The Day Before a Marathon is the Time to Relax and Reflect

Today is Saturday and tomorrow is the Inaugural Santa Barbara Marathon.  My goal for this marathon is to finish this marathon with a smile on my face.

Today I'll drive up to Santa Barbara, visit the race expo to pick up my bib number and check out the cool running stuff for sale by vendors, check into my hotel and basically vedge out.

It is 9 am right now and before I make the drive, I will run a mile or two, but that's about it.  I didn't practice my own advice and ran about 3.5 miles each of the last few days, but I ran slowly.  I have a hard time taking an entire day off from running solely for the purpose of resting.  Call it obsessive-compulsive, but I prefer to save up my rest days for injuries and illnesses.

Last time I ran a competitive marathon was just over 5 years ago, when I ran a 2:48 at the age of 40.  I trained 70 to 80 miles per week for that marathon and it paid off.

Since then, my life has been a blur.  While I never stopped running, I did stop serious training as my family grew in size and simply put, I got too busy and tired to train hard.  I did run the L.A. Marathon as a "training run" in 2005 and I believe that is my last full marathon until, hopefully, tomorrow!

I've been training for this marathon since late April. Early on I set a goal of peaking at 60 to 70 miles per week in September/October, but I never managed to get over 60.  In fact, my mileage was way down in these critical pre-marathon months due to swine flu, back spasms and other lame excuses.

So while I'd love to run even just a sub 3 hour marathon, I know from past experience (25 marathons) that I CANNOT FOOL MY BODY in the marathon.  The marathon distance is unforgiving.  I haven't been training at a 6:52 pace, which is the pace required to break 3 hours.  If I go out at that pace from the start, no doubt I'll be hurting big time at mile 20.

My goal is to ignore my pace, my watch and other runners.  The marathon is a highly individual sport. We all have our own goals. I know there will be other 45 year old runners there who I should beat handily if my training had been stronger, but they will be ahead of me tomorrow if they've done their homework!

And that's o.k. with me because I've aligned my expectations with the reality of my training. I ain't gonna run a 2:45 marathon tomorrow.  My expectation is to run something under 3 1/2 hours, which is still good (heck, that time will get me into the Boston Marathon).

All that said, maybe, just maybe, I'll get lucky, feel amazing good at the 20 mile mark, pick up the pace a bit, start passing runners who went out too hard, and finish in under 3 hours.

Ya just never know.

Today is Tuesday, Marathon is Sunday

Last week I ran 37 miles in my 2nd to last week prior to the Santa Barbara Marathon.  My longest run was 7.5 miles on Saturday run at a pretty solid marathon pace.

There's not much I can do at this point other than rest up for the marathon.  With 5 days left before the marathon, no training I do will help, it can only hurt.  Though running 3 or 4 miles a day at race pace wouldn't be a bad thing.

The best thing I could do for myself is get to bed earlier and sleep more.  But, truth be told, I'm actually typing this at midnight on Tuesday. So I ain't doing myself any favors at the moment.  But my thoughts start to solidify late at night.

I'm excited about this weekend.  Not so much about running the marathon...my up and down training will preclude me from running at my best...you can't fool your body in the marathon I know well.  I'm looking forward to spending Saturday night in solitude. 

Yes, my wife and kid will not be joining me for the marathon experience this weekend.  This does kind of bum me out that my wife does not want to join me and bring the kids up for the fun.  But I understand her decision, as she is not particularly interested in a weekend centered around my running.

It would certainly be motivational knowing that my young boys are at the finish line to cheer me on.  But perhaps another time.

So on one hand I'll enjoy time by myself, but on the other hand I'll miss not being able to share the experience with my family.

But ya know what, I'll have plenty of friends up there with me in the same boat.  I've run in solitude nearly all of the miles I've trained over the last 33 weeks.  Marathoning is an individual sport. 

