Well, another week in the books, and it was a toughie. So tough in fact that I haven't even blogged about it until now. To recap I had a 4-8-4 and 16 miles on Saturday.
Things got off to a good start and I had an easy 4 miles on Monday. When Wednesday rolled around, I was all prepped for my 8 miles (water and knowing the route) so I thought it would be easy. For some reason these Wednesday runs stink. I can't seem to get through them like I can the Saturday run. I finish the run ok, but it takes a toll on my body. My legs felt so fatigued that I decided it would be in my best interest to rest my legs on Thursday.
Last week I had done so well on the 15 miler that with an extra days rest I was confident that my 16 miler would be fine. I got to the rendezvous at 6:00 in the morning to get 6 miles in before I finished with my half marathon buddies who were only running 10 on Saturday. I ran with a few people at 6, but the pace was a little too fast and I could feel my shins really hurting. I was concerned that this could be one of those nightmare runs. I decided to stop to massage and stretch my legs before continuing for about 10 minutes. This seemed to work quite well, and I was able to get a good 5.5 miles in before the official group run.
With only 10.5 to go, I still felt like this was going to be a duplicate of last week, steady and successful. For the most part it was but the last mile and a half was horrifying. My grandmother could have probably passed me I was struggling so much. Thank God I did finally finish, but it wasn't pretty. What scares me is if this was the actual marathon, I would only have another 10 miles to go. OUCH!
Apparently everyone has runs like this, where they aren't good, but you get through them. Hopefully this wont happen on race day.
Next week I have a step back week of 12 miles. I am going to over achieve however and run 13.1 in the Atlanta 13.1 (half-marathon) race in Brookhaven on Sunday. Additionally, I am sure you all getting sick of my constant complaining of my ailments and aches. I have decided to cross train all next week to rest my legs for the upcoming increase in mileage to prepare me for the upcoming marathon.
Sorry for not posting any pictures this week. Leslie will take some next week at the 13.1 race. If you are interested in joining in this madness click here http://www.131marathon.com/13_1_Atlanta.htm
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 10
So another week in the books! To recap, I was scheduled to run 3-7-4 this week and a whopping 15 miles on Saturday! I tackled the 3 miles on Monday, which has been my new strategy, to give my legs a rest-day after the first weekly run, instead of running three days in a row. At the end of Monday's 3 miler, it occured to me that it would be my last three mile run before the marathon. From now on, everything will be at least 4 miles or longer. A lot of people have told me how easy these 3 and 4 mile runs become as the training schedule goes on, so I am going to miss these quick 30 minute runs.
With a rest-day on Tuesday, I was ready to tackle the 7 miles I had scheduled for Wednesday. I went to Buckhead to run with my running group again, but this time I was prepared and brought my water. However, it did not all go perfectly like I had planned. There were no maps available for the run, and the only group of runners that were there were a group of men that are 8 minute milers. Being a 9 and a half minute miler, I made the wise decision to try to run with them for seven miles. This plan worked great until 2.3 miles in, when I had to reduce my pace. I was able to keep them in sight until about Mile 4. From that point on, I was on my own. With no map, and sucking down my water, I was slightly concerned that this could turn into a sticky situation. However, my manly sense of direction brought me to the finishing point with half a bottle of water to spare. When I got there, some of the guys were still waiting for me and expressed their relief that I made it back. Apparently, I was only about 6 minutes behind them. Which I felt was pretty good. I also learned that I had run 8 miles, as opposed to the scheduled 7. Oh well, I hope that pays off for me on down the road.
Thursday was just a 4 Miler for me, but I hadn't recovered properly from the previous day's run, hadn't worn my calf sleeves, or taken any anti-inflamitory meds. 2.5 miles in, my shin pain was unbearable and I decided to walk home and call it a night. I wound up doing just under 4 miles, but who cares... I did 8 the day before.
I had a much needed rest day on Friday, but I was really anxious about running 15 miles on Saturday. My running buddies in the group were scheduled to run 12 miles, so I decided to get up early and run 3 miles before running the remaining 12 at our traditional 7am Saturday Start. I took the first 3 miles slow, but everything seemed ok. And then I took plenty of time to stretch during the group announcements before we took off for our 12 mile run together. I did amazingly well for those 15 total miles. Especially the first 13. I was able to run with no pain, but I noticed I was getting a little tired during the 14th and 15th mile. The last two miles I noticed I was struggling to pick up my feet as well, and I tripped and nearly fell flat on my face TWICE in a span of about a half mile. Only a little embarassing in front of the entire group. Who cares though... I look like I run in work socks, anyways. All in all, another great week. I wasn't beat, but I definitely didn't feel bad about vegging out and watching football the rest of the day. Now, another week closer to my marathon.
The pictures last week got great reviews, so I have decided to share a couple of my post-15 mile ice bath.
Getting ready to ice down with a bathtub full of 5 bags of ice:
Sometimes I feel like this is the hardest part of marathon training:
Thanks for the comments. I will keep you updated next week!
With a rest-day on Tuesday, I was ready to tackle the 7 miles I had scheduled for Wednesday. I went to Buckhead to run with my running group again, but this time I was prepared and brought my water. However, it did not all go perfectly like I had planned. There were no maps available for the run, and the only group of runners that were there were a group of men that are 8 minute milers. Being a 9 and a half minute miler, I made the wise decision to try to run with them for seven miles. This plan worked great until 2.3 miles in, when I had to reduce my pace. I was able to keep them in sight until about Mile 4. From that point on, I was on my own. With no map, and sucking down my water, I was slightly concerned that this could turn into a sticky situation. However, my manly sense of direction brought me to the finishing point with half a bottle of water to spare. When I got there, some of the guys were still waiting for me and expressed their relief that I made it back. Apparently, I was only about 6 minutes behind them. Which I felt was pretty good. I also learned that I had run 8 miles, as opposed to the scheduled 7. Oh well, I hope that pays off for me on down the road.
Thursday was just a 4 Miler for me, but I hadn't recovered properly from the previous day's run, hadn't worn my calf sleeves, or taken any anti-inflamitory meds. 2.5 miles in, my shin pain was unbearable and I decided to walk home and call it a night. I wound up doing just under 4 miles, but who cares... I did 8 the day before.
I had a much needed rest day on Friday, but I was really anxious about running 15 miles on Saturday. My running buddies in the group were scheduled to run 12 miles, so I decided to get up early and run 3 miles before running the remaining 12 at our traditional 7am Saturday Start. I took the first 3 miles slow, but everything seemed ok. And then I took plenty of time to stretch during the group announcements before we took off for our 12 mile run together. I did amazingly well for those 15 total miles. Especially the first 13. I was able to run with no pain, but I noticed I was getting a little tired during the 14th and 15th mile. The last two miles I noticed I was struggling to pick up my feet as well, and I tripped and nearly fell flat on my face TWICE in a span of about a half mile. Only a little embarassing in front of the entire group. Who cares though... I look like I run in work socks, anyways. All in all, another great week. I wasn't beat, but I definitely didn't feel bad about vegging out and watching football the rest of the day. Now, another week closer to my marathon.
The pictures last week got great reviews, so I have decided to share a couple of my post-15 mile ice bath.
Getting ready to ice down with a bathtub full of 5 bags of ice:
Sometimes I feel like this is the hardest part of marathon training:
Thanks for the comments. I will keep you updated next week!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 9
Another week in the books and this was a step-back week, so no major surprises. Although I've been trying to run on Mondays, this Monday I was in the car driving back to Atlanta from our Labor Day weekend. When we got home, I didn't have it in me to run. I should have though, because Tuesday was extremely busy at work and I missed the 3 miles.
