True Grit Running This Week

Today was a day of sheer grit and determination.  Seven weeks away from the Santa Barbara Marathon and I felt that if I didn't get a long run in, I would not be able to run the marathon. 

The last 4 weeks were supposed to be 60 mile weeks for me, but between getting the flu and slowly recovering from it, my training has been way off the plan.  In fact, last week's total mileage of 16.5 was the lowest in recent memory for me. Not good.

This week and today, I STILL don't feel quite right.  I'm not sick. But my body is still recovering from being sick.  Still coughing in the morning and sluggish and tired overall.  Wasn't able to wake up earlier than 6:45 a.m. this week.  So to make up for the short morning runs I doubled up on Tues, Wed and Thurs.  Not fun!  But I felt I HAD to get my mileage where it needed to be.

It was nice, cool and rainy up through Wed. Then Thurs through Sat it was unseasonably hot out. Between the heat and my inability to drag myself out of bed early, I was worried about my critical long run today.

Good luck!  It was cool out when I started my run at 8 a.m. today! And the temp didn't rise higher than about 75 degrees.

The goal: Run for 2 1/2 hours. Pace irrelevant.  Normally I run around a 7 min pace but given the way my body has felt, I'll settle for anything!  Just need to knock this run out.

But 20 minutes into the run, physically I felt like stopping.  Just didn't have anything in the tank. But I swallowed my pride and ignored my dead legs...and resolved to KEEP RUNNING, even if it felt like I was walking!

Two hours, 26 minutes later, I was done.  I was not surprised this afternoon when, using MapMyRun.com found out I ran 16.3 miles today.  That equates to about a 9 minute per mile pace. I slogged my way through this run.  But I did it!  It didn't feel good today.  But mentally it was necessary that I was able to PUSH myself into making it happen!

So for those of you who, like me, don't feel up to a particular run...change your mental outlook, tweak your goal and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Slowly Coming Back From the Flu

The last time I wrote was last Wednesday, my first run after 5 days off with the flu.  On that day I ran a slow 1.5 miles on the treadmill.  The next day I did 2 miles, then 3.5 miles on Friday, steadily increasing to 4 miles on Saturday, 5.5 miles on Sunday and another 5.5 today (Monday) slowly but surely regaining some energy. 

My weekly Monday to Sunday total was a personal low of 16.5 miles during a time frame 2 months prior to the marathon in which I had planned to be running 60 mile weeks.  The prior week was only 25 miles total.  As you can see below, I've been on a descent for the last month after a previous comeback from a back injury.

I have to admit, I'm starting to have doubts about my ability to run this marathon at the sub 3-hour level.  There have been too many problems with my training...it seems every other week I get sick or a new injury pops up.  I'm really frustrated that every time my training starts looking good, I'm forced to back off.

That said, I'll continue plugging away. What I really need to do is regain enough energy to run a 20 miler this weekend to maintain my long distance fitness.

On the injury front, a spot below my left knee has had a chronic pain for 4 months now and I'm visiting an orthopedist in Thousand Oaks to assess the problem.  The good thing is that it hasn't significantly impacted my running.  The bad thing is that it has been a chronic weak leak for me when crouching, bending and standing. 

Today I ran a solid 40 minutes after work.  For some reason with the change of the seasons in the air, my body stopped waking up early.  Oddly, this also happened to my entire family.  The good thing is, we get an extra hour of sleep on Halloween night as Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 p.m. on November 1st.  Getting that hour of sleep is always very welcome in my household!

Slow But Steady Wins the Race to Complete a Marathon

Today's run was my best long run since starting up training for the Santa Barbara Marathon 4 months ago. An 18 mile out and back down Sycamore Canyon to PCH, the good ole' Turf to Surf run.  Today's total run time was 2 hours, 25 minutes; 1:09 to PCH and 1:16 on the turnaround...not a bad "split" given return trip has much more uphill (and heat).

As readers of this blog may know, I've had one injury after another over the months, but have battled back from each one.  Most of the injuries have been minor irritants. The most debilitating problem was a lower back spasm that took me away from solid training for 2 to 3 weeks. But that problem is gone, thanks to a great Camarillo based chiropractor.

My biggest concern today was, how would my body react to running long again. Although I did run 15 miles 2 weeks ago, I wondered, would it feel like I'm starting from scratch today?  That's a feeling many runners have after taking a break.  How will our bodies react?