Wish me luck!  All I want to do is finish at a respectable time, uninjured! :>

Tapering Off the Mileage in Preparation for a Marathon

This past week I ran a total of 41 miles with a long run of only 7 miles.  I had planned to run longer today (Sunday) but sleep (or lack thereof) needs required me to stay in bed and vedge out this morning.  Well truth be told, I owed my wife a "sleep in" morning today in exchange for something she provided to me.  We bartered. I gave up my last opportunity for a 10 mile tempo run in preparation for the marathon in exchange for, well, let's just say that it is something that married couples with young kids usually do not get enough of.

If my wife reads this, I am dead meat.  So if you enjoy reading this blog or Conejo Valley Guide in general, sshhhhh, do not tell her.

I'm doing a 3 week taper for the Santa Barbara Marathon on December 6th. The rule of thumb I use for a 3 week taper is to run 75% of "normal" mileage in the 3rd week pre-marathon, 50% 2 weeks out and 25% the final week.

My mileage in week 4 pre-marathon was 54, which means my 41 miles was exactly 75% of that.  I don't usually grab a calculator and try to get precise with these calculations.  I just go with my gut.  I got lucky last week.

So this coming week, Thanksgiving week, should not be a problem "forcing" myself to run less, given the holiday goings on.  I do intend to gastronomically enjoy the holiday, but will do my best not to overeat too much.

The final taper week is usually the hardest, especially if you've been training really hard. Since I haven't been training really hard for this marathon, slacking off the mileage won't be mentally or physically difficult for me. 

The final 3 days pre-marathon one should perhaps only run once or twice, just to stay limber.  No training you do the final week before a marathon will help your marathon.  It's too late...what you DON'T do will help you more than what you do do (or doo doo, for that matter).

Some people do 4 week tapers, running 80% of normal week 4, 60% week 3, 40% week 2 and 20% week 1.  Nothing wrong with that plan either. 

Don't get too caught up in precision. The percentage don't have to be exact.  The overall goal is too ease off the mileage in the final weeks prior to a marathon in order to allow the body to recover and rest up for 26.2.

Long Runs are Better When You're Not Alone

Today marked the end of my "real" training for the Santa Barbara Marathon.  The event is on December 6th, 3 weeks away, but for all intents and purposes my training is done.  Time for a 3 week tapering off period as I rest my body up for the race. 

Today's long fun of roughly 20 miles took me from the Starbucks on Reino Road to Pacific Coast Highway via Sycamore Canyon.  I've been training for the marathon for 29 weeks now and believe it or not, today was the first time in those 7 months that I did a training run with another human being!

My good friend Dave is 56 years old and one of the top age group distance runners in Southern California.  He is tougher than nails and an inspiration.  Dave has done nearly 50 marathons through the years with an average, not best, but AVERAGE time of 2 hours, 52 minutes, an unbelievably outstanding statistic.  Dave is a rock.

You would not know Dave is 56 by looking at him. Dave and I used to run together all the time as we both live locally here in the Conejo Valley. But six years ago with the addition of kids into my life, my training took a nosedive and I opted to train on my own.  But we still talk all the time.

Just so happens that Dave also signed up for the Santa Barbara Marathon because he wanted to be part of this inaugural event (race director Rusty Snow recently indicated there are over 2,000 marathon entrants, which is outstanding). 

In recent months, Dave developed a case of plantar fasciitis, a condition where the bottom of the foot/heel becomes irritated and swolen.  It often takes months and months to gain relief from the problem.  That didn't get Dave down.  He is DEDICATED and took to pool running, diligently straping a floatation device to himself and running in the pool for an hour at a time.  (I could never do this unless perhaps a TV could be floating in the pool in front of me.)

So after months of pool running and a month until the marathon, Dave started back on the roads again. He asked me if I wanted to run long with him today in preparation for the marathon and I said SURE!

So we started off from Starbucks at 6:30 am.  It was windy and cold so we both wore an extra layer.  Within a mile I took my layer off as the wind didn't seem that cold. Dave followed suit a mile later.  About half the course is paved, from Starbucks up Reino Road, turning right on Potero Road, then left onto Big Sycamore Canyon Road, which winds its way down Sycamore Canyon towards the beach.

