Posted in diet, health, training, Uncategorized, tagged couch potato, eat clean, empty plate, Food, health, healthy eating, plate, superman, superwoman on August 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
To get from here:
To here:
You must start by changing what goes here:
It may not be easy. In fact, it may take a lot of work, but in the end, it will be well worth it. Exercise is key, but what you fuel up with is a good 80% of the equation! Don’t let the limitations that others would put on you stop you from becoming the Superwoman (or Superman) you know you can be.
Posted in boston marathon, health, motivation, training, Uncategorized, tagged Boston, boston marathon, BQ, H-Spot, hold, okay, on hold, running, satisfaction on August 16, 2012 | 4 Comments »
After my missed BQ at Sugarloaf this year it was suggested to me that maybe I could make another go at it at Smuttynose in the fall. The thinking was that with the new qualification standards for Boston, registration wouldn’t necessarily be closed as of September 30th.
I never did sign up for Smuttynose, and truly, even though there is space left, I would have no shot at training properly with only six weeks to go. I do have another marathon on already the schedule. Early November I am running New York. Conceivably, with about 11 1/2 weeks to go, I could consider running New York as a qualifier but that is a tough race to run at that pace. The truth is between studying for my CSCS certification, the girls being home from summer camp and dedicating my Sundays to training runs for the Team Up with Autism Speaks charity runners (if you haven’t signed up, please do —>- HERE -<—!!!) I haven’t had much time to train period. Early mornings are spent studying, days are spent keeping the kids active and entertained and evenings are spent cooking, dishwashing, putting everyone to bed and writing.
I know, I can hear you telling me, well, why not after everyone goes to bed?
Yesterday I wrote about finding your H-Spot – your happy zone. The place where you look at yourself in the mirror and are happy with the physical you that stares back. That H-Spot can be applied to everything. I’ve reached a place where I know I BQ’s once and came close on two other occasions. My happy place with running right now is helping others reach distances they never have before and getting the occasional personal run in.
And I’m finally okay with that.
Boston will wait. Training to qualify for Boston is on indefinite hold.
This satisfaction will not last forever. I know that eventually, I will want to get back to the pursuit of that elusive unicorn; I will want to toe the line in Hopkinton once again as a qualifier. It might be next year; it might wait until I’m 45. Whenever it is, I know I’m in a happy spot right now – plus, there is a certain satisfaction in having no fear of the 26.2 mile distance when I am running just for fun as I will be once again doing in New York.
There’s only room for so much on one’s dinner plate – and right now, I am satisfied with what’s before me.
Posted in health, training, Uncategorized, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged barefoot, runblogger, running, running form, saucony kinvara, training, VFF, Vibram Five Fingers on July 13, 2012 | 5 Comments »
About a month ago I went to my 20th year college reunion (yes, I’m that old). To kick the festivities off, a few fraternity brothers and I decided to take to the links for 18 holes of golf. I suck at golf. I mean, really, really suck. I’m so bad that I tell people that I essentially get to play twice as much golf as your regular hacker for the price of admission.
Yeah, I’m bad. I’ve got this wicked slice that essentially means I lose at least one ball off the tee on every hole. It’s so bad that I play to my weakness on short par-3′s. While everyone else is pulling out 7- or 9-irons for the short shot to the green, I pull out my driver, place the ball on a tee, line up the shot…and then turn 45° to 60° to the right (I’m left handed).
Last month initially my friends looked at me like I was crazy, but when the ball flew off the tee, began to turn to the left about 50 yards out and then land mere feet from the cup, they were dumbstruck (of course, I ended up 2 putting it missing my opportunity for my first ever birdie, but that’s my golf game).
Short par-3′s – essentially my only opportunity to keep up with anybody.
But then on the last hole we were presented with a situation where we needed to hit the ball off of the tee over a deep ravine to the fairway a good 100+ yards away. The guys I was playing with could all easily make the distance, but with my awful slice off of the tee, I was pretty convinced I had no shot – the distance was too far for me to play to my weakness. Even if I line up at a 45° angle, the ball was not going to cover the straight distance. So I tried to relax. I loosened my grip and just the club swing itself. To my (and everybody else’s) surprise, my ball went straight and long, past everyone else’s save one (and it was close).