Wednesday, I was supposed to bump up to 7 miles so I decided to join my running group in Buckhead for the run. However, this new strategy had its drawbacks. It was really hot running with the group at 6pm vs. late night or early morning. And unlike the Saturday run, there is no water along the course. I wish I had known that... before I showed up ready to run with no water in 91 degree heat. Luckily for me, about 3 miles in, someone was watering their grass and I decided to stick my head in their sprinkler. It wasn't much, but it kept me going. Needless to say, I don't feel guilty about only running 6 miles instead of the 7 I had on my schedule.
Thursday was a 4 mile run and it was very difficult. But I couldn't cheat since I had skipped Tuesday and cut Wednesday short by a mile.
Saturday represented a step-back run for me, running just 10 miles with the group. It wasn't too bad and I feel geared up for another week of training this coming week.
As promised, included some photos of all the gear I have purchased to help me through this journey.
TRAINING CALENDAR: This is where I have all of my runs scheduled out from Day 1 of training through Marathon Day. Its on the wall in my garage, so I have to look at it every day.
CALF STRETCHER: Not sure if this is really its name. But it does a great job stretching my calves. This has been really important for me to help keep my calves loose and help minimize shin splints. Also note the running shoes that I wear only during training.
RUNNING SHORTS: Did you know that real running shorts have a liner sewn into them?
THE STICK: A great way to massage the calf and hamstring. It helps to have a teammate willing to roll it on you.
FOAM ROLLER: When The Stick isn't enough, the foam roller can also help loosen muscles on the entire leg. Especially useful when your teammate is mad at you.
MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS:
1. GPS WATCH: The GPS watch is super cool. It can track absolutely everything from my heartrate, distance, pace, elevation, grade, calories, to my horoscope ;).
2. BODY GLIDE: This is a life saver. Enough said.
WATER BELT: 6 bottles.
CALF SLEEVES: I get asked about these the most. They help with shin splints and speed up post-run recovery time.
That's it for this week. I will post again next week after my new personal long of 15 miles next Saturday.
Wednesday, I was supposed to bump up to 7 miles so I decided to join my running group in Buckhead for the run. However, this new strategy had its drawbacks. It was really hot running with the group at 6pm vs. late night or early morning. And unlike the Saturday run, there is no water along the course. I wish I had known that... before I showed up ready to run with no water in 91 degree heat. Luckily for me, about 3 miles in, someone was watering their grass and I decided to stick my head in their sprinkler. It wasn't much, but it kept me going. Needless to say, I don't feel guilty about only running 6 miles instead of the 7 I had on my schedule.
Thursday was a 4 mile run and it was very difficult. But I couldn't cheat since I had skipped Tuesday and cut Wednesday short by a mile.
Saturday represented a step-back run for me, running just 10 miles with the group. It wasn't too bad and I feel geared up for another week of training this coming week.
As promised, included some photos of all the gear I have purchased to help me through this journey.
TRAINING CALENDAR: This is where I have all of my runs scheduled out from Day 1 of training through Marathon Day. Its on the wall in my garage, so I have to look at it every day.
CALF STRETCHER: Not sure if this is really its name. But it does a great job stretching my calves. This has been really important for me to help keep my calves loose and help minimize shin splints. Also note the running shoes that I wear only during training.
RUNNING SHORTS: Did you know that real running shorts have a liner sewn into them?
THE STICK: A great way to massage the calf and hamstring. It helps to have a teammate willing to roll it on you.
FOAM ROLLER: When The Stick isn't enough, the foam roller can also help loosen muscles on the entire leg. Especially useful when your teammate is mad at you.
MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS:
1. GPS WATCH: The GPS watch is super cool. It can track absolutely everything from my heartrate, distance, pace, elevation, grade, calories, to my horoscope ;).
2. BODY GLIDE: This is a life saver. Enough said.
WATER BELT: 6 bottles.
CALF SLEEVES: I get asked about these the most. They help with shin splints and speed up post-run recovery time.
That's it for this week. I will post again next week after my new personal long of 15 miles next Saturday.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 8
Sorry for the late post everybody! It's been quite a week.
Leslie and I went to North Carolina to visit my grandmother for Labor Day, so it has been tough to get back and post. However, unlike not sticking to my blogging schedule, I did stick to my running schedule this week.
To recap, I had a 3-6-3 last week. And a whopping 13 miles on Saturday. If you remember, week before last, I had decided to move my Tuesday run to Monday to help avoid the dreaded shin pain later in the week. It worked out well, and I wanted to do this again this week, but I was starting to come down with a cold and felt tired on Monday, so I pushed the run back to Tuesday. On Tuesday, I still wasn't feeling great, but I decided to walk my neighborhood and just see how I felt. I noticed after walking a half-mile, that my heart rate wasn't any higher than normal so I decided to run a mile and see how things went. First mile was good, so I completed the 3 mile run. Didn't set any records, but another training run down.
Wednesday I felt mostly the same, so I decided I was going to brave the 6 miler. It was a little easier to get motivated because my neighbor wanted to join me for the run. After completing the 6 miles, I was more worried about my shins than I was my cold. So I guess that meant my health was ok.
Not wanting to overdo it, I did take Thursday off and packed for my trip to North Carolina.
Saturday was quite a big day since it was my first long run by myself (away from my running group) AND it was in the NC mountains AND I still had the remnants of my cold. I thought it would be neat to run to Virginia and back to say that I had run across a state line. I didn't take into account how freaking hilly this stupid idea was. The first 4 miles were brutal. But I stuck with it. After crossing the Virginia line, the rest of my run was remarkably normal and I felt great. Miles 5-9 were a breeze. Given the difficulty of the course I began to fatigue a little and by mile 13 I was running on will power alone. However, I did finish and I am very proud of myself. I essentially ran a mountainous half marathon carrying my own water along the way. Though the perk of running home to grandma's house is that you get ham biscuits, eggs and grits when you get there.
The week ended with a simple 5 mile walk as cross training, and now it's off to focusing on next week. Next week will be a step-back week for me, so I will run a 3-7-4 and a 10 miler on Saturday. I will try not to bore you and provide an equipment update for you next week in addition to my blog post, so stay tuned.
Leslie and I went to North Carolina to visit my grandmother for Labor Day, so it has been tough to get back and post. However, unlike not sticking to my blogging schedule, I did stick to my running schedule this week.
To recap, I had a 3-6-3 last week. And a whopping 13 miles on Saturday. If you remember, week before last, I had decided to move my Tuesday run to Monday to help avoid the dreaded shin pain later in the week. It worked out well, and I wanted to do this again this week, but I was starting to come down with a cold and felt tired on Monday, so I pushed the run back to Tuesday. On Tuesday, I still wasn't feeling great, but I decided to walk my neighborhood and just see how I felt. I noticed after walking a half-mile, that my heart rate wasn't any higher than normal so I decided to run a mile and see how things went. First mile was good, so I completed the 3 mile run. Didn't set any records, but another training run down.
Wednesday I felt mostly the same, so I decided I was going to brave the 6 miler. It was a little easier to get motivated because my neighbor wanted to join me for the run. After completing the 6 miles, I was more worried about my shins than I was my cold. So I guess that meant my health was ok.
Not wanting to overdo it, I did take Thursday off and packed for my trip to North Carolina.
Saturday was quite a big day since it was my first long run by myself (away from my running group) AND it was in the NC mountains AND I still had the remnants of my cold. I thought it would be neat to run to Virginia and back to say that I had run across a state line. I didn't take into account how freaking hilly this stupid idea was. The first 4 miles were brutal. But I stuck with it. After crossing the Virginia line, the rest of my run was remarkably normal and I felt great. Miles 5-9 were a breeze. Given the difficulty of the course I began to fatigue a little and by mile 13 I was running on will power alone. However, I did finish and I am very proud of myself. I essentially ran a mountainous half marathon carrying my own water along the way. Though the perk of running home to grandma's house is that you get ham biscuits, eggs and grits when you get there.
