Funny week...I am nuts

The week following my first marathon has been strange. Runners think I am nuts and non-runners think I am nuts. I am nuts because I ran a marathon and I have the blues. Why aren't I screaming from the roof tops? I have wondered all week how to word this post but I am just going to get it out there. I am very proud I ran a marathon, YEP the full. But I am not happy with how it went down. Runners think I shouldn't beat myself up (I am not comment chasing believe me) and non-runners think I should be proud. I don't feel gleaming like I did after the Half iron but I had the blues after that race too. I finished in 5:31. Thats what I am bummed about. REALLY? Its not very fast but it isn't too shabby for the following reasons:

-IT WAS HOT. Just about everyone was slow. The other bloggers who ran had trouble with the heat too. The only guys who weren't affected by the heat were done before it was hot.
-There was a ton of runners. I just realized a few days ago that the whole race was spent weaving. Did I actually run more miles then, since I went side-to-side? I never felt a rhythm.
-I have only been running seriously for the last 2 years. I have significantly less experience and miles underneath me than the people I am comparing myself to. From miles 13-26.2 it was a PR in distance for me. My cardiovascular system has never operated at that level for that long. OF COURSE That will be a challenge. Why do we always look up?
-I am sore of course but I did it injury free. My conditioning was good. My body composition is changing at an alarming rate. I am proud of my results. I was prepared for demand of a marathon. I am training smart and I am improving at an alarming rate. My half marathon has improved by 30 minutes since the beginning. I set my marathon PR and low enough that next time I will crush it. I did the same thing for the half IM. 2010 is going be spent making PR's. I just wish I didn't set them too low to start out with...lol
-I ran it with my wife. She had some serious tendon issues that we were able to suppress enough to have her race. She did amazing. I am lucky to have such a good running partner. We did it together. I thought for the last few months I was going to have to pull her. She pulled me. Funny how things happen. Cramping sucks.

I had foreseen a post right after the race about how I go about signing up for an IM. I now wonder if that is in my cards. I have not ruled it out, I just need more time. I need some more miles under me. Running, biking, and swimming. To see if I want to make that commitment. I need some more time. I need to get faster. May be do like Karl said. Get faster on my shorter distance type stuff and continue to build my aerobic base. My cardiovascular system will get the most attention. My musculoskeletal system needs some tweaking. I want to be stronger. The last month of running I thought was affected by trading leg strength training for recovery from running. My new bike will require more core strength. I need some time to get used to the aero position. here is how the week went:
Monday-REST
Tuesday-REST
Wednesday-A glorious 1500 meter time trial. felt good to swim fast. 37:36. I did the same time trial on this day last year, 35 and change. NICE. only2-3 min slower today than a year ago when I swam 2-3 days a week for the last few months. Today was my 3rd swim of the season. I gonna crush last years time at RAGE. I would say I swam comfortably hard. I easily could have kept going.
Thursday-bike maintenance. I fixed a flat. I am ready for my first brick on Saturday. A recovery brick, helping my wife and her sister to swim open water and ride on the highway. Good to be back in triathlon mode.
Friday (today)-REST.

I am happy, not content. I am a competitor and I will do better. When? Where? TBD. Pics still to come.

“Do everything. Love as much as you can. it may hurt but it helps us grow. Give all you have...you may be poor but you will be content. Always forgive....your heart can not afford not to. Teach what you know and learn what you don't. Stay open to all”

The LA Marathon: A Diary entry

The LA Marathon had 25,000 runners. That sounds like a lot and then you actually see them. WOW. 50,000 people at the expo at one of the my most favorite places on the planet. Dodger stadium. I walked around the stadium and walked around the concourse. Right before the race some got to "warm-up" for the marathon on the outfield grass. I didnt find that out until it was too late. I have been on the grass and I dont warm-up for a really long run like this. So I passed.

The non-race stuff:

Had an issue getting a room close to the finish line. The race started at Dodger stadium and ended at Santa Monica Pier. I found a place that was cheap and close to the finish. One word Skeeve. Yeah after my wife and I left for the race my sister found a roach in my bed. We got our money back and found a new room that ended up having ants in the bathroom. 2 rooms at half-price what a deal! Spring time in California, wohoo! Traffic did not disappoint it was LA style, but the people were a buzz with the marathon. That made it fun. Found a couple trishops where my sister got a wetsuit at 40% off and I found some jerseys half off. SCORE!