At that moment I realized that I had played to my weaknesses too long and that if I wanted to improve as a golfer, I would have to simply get back to basics and start all over again.
***
This past week I ran twice for a grand total 6 miles.
6 miles? Isn’t that a little short for you Luau? I mean even for like one run?
Yes, it is, but I feel like these two short runs may have been the most meaningful 6 miles I’ve run in a very long time. Those two runs were done in my bare feet, on the sidewalks and roads of my neighborhood. Because of the hard surface and complete nakedness of my feet, I was forced to run very carefully, more specifically, more correctly. To say that the experience was totally painless would be a blatant lie – pebbles, hot asphalt, twigs; they all hurt when you step on them just so. But what didn’t hurt were the arches of my feet, the joints in my knees and hips, my back or my neck. The reason? Because I was running with proper form – I had no choice.
A few years back when I first started this running thing, I made the early adoption to the Vibram Five Finger trend. I was so gung-ho about it that my wife got me this as my birthday cake:
Yes, that is a Vibram Five Finger KSO Cake
I would end up running several marathons in some version the VFF product line including Boston 2010. Eventually however, I moved away from the VFF’s. I migrated to Saucony’s minimalist shoe, the Kinvara, and immediately took 11 minutes off of my marathon PR and qualified for Boston 2011. The Saucony, though minimal in spirit and design, still afforded me some decent protection when my form would break down in the later miles. They allowed me to to extend my stride forward when I was tiring without causing pain to my heel.
I happily ran in them for almost 2 years, even coming close to re-qualifying for Boston under the new standards this past May.
But something has been off. Something has been wrong.
I love my Kinvara’s but they have allowed me to play back toward my weakness, which is the heel-strike many of us have grown up into with the over-sized bricks we grew up with as children of the 80′s and 90′s.
I recently watched this (courtesy of my good friend Pete over at runblogger.com)
And then I saw this (also courtesy of Pete over at runblogger.com)
One thing became clear to me, it was time to go back to basics. Much like I was able to improve my golf stroke by going back to basics, I plan on improving my running and running form by going back to basics and starting all over again. The 6 miles of barefoot running I did last week brought me back to the basics of running. Stripping away all of the technology (and as much as I love my Kinvara, they are still a thick soled shoe) at least two or three times a weeks and going naked I believe is going to make me a better runner in the long run.
I will not be as fast immediately. I will still probably do my longer runs in either my Saucony’s or my VFF’s, but this stripping down, this completely natural running I believe is the key to making me better, stronger, and eventually, faster.
I feel like someone who has just discovered running for the very first time…again.
Posted in training, Uncategorized, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged barefoot, Barefoot Running, naked running, plantar fasciitis, recovery, running, soles of my feet, VFF, Vibram Five Fingers on July 10, 2012 | 6 Comments »
On Sunday I ran for the first time since the Green Mountain Relay – almost 2 weeks to the hour. Part of my lack of running has been a purposeful rest; part has been forced on me with the onset of mild plantar fasciitis. The run was supposed to be the first group run for locals running Boston 13.1 with Team Up with Autism Speaks. I had been delinquent in getting a schedule out, so this last minute group ended up being a group of one. I contemplated going home when nobody showed up, but I knew that I needed to get some miles in.
The run was awful – 6.2 miles of tired legs and weak lungs mixed with a serving of “why am I doing this?” It didn’t help that at the end my feet were not happy.
How the Hell am I going to lead these group runs over the next ten weeks if I can hardly walk?
I’ve been fighting this PF now for about two, maybe three weeks. Looking back, there were twinges well before Sugarloaf, but it really kicked in a couple of weeks ago – the intense pain getting out of bed in the morning, the discomfort walking. I was forced to stop wearing my flip-flops. That just about killed me – I can’t stand wearing normal shoes when I’m bopping around town; my feet tend to overheat. About a week ago I took to going barefoot around the house. When I would take the dogs out for their walks, I wouldn’t bother putting on shoes. At first it was a little tough on the soles of my feet, but eventually, I got used to it. Although the pain in the morning and after sitting idle for extended periods of time didn’t go away, moving about became less painful.
