Zane Safrit

Six Things I Learned from Finishing The Quad-Cities Marathon

First off, thank you to the four cities ( Moline and Rock Island, IL and Bettendorf and Davenport, IA) and their hundreds of volunteers and police officers and and musicians and supporters lining the route of this year's Quad-Cities Marathon. I ran it twelve years ago; it was great. Since then, you have grown this event into a celebration at every step of the 26.2 mile route. That helped yesterday as the temperatures rose into the upper-80’s. Here’s what I learned as I shuffled along with the nearly 5,000 other runners.

It’s a Celebration.

I’m 59. Stepping up to the starting line for any race of any distance is cause for a celebration. I celebrate:

• all the hours spent running - in the heat, the cold, the rain, the snow, the winds - and all the hours in the weight room.

• all the other runners, our collective spirit of health and fitness and smiles and positivity and support and laughing and cheering.

• the volunteers who handle the aid stations and hold traffic for us and help us untie our shoes at the end and make registration so easy.

• the sponsors who give us food and drink and cool shirts and cooler medals.

• the routes. I’ve completed five marathons. Their routes well-chosen for being scenic and safe.

I’m not, never was, an elite athlete. On the other hand, only 1% of the population has completed a marathon. That’s something to celebrate.I ran my first marathons over twelve years ago, full of optimism (delusion) about my abilities as a runner. And as those first races wore on their reality, my reality, wore me down, I grew frustrated. Long, slow, miles of crappy self-talk ensued. I shoulda, coulda, woulda ... if only ... maybe I can catch up on the next mile ... The only way I’ll win my age class is if I live long enough that I’m the only one in that age-class. And right now, that age looks to be 90. So, until then I’ll celebrate all of the above more each time I hear Get Ready. Get Set. Go.

Say Thank-You

As we ran by the volunteers who handed us GatorAde, water, ice-cold hand towels, vasoline, Gu packs, and the police and neighbors who managed traffic at intersections and those who rode bikes and carts making sure runners (and volunteers) were safe, I said ‘Thank you’, ‘Thanks for being out here.’ I wasn’t alone, the runners around me joined in or I joined them. It brought a smile to their face as any recognition does, to both parties.

If You Give a Little, You Get A Lot

Treating the race as a celebration, not a competition, left me something to give other runners and those who volunteered their time to make the race possible. A smile, a thank you, a wave, a cheer, a two-step dance past a band, a little conversation with another runner, a word of support, a high-five generated a wave of in-kind responses. One wave, ten waves back. One smile, two smiles in return. One two-armed motion to raise the roof and ten cheerleaders started cheering in return. Runners and volunteers around us joined in. Even though running is a solo sport, races are a collective, communal, event where everyone’s contribution makes it great.

Keep Putting One Foot In Front of the Other

Whew. I knew this one already. But as the sun rose and the temperatures ran behind it like a little puppy trying to keep up, the temptation to stop rose too. I got a little woozy at about mile 19 and faced another hour, hour and a half, to go. Quads ached, feet hurt, shoulder was getting cranky. I walked and kept walking until I cooled down, a bit, and could run again. In marathons as in life, it doesn’t matter how fast you go but that you keep putting one foot in front of the other. You’ll catch your breath, a spot of shade will welcome you, someone will offer an optimistic assessment - Looking good, runner, cause at that moment I was neither. Keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Plan for the Best, Prepare for ... the Rest

I’ve read where no battle plan ever survives the enemy. Well, no plan for running a marathon ever survives the first step, especially if that first step is on concrete. I’ve run races where aid stations are empty by the time I arrive, where I wanted a banana but they don’t have any, where they swapped Gator-Ade for PowerAde (never a good idea to mix the two on a long, hot, run. You’ll survive ... but you’ll learn.), where the Gu gels are caffeinated or not and I wanted the other, where the race description said ‘downhill’ and it was up, the temps dropped ten degree instead of warmed up ten. All of that is part of the fun.Now, I take carry my own stash of ClifBars, gatorade, a cellphone, an extra Gu shot, a banana.

Take a Break. You’re Running a Marathon!

Enjoy the day, the scenery, those around you. Those miles will still be there. Taking a break in a long run is a great way to sustain your effort, your smiles, your tolerance for pain, your creative problem-solving abilities in the face of the inevitable real or imagined challenges.

Clarification: That's a smile.

Failing My Way to Some Personal Bests

I finished my fourth marathon in the past ten months when I finished the Run4Troops Marathon on Saturday, June 28. That made it the third marathon I finished in the last ten months at the time.

As with every marathon I have a finish-time goal. For this race it was 4:45:00.

I didn’t make it. Didn’t even come close. I finished at 5:51:00. I still cringe saying it.

