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.

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.

Soreness vs Pain - Progress vs Injury

This has been an outstanding weekend of running for me.  I ratcheted up my long run to 1 hour, 15 minutes yesterday, running roughly 10.5 miles at a decent clip.  This is my longest run since committing to run the Santa Barbara Marathon a month ago.  And this morning I ran another 45 minutes, feeling solid and good.  These overcast skies we've been seeing make for some great training!

Today my legs felt sore but in a "good" way.  Whenever I push myself on a run, I usually feel some soreness the next day or two, sometimes longer.  I'm usually able to continue the training through the soreness.  I actually think some light training or perhaps some cross training...walking, hiking, cycling, etc. is good when you have some muscle soreness to keep the blood flowing and move towards recuperation.

After I do an "all out" 5K, 10K, marathon or other race, I often feel really sore for up to 3, 5 or even 7 days after the race.  Icing the sore spots or perhaps jumping into the pool and moving around seem to help.

Let's not confuse "good" soreness resulting from a solid training run or performance to pain associated with an injury.  Running through a sharp "pain" can be more challenging and self defeating than running through muscle soreness.

I trained pretty hard for the Tucson Marathon 5 years ago.  The course is known for its 2,220 net drop in elevation.  I trained quite a bit on the pavement for that race and for whatever reason had recurring shin splint pain.  Running on shin splints can feel like running with a knife pointing at your shins.  For me, running downhill adds fuel to the pain.

Due to sheer will, stupidity and to some degree lazyness (not at training, but at taking care of my body after my training), I continued to attempt to run with the shin splints while not resting enough and not consistently icing them. So without having completely remedied my shin splint issue, went to Tucson.  After a decent start (love that downhill), by mile 16 the shin splints came back with a vengeance and ultimately I dropped out of the race.

So if you are feeling sore, that can be a good thing.  Recover and you'll be fine for your next run.  If you are feeling sharp pains somewhere, STOP and do something about it!

Gym Workouts: Pump It or Dump It?

First off, an update on last week's training...42 miles for the week and my long run was 60 minutes, approximately 8.5 miles.  I was hoping for a 10 miler but my body was not agreeable to that.  But that's o.k., I feel pretty good about where my training stands with over 6 months until the marathon.

In the meantime here's a listing of upcoming races on my calendar:

June 7th:  Senior Concerns Love Run 10K in Westlake Village (Come on out and sign up for this local event at www.seniorconcerns.org.  Sponsored by Jersey Mike's!).

June 14th: Valley Crest Half Marathon in the San Fernando Valley (www.trailrunevents.com)

August 22nd: This is crazy but I'm signed up for the Bulldog 50K Ultra Run in the heat of the summer.  I plan to run it purely as an "over-distance" training run, meaning fully 3 months prior to my marathon I hope to do more than the marathon distance (roughly 31.2 miles) at a "casual" pace...whatever that means.  This will mark the first time I've ever attempted more than 26.2 miles.  Bulldog is quite a challenging, hilly, trail course.  I've run the Bulldog 25K (same day) several times.  A lot of fun...but sign up soon as entries are limited (www.trailrunevents.com).

November 6th: Calabasas Classic 10K - A premiere local event with goodie bags that are worth more than the entry fee!! www.calabasasclassic.com

I'll sign up for more events as time moves along.  It's fun and motivational to race in preparation for the marathon distance.  Not to mention it helps you practice the art of eating/drinking on the run, which is quite important for the marathon distance.

So on to pumping iron.  Yea or nea?  Let me give you the standard answer...it depends.

Most people say moderate gym workouts are good for running as they provides good "core" muscular training of your body.  Keeping your body in good physical shape in general is good for running.  I believe in this theory and have been working out in gyms for 30 years.

Prior to my running endeavors, I'd work out in the gym 3 to 5 times per week for 45 to 75 minutes.  Over the years, I've reduced my gym workouts to 3 times per week, 20 minutes per workout, resting very minimally between sets.  Something along the lines of a "Curves" workout for women.

I don't really enjoy working out in the gym anymore, which is one reason I'm motivated to get in and out of there in 20 minutes.  I don't mess around.

But I do like the way gym workouts make me look and feel.  While it is more likely my physique would be mistaken for a flagpole over a linebacker, my belief is that gym workouts help keep me stronger for running.

Some people say working out is not helpful to running as it does not replicate the movement of your muscles when running.  I disagree and feel that keeping your muscles strong in many ways helps supplement your running.