Then came Sunday’s run. I did not have a good time. There was nothing redeeming about that run except that I ran. That was it. I started to think that maybe I would just run on Sundays with the group, painting a grin on my face if I needed to. That didn’t sound like fun at all.
***
Over the last week, several of my running friends have offered remedies for my plantar fasciitis. Some suggested tennis balls. Some suggested frozen water bottles. Others suggested going to a chiropractor. Some suggest orthodics, special shoes and socks, even taping up my feet.
I tried the frozen water bottles. They felt good while I was rolling my feet on them, but I’m not sure how much they really helped.
One suggestion that kept nagging at though came from my buddy JB. You may remember JB from the Vermont 50, the Super Sunday 5-miler, the Quincy Half and Sugarloaf. He is a VFF (Vibram Five Finger) runner (he ran the Vermont 50 in Vibrams – Rock STAR!!!). He suggested that I pull out my old VFF’s and go run until I burned the Plantar Fasciitis from my feet.
Hmmmmm…. I thought, that could be interesting.
I was hearing conflicting suggestions about how to treat PF - more support! less support! more support! less support! more support! less support!
After Sunday’s run (in Kinvara 3′s – which I do like, though not as much as the originals), I was willing to try anything.
BUT, being the kind of person who rarely half does something, I decided that if I were gonna go the less support route, it was going to be all the way.
So I put this old pair of shoes on:
The oldest pair of footwear I own.
My plan was to limit myself to two miles. Initially, running barefoot or barefoot style can be tough on the lower calves. I made the mistake of running three or four miles the first time I put on a pair of VFF’s and I couldn’t walk for a week. I was nervous as to how my soles would hold up. Would it hurt running on the sidewalk and street? Would I be able to avoid pebbles and glass? Would I rip up my feet?
I knew I needed to take it slowly, but amazingly, my first mile was faster than any of the miles I ran on Sunday, coming in at a comfortable 8:09. Having reached the turnaround point of my run, I did a quick self-check - lungs? good. legs? good. feet? just fine!!!
I decided to could go another half mile before I turned around. When I reached that half mile, I was tempted to go even further, but I knew I ran the very real risk of overdoing it. I knew that I may have already overdone it. So I turned around and headed for home. As I hit two miles, I looked at my Garmin – 8:04. Not bad at all!!!
I decided to pick up the pace just a little – to see if I could manage a sub-8:00 mile barefoot. To my surprise, at one point, I was running close to 7:40 pace. When I reached home, the final mile came in at 7:55. 3 miles in 24:08 – not bad for my first barefoot run ever. Afterward, the calves felt a little tight, as did my hips. Hopefully the stretching I did will help speed recovery so I’m not in too much pain in the morning.
As I sit here and write this, I really want to get back out and try this barefoot thing again. Yeah, I’ve got a little bit of a hot spot on the ball of my foot, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a matter of building up the soles a little. I’m going to force myself to take the day off tomorrow but I am determined to give this barefoot thing another go on Thursday. Who knows, maybe by Sunday I’ll be ready to take the Team Up with Autism Speaks group on their 75 minute run without my shoes.
This could be a whole new chapter in my evolution as a runner…
I’ll keep you posted.
Posted in training, Uncategorized, tagged denial, Furman FIRST, running on May 1, 2012 | 3 Comments »
It ain't just a river...
Denial is often viewed as a negative word – one that implies that someone is hiding from an apparent truth. We’ve all been there. If you are a special needs parent, you know exactly what I am talking about – that stretch of time when you kept telling youself, no, not my kid…not my child…he/she doesn’t have XYZ!!!
We’ve all been in denial about our jobs or our relationships.
Denial, typically, is not a good thing.
But I’ve found a new way of using denial in a positive way. A while back I started using the Furman FIRST training program for my upcoming marathon (3 weeks away as of the day before yesterday – YIKES!!!) and I have come to the conclusion that denial can be good.
A regular reader of this blog will know that I went through a bit of burnout throughout the second half of 2011. Sure I ran the Vermont 50 (as in 50 miles) in September and then New York in November, but the truth is, I did both of those runs on almost no training whatsoever – we’re talking a total of 180 miles in the 12 weeks leading up to Vermont (that’s 15 miles per week for a 50 mile race!) and 120 miles in the 12 weeks leading up to New York. That’s 10 miles per week before a marathon. No runner can expect to do well at the 26.2 mile distance on 10 miles per week. Like I said, I was burnt out.