And as I stumbled through miles 10 to 14, wondering whether I should just throw up as I wanted to and then decide to continue or drop out, as I thought well if it’s this bad at ten miles what’s it gonna be at 25, as I wondered where that pace and energy I felt at mile nine disappeared, as my spirits sunk remembering the hours on the trails and roads and the heat and long winter, the long hours in the gym inspired by my personal trainer, Summer Lisk, to take one more rep or add more plate - You gaht this - and having to tell her I didn’t make the goal ... I realized, you know what, there’s been a whole of wins and personal bests along the way that pushed me this far.

I ran four marathons and finished three in the past ten months. I would have finished the fourth but they closed the 1-mile loop with the one aid station and I had no water or gels. It was raining and colder than expected too. I quit. Yeah, it sucked. But I didn’t feel comfortable running on public streets without water or gels and in a depleted mental state. So I quit.

* This finish was the fastest finish of the 3 marathons I completed.

* It’s the fastest marathon I’ve run since I turned ... wait for it ... fifty. That was nine years ago.

* Training in the gym, I squatted more reps with heavier weights, deadlifted more and heavier, same with upper body stuff.

* Running, I ran more miles on hillier routes.

* I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been.

So, yeah, I wish I hadn’t eaten that packet of beet crystals that normally give me a boost on an empty stomach. My stomach wasn’t empty that day, note to self.

So, yeah, as that finish time slipped farther and farther away and the heat and the humidity rose higher and higher, I made a note to self to run more in the heat.

And I reminded myself, with the extra time, of all the small wins and personal bests that brought me to this beautiful trail run hosted by a wonderful group of volunteers on, really, an okay day to run.

So, the next time you have a setback, a screw up, a failure, just remember that it was only those personal bests and achievements that brought you to this moment, far from your safe harbor. Don’t deny it. Figure out a solution to keep moving and assess your experience for the lessons to be learned so you can keep moving forward to reach the other shore.

My other shore includes benching my weight 30 reps, 20 pullups, a marathon under 5 hours and an ultra-marathon by next July.

I’ll let you know.

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#2 Marathon Training: Week 10

Some good wins this week.

Tuesday

• 4-mile run was a bit of a slog. The 20+ MPH winds didn’t help.

• Weights in the afternoon were a pleasure. We increased weights on Squat Machine, Leg Press, extensions, hamstring curls.

Wednesday

• 8-mile run was okay. The legs felt the result of the previous day. The temps were 40 degrees warmer than Tuesday. Gotta love global warming and its rapid sudden temperature changes.

Thursday

• 4-Mile run was a personal best by at least 4 minutes, maybe as many as 7. I ran a different route than I normally do so a chemical engineer might wiffle at my estimate but even allowing for normal ebullience it was a personal best of at least 4 minutes.

• Weights were good. We increased weights for dead lifts, free squats, lat pull downs, rowing and calf raises.

Saturday

• The half-marathon route was a hilly route. But the pace ended up being 1 minute per mile faster than last week’s.

This week the schedule remains the same except for the weight sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Those are to shift from heavy weight and low reps to exercises for slow-twitch muscles.

Tuesday:

• AM - 4-mile run
• PM - Weights/Gym

Wednesday

• 8-Mile Run

Thursday

• AM - 4-mile run
• PM - Weights/Gym

Saturday

• 18-Mile Run

Here's a couple of pics from today's storm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It sorta looks like a tornado, but it wasn't.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography reminds me of that Woody Allen saying: 80 percent of life is showing up.

In these pictures then, that leaves 18% for having a camera-phone and 2% for ignoring the tornado warnings screeching at me on the camera-phone and blaring out over the fields.

Happy Mother's Day.

#2 Marathon Training - Week 9

This was a much better week than last week.

As I mentioned last week, I rested on Tuesday and Thursday. Those are the days I normally run 4 miles in the morning and lift weights in the afternoon. I still lifted in the afternoon with better results lifting heavier weights.

Lesson? A little rest, on a timely basis, helps.

Wednesday’s 8 mile run was stellar. The total time was a personal best by about 5-6 minutes for this mid-week tempo run. The negative split was by 6 minutes.

I also tried NeoGenesis Beet Elite NeoShot. Good stuff. It is not a stimulant. There’s no caffeine. There is a lot of nitric oxides and potassium. They work together to deliver more oxygen to the muscles and tissue, increase the efficiency of oxygen utilization, yadda yadda. I’m an art major. I noticed I recovered faster during my warm up, I ran faster and longer. And at the end ... I felt good.

