Seize the Opportunity to Run Long!

I'm typing this at 9:45 p.m. Friday night, July 17th.  This morning I ran 5 miles, worked until 5:30, then went to the gym for my efficient 20 minute workout.  My wife had not mentioned plans for the night, so I was gonna head home to hang out with the family.  I also had planned to wake up early tomorrow for a long run in the 2 hour, 20 minute range.

At 6:15 p.m. on my way home from the gym, my wife informs me she's taking the kids to the Ventura Aquatics Center (by the way, the kids had a blast!).  I could have joined them but I would have to take a separate car.  So in a split second I decided...I'm going to get my long run out of the way tonight so I can sleep in tomorrow!  (My wife didn't mind as that means SHE gets to sleep in too!).

It wasn't until I was lacing my shoes up at 6:45 that I thought, hmm, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.  I had 5 hours sleep last night, ran already this morning, pumped iron 30 minutes ago, and now I'm going to run until 9 p.m. on a Friday night?  What am I, crazy??  Yep.  But I thought, why not.  It'll free me up tomorrow.

So, without a dinner (I nibbled late in the day), I downed one of my kids' juice boxes (shh, don't tell my wife, as she screams at me not to do this), squirted a Chocolate GU down, loaded up my awesome Nathan fluid pack with a combination of watered down lemonade and plain water, and took off.

There were a few other things I did before taking off, including nip protection and lubing up.  It was 78 degrees at 6:30 and no doubt I'd be sweating.  Need chafing protection.

What I also did tonight that I reserve mainly for 2+ hour runs was...slather my toes and heels with Vaseline.  Yep, sounds kinky, but early in my marathon experience I learned this trick for minimizing blisters.  I RARELY get blisters when I liberally (I'm not talking a dab, I'm talking a glob) rub it around, then put my socks on. Petroleum jelly is cheap, so don't skimp. Feels strange at first but I'm telling you, not only will you reduce or (in my case) eliminate your blister count, but your feet may actually feel smoother at the end of your run!  (Bruno, are you listening?)

The run went really well.  Basically a large loop tracing Lynn Road east in Newbury Park, over the freeway to Hillcrest.  West on Hillcrest, looping around Amgen, through the Target/Home Depot parking lot, on through Peppertree Park up to Borchard to the west end of Dos Vientos, then back home via Lynn Road.  2 hours, 15 minutes, no stops, 19.4 miles (according to MapMyRun above).  I finished at 9 p.m. in the dark, tired, a bit sore, thirsty and hungry!

I'm very pleased and I have more I want to discuss about exciting topics like fluids, toenails, running effort, running in traffic and more...but it is now 11:30 p.m. (I had family duties to tend to) and I'm BEAT!  But feeling great and I'll write more soon!

12 Minutes of Preparing...120 Minutes of Running!

This morning I ran for 2 hours (15.3 miles) and FELT GOOD at the end of the run!  This was my longest run of the year so far and 30 minutes longer than my previous longest run. 

Although I've run 24 marathons, it has been awhile since I trained for one.  So I had to think last night about preparing for today's 2 hour run.  My daily 30 to 50 minute runs are easy...jump out of bed, lace up the shoes and start running.  Longer runs though take more effort...without proper planning I could be in a world of hurt miles away from home.

So here's what I did, before, during and after the run.  This is not 100% comprehensive or necessarily what YOU should do, but it may prove helpful for your own training.

The Night Before

Last night I made sure NOT to eat stuff that would cause me gastric problems during the run.   No spicy foods, salsa, high-fiber, high-acid foods, etc. To be extra safe, I ate 2 large bowls of cereal, ice cream and some crackers.  The day before a long run is not the day you want to be experimenting with Kellogg's All Bran cereal or eating, say, an entire flat of strawberries like my 3 year old did.

Gathered up all the stuff I'd need for the run - clothing, hat, glasses, water belt and bottles, several packs of "GU", 2 bandaids, Vaseline, sunscreen, watch, etc.

