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