The training programs I had followed required five to six days of running. I just couldn’t get myself out of bed to do the runs. I would skip one, thinking there’s no harm in missing a run and before I knew it, the week would have gone by and I would have maybe run once. Staying in bed, doing laundry, cleaning dishes, preparing dinner – all of these activities were much more appealing than dragging my butt out the door for the required run of the day.
Then I switched to the Furman FIRST program. The first thing that struck me about the program was that I was only allowed to run 3 days a week. That’s it. 3 DAYS ONLY. And like anything that you are told you can’t have, I suddenly wanted to run more.
The program allows for one interval based run, one tempo run and one long run. I mix in two days of cross training, be it swimming, biking, rowing or ellipting (is that the word?). Throughout the program (I came in on week 5 of the 16 week program) I have regained my speed and endurance. My race times have dropped and my legs feel relatively fresh.
So with my last 20-miler done this past Sunday, let the taper begin…sorta. Funny thing about this program, because you only run three days a week, each run is done with a lot more intensity, particularly the long runs – which are generally run at 10K Race Pace + 60 to 75 seconds per mile. That’s a good 30 – 45 seconds faster per mile than typical programs. So that being said, despite officially being on my taper, I still have two interval sessions (one 7 x 800m at 10K – 45 to 50 seconds and one 3 x 1600m at 10K – 35 to 40 seconds), two tempo runs (a 4-miler at 10K pace and an 8-miler at 10K + 30 to 35 second per mile) plus a 15 and 10 miler.
A lot more intense than my past tapers.
Despite the increased intensity, I’m enjoying running again.
And I credit denial for my revival.
Posted in training, tagged autism, Autism Speaks, boston 13.1, running, Team Up! with Autism Speaks on April 19, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Some of you may still be waffling. Some of you may be thinking, it’s too late. Luau’s 26 24 week plan doesn’t work for me anymore. If only there were a 21-week plan to get me to the finish line on September 16th, then, THEN I’d walk with Jess at the Boston 13.1 Team Up with Autism Speaks Half Marathon. Well, your prayers have been answered. I’ve modified the plan yet again. It has a little bit of a steeper ramp up, but it should still be painless.
21 Week Plan <—HERE is the 21 week plan. Just click on the blue link to download the printable PDF plan. No excuses! You start on today…or tomorrow!!! Now go sign up —>HERE!!!<—
Below I’ve attached my post from 3 weeks ago regarding the start of Autism Awareness Month.
***
Tomorrow is April 1st. It is the first day of Autism Awareness Month.
On Monday, World Autism Awareness Day, hundreds of landmarks and millions of homes, including our own, will be lit up blue.
I hope you will consider lighting it up blue with the rest of us.
Tomorrow will also be exactly 24 weeks before the Boston 13.1 Half Marathon. I wrote about it a while back (I Want You) when Autism Speaks announced that it was teaming up with 13.1 to be the official charity of the Boston race. Many of you signed up and we already have over 10% of the slots designated for Team Up with Autism Speaks filled.
***
If you are sitting on the couch reading this, thinking, I could never do a half-marathon, I want you to stop to reconsider.
Even if you have never run.
Even if you rarely walk.
This is something you can do.
And by signing up with Team Up with Autism Speaks, you are not only taking on the challenge of completing a half marathon (a tremendous personal feat in and of itself), you are taking a pro-active role in making the world a better, more compassionate place for my Brooke and those like her.
As we get closer to the date of the race, I will make another push for the more hard-core runners to join my cause, but today, the day before Autism Awareness Month starts; today, the day my Brooke turns 9 years old (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!!!); today, I want to talk to those of you who have been looking for a reason to get off the couch, out from behind the desk, out of the sedentary life-style; especially if you are are the parent of, sibling of, child of, relative of or person with autism – this is a way to get active AND make a difference not only for yourself but for others as well.
