Week 16 - "Disciprine Come From Within"

... to quote a South Park episode. I ran my first half-marathon on Saturday. My buddies Ian and Jose ran their inagural halves as well. They smoked me, but we all ran solidly.

I took it very easy this week because I wanted to have healthy shins for the 13.1 mile trek. My personal goal was not to run hard and set a grand PR. I actually wanted to hold myself to 8:30 min/mile. The idea was that maybe mileage wasn't tearing up my legs: maybe the injuries were more to do with effort. Sabina laughed at this idea and reminded me that I say that almost every race and then end up killing myself. The comment from my smart-ass wife steeled my resolve this time. Of course I forgot to wear my watch and had no way to know what my pace was during the event.

Ibuprofen is a terrific friend on race day. The 3 little pills that I doused with coffee in the morning kept any pain at bay through mile 6. Although my speed and running form were in check, the clock at the halfway mark showed I was running several minutes faster than anticipated. Seeing this, I began to make grand plans to push myself around mile 10 or so. Those plans began to deteriorate with each mile:

○ Mile 7 - Slight shin pain (never progressed).
○ Mile 10 - Quads began to feel heavy.
○ Mile 11 - Felt blister like pain under ball of right foot (actually just callused).

Despite over thinking things in the 2nd half of race, I didn't have to dig very deep to reach the finish line. The final mile was a little test. Could I have kept going for another 13 miles? Doubtful. My time was 1:42:15 (7:48 min/mile). Running such a controlled pace and still running sub 8's is a huge confidence booster. There are 7 weeks left before the BSIM. Nine minute miles and a sub 4 hr marathon time seems entirely achievable. I just have to be smart and avoid any more setbacks. Today is the day after the Bidwell Classic. My quads and calves are tight with the type of soreness that sets in after a good workout. My plan is to rest a few days and then pick things back up on Wednesday.

-Mar 1: 0.5 mile run on treadmill, biked for 30 min. Ran on grass field for 20 min after work.

-Mar 2: 1 hour yoga.

-Mar 3: 2.5 mile run on treadmill, biked for 30 min.

-Mar 4: 1 hour yoga.

-Mar 6: 34th Annual Bidwell Classic Half Marathon (01:42:15, 7:48 min/mile).


ADDENDUM: Downed a couple gel packs while running (@ mile 4, and @ mile 8). Both were warm and nasty. The Powerbar one tasted better and had a more tolerable consistency than the Cliff brand. I should refrigerate them before the marathon. I fooled around with my form during the race too. Tilted my pelvis in slightly and it seemed to make my upper legs perform more of the work than my calves. Working on this may reduce future pain from shin splints.

Week 11 - Royal Family Flu

Not much training to report this week. More active rest. Moved the Missus down to grad school to begin her spring semester over the weekend. I came down with a sore throat and stuffed up sinuses on Friday after some intense gym cardio. Felt like crud clear through most of Saturday as we made our way to Monterey. Thankfully I was able to shake the illness off quickly without real training setbacks. We even had a decent party that night to kick things off properly. My diet should soon improve with less chocolate and ice cream around. Some long runs by the bay sound pretty appealing compared to the scenic views of Marysville. I am contemplating joining the noon yoga class on Tues and Thurs to increase flexibility and hopefully reduce leg soreness after long runs.

Jose (see week 1 where he convinced me to register for the marathon) discovered my blog this week and got busy making his own. That bearded wonder is planning on putting in 500 miles over the next couple months. Guess I better step up my own mileage a bit. My intention is not to become a marathon runner, though. I just want to run one so that I can boast and shout... then go back to the more hospitable 10k races. People claim that addiction runs rampant through the marathon crowd. We'll see.

Sunday was a remarkable day along the central coast. Perfect weather. My wife and I drove the entire length of the BSIM course: making several stops to take photos along the way. The 2 mile run up to hurricane point is gonna be a doozie. What's worse is that you can see it coming, and the climb sits right in the middle of the race when morale is likely to be at the lowest. I'm looking forward to the challenge. Another point of interest is going to be the start. In shorter races I prefer to start towards the rear and pass people throughout the event. There's supposed to be 5000 registrants in the BSIM. My time will be plenty slow enough without added minutes spent weaving in and out of that many runners. I plan on starting nearer the front of the pack if possible and trying to hang with the 3:45 pacer up to hurricane point. From there on... we'll see.

