The Road to Carthage--May 10th, 2017

Ideally, I'd like to chase my unicorn in October, preferably late in October when the weather is cooler.  But sometimes life throws a situation too good to pass up.

In June of 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, journeyed from Nauvoo, IL. to Carthage MO.  It would be their last mortal journey.  While in Carthage, they were attacked by a mob and killed for their beliefs and the refusal to compromise said beliefs.  They are heroes in my mind.

In May, 2017, runners will have the opportunity to follow part of the path trod by these two amazing men on a marathon course that will run from Nauvoo, IL to Carthage, MO.  I plan to be a part of that race.

Am I ready to catch the unicorn?  I have asked myself that at least 100 times, in the last 2 days.  Some days I look at my training and think, "Yes! I'll go for it."  Other days I'll finish a tough workout and think, "There is no freakin' way."  I guess, as with all things, time will tell.

But for now, I'll continue to chase; and not just the Boston Unicorn, but I will chase the dreams, dedication, sacrifice, integrity, honor, courage love, humility and (in a word) Greatness of Joseph and Hyrum as I follow literally in their foot steps from the steps of the Nauvoo Temple to the gate of the Carthage jail.  I may or may not catch my unicorn along this path but the more I think about great men and their legacy, the more I come to understand that some unicorns are more important and longer lasting than seven minute miles.

Marathon Training--April 2017

The chase continues!  I am both encouraged and discouraged by the Bearathon half marathon results.  Encouraged because I ran slightly faster than the pace needed to qualify for the Boston Marathon--indicating that I have what it takes to hit that pace for an extended period of time.  The Bearathon with it's long section of steep hills was more difficult then other courses where I hope to run a qualifying marathon.  However, I am discouraged because I was SO physically and emotionally drained after running the half marathon.  I cannot currently fathom continuing at that effort for an additional 13.1 miles.  I have run marathons and ultra marathons before but never at such an extended fast pace.  I need to increase my endurance in order to hold the pace for distances over 14 and into 20+ miles.

My training has now become a cycle of speed and endurance.  There are several key workouts I do and will continue to do for the next couple months.

1. Fartleks: literally translated "speed play" a fartlek workout is limited only by ones imagination.  My fartleks consist of alternating a hard (about 90% effort) with a slow recovery run.  For example, I'll run five minutes at 5K pace followed by 5 minutes of a slow jog, followed by 4 minutes at 5K pace then a 4 minutes jog...continuing down to 1 minute.  Other Fartleks may be 30 seconds hard run followed by a 30 second float, repeated for 20-30 minutes.
2. Recovery runs: these are easy runs, done 1-2 minutes slower than marathon pace.  I do two or three recovery/easy runs a week.  These are vital to the training because they allow for healing from a tough workout and teach the body to run on tired legs.
3. Intervals: When coaches want to punish runners, they schedule intervals.  An interval is a hard run for a specified distance followed by a specified recovery period.  My interval training sessions consist of a warm up, then a half mile at 5K pace followed by two minutes of a slow jog, repeated ten times.  These work outs are tough.
4. Tempo Runs: this is a run at marathon pace for an extended distance.  Generally I warm up then run for 75 minutes at (or close to) marathon pace.  I usually cover 10-11 miles in these workouts (then rush home to shower and get to work!).
5. Long runs: My long runs consist of 16-20 miles.  Often, I'll run the first eight miles at an easy pace, the following eight miles at marathon pace and the final miles at an easy pace.  As the training progresses, I hope to consistently do 20+ mile runs at a pace about 1 minute slower than marathon pace.  I think for me, this workout is crucial to building my endurance level and teaching my body to handle the distance without freaking out.
6. Rest: while it may seem silly, this is another vital part of the training program.  Running seven days a week is too hard on my body (at least at the moment).  I need at least one, sometimes two full days rest each week to allow my body to recover and heal from the workouts.  The worst mistake one can make in marathon training is to overdo it.

My weeks alternate between intervals one week and tempo runs the next week.  Each week has a long run done on the weekend and two or three easy runs along with a fartlek workout--which is usually a shorter distance day.

I have followed this program for about a full month.  It is still too early to tell if I am getting stronger and faster but another test will come soon.

The Bearathon--March 25th, 2017

Affectionately nicknamed "The Toughest Half in Texas" the Bearathon is a half marathon (13.1 miles) hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas.  The field generally consists of about 2000 runners.  While the title "The Toughest Half" could certainly be debated, the course is challenging.  The first 4.5 miles (or so) are relatively flat.  The following 4.5 miles consist of hill after steep, long hill.  The final 4 miles (or so) level out for a flat finish.  It is a beautiful course run on the roads through the park with aid stations every mile or two and a great crowd to cheer the runners on.

For me, it was test.  Had my training been effective?  Did I have any hope of chasing this unicorn or was all my effort, sweat and tears for naught?