I tried it on Saturday’s 16-mile run. 1 shot to start and 1 shot at 2 hour mark. The result? I ran these16 miles faster than I ran those 15 miles the previous week. I ran half of those 16 miles into the wind.

This week the schedule remains mostly the same:

Tuesday:

• AM - 4 Mile Run
• PM - Weights, Legs. My trainer starts me on a new regime of leg workouts this week. We're done with heavy weights. We're going to move towards exercises that strengthen the slow-twitch muscles. I'm twitching with excitement.

Wednesday:

• AM - 8 Mile Run

Thursday:

• AM - 4 Mile Run
• PM - Weights

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 13 miles

Have a good week. Run your race.

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#2 Marathon Training - Week 8

Okay.

The wall has been met and it is a firm but not impregnable wall. I mentioned last week I was feeling the effects of adding miles and weights. Well, this past week the body said You will listen.  And here’s what it said:

You are tired. You’re not sleeping well. You’re a little irritable. Your pace is plummeting. That inner voice, the one you ignored when it whispered ‘I REALLY don’t want to do this.’ yeah, well you’re gonna listen now because now you have a sore throat and feel a little fluish. I'm turning off your brain so you’re not so productive and you can't rationalize; you can only listen. Because determination is now stubbornness.

Tuesday -

• 4 mile run. The route’s a series of hills, one after the other. The day was windy. But the pace was good. 3 minutes faster than last week where last week’s was on a mostly flat route. That’s good, right?

• Weights - A good workout. Another boost in weight amounts across the board in squats, hacks, leg raises, hamstring curls. On the squat machine I’m doing 225 lbs, 8 reps three sets. Not epic but more than I’ve ever done and now I’m also running 30+ miles a week.

Wednesday -

• 7 mile run. Here’s when reality began to set in and I heard that first inner whisper said Man, I really don’t want to do this run. The pace was a minute per mile slower. Granted it was a hilly route; I had grown bored of the other route. But still ... And at the end I was exhausted.

Thursday -

• 4 Mile run. I ran it on a treadmill. For a mile I felt good - legs loosened, adrenals kicked in, endorphins ... not so much. The other three I felt awful. Pace was slow. I was glad when it ended. Never a good sign.

• Weights. I was late to the gym, forgot to wear workout shorts, had to run back home for them (30 minutes), asked that we not increase the weights this week. The workout was okay, not much fun; I was too tired to tell jokes. Went home and crashed.

Saturday

• Long run. I postponed it. The thought of running didn't even sound good.

Sunday

• 16 miles. Hilly course. With no earbuds I had time to count the miles where I wasn’t running a hill. There were 4 miles. Winds were in the 20 mph range. Running into the wind, uphill, was amusing. Got it done, a little bit faster than I expected.

 I drank a cup of this beet extract. Beet Elite Neo Shot. I think it helped. I’ll try it again on Wednesday’s 7-mile run.

Upcoming Week:

• Tuesday: Weights only. I’m skipping the morning 4-mile run

• Wednesday: 7 Mile Run.

• Thursday: Weights only. I’m skipping the morning 4-mile run

• Saturday: 16 Miles.

Have a great week. Run your race.

# 2 Marathon Training: Week Number 7

Time flies when you’re having fun. It still flies though not as fast when you’re slogging an extra 8 miles in addition to pumping an extra 20% in weights. But hey the option is watching TV and letting my butt and belly sag and my attitude sag along with them. So ...

The deal this week was more. More miles, more weights.

Tuesday: Run and Weights.

• The 3 mile run stretched to 4 this week. I hope these four miles were the last four miles where I have to dress for winter. Enough already. The  route is a county two-lane blacktop with no shoulders. It runs uphill for the first eight tenths of a mile before leveling off. Since it’s an out-and-back that means what goes up, me, must come down that same eight tenths. I did. And I did in a negative split by 3 minutes.

I’ll do better this week, shorter times, bigger negative split.

• Weights. Tuesday afternoons I lift weights. We did machines - hack and squat, leg raises and hamstring curls, in sets of 8 for three sets. I need to track the weights; she, my trainer does. And I see every week we’re upping them and she tells me we are are upping them. My legs tell me the same ... usually the next day.

Wednesday: 7 Mile Run

The run is 7 miles now, up from six last week. Slow and determined are the best descriptors. We got ‘er done and it counts. And we got her done in a negative split by about 45 seconds on a flat course and ending running into 25 mile per hour winds.

It’s a building run, building towards two weeks from now when I’ll set a personal best for the distance. That’s how it’s played so far. I up my miles and on the third week of the new distance, I hit my stride and set a new personal best for that distance on this schedule.

Thursday: Run and Weights.

4 miles in the morning. Not pretty. Another cold, windy morning. But the miles count towards that personal best ... two weeks from now.