{SIDE NOTE:I recently discovered (through Runner's World) another reason to detest England's royalty. Mind you, this is on top the endless movies, books, articles, and sappy nonsense about Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth that I must endure each year. The real marathon distance is actually somewhere around 25 miles. According to Greek legend, 25 miles is roughly the distance that Pheidippides ran between Marathon and Athens in 490 B.C. Why is the official distance now 26.2 miles? You can thank the royal family for this. King Edward, with the help of official governing bodies, decided that the 1908 Olympic marathon should start at Windsor Castle for their viewing convenience. Participants were also forced to run an additional lap around the stadium, so that nobility could enjoy an extended finish, before crossing the line directly in front of the royal box. Eventually this became today's standard and now I have to run another mile + thanks to a group of wealthy inbreds. At least it was an American who claimed the gold medal that day.}

-Jan 25: 12 minutes interval training on elliptical machine, rowed 3000 meters, biked 8 miles (20 min).

-Jan 26: Rowed 5000 meters, biked 8 miles (20 min). Pullups, lat pulls, crunches.

-Jan 27: Rested on the cardio for a day. Dumbell bench press and flies with high reps and low weight, crunches, leg lifts, and stair climbers.

-Jan 28: Rowed a fast 5000 meters (21:56), biked 8 miles (20 min).

Week 10 - "Active Rest"

The first run this week (following Saturday's 6 mile jaunt) brought back some painful memories of my initial year of cross country in high school. The first signs of shin splints arose with a dull pain along the front of my lower legs. This motivated me to take a brief break from pounding the streets. After all, I have been running consistently now for 2 months after not putting in any real mileage for at least 7 years. Rather than just let myself lose all the cardiovascular progress made in previous months, I increased other forms of lower impact endurance training and core exercises. My planned 8 miler was nixed, and I am not sure if I will run next weekend either. Choosing not to run at this stage has been more difficult than all the mileage I have put in so far.

In addition to the active rest, I went out and bought a garbage can just large enough for me to soak my legs in. My intention is to fill the container with ice and water, then dunk my legs in there for 15 minutes after long runs. This was a daily routine for me in college, but instead of a trash can we did have a nice stainless steel tub with a circulating pump. I will be increasing time spent stretching following future runs as well. These measures should make the next 2.5 months of training a little easier.

-Jan 18: Killer cardio at the gym. 2 fast miles on the treadmill, 5000 meters rowing, and 8 miles (20 min) on upright bike.

-Jan 19: 20 more minutes on bike, rowed 2000 meters, crunches, sidebends, pullups.

-Jan 20: 30 minutes on bike, 12 minutes interval training on elliptical.

-Jan 22: Rowed 5000 meters, 12 minutes interval training on elliptical, pullups, bench press, crunches.

Week 9 - Hobo Hill

With a little more than 3 months of preparation left, I am finding myself reluctant to increase training mileage. Instead I have replaced my weights in the gym with extra cardio time, and have begun running shorter more intense routines.

On Thursday I went out to River Front Park and ran 10 hill repeats on the bike trail that runs up the levee below 5th St Bridge. The route runs parallel to the levee at bottom and then shifts into a S-curve up the slope. According to the Yuba County Water Agency, these levees stand roughly 35' above street level. If my google map measuring tool is correct, that'd give me about a 5.8% slope for the 600' long course: only slightly steeper than the 2 mile long hill that begins at mile 10 of The BSIM. The only unfortunate aspect of this location is that it appears to be a homeless person hot-spot. No harm was done, however, and having a few prying eyes on me actually forced me to run a little harder than was intended.

My long run of the week was a 6 mile out and back between the north and south ends of Plumas Lake. I didn't keep an exact time, but the run was somewhere around 45 minutes. For some reason I developed a blister on my right pinkie toe. I can imagine the pain I would have been in if I needed to run 20 more miles with that thing tore open. Also, my practices are getting long enough that I should be carrying some water. Next weekend my plan is to run an 8 miler to get my legs more accustomed to longer treks. I believe that I will buy a field belt to carry some small bottles along and wear my wool toe socks for blister prevention.

