The "R" Factor

Half Way Sunday

 So it appears that after numerous years of highly controlled research that at the exact moment you become a runner you also become OCD about many things as well.  Did I finish the last tenth of a mile the way I was supposed to (after running 12)?  Was that four strides or five?  If I travel here for the weekend how in the world am I going to get my exact weekly mileage in and still be able to PARTY?  Some say "Run by the watch, die by the watch" and oh how true that statement is for a lot of us runners.  For me its so bad that I've recently joined a running club and the only thing I can think about is how I'll be able to find someone running my exact mileage on the days I'm supposed to at the exact specified pace I'm supposed to be running.  And trust me I know this is silly because I  should be looking forward to the comrodary found in plodding on mile after mile, but I'm still hesitant.

There is one thing though most runners seem to consistently ignore and its even written 1,2, or even 3 times a week on their training plans: Rest!  For me I'm in the week leading up to my Miami Half Marathon and with no taper so I can push on with my marathon training getting enough rest should be at the forefront of my mind but as the popular saying goes" ain't nobody got time for that."  Even more important than rests during the week is the monthly rest weeks built into the plans resulting in a decline of around 10% of the weekly mileage.  For me these weeks have always been my saviors, breaking my legs and body down as much as possible for three weeks and then gloriously building it back up through easy paced shorter long runs, shorter mid week runs, and an overall improvement in optimism and enthusiasm.

This week has been anything but that though.  For starters I made it home before 9pm only once and that was Monday.  On top of everything my runs were still begging to be made, rest week or not and with a little bit of wrangling I managed to get them all done.  With the half coming up next week though sleep needs to be a priority.  Study after study says that a key ingredient to any training plan, running or not is rest and recovery so minus one or two runs next week that will be my main focus and hopefully enough to get my legs back in shape to run a 1:52 half marathon (a seven minute drop of my PR).

So the question is when looking at so many factors that all runners obsess about why do we ignore something that very smart looking and speaking people (I think they're called scientists) say is a must?  We runners are a funny group.  We strive to do everything perfectly but when it comes to taking it easy or taking the day off we're the first to forget those "suggestions."  Speaking of: how funny is it that we run for hours on end daily but when it comes to 5 minutes of stretching how many of us blow through that as well?  Food for thought though:  I could be making this up again but I read in a recent article that some elite Olympic marathoners run their easy days at about 9:00 minute miles.  Is that wild or what?  I finished the last mile of my easy run today in my rest week way quicker than that!  Slow pokes...

On point and a 16 miler in the bag!! (AND A LIST!)

Its not often I get to say this but today was major break through.  I managed to run an extra mile this week in 8 minutes less than last week.  I felt strong, fast, and my biggest issue was remembering to slow down.  I am ecstatic!

Turning back to my OCDness with my running I have to question what was different?  My legs weren't in any better shape than the week before, and it could be argued that they were considerably more tired as I'm at the last week before my rest week being on a 4 week cycle.  Looking back at my splits I can't help question how in the world I was been able to post a 8:50 mile at mile 10 (by mistake!), and then do a fast finish of 8:01.  It really boggles the mind, but if I can't walk tomorrow and this is the last post for another year you'll all know why.

Their are four things I can attribute today's success and with my old time training partners recently confessed obsession with lists here we go:

#1  I ditched the heavy clunky camel bag for a hydration belt.  I noticed the previous week as soon as I put that massive bag on my times instantly dropped by a minute or more and at the end I still had half a pouch weighing me down.  While yesterdays trial run with the belt proved it wasn't weightless, today's proved that it is by far the best option and at the end of the 2 and a half hour run I barely knew it was there. 

#2  For the first time ever I cut a Gatorade prime with water and used that mix to fill my 28 ounces of (4)

Fuel!!

water bottles.  On top of that I kept to my new routine of sipping and swishing rather than chuggle-lugging and I think it made another big difference.  If I was a betting man I'd now say a lot of problems I had in the past resulted from a condition known as Hyponatremia (too much water and not enough salt) but more to come on that in a future post on "Fuel."  For anyone attempting this be careful though:  changing fuel for runs too drastically can cause great stomach discomfort (PG version) and nobody wants to do impromptu strides to the closest available bathroom/discreet location.  That's why I used to skip the Gatorade myself but it worked today and I plan to stick with it.