The good thing is, our bodies have "muscle memory" - those long runs 2 months ago may feel irrelevant from a mental standpoint, but somehow the Bank of You the Runner has logged those miles in an account. While your legs and lungs don't pay interest on those miles, they treat them as if they were FDIC insured.

So stepping back for a sec, last night I was determined to get to bed by 11 p.m. and wake up, without alarm, at 6 a.m. One thing led to another and I was in bed by 12:15 a.m. I awoke at 7:15 a.m., but within minutes was fixing my 3 year old breakfast (scoring brownie points with my still sleeping wife)...then minutes later his brother was up and before I know it, I'm not out the door until 7:40 a.m.  A bit behind schedule.  I'd prefer to have run much earlier, but hey, no big deal. Weather was somewhat cooler today too.

In preparation for the run, I loaded up my Nathan waistpak with 2 bottles of water, 2 bottles of Orange Gatorade and 3 GU packets (Vanilla, Chocolate and Banana). I wore a hat, glasses, sunscreen, slathered up the toes with petroleum jelly (as usual, no blisters for me!).

I'm fortunate to live in close proximity to Sycamore Canyon in Newbury Park. Where else can you do a serene, largely shaded, 8 to 10 mile run to the Pacific Ocean, with multiple places for pit stops/water, half paved, half well kept fire roads, WITHOUT cars to deal with!?  There are plenty of cyclists in Sycamore Canyon and they often fly by on the downhills, but are very courteous. Added bonus is the wildlife...deer, coyotes, bunnies and other attractions.

Today's goal was to run at a moderate, steady, conversational pace (though I'd be talking to myself as I was running alone).  Taking in fluids at roughly 10 minute intervals, I felt perfectly fine when I reached PCH and said hello to the Pacific. The return trip immediately felt 10 degrees warmer to me, as the sun peaked out from behind the mountains. But I continued on, neither slowing down, nor speeding up.

It is rare for me, one who speaketh his mind, to end a long run admitting I'm feeling GREAT, but as I approached and started up the 800 foot humbling, grinding asphalt ascent into civilization, I realized I felt just fine. Hot and tired, but in a good way.  In fact, I DID feel great! Both physically and mentally!

And to think just one week ago I was depressed!

Running is an Antidote for Depression

Last week was kind of a downer week for me with a total of 41 miles and no long runs. I was a bit sore after my Bulldog 25K run on August 22nd but felt recovered by the 25th.  My goal was to run long on a weekend morning. But with temperatures soaring into the 100s and with smoke from the Station Fire in Angeles National Forest being felt in Ventura County, I just couldn't muster up more than a 5 mile run on the gym treadmill.

Wildfires depress me, especially when I'm training for a marathon.  Extreme heat ain't real fun either.  And I really HATE running on treadmills...though I did happen to start my Saturday treadmill run while the late Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral was on TV...it was sad yet uplifting watching the closed caption eulogies...making this particular treadmill run one of my more memorable ones.

Sunday was also hot, and I was tired, just plain tired and cranky. The kids were getting on my nerves. I drove to the gym for another dreadful, slow 5 miler treadmill run. I can't seem to run more than 45 minutes on a treadmill.  Feels like torture to me.

So we're into Monday now and I'm even more tired, sick of the heat, don't like the smoke, kind of just generally bummed out about this huge fire, how 2 firefighters died on duty yesterday, how I grew up in the La Crescenta area near the fire and generally speaking I'd like to just go back to bed!  What else? The stock market was down today, the house is a mess, the grass is turning brown, the water bill is sky high, Tootsie Roll stuck in the carpet...the depression list grows on.  Oh, and I didn't run this morning as I normally do.

So tonight, for the first time since Friday, I ran outside, on the roads.  I felt like a 95 year old slug.  My legs were wooden.  I ran slowly, like I did on the treadmill. It was still 80 degrees outside at 7 pm. But as I ran and all these negative, pessimistic thoughts buzzed through my head, it dawned on me...I've been there before.

I've come back from injuries, tiredness, heatwaves, soreness, family emergencies, natural disasters, acts of war.  This was not the first time I felt slow, sluggish, depressed, burnt out, bummed out, lacking control over the world around me.