Dave and I both chatty types, which is a nice trait to have on a long run.  We hadn't run together for a while so we had lots to talk about.  It certainly make the run go a lot more quickly when you run with a buddy!  I've done the run myself many a time and while I always enjoyed it, it was a lot more fun today. 

We resolved NOT to run too hard or fast as we both are coming off injuries and illnesses that have hampered our training.  All we wanted to do today was run a nice, slow, easy 20 miles and we accomplished that goal.  At times we had to remind each other to slow down. 

We found the temperature to be quite bipolar running down Sycamore.  We both wore gloves and I took mine off 3 miles into the run.  But every mile or so we would hit a real cold patch, only to find a warm sauna-ish stretch moments later.  It was kind of bizarre how quickly and extreme the temp changes were in the canyon.  Towards the bottom of Sycamore Canyon, 2-3 miles from the ocean, it stayed pretty cool, to the point I had to put my gloves back on.

Dave and I have an understanding that when one of us needs to stop (restroom, water stop, etc.), we stick together.  I'm a Type A that has to continue movement, running circles, as Dave does his thing.  Dave is more low key and has no problem stopping to stretch in the middle of a run.  We've run together enough to know each other's style and work with it. No need for explanation.

So on the return trip we made our way up the tough 800 foot climb and at the top knew that we were on the final leg of our latest marathon journey.  Two more miles to Starbucks and we paced ourselves in, congratulating each other on getting it done.

In our "younger" days we'd hang out for a bit at Starbucks and savor the camaraderie. Today we both had to quickly drive off for family activities. I sat in my seat and attempted to lift my left leg to take the emergency brake off.  Damn was that tough.  I hard to literally pull my leg upward with my hands.  Those darn hamstrings were sore, but in a good way.

Thanks Dave. You helped me through my first 20 miler for 9 weeks. You're a good man and a good friend.  And a damn good runner.

Predicting the Unpredictable: How Do I Feel Today?

Last week's mileage was only 39. Between the heat and general tiredness last week after my half marathon on September 19th, I had kind of an off week.

On Saturday, I ran the Alliance for the Arts 10K in Thousand Oaks.  The 10K was simply a hard training run for me with a goal of sharpening my speed for my December marathon.  I knew I wasn't fully recovered from half marathon, but I signed up awhile back and decided it would be better to run a 10K than to do a long run this weekend.

I was surprised on Saturday morning because when I woke up, I actually felt pretty good...light on my feet and not as overwhelmingly tired as I had felt most of the week.  That was at 6:45 a.m. Two hours until the start of the 10K.

After messing around, socializing, etc., it was finally time for the 10K at 8:45 a.m. By then, it was getting pretty warm out; mid to upper 70s, close to 80.  I was nonchalant all morning, and the only thing I ate was a McDonald's sausage biscuit, hash brown and iced coffee.  (Don't ask...I rarely eat at McD's, but I was impulsive that morning.) In hindsight I should have had more water.

So I started out running pretty well, actually leading the race at the halfway 5K mark in about 18:30, but I started feeling parched somewhere around 2 1/2 miles into the race. But then, all hell broke loose with my body.  I was downright thirsty. And pooped.  A dummy light went on that told me to check my fluid levels. But I wasn't about to stop at that point.  I just dragged my body along to finish. The 2nd 5K was about 21:10.  The winner ran strong and consistently the whole race.  I managed to finish 2nd.

The point of all this is...the body is unpredictable.  I didn't feel good in the days leading up to the 10K. I felt pretty good before the race. But halfway into the race I blew a gasket.

This past Monday, I was so tired I could barely get out the door. Big party at the house on Sunday, up late cleaning, half the family was sick, etc.  I really didn't feel like running off my 5 hours' sleep.

Oddly enough, I felt GOOD on my Monday morning trail run! Heck, I could have run 2 hours (if it weren't for having a job to get to).  I never would have predicted it.  I felt energized and lean all day on Monday.

Lesson Learned:  All I know is, it is had to predict how I will feel on a given day. But I suppose what I should focus in on are the factors that I CAN control...get enough sleep, rest, nutrition, etc.