#3  Today I got up at the same time as last week before the sun crested the ocean, but it was noticeably colder and I made sure to hit the road quicker providing an added bonus.   I'm now beginning to closely monitor my sleep as recovery is a vital part of training (or so smart people say) I used to somewhat ignore, but can't afford to at this point.  Again while this doesn't necessarily equal cooler temps or less humidity thanks to the beautiful tropical conditions here in SoFlo, it definitely feels better and will be a continuing trend for my long runs.  The one drawback about this:  bed time on Saturday nights at 10:30 or better but if it helps then it helps.

#4  Confidence:  I knew I could do it.  Didn't know I could do it that fast but I knew.  For any runner out their struggling to build confidence just remember:  If 70 year olds can complete marathons and ultras quicker then most then so can you!  Their is no magical difference between them or anyone else, and if you can come to terms with the truly awesome power our bodies can put out and endure, then its in the bag for you too.

So I think that's all for today's success tips.  I've got 4 more grueling long runs of 18 or more miles before race day coming up really delving into marathon mileage so I'm sure every post won't be as up beat as this one.  But if you're a runner you know there's always going to be ups and downs with training.  Today I'll be riding my up all day long:  Victory is mine!!


Best long run this season:  16 miles in 2:35. 

So much for the dry season!  Missed it by an hour though!

Nails, Plans, and OCD!

Well there it is in all its glory.  The perfect spot for my new medal commemorating my first ever sub-4 hour marathon.  Sure it's still 9 weeks, 44 training runs, and 371.2 miles away, but a guy should be prepared right?  Which brings me up to an interesting topic:  exactly how to get prepared for running a marathon or any race for that matter.

If you've run a competitive race before then I'm sure you've all heard of training plans.  They come in all different shapes in sizes, levels of intensity, and for all time goals from super elite to just finishing them.  The first thing to know about them though if you've never used one is they are mostly FREE!!  Sure you can easily log onto any popular running site, puts your credit card deets in and download a smokin' new plan, but isn't free always better?

For me I've used many plans over the years.  Some I've put together myself while others I've used general templates.  I always thought the main aspect of following any plan is sticking too the distances because I know I won't be breaking any course time records so my goal has always been just to finish with my head held high with a time I wouldn't mind too much dropping in any social situations.  My last marathon time though of 5 hours and 15 minutes  just doesn't permit that but enough about that.

At the end of the day plans are only as good as your ability to follow them and in that race I faltered big time and the results were catastrophic.  This season I refuse to let that happen and have changed up my focus.  For the first time in my racing career I'm not only following the distance recommendations (up to just below 40 miles a week right with 5 runs a week), but the times to complete the mileage as well.  While its definitely ramped up my the intensity of my training and increased my obsession with sticking to the plan, its proved challenging to say the least but this time my goal isn't just to finish, but to take my place with the top 10% of just-for-fun marathon runners.* 

As I said last week though it hasn't been easy, yet this week my legs are doing much better I'd say somewhere around the 75% range assisted with a brand new massive bottle of Aleve.  What I am super impressed with is this training plan.  This is the first time I've ever been surprised by the many details that's been worked in and it seems to be working as long as I can get through my long run tomorrow morning, and recover during my easy week next week.  I currently have one more week of hills ahead of me, 8 on Wednesday to be exact, but after that I make the switch to Tempo's and Yasso's which I'm pumped for. 

For anyone whose never used a plan before the results are startling.  For someone who normally goes through life as laid back as possible, my training plans turn me into an OCD beast.  Every minute of every mile must be accounted for, and substitutions or subtractions just don't fly.  In my 3 months of training so far I think I've missed one run and cried afterwards for a week.  Okay maybe that's a little much, probably more like a few hours...


But as I've said things are going well and I'm still on track for March.  I broke out of the slump I was in last week and are looking forward to owning tomorrow's 16 miler as I did last weeks smaller brother 15.  I've joined the Hollywood Runners Club which I'm excited to get out and run with (though I CANNOT DEVIATE FROM MY PLAN lol!) and I even purchased a new hydration belt and tested it today looking to put its through its paces with my 16 miler tomorrow.  So far so good, so lets keep our fingers crossed for more happy posts to come.

A great day to be a South Florida runner!!

PS.  For anyone interested in learning more about training plans please feel free to "Google" them.  Thanks and best of luck!