And the obvious dawned on me.  What I CAN control is what goes through my mind.  I CAN acknowledge how I feel and REFOCUS the negatives into POSITIVES. And I can realize that life is cyclical, with highs and lows, and that my training and mental outlook will gyrate this way too.

So at 7:45 pm tonight, at the end of the run, my mental state had reshuffled. I still felt like turd with legs.  I was hot, still irritated at my lack of energy. But near the end of this 35 minute run tonight my mindset had changed. Focus on the positive. And remember...these negative feelings are only temporary. I'll be back! (Maybe even tomorrow!)

Run More, Think Less, Eat Chicken Nuggets??

Before I move on to today's topic, how about an update on my training. I ran a total of 50 miles last week on the final road to recovery from the latest in this aging runner's string of injuries. 15.5 of those miles were the Bulldog 25K trail run in Calabasas on Saturday.  Otherwise, darn it, my left big toe once again is sore, probably from the jarring 4,000 feet of downhills on the Bulldog course.  I'll get over it!

For those of you keeping up with this blog, you probably know that while I like to train hard, I don't take training too seriously. What that means is, I don't like to get too caught up in precise training schedules, measuring and writing down every aspect of my runs, watching everything I eat, etc.  Doing so take some of the enjoyment of running and competing away from me. But that's just me.

Or maybe it ain't just me...

Dinner of Champions: Dinosaur Shaped Chicken NuggetsI laughed when I read about the superhuman Usain Bolt's pre-world record shattering 100 meter race meal of chicken nuggets.  I also grinned when I read how nonchalant he is before each race...smiling, joking around, having fun.  But when that gun goes off, he's a lightning "Bolt."

Then I read an article in the August 19th Wall Street Journal about 31 year old Kara Goucher, a top American marathoner who competed in the 5000 and 10000 meters at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. I LOVE the quote "Ms. Goucher has taken all the tactics generated by U.S. running experts...the charts, the mileage recommendations and high-tech motion-sensing computer readouts - and stuffed them in a dumpster."

After decades of "highly structured training" telling runners "how many miles to run on how many days and how quickly to do it" U.S. runners were becoming less and less competitive.

On the other hand, Kenyan and Ethiopian runners shot up the ranks through an aggressive "run first, ask questions later" style.

Goucher takes this approach she "focuses on running hard and fast for as long as it seems right" according to her coach, 3-time New York Marathon winner Alberto Salazar. 

The article also quotes Olympic Marathon Bronze Medalist (and former Agoura High School standout) Deena Kastor "For so long, people...were focused on figuring out the exact science behind setting records. But there is no exact science."

So fellow runners, ponder and weigh the need for precision and analysis in your training versus the simplicity of just GETTING OUT THERE and running!  Listen to your body. If you are feeling good, run hard! Have a plan, but have some flexibility. It may well just pay off as you train for your next race!

One Week Back From Weak Back

Or so I thought.  It was one week ago that a back spasm during a mid-run pit stop put the latest damper on my training for this December's Inaugural Santa Barbara Marathon.

After visiting the chiropractor on Monday and feeling a bit better on Tuesday, I was optimistic that by now, I'd be past this ailment.  But the pain has been there, better some days, worse others (like today). Why, why, why? 

Well for starters, it is hard to predict how quickly our bodies respond to treatment and recover from injuries.  I'm often shocked the morning after a new problem that magically goes away. But then there's often these nagging problems that take their time going away.

Life happens...I've got 2 young boys and boy their very rambunctious nature they have a tendency to ram into me, pummel me and pretend I'm a jungle gym. I love it! But it takes a toll on my body...especially after a 20 mile run.

So...I'm continuing the treatment, taking the running slow and easy...but still running with back brace...and am determined to get well soon as I'm past due for another 20 miler!

I've got another 3 1/2 months until the marathon, so I'll be fine.  That really equates to about 2 1/2 months of potential hard training as the final 3 to 4 weeks will be my taper.  I'll have to cross my fingers though...at my current rate I'm on track for a 4 MONTH taper!

I Know the Real Reason Why Palin Resigned!

On June 29th, Runner's World published its August issue with the article, "I'm a Runner: Sarah Palin," The article has an extensive interview with the ex-VP candidate about running!

Four days, later, Palin hastily announced her resignation as Governor of Alaska.