The week ended with a simple 5 mile walk as cross training, and now it's off to focusing on next week. Next week will be a step-back week for me, so I will run a 3-7-4 and a 10 miler on Saturday. I will try not to bore you and provide an equipment update for you next week in addition to my blog post, so stay tuned.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 7
Alright, another week down and another week to blog. Thanks so much for the feedback on the blog last week, I am so happy to hear about so many readers.
I got a question last week about the Saturday morning running group. I am a member of a group called USA Fit Team Spirit (no joke), and there are probably about 30 of us who run every Saturday morning at 7 am. You can learn more about this group here: http://www.usafitteamspirit.com/. I have also seen an even larger (and cheaper) running group in Atlanta called the Chattahoochee Road Runners http://www.crrclub.com/gtd.html. These groups are a great way to get a good Saturday run in. Otherwise, I am not sure if I could do it.
On to this week. As you all know, I have been battling shin pain for the last few weeks. This week I have made a few changes to combat this issue.
1. I am moving (at least temporarily) my Tuesday run to Monday. This way I don't have to run 3 days in a row.
2. I have made an effort to shorten my stride and make sure I am landing on the front of my feet rather than my heel.
I did the 3 miles on Monday night which was fine. Leslie and I had plans for the rest of the week so getting my runs in was going to be tough. I got up early Wednesday, and ran 6 miles with the shorter stride. Combined with the rest day on Tuesday, I was really encouraged about how good I felt. But, I felt like I ran a little slow.
After having some friends over late, there was no way I was getting up early Thursday morning to run. To make things even more difficult, Leslie and I went to Medieval Times with our friends Chris and Kristin Heiden. I can't say too much for the food there, and I knew that in order to really enjoy the experince, I was going to have to include some beer. But I still needed to run my 3 miles that night. If you have been reading the last two weeks you will notice I haven't been too good about finishing the Thursday run. As much as I didn't want to do the post-beer run, I don't want this to turn into a habit, so I took off a little bit tipsy. No records were set, but I was back on my training schedule of making all my runs.
Now my only concern was the 12 miler on Saturday. Saturday's are generally pretty good to me so I wasn't too concerned about my shins, but would I have the cardio strength to finish 12 miles? My longest run up to now has been 10 miles, so there were a lot of question marks. This week the group took off from the Carter Center and ran through downtown Atlanta, it is a hilly course with some interesting people watching along the way.
I was really pleased with the run, the first 8 miles went great. Mile 8 was a little tough but I powered through. I got some sort of second wind at mile 9 or 10. I was running so well that I dropped our group coach right before the last water stop. I was a little concerned at this point that I was running out of energy to burn, so I drank 2 extra cups of Powerade. Huge mistake. I felt like a swollen up leech trying to finish the run. I also got a stitch right behind my rib cage. I did suffer through the final 2 miles, but it wasn't fun. After about a mile and a half I got my stride back and was able to finish the last half mile pretty good. I did it, 12 miles!
Now I need to take what I learned an apply it to next week's training. I have 13 miles next Saturday, but I wont have the luxury of running with the group. Leslie and I will be visiting family in North Carolina. I expect this to make it a little bit tougher, so wish me luck.
Thanks again for the read!
I got a question last week about the Saturday morning running group. I am a member of a group called USA Fit Team Spirit (no joke), and there are probably about 30 of us who run every Saturday morning at 7 am. You can learn more about this group here: http://www.usafitteamspirit.com/. I have also seen an even larger (and cheaper) running group in Atlanta called the Chattahoochee Road Runners http://www.crrclub.com/gtd.html. These groups are a great way to get a good Saturday run in. Otherwise, I am not sure if I could do it.
On to this week. As you all know, I have been battling shin pain for the last few weeks. This week I have made a few changes to combat this issue.
1. I am moving (at least temporarily) my Tuesday run to Monday. This way I don't have to run 3 days in a row.
2. I have made an effort to shorten my stride and make sure I am landing on the front of my feet rather than my heel.
I did the 3 miles on Monday night which was fine. Leslie and I had plans for the rest of the week so getting my runs in was going to be tough. I got up early Wednesday, and ran 6 miles with the shorter stride. Combined with the rest day on Tuesday, I was really encouraged about how good I felt. But, I felt like I ran a little slow.
After having some friends over late, there was no way I was getting up early Thursday morning to run. To make things even more difficult, Leslie and I went to Medieval Times with our friends Chris and Kristin Heiden. I can't say too much for the food there, and I knew that in order to really enjoy the experince, I was going to have to include some beer. But I still needed to run my 3 miles that night. If you have been reading the last two weeks you will notice I haven't been too good about finishing the Thursday run. As much as I didn't want to do the post-beer run, I don't want this to turn into a habit, so I took off a little bit tipsy. No records were set, but I was back on my training schedule of making all my runs.
Now my only concern was the 12 miler on Saturday. Saturday's are generally pretty good to me so I wasn't too concerned about my shins, but would I have the cardio strength to finish 12 miles? My longest run up to now has been 10 miles, so there were a lot of question marks. This week the group took off from the Carter Center and ran through downtown Atlanta, it is a hilly course with some interesting people watching along the way.
I was really pleased with the run, the first 8 miles went great. Mile 8 was a little tough but I powered through. I got some sort of second wind at mile 9 or 10. I was running so well that I dropped our group coach right before the last water stop. I was a little concerned at this point that I was running out of energy to burn, so I drank 2 extra cups of Powerade. Huge mistake. I felt like a swollen up leech trying to finish the run. I also got a stitch right behind my rib cage. I did suffer through the final 2 miles, but it wasn't fun. After about a mile and a half I got my stride back and was able to finish the last half mile pretty good. I did it, 12 miles!
Now I need to take what I learned an apply it to next week's training. I have 13 miles next Saturday, but I wont have the luxury of running with the group. Leslie and I will be visiting family in North Carolina. I expect this to make it a little bit tougher, so wish me luck.
Thanks again for the read!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Marathon Training Week 6: Wife Hijacks the Blog with a Little Q & A
This week was a step-back week 3-5-3 with a 7 miler on Saturday. I cross trained instead of running on Thursday to rest my shins. All the while, my wife had been (lovingly) complaining that my blog posts might be getting a little predicatable. (Rest day, short run, long run, aches, pains...) So I made her come up with a better idea for this week's post. She suggested asking me questions about my marathon training and I will answer honestly. Here goes:
Q.You have been struggling a lot with aches and pains during your training. Have you wanted to quit?
A. No. (Wife Blog Hijacker and anyone who knows Rob should not be surprised by this answer.) I haven't wanted to quit, but I have wondered if I would be able to continue increasing my mileage.
Q. How in the world do you get up at 6am on Saturday mornings for your group runs?
A. The group makes it easier that I'm not doing a long run by myself. Actually the large group is really made up of smaller groups. I am in the 9 minute milers group. We are like a little fraternity. (Misery loves company!) It's not like I'm the only one out there, so if I don't show up, others are affected too.
Q. What do you do when you have to pee during a run?
A. I haven't had to yet. But I have heard that in most long races there are porta-potties. I'm civilized. I will use them. Note: For those that are further interested in this topic, there is a YouTube video of Paula Radcliffe, female winner of the London Marathon who had to pee mid-race. If you so choose, you will see that she did not use the proper facilities. When you gotta go, you gotta go I suppose. Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I2-YP42rs)
(Wife Blog Hijacker: Apparently when becoming a marathoner causes you to lose your dignity.)
Q. What do you eat the night before a long run?
A. I'm not one of those runners that thinks the meal before affects your run. (This comes as great disappointment to Wife Blog Hijacker, who would only consider running great distances in order to take advantage of the giant pre-race spaghetti dinner.) I generally eat whatever I want, but try to eat a little less. And I don't snack after dinner. Which is close to impossible for me.
Q. What is your favorite piece of training equipment you have purchased?
A. Teaser: I will post more about marathon training paraphanalia in a later posting, but I would have to say my favorite is my new watch.