Weights. We did dead lifts and squats, abs and lats with pulldowns and rows. Did some lunges too.

Saturday: Long Run

14 miles. Again, I got ‘er done. Nothing pretty. The pace was slow but steady. The route had a few hills in it. I ended it in a negative split by about 2:30.

Next week’s schedule is the same except for Saturday’s long run of 15 miles. And it’ll be warm and sunny.

Keep running your own marathon.

#2 Marathon Training: Week 6

Seeing results now. And thank goodness for that.

LAST WEEK

Tuesday -  I run hills, ending with a half-mile uphill.

• 3 mile run. This was .25 mile longer and 3 minutes faster than last week. It was also a negative split by 1+ minute.

• Weights. As promised we went heavy this week. Heavy weights, fewer reps. Fewer means 8 instead of 12. Heavier means almost double the weights. Disclaimer: we’d been working with very light weights to emphasize form and correct execution. But I moved through the exercises well, not needing an extra break within a set. That bodes bad for this week. I’m sure she’ll bump up the weights again.

Wednesday - 6 mile run.

I ran it 5 minutes faster than last week and ran it in a negative split.

Thursday - I run a more level course, stilling ending with a half-mile up a gradual incline.

• 3 mile run was .25 mile longer but only 1 minute faster than last week. It was also a negative split by 90 seconds.

• Weights stayed heavy. All in all, I felt good. I moved through each set in each exercise well, taking no breaks within a set EXCEPT for the abs. Jeez.

Saturday - 9 mile run.

All good things come to an end. And so it, the great improvements, ended. It was a slog. It might have to do with not sleeping well on Thursday night. Note to Self: Never drink espresso at 3 p.m. unless you’re working late, really late.

Sunday - Scheduled for cross-training. Napped and read instead.

All in all, the week and its results ranked a 7.5 to 8 on a scale of 1 - 10.

THIS WEEK:

Tuesday  - 4 mile run in the AM; weights in the afternoon.

Wednesday - 7 mile run.

Thursday - 4 mile run in the AM; weights in the afternoon.

Saturday - 14 miles

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#2 Marathon Training - Week 5

Ha! I skipped posting week 4. Why? I was tired. The whole week was less than a blue collar run. Slow pace, tired legs, no fire. None of it was much fun and I have low threshold for fun. Anything with endorphins, adrenals and as an added bonus being outdoors in any weather works for me.

That was last week. This week is different.

Tuesday - 3 mile run, hills and a negative split. A negative split! Weights in the afternoon were good. We (she, my trainer) added weights.

Wednesday - 6 mile run. I was 20 seconds from a negative split with the back being run uphill into 20+ mph winds. Promising.

Thursday - 3 mile run. 10 seconds from a negative split also running back into the wind and uphill. Weights in the afternoon were stellar. Faster reps, fewer and shorter breaks between and weights were also added.

Saturday - 12 miles. Beautiful day. Clear, warm - 40’s to start, 50 at the end and first day without a jacket - and ... wait for it ... no wind. A negative split by 1:30 and that was run uphill, too.

All in all a good week.

Marathon #2 Training: Week 3

A good week.

Highlights include:

Faster Workouts in the Gym: I need shorter and fewer breaks between exercises and sets.

More Weights. We added 30 pounds for my squat reps. All good.

Faster Pace. Saturday’s long run was only six miles. I ran the last 1.5 miles at a 9:30 pace. I was pleased.

Stronger Pace. Wednesday I ran 5 miles on hills, pavements and in 30-mile gusts. I felt good.

Feel good and productive after the workouts.

This revised training routine - twice a week short runs in the morning and weights at the end of the day, the pace run mid-week and long runs on Saturday - is working out.

Here is the schedule for this week:

Tuesday: 3 miles in the morning, weights in the afternoon ( dead lifts, 1-legged hacks, squats, 1 legged dead lifts, abs)

Wednesday: 6 miles, tempo run under 10 minute per mile

Thursday: 3 miles in the morning, weights in the afternoon ( dead lifts, 1-legged hacks, squats, 1 legged dead lifts, abs, stepups)

Saturday: 11 miles. I’ll shoot for 11-minute pace.

That’s it. Remember: run your own race.

#2 Marathon Training: Week 2

And what a week it was.

This was the first week where I worked with a personal trainer twice, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Tuesday: I ran 3 miles early in the morning, 10 minute pace, felt pretty good. Then I went to the gym at the end of the day. She put me through squats, hacks, deadlifts and reverse lunges. 3 sets of ten each with each, light weight. That’s all I can do is light weight.

