorite Christmases growing up, I'm sure I will have favorite marathons. But this one will always be special.

Ultimately, I have come to value this time much more than I ever expected.

4-15-09
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 59:17
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:22

Closing In

While it was in no way easy, this past Saturday's 22-mile run with the Runner's World group was not quite as much of an affront to me as the 18-mile run I ran with them about 4 weeks ago; most likely because that 18-mile run gave me a serious dose of reality that I was able to keep at the front of my mind for the first 15 miles or so this past Saturday.

This morning's run was rough. I ended up labeling it a "Recovery Run" because my legs were still so sore from Saturday. It felt like I had never stopped running, like the 5 miles I ran this morning were just a continuation of Saturday's run.

The next two weeks will be devoted to mental preparation. A running "colleague" of mine told me on Saturday that I would want to quit. I believe him. As much as I want to finish that race, I know how I felt this past Saturday, and I know that quitting will cross my mind. I want to be ready for that.

On an indirectly related note, I realized last Thursday that my stopwatch (iPod) seems to have become inaccurate recently. I was wondering, after last Wednesday's PR by 7 minutes (in a 7-mile run), and after Thursday, a slow, recovery day, when my iPod showed another personal record, if perhaps there wasn't something wrong. After PR #2, I set my iPod and my Blackberry next to each other and started the stopwatch on each. Sure enough, the iPod was reading faster. Most likely, this was a result of an update I downloaded last weekend. This was disappointing, but I'm glad that I figured this out now rather than at the marathon. All the more reason to get a Garmin!

4-13-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:47
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:40

4-11-09
Distance: 22 miles
Time: 3:40:16
Avg. Mile Pace: 10:01

An Awesome Cycle

My daughter got me up for my 7-mile run a little earlier than usual this morning, so at 5:30, running west, I found myself staring at a huge, full, orange moon dropping below the housetops. My first couple of miles take me west, so I was able to enjoy this sight almost up to the point to where the moon had completely disappeared. (I was kicking myself for not bringing my phone to take a picture.)

About 6 miles in, it was still a little too early to see the sun itself, but I could see its foreshadowing glow in the east. I don't really fit the "nature-lover" stereotype, but this was all pretty amazing. I thought to myself that I was glad that I was a runner, which, today, is what had enabled me to enjoy the opportunity to witness such things, and I actually felt sorry for those who were sleeping through this cycle--not in a self-righteous way, but very sincerely. It also made me realize how many similar experiences I have slept through myself in the past. I'm just glad I was able to catch it today.


Running time was inaccurate.

Two Uneventful Runs

Saturday's run with the Runner's World group was 11 miles through parts of town we have not run through in quite a while. I don't know that we have run through Woodward Park since training for the Route 66 last Fall. It was a great run--I love the houses in that area. A nice circle around Swan Lake. In and out of downtown. One wrong turn, but pretty minor; pretty quiet otherwise.

This morning's 5-mile was also quiet. While it was pretty windy, especially when running north, it did seem to have calmed down a little from yesterday and last night, when gusts were so loud, they actually woke me up.

Today was the first morning of my intentional (no longer experimental) speed work. Of course, looking at my time, one might wonder. I was a little disappointed looking at the stopwatch about a third of a mile from my house, realizing that I was going to have to push it pretty hard for the last bit in order to get there in under 40 minutes. I felt like I had worked pretty hard--harder than what the stopwatch was showing. Oh well. Ultimately, I know that the effort will help me in the marathon.

4-6-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 39:48
Avg. Mile Pace: 7:52

4-4-09
Distance: 11 miles
Time: 1:33:57
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:31

Adding Some Structure to My Training

I've been running for a little over a year now, and I finally decided that it was time to add some structure to my morning runs. I'm "officially" going to devote my first two runs of the week to speed training. My third run of the week will be a more relaxed run designed to help me recover from the two previous runs, and to help me prepare for my long Saturday runs. I am also thinking about moving my Tuesday morning run to Wednesday for a few reasons. First, now that I am running 20+ miles every other weekend, my legs are still a little tired on the Mondays following. After a Saturday long run and 5 miles each Monday, my legs just don't want to move too quickly on my Tuesday 7-mile runs. Moving this run to Wednesday will give me a day off in the middle, and will allow my weekly runs to gradually grow in intensity and plateau the very day before my recovery runs.

This morning's run was, as cheesy as it sounds, very pleasant. It was the first time in a while that I have intentionally let myself run a little slower--just trying to stay limber for Saturday and to rest up from the speed work from earlier in the week. There was a light, cool breeze that made things even nicer. Unfortunately, no rabbits to tell my daughter about. Incident-free, which was nice.

4-2-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 42:30
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:35

Catching Up

I realized this morning that the last time I blogged was from my phone after getting lost in Houston, so I figured I should catch up.

On Saturday, I went out to run with the Runner's World Group. We were scheduled for a 20-mile run. I woke up to thunder, lightning, and rain, and a forecast for snow. As much as I would like to have just slept in, I knew I needed to get up and run.

Once we had received our instructions, a somewhat smaller group of us left Veteran's Park, running north on Riverside, across on 11th, back down south on the west side of the river, across the river on the pedestrian bridge, and through the Midland Valley Trail, across on 18th to Main and then Boulder, which took us back to the park. We were to run this 5-mile loop 4 times.

We got drenched on the first loop. Moving into the second loop, the wind picked up significantly, and running north on Riverside, our faces were pelted with slanting rain and ice. This soon turned to one of the heaviest snows I've seen in a long time. It was a great snow, and I would loved to have run in it, except that I was soaked to the skin, and I had not dressed appropriately for such weather, nor had I brought so much as a change of socks. After the second loop, I saw Kathy sitting in her truck at the park. She told me that the tent had blown down and that most people had decided to head home. I decided to do the same. My car punished me for giving up early by failing to start--dead battery. I eventually got a jump and was able to drive home, disappointed.

On Sunday, I saw the news: the Runner's World group was going to do a make-up run that afternoon. I was pretty excited, and I made sure to get out there to run an additional 10 miles. Because I was splitting up my 20 miles, I tried to run a little harder. The pavement was still wet, especially on the west side of the river, but it was a nice, sunny day--perfect for running. I had actually dressed too warmly, and this was a little bit of a detriment.

On Monday, I ran the toughest 5 miles I've ever run. I was very sore from running now 3 days in a row. My muscles were wondering if I had actually stopped running since Saturday at 7:00. I was surprised at how fatigued I was. I finished with a very mediocre time, but I didn't care...I was just glad to be done with that one.

I moved my Tuesday 7-mile run to today (Wednesday) to let my body heal up for a day. When I woke up this morning, I was ready. It was a good, hard run. My legs were still a little sore, but that seems to be the case every day these days, so I'm not convinced that it was because of my weekend/early week runs.

4-1-09
Distance: 7 miles
Time: 58:53
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:18

3-30-09
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:38
Avg. Mile Pace: 8:39

4-1-09
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1 hr. 34 min. (apprx.)
Avg. Mile Pace: 9:10

3-29-09
Distance: 10 miles