Q. What do you think about when you are running?
A. I'm not a good enough runner to think about anything other than running. Or not dying. I'm constantly calculating how far I've gone in both distance and time, and how far I have left to go. On Saturdays in my group runs, I think about how far I have to the next water stop. I also think about my shins. (WBH: apologizes for how boring these answers are. This guy is hard core. I kept asking, "Don't you think about what you are going to eat when you are done? Do you sing "We Are The Champions" in your head? Do you pretend someone is chasing you?" I didn't want readers to think I didn't try. He's really just this dull, errr, focused when it comes to his brain on runs.)
Q. Why don't you listen to music during your runs?
A. I sweat too much. I would sweat the ear buds off. (WBH: "Gross.")
Q. At this point, would you ever consider training for/running another marathon??
A. I'm withholding judgement until I finish my first. Aside from the shin pain, it has been an awesome experience. (WBH: Go Rob!)
Q.You have been struggling a lot with aches and pains during your training. Have you wanted to quit?
A. No. (Wife Blog Hijacker and anyone who knows Rob should not be surprised by this answer.) I haven't wanted to quit, but I have wondered if I would be able to continue increasing my mileage.
Q. How in the world do you get up at 6am on Saturday mornings for your group runs?
A. The group makes it easier that I'm not doing a long run by myself. Actually the large group is really made up of smaller groups. I am in the 9 minute milers group. We are like a little fraternity. (Misery loves company!) It's not like I'm the only one out there, so if I don't show up, others are affected too.
Q. What do you do when you have to pee during a run?
A. I haven't had to yet. But I have heard that in most long races there are porta-potties. I'm civilized. I will use them. Note: For those that are further interested in this topic, there is a YouTube video of Paula Radcliffe, female winner of the London Marathon who had to pee mid-race. If you so choose, you will see that she did not use the proper facilities. When you gotta go, you gotta go I suppose. Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6I2-YP42rs)
(Wife Blog Hijacker: Apparently when becoming a marathoner causes you to lose your dignity.)
Q. What do you eat the night before a long run?
A. I'm not one of those runners that thinks the meal before affects your run. (This comes as great disappointment to Wife Blog Hijacker, who would only consider running great distances in order to take advantage of the giant pre-race spaghetti dinner.) I generally eat whatever I want, but try to eat a little less. And I don't snack after dinner. Which is close to impossible for me.
Q. What is your favorite piece of training equipment you have purchased?
A. Teaser: I will post more about marathon training paraphanalia in a later posting, but I would have to say my favorite is my new watch.
Q. What do you think about when you are running?
A. I'm not a good enough runner to think about anything other than running. Or not dying. I'm constantly calculating how far I've gone in both distance and time, and how far I have left to go. On Saturdays in my group runs, I think about how far I have to the next water stop. I also think about my shins. (WBH: apologizes for how boring these answers are. This guy is hard core. I kept asking, "Don't you think about what you are going to eat when you are done? Do you sing "We Are The Champions" in your head? Do you pretend someone is chasing you?" I didn't want readers to think I didn't try. He's really just this dull, errr, focused when it comes to his brain on runs.)
Q. Why don't you listen to music during your runs?
A. I sweat too much. I would sweat the ear buds off. (WBH: "Gross.")
Q. At this point, would you ever consider training for/running another marathon??
A. I'm withholding judgement until I finish my first. Aside from the shin pain, it has been an awesome experience. (WBH: Go Rob!)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 5
This was a big week for me. My first double digit mileage run on Saturday, and a good 5 miler on Wednesday. Here is how it all went down.
The week started with a cross training on Sunday. Leslie and I decided to walk up Stone Mountain to get a good bit of exercise. This was fun, but walking the steep grade worked my calves a lot like a run would. I was a little concerned this may prevent me from fully recovering for my runs later this week. To further complicate the issue, we were running late (for something that I can't even remember) and had to run about a mile and a half back to the car. I felt remarkably good on this short one given that I had run 9 just the day before, so that was really promising.
Again I couldn't get up early this week to do my runs. So I am running at night to avoid the heat, and I have to run late after dinner. I know it isn't ideal, but at least I am getting the mileage in.
Tuesday was a generic 3 miler, easy peasy.
Wednesday is where things got interesting. I took off for a 5 mile run, and I could never seem to get comfortable. I suffered through the first two miles, but my shins were killing me. Again, I keep thinking back to marathon guru Jeff Galloway telling me, "Nobody ever died from shin splints." I felt like I might be the first. I also felt that if I stopped, the inflammation would get worse and my pain would get worse, so I tried to keep going. Almost 2 and half miles in I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped.... and I was right. The pain got worse. Since I was running a loop, I was at the furthest point from home. This totally sucked. I hobbled along, barely maintaining my balance for about half a mile. Little by little I felt like the pain was getting more manageable. I decided to try and run again when I got to the 3 mile mark. I began running and the pain didn't get any worse. In fact, I made it all the way back just 7 minutes behind schedule. This was really encouraging. I feel a lot better that with a little walking I can run through the pain of shin splints if they bother me during the race or on another training run.
However, I was also really disappointed. This is the first training run that I did any significant walking. Not a big deal, but what was more frustrating was wondering where this shin pain came from. I thought I had conquered this two weeks ago. Hopefully this was just a blip from walking the mountain and an additional run on Sunday.
The good news is with a little ice, rest, and training I think I got it back under control. I skipped Thursday's 3 miler for some cross training on the elliptical. This gave me no pain and prepped me for the 10 miler on Saturday.
I overslept on Saturday, and I was so mad at myself. It is difficult to do these long runs, so to do it by myself was not something I was looking forward to. I rushed over to where the running group met up and just took off..... I was 30 minutes late. My major concern was getting to the first water station and seeing all the water gone, or finding that it had already been picked up. Luckily for me it wasn't. I made it to the first water stop and drank some Powerade. Having burned off all of my anger, I was able to settle in to a rhythm and work on the rest of my run. It was really cool actually because by about mile 5 I started seeing a few other runners from the group (crossing my path). I actually even caught up to the slowest time group and passed them. Everything was great until the last water stop at mile 7. I arrived at the stop at the same time some others who were doing a 14 mile run, we all had 3 miles to go. I was going to come home with the cavalry. I think I drank a little too much water and I began to develop a stitch in my ribs. The 14 mile group took off so fast it was like they were running from a time bomb, I just couldn't keep up.
But whatever, I was doing okay on my own until the last mile. The last mile was almost all uphill. I barely made it to the finish, but I did make it. I was so pleased given the circumstances and with no shin pain to speak that I gave Leslie a call and we had a celebratory breakfast a J Christopher's. After 10 miles, nothing on my plate stood a chance.
All in all a great week given the curve balls thrown at me (currently watching the Braves as I write this). Next week should be a good step back week of 3-5-3 in the week and 7 on Saturday. I will keep you posted.
The week started with a cross training on Sunday. Leslie and I decided to walk up Stone Mountain to get a good bit of exercise. This was fun, but walking the steep grade worked my calves a lot like a run would. I was a little concerned this may prevent me from fully recovering for my runs later this week. To further complicate the issue, we were running late (for something that I can't even remember) and had to run about a mile and a half back to the car. I felt remarkably good on this short one given that I had run 9 just the day before, so that was really promising.
Again I couldn't get up early this week to do my runs. So I am running at night to avoid the heat, and I have to run late after dinner. I know it isn't ideal, but at least I am getting the mileage in.
Tuesday was a generic 3 miler, easy peasy.