At the end I was delirious, almost. I’ve never bonked that hard even on a long run. Hungry, hungry, hungry. I ate 8 times a day Wednesday and Thursday. These weren’t snacks, either; they were full meals. I drank a lot of water, too - my weight in ounces nearly every day.

I was tired. T.I.R.E.D.

Wednesday: I ran six five miles on a treadmill. My last treadmill run until ... November. Slow. But given how tired my legs were I consider it a victory that I finished.

Thursday: Same routine as Tuesday. I ran three miles early in the morning and lifted at the end of the day. The run felt good; I felt better having finished it. I ate more that day than on Tuesday and drank more. Big difference in the results. I wasn’t bonked afterwards. I had energy throughout the workout. We focused on core, some one-legged deadlifts and squats and switched from reverse lunges to forward lunges. My legs were tired but not achy. I was hungry, but not delirious.

Progress.

Saturday: I ran nine miles. Lazy Zane kept whispering Let’s do it tomorrow. C’mon. But I stuck to the schedule and I’m glad I did.

The first miles were slow, but I knew they would be. But then after four miles ... I felt pretty good. I was not going to do sprints, mind you. But, after those sessions on Tuesday and Thursday to be able to run and not ache and not feel the need to slow down ... I felt stronger as the miles wore on. Nothing heroic mind you. But in the context of this first long run after this first week ... I came away pretty happy with the results so far as well as the vision for the coming weeks.

And, last night, my legs did not ache. I stretched a few times through the day but ... not like I did earlier in the week.

Who knows?

Upcoming week:

It is the same schedule as above but more. Wednesday I will run 5 miles again. Saturday I will run 10 miles, not 9. I expect my trainer will add some weights, too.

Marathon #2 Training: Week 1

After ten days of recuperation doing nothing more than a few situps and miles of walking, I eased into some weights and cycling last week, then a few minutes of easy running.

Here comes the first week of training for my second marathon in 2014. It looks like it will be the Run4Troops Marathon in Dyersville, IA on June 28.

The route sounds appealing.

One commenter wrote: The trail is awesome - other than the first 5-6 miles, it's a steady downhill.

The Race Info page describes it like this: The trail surface is mostly crushed limestone, but has a bit of everything from dirt to grass to black top. About 70% of the trail is shaded with trees but there are a few stretches of direct sun exposure (mostly the first leg, which is early in the morning).

So ... a steady downhill course after the first 5 miles and its 120 foot elevation rise and a mostly crushed limestone trail, with a little dirt, grass and black top mixed in. Yes.

Here is the schedule for this coming week:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 mile run in the morning, legs and weights in the afternoon. More on that later.
Wednesday - 4 mile run in the morning.
Thursday - 3 mile run in the morning, legs and weights in the afternoon.
Weekend - 90 minute easy run, 12-minute pace.

After reviewing my unacceptable results at the Last Chance for Boston Marathon on February 23, I decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer.

Living in a small town the options are limited, not in skill but focus. Who has experience combing endurance and leg strength? How to fit the former into the latter while leaving me able to walk ...

However, life smiles at us if we just look. A competitive body-builder trains in our rec center. She won a recent competition. Impressive, I thought when I saw the sign for her recent victory. Good for her.

Then I noticed she squats twice as much as I ever did at any time in my life. Then I heard someone say she does leg workouts twice a week. Huh, I thought. That is very impressive.

Then I noticed she knew her way around the weights and the iso-machines and was very focused on her routine. And she uses her own personal trainer. Cool.

Finally I saw her coaching. She was attentive and focused but patient. She was very organized and crisp in ushering her client through their paces.

I approached her, telling her my challenge and admitting that what I did on my own failed to get the results and explaining my goal for the year: 3 marathons and 1 ultra-marathon. Can you help?

BAM! Turns out she was a competitive runner in high school then moved to half marathons then to competitive body-building. Her sister and brother-in-law run marathons and iron man triathlons. And, she loves a challenge (BAM!) and setting goals and mapping plans to reach them.

She came up with the above routine. We ran through it last Thursday. Yes, my legs were tired and tight but not achy. By Saturday I was ready to run five which I did on the treadmill. My last treadmill for 2014.

I’m psyched to A. go through it; B. See the results.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Remember: run your own race!

Marathon

No training. This is the marathon. Dublin, Ohio’s Last Chance for Boston Marathon.

Dublin, Ohio is a nice town.

The race hotel, the Crown Plaza, is an excellent hotel. Rooms were super quiet, spacious, great big king-size beds.

Now, when a runner’s describing a marathon and he/she starts out talking about the city and the hotel that ... you can assume that the run was not fun. You’d be right if you assumed that here.

