2010 in Review

ORN: 7 miles total, 5x1 mile intervals, ave 8:37

On the last day of the year, a few reflections on the year in running.

Races. Short races were a real positive this year, while 3 of the 4 marathons were disappointing. A 5K PR, a solid half-marathon in heat and humidity and a flat out sprint in a 2 miler were fun. The marathon remains a commanding teacher. Its lesson this year: weather matters, so follow the new training pattern.

Training. The rhythm of three 5 mile training runs during each week and one race-oriented weekend run seems to work well for me and is sustainable. I was very pleased to come to grips with an approach to Heart Rate training in the late summer. Now, if I could only get all my gadgets to work together!! Guessing I’ll be in the market for a new Garmin sometime this year.


Distance. I finished the year with 1,228 miles. I was surprised when I ran the chart below. It tells the succinct story of this era of my running.


In May 2004, a job change substituted a 75 minute daily commute for a 5 minute drive. I plugged running into that gap. It was October before I found a pair of shoes that worked well and off we went. I ran my first half marathon in December 2004 and carried on with more HMs in 2005. In 2006, I ran my first two marathons. And, boom…after a PR of 4:21 at Portland, I had a nasty bout with both IT Bands inflaming. 2007 was a retrenching time; new shoes, adopting the Run/Walk approach and gradually building back. Since then, I’ve been almost completely injury-free. The look of this gradual annual mileage pick up is encouraging.


Weight. I have not mentioned in this space (and will only do it once, so here it is) a major event for me. In mid-April, I decided I was carrying too much weight, as I hit 205 pounds. With terrific help from my nephew, running pal and good friend John, we completely rebuilt my eating habits and got on a steady drop in weight, hitting my target of 176 pounds in early August. Since that time, I’ve kept the weight in the 175-178 pound range, even through the holidays. I feel terrific! And I have noted running is easier, my shoes last longer, I feel lighter on my not-so-tiny feet. I have embraced a new way to eat. Who’d a thunk I’d ever see a treat as being a big spinach salad on a Saturday afternoon after a long run?




Demise of the Running Blogosphere. The only real disappointment for me this year was how much quality blogging about running disappeared. Truly, this was the year the blogosphere migrated to Facebook. I get this somewhat…a simple status update is quicker on FB. But the good thinking, the careful thought, the insights and perspectives flowed through longer writing on blogs. And it is just plain disappearing. I’m keeping this blog going; I find it helps as a diary of things I want to capture. And I truly appreciate anyone who reads it and finds it helpful or funny or somehow interesting. I just miss the fuller interaction we had a couple years ago.

Overall, I found myself this year more and more grateful. Grateful for each day of health. Grateful to run. Grateful for a wonderful wife and fascinating kids (and now fascinating grandkids). Grateful for a comfortable roof over my head. Grateful for an interesting job. None of these things are entitlements. They are all gifts. And I need to hold each with an open hand and a generous heart.

Tomorrow, I’ll post on 2011 plans. Some fun stuff to continue.

Persevere.

Christmas and Running

ORN:  5.2 miles, R/W 6/1

This morning, I received an email from Brad, our local running club's Chief Communicator.  Along with some race results and announcements, he included his thoughts on Christmas.  They express, better than I can, many of my thoughts today.  So, I post them here for you.  

Today is Christmas Eve.  Below is a Christmas message that has my observations of the similarities of being a runner and being a Christian.

 

There are also similarities between our running club and what the Christian church should be.

 

Anybody can join: You do not need to already be a runner.  There are no minimum distance or speed requirements to join or continue membership. 

 

We rejoice in what others accomplish: We do not envy those who do things we have not done but instead celebrate with them.

 

We help each other without charging a fee: We gladly share everything we know with other runners to help them be better.

 

We do not condemn others when they fail: we know people who have dropped out of a race or had a time that is way slower than their goal.  We provide assurance that they have not failed as a person even though one particular goal was not reached.  We assure them that their options are to try again or instead recognize that being a runner does not mean that you must have a certain accomplishment on your log.

 

We all care about each other and provide things that are needed: People have given me sunscreen, a hat during a race (Sam Costa half), and words of encouragement.

 

We understand that there are universal rules and particular rules.  Certain rules apply to everybody (like staying on a course during a race) yet, most "rules" are in the "do what works for you" category.  For example, those who eat gel during a marathon do not pass judgment on those who do not and vice versa.

