The Long Haul

Day 11

Saturday was my long run.  It seems odd to say I was excited for it, but I was.  That's because at 8am on Saturday morning I had the pleasure of running one of my favorite trails - The Kelly Drive Loop in Philadelphia.

I used to live in Philadelphia and the Loop was always the site of my long runs.  It's a great trail not only because of the scenery and the sheer concentration of people out there hustling just like you.  But also because it links up to several other trails so you can run as far as you want -- even an ultra-marathon out to Valley Forge and back.  I was staying pretty far from the Loop so I had to walk about 4 miles to get there.  An auspicious start.  But once I started running, I felt great.

Perfect temperature, bright sunshine.  I kept my pace slower for the first mile, let it loose a little in the next couple miles.  The Loop itself is about 8 miles or so.  I figured I'd run one of the extensions and hopefully bang out 10-12 miles.  I was hoping to finish with an 8:30 average mile.  But as I ran I kept feeling better.  After 5 miles I decided to run up to Manayunk which would extend my total run by about 4 miles which would make a 12 mile run.  At Manayunk I got into the "zone."  And I just kept running.  Finally I looked down at my RunKeeper app and realized I was at 9 miles.  Keeping an 8:10 pace.  I turned around because I didn't want to end up a 3 hour walk from home and run out of steam.

I decided to stop at 15 miles.  It wasn't until mile 13 that I started to really feel tired.  In the end I did 15 miles averaging an 8:20 pace.  I exceeded my mileage goal and my pace goal.  Even a day later I still feel proud of that run.  And even more than pride, I enjoyed myself out there.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  As of August 18th I have run 73 miles, my goal for the month is 100 so I'm in good shape.

Day 11: 15 miles, 2:04:59, 8:20 pace.

No Pain, No Gain

Day 10

No Pain, No Gain.  I repeated this phrase as I was silently pleading with myself to continue running today.

There were so many reasons today's run was disappointing.  I shouldn't have done the park 0.6 mile loop.  I know I get bored after 5 or 6 loops.  I definitely should have monitored my pace better for the first mile -- I did not need to be averaging sub-7:00 during a run where I was aiming for 5-6 miles.  That first mile needs to be slow.  8:00-8:30 - I know that.  Rookie mistake.  Reigning myself in lately has been a struggle.  Each run I want to bust out of the gate clipping sub 7:00's.  But I need to restrain myself - save energy for later.  I also should not have done my second run of the week on hills -- this time climbing over 360 feet.  But my true disappointment came because I was unable to overcome boredom or the burning in my lungs.  This was due to the aching pain in my left shoulder.  Since I was a kid, I have suffered from tendonitis.

For those who don't know, a tendon is connective tissue that connects muscle to bone.  They're made of collagen which is a type of protein found all over our bodies -- our skin, eyes, blood vessels, etc.  Tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon.  In my case it's usually ankle tendons and shoulder tendons -- especially the left shoulder.  Since I've had this issue since I was a kid, I know the drill -- take a day off, ice the shoulder, and take ibuprofen.  I also know I have a reached a point in my training where I likely will need ibuprofen before each run.  During longer runs, I usually carry an extra Advil with me in case I need it towards the end.  Today the pain was enough, likely combined with the boredom and my final hill ascent, to make me quit after 4 miles.  And regardless of the reason -- medical or not -- I did feel like a quitter today.  But maybe that's a good thing.  I feel the fire to be better on Saturday when I go for my long run.  The "growth mindset," as discussed in Carol Dweck's amazing book "Mindset," is refocusing to see mistakes and failures as mere stepping stones that lead to success.

While today was a failure.  The silver lining was that even with hills, I averaged a fairly consistent 7:28 (which for a 3-5 mile run marks my best time).  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 10: 4 miles with hills, 29:50, 7:28 pace.

Break Down. Shake Down. It's Busted.

Day 9

Today's post title is inspired by the song "Shakedown" from Beverly Hills Cop 2.  However, I'm not talking red Ferraris in the courtyard today -- instead I'm discussing the break down of a key item in my quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  My treadmill.