That’s frustrating. I picked the race for its flat course, a one-mile loop through a business park, for its location - a day’s drive, and for its weather.

The weather. I love running in the cold. Colder the better. I go gloveless at 0 degrees. I’m a heatilator, slow and steady and pumping out heat. But that day, with temps in the 30’s and a breeze that kept getting stronger, I shivered the whole day. Never warmed up.

The course has a limit of 4:45. That was doable, I thought. Maybe 4:50 or 4:55.

Wrong.

Running on the treadmill all winter did not prepare me for running on concrete or running in the cold.

At the halfway mark, a half-marathon in distance I was ahead of schedule for finishing under 4:45.  By the time I started my 24th lap it wasn’t.

At 4:50:00 the course rolls up its orange cones and its one aid station and the streets are empty. I don’t have any water with me. I’m looking at another 25 - 30 minutes. I’m still shivering. And I’m not going to get a finisher’s medal or be listed as a finisher.

I quit. I was right in front of the hotel and turned around and went inside. That’s right, I took my running shoes and went home.

What did I learn?

* Leg strength, leg strength, leg strength. Gotta get me some. That remains the theme.

* More pavement running. Gotta get me some if, and I know it will, spring arrives.

* Better training, smarter training.

Towards that end I realized this week I need a personal trainer. However, we live in a small town. There aren’t a lot of personal trainers focused on endurance running. Matter of fact, I’m sure there are none.

Wrong.

I noticed one member of the rec center who worked hard and smart, never grunting or showing a strain. They won a recent body-building contest. They kicked ass on leg workouts, pumping more weights and more reps than anyone. I mustered up the courage and asked her if she’s a personal trainer. She is. Turns out she’s a runner, too, her whole life running 5k’s, half-marathons and has triathletes and marathoners in her family. It helps that she understands the challenge of balancing strength training with endurance training. As I described my goals and the challenges, she’s nodding her head, got it. Yep.

We’ll meet next week. See how that helps. I’m sure it will. If I can squat what she squats it’s gotta make my running stronger, easier, longer.

Keep.Moving.Forward.

Marathon Training: Week 12

The taper down in preparation for the next marathon continues on schedule.

Yesterday, I spent 30 minutes on the stairmaster, 15 on the stationary cycle and 20 on weights and abs.

Thursday, I spent two hours on the treadmill. Total distance was just under 12 miles.

Tuesday was 40 minutes on the stationary cycle and weights.

Next week we cut time and distances even further.

Monday: 1 hour easy-running on the treadmill. Temperatures are in the single digits, minus and positive. Winds in the double digits approaching 35 mph. I could handle the temps for this length but not double-digit negative windchills. Not safe. That level of cold  skews your perspective on distance and time to shelter. 400 hundred yards seem an infinity. The thought process is just to give up, curl up, call it a day.

Wednesday: 45 minutes on the cycle and 15 in the weight room.

Friday: 1 hour, uptempo shooting for 9 - 9:30 minute per mile.

That’s it until the Last Chance for Boston Marathon on February 23 in Dublin Ohio. I may be do some stretching sessions and 15 minutes on the cycle and weights. Maybe.

Marathon Training: Week 12

Work and fatigue interfered with the plans for this past week. Yeah, it’s called life. Not even Life with a big L. Just life.

I completed the four hour and twenty minute TREADMILL...whatever. Does it show how much I hate running on the treadmill? 

However, there are...pluses. One is being able to pay closer attention to my pace. The other is...I’m struggling here...oh yeah, I can get my miles in even when we have a polar vortex arriving, leaving...who knows?

These weather aberrations, polar vortexes, come so fast, leave slower. Autumn 2012 I remember noting that temperature changes of 30 degrees in a week were becoming normal. In winter 2014 temperature changes of 30 to 40 degrees per day are normal. No. Seriously. As a runner, I notice these things. You don’t want to be dressed on the wrong side of a 40 degree temperature change and 10 miles from home.

Wednesday I was scheduled for an hour workout of cycling and weights. I skipped it. I didn’t feel guilty, frustrated but not guilty.

Friday. Instead of a 12 mile run, I got back on schedule with an hour fifteen workout with cycling and weights.

Today. I did the 12 mile run. Felt good. I would have felt better had I started eating when I started running. Note to self: when you run the marathon start eating at the sound of the starting gun.

Plans for this week:

Tuesday: 5 mile run outdoors or 45 minutes on the cycle and 15 minutes on the weights.

Thursday: slow run. 2 hours.

Saturday: 6 miles, uptempo with hills if the weather and sidewalks allow.

Have a good week. Run your own race.

Marathon Training: Week 11

11 weeks! These weeks and the miles show their impact in two ways:

* Improvements in endurance and pace.