 

We accept those who join late in life the same as those who ran in high school.  We continue to accept people who do not reach their goals.  We simply hope that they will keep trying to discover their potential and be content.

 

I hope your experience with our local club (and runners in general) has been as positive as mine.

 

So what is Christmas?  It is simply one day set aside to celebrate the coming of the Christ.  Christ is simply a Greek word that means "anointed one".  The anointing refers to the Spirit of God being on him without measure.  Who is Christ?  Christ is like Pheidippides.   Pheidippides then ran the 40 km (25 miles) from the battlefield near Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia (Iran) in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "We have won" and collapsed and died on the spot from exhaustion.  Christ also came a long way to deliver a message and then died of exhaustion.  In short, his message was "you need treat each other like runners instead of what you are doing now".

 

Merry Christmas and thanks for being a runner.

I wish each of you the very best this Christmas.  And may we each continue to persevere.

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Frozen Bananas

ORN: 22.0 miles, R/W 4/1, 4:14:56, 11:36/mile

One of the distinct benefits of preregistering for spring marathons is that it provides a clear reason to get out in awful Midwest winter weather to do the necessary long runs. Today was one of those days.

The week has been brutally cold. Weather we normally see in mid to late January has hit already. Snow. Single digit and below-zero temps. I had two runs earlier in the week doomed to the dreadmill...if anything is motivating to go outside, that sure is it. I was antsy to get out and go for a long run today, though.

WL Trail near Cherry Lane

The run started at 14F and ended at a "balmy" 25F. I've discovered using hand warmers, polypro liner gloves and snowboarderdude mittens to be a decent combination to keep hands and arms warm. The run mostly just lumbered along. The footing was iffy...about 1/3 of the run was on snow pack, the rest on sorta dry pavement. I don't know if that contributed to my left IT band making noises around the 20 mile mark. That bad boy hasn't said anything for two years now.

The temps also triggered a new question for me. I've found eating bananas during a run to be much more enjoyable than packing gels. All fall, I simply stashed them along the route ahead of time. But how would they fare in this cold weather? I could not stash them the night before due to the temps, so I forward positioned them and extra water earlier in the morning. What shape would they be? I've seen frozen bananas come out of the freezer...none too appetizing.

Well, it seemed that the timing was OK but just barely. They hadn't fully frozen, though the skins were starting to darken. A bit "mushier" than I'd like but it worked. I also discovered I could peel a banana wearing snowboarderdude mittens as well...a skill I never figured I'd need but now have.

It's a long winter. But we persevere.

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Self Diagnosis

ORN: (Saturday)  10.1 miles in 3" of snow

Early last week, I arrived home from work with an odd feeling in my left index finger.  It was the first really cold day of the season, though only in the upper 20s.  It's only a seven minute drive home for me but my car was cold by the time I got it started at 6:15pm.  I walked in, pulled off my glove, my finger tingling, semi-numb and visually much whiter than the other fingers on my left hand.  Instinctively, I ran a sink of warm water, stuck my hand in and it all cleared up in about 3 minutes.  

What was going on??

I replayed recent experiences.  As the weather has cooled, the simple cotton garden gloves I've used for years while running were not working as well.  I often came in from a run with my left hand really cold.  My system for running garb has held up for many years; why was it failing now??  I got some heavier garden gloves; I added a small plastic bag over the gloves to try to cut the wind.  It was still uncomfortable.

The white-finger-thing happened again on Friday evening during my short drive home.  Time to try to figure this out.  Enter the web. 

It appears I have a thing called Raynaud's Phenomenon.  It's really not a big deal and treatment falls in the category of the old joke:  "Hey, doc, it hurts when I do this."  "Well, then, don't do that!"  A decrease in circulation creates some pain in cold temperatures.  It's probably related to the sense of arthritis I've seen developing in the same finger over the past six months or so.  My mother had real issues with arthritis in her hands.  We are forever swimming in our own gene pool.  

The solution??  One local friend dryly suggested I quit running until April.  Yeah, right.  I got some good input from several friends on FB and came up with a new plan.  I picked up a pair of nylon-covered mittens, in size XL so I can wear liner gloves underneath.   Then, I tried out a hand warmer for the 10 mile run I did in the snowfall on Saturday...boy, was that effective!!  I was amazed at how the simple hand warmer in the closed space not only kept my hand warm but it also kept entire arm was warmer as well.  But I don't like the idea of a throw-away hand heater, even though they are so very inexpensive.  So, I ordered some reusable hand warmers this afternoon.  