No one seems to know exactly why she is resigning. I listened to her speech and couldn't figure it out. I've read everything from she's preparing for a 2012 Presidential run to she's burnt out and wants to be with family or today's comment from Palin's ex-almost-son-in-law Levi Johnston that he thinks she's leaving to make some money.

Well I read the RW article and am convinced that she's quitting to train for a new marathon PR! She ran the 2005 Humpy's Classic Marathon in Anchorage in under 4 hours (3:59:36). Palin then goes on to say "It wasn't necessarily a good running time, but it proves I have the endurance within me to at least gut it out and that is something."

So there you have it. While Palin is pleased about running a sub-4, I'm certain she is about to go into stealth training mode for perhaps a sub 3:30 performance!? Go for it, Sarah!

I reviewed her performance on my favorite marathon events website, www.MarathonGuide.com, and she finished 63rd overall out of 203 finishers and was 15th out of 63 women finishers. Nice job!

She made a few statements in the article that may ring hollow now that she's resigned: "You get bummed and burned out sometimes in running and in politics, but if you're in for the long haul and you're in it because you know that it is a good thing, then you get out there and you do it anyway" and "He (dad) used to tell us to call on the rock during a race when we were hurting and we were tired and wanted to quit." Maybe she couldn't find a rock.

Here are some neat additional photos of Sarah Palin in her running gear (though oddly none of them actually show her running).

Well enough of that. Another ex-Governor, Eliot Spitzer, was also profiled in Runner's World back in late 2006. He ran a 3:58:43 New York Marathon in 1983 at the age of 24. Palin's got him beat as she ran her sub-4 at age 41. In Spitzer's article, he says "My wife doesn't mind when I slip out at 5 a.m." ...hmmm, slipping out to do what...?

How about these other marathon performances by well known politicians:

• George W. Bush ran the 1993 Houston Marathon in 3:44:52 at age 47.  Nice job W!
• John Edwards ran the 1983 Marine Corps Marathon in 3:30:18 at age 30.  Well done.
• Al Gore as V.P. ran the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:58:25 at age 49. Oprah did the race in 4:29:20 in 1994.
• Mike Huckabee has run 4 marathons with a best of 4:37:34 in Little Rock at age 50.
• Michael Dukakis ran the 1951 Boston Marathon in 3:31, good for 57th overall at age 18.

Sarah made a comment that rings very clear! "Is running nonpartisan? 'Oh, thank God, it's nonpartisan. It doesn't matter your background, your demographics, your race, your political affiliation—it's such a uniting, healthy, fun, awesome activity.'"  WE AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY, SARAH!  Running is an AWESOME activity!  YOU BETCHA!

Persistence + Practice + Patience = Performance

First off, I'm happy to report a solid week of training...in fact, my highest weekly mileage for the year (47 miles).  Yesterday, exactly 2 months after the day I committed to run the Santa Barbara Marathon, I did my longest run of the year - 12.5 miles in 1 1/2 hours, half on pavement and half on trails.  I still have over 5 months until the marathon, so I don't plan to increase my mileage drastically...just slowly and gradually.

On the injury front, my sore big toe joint came back after yesterday's run, so I plan to ice it repeatedly and take an Advil if it gets worse.  Ice and Advil seem to alleviate most of my minor running ailments.  I'm not exactly sure what is causing the problem, though it seems to flare up on my longer runs.  Could be from running downhills. 

The formula of the day is Persistence + Practice + Patience = Performance.

As I ran alone for an hour and a half yesterday, I was pleased with how my body made such a comeback.  I was feeling miserable with a nasty cold 2 weeks ago and finally...running started feeling enjoyable again.  This is not the first time I've felt this way nor the last time. What enabled me come back and feel good about running, time and time again?

Persistence:  The easiest thing to do is GIVE UP when you're down.  Ya just can't do that!  Once you set a goal, be it to run a marathon, start a business, learn a new language, etc., you've gotta be persistent or you won't cross the finish line.

Practice: While practice may or may not make us perfect, it certainly prepares us for our best performance.  Practice is hard work...putting in the miles, eating well, hydrating, increasing your mileage, finding the right shoes, you name it.  Without it you doom yourself for failure.