Sunday, January 19th, I ran approximately 20 miles in 4 hours. Legs and lungs and heart felt fine until the last 2.5 miles. After that the legs were stubby chunks that motored me along in a pace best-described as slowly shuffling. And I needed to will myself and them to achieve even that spare success. Still, the distance was 3, 3.5 miles longer than the week before and afterwards I felt remarkably well, happy, satisfied. The legs were tired but not cramping or achy. The next day I felt good, not ready to run again, but good.

This Thursday I treadmill'd and stairmaster'd for two hours and fifteen minutes. Pace on the treadmill at 1% incline was 9:30 a mile. Again, I felt good, strong, easy until the last 5-10 minutes and afterwards I put in a full day.

* Fatigue.

My plan for this week was to run easy, a recovery run, on Tuesday followed by the 2+ hour uptempo run on Thursday and a long, slow run, 4:30:00 or roughly 22 miles yesterday. Monday I decided instead to replace Saturday's scheduled long run with a 10K and run long on Monday.

That's going to work for tomorrow's long run. But, yesterday's 10K turned into a 6k with 30 minutes in the weight room. Afterwards, I was tired.

Bedtime came early and I slept long.

I've learned to listen to the body's signals. Being tired, not sleeping as well, and not 'feeling it' on a scheduled run are signals for rest. I needed twenty years to learn this lesson. But hey, it's better than needing 30.

This week's schedule:

* Monday: Long, Slow, Run. 4:30:00 for about 22 miles. Today's weather would be not ideal, but better. Temps in the 40's with winds in the 20's. Tomorrow it's temps in the single digits with winds in the 20's. I'll spend, gag, those hours and minutes and seconds on the treadmill at the rec center.

This is the last long run before the hoped-for marathon on February 23 in Dublin, Ohio. I say hoped-for due to this unpredictable weather. There's no way I'm running a marathon in single digits with double digit winds. The next long run will be around 2.5 hours as I taper down for that event.

* Wednesday: Easy-peasy recovery run, likely on the stationary bike. Forty-five minutes to an hour. Maybe, some weight room time also.

* Friday: An uptempo run for 13-14 miles hopefully the weather and the streets will allow this to be outside so I can get hills and pavement during the run.

* Sunday: An easy 4-6 miles

* Tuesday: 2:30:00 run. I'll add in hills and pavement.

Have a great week. Remember: run your own race.

 

Marathon Training - Week 10

Overall, this past week was good.

Highlights.

Monday: A 5.2 mile run with three miles in the hills at a 9:30 per mile pace. That was two days after 3:30:00 running a combination of treadmill, stair master and stationary cycle.

Friday: I finished two hours at the gym, running 9:45 pace on the treadmill for 6.25 miles and then bored out of my mind I switched to the stair master for an hour.

Wednesday I finished one hour of easy running, low heart rate.

Today, Sunday, I’ll finish four hours of easy-peasy running. Temps are survivable, 20’s now moving to 40’s this afternoon. Winds....the winds, the winds, they never stop blowing 15 - 20 miles per hour minimum.

Lessons Learned.

I mentioned in last week’s update that I needed to ease off one session of upper body. I was right. After Monday’s run I felt very good: clear and energized. After that I showed signs of being tired. I didn’t sleep well a few nights. Working, writing, was a struggle at best. My usual tricks and tools - walking, light exercise, listening to a little music, self-medicating with mindless TV - to get in gear didn’t engage. Being the dull boy, I needed until Saturday to realize a work schedule of 7 days a week isn’t productive. (Hello?!?!) I plan to schedule in rejuvenation time in my schedule moving forward.

Next Week

Tuesday: Recovery run, low heart-rate, of 60-70 minutes.

Thursday: Tempo Run, 13+ miles.

Saturday: 4 1/2 hours of easy-peasy running. That will make my last long run. I’ll start tapering down for the marathon in Dublin, Ohio on February 23, 2014.

Marathon Training: Week 9

With the temps in double digit minus and wind chills 2-3 times lower and with the roads iced over...I took an extra day off.

After the 3 hour run/cycle/stairmaster of the previous Saturday, January 4th, my workouts this week were:

Tuesday: Stationary bike for 40 minutes, leg extensions, upper body.

Thursday: 11 miles, 1:55:00. Hills and winds and icy roads.Blue-collar day best describes this run. It was a task, not a joy. I fought off the desire to go home and ‘do this another day’ for the first 30 minutes. I’m not sure where on that route I finally said Be quiet. You’ll get this done. Once that happened the run was...still blue collar. However, it was a quite blue-collar.