So, I'll soon have to update my temperature chart.  No surprise to you who follow this blog...I'm a systems geek and updating the system is part of the fun of running, applying the principles of kaizen.       

Winter is here, we're looking at single-digits overnight most of this week.  And we persevere.  

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Race Report: Attica Turkey Trot 5K

ORN: 5K, 23:35, 7:37/mile

On a bit of a whim, I decided a week ago to enter this enjoyable small race in the little town of Attica, Indiana, about 30 miles from home. It fit well with our Thanksgiving Day plans. Plus, coming 11 days after a marathon, I wanted to see, again, how quick I could do a 5K in that setting. Earlier this fall I surprised myself with a good 5K just after the Chicago Marathon. Was that a fluke??

The day dawned with drizzle and temps in the low 40s. Low 40s are nice...drizzle, well, we'd tolerate it if necessary. As it happened, work colleague Michelle, a talented triathlete herself, wanted to run as well, so we went down together, having a enjoyable conversation all the way.

I have had a strange attraction for the little town of Attica ever since I was an undergrad at Purdue. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the fall of 1972, I rode a bike to Attica and back. For some reason, I always associate Attica with that moment of simple, sophomoric enjoyment. As I ran through most of the town today, I also realized Attica is oh-so-similar to the little town of Auburn, Nebraska where I grew up. The houses, the streets...it was all familiar. I almost expected to see my Aunt Alice walk out the front door of a couple of the homes. Nostalgic or not, it was fun to participate in an event in Attica.

About 230 folks came out to run or walk the event, many in a preemptive strike on the gravy and pie which awaited later in the day. The race started on time and off we went.

I wanted to see if I could push myself enough to get under 24:00. So, I set the training assistant function on my Garmin to help me hold the correct pace. The start was down a long, gentle slope (we don't have Real Hills in this part of Indiana, remember) and mile one clicked at 7:32. So far, so good. Mile two was mostly flat, but we retraced The Slope at the end of the mile, yet it came through at 7:34. Encouraging. From there I started to play the game "catch the second person in front of you" and managed to do that with quite a few folks. Mile 3 blew thorough in 7:23. It could be. The last tenth went in 1:05, which my Garmin said was at a 7:12 pace. I beat the goal, my watch showing 23:35.

Michelle finished shortly after and we decided we simply had to have our photo taken with the Official Race Mascot. Several folks suggested it was a dangerous day to walk around as a live turkey, yet the fowl humor didn't seem to bother anyone.



When I got home, I dug out my race records, wondering just what my PR was for 5K. Amazingly, this time beat it by a full 30 seconds. I haven't set a PR at any distance since 2006. Nice to know it is still possible.

It was also humorous to note on my Garmin that my PR race effort had burned off all of 489 calories. Hardly enough to cover one piece of my mother-in-laws Most Delicious Apple Pie. Oh well...I'll enjoy it anyway.

I've reflected a lot as well. My niece's husband underwent serious surgery on Wednesday...he'll be laid up for several months and, in his early 30s, may have some life-long changes in front of him. My heart goes out to him and his family. I interviewed a gentleman on Wednesday who had terrific talents but, in his mid-50s, had been out of work for 18 months now and was feeling down, overqualified, desperate. I ached for him and wondered just what we could do for him. We've invited a guest for Thanksgiving dinner who had no family at all to be with this year. I feel deeply for her.

And here I am. Healthy enough to pop out of bed, run a 5K race at age 57, laugh and enjoy it. Having a job that is interesting and challenging and has a promising future. With four generations of family gathering around our table in an hour or so for an enjoyable meal in the context of functional relationships.

I dare not take these blessings casually or with a mood of entitlement. These things are a trust not a possession. I pray I can use them well, for good and not just personal gratification.

Of the many things I'm thankful for, the gift of health and the gift of friends who enjoy it as well is high on the list. My very best to you for a most Happy Thanksgiving.

Persevere.