***
Some of you may know the story of how I got into running a little over 3 years ago. To be clear, I really disliked running, especially any distance over a couple of miles. Over the years I had tried running on, but it never lasted more than a couple of weeks. Three and a half years ago, Jess announced that she was going to run a half marathon…on the Cape…in the middle of February.
I thought she was nuts – she had never really run before. I wasn’t going to let her run a half-marathon in the bitter, winter wind of the Cape alone, so I told her I would run with her. As I began training, I remember thinking this really sucks. Long story short, a couple of weeks later something just clicked – I had found the joy in running.
Meanwhile, Jess never did manage to get her training going. I think a part of her problem was that she really had no guidance as to what to do. I had no idea what I was doing so I was no help either (I didn’t discover the online running community until mid-summer). She made an initial effort, but with no plan, the grand idea of running a half simply faded away.
***
Fast-Forward to about a month ago. When Jess heard that Boston 13.1 would be open to walkers who could maintain a 16:00 per mile pace, a dream was reborn.
This time however, she had a few things working in her favor:
And so she started her program 2 weeks ago. I put together a 26 week walking program that would slowly build up over 6 months to get her to the starting line with confidence and to the finish line without pain. I drew upon several established programs for walkers and runners including C25K (Couch to 5K) and a modified Hal Higdon program. The program can be used to walk or run a half-marathon.
***
I have further modified the program and compressed it to 24 weeks, meaning if you start tomorrow; if you get off the sofa and out of the house tomorrow, you could find yourself walking/jogging/running a half-marathon in September. As big of a feat as it may seem (and is), it’s not as hard as you may think!
So I would like to encourage you to join me and Jess on September 16th at Suffolk Downs for the Boston 13.1 Half Marathon as part of the Team Up with Autism Speaks Team. If you are an avid runner, you don’t need the motivation to get out there, but if you’ve been looking for a way to get active and make a difference, this is your chance.
Don’t think about it, because you’ll talk yourself out of it. Just do it. Click —>HERE<— to join the team and then click on the link below to get the 24 Week Walking Training Plan.
YOUR 24 Week Half Marathon Training Plan
You can do this!
AND if you are a Boston local, starting at the end of June, I will be organizing group runs/walks on the weekends leading up to the event along the scenic Boston Marathon course. It will be a run/walk at your own pace kind of a thing, but we will start and finish together. I hope you will join us.
Posted in training, Uncategorized, tagged ask, ask a trainer, exercise, fitness machine, if you don't know, local gym, running, training on April 10, 2012 | 6 Comments »
My new training program has called for a lot of cross-training and some timed runs that I find easier to do on a treadmill. Because of this, I have found myself going to the local gym way more than I have in the past. I have probably been to the gym more in the last month than I had in the previous 2 years combined. It’s really been an interesting time watching the wide spectrum of people who come in for their workouts, ranging from young to old; athletic to, well, not so athletic; the focused to the people who are just there to chat and people watch.
During this stretch I’ve included swimming, cycling, stair climbing, rowing and a variety of elliptical machines. When I try using a fitness machine of any kind for the first time, I always want to make sure that I am using proper form. Doing otherwise is a surefire way of either A) getting injured or B) failing to maximize the health benefits of a workout. I start slowly to make sure that I am “doing it right” and slowly pick up speed, constantly conscious of where my body parts are. Most of the time, those first workouts feel extremely light – I am unable to get my heart rate where I want it to be – and that is because, as soon as I feel my form is falling apart, I will dial it down until I get it right.
After two or three attempts on an apparatus, I usually have it down and am able to push to where I need to be and get the amount of sweat I’m looking for.
What has struck me as I go to the gym on a regular basis now is the complete mess that so many people seem unaware that they are:
Every one of these people is working hard, but I know they are doing themselves a disservice. Now you may be thinking Luau, maybe they are at the end of their workouts and they’ve just run out of gas. You know, that would be fine (sorta!) but I’ve been watching these people for several weeks now and it is how do their workout for the WHOLE workout.
Honestly though, their bad form isn’t entirely their fault. There are several trainers that are walking around the gym at any given time. THEY should know better. THEY should take the opportunity to show these people the proper form. That being said, each individual should take the time to make sure they are doing something the right way before putting the pedal to the metal when exercising – this includes running outside too.