I hadn't used my Nathan Waistpak for years, but quickly remembered why this is by far the best fluid carrier I've ever used.  My Waistpak carries 4 10 oz bottles that are very easy to remove from the pak. The bottles have an odd shape that ensures they stay in the holder yet are simple to replace, making them optimal for use on a run. I love the velcro belt...much easier and more comfortable to wear and adjust than straps.  And the bottles don't move around much, making this belt so much more comfortable than other water bottle holders.

Filled up 3 of 4 bottles...2 with 75% Lipton Sweetened Ice Tea diluted with 25% water, and the other with just water.  Placed them in the fridge.  I probably should have also used the 4th bottle but decided to save it for an upcoming 2 1/2 hour run. Iced Tea??  To be honest, I've never done that before but I like it (sweetened) and it worked fine. (More on hydration here.)

Packed 2 GU packets in the Waistpak.  I've used GU gels for years...they go down well.  I particularly enjoy the banana flavor.

Got to bed at a "reasonable" time, about an hour earlier than normal, in order to start the run at 6:15 a.m. (ended up starting at 6:45 a.m.).

Before The Run

Woke up, wasn't hungry, so downed a bottle of water and one banana GU gel packet.  I usually eat something light and quick, like a couple waffles, before a long run.

Bandaids...Scooby Doo ones (all I could find)...over the nips.  I'm fortunate not to have a hairy chest so these go on/off easily. Long run, shirt, sweat, abrasion, not good...you get it...preventative maintenance...bandaids on nips for all 2+ hour runs.

Vaseline...forgot to use today and lucky not to need it.  Long run, shorts, sweat, thighs, abrasion...not good.  Bigger issue if you wear shorter shorts that scrape the inner thigh.

Sunscreen on arms, face, ears, back of neck. Gotta protect your skin, especially during these sunny summer months!

Wear hat, watch, double-lace up shoes, insert bottles into Waistpak, wear Waistpak, sunglasses, and I'm on my way.

During/After Run

Pit stop 15 minutes into run was my only stop.  Think strategically when planning your runs.

Started drinking the fluids right away.  You start sweating right away in the summer so replenish those losses early and often.  Ate my 1st and only GU gel at mile 5 and tossed the wrapper into a trash can.

Took it nice and easy the entire run.  There were some decent climbs and I made no effort to maintain pace going up these hills.  The goal of the long run is to acclimate your body to the distance.  I just wanted to finish feeling good.

Within 10 minutes of finishing the run, I jumped into the pool to cool off and provide relief to my battered body.  Highly recommend this for your recovery!

Other than several toenails that are complaining to me, I felt great today and spent the day out and about with the kids.

Looking forward now to the NEXT long run!

Running Tired...Join the Crowd!

Before I blab away, let me update my latest week of training.  Weekly mileage was slightly lower, 40 miles, since I ditched the long run for a 10K this weekend.  I fully intended to wake up early on Wednesday to run longer but, as usual, that didn't happen. 

So sleep, or lack thereof, is the topic of tonight's post.  It feels like I'm always tired.  Most of that is brought on by myself (heck, I should be sleeping as I type this).  But seems like there's always something that "gets in the way" of training.

Like last night.  My wife knew I had a 10K race in the morning and that I wanted a decent night's sleep.  So at 8 p.m. she informs me that her friends from out of town are staying the night at our house.  Oh, and let's let them sleep in OUR bed as they need a good night's sleep and they have to wake up at 4:30 AM to make their flight out of John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

What the??  I really like her dear friend so what am I gonna say.

So I get to bed around 11:30 p.m  on the COUCH in the family room, underneath MY master bedroom. My wife slept on the couch in the living room.  I tossed and turned a bit but finally fell asleep. Then around 4 a.m. my 3 year old decides to accompany me on the couch. My wife helped retrieve him and 20 minutes later I hear movement upstairs as our guests are preparing to leave. They leave and I doze off for another hour and its now time to wake up.  Got maybe 4 to 5 hours of sleep.

Such is life.  I'm so used to interruptions that I've baked in a semi-zombie state into my race expectations.  There's no way I can run 100% off of 5 hours sleep.  So I've learned to just go with it and feel good doing the best I can. 

There were roughly 500 people in the 10K today but my main competitor was me. I ran a 38:30 10K and while that time is several minutes slower than my times 5 years ago, I was pleased.  For motivational purposes you can compete with others in these local races, but the reality is that you are doing this for YOU, not anyone else.