I went into the race with tiered goals:

• A Goal: 1:29:59 or less.  To break 1 hour, 30 minutes in the half marathon would be amazing and my ultimate goal for the race.
• B Goal: 1:31:00 or less.  Running 13 miles at a 7:00 minute/mile pace would place me at the finish line at 1:31.  The 7:00 minute pace is, as previously noted, my BQ goal pace.
• C Goal: Finish the freakin' race.  

I carried a small (about 12 oz) hand held water bottle with a couple gels packed into the pouch.  I used my Apple Watch to track the distance and time and carried my phone with a pre-programmed playlist of fast paced music to listen to along the way.

I did about a two mile warm up including some easy jogging followed by some striders.  Right before the race, I went to fill my water bottle but could not find available fluids at the starting line (despite the race program claiming there would be).  It wasn't a major issue because the first aid station was one mile down the road but I didn't want to stop to fill my bottle after the race started.  But such is life--sometimes it doesn't work out the way we plan and you have to do the best with the situation you find yourself in.

I toed the starting line near the front--not wanting to be too cocky but also not wanting to get stuck behind a slow pack and lose precious seconds waiting for an opportunity to pass.

In retrospect, I made an error in the first 4 miles.  There was a strong headwind as we headed toward the park.  For some of that stretch, I drafted behind some other runners.  But as I drafted and let them break the wind for me, I grew dissatisfied with the pace.  I felt I could run five to seven seconds per mile faster than the guy in front of me and didn't want to lose the time.  I stepped out and ran around the guy.  But now that I was fighting the wind, my 5-7 second per mile pace increase dropped to more like 3 seconds and my effort increased substantially--not enough to really feel it at that early stage of the race but enough that I think it cost much more than it saved over the course of the race.  If I had practiced patients and waited on the shoulder of the guy in front of me, we would have hit the park with it's big wind blocking trees in one, maybe two miles.  The few seconds I lost waiting on his shoulder would have easily been regained in the hills with fresh(er) legs and conserved energy.

As it was, the hills wiped me out.  While I maintained about a 7:00 pace after the hills (and closer to 8:00 through the hills) I did not have anything left to lay out during the last couple miles.  It was all I could to hold on.  Incidentally, the guy I drafted off of early in the race charged the finish line with 100 yards to go.  I managed to hold him off with sheer adrenaline but basically got lucky.

Lessons learned: 

1. Sacrifices of a few seconds early in the race pay dividends in the latter stages.  Go ahead and draft, cost and breath deep early on.   
2. Don't trust the race--if you know you'll want water/electrolyte drink before the race starts--bring it.  If you want a banana at mile 12--bring it.  If you think you'll need some TP for the calls of nature--bring it.  Better to carry a few extra ounces then have your race ruined by a lack of preparation.  In the Bearathon, it wasn't a big deal.  I lost a few seconds filling my water bottle at mile two but suffered no other damage.  However, as a race progresses, EVERYTHING is amplified.  Had a similar issue come up at mile 10 or 11, my attitude and drive could have been shattered.  Again, take preparation into your own hands and leave as little to chance, the race director and aid station officials (who are angels in their own rights) as possible.

Overall, I can live with my results from the Bearathon.  I finished in 1:31:07.  In calculating my pace, I did not consider the extra .1 miles of the 13.1 mile course.  So my average pace worked out to be 6:57 minutes per mile.  I placed 25th overall (out of 1210 runners) and 2nd in my age group.  According to the timers I did the 

• first 3 miles in 19:45; 6:35 pace
• 6 miles in 41:08; 6:51 pace
• 9 miles in 1:02:03; 6:54 pace
• and finished 1:31:07; 6:57 pace

The Comfort of Insanity...The Misery of Reality March 16, 2017

For over a month now I have been doing consistent workouts, incorporating speed work and distance training with the hope that I'll be fast enough to run steady seven minute miles.

This morning again, I did a tempo run, one of the last before the half marathon that will determine whether or not I am improving with this training program.  I (perhaps unrealistically) expected these tempo runs to get easier and faster.  But I'm not feeling it.  I managed to average 7:08 min/miles for five miles and a 6:45 min/mile for the last mile...but felt like I was going close to all out effort for most of the run.

That is somewhat deceptive because if indeed I was going "all out" I could only hold the pace for a very short distance (like one, maybe two miles).  In fact, I got faster as I progressed:
Mile 2...7:10
Mile 3...7:13
Mile 4...7:02
Mile 5...6:56
Mile 6...6:45

So I held the pace fairly well...but I want it to be EASY!  I want to COMFORTABLY run a Boston qualifier.  Is that human nature or just my lazy side?  Is it possible to work and train hard enough that carrying the seven minute pace is comfortable?  Or (more likely) do I simply need to come to terms with the misery of the marathon.  As Bruce Denton told Quenton Cassidey (see Return to Carthage by John Parker), "It can be done...but it will hurt like hell" (paraphrased).