Wednesday is where things got interesting. I took off for a 5 mile run, and I could never seem to get comfortable. I suffered through the first two miles, but my shins were killing me. Again, I keep thinking back to marathon guru Jeff Galloway telling me, "Nobody ever died from shin splints." I felt like I might be the first. I also felt that if I stopped, the inflammation would get worse and my pain would get worse, so I tried to keep going. Almost 2 and half miles in I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped.... and I was right. The pain got worse. Since I was running a loop, I was at the furthest point from home. This totally sucked. I hobbled along, barely maintaining my balance for about half a mile. Little by little I felt like the pain was getting more manageable. I decided to try and run again when I got to the 3 mile mark. I began running and the pain didn't get any worse. In fact, I made it all the way back just 7 minutes behind schedule. This was really encouraging. I feel a lot better that with a little walking I can run through the pain of shin splints if they bother me during the race or on another training run.
However, I was also really disappointed. This is the first training run that I did any significant walking. Not a big deal, but what was more frustrating was wondering where this shin pain came from. I thought I had conquered this two weeks ago. Hopefully this was just a blip from walking the mountain and an additional run on Sunday.
The good news is with a little ice, rest, and training I think I got it back under control. I skipped Thursday's 3 miler for some cross training on the elliptical. This gave me no pain and prepped me for the 10 miler on Saturday.
I overslept on Saturday, and I was so mad at myself. It is difficult to do these long runs, so to do it by myself was not something I was looking forward to. I rushed over to where the running group met up and just took off..... I was 30 minutes late. My major concern was getting to the first water station and seeing all the water gone, or finding that it had already been picked up. Luckily for me it wasn't. I made it to the first water stop and drank some Powerade. Having burned off all of my anger, I was able to settle in to a rhythm and work on the rest of my run. It was really cool actually because by about mile 5 I started seeing a few other runners from the group (crossing my path). I actually even caught up to the slowest time group and passed them. Everything was great until the last water stop at mile 7. I arrived at the stop at the same time some others who were doing a 14 mile run, we all had 3 miles to go. I was going to come home with the cavalry. I think I drank a little too much water and I began to develop a stitch in my ribs. The 14 mile group took off so fast it was like they were running from a time bomb, I just couldn't keep up.
But whatever, I was doing okay on my own until the last mile. The last mile was almost all uphill. I barely made it to the finish, but I did make it. I was so pleased given the circumstances and with no shin pain to speak that I gave Leslie a call and we had a celebratory breakfast a J Christopher's. After 10 miles, nothing on my plate stood a chance.
All in all a great week given the curve balls thrown at me (currently watching the Braves as I write this). Next week should be a good step back week of 3-5-3 in the week and 7 on Saturday. I will keep you posted.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 4
Another week down, and it was wildly successful. To recap I had a 3-4-3 on Tue-Wed-Thur, followed up by a 9 on Saturday.
The week started with some easy cross training on Sunday. Monday is a rest day, which one of my favorite training days. Starting work and training on the same day would be too much, so I watch TV and lay on the couch. It can be really strenuous sometimes.
I had good intentions to run Tuesday morning, but when the alarm went off I realized there was no way I was getting up to run, God said so. The problem this presents is this....it is so hot in Atlanta right now, that it is almost impossible to run while the sun is up even late in the evening. Additionally, I had eaten a huge plate of fried chicken, so I needed time to digest. I wound up running my 3 miles at about 11:00 that night and I still felt like I was going to puke. Running so late meant that I wasn't going to run early the next day either.
If you remember, last week my four miler on Wednesday was brutal. This week I found a level course for my four miles and finished it no problem. Thursday I ran right before a storm blew in, so it was remarkably cool and easy run. It was so nice to finish all three runs in the week without the constant pain that I have had in the weeks prior.
All the stretching and massage has really paid off. Special shout out to my wife Leslie! Next time you see her tell her your back hurts and she will jump right on it.
After a rest day on Friday, I was really concerned about the jump to 9 miles on Saturday morning. Would I be able to handle it? I really thought my buddy Fabio may have to come pick me up and drive me to the finish. Some of you may consider this cheating, but I have yet to decide.
I was really happy that this Saturday morning was quite a bit cooler than the last two Saturday's have been. 7:00 came and I was off on my 9 miles. Small running group this week, so I was a little concerned the crowd I ran with may get lost. One of my biggest fears is that we will make a wrong turn and get lost from the other time groups while we will run 5 miles to nowhere and no water stops. Fortunately that has never happened, but I will let you know if it does and I live to tell about it.
However, we did miss the first water stop at mile 3 this week. Not off to a good start. I like taking water or gatorade at every stop; I trick my brain into thinking it is fuel to get me to the next stop. Stupid I know, but I think it works....sometimes.
There was no way I was going to miss the second water stop around mile 6. I was like a soldier on patrol looking for our little red crates beside the road. Fortunately we found it, and I don't think I was too dehydrated. After a minute or two it was back to the road. My quads had really tightened up.....I thought "oh no". It was manageable, but I was surprised that it happened. Marching on we finally made it to the finish. The only issue was I ran a 8 mile course, so I had to go out and do 1 more mile. This wasn't the most fun mile I had ever run, but I managed. It felt good not to cheat on my training plan too :)
Last week after my 5 mile run on Saturday, I put my legs in ice water to help with inflammation. While incredibly uncomfortable and borderline painful, I think it helped me recover for this week. So of course I did it again this week. Please enjoy the new photo of me celebrating another successful week of training.
Next week is another step forward, 3-5-3 and 10 on Saturday. Thanks so much for all your comments of support. I will post again next week.
The week started with some easy cross training on Sunday. Monday is a rest day, which one of my favorite training days. Starting work and training on the same day would be too much, so I watch TV and lay on the couch. It can be really strenuous sometimes.
I had good intentions to run Tuesday morning, but when the alarm went off I realized there was no way I was getting up to run, God said so. The problem this presents is this....it is so hot in Atlanta right now, that it is almost impossible to run while the sun is up even late in the evening. Additionally, I had eaten a huge plate of fried chicken, so I needed time to digest. I wound up running my 3 miles at about 11:00 that night and I still felt like I was going to puke. Running so late meant that I wasn't going to run early the next day either.
If you remember, last week my four miler on Wednesday was brutal. This week I found a level course for my four miles and finished it no problem. Thursday I ran right before a storm blew in, so it was remarkably cool and easy run. It was so nice to finish all three runs in the week without the constant pain that I have had in the weeks prior.
All the stretching and massage has really paid off. Special shout out to my wife Leslie! Next time you see her tell her your back hurts and she will jump right on it.
After a rest day on Friday, I was really concerned about the jump to 9 miles on Saturday morning. Would I be able to handle it? I really thought my buddy Fabio may have to come pick me up and drive me to the finish. Some of you may consider this cheating, but I have yet to decide.
I was really happy that this Saturday morning was quite a bit cooler than the last two Saturday's have been. 7:00 came and I was off on my 9 miles. Small running group this week, so I was a little concerned the crowd I ran with may get lost. One of my biggest fears is that we will make a wrong turn and get lost from the other time groups while we will run 5 miles to nowhere and no water stops. Fortunately that has never happened, but I will let you know if it does and I live to tell about it.
However, we did miss the first water stop at mile 3 this week. Not off to a good start. I like taking water or gatorade at every stop; I trick my brain into thinking it is fuel to get me to the next stop. Stupid I know, but I think it works....sometimes.
There was no way I was going to miss the second water stop around mile 6. I was like a soldier on patrol looking for our little red crates beside the road. Fortunately we found it, and I don't think I was too dehydrated. After a minute or two it was back to the road. My quads had really tightened up.....I thought "oh no". It was manageable, but I was surprised that it happened. Marching on we finally made it to the finish. The only issue was I ran a 8 mile course, so I had to go out and do 1 more mile. This wasn't the most fun mile I had ever run, but I managed. It felt good not to cheat on my training plan too :)
Last week after my 5 mile run on Saturday, I put my legs in ice water to help with inflammation. While incredibly uncomfortable and borderline painful, I think it helped me recover for this week. So of course I did it again this week. Please enjoy the new photo of me celebrating another successful week of training.