Set the Training Bar Low While on Vacation

Last week I took a break from hard training.  While on a 7-day family cruise to the Mexican Carribean, I managed 25 miles of easy running.  This Royal Carribean ship had a running track that was a fifth of a mile long as well as a gym stocked with plenty of treadmills.  So all of my miles came while at sea.  This was a needed break after last Sunday's 20 miler and prior weekly totals of 47, 50, 51, 57 and 57 miles.

Many of my runner friends, particularly the marathoners, are obsessive about their training.  I put myself in that same boat.  We have a hard time backing off the mileage, even when we know it's GOOD for the training to RECOVER!

In fact, I take a look at my weekly totals above and my brain still murmurs..."hey, you were SO CLOSE to reaching 60 miles in one week" and "how am I gonna 'get back' into hard training again?"

But after 16 years of running, 24 marathons, tens of thousands of miles, hundreds of races, injuries, setbacks as well as fun, accomplishments and excitement, I've learned.  Set the bar low while on vacation.

I told myself, my goal is to run a minimum of 20 minutes each day.  Anything over that total is icing on the cake.  It didn't matter how fast or slow I ran those 20 minutes.  They could be on a treadmill or running circles on the deck of the ship. Or even little circles around the dessert bar.

So on Day 1 when I ran only 25 minutes, I felt GOOD about it!  I set the bar so low that it would be easy to exceed my training expectations. 

I could have taken the entire week of like more sane people who completely relax and enjoy their vacations.  But that would be way too mentally damaging for me. Not to mention, staying physically fit on a cruise offering 24/7 food enabled me to EAT my fair share!

Also helping my case was my 5 solid prior weeks of training and 2 solid 19-20 milers.  I had "miles in the bank" so taking it down a notch for a week was no big deal.

So go ahead! Take that vacation, enjoy it and then get back into training with renewed vigor!

Take a Hall Pass From Running; and New L.A. Marathon Course Announcement!

First for my weekly mileage report.  I did a personal record for 2009, with 57 miles of running, including Friday's explosion of 24 miles in one day (5 miles in the a.m. and over 19 miles on Friday evening). 

I felt pretty good after those miles but still had to take the next day off from running due to sheer exhaustion.  One problem for me of running at night is that it makes it harder for me to fall asleep.  Must be that adrenaline rush.

But ever since that 2 hour, 15 minute minute run, I've been dragging, big time.  The clear answer for me is to get to bed earlier and perhaps sleep late a few days.  But sometimes even that isn't enough.

Perhaps the best thing to do when injured is to take an extended break, even in the middle of training for a marathon.  Remember that all those miles you put on your body are like miles "in the bank." Your body remembers those miles and you can take a hall pass if you need it.  No harm, no foul.  In fact, you'll come back stronger most of the time!

It also seems that my little knee problem has escalated over the past few days. Time to start popping the acetaminophen again and hanging icing the knee every night. 

My Hall Pass is next week while I back off on my mileage. While my 19.4 mile milestone built up my confidence, this down town will enable my body to recover a bit!

All of you deserve a Hall Pass at some point in your training! Don't guilt yourself out of it!

BREAKING NEWS! The Los Angeles City Council voted yesterday to change the date of the 2010 L.A. Marathon back to March from this year's Memorial Day date (which allegedly dropped participation by 5,000 runners!).  Next year's Silver Anniversary 25th Year L.A. Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 21st.  March 21, 2010 by the way marks the 30th anniversary of the day Jimmy Carter announced a U.S. boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 

And, once again the race course will be changed! Next year's course will be a "Stadium to the Sea" route that starts at Dodger Stadium and ends at the Pacific Ocean. I've run the L.A. course half a dozen times and have lost track of how many courses there have been. No specifics yet on this latest route.  Hmm, I wonder if the fact that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt also owns the rights to the L.A. Marathon has anything to do with this.  More info at www.lamarathon.com.

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!

It Wasn't Pretty, But I'm Back on Track

Last weekend I bailed out on a half marathon training run due to the onset of a sore throat.  Having 2 small kids, it seems I get sick more often then ever these days.  Starts out with a subtle irritation at the back of the throat that I hope is just an allergy (it never is). Then about 40% of the time I'm able to fight it off by getting to bed early and downing extra vitamin C tablets.