First off, I will admit that I wish all of my training came from the most realistic conditions possible -- outdoors.  But reality is a cruel mistress.  She reminds us that our wants and needs are often secondary to our responsibilities.  Leaving my house and driving to the closest running trails wastes about 30 minutes round trip.  I wake up at 515am to have enough time to even get in 40-50 minutes of running a day.  And so that 30 minutes represents a huge majority of my available workout time during the week. On the weekends I am all about being outdoors.  Half the reason I look forward to Saturday mornings, sadly enough, is because I get outdoors.  This is part of one of my favorite trails:

So while the long runs simulate race conditions well, the bulk of my running comes on the treadmill.  I can either see it as an instrument of torture (ever tried running in place for 10 miles?) or a savior to my busy schedule.  Monday I discovered that my savior's motor needs to be replaced, immediately.  And so, while I wait the estimated week and a half for the new motor to come and be installed, I am stuck exploring alternatives.  Yesterday morning I set my alarm for 515 and woke up to brave the blind curves and less than ideal terrain around my neighborhood - anyone in Southeastern PA knows that yesterday at 515 we experienced torrential downpours and flooding.  So I did core training with weights.  This morning I set the alarm for 515 again and this time awoke to a crisp summer morning.  I live in an extremely hilly neighborhood and so it was quite the run.  But it worked.  4 miles, keeping a sub 8:00 pace most of the time, climbing and descending 200 feet several times.  The best part was that slight burn you feel in your lungs when you are really pushing yourself and the air is a little cool.  It feels like -- accomplishment.

And so, for the next week and a half I'll be trying to figure out how to get in my miles and keep on track.  Today's hills felt better than ever.  Tomorrow I'm going to try the local park.  It has a 0.7 mile loop.  I'll have to run it many times - not exactly thrilling.  But then again, is it any worse than running in place for the same number of miles?  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 9: 4 miles, 32:28, 8:07 pace.

Run, Forrest, Run

Day 8

Sometimes during a long run I see a lot of people.  They smile, nod their head, or give a slight wave as they huff and puff their way down the opposite side of the path or street.  An unwritten comradery connects us, we're both out there pushing ourselves physically.  Those moments give me an added little boost.  If they can do it, I can do it.  Sometimes, however, I go out for a run before 7am on an unmarked dirt path and see nobody.  During those times I can't help but feel like Forrest Gump.

Forrest decided one day to go for a run alone and kept ruuuunnnning.  I'm out there alone.  I'm pushing myself for reasons a lot of people probably don't understand - after my 10th mile sometimes even I don't understand.  This morning I was runnnnning.  And for the first time in a long time - I felt the way I used to about running.  I wasn't out there this morning trying to break records or pass the guy ahead of me.  I was out there enjoying myself, out there for the pure joy that comes from that adrenaline rush when you get your second/third/fourth wind.  At one point I even turned down my music just to hear the sounds of a summer morning and my sneakers hitting the ground.  The pace, my breathing.  It was a very zen moment.  The kind of moment that reminds me of the joys of a journey.  My destination is Boston but I need to make sure I am tuned in to everything along the way.  Maybe during this journey I'll learn a lot more about myself than I will accomplishing my goal.

Ok I'll stop being so ethereal now.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  And from a purely statistical point of view this morning's run was a success.  I ran 2 miles further than last Saturday's long run and averaged 16 seconds per mile faster.  More importantly the first 10 miles were a breeze.  The training program this week helped.  As a side note in the last 10 days I've burned over 7500 calories.  

Day 8: 12 miles, 99 minutes, 8:14 pace.

Break a Leg Out There

Day 7

I started seriously running about 12 years ago.  I was never a huge fan of working out or being in a gym before that time.  Had it not been for a patch of ice, I likely wouldn't be typing today about a goal like qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  In December of 2000, I was walking with my mom through a snowstorm and slipped on a patch of ice and broke my tibia and fibula - spiral fractures of the two main bones in my right leg.