-Jan 11: Took it easy on the cardio after my weekend 10k. Bench press, crunches, sidebends, lat pulls, and 2000 meters rowing.

-Jan 12: Ran 2 miles on treadmill wearing VFF's. Rowed another 3000 meters.

-Jan 13: Rowed 5000 meters, dumbell flies, pullups, upright rows, situps, and sidebends.

-Jan 14: Did 10 consecutive repeats up and down what I am calling "Hobo Hill".

-Jan 16: 6 mile run through Plumas Lake subdivision. Roughly took 45 min.

Week 8 - My First 10k

Following last Sunday's 5 mile run around town, I rested my running legs couple days. My workouts consisted of rowing, biking, and mostly core strengthening exercises.

On Wednesday I decided to see what these crazy "mile-repeats" are all about. Multiple running sources cite repeats as a real test. My mistake was running the second mile in my VFF's and not taking them off after the first signs of tightness in mile 1. After sitting down to change into my Asics for the third and final mile, I could barely even walk. After a half lap around the track with the missus, I decided to push through and endure the final repeat. My calves were so tight for the next 2 days that it was a serious task just climbing a flight of stairs.

Looking back, doing the repeats was a great way to increase running pace. I would have done them a day earlier if I had known in advance that my 10k was on Saturday and not on Sunday as I had been anticipating. However, ibuprofin does wonders and I not only came in under the 50 minute goal of mine, but crushed that mark by nearly 5 minutes. The chip time was 45:02 and I have to say that my personal photographer (wife) was caught so off guard that all she captured was my backside in the pictures. Now I am thinking that sub 7 minute miles are a possibility at the upcoming valentine's day 10k in Pacific Grove.

-Jan 4: Rowed 5000 meters, and did 24 minutes of interval training on the elliptical machine in gym.

-Jan 5: Rode bike for 8 miles (20 minutes), situps, sidebends, pullups.

-Jan 6: Mile repeats at Yuba College track. Mile 1 - 6:30, Mile 2 - 7:00, Mile 3 - 7:20. Note that the first 2 were in VFF's and the third was more of a hobble due to tight calf muscles.

-Jan 9: Lou Gehrig 10k in Roseville. Chip Time = 45:02.

Week 7 - New Years

The week leading up to 2010 was full of sweets around the office as well as a smorgasbord of goodies at my buddy’s New Years Eve party. The cigars and scotch probably didn’t assist my fitness level, but some things cannot be sacrificed… even in the pursuit of marathon glory.

There were some training ups and downs over the past few days. Thursday my attempt at a barefoot mile on the Yuba HS track ended prematurely after a lap due to the seriously sharp all weather surface killing my pampered footsies. I did manage to complete that lap in 5 min mile pace because I wanted the pain to end as soon as possible. After the barefoot fiasco, I limped around the track and did a few more 400 repeats before ending the disappointing day. On Sunday I more than made up for the lame track performance with a strong 5 mile run around the Marysville Levee system. Next week is my first 10k (6.2 mi) in preparation for the BSIM. My goal is to come in under the 50 minute mark.

-Dec 28: Rowed 5000 meters, completed 24 minute interval training on elliptical machine at gym.

-Dec 29: Ran 2 miles in VFF’s on treadmill, situps, sidebends.

-Dec 30: Biked for 20 minutes (8 imaginary miles), dumbbell flies and bench press, pullups, and upright rows.

-Dec 31: Ran four 400m repeats at Yuba HS track.

-Jan 3: Ran 5 miles around Marysville levee system, through riverfront park, to the old cemetery north of town, back through Ellis Lake Park.

Week 6 - Christmas

The holiday season was in full effect this week. Not to a be a grinch, but for training reasons I have been looking forward to the end of this year's festivities. A few pounds do seem to be trickling off my waistline even with all the 1000 calorie meals. I am down below the 180 lb mark for the first time since entering the professional world. Ideally I would like to maintain this weight; to lose more likely also means sacrificing muscle mass. At the same time, every pound that can be shed prior to running a marathon is said to make the trek much easier. Can I get to a healthy 170 lb over the next 4 months?