Next week is another step forward, 3-5-3 and 10 on Saturday. Thanks so much for all your comments of support. I will post again next week.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 3
I know this one is a little late, so after 100s of emails begging me for the next update I have finally gotten around to it. Or.... my wife is watching the Bachelorette and I am bored, you decide.
So to recap, I had a 3-4-3 on Tue-Wed-Thurs this week. Tuesday was an easy 3 miles, no problem. Thursday was the first weekday run over 3 miles. I am sure I can do the distance but my course selection absolutely sucks. The 4 mile course I tried was a variation of one of my prior 3 mile courses. While it looked good on Google maps, it was hilly as.....(insert vulgar simile here).
It was so tough, I had to stop several times. While this isn't a terrible thing, those who know me well know that I hate "quiting" on something that I feel is attainable for me. I had to stop at about 2 miles because my hamstrings were so tight. After loosening them up, the real hills began. I have noticed that the hills are what really stresses my shins, and they were killing me this day!
What is interesting is that after I get home and ice them down, they don't hurt at all. I hope that means I am getting closer to getting over this.
I had a sports deep tissue massage scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, so I had high hopes that this would help me in my recovery. After getting the massage I have decided that there are very few things in life more painful than having a sore muscle squeezed until you think it popped. I am not certain if this will help me long term, but I will keep you posted.
On the advice of my massage therapist I sat out Thursday's 3 miler to recover from nearly dieing on that table. With a scheduled rest day Friday, it gave me plenty of time off for my 5 miles on Saturday. To make things better, my running group was scheduled to run at the river which is very very flat. While the run wasn't great, I finished fine and with no shin pain.
Elliptical for cross training on Sunday (no problem) and then off to the next week of training. I am a little anxious about next week, I have a 9 mile run on Saturday. Please wish me luck, I have never run this far before.
So to recap, I had a 3-4-3 on Tue-Wed-Thurs this week. Tuesday was an easy 3 miles, no problem. Thursday was the first weekday run over 3 miles. I am sure I can do the distance but my course selection absolutely sucks. The 4 mile course I tried was a variation of one of my prior 3 mile courses. While it looked good on Google maps, it was hilly as.....(insert vulgar simile here).
It was so tough, I had to stop several times. While this isn't a terrible thing, those who know me well know that I hate "quiting" on something that I feel is attainable for me. I had to stop at about 2 miles because my hamstrings were so tight. After loosening them up, the real hills began. I have noticed that the hills are what really stresses my shins, and they were killing me this day!
What is interesting is that after I get home and ice them down, they don't hurt at all. I hope that means I am getting closer to getting over this.
I had a sports deep tissue massage scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, so I had high hopes that this would help me in my recovery. After getting the massage I have decided that there are very few things in life more painful than having a sore muscle squeezed until you think it popped. I am not certain if this will help me long term, but I will keep you posted.
On the advice of my massage therapist I sat out Thursday's 3 miler to recover from nearly dieing on that table. With a scheduled rest day Friday, it gave me plenty of time off for my 5 miles on Saturday. To make things better, my running group was scheduled to run at the river which is very very flat. While the run wasn't great, I finished fine and with no shin pain.
Elliptical for cross training on Sunday (no problem) and then off to the next week of training. I am a little anxious about next week, I have a 9 mile run on Saturday. Please wish me luck, I have never run this far before.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Marathon Training: Week 2
What a great finish to the week! This week I trained 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then had a 7 mile run on Saturday. One of the biggest issues has been the heat here in Atlanta, it has been brutal!
In order to get my runs in, it has to be early morning or late late evening. Both of these are less than appealing options to a lazy guy like me. Regardless, I got off to a good start by running a 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday. I also found a nice flat course in hopes that it would be easy on my legs; It wasn't.
So after complaining to my wife Leslie, she helped me loosen up my calves in hopes to alleviating some shin splinting. I keep thinking about the marathon expert Jeff Galloway quote "no one has ever died from shin splints". Usually I am fine, but on days like Tuesday I wonder if I will be the first.
Getting in to work early on Wednesday ruined any plans to run in the morning. Plus I felt my legs could use a few more hours rest. This run came so close to not happening. After sleeping on the couch during the Braves game, I decided at 11:30 it was now or never. I ran my neighborhood and finished just after midnight. I felt better, but not great. The major downside to this was I wasn't going to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I guess no Thursday morning run for me either.
Thursday was probably my best weekday run in a month. The first 2 miles felt great. I finished fine, but I always have aches and pains. It makes it hard to
motivate yourself to go run, when you know you are going to be hurting every piece of soft tissue in your lower body when you are done.
After the rest day Friday, I had 7 miles to do on Saturday. I was really anxious about how this may play out with the extreme heat and my aching body. I had planned to run in a slower group, but the slower group was only doing 5 miles. So, potentially against better judgement I decided to go out with the 9-10 minute group. I can hang with these guys for 5 miles or so but after that all bets are off.
The first 2 miles were about as I expected, ok but not great. It was really hot and quite hilly. After mile 3, I was encouraged by how good I felt. I was hanging with the group and I was starting to feel like I could finish with them. The last 2 weeks I have noticed someone in the group holding up so they didn't run away from me before the finish. I hate holding people up, so I hope today will be different.
By the time we reached the last water stop at mile 5, I knew I had enough gas to make it to the finish. I completed the 7 miles, and felt great about it. I am not sure if I have ever run that far before. Better yet, I didn't feel any pain in my legs. Hopefully I have turned a corner and it will be full speed ahead from this point forward. I have a similar week next week, but a step back run of 5 miles on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes.
Honk if you see me on the road, but please stop if I am in the road.
In order to get my runs in, it has to be early morning or late late evening. Both of these are less than appealing options to a lazy guy like me. Regardless, I got off to a good start by running a 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday. I also found a nice flat course in hopes that it would be easy on my legs; It wasn't.
So after complaining to my wife Leslie, she helped me loosen up my calves in hopes to alleviating some shin splinting. I keep thinking about the marathon expert Jeff Galloway quote "no one has ever died from shin splints". Usually I am fine, but on days like Tuesday I wonder if I will be the first.
Getting in to work early on Wednesday ruined any plans to run in the morning. Plus I felt my legs could use a few more hours rest. This run came so close to not happening. After sleeping on the couch during the Braves game, I decided at 11:30 it was now or never. I ran my neighborhood and finished just after midnight. I felt better, but not great. The major downside to this was I wasn't going to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I guess no Thursday morning run for me either.
Thursday was probably my best weekday run in a month. The first 2 miles felt great. I finished fine, but I always have aches and pains. It makes it hard to
motivate yourself to go run, when you know you are going to be hurting every piece of soft tissue in your lower body when you are done.
After the rest day Friday, I had 7 miles to do on Saturday. I was really anxious about how this may play out with the extreme heat and my aching body. I had planned to run in a slower group, but the slower group was only doing 5 miles. So, potentially against better judgement I decided to go out with the 9-10 minute group. I can hang with these guys for 5 miles or so but after that all bets are off.
The first 2 miles were about as I expected, ok but not great. It was really hot and quite hilly. After mile 3, I was encouraged by how good I felt. I was hanging with the group and I was starting to feel like I could finish with them. The last 2 weeks I have noticed someone in the group holding up so they didn't run away from me before the finish. I hate holding people up, so I hope today will be different.
By the time we reached the last water stop at mile 5, I knew I had enough gas to make it to the finish. I completed the 7 miles, and felt great about it. I am not sure if I have ever run that far before. Better yet, I didn't feel any pain in my legs. Hopefully I have turned a corner and it will be full speed ahead from this point forward. I have a similar week next week, but a step back run of 5 miles on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes.
Honk if you see me on the road, but please stop if I am in the road.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Marathon Training: Pre Week 1 and Week 1
Ok, so now things have really started. This was my first week on the Hal Higdon 18 week training schedule. However, it has been two weeks since the Peachtree Road Race.