The Expo:

There must have been 50,000 people there. Lots and lots of free stuff and interesting booths. Got some answers at the garmin tent finally. I may need to get the tri watch. Lots of recovery socks and new juice products. USTF was there in force. The race poster was awesome. It is the 25th anniversary of LA Marathon and I cannot wait to frame it and put it up in my house. I will pst pics later this week.

The Race:

We parked in the participants garage and walked to a bus that took us to dodger stadium. A normally 20-30 min ride turned into an hour. REALLY LA TRAFFIC? shock. What was interesting is people running on the freeway to get to the start of the race. They actually post-poned the start of the race to allow for the people to get there who were stuck in traffic. CRAZY. I loved it. It was a bit chilly yet I was warm on the bus. people walked an extra few miles yet I was sitting on the bus. I arrived with plenty of time and no stress. A good start so far.

I was through my morning routine before a long run with no issues. This is going to be a good day, I thought. No issues. My wife and I arrived at the start line and the closest we could get was the 13 min per mile corral. OK so there is A TON of people here we are going to have to weave a bit. Lets just say that bob and weave was something I did ALL DAY LONG. Interestingly enough it was LA when sean austin is a few feet in front of us. My wifes favorite movie is RUDY and she wouldnt yell RUUUUUUUDDDDDY. He ended up finishing 15 min ahead of us.

The race begins with a lap around dodger stadium. Hilly. Actually the first 8 miles were very hilly. Ups and downs. LOTS OF PEOPLE. A sea of people in front and behind. It was crazy. My wifes ankle begins to hurt at the 3 mile mark. After some encouragement and some tweaking we are back to running. Characters along the way were awesome. Elvis, marylyn monroe, blue haired guy, banana guy, cross carrying guy, mexican flag outfit, and there were a ton of kids. The LA area used the race as a way to get kids more active and there was a lot of kids who ran. That was awesome.

It was hot. 80 degrees or so. I havent had a single run here in Las Vegas where I wore shorts or a short sleeve shirt. I wasnt ready for it. I never felt a groove. Id say 15 degrees hotter than my hottest run here. I began to cramp at 13. My first big cramp at 15. Survival mode until I finished. It was crazy. I marveled at the people on the side of the road stretching, laying, throwing up, eating, drinking, peeing, etc. I had a small cramping issue on my first 20 miler but the second was no issue. I feel strong about my nourishment plan, I just dont think I was ready for the heat. I am proud I finished. It was a battle. My wife ended up pushing me like a star. She was amazing. Cardiovascularly I felt strong, My brain was intact, my training was on point, my muscles did not cooperate.

The aftermath:

I earned every bit of that medal. I wore the HELL out of my finisher shirt on monday. It took us 45 min to get out of the garage. It took us over an hour to get to the skeeve motel once we left the garage. Absolutely frustrating. Just is what it is about LA/Santa Monica.

I do not have any injuries. Am I sore as hell, yeah. Everything is sore. My neck, scapular stabilzers, lower back, hips add/abd, gluts, quads, hamstrings, calves, and especially the 5th metatarsel on my left foot. Julie is very sore and her ankle is not any worse than usual after a long run. We pieced her back together well.

I am still processing my 1st marathon. I will post more as the week goes on and I will get some pics posted ASAP.

"The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals."

LOL. Yeah 2 days of walking like I raked over the coals!

Taper...ONE WEEK FROM TODAY

The joys of taper. Boring, slow, tired, miserable, etc. I am pumped for the LA marathon. Bring it on!

Friday-rest

Saturday-Had a run planned but canned it on account of the HUUGE winds around here.

Sunday-Still windy, did 6 anyway....slow, difficult, and miserable. I am slowly getting my legs back....cancelled the bike ride too.

I am hoping my last post did not step on any toes. This is the way I see training.