Before consuming 2 gigantic holiday dinners, I registered for two 10k's to offset the guilt. Race schedule now looks to be a good ramp up leading into the BSIM:

January 9: Lou Gehrig 10k in Roseville

February 14: Together With Love 10k in Pacific Grove

March 8: Bidwell Classic Half Marathon in Chico

April 25: Big Sur International Marathon

My routine didn't suffer too badly this week. I was able to get in 4 decent workouts and even ran barefoot for the first time. Barefooting around an all weather track was an interesting sensation, probably numbed a bit from the cool temperatures. The half mile felt natural, yet it will take some time to get over worrying about stepping on sharp objects.

-Dec 21: Ran 2 miles in VFF's on treadmill. Rowed 2000 meters, crunches, and sidebends.

-Dec 22: Rowed 3000 meters, rode stationary bike for 20 minutes, leg presses, and pullups.

-Dec 23: Ran 1/2 mile barefoot at Yuba College all-weather track, then ran 2.5 miles in shoes.

-Dec 26: Ran 4 mile loop around Marysville levees and Riverfront Park.

Week 5 - No Distractions

This was the second week in a row in which I logged zero miles in my VFF's. A couple years ago, I suffered a severe sprain in my left ankle and some soreness there has returned. Just in case the new shoes were somewhat to blame, they were temporarily shelved. That doesn't seem to be the case. Next week I plan on putting in a few short runs with the VFF's and reincorporate them into the training regimen.

Having the Missus back from Monterey for the holidays has allowed more time for training and less time spent on the road. For the first time in over a month, I was able to get in 5 workouts in a single week. Another change of note is that I switched from coffee to green tea in the mornings. Monday through Wednesday was rough and it must have showed, but I do seem to have more consistent energy throughout the day now. Hopefully the change will last and more benefits will emerge within future weeks.

-Dec 14: Cold weather persists. Ran 2.5 miles on treadmill at moderate pace. Dumbell bench press, pullups, and lower back machine.

-Dec 15: Another 2.5 treadmill miles at a slightly faster pace. Added crunches and side-bends before finishing up for the day.

-Dec 16: Rowed 3000 meters, rode stationary bike for 20 minutes, and did some more crunches and side bends.

-Dec 17: Ran 2.5 more miles on the treadmill at a much quicker pace. Felt strong throughout. Also did three sets of low-weight/high-rep bench presses.

-Dec 19: Christmas shopping complete, ventured out to the Yuba College all-weather track for a timed 3 mile run to celebrate. 23 minutes, which sounds unimpressive, but the place was abandoned and I was running very relaxed.

Week 4 - Wifey Reunion

I was only able to get 2 runs in this week due to all the driving/moving/cleaning involved with shifting the missus back home. Her semester at grad school is over and I have been looking forward to getting her all to myself for the winter. Needless to say, I had let things become a little cluttered around my apartment since I would spend every weekend with her in Monterey. My workouts suffered as I took time to civilize once again.

Coworker lunches and parties this time of year make keeping a consistent workout routine more difficult than usual. Missed my Tuesday lunch workout for this reason, but did run right after work to make up for the conflict. Was not able to do the same after a birthday luncheon on Weds. Will need to take these events into account and plan ahead for the rest of the holidays.

-Dec 7: Raining hard all day. Ran 2.5 miles on treadmill, followed by 20 minutes on stationary bike in gym.

-Dec 8: 2.5 more miles on the treadmill. Finished with crunches and sidebends.

Week 3 - CIM Spectator

I only ran once in my VFF's this week. Concern with the soreness along the top of my foot led me to running in the old trainers again. A holiday party and corporate weekend meeting helped to counteract any gains that may have been achieved by training during the workweek.

In what was probably my best preparation for the BSIM, I witnessed a couple crazy acquaintances running the California International Marathon in Sacramento. Quico ran pretty consistent throughout the race and managed to take in a few calories here and there. Royce started off strong, but failed to eat a single thing during the 26.2 mile trek. Needless to say Quico caught up to Royce while he was cramping and coaxed him into finishing in just over the 4 hour mark. Seeing their pain and confusion at the finish line really hit home. Hopefully the message lasts to April 25 so I remember to keep my head on straight, run a smart race, and eat intermittently.