Pre Week 1
So I decided to throw a training week similar to week 1 in before I began the "real" week 1. Last week I had planned to run 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 5 on Saturday. I guess the Peachtree took a lot out of me, because it was not easy. I ran 3 on Tuesday, but Wednesday was awful. Almost every muscle in my legs were sore. About halfway through I realized that I was doing more harm than good. The lower part of my hamstrings were killing me. I could hardly lift my feet off the ground. I had been shuffling / sliding my feet for a mile and a half. As you know I had been struggling a little with shin splints, so I was concerned this funny running motion would cause me to aggravate those even more. I had to stop, total bummer.
I had been working at this for over a month now, and I was concerned that my journey may be over before it really got started. I hadn't missed a single run since I began so this concerned me.
After cutting my Wednesday run short, I cross trained on the elliptical on Thursday. My wife Leslie was an absolute life saver, she massaged my legs for hours on end to help me recover. I could not believe how much better my legs have felt since. I guess the Peachtree run combined with my training runs had left so much junk in my muscles that they just couldn't operate any more.
So now it was back to business. My 5 mile run on Saturday was fine, such a relief! Now I can focus on the 18 week journey ahead.
Week 1
As you can imagine week 1 is the easiest week. 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 6 miles on Saturday and cross training on Sunday. It has been so hot in Atlanta that I have been getting up at 6 in the morning to run before work. It feels really good to accomplish so much before the day really starts. However, as a guy that struggles to get to bed on time it can be really hard to get up sometimes. Tuesday and Wednesday were fine, I got up and did my three miles. Thursday was different. I could not get out of bed before 7. Rather than running the 3 miles that evening, I decided to give my legs some rest from the pounding of the pavement. Instead I did 90 minutes of cross training on the elliptical trainer. In my miond 90 minutes of cross training is an even trade for missing 30 minutes of running.
I found it hard to get my heart right up to 80% of my max on the elliptical. This concerns me because if I donb't get my heart rate up, I don't think it is really helping me be better prepared for my runs. I am going to have to watch that as the weeks carry on. When I run, my heart rate quickly gets to 90% of its max (I know, too high). I think as I continue to improve my cardio, it will be a little easier on my runs. This is especially important on my long Saturday runs, I will keep you posted.
Saturday marked a 6 mile run for me. I have joined a running group on Saturdays. This group is great, they run different areas of the city every week and provide water stops along the way. You can learn more about them here: www.usafitteamspirit.com/. Currently I run in the 9-10 min/mile group. I had been doing fine running in this group for 5 miles, but sometimes at the end of my runs I struggle to keep up. This week was no different. I still think it was a good run, but I wish I could finish a little more comfortably.
At the end of the run we had a massage therapist there to help us work out any soreness. As you can imagine, I jumped on the table almost begging for help. She said "let me know if I apply too much pressure". I told her that I have a high pain tolerance and that she could push as strong as she wants. Probably one of the five dumbest things I have ever said. It was brutal, but I am so thankful that I got it. I think this will help me carry on my journey to 26.2 miles.
All in all it was a great week, considering I thought I may have been finished the week before. Special thanks Leslie for helping me continue on, too bad that probably means more work for her.
Pre Week 1
So I decided to throw a training week similar to week 1 in before I began the "real" week 1. Last week I had planned to run 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 5 on Saturday. I guess the Peachtree took a lot out of me, because it was not easy. I ran 3 on Tuesday, but Wednesday was awful. Almost every muscle in my legs were sore. About halfway through I realized that I was doing more harm than good. The lower part of my hamstrings were killing me. I could hardly lift my feet off the ground. I had been shuffling / sliding my feet for a mile and a half. As you know I had been struggling a little with shin splints, so I was concerned this funny running motion would cause me to aggravate those even more. I had to stop, total bummer.
I had been working at this for over a month now, and I was concerned that my journey may be over before it really got started. I hadn't missed a single run since I began so this concerned me.
After cutting my Wednesday run short, I cross trained on the elliptical on Thursday. My wife Leslie was an absolute life saver, she massaged my legs for hours on end to help me recover. I could not believe how much better my legs have felt since. I guess the Peachtree run combined with my training runs had left so much junk in my muscles that they just couldn't operate any more.
So now it was back to business. My 5 mile run on Saturday was fine, such a relief! Now I can focus on the 18 week journey ahead.
Week 1
As you can imagine week 1 is the easiest week. 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. 6 miles on Saturday and cross training on Sunday. It has been so hot in Atlanta that I have been getting up at 6 in the morning to run before work. It feels really good to accomplish so much before the day really starts. However, as a guy that struggles to get to bed on time it can be really hard to get up sometimes. Tuesday and Wednesday were fine, I got up and did my three miles. Thursday was different. I could not get out of bed before 7. Rather than running the 3 miles that evening, I decided to give my legs some rest from the pounding of the pavement. Instead I did 90 minutes of cross training on the elliptical trainer. In my miond 90 minutes of cross training is an even trade for missing 30 minutes of running.
I found it hard to get my heart right up to 80% of my max on the elliptical. This concerns me because if I donb't get my heart rate up, I don't think it is really helping me be better prepared for my runs. I am going to have to watch that as the weeks carry on. When I run, my heart rate quickly gets to 90% of its max (I know, too high). I think as I continue to improve my cardio, it will be a little easier on my runs. This is especially important on my long Saturday runs, I will keep you posted.
Saturday marked a 6 mile run for me. I have joined a running group on Saturdays. This group is great, they run different areas of the city every week and provide water stops along the way. You can learn more about them here: www.usafitteamspirit.com/. Currently I run in the 9-10 min/mile group. I had been doing fine running in this group for 5 miles, but sometimes at the end of my runs I struggle to keep up. This week was no different. I still think it was a good run, but I wish I could finish a little more comfortably.
At the end of the run we had a massage therapist there to help us work out any soreness. As you can imagine, I jumped on the table almost begging for help. She said "let me know if I apply too much pressure". I told her that I have a high pain tolerance and that she could push as strong as she wants. Probably one of the five dumbest things I have ever said. It was brutal, but I am so thankful that I got it. I think this will help me carry on my journey to 26.2 miles.
All in all it was a great week, considering I thought I may have been finished the week before. Special thanks Leslie for helping me continue on, too bad that probably means more work for her.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Peachtree (warm up race)
The race was a whole lot of fun, and I felt great with my new compression sleeves. I think it may have been the placebo affect, but I didn't care. Before the race I met a guy in my starting wave who had run the race in under an hour before.
My strategy was to keep up with him come hell or high water. Hopefully I could hang on the whole way and he could bring to the finish for a time under an hour. The only problem was I didn't tell the guy my plan until 1.5 miles into the race, I was hounding him so close, he probably thought I was going to rob him.
This strategy worked perfect until 2.5 miles in. We had paced about 9:30 for the first two miles (completely downhill, but way ahead of our goal). Bad news: My buddy said he couldn't keep the pace any longer and he promised to catch up to me after the finish. I think that I may have just bothered him to the point he faked tired, but who cares. We never did meet at the finish, and I didn't really look for him.
With no partner I ventured on, but struggled to find a good rhythm. This is the part of the course called cardiac hill. It isn't a steep hill, but it goes for 3/4 of a mile. I was really counting on my buddy for this part of the race. Jerk.
It wasn't until mile 4 that I tried to repeat my strategy with a woman who looked like she was serious about getting through this thing. I latched on to her, but unlike last time I didn't say a word. We ran side by side for about a mile and a half. At 5.5 miles the Peachtree turns on 10th street and heads toward Piedmont Park. I assume most people are like me and consider this the finishing straight. I no longer needed a buddy, I just focused on the finish line.
If you have never run the Peachtree before, it is very misleading. They create a fake finish line about .3 or .4 before the actual finish so they can photograph you crossing the fake finish line. I have run the Peachtree and other races before, the problem is that I always look like death warmed over in the race photos. My new #1 focus was to look like I was actually enjoying the race. I will let you determine if I achieved that goal.
