As Nervous As Ever

     Man, I cannot believe the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is only 3 weeks away!  So this week I attempted a 23-mile run and all it did was make me even more nervous about race day.  Just after 17 miles I decided to try to finish strong and ramped up to my goal pace.  I got in just about two miles before a very small muscle on my right hip felt like it was going to explode.  I ended up trodding through a few more miles before stopping.  This soreness, inflammation is really driving me crazy. 

     Maybe I'm just a wimp.  I recently read a NY Times column about the mental toughness of competitive runners and their ability to push through pain.  That really didn't help.   I appreciate all my friends that are marathon veterans telling me not to worry, that adrenaline will carry me through the last 6 miles.  Is that what you noticed the first time you ran one?  Did you share the same fear that I have, that maybe I didn't do enough?

     I'm usually a fairly confident person but I have to admit this it the most nervous I've felt this far ahead of any athletic endeavor I've pursued.  I think I'm really gonna need a short run the day before to shake out any jitters.  Hope to see you at the finish line!

      Keep on runnin'!

Fitness is not a 26.2 mile journey. MUCH Longer.

     Four years ago this month, I ran my first race beyond a 5k.  It was the Twin Cities 10-mile run in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  I remember it was a great cold October morning.  By the time I arrived at the Metrodome for the start, the temperature was just above 40 degrees.  I didn't layer, knowing I'd warm up from running, and wore just shorts and a regular running shirt.  No hat, gloves, sleeves, nothing else except my Polar chest strap and watch.  My goal was an 8:30/mile pace with a secondary goal of finishing under 85 minutes, just a tad faster.  I was way in the back of the pack at the start and still chilly after a very brief warm-up, still a greenhorn to the running world, having only seriously attempting to take up the sport a few months prior.  Throughout the race I kept a constant eye on my heart rate which seemed to hold steady at 180.  But I didn't feel like I was maxing out, so I decided (yes, probably against better judgment) to hold my pace as long as I could.  I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:20:35 (faster if I hadn't taken that ONE restroom break!), euphoric that not only did I shatter both goals but nearly averaged eight minutes a mile, an unheard of pace for me at the time.  

     Fast forward to October 2010, warming up for a track workout on a similarly cool day in San Antonio.  My workout began with a 2-mile warm-up run.  As I jogged around the track, three older women were walking around it together.  One of them yelled as I approached, "You make it look so easy!"

     I replied, "Well it sure isn't!"

As I continued to run, I checked my Garmin for my pace and heart rate.  My pace was 7:40 and my heart rate was just over 150.  I had to smile a little.  Four years ago, that pace may have literally killed me.  Now, it's a warm-up for a planned track workout of six 800-meter runs as close to 3:00 as possible.  

     I know my pace is far from world class, or even city class.  And I haven't run non-stop consistently over the last four years, because I may have been able to get even faster.  But if you told me four years ago that I'd be training for a sub-7 pace in 2010, I may have looked at you with optimistic excitement but thinking you're a bit crazy.  I understand not everybody starts running to see how fast they can go.  A lot of people do it just to get in a little better shape.  But whatever type of runner you are, I hope you take away from this blog entry that you just have to stick with it.  

     

     There really is no quick fix.  No magic pill to get you in better shape without putting in the hard work.  But it is such a gratifying feeling, not only to know that you've stuck with it, but that you know you're reaping the rewards.  Who knows?  I may have reached my peak already.  I don't think I have, so I'm going to continue pushing.  But I'm not going to try to run 5-minute miles tomorrow.  It's a long, slow progression.  One that I've finally learned to appreciate.  

Keep on runnin!

Sweet Redemption

     For the last few weeks I really thought my body was trying to tell me that a marathon was just not in my life plans.  I suffered from fatigue, injury and then illness all over a three week span.  Fatigue turned a 20-miler into a 13 as did illness.  An injury on a cut-back week was a little easier to live with but over the last month I really started to question my ability to pull off the training for a marathon, particularly the 20-mile run.  

     

     I know what you're thinking, why am I trying to run 20 miles more than once?  Well, I have to admit I was originally concerned when I took a closer look at my training plan and saw not one but FOUR 20+ mile runs maxing out to 23.  Having never done more than 14, it seemed a bit of a stretch.  But I'm what you'd call a stubborn SOB at times.  If I have a plan, I want to stick to it.  Training for the marathon has taught me the need to be a lot more flexible when it comes to training.  

     So this past weekend, after getting home late from work on Saturday, I decided not to set an alarm and let my body get the rest it needed.  I woke up a little before 8, feeling good, and ate a small breakfast of oatmeal and a banana.  Around 9:30 I got ready to get head out for my 3rd attempt at the 20-mile run.  Before I left, my lovely wife gave me a hug and said she was giving me all her extra energy to help.  That may have did the trick.  A bigger fear than lack of energy for myself was a depleted Garmin.  Realizing I hadn't charged it overnight gave me the fear that it'd die somewhere along my run, leaving me with no alternative to chart my mileage as I chose to run an improv route, which I though would keep me a bit more interested and less likely to give in to fatigue or pain, since I'd have to run back anyway (yes, I brought my phone as an emergency, but getting tired was not a reason to allow myself to call the wife to bring the cavalry).  

     My run was going great until I reached what I thought was going to be a good halfway point and realized that I was about 5 miles short.  So I did what I planned to do and invented a new route for myself, going in the opposite direction of my house.  When I hit 10 miles I definitely felt like I could go another 10, especially with the gorgeous cool weather that was keeping my heart rate in great shape.  

     I ended up needed about 2.5 miles by the time I got back to my neighborhood and those were easily the toughest miles of my run.  But as I approached my house for that last stretch and saw my Garmin click over from 19.99 to 20.00, a sense of accomplishment as well as relief washed over me.  I know I still have another 6 to go for the real deal.  But finally getting in that long run really renewed my spirit and has me excited again about the next six weeks of training.  I know it's hard not to quit but the alternative is sure worth it.  

     Keep on runnin'!