If you’re just starting this exercise thing, keep in mind, that if you don’t know how to properly use a machine or are not sure how to run with proper form, don’t be afraid to ask somebody. You’ll end up seeing positive result in the mirror, on the scale and in your head much more quickly. Swallow a little pride and ask. It can make all the difference in the world.
Posted in motivation, training, Uncategorized, tagged boston 13.1, Half-Marathon, running, Team Up! with Autism Speaks, walking on March 31, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Tomorrow is April 1st. It is the first day of Autism Awareness Month.
On Monday, World Autism Awareness Day, hundreds of landmarks and millions of homes, including our own, will be lit up blue.
I hope you will consider lighting it up blue with the rest of us.
Tomorrow will also be exactly 24 weeks before the Boston 13.1 Half Marathon. I wrote about it a while back (I Want You) when Autism Speaks announced that it was teaming up with 13.1 to be the official charity of the Boston race. Many of you signed up and we already have over 10% of the slots designated for Team Up with Autism Speaks filled.
***
If you are sitting on the couch reading this, thinking, I could never do a half-marathon, I want you to stop to reconsider.
Even if you have never run.
Even if you rarely walk.
This is something you can do.
And by signing up with Team Up with Autism Speaks, you are not only taking on the challenge of completing a half marathon (a tremendous personal feat in and of itself), you are taking a pro-active role in making the world a better, more compassionate place for my Brooke and those like her.
As we get closer to the date of the race, I will make another push for the more hard-core runners to join my cause, but today, the day before Autism Awareness Month starts; today, the day my Brooke turns 9 years old (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE!!!); today, I want to talk to those of you who have been looking for a reason to get off the couch, out from behind the desk, out of the sedentary life-style; especially if you are are the parent of, sibling of, child of, relative of or person with autism – this is a way to get active AND make a difference not only for yourself but for others as well.
***
Some of you may know the story of how I got into running a little over 3 years ago. To be clear, I really disliked running, especially any distance over a couple of miles. Over the years I had tried running on, but it never lasted more than a couple of weeks. Three and a half years ago, Jess announced that she was going to run a half marathon…on the Cape…in the middle of February.
I thought she was nuts – she had never really run before. I wasn’t going to let her run a half-marathon in the bitter, winter wind of the Cape alone, so I told her I would run with her. As I began training, I remember thinking this really sucks. Long story short, a couple of weeks later something just clicked – I had found the joy in running.
Meanwhile, Jess never did manage to get her training going. I think a part of her problem was that she really had no guidance as to what to do. I had no idea what I was doing so I was no help either (I didn’t discover the online running community until mid-summer). She made an initial effort, but with no plan, the grand idea of running a half simply faded away.
***
Fast-Forward to about a month ago. When Jess heard that Boston 13.1 would be open to walkers who could maintain a 16:00 per mile pace, a dream was reborn.
This time however, she had a few things working in her favor:
And so she started her program 2 weeks ago. I put together a 26 week walking program that would slowly build up over 6 months to get her to the starting line with confidence and to the finish line without pain. I drew upon several established programs for walkers and runners including C25K (Couch to 5K) and a modified Hal Higdon program. The program can be used to walk or run a half-marathon.
***
I have further modified the program and compressed it to 24 weeks, meaning if you start tomorrow; if you get off the sofa and out of the house tomorrow, you could find yourself walking/jogging/running a half-marathon in September. As big of a feat as it may seem (and is), it’s not as hard as you may think!
So I would like to encourage you to join me and Jess on September 16th at Suffolk Downs for the Boston 13.1 Half Marathon as part of the Team Up with Autism Speaks Team. If you are an avid runner, you don’t need the motivation to get out there, but if you’ve been looking for a way to get active and make a difference, this is your chance.
Don’t think about it, because you’ll talk yourself out of it. Just do it. Click —>HERE<— to join the team and then click on the link below to get the 24 Week Walking Training Plan.
YOUR 24 Week Half Marathon Training Plan
You can do this!
AND if you are a Boston local, starting at the end of June, I will be organizing group runs/walks on the weekends leading up to the event along the scenic Boston Marathon course. It will be a run/walk at your own pace kind of a thing, but we will start and finish together. I hope you will join us.