Patience: Be prepared for setbacks, learn from them, adjust your training and stick with it. I know a lot of people who say they hate running because they have "bad knees."  This may be true for some but for others what I find is that they procrastinate, then try to shortcut the training process, leading to ailments and injuries.  Training for a marathon takes patience...especially on those looonnngggg runs.

Put persistent training, regular practice and patience together and you'll find yourself running a marathon!

Life Happens...Training Must Go On!

As George W. Bush would say (or maybe he said it), training for a marathon is HARD WORK!

In the mid to late 1990s I was regularly running marathons in the 2:35 to 2:40 range, with a personal best of 2 hours, 35 minutes in the Los Angeles Marathon.

Back then, things were a lot less complicated for me.  Single, young, healthy, good looking (OK, maybe that's a stretch) and plenty of time to train.  And probably most importantly, plenty of time to recuperate from hard training.

Today I'm 44, turning 45 in less than a month.  Married, with 3 boys, stay-at-home wife, trying to make ends meet.  Waking up early to train.  Staying up late (after kids' bedtime) to catch up with life and blog.

Why is it that any time I start feeling GOOD about my training, something happens that interferes with it!?  I know I'm not alone on this.  It takes a lot of work to train for the marathon and to maneuver around all the obstacles in its path.

Injuries and illness of course are the typical issues we face.  Yes, we rest, we ice, we medicate, we get over it and come back.  But the everyday aspects of LIFE are what present a constant challenge in our training.

Like this Father's Day weekend.  I had planned to sleep late, train long, nap and relax.  But (slap, slap), come on, let's get real.  I've got 2 young boys who want to spend time with me.  We went camping and had a blast, but I came outta that experience with a stiff neck, 4 hours sleep and boy am I tired.

But life and training must go on.  As we drive back home I'm placing toothpicks between my eyelids to keep them open, look in the rear view mirror and see my 3 and 6 year olds pleasantly snoozing away.  I smile at how cute they look and remember how I used to be able to do that.  Then I can't help but visualize a squirt gun being reloaded under water.  These guys will be raring to go, just as I'm ever so needing a good nap.

What a week...mom calls to tell me she drove herself to the emergency room with chest pains, a very close relative diagnosed with terminal cancer, a sore left big toe, flat tire, big work deadline, broken sprinklers, 3 birthday parties, getting over a cold, the list goes on.

Yes, LIFE happens.  This is why I've revised my race goals.  I am targeting a sub-3 hour marathon in December.  As much as I really want to regain my younger glory days of hard training and fast racing, I'm keeping my goals aligned with my life's circumstances.

I will do my best and I will keep plugging away with my training (it has been 2 months now since I started).  But I will keep things in perspective.

Keep it real, keep it fun.  You're not earning a living from marathoning, so don't make it a job.  Do make running a habit, but allow for some unplanned "down time" in your training to reflect the realities of your daily life!

P.S. Last week's training for me was 40 miles as I gradually recovered from last week's cold and came back on Saturday with a 10.5 miler.

Celebrate the Small Milestones

Today I managed to wake up earlier than usual and ran for 56 minutes.  This is GREAT for me because I wasn't able to run this long last weekend.  I'll reward myself tonight with a couple beers and I'll sleep a bit more (and run less) tomorrow morning.

The Santa Barbara Marathon is still 7 months away and I just started my training, but my goal is to accomplish something each week that I feel good about.  Then share it with someone.

Training for a goal 7, 9, 12 months away isn't easy.  There will be peaks and valleys, bad days and good days, perky days and sick days, feeling great days and feeling injured days.  So each week, pick something to cheer about what you've accomplished.

Keep a log of your daily/weekly mileage.  Your goal should be to gradually increase your mileage each week, say by 10%.   Every 3rd or 4th week though, if you're tired, back off the mileage and give your body some rest.

By tracking your mileage and what you've , you will be able to find things to cheer, be it your longest run to date or reaching a weekly mileage goal.

Set some intermediate goals other than training and mileage while training for a marathon.  Throw some 5K, 10K and half marathon races into your schedule every now and then.  If your first 10K is 55 minutes, then find another 10K to try to break your "PR" (personal record). Create some goals to motivate yourself.

Find other runners to share your goals with.  You'll find some local clubs and groups here.  Better yet, sign up for some local races and you'll be sure to meet other runners and walkers.