Science (book stuff) + Experience = Performance

I am heavy on the science stuff. I have gained personal experience in the last few years as an endurance athlete and I have experience working with injured athletes. I do not have a lot of first hand training experience of higher level training and that is why I blog. To learn and interact with faster and more conditioned athletes than I get to interact with in person on a daily basis. If I have the opportunity to help someone out there and prevent injury or improve performance that is what I want to do. I was hoping for some discussion or questions that spawn healthier habits. Even if it is I who sees things differently.

“The end is never as satisfying as the journey. To have achieved everything but to have done so without integrity and excitement is to have achieved nothing.”

Dodger stadium here we come!!!

Marathon has my attention

As this progression continues to the LA marathon I am completing my longest runs ever. This weekend is no different. I was able to run 20 miles yesterday. Not fast, not pretty, but happy and healthy (sort of). Does anyone run 20 miles for the first time and not be in pain or soreness? I was wondering if the half Iron distance triathlon would be harder than the marathon. If the last 6.2 were anything like the last 2 yesterday, MARATHON will have my attention. As hard as this run was yesterday the HIM was harder. The training volume is certainly more. The last 2 miles were tough though. I had a bit of cramping and my feet were very sore. As the day went on the rest of the muscles below my mid-back were very sore. Today my heal is pretty sore and everything else is feeling a lot better. I think having lots of life this week didn't help. I wasn't able to get my mid week run is so I didn't feel recovered from sunday. Monday we rested, tuesday small run of 4 then nothing until saturday. I missed a medium length run. My wife was able to get 16 in despite continuing to battle foot/ankle issues. This week I am hoping to start to incorporate some swimming and may be a bike or two back into my training. When this marathon is over immediately I have an olympic distance triathlon to be ready for. I will recover from marathon running with swimming and biking. I gotta get back into the weight lifting too. I need to be more diligent with my strength training.

"If you feel bad at 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."

Rob de Castella, winner 1983 World Marathon Championships

OK GOOD, Im normal.

Long Run....

My journey to the LA marathon is coming nicely. Is it fast? NO. What it is is long and steady. The route we have been using contains longer, steeper, and more hills than the race. It is fair to say that I am not having any pain but I did have the overwhelming feeling that I should get off my feet. I didnt want to stand, walk, or run anymore. That said I pushed it. Another thing I find very interesting is how easy it comes to push. When I stood back and guessed what would be harder as I progress to Ironman I thought the 1/2 Iron distance would be easier than a marathon. So far not the case. I went 18 miles and if I was pressed to go longer I could have. Slow, may be walk some but I can go longer. My wife was able go 16 with some tightness and slight pain but handled it well. I am proud of her for her fighting spirit. She is tough.

I have 2 weeks to Surf City and when I looked down at about the 1/2 marathon time I was 10 min away from my goal. I had walked some with my wife and troubleshooted her ankle and also stopped for traffic lights and water. I am thinking that I am going to be able to give it a go. I have a shorter long run next week, then the 1/2 marathon. This week I will have a recovery run on monday, gym/weights/spin?, wednesday speed?, thursday easy?, rest friday, and saturday may be long progression run?

I am sorely missing the bike and swim right now. I am taking an unorthodox approach to triathlon offseason or now preseason but I am concentrating on my fitness. My resources tell me that the run fitness will translate to swim and bike but not the other way around. I hate the trainer and I hate the cold too. Quote:

“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion. It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to grasp any theme or situation -”

Alexander Graham Bell

Progress

I am feeling the progress. I am not sure if its the 15 pounds lighter or the body chemistry change or both but boy I feel good. My running this week was effortless and fast. I started a little speed work this week. There is not a time goal for the LA Marathon but there sure is for Surf City. I want to be faster than 2 hours. Here is how the week went.

Monday-Recovery run of 4 miles.

Tuesday-Spin class and core. This particular spin class I decided to be 2 full turns of resistance ahead of the instructor. I felt awesome. No muscle fatigue at all.

Wednesday-4 mile regular old run. Kept it around 9:30.

Thursday-Hills. 4 miles. I found this trail about a mile and half from the clinic and decided I would run it. Its a gnarly up to the trail and even more up once you get to the trail. About a 400 foot gain in 2 miles! I finished the second mile in 8:30. Too fast but I felt it so I went with it.