Up until that point I was a reasonably fit, average young adult.  I would sporadically go to the college gym but usually just for the social scene.  However an ice patch changed all of that.  I was in a full leg cast for over 2 months and spent another 2 months in a walking cast.  I was in college at the time and did not entirely understand what it meant to "eat healthy."  I figured midnight was an excellent time for buffalo wings.  That it wasn't a Sunday afternoon without 3 orders of Wendy's chicken nuggets.

Needless to say, I broke 2 bones and gained about 30 pounds for each broken bone.  No wonder it took so long to get back on my feet - I was supporting a lot more weight.  I immediately joined a gym.  I figured in no time I'd look like this.

Unfortunately, I suffer from a debilitating lack of coordination.  So I ended up looking like this at the gym.

Actually that guy looks more coordinated than me.  Anyway, I gave up on weight-lifting pretty quickly.  But the treadmill -- hey I can run in a straight line.  So I started.  At first the best I could do was maybe half a mile at 5mph.  But I kept with it.  When the weather got nicer that summer I started running outside.  By the time I graduated from college a year later I was up to a couple miles before having to stop.  Today I did my usual 5 miles of hills and when I finished I felt like I hadn't even put forth much effort.  One ice patch changed the course of my life.  Without that broken leg, I would never have known the potential inside of me to accomplish something like a marathon.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 7: 5 miles, 45 minutes, 9:00 pace, hills.

The Muzak of my Life

Day 6

I've been asked many times what I think about while I'm running.  It depends on the type of run I'm doing.  During a speed drill I'm not thinking - just trying to breathe.  During a short/mid-sized run I usually come up with best ideas I've ever had.  During a long run I start coming up with great ideas, then they phase in and out as I just try to control breathing and plead with my legs to push a little further.  At those times my mind turns to mush and the only thing I can hear is the tempo or beat of the music that's playing.  It's like elevator muzak.

Usually it doesn't even matter what is playing, all I hear are the sounds behind the words.  It sounds weird but it makes sense at mile 14.  I actually once completed an entire 20 mile run singing the same TV theme song.  3 hours.  One 30-second song.  Running doesn't always make sense.  For short/mid-sized runs though my "playlist" is essential to completion.  For those who grew up before 1990 you'll understand why crafting this playlist is a lot like creating the Holy Grail of mix tapes.

But instead of creating a collection of love songs that describes exactly how you feel about your teenage love affair, or all the angry rock songs you can find to drown out the yelling of your parents - I'm creating a collection of songs to keep me sane and motivated.  My playlists change all the time because I don't want to get bored.  When I was in college it was a lot of Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" kind of stuff.  And that music still works when I need a pick me up.  But for the most part it's an eclectic mix of songs that have a good beat or make me feel like it's me against the world.  I guess it is still like making that angry rock song mix tape.  Only now I've left my parents in the dust behind me.

Get it?  Angry Rock.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 6: 5 miles, 39 minutes, 7:48 pace. -- It's worth noting that 2 weeks ago my usual 5 miler averaged 8:12.  Progress.

Drill, Baby, Drill

Day 5

Belief.  Essential to any goal.

Today was a speed drill day.  I use this day as a way to improve overall speed.  Today I tried running 2 miles at my best pace (which I achieved yesterday) so my goal was 2 miles in under 14:00.

                                     


"The body achieves what the mind believes."  Belief plays a big role in what I'm trying to accomplish.  I keep repeating "My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon" because I need to believe that I can do it.  To believe that I feel like I need to prove to myself not that I can run a 7:00 mile, no I need to believe that I can run faster than that if necessary.  I do not plan on running 26.2 miles at a constant 7:00 pace.  I need to take it slow going out of the gate to conserve energy and make sure I'm not letting the adrenaline rush overtake my endurance.  To run an 8:00 or 9:00 mile in the first mile or two, I need to be able to average something under a 7:00 mile later in the race.  So days like today help to mentally prepare me for that requirement.

While getting a speed drill pace of 7:00 isn't my ultimate goal (this drill needs to get down to 6:30ish) I have 3 months and this is a good start.