Most of us will NEVER feel we have adequate sleep, sufficient training, proper diet, enough mileage, etc. and thus we will always have built-in excuses for not running our best.  Let's face it...nobody really cares what your excuses are.  We are out there to have fun, to do the best we can and enjoy the camaraderie.

So I stopped myself this morning.  Instead of boring my friends with "excuses" that they could care less about, I savored the moment.  Met some new people.  It was a great morning.

The fact that you are out of bed, out of the house and physically exerting yourself on a Sunday morning wins you some major brownie points in this game called LIFE!

On that note, I want to congratulate the organizers of the 2009 Senior Concerns 5K/10K Love Run in Westlake Village.  The event was well organized and there appeared to be a record number of entrants.

Looking Out For #1...and #2

So last week I ran about 36 miles.  Wasn't quite what I wanted to do but my right hamstring started bothering me after an 8 mile run on Thursday morning and the smoke from the Santa Barbara fire played some havoc with my lungs.  But that's o.k.  Felt good this morning.

So you get up at 5:30 a.m. one morning for an hour long run.  You roll out of bed, splash some water on your face, gear up, lace up, drink some water, force a piece of toast or banana down, and take off.  You don't really have a lot of time to lounge around, have a cup of coffee, read the paper.  You just wanna take off and get your run in.

The plan is to run for half an hour in one direction, then turn back around, an "out and back" course. You generally start out slow to work into the run, so your plan is actually to run more like 32 minutes on the way out, figuring you will speed up a bit on the way back.

Twelve minutes into the run you pass a public park with restrooms.  You kind of feel like you need to stop but decide you can "hold it" for now.  At the 25 minute mark you realize maybe you should have stopped at the park, for not just #1 but #2 reasons.  But you are determined to run the full 32 minutes so you keep going.

At 26 minutes your internal organs feel like a can of Coke shaken hard.  You realize that a decisive action must take place, either beeline back to that park, roughly 13 minutes, or almost 2 miles away, find somewhere else, or explode.

At this point you could care less how far you run.  You just want relief.  So you veer left as you recall a construction site a few blocks over.  Briefly you ponder ducking behind the dumpster by Vons down the road but quickly decide the it wouldn't be worth the risk of getting caught, aheming, in public.

So your steps become noticable shorter as you do your best to restrain the contents of your innards, running ballerina style, and yes, there's the construction site!  But NOOOO... the gate is locked!!!  Arrggghhhh!!!  Thankfully though, you see an opening on the other side and with your lean runner physique manage to squeeze into the gap and manage your way to the porta-john.

Without any more thought you find the relief you were looking for.  Then look over and realize there is no T.P. in the porta-john. 

So as you jog back home, with socks missing, you think, I gotta plan this out better.

Paula Radcliffe, the current women's marathon record holder, had this problem in the 2008 Olympics.  She made a beeline for the porta-potty and finished 23rd.

Used to happen to me all the time too.  Funny, but no laughing matter when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, or worse yet...SOMEWHERE...and you are unprepared!

So here is my list of things to prepare yourself for when nature calls:

1. Try to time things such that you don't need to "go" in the middle of a run.  Yes, easier said than done I know.  But if you are able to take care of business before you run, that is the best solution.

2. Be careful what you eat.  No doubt in my mind that runners are more "regular" than non-runners because of the jarring motion of running.  In general that means that thing will go through you faster and sometimes unexpectedly.  So before you down that extra lump of wasabi, cup of salsa or bowl of 100% Bran Flakes, ponder the impact on your innards the next day.

3. Plan your runs such that you will have pit stops along the way if needed.  Or if you REALLY have some problems, consider running a loop near your house so you can make a pit stop there.  I have found the most success with this approach. Approximately 10 to 12 minutes into my run, I've resolved my issues and am ready to really start running.

4. Bring items that will enable you to complete your uh, little mission, in an appropriate way.  In other words, consider stuffing some T.P. in your pocket.

5. Wear Depends on your run.  (OK, I'M JUST JOKING!)

OK, now that I've given you all this wonderful information, get on out there and start running!!