Sunday, February 28, 2010

My first Marathon taper is underway...

But first a funny story. Random lady at the store says "OMG did you do a triathlon? You certainly look like your in good shape"...I was startled since she was kind of behind me. I turned, looked at her and told her I did this triathlon (I was wearing my SILVERMAN finisher shirt). She proceeds to ask the basic questions lay people ask, distance, where did you swim, temperature of the water, HOW LONG ON THE bike?, how did I feel?, was I sore, what do you eat, 5 min long interview by the way. As the ambassador of triathlon I happily addressed her questions. When I my wife arrived she asked her if she did them too, Julie said "naw I run marathons though." WOMAN SAID YOU TO ARE INSANE and her eyes rolled back into her head. We smiled turned and I said to my wife, "Yes, yes WE ARE INSANE." We laughed. We talked about how this lifestyle is so foreign to people. I also realized its the first time in about 10-15 years a stranger has commented on my physique and my fitness level. I was proud.

Another 20 miler in the books. 2 in 2 weeks. I felt about 90% recovered and given the time its taken me to recover, my wifes foot/ankle, the timing was right for another 20 miles. It went much better than the first one. 17 min faster too! This time there was no tending to my wifes injury so I am wondering how much time was spend doing that 2 weeks ago. Also I am a lot closer to my nutrition strategy. With my sugar issues, the heavy sugar products kill me. But may be it isnt so much the sugar as the lack of protein. I just do better every time I have a liitle protein. The change I made was Accelerade instead of other drinks and a few sharkies instead of shot blox. The sharkies do not seem to be a sugary. I did not start any until 2 hours in. i am still trying to train my body to use as much fat as possible. The result was NO cramping at all. It was still slow, but I did go 20 miles. Here is how the rest of the week went.

Monday-3 mile run
Tuesday- Softball
Wednesday-8 mile run. Felt very strong considering my legs dont have that extra gear.
Thursday-Missed the polar bear loop (group ride with my brother and friend Art) and then missed my afternoon run too. Life is funny sometimes.
Friday-rest
Saturday-20 mile run
Sunday-25 min easy swim. Probably 20ish laps. Didnt keep track, it was nice. Cut my soreness in half.

My weight 230. 19 pounds lost since Silverman recovery. A new 15 year low. I am thinking of riding in the Tour De Fire. A road race out here in NV. It has a bunch of distances but it is on the same highway that all the tris are out here. It would be my first bike race. Could be fun to sprinkle in amongst the marathons, other running events, triathlons, softball, and other races like muddy buudy. SO FUN!

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded."

How thick do you think random lady at the stores cloud is?


9 comments:

Chuck said...

Congratulations on another successful 20 miler! Now that all of the hard work is over, enjoy the taper.

I got a kick out of your story. Thank you for sharing it. The question that I am asked most often by the lay person is: How far was that marathon?

Missy said...

20 milers, ugh, yes, book it and bring on the taper - good for you, congrats.

It IS nice when someone actually recognizes you for the hard work you put in. Your family and training partners just think it's normal. Take a step back and realize - this ain't normal!!!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I love when that happens to me. I agree with Missy, its normal to us, but what we do isnt normal

Aimee said...

Congrats on an awesome run! And, congrats on your weight loss...that' awesome!

I think you should definitely do the Tour de Fire. It sounds like a fun ride and it is nice to mix things up every once in awhile.

Karl Stutelberg said...

This endurance stuff is "normal" in your training circles. It becomes part of your life 5-10 hours per week. It is a lifestyle. I think it is funny when non-runners say, "I could never run," or "I have never been a runner." Humans were built to run. It is not easy when you are not conditioned and most people give up on it too quickly due to a warped perception of "pain" which is really muscle fatigue or DOMS. They CHOOSE not to run. Look what they are missing out on!

Here is a stat that I always like to share with first time marathoners:
407,000 runners finished marathons in the USA in 2007. With the population at around 303,500,000 that calculates to about one-tenth of a percent, or 1 per every thousand. This assumes every runner runs one marathon, only. If marathoners averaged 10 marathons each in 2007, that would be one-onehundredth of a percent who run marathons, by the above figures.

You and Julie are soon to become part of an elite population!

Tri-James said...

Tapers are tough - stick to the plan!

Anonymous said...

I love when people notice (and then ask me about) my shirts!!!

Formulaic said...

Sounds like you are getting the nutrition thing down. No cramps is a big thing.

You heard it a thousand times already, but just remember that nothing goes like planned on race day.

That's OK. You have experience now. You know how to adapt. Keep a cool head and you'll do great!


Instant/Automatic PR!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

Congrats on the 20, the weight-loss and someone giving you credit for your accomplishments!! :) Have a great weekend!