Friday-Rest

Saturday-Long run of 12 miles. I felt really good. My wife and I run together and she wasn't feeling great. Our time does not indicate how fast we ran. Officially we averaged 10 min miles but that includes a lot of walking and hills. I was able to run this hill I usually put on the end of runs I cant normally run. I felt great. I felt SLOW at 9 min/mile pace. This week I will do more speed and see what happens. QUOTE:

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.”

Peace Pilgrim

Im getting there.

A good week...

This week has been a productive one. I have put my new nutrition plan in place and I am feeling very well. When I look around at ALL the complex carbs I used to eat I am mortified. As "healthy" as each one of them were, straight sugar all the time. SO crazy. I am noticing a few things. My blood sugar is not on a roller coaster, my taste is not super syrupy and seems more accurate, and when I exercise I feel more in control. Now the exercise more in control could be because I am going very slow. I am slowing my run down pace wise. I am shooting for 9:45 or 10:00. I am guessing that is slow enough to elicit more fat utilization than carbohydrate. Here is how my week went:

Monday-Recovery run of 3 miles followed by my "triathlete" weight lifting circuit and abs.
Tuesday-Rest
Wednesday-Training run of 3 miles
Thursday-Training run of 4 miles followed by abs and push-ups
Friday-Rest
Saturday-Long run of 12 miles. I am proud that my longest training run ever is not hard enough to make me sore. No fatigue, no pain, slow but I felt great minus the dehydration. I have run 7 halves and today was the longest I have run without a medal or race. Funny story: You know you are a runner in las vegas when.....a guy stops you in your tracks while you are running for directions to the GRAND CANYON. THE GRAND EFFING CANYON is 100 miles away. I also ran by Wayne Newton and Mike tysons house and for good measure a man riding a unicyle in the bike lane like it was a regular old bike ride. Whew running in Las Vegas is interesting.

The nutrition will require discipline. The weights and running require persistence. I feel my new goal of running a marathon becoming more and more doable. IF that is the case then so is IM. Today I watched yesterdays showing of IM Hawaii. Kona is such an amazing event. My life bucket list includes this race. Some day will I race on that stage? An age grouper for sure. Years away, I know...but possible?

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”
Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens

This phoenix will continue to rise and how far will it go?

OK...OK...Its Official...

I am going to sparingly triathlon train and put my run to the test. I signed up for the LA marathon. The march to IM continues. My first marathon. Since I live and breath Dodgers it will be perfect to start @ Dodger stadium. I am already 6 or so weeks into the training so bring it. Quote:

“The difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt comes with less fruit.”

Rush Limbaugh

HA!

Las Vegas 1/2 marathon race report

The home race is a yearly ritual we run as a family. My wife and I decided to run this one neck and neck. My dad, my sister, and all my dear friends who affectionately refer to as "the run club" were all present this fine day. Here is how it went:

Pre-race:

The Inaugural Las Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon did not disappoint. The new race organizers ran a fine event. It was well organized even if there were twice the runners. The biggest race in terms of shear number I have been in and a lot of fun. The past has been a logistical nightmare as far as parking and such goes. So we decided to stay 1/2 a mile off the strip and definitely a locals prerogative to find great deal in a nice room. A great decision.

Race:

EFFING COLD for dry desert types. Cold wind. I stripped and ran just like everyone else. The race did a great job of controlling the slower runners and the corrals were well spaced out. There was a band every few miles and the new route allowed for out and back on the strip. Very cool. I would recommend this race to anyone. I didn't do any speed work or very many long runs since the 1/2 Iron but I got through just fine. I beat last years time by a few minutes. 2:13. Every body did well.

That will do It for races in 2009. What a year. 3 half marathons, 4 triathlons, and a few 5Ks thrown in there. The 2010 season is shaping up in my head. Not enough to formulate a plan yet. I do know that the focus in the last few weeks has been low. I am tweaking the weight lifting plan all the time and I miss riding my bike outside. I was thinking I would do all the same races as I did in 2009 but the LA marathon will interfere with that. Rage is about the same time. Right now my next A race is the LA marathon. I am officially on the clock with that. I will resume the weight lifting, running, weight loss plan to the best of my ability.

Quote:

"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it."

Douglas Macarthur

The will to fight is growing again.