*DISCLAIMER:  This number might be totally made up but I'm pretty sure I read it somewhere and if its online it must be true.  A quick article I just found says 25% but I like 10% better so....

Week 7: 1 Wall Down, 1 to Go

Pic to See (Creative right?)

Lacing up my shoes this morning before the sun reached out over the bay I really wasn't sure just what to expect.  For a few days my calves and knees had hurt, and I was finding myself with less and less motivation to push on.  Today I was approaching a wall (see pic).  Okay not exactly "the wall" at around 18-20 miles, not there yet, but a mental wall I had from 7 weeks ago when I was defeated and had to walk the remaining two miles home in total agony after attempting a 15 miler I was totally unprepared for.

The good part was I felt ready.  I'd iced what needed to be iced, rested what needed to rested, and petroleum jellied what needed to be jellied and after failing to find the GPS after the first go around my watch finally found it.  With a shot, (or more of a shuffle) I started out one foot at a time trying to ignore the looming wall in my mind ahead of (reference pic again if need be) and repeating my mantra over and over again in my head:  "I ain't everybody."

All in all the run was epic.  It definitely wasn't my fastest, something I think having to do with the massive camel bag full of water on my back (which I'll revisit later), but it felt great.  Not easy, but not hard either, and just around 2 hours and 45 minutes later I was done and felt truly accomplished. Even better in less than 30 minutes after having my remaining pop tart (new running fuel [more  to come on this also]) and my post run protein shake I felt completely recovered even enough to head down to the beach for a quick swim.

So what did I do differently?  For one thing the 7 extra weeks of ramped up mileage certainly helped.  Another thing was getting out before the sun got up for most of it.  While the temperature and humidity don't really change down here too much, being out of the sun for 90% of my run certainly seemed to make a big difference.  Lastly, I had some pretty intense motivation.  Last night I watched the Desert Runners.  An epic story of a group of amateur runners attempting to do the 4 big desert Ultra's all in one year.  For anyone dipping a little low in the motivation department I can't recommend this movie enough and if you don't shed a tear anywhere in it, then your heart must be made of stone as my eyes were barely dry at all during the whole thing.

The moral of today's story?  Confidence.  Confidence in knowing you've trained to do this, knowing you can really rock it, and the best part: knowing your not trying to complete 4 ultras over some of the hardest desert courses on the planet.  I truly believe confidence makes all the difference.  For me today I made the 15 miler mine, and I now own it.  It isn't a world record or anything anyone will ever make a movie about but its mine.  Now having that little gem swimming around in the back of my mind how hard can next Sunday's 16 really be?  Either way the first wall is down, and its time to go find the next.

Week 7 of 16:  COMPLETE.  

Week 9 Preview:  Got my eye on you!

Sub 4 hours or Bust! It could go either way!

With a little over 10 weeks to go no truer has the name of my latest training plan felt:  "BREAK 4:00 OR BUST!"  Up to this point after restarting my training 6 weeks ago after a couple of failed long runs I've felt strong,  confident (if not cocky!), and more importantly faster than ever at least for a guy that used to weigh 236 pounds.  But lately my mileage has really seemed to catch up to me.  For the past few days I've had a knot in my calf that I can't seem to lose though it doesn't seem to affect my running, in the first mile my one knee threatens to give out, and my easy miles doesn't exactly seem as easy as they used to be. 

Starting today though I'm turning a new leaf.  I've started watching inspirational running movies on Netflix, reading about slump busting training tips, and I'm trying to get that feeling back that I CAN DO IT!  If 6 months ago someone would have asked me if I'd have ever thought I'd be this close to running a sub 4 hour marathon I'd have told them NO WAY AIN'T NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.  But with my loss of 70 pounds and my new found stamina and speed its clear that I really can.  I've coasted through a 10 mile long run and a little more challenging 13 mile both on a treadmill, and ran the best 12 miles of my life with my dad in Texas conquering hill after hill with ease.  Now tomorrow its time to graduate to the big mileage: 15 miles the same distance that got me the 7 weeks ago.  Not this time though, this time its mine and by this time tomorrow yes I'll be hurting, but I'll be one more successful long run closer to breaking a goal I never imagined possible for myself; the Sub 4-hour marathon.  Sure it won't be easy, but if its was easy then everybody would do it and guess what sports fans?  "I AIN'T EVERYBODY!"


PS:  I'm not yelling that's just my new running mantra...