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Race Report: Veterans Marathon 2010

ORN: 26.2 miles, 4:49:53, R4/W1, 11:03/mile

Quick Summary:

Sweet...so nice to have a good marathon. Cool weather made all the difference making this oh-so-friendly, small-town run through Indiana countryside a pure joy. This race is about the way I should be running marathons...nice to know it can actually happen.

The Gory Details:

Prerace

The Veterans Marathon is in its second year. Columbia City is a small Indiana town near Fort Wayne, just a couple of hours from my home. With an 8am start time, I decided to save hotel bills and do a day trip. Up early, I backed out of the garage at 4:05am and figured I'd see virtually no one on the road. To my surprise, though, there were quite a few pickups on the road...but why?? Then my fuzzy brain reminded me this was the first weekend of deer season for firearms. Oh well...

Got to the start area in plenty of time, stashed bananas (more below on that), picked up my bib and still had time to relax, stretch well and work though one stubborn work-related matter in my mind. About 200 marathoners and 250 half marathoners gathered at the start line and off we went at precisely 8:00am.

The Race

The truly remarkable thing about this race was that there really was not a lot of amazement about it! It was, quite simply, a chance to execute a plan for a marathon and let it just gradually happen.

The first half of the race looped east of town. We were on county roads past harvested corn and soybean fields, small woods, hog farms and lots of the rural homes which fill the Indiana countryside. The first half of a marathon is always fun, as people are chatty and upbeat...nothing hurts too badly yet. Quite a few of the half marathoners were first timers. It was fun to chat with them, sense and remember the excitement of taking on something previously unimaginable. Some were clearly struggling as we headed back to town in miles 10-11 or so. It was fun to encourage them and let them know the thrill of accomplishment they would soon sense. I hit the halfway point at about 2:19, feeling fine, knowing the race had hardly begun yet for me.

As expected, the size of the field dropped dramatically as we headed west of town for the second half of the race. Not many conversations now but not for a lack of friendliness. We quickly got back into new rural areas, this with more roll to it than on the first half...I enjoyed the variety. Around mile 16, David fell in with me. He had never really run a disciplined run/walk pattern and asked if he could piggy-back off my 4/1 rhythm. We had a nice chat and he thanked me for pulling him through to mile 20.5, when he wanted to walk a little more. Before I knew it, we were at mile 23 and it hit me solidly that this race would be different. I still felt fine, mentally engaged and aware of form and posture. We made the last turn back towards town at mile 24. The only real problem in the race came during the first half of mile 26. My left leg protested and just plain hurt. I held onto the 4/1 though and as we entered town again, I could clearly see ahead of me the final stretch down the town's main street and the right turn to the finish line. The leg didn't hurt any more, I picked up the pace, realizing if I hustled I could get under 4:50. Oh, the allure of those round numbers. I hit the mat, hit my watch to show I had 7 seconds to spare and smiled ear to ear. Marathon #18 was done and it felt fantastic.

Analysis

Yeah, I'm analytical. It's how I learn! But rather than looking at per-mile splits, a topical analysis is more appropriate for this race. Here goes.

Weather. Since the cramping episode I had in Chicago five weeks ago, I went through all my marathon records. What was the common denominator of good vs lousy marathons?? It was clear...the temperature on race day. Under 60, it goes well. Over 60, highly likely to be tough. It's not more complex than that. The weather matters more than anything else. So, the start temp on this day of 43 and the ending temp in the low 60s was fine with me.

To stay comfortable, I dressed in layers, knowing it was forecast to warm during the morning. I started in 2 short-sleeve tech shirts, fashionable tube-sock arm warmers, cotton gloves, a cap and a sweatshirt. I peeled the sweatshirt at mile 4.5 (stashing it by a telephone pole, where I retrieved it later). At the halfway point, I stopped at my strategically-parked car, pulled off one of the T shirts and swapped the cap for a visor. The gloves came on and off depending on the relative wind direction. Around mile 15.5, I peeled the arm warmers and ran the rest of the way in just the Brooks ID T-shirt. It all worked. And I've come to simply face it, the weather is THE BIG DETERMINANT of how a race will likely go.

And there are some other helpful factors.