If you were extremely limited in time and had time for only a running workout or a gym workout, I'd pick the running workout.  But I'd guilt myself into working out the next day...or at least doing some pushups and situps later that day.

Some people say working out too much makes your muscles too big and slows down your running.  This could happen to some people but for the most part that would take a lot of effort.

So in my opinion...pump it up!  At a later date I'll share more information about my quick and dirty 20 minute workouts.  Or if you are ready to start your training, there are many options listed here in CVG. Now if you don't know what you're doing in a gym, read up on it or shortcut the process by hiring a personal trainer.

If you don't like the confines of a gym, how about an outdoor boot camp?

Rolling With the Punches When Training for the Marathon

It is Memorial Day weekend, a 3 day weekend for many of us.  Today is also the 24th running of the Los Angeles Marathon!  So I thought this would be an outstanding weekend of running, training and motivation!

Zzzzzz...but I'm TIRED!

Ah well, I tried to get my long run up to 1 hour, 15 minutes yesterday, but just didn't have it in me! :<

LIFE kind of gets in the way.  I've got 3 and 6 year old boys and they are quite a handful.  We've had a great weekend, full of fun activities.  But I've been tired.  They seem to have this sixth sense...wake up at 6 a.m. on weekends but on school days sleep like a rock.  And make sure to wake up 2 or 3 times during the night for various reasons.

So as a full-time dad, full-time provider for the family and part-time marathon runner, I roll with the punches, step back and realize that I ain't gonna feel perky, peppy an energetic all the time.

I can set training goals but I'm not going to meet them all the time.  In fact, these days, I don't meet my goals more often than not!

It is frustrating.  But I do have the hindsight of running 24 previous marathons to know that, you can't force your body to do something it isn't willing to do.

So what else can you do about these training impediments?  PLAN for them!  Yes, place enough time in your schedule for the unforeseen to occur.  Plan for the unplannable and you will succeed in meeting your marathon goals.

Miles or Minutes? How Should You Measure Your Training Efforts?

The quick answer:  Who cares!?  For most of us it really doesn't matter how you measure and how precise you are.  JUST GET OUT THERE AND RUN!

But let me digress and ramble a bit.

I began running in May 1994.  Feeling happy and bubbly with 5 beers in my belly (and I did have a belly back then), the discussion with my fit coworker in her mid 50s turned towards her marathon training.

Lori (you know your real name) had (and has) a passion for running that kept her going, day in, day out, regardless of how she felt.  I admired her for mental and physical toughness that got her out there training up to 60 miles a week.

I was 28 and had never run much, other than away from bees and dogs foaming at the mouth.  But that beer was messing with my brain and in a sudden rush of drunken stupidity I told Lori that I would run the Los Angeles Marathon next year.

So starting the next day, I stuck with my commitment and got out there and ran.  At first, only a block or two before my knees and ankles gave out.  But I walked back home and tried it again the next day until I could run without stopping.

Long story short. I soon found myself not only running each night, but driving my car along the paths that I ran, jotting down the mileage to the nearest tenth of a mile.  I had several pages of courses and their distance written down.  Boy was I anal-retentive about it, to the point I would drive courses several times "just to make sure" they were correct.

But, at the time, I felt a need for precision because I was really getting into it and enjoyed tracking and analyzing my "statistics."

Here we are now in 2009, 15 years of running later, and my life and attitude have changed.  I don't have the time, energy or desire to track my mileage down to the tenth of a mile.  I still log my mileage, but generally round to the nearest half mile.

But it has been years and years since I drove a course just to measure the distance.  I've developed a decent feel for the "pace" of a run, be it 6, 7 or 8 minutes per mile.  So I simply measure the time run in minutes and quantify the mileage based on my estimated pace.

That said, there are some outstanding products out there now that can precisely measure your mileage for you.  One of them is the Nike Plus gadget that syncs to an iPod Nano and lets you upload your mileage and pacing to a website.  Click here for a decent write-up. I have a Nike Plus and think it is cool, but I prefer to just get out there and RUN.  But if you're looking for data, this is a great, simple, useful and unobtrusive to use product!

I digress again. This talk about data and the Nike Plus is making me think about that cool NikePlus.com website again. Hmm.