Family Walking Night: March 6th, 2017

The elementary school has a wonderful program called Family Walking Night.  Once a month, the PE teacher and her helpers open the track to the kids and their families after the school day.  For one hour, students, teachers and families do laps, counted with a magic marker dot on the hand.  At the end of the night, the laps are logged under the student's teacher.  The class with the most miles at the end of the year wins a special prize.

I love the concept of encouraging life long fitness goals and wholeheartedly support Family Walking Night.  I applaud the teachers for encouraging a program to get families off the couch and spend quality time together.

My run for the day called for an easy 55 minutes.  I tried to arrive early to have time to do at least some of the run before the other students arrived and the track got crowded.  But due to demands at work, I only had 20 minutes to run before the masses arrived.

It would have been easy to continue the run and reach my 55 minutes.  But I've always felt, believed and tried to live like I am a Husband and Father first, and a runner second.  My son has tried very hard recently to be consistent in his running.  He is only 8, and not really athletic, but he has a goal to run at least 50 miles during the school year (another really great program sponsored and tracked by the PE Teacher).  He wanted someone to run with him and I felt like it was the best use of my time, despite the training plan's requirements.

So I ran with my son.  We ran one mile then walked one lap (1/4 mile), and repeated the process.  By the end of the night, we had run 4 miles...which I might add, for an eight year old is pretty darn good.  I finished just over six miles (including my 20 minutes before Family Walking Night) and an average pace of about 14 minutes per mile but I enjoyed every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing.

Heart Break: March 6th, 2017

A friend of mine ran the Woodlands Marathon last weekend.  He, too, has been training to qualify for Boston.  He's faster than I am and I always believed he had a really good shot of getting in.  When I saw a Facebook post of him standing next to the finish line with the clock reading 2:56: (and change), I could only imagine the joy, pride and exhaustion my friend would be feeling at that moment.

But then devastation hit.  News reports came out the next day stating that the leader car, a motorcyclist hired by the race committee, had missed a turn, taking runners down the wrong path and shaving about  0.90 miles from the course.  While the race director was in process of reaching out to the Boston organizers, it was uncertain whether or not those who ran a qualifying time at the Woodlands Marathon would be able to use that time as a Boston Qualifier.

For those who did not qualify or attempt to qualify, it probably wasn't a big deal.  But those who pushed themselves (as I'm sure my friend did) to the limits--leaving heart, sweat and (possibly) blood on the race course,  Runners burn an estimated 2,600 calories while running a marathon.  The recovery time can amount to several weeks.  All the effort is worth it when you cross the finish line and achieve your goal.  But to cross the finish line and find out that your efforts don't count toward your goal?!?!  How would you cope? It's not like you can just do another one next week...Marathon training is generally a process that spans several months and after the race, your body is left so depleted that it takes several months to recover and be fully prepared to begin training again.

But I guess sometimes that's the hand life deals you and you just have to make the best of the situation.

Testing the Waters--The Tempo Run: March 2, 2017

With my target race about three weeks away, its time to pull it all together and see if the training is working, how everything works together and just what are my chances of survival.  In this training plan, that comes in the form a tempo run.

A tempo run is basically a longer run (though shorter than a long run) at or very close to race pace.  Specifically, I would do 8 miles at race pace (7:00 minute miles) followed by 1 mile at 10K pace (slightly faster than marathon pace).  Doing the last mile faster ensures that you're not draining the tank completely during the tempo run.  It is also great training because in a race, you want to be able to accelerate through the last portion of the race to finish strong.

It was dark when I went out for this run, after sunset, so I chose to run on the track.  Most runners hate the track because there is no change of scenery.  Because it is often dark when I run (either before sun rise or after sunset) the track does not bother me.  I despise having to avoid dogs and cars...both of which have historically bad effects on runners.  So the track works for me.  The only draw back, is that the track is flat...which may be an issue due to the hills on the race course.  We'll see.

I found the 7:00 minute miles to be fairly comfortable.  The actual splits started close to 7:08 and worked down a couple to four seconds a mile to 6:55, and 6:50ish.  The last mile was done at 6:30, which was faster than my targeted pace, leaving me to wonder: can I go faster than 7:00?

For now, I'm going to stick with 7:00s for my tempos and target race pace and do speed work as fast as reasonably possible.

Epilogue
While I felt really good about the work out, the recovery took longer than expected.  My calves were super sore even a couple days after.  Part of that I attribute to the shoes.  I wore my Newtons--which I plan to wear in the race.  The Newtons have lugs on the forefront of the shoe which is supposed to help with running form and give you an added spring to your step.  But the lugs also keep me of the rear of my foot which strains the calf muscles a little more.  I don't think it's unhealthy...just need to wear them more to strengthen my calves and be ready for race day.

Over the weekend, I did 14 miles for the long run.  I kept the pace steady but definitely bonked.  I feel like I'm still recovering from the combination of the tempo and long run.  However, the next couple weeks should get easier as I start to taper and build into a perfectly energized condition for race day.