-Nov 30: Ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill in the VFF's before I felt a twinge picking up in my right arch. Finished with some crunches and side bends to try and build up core strength. Was nearly ran over later in the evening while walking about in the five-fingers. Note to self: no more evenings walking through this (explicit deleted) town alone. For multiple reasons.

-Dec 1: Put in 10 min on the rowing machine, 20 min on the upright bike, and 15 min on the reclined bike at the gym.

-Dec 2: Wore old trainers to the gym and ran another 2.5 miles. Worked lower and upper back, and did 3 sets of lunges.

-Dec 3: Cold weather kept me on the treadmill for another day. Ran a couple miles in my asics, and rode the upright bike for 20 min.

-Dec 6: Watched Quico and Royce complete the CIM. Even though they were barely coherent and freezing, pried their exhausted minds for helpful race advice.

Week 2 - Thanksgiving

Another week closer to running that first marathon. In case you were wondering, the holidays do not help with training for athletic events. My feet are adjusting slowly to life in the five fingers. Soreness still persists in the lower foot, calf, and now along the top part of my foot. These would be my extensor digitorum muscles? Guess my lazy toes are not used to functioning as individuals. Here's the rundown:

-Nov 23: Wore VFF's to gym and put in normal "push" routine. Mostly upper body and core work with some lunges thrown in. Ran for 5 mins on the treadmill.

-Nov 24: Worked out at gym, "pull" routine, in my old Asics during lunch. After work, drove down to Yuba College track. Used camcorder to record myself running a half mile in normal running shoes versus a half mile in the VFF's. Only noticed a subtle difference in stride length when playing back in half speed. I should note that my running technique has already begun to change due to basically running barefoot for the last 2 weeks.

-Nov 25: Soreness forced me to wear my Asics to the gym. Ran 20 minutes on treadmill and followed up with 16 minutes of interval training on the elliptical machine.

-Nov 29: After stuffing way too much stuffing, ran a mile with the wifey at the Monterey High School track in the VFF's. She didn't laugh at the sight.

Week 1 - VFF Crazyness

Running a marathon has been rattling around in the back of my head since I was 19 and running cross-country for the local junior college. Twelve years later and about 15 lb heavier (Monday), I finally worked up the machismo enough to register for the Big Sur International Marathon (BSIM). Granted, there was plenty of recent motivation that led to this decision. Last weekend a few friends ran in the Big Sur Half Marathon. Thousands of hyped up fit-farts were there in full effect. I have been logging a few 5k races recently, but witnessing the excitement of the 13-milers got my adrenaline pumping. When I mentioned the idea to an old buddy, and fellow x-country runner, he attested to already planning on running in the BSIM this year. He then went on to tell me that Oprah Winfrey ran a marathon in less than 4 hr 30 min. This was the kicker. If a yo-yo dieting talk show host can pull this off, then certainly any rugged stallion such as myself can do it. The BSIM is highly acclaimed: consistently ranked in the top 3 marathons in the country. Scenic but difficult, I am sure it will prove memorable if I survive. Three people bit the dust at this year's Detroit marathon.

Nov 14: Ran 7:30/mi pace in the Run Forrest Run 5k.

Nov 15: Offered moral support to friends running the Big Sur Half Marathon.

Nov 16: Keith - Bib # 2492, Jose - Bib #2504. It's On!

Nov 17: Drove an hour to Chico to buy a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (VFF's) that I've been reading so much about. After wearing them around the house, it was evident that I needed a size larger.

Nov 18, 5:30 PM: Exchanged sz 43's for sz 44's at Mountain Sports, Chico.
5:35 PM: Ran effortlessly through Bidwell Park for a mile in the new kicks.

Nov 19: Wore new monkey shoes to office. Mixed reception, some laughter, but curiosity seemed to be the overwhelming response. Muscles on feet mildly sore.

Nov 20: Calves SORE, feet loving life in the wool toe socks that I bought to wear with the VFF's. Despite the sore muscles, logged 2 more miles in the frog feet. Going to let the legs recover for a couple days now.