Saturday: 3:30:00 total with a combination of stationary bike, stairmaster (50 minutes) and treadmill. Felt good through nearly all of it. I was pleased to include 50 minutes on the treadmill and the pace was better than last week. At the end of it, I felt good and the endorphins and post-run ...euphoria’s too strong...how about clarity and happiness stayed until bedtime. That’s a good sign. I slept well and woke up happy and focused which is another good sign. Bad signs, signs I’m overdoing it, are when I don’t sleep well and wake up cranky.

Next week looks good for outdoor runs and walking. I’m planning on:

Monday: 5 miles total, 3 with hills.

Wednesday: Either a day on the stationary bike and weights or a long run say 13 miles.

Friday: Whatever I don't choose for Wednesday.

Sunday: Long run. 4 hours. Pavement and hills. Better eat my non-GMO Cheerios.

On the off days I'll walk 40 minutes, do some core.

With the added miles I need to cut back my twice a week weights to once a week.

Marathon Training: Week 8

Huddled inside with the furnace running (thankfully) and the winds roaring outside and the temps heading towards minus sixteen tonight I almost forgot to post this update.

* Monday: 45 minutes on the cycle, 10 dead lifts with, wait for it, 10 lbs on the bar and 20 leg extensions and the usual upper body circuit working lats, shoulders, chest and abs for 20 minutes. I work quick, speak to no one.

* Wednesday: New Year's Day. 1:50:00 run in the snow. Pace was slow for the snow and the slippery road and the uncertain drivers...(If you're driving a white truck in a white out where visibility is maybe 1/4 mile wouldn't you turn your lights on?)

* Friday: 40 minutes on the cycle, 20 minutes on the upper body. No dead lifts, 10 leg extensions.

* Saturday: Another weekend of back-to-back workouts due to the weather. 3 hours mixing cycling, stairmaster and treadmill.

February marathons are non-existent up here in the midwest. Florida has many. New Orleans and Greenville, MS are too soon, February 2 and 8. Cummins Falls Marathon looked great, February 22, until I read the course description and saw the elevation changes.  The winner finished in 3:13:00. I would be thrilled for that pace. But he's 35...and I'm not. He also lives and runs in the area. The author of the course description is 72 and he finished in 4:12. But he lives in the area, too. There is Dublin, OH. It's a one-mile loop course...26 times around and you have to keep track yourself. But it's flat. Hmmm. If I can handle 3 hours of boredom on a treadmill...

Marathon Training: Week 7

Good moments this week include:

• 9.6 mile run on Christmas Day. Rolling hills, paved roads and a sub-minute 10-minute per mile pace

• 3 Hour run yesterday.  Rolling hills, paved streets and the right heart rate 110-120.

• Back-to-back workouts. The schedule for this week was Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Sunday. But yesterday’s 50 degree temps and today’s wind-chill warnings of -35 (yes, that’s right an 85-degree temperature swing in 30 hours) required me to run long Saturday after an hour workout on Friday. I’m glad I did. Today’s winds are brutal and it’s nice to know back-to-backs are possible.

• Deadlifts. Friday, I tried my first deadlifts in over a year. I used the bar for 10 reps knowing I was running long over a hilly route (Pathetic, yes; but it's a start). I’ll add weights slowly, starting next week.

The plan this week is:

• Monday - 45-minutes on the bike, 130-140 BPM and 15-20 minutes in the weight room.
• Wednesday - An 11 to 12 mile run, hilly and on pavement for most of it.
• Friday - Easy run, 50 minutes, treadmill or a route with fewer hills.
• Sunday - 3:30:00 run. Pace as easy as yesterday’s.

Happy New Year.

Marathon Training: Week 6

Now, the miles and hours are piling up. Last week reminded me at this point I need to pay close attention to heart-rate goals on each run.

Monday: Feeling a little tired from last week’s 4+ hours at/above 140 BPM, I finished 30 easy minutes (120 BPM) on the bike and 20 minutes with weights.

Wednesday: 9.2 Miles on...gag...the treadmill. Pace was good for the first 3.5 miles. After that I slogged through the remaining 5.7. We got ‘er done.

Friday: I ran 4.1 miles on a hilly course (hills were .5 miles long) at 9.5 minute pace. Legs and heart rate felt good.

Sunday: I was scheduled for 3 hours of easy running. But, instead I spent two hours  shoveling the drive. My wife shoveled an hour and a half. We recovered with her delicious gumbo and bloody maries. Hey, neither man nor woman lives by whey protein and yeast flakes alone.

I’ll get 4-5 miles at 9.5 minute pace and weights in tomorrow.

I’ll do a 3+ hour run on Christmas morning. Weather permitting. The temps are expected to be in single digits, hopefully positive.

Have a Merry Christmas.