This training helps me develop that belief in myself.  It's such a transferable lesson.  It's the age old concept of "practice makes perfect."  But perfection shouldn't be the goal in life, instead we should strive for the ability to overcome obstacles.  Running a marathon, getting a high SAT score, or riding a bike.  The more practice you put in, the better capable you are of overcoming obstacles like glycogen loss, math word problems, or lack of coordination (don't laugh riding a bike didn't come all that easy to me).  I teach my kids that belief in their abilities comes from proving to themselves that they can overcome obstacles. And the only way to prove is through practice.

And so I practice.  I train.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 5: 2 miles, 13:56 minutes, 6:58 pace.  Core weight training.

Give it a Rest

Day 4

Yesterday was a recovery day.  It's nice to have a day of rest even though some runners don't take one.  Some cross-train on the recovery day.  I lay on the couch.

I need that day.  Not only because my body needs a rest, but also because some weeks I need to be able to look forward to a day when it isn't about personal bests, or hills, or tempo runs.  It's just about me and my couch.

It's a Catch-22 though, while I enjoyed yesterday's break, I did NOT want to run today.  My thinking went something like this "I'll run early in the morning."  I slept in.  Then "I'll run during Abby's nap time."  I napped with her.  Finally at 5:30PM I worked up the motivation to run.

And so I ran.  My plan was a quick 5 mile tempo run.  If I could keep a 7:45 pace for 5 miles it would be a good day.  I'm not sure if it was because I had a day off yesterday or because I had such a great training week last week but at mile 5 I decided to push and so I finished my first sub 7:00 mile (6:58) for my last mile.  I felt great.  I still feel great.  I think that was my first sub 7:00 in about 3-4 years.  And I did it after 5 miles.  So the take home lessons for today was: Give it a rest.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 4: 6 miles, 45 minutes, 7:30 pace.

Eat, Pray, Run

Day 3

My title has little to do with the bestselling book "Eat, Pray, Love."  Mostly due to the fact that I've never read it.  My love for the phrase is grounded in a clip from the movie "Bad Teacher."

Instead my title refers to how I felt going into my long run today.  Here's what I ate for dinner last night.

General Tso was likely a fierce warrior, obviously too powerful for my feeble will power to overcome.  Judge all you want but it was delicious.  And until 10am this morning I didn't regret a single bite.  But 8 miles into my long run I was praying.  Praying for the ability to finish my planned run.  The life of any athlete -- or 30-something father who likes to pretend that casual running and having played soccer 20 years ago makes him an athlete -- usually revolves, at least partly, around proper nutrition.  I always think about nutrition and running in the context of my college computer science class where I learned the phrase: Garbage in, garbage out.  I no longer remember why this is related to computers.  But it certainly relates to running.

Last night was garbage in.  8 miles into my long run I received garbage out - not literally luckily.  And I was reminded, yet again, the importance of properly fueling my body for the road that lies ahead.

Look how happy she looks making that shake.  That's how I look at a pizza.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  And so some bargain must be made between enjoying what I eat and giving my muscles what they need.  Less Chinese food, more shakes.  Got it.  Of course... it's 3 months of sacrifice.  I can't give up pizza for 3 months.  Maybe the bargain comes in what kind of pizza I eat or what kind of Chinese food I order.  Can chicken and broccoli be just as much a reward at the end of the week as General Tso's chicken?  Can I live without deep dish pizza?    Of course I can, and this is where the bargain has to be made.  Changes I can live with that don't make me a raving lunatic.

So the moral of the story is that next Friday night it's chicken and broccoli.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 3: 10 miles, 85 minutes, 8:30 pace.

The Hills Have Eyes

Day 2

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  Today was training for hills.  At the Steamtown Marathon I learned the hard way how important it is to train for all possible terrains.  I also learned an important lesson on being thankful for my abilities, even if they are not as developed as I'd like.

Almost 5 years ago, I remember thinking about "The Wall" that every marathon runner supposedly hits.  At some point during a race, be it due to mental instability, depleted glycogen stores, or muscle strain - a runner hits "The Wall."  This can lead sudden fatigue and loss of energy.