Ran Up to the Old Danielson Cabin Site and Monument Today

Danielson Monument

At 10 a.m. today, I ran from the trailhead at Wendy and Potrero in Newbury Park up to the Danielson Monument and old cabin site.  Generally I prefer to run early in the morning but my wife needed some extra sleep today so I ran later.  It is definitely getting warmer out there but there was some light ocean breezes in the trails.

Danielson Monument Sign

This is roughly a 7 mile round-trip trek and it took me an about an hour, 32 minutes up and 28 minutes back.  Some of the trails are a little overgrown but overall it wasn't too bad.  Butterflies and lizards were out in force today.  In fact a baby lizard ran with me for about 20 steps as he decided to veer off the trail.  There were only about 2 dozen people total on the trail today so it was nice and quiet.

I run at a decent clip.  For many of you, assuming you run the whole way, this would be about an hour and a half run.  If you hike the trail, it is more like 3 hours. Details at THIS LINK.

I was out of gas at the end of the run today. This is a challenging run because it involves a lot of hills.  The net elevation climb is 1200 feet but I suspect the total climb, factoring in downhills is a lot more. Courses like this are great for building endurance, strength (uphills) and speed (downhills).  Lots of rocks and turns though so be careful!

Danielson's Old Deer Cabin - Only the chimney remains

There was shade along a decent section of the trail today but overall it was pretty warm.  There are some areas, particularly near the stream crossing, with poison oak to watch out for.  I didn't carry water with me as I knew it would only be an hour, but I'd recommend bringing some.

Now go on, stop reading this blog, get out there and start RUNNING!

Reduce the Hurt...Run on Dirt!

Let's face it.  The human body was not built to run 30, 40, 50+ miles per week solely on pavement.

Buy the best pair of shoes, stretch, rest a lot, get massages, but you are putting your joints and ligaments at risk by pounding out all of your mileage on streets and sidewalks.

That's not to say it isn't a good idea to do some significant training on the roads.  In fact, if you are training for a road race, particularly a marathon, it behooves you to train quite a bit on that surface.  If you don't, your body will not be fully prepared for 26.2 miles of pounding on the roads.

But try to get out there in the trails and more "giving" surfaces as much as you can.  If you live here in sunny Southern California, surrounded by mountains and beaches, you've got it made.  Here in the Conejo Valley, we are surrounded by hundreds of miles of open space and trails.  Some of my local favorites are Sycamore Canyon, Cheseboro Canyon and the Los Robles Trail.  But there are so many to choose from.

Now for the pros and cons of trail running.  The pros are: easier on the body, scenic, gets you back to nature, great for improving foot/eye coordination, gets you away from car fumes, etc.  The main drawbacks are higher chance of twisting your ankle on rocks (gotta be careful!) and possible wildlife encounters.  On that note, I do have a few friends that refuse to run trails because they are afraid of snakes.  I agree that you need to be aware...I run trails 5 days a week and see a snake probably once every few months...mostly in the summer. 

Of course on the trails you have to deal with creepy crawlies, gnats (I've run through some nasty swarms at times...usually in the late spring), bees (got stung on the back of my head once, but I survived), etc.  I see coyotes all the time but they are scrawny and stay away from me, even though I am scrawnier.  Of course, you also need to be aware of poison oak..."leaves of three...let it be."

But don't let those minor matters scare you away!  You've gotta try it and you'll be hooked!  And your body will thank you for it.

And consider running an upcoming local trail race!  Great stuff.  You'll meet a lot of fun people.

Running When There is Smoke in the Air

It is Sunday afternoon, Mother's Day and I haven't felt very good all weekend.  I ran for 50 minutes yesterday morning and another 40 minutes this morning, but my chest hurts when I breathe in deeply and my eyes kind of hurt.

The Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara has burned nearly 9,000 acres over the last 5 days and is now about 55% contained.  I've been concerned for residents of Santa Barbara but I didn't really think about the impact of smoke from the fire on us here in Ventura County.  But there has been an air quality advisory for all of Ventura County all weekend on the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District website at www.vcapcd.org.  The advisory says "Persons sensitive to smoke and particulates should limit time spent outdoors and minimize physical exertion while smoke is in the air." That be me.

Not only did I run for 50 minutes yesterday, but I was at the Conejo Valley Days Carnival for about 5 hours.  So, as a person who is impacted by smoke in the air, I haven't been doing my body much good over the past few days.  I ran like a slug thi s morning.

So be careful out there, especially when the fires are close to home.  Run indoors on a treadmill if possible and minimize your time outdoors if you are sensitive to smoke.

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.