Pace/Effort. Since August, I've been experimenting with using heart rate as the guide to effort, rather than an arbitrary pace target. I shoot for the mysterious Zone 2 heart rage range, which for me has evolved to 113-133 bpm. This serves, wonderfully, to hold one's pace down early in the race and help to pick it up towards the end. When coupled with the run walk, I have found the amount to which my HR falls back during a run break to give a clear reading of fatigue and breathing. Thanks to Wes' advice, I didn't worry too much if my rate crept over 133 later in the race either. Overall, though, I saw my heart rate get to around 135-140 at the conclusion of each run sequence and it fell back during the walk break, never staying elevated for long periods.

Not content to ignore pace, even if it became a dependent, not independent, variable, this spreadsheet-loving engineer added a laminated pace chart to this mix. Now, I can extrapolate to an expected finish time from any mile marker (email me, if this is an interest for you). All in all, it worked. The 4:49 was what this day had. It became evident that would be the finish time by mile 6 and the projections stayed that way all day long. I was fully satisfied with it.

Nutrition. I tried two new things on the food front for this race. Pre-race, I ate more food and good quality food in the time about 2 hours before the race. In all, I took in about 800 calories, including carbs (bananas, whole-wheat bread) and some good protein (lean turkey, low-fat Swiss cheese) between 4:30 and 5:30am. Filling the fuel tank, so to speak.

During the race, I ate bananas, not gels. Using Google maps, I found spots in the first and second halves of the race I would pass twice. Then, in the pre-race darkness, I stashed two bananas at each spot. Further, I put one banana in my car, which I parked on the course, two blocks past the mid-way mark. So, about every 4-5 miles, I had a nice banana. This worked wonderfully. It sat fine on my stomach, gave me a healthy 110 calories each and kept me fueled. Now, I realize I'd never be able to do this in a big-city setting but on small races, it is clearly possible.

Hydration. The third leg of the stool was drinking. Rather than taking salt tabs, I found a electrolyte powder mix which I put in my 10 oz water bottles I carried. In all, I drank 70 oz of the electrolyte mix, plus another 20 oz of water. The mix tasted better than regular water, making it more likely I'd drink it. I had no cramps at all. I'll take it.

General Race Organization. In addition to factors I could control, this small race was just well run. Rather than the usual T shirt, covered with advertising, we received a nice fleece top with a discreet race logo only on it. What a nice treat! The mile markers were clear and accurate. The aid stations were wonderful!! Most of them outside of town seemed to be simply parties folks organized in their front yards! They were very friendly and helpful. Many folks sat out on their driveways, warmly cheering all of us on. It was a treat to be part of it and I hope to run this race again.

It was a good run and a great way to conclude the major races for 2010. Thanks for listening.

Persevere.


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Race Report: WRRC Summer 5K Series- October

ORN:  5K, 24:29, 7:54/mile

What fun!  The last in our local running club's summer Wednesday evening 5K series for the season was a treat.  This event is the opposite of the Chicago Marathon from 10 days ago and both events were enjoyable.

I worked till 5:45pm...drove home, changed into running gear, was out the door at 6:05pm.  I ran the mile to the local park where this race starts and ends.  I signed on a list, paid nothing (the race is free to club members) and chatted with a few folks.  In the "its a small world" department, I chatted with John, who had run portions of a marathon in Rhode Island last weekend with fellow blogger David .  David had texted me about it Sunday...what a hoot!  John asked me about it tonight.  Just a hoot.  

At 6:30pm, all 18 of us lined up, Tony said "Go" and off we went.  The sun was nearly down, the almost-full moon was above the horizon, fall colors in full bloom.  We ran past the Farmer's Market (didn't realize our local farmers raised tie-died T shirts but I guess they do), and curled around the pond and the park.  

This is just the third time I've run since the marathon, so I had no idea how I would handle pace.  So, I just let it flow.  Amazingly, the first mile clicked through at 8:01, a pace I seldom get to. But I felt OK.  Without really trying, mile two sped up, going down at 7:56.  Hmmmm, this feels fine, so I pushed it harder; mile 3 came in at 7:42.  Pushing hard over the final tenth at a 6:54 pace, I finished in 24:29.  I was thrilled to see "24" on my watch at the end.  I looked at my race records when I got home and this was the third fastest 5K ever for me.  Go figure, ten days post marathon!!  

The small group gathered under a gazebo with some pizza and cookies.  I rewarded myself with a chocolate chip cookie and jogged home.  I walked in the door at 7:12pm and Gretchen and I sat down to dinner 5 minutes later.  

What a fun evening.   Grateful, often, for life in a small town.  

Persevere.

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