I was 24 miles into my first marathon and had yet to hit "The Wall."  I figured I was too well trained, in too good of shape to have fallen victim to this awful fate.  Twenty four miles into that race, I was proud of myself for avoiding this "rookie" mistake.  Shortly after, I saw "The Wall."  Not felt "The Wall,"  I actually saw it.  A physical wall.  I failed to realize that mile 24 of this race was uphill.  It was a hill, barely 100 feet in total elevation.  But as I rounded the bend and that hill came into view it could have been Everest as far as I was concerned.

I experienced sudden fatigue and loss of energy.  I remember telling myself that if I walked up part of the hill that would be okay, after all I could conserve energy for the end of the race.  I don't know why my legs didn't accept the attempted mental bargain.  But I pushed.  I persevered.  And for the rest of my life I'll never forget the image I saw towards the top of that hill.  Near the top was St. Joseph's Center - which among other things, provides services for disabled children and adults.

Just off to the right of the race course were several patients, some standing and holding the hands of nurses and doctors, some in wheelchairs, one in a hospital bed.  And they were cheering.  Cheering for those of us out there on the course hitting our own walls.  Those of us pushing our bodies to our physical limits.  I remember feeling incredibly small.  Who was I to complain.  I was so damn lucky.  Lucky to have been given the ability to run.  Lucky to have cheerleaders who put things in proper perspective for me.

In the days after the race my quadriceps screamed, my calves ached at every stair step.  I couldn't effectively run for a few weeks.  I learned that I needed to train for hills next time.

But more importantly I learned that the mere ability to achieve a goal is a gift.  A gift I will not squander on a lack of discipline and focus.  My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Day 2: 5 miles, 45:00, 9:04 pace - Hills, glorious Hills.

August 1st - The Goal

Two things should be noted in this introduction.  1.  I've never "blogged" before and I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm doing.  And 2. I do not actually believe my goal is achievable.  Not an admirable starting point.

I am writing this blog to inspire myself and possibly others to achieve goals they may not believe possible.  

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  For my age group that requires finishing another marathon in under 3 hours and 5 minutes.  For 26.2 miles I must average around a 7:03 minute mile.  I just laughed as I typed that.  Today I completed 5 miles and averaging an 8:00 mile was challenging.

I started training a few months ago.  I can now run a half marathon averaging around a 7:45 mile.  I'm laughing again.  I have 3 months until my next marathon and I still have a lot of work to do.

I do not come into marathon training completely unaware of the task ahead of me.  In 2008 I finished the Steamtown Marathon in 3 hours and 21 minutes, which is around 7:40 per mile.  Back then I was 5 years younger and in the best shape of my life.  Today I am a little older, a lot slower, I have a 4 year old with a penchant for 3am nightmares, and oh yeah I have to be ready to teach 5 classes of teenagers every weekday morning.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I need to keep reminding myself of the goal.  At my school we focus on the importance of mindsets.  I ask my students to believe in themselves and their ability to succeed in spite of failure - and sometimes as a result of failure.  And I need to have this growth mindset.  I can run a 7:04 mile.  I did it once for 5 whole miles.  I can run a marathon.  I did it once.  I have 3 months to put those abilities together.

My goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  You (if anyone besides me is reading this) are all my witnesses.  I vow to do everything in my power to see this sight:

I have set a training schedule - beyond my usual "run as much as you can every day as fast as you can and make sure you do one long run on the weekend."  I will do tempo runs, hills training, and speed drills.  I will wake up at 4:30 in the morning when necessary.  I will sacrifice delicious breakfasts for protein shakes.  I will go to sleep an hour earlier to get a full night's sleep every single night.  On November 3rd, I will cross the finish line of the Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Marathon.

And so today I mark Day 1 of this blog and a promise to myself.  Come h*ll or high water, I will cross that finish line and the race clock will say something under 3 hours and 5 minutes.

When I feel failure coming I will remind myself of this quote:

Day 1: 5 miles, 40:20, 8:04 pace.