Posted in boston marathon, race recap, racing, training, tagged boston marathon, BQ, cross training, first marathon training program, Furman FIRST, Half-Marathon, incremental improvement, marathon training, marathon training program, Pfitz, Quincy Half Marathon, race recap, race report, step in the right direction, Sugarloaf Marathon on March 30, 2012 | 6 Comments »
I remember way back in high school when I would get up in the mornings before a big test – I’d be a little nervous, wondering if I had studied what I had needed to, wondering if I’d remember anything…
…that’s how I felt two Sundays ago when I woke up before the Quincy Half Marathon. Several weeks ago I made the transition from the Pfitz Marathon Training Program to the FIRST Marathon Training Program. I’ve been fairly determined to make sure that I followed the new program as closely as I could. The very concept of running less to run faster struck me as counter-intuitive, but I needed to do something to get me out of what had turned into an 8 month funk.
3 days a week – that is all I was allowed to run; complimented by 2 days of cross-training – it seemed insufficient, but I was determined to give the program a chance. Really, what choice did I have? What I had been doing before was no longer working.
On Super Bowl Sunday I ran the Super Sunday 5-Miler in Boston and finished with a 34:56. My goal had been to comfortably cruise to a sub-35 minute finish, but in fact, I struggled to make it, pretty much leaving everything I had on the course. That 34:56 translated into a 3:25:30 marathon according to McMillan’s Running Calculator. A couple of weeks later I started the FIRST program. Quincy was going to be my first real test of how much progress I was truly making.
***
Upon arriving, I looked for my buddy JB. You may recall JB as one of the foursome I ran with at Vermont or the buddy who ran the Super Sunday 5 with me. Our plan was to run about 7:15 miles throughout, with the hopes of scoring about a 1:35:00 for the race. It would be a 2 minute PR for him, and would be an incremental improvement on my cardio-health from Super Sunday. Although a 1:35 half-marathon only translates to a 3:20 marathon (5 minutes long of my goal), I figured that it would be a step in the right direction, especially for only 3 weeks on the program.
JB & I pre-race.
We made our way to the starting area and stood silently for the National Anthem – and then it was time to go, literally! Not more than a second after the anthem was done, the starting horn blared.
We were off.
Fortunately for JB and I, we hadn’t moved too far to the front. We were forced to start a little slowly. After a quarter mile of jockeying for position, we turned up the pace and hit the first mile marker right on target at 7:15.
Perfect!
Without really realizing it, we slowly began to pick up the pace. It was still a bit crowded, but the two of us maneuvered our way through. Mile 2 arrived in a quick 7:07…maybe I was a little too enthusiastic?
We slowed it down just a touch for the next three miles, averaging about a 7:10 pace. Somewhere around mile 5 we saw the leader coming the other way…he must have had a good 30 seconds on the guy behind him. At this point, JB and I hit our first hill. My philosophy on hills has been to attack them, lean into them and don’t let them slow you down too much. For this first hill, that plan worked perfectly. I leaned in, JB followed and we passed over a dozen runners before cresting and allowing gravity to feed our recovery.
Once we flattened out, we hit the 6-mile marker (7:06) and we were able to see the rest of the field heading for the hill. At this point, my legs started to feel a little heavy. JB asked me how I was doing. I feel like I’m fading, I said, but only 6 miles in, I knew that it had to be more mental than physical. We continued to press the pace a little. I knew we had some time in the bank to hit 1:35, but I also kept reminding myself that this race was a test of how I was progressing. If I let up too early or left too much out on the course, there would really be no way for me to know just where I was with respect to where I want to be for Sugarloaf. I needed to know if the FIRST program was increasing my cardio-fitness or if I was stagnating.
We covered the next three mile at 7:06 pace. With just over 4 miles left to go, I started doing math in my head. I realized that I could slow down significantly and still hit my goal – but what would that tell me? I knew I had to keep pressing.
Unfortunately, that pressing came just as we hit a final group of hills – despite continuing to pass runners on a regular basis, we slowed into the 7:20′s.
starting to fade a little at mile 11
With 2.1 miles to go, JB started to pull away. He looked back at me as if to say, come on dude! but the hills had taken their toll on me. I shouted at him to just go. He was well within range of not just beating his PR, but shattering it. I pressed as hard as I could – I was determined to come in under 1:35 no matter what. Mile 12 went by in a surprising 7:15.