Last weekend was the 60% of the time.  Overall sluggishness and tiredness and for several days, throat got worse, then I move on to fever, sneezing, chest congestion and a cough.  Wake up on the morning wheezing. Gee I just love colds.

So the first half of the week was slow going, but I gradually got back up to 35, 45, 50 minute runs over the last three days.  Today I was determined to get back on track.  I still didn't feel really good but was able to slog through an 80 minute run, roughly 10.5 miles.

The weather was overcast and cool this morning.  In fact it stayed that way until 1 p.m. 

So I'm sure most of you go through the same thing....get sick, feel like you're falling behind in your training, get kind of bummed out about it and then...you make a choice.  The easy choice: give up your goals.  The hard choice: put your head down and dig in.

I've mentioned before that I build "slack" time into my training routine.  I know I'll get sick or injured every now and then so I mentally prepare myself for it.  I build "letdowns" in to my mental training so that they don't pull down my mental training foundation.

I do some stupid things in my training, like NOT taking any rest days for the entire month.  While this increases my chance for injury and burnout, it builds my mental mileage bank and removes any guilt from taking days off when I REALLY NEED THEM.  Perhaps this approach, not to the same degree, could work for you.

Schedules Schmedules - Set Running Goals and Targets and You'll Be Just Fine!

First off, my mileage last week was 43, including a 10.5 mile long run. I've got a 10K coming up at the Westlake Village Love Run this Saturday so I'll plan NOT to run a long run on Saturday. Perhaps I'll wake up earlier than normal on Wednesday morning and try for a longer run mid-week.

OK, on to business. I won't mince words. I HATE training schedules. Well, that's a bit harsh. Maybe more like, I'm not particularly fond of running schedules. Yeah, that's it...that sounds much more politically correct.

I have work schedules, kid drop off and pick up schedules, errand schedules, medical appointment schedules, household chore schedules, schedules to remember to call my parents, tax appointments, lunch schedules, staff meeting schedules, you name it. I've got enough schedules. I'm not alone.

Schedules are good as they help me stay organized. But you know what, I'm NOT gonna force myself into a strict running schedule as schedules tend to take the enjoyment out of things. So instead of precise schedules that you can find plenty of at Runners World, Active.com, Running Times and other websites, I prefer to have certain key goals and target in training for a marathon:

• Gradually ramp up weekly mileage...don't do something drastic (for most people this means increasing mileage more than 10% each week...but I don't measure it that precisely). Aim for peak mileage 4 to 6 weeks prior to the marathon.
• Gradually increase the length of the long run. Generally I target 2 to 3 20-milers, but I don't sweat it if I only reach 16 to 18 and if I feel I can I'll do more than 20.
• Build slack time into the schedule. Take rest days. Plan for bad days and bad weeks. Plan for soreness, illness, injuries and tiredness. But...go for it when you feel good...run more, train harder (psychologically it feels good to "bank" miles for the bad days).
• Place races of varying distances into your schedule...5K, 10K, 10 miler, half marathon, etc. Take races seriously only if that is in your DNA, Type A-ers. Shorter distance races are fun, social events and great practice for your marathon. Not to mention they can provide you a good feel for what your marathon target can be (more in a future post).
• Don't feel compelled to do track workouts when training for a marathon, unless you are aiming for a sub 3 hour performance and feel you really need it (and if so, limit your intervals to 800 meters to mile repeats). My experience is that while speedwork is awesome, it beats up marathoners pretty hard as they need to recover from weekend long runs, not run circles around a track.
• Taper off the mileage over the last 3 to 4 weeks prior to the marathon. Week 3 should be up to 75% of peak mileage. Week 2 50%. Week 1 25%. Last few days should be minimal mileage. Don't go walking around Disneyland the day before the race. Gotta rest.

The key point of this post is, keep running fun. If you feel that a training schedule will keep you motivated and on track, then great, use one. But if you are like me and feel constrained by one, do yourself a favor and remove it from your mental agenda.