After I crossed the second finish line I was pretty sure I beat the 1 hour mark. My wave went off 20 minutes after the race officially started, and I finished 1:21:07. Since I started at the back of the wave, I was pretty sure I crossed the start line around 21:10. However, my chip time cam in at 1:00:44. Total bummer, but I was pleased with how I felt after the race. I consider this goal unfinished business for next year, but for now it is on to bigger and hopefully better things.
My strategy was to keep up with him come hell or high water. Hopefully I could hang on the whole way and he could bring to the finish for a time under an hour. The only problem was I didn't tell the guy my plan until 1.5 miles into the race, I was hounding him so close, he probably thought I was going to rob him.
This strategy worked perfect until 2.5 miles in. We had paced about 9:30 for the first two miles (completely downhill, but way ahead of our goal). Bad news: My buddy said he couldn't keep the pace any longer and he promised to catch up to me after the finish. I think that I may have just bothered him to the point he faked tired, but who cares. We never did meet at the finish, and I didn't really look for him.
With no partner I ventured on, but struggled to find a good rhythm. This is the part of the course called cardiac hill. It isn't a steep hill, but it goes for 3/4 of a mile. I was really counting on my buddy for this part of the race. Jerk.
It wasn't until mile 4 that I tried to repeat my strategy with a woman who looked like she was serious about getting through this thing. I latched on to her, but unlike last time I didn't say a word. We ran side by side for about a mile and a half. At 5.5 miles the Peachtree turns on 10th street and heads toward Piedmont Park. I assume most people are like me and consider this the finishing straight. I no longer needed a buddy, I just focused on the finish line.
If you have never run the Peachtree before, it is very misleading. They create a fake finish line about .3 or .4 before the actual finish so they can photograph you crossing the fake finish line. I have run the Peachtree and other races before, the problem is that I always look like death warmed over in the race photos. My new #1 focus was to look like I was actually enjoying the race. I will let you determine if I achieved that goal.
After I crossed the second finish line I was pretty sure I beat the 1 hour mark. My wave went off 20 minutes after the race officially started, and I finished 1:21:07. Since I started at the back of the wave, I was pretty sure I crossed the start line around 21:10. However, my chip time cam in at 1:00:44. Total bummer, but I was pleased with how I felt after the race. I consider this goal unfinished business for next year, but for now it is on to bigger and hopefully better things.
Prologue
So....This all came together the first week of June this year. I have some friends who have run marathons in the past so I knew it would take around 18 weeks of training.
I looked for a local race and found the Chickamaugua Battlefield Marathon which is the second weekend in November. This was great, about 24 or so weeks away, not a lot of travel, and not SUPER intimidating.
So here is the plan. 4 weeks to train for the Peachtree Road Race (10k), a week in-between and then week 1 of marathon training. I am utilizing the Hal Higdon 18 week novice program (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html). The schedule recommends a training base of about 9 months. I think I will be alright because I have been doing a lot of other things to stay active including my elliptical.
The first two weeks of Peachtree training were pretty smooth sailing. There is a super hilly 3.5 mile course in my neighborhood. I felt like if I can master this course I should be fine for the Peachtree. This strategy worked well until week 3. I have learned that it is not a good idea to run the same course over and over again without any variety. I had been concerned that I may get injured in the process of this, so I have not told too many people. Additionally, I had bought a cheap pair of running shoes to just get after it.
After some aches and pains popped up, I decided to go get a real pair of running shoes. I went to Big Peach (http://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/) and got fitted for the right pair of shoes. I had no idea that running shoes only last 500 - 600 miles. I had realized that if I am going to embark on this adventure, I need to take care of my body starting with my feet.
Despite the new shoes, my week 4 is where is really got tough. Traditionally I had been running 3-Tue, 3-Wed, 3-Thur, long on Saturday. To ramp up for the 10k on Sunday, I decided to run 3-Tue, 4-Wed (super hilly), 2-Thur. The 4 miles on Wednesday killed me. I finished, but I was suffering serious chin pain. With ice, massage, and ibuprofen I suffered through the 2 miles on Sunday. I was hopeful that I could recover in time for the race on Sunday.
At the expo for the race I decided to buy some compression sleeves for my legs. With the same treatment as before, I was ready to tackle the Peachtree. Sunday came around and I was pumped up. I went to the race hoping to finish it in an hour, but I was so under trained, I had no idea.
I looked for a local race and found the Chickamaugua Battlefield Marathon which is the second weekend in November. This was great, about 24 or so weeks away, not a lot of travel, and not SUPER intimidating.
So here is the plan. 4 weeks to train for the Peachtree Road Race (10k), a week in-between and then week 1 of marathon training. I am utilizing the Hal Higdon 18 week novice program (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html). The schedule recommends a training base of about 9 months. I think I will be alright because I have been doing a lot of other things to stay active including my elliptical.
The first two weeks of Peachtree training were pretty smooth sailing. There is a super hilly 3.5 mile course in my neighborhood. I felt like if I can master this course I should be fine for the Peachtree. This strategy worked well until week 3. I have learned that it is not a good idea to run the same course over and over again without any variety. I had been concerned that I may get injured in the process of this, so I have not told too many people. Additionally, I had bought a cheap pair of running shoes to just get after it.
After some aches and pains popped up, I decided to go get a real pair of running shoes. I went to Big Peach (http://www.bigpeachrunningco.com/) and got fitted for the right pair of shoes. I had no idea that running shoes only last 500 - 600 miles. I had realized that if I am going to embark on this adventure, I need to take care of my body starting with my feet.
Despite the new shoes, my week 4 is where is really got tough. Traditionally I had been running 3-Tue, 3-Wed, 3-Thur, long on Saturday. To ramp up for the 10k on Sunday, I decided to run 3-Tue, 4-Wed (super hilly), 2-Thur. The 4 miles on Wednesday killed me. I finished, but I was suffering serious chin pain. With ice, massage, and ibuprofen I suffered through the 2 miles on Sunday. I was hopeful that I could recover in time for the race on Sunday.
At the expo for the race I decided to buy some compression sleeves for my legs. With the same treatment as before, I was ready to tackle the Peachtree. Sunday came around and I was pumped up. I went to the race hoping to finish it in an hour, but I was so under trained, I had no idea.
Monday, July 12, 2010
How did I get here
Tomorrow marks the official first day of my 18 week marathon training. How did I get here?
A quick blurb about me. I am a 30 year old guy about 5'9" and a shade over 200. I wrestled in high school my senior year weighing a little over 150 pounds. Since college the real world has taken over and I have been wrapped up in building my life and family.
I have been married to my wife Leslie for a little over 3 years. She is the best, and will be a great support for me over the coming months.
In truth I hate running, so why do I want to run a marathon?
I needed a new challenge. Something that isn't easily done, and takes hard work. The marathon is the perfect fit.
Hopefully people can learn from my experience, and provide me with some valuable feedback. Since begining this endeavor a little over a month ago I have been obsessed with learning about everything marathon. I also hope that my journey may serve as an inspiration for others looking to take on new challenges.
A quick blurb about me. I am a 30 year old guy about 5'9" and a shade over 200. I wrestled in high school my senior year weighing a little over 150 pounds. Since college the real world has taken over and I have been wrapped up in building my life and family.
I have been married to my wife Leslie for a little over 3 years. She is the best, and will be a great support for me over the coming months.
In truth I hate running, so why do I want to run a marathon?
I needed a new challenge. Something that isn't easily done, and takes hard work. The marathon is the perfect fit.
Hopefully people can learn from my experience, and provide me with some valuable feedback. Since begining this endeavor a little over a month ago I have been obsessed with learning about everything marathon. I also hope that my journey may serve as an inspiration for others looking to take on new challenges.
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