1.1 miles to go. It was leave it all on the course time. I knew I was less than 7:30 away from the finish. I also knew that I could suffer for that long too. My legs felt heavy and my breathing was labored, but with each tick of the clock, I knew I was that much closer to being done.
As I made my way back into downtown Quincy, I could see JB in the distance. With about 800 meters to go, he was looking great and I had run out of real estate to catch him. I focused on finishing strong. Coming out of the final turn, I realized it was literally downhill to the finish and let it all hang out. Gravity pulled me along at a pace I hadn’t run all race.
With less than 100 yards to go, Racemenu Chief Alain stepped out of the crowd with words of encouragement and a high five. I could see JB waiting at the finish.
Sprinting to the finish
I barreled through the finish, and without slowing down grabbed a bottle water being held out…I couldn’t brake…staring at a table that was closing in fast, I panicked slightly. Fortunately a random runner stepped in to grab me and slow me down. It was enough for me to get my footing and stop.
I looked at the clock.
1:32:forty-something.
Huh?
I wasn’t convinced that I had run that fast. I hugged JB, asking him his time.
1:31:59 – a nearly 7 minute PR for him. When the official times went up, mine was a 1:32:31. I had missed a PR by a mere 8 seconds. In most situations, I would have been mildly disappointed in missing a PR, but considering that just 4 weeks beforehand I wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of PR-ing, and that I had come into the day with an expectation of finishing in the 1:35 range, I was thrilled.
The FIRST program was working. My legs and lungs were getting stronger.
The very next day, I officially signed up for Sugarloaf. To be honest, I had been putting off registering because I was full of doubt as to whether I could even potentially run a sub-3:15 in May. Quincy convinced me that I was on the right track. My 1:32:31 translates into a 3:15:07 marathon. Just a touch on the wrong side of the clock, but a vast improvement from where I was on SuperBowl Sunday.
This Sunday I will face my next test of fitness when I was a local 5K. The goal is to hit 19:54 – which translates into a 3:14 marathon. If I hit 20:00, that still translates into a 3:15.
***
I still may ultimately fail at Sugarloaf come May, but I finally truly believe that I have a 3:15 or better in these legs – and that is a wonderful feeling.
Posted in training, Uncategorized, tagged cold, flu, missed runs, running, set back, training on March 5, 2012 | 7 Comments »
It was only a week, but I was on a roll. Speed-training, followed by swimming, followed by a tempo run, followed by rowing – I felt great! All that was left of my first week of training under the FIRST program was to get my fast-paced 14-miler in this past weekend.
So much for planning.
I started to feel a little off Friday night, a little tickle in my throat.
By Saturday I was full-blown sick – my head hurt, my nose was congested and runny, I was coughing like a pack-a-day smoker, and my lungs were completely waterlogged. I had to bail on a bowling date with my little one, sending Jess in my stead. I slept all day, hoping that I could lick this thing in 24 hours. With a little luck, I’d get my 14-miler in on Sunday morning and then it was off to my older one’s birthday party.
So much for luck.
I woke on Sunday feeling worse than I had on Saturday. Not only did I not get my run in, but I missed my baby’s party – it just didn’t seem fair to expose her friends to my illness, especially since I was still hacking away.
It’s only one run that I’ve missed so far, but honestly, I still feel like crap and I’ve got another round of speed work scheduled for tomorrow – 3 x 1200m at 10K pace minus 40-45 seconds. If I feel like this tomorrow, there is no shot that gets done.
What if this thing lingers?
What if I get better, but the fatigue doesn’t go away?
At what point do I cut my losses and choose to walk away from Sugarloaf and race another day?
This has been a strange winter to be sure here in the northeast. According to the news we’ve received 8 inches of snow this year. That’s down from over 80 inches last winter and an annual average of about 40 inches. Yet during this mildest of winters I have been sick more times than I have over the last 3 or 4 winters combined. It has not helped my running to say the least, but I think I may know why it has been happening…
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