Category: Running

October Goals Report

Running
I have to run 83 miles a month to reach my goal of 1000 miles for the year. In the month of October I ran 93 miles. I made up 10 of the miles that I was behind this month. I am still about 12 miles behind for the year, but that should easily be made up. I ran 16 days this month which works out to running every other day.

I did this thing called a marathon. That was a first time event for me. Believe it or not, that is the reason I got behind on my goal. I had stuck to a training plan that did not pad in any extra miles. If I missed a run one week it put me behind. Of course there were the 30+ mile weeks which helped make up the losses.

The longest break I took this month was a stretch of 3 days. It was good to take that time off. This came shortly after the marathon. I began to have some sharp foot pain 2 days after the race. I believe I have a stress fracture in one of the bones along the right side of my right foot. I had been on my feet a lot leading up to and a week after my race. I began to take a high dosage of anti-inflammatory medicine and calcium (as per my personal nurse’s instructions). Those 3 non-running days were also travel days. I was able to stay off my feet completely. I did not experience any of the sharp pain shortly after that time off my feet. I did a hard run though and felt a twinge and the pain instantly returned. I have been nursing it the last week and have been able to keep the pain at bay. Running motion does not seem to hurt the foot, but walking does.

Reading
I had fallen way behind in my reading. Since this is a month to month goal, I have not let it bother me that I missed the goal of 800 pages in the past. I know that each month I get to start with a clean slate.

I again missed the goal, but was much closer this time around. I read 748 pages in the month of October. Most of the reading was done early in the month. I actually have read a bit more than that, but one of the books I am currently reading is in the car. So I am not able to get an accurate page count. I am only about 20 pages into it. I will put that onto next month’s count.

I read Dean Karnazes’ 50/50 and Joe Kurmaskie’s Metal Cowboy. Those were both fun and easy to read books. I am reading a Hardy Boys book too. I read a book called Hostage about the 3 New Tribes Mission’s missionaries who were taken by Colombian Guerrillas in the 90s. It was everything I dislike about an autobiography. It was written by one of the wives. Content was great, but I did not like the presentation. I am also reading J Vernon McGee’s commentary on the book of Revelation. <sarcasm>Now there’s some easy reading</sarcasm>.

Just 2 months to go to finish up the year. I am very pleased with being able to keep up with the goals. Previously I had never tried to push myself on reading. I just read when I felt inspired to do so. Having a goal has kept me reading consistently. The fact that I have missed my goal at least lets me know that I have at least been working toward it.

Marathon Week

Week 16
Tuesday
I planned a short 2 mile run. I got lost and it ended up as a 4 mile run. Ran through Greenfield, Indiana.

Thursday
I got an Amphipod belt to hold my gels. I had planned to make my final run on Friday, but felt I needed to test out the new equipment. The run really was just 2 miles this time. No getting lost.

Friday
I did not do a run, but went out for a late evening walk with my son. We walked by the old fashioned soda shop, but could not pull together enough change between us to get a fancy float. Maybe before we leave we will find enough change to get a sundae or a float.

Both Thursday and Friday I went to bed early. I got good sleep on Thursday night, but Friday night was typical in that I looked at my watch every 15 minutes to see if it was time to get up. That started about 3:00 in the morning on Saturday.

Saturday: Indianapolis Marathon Day

Pre-race
I got to the race start early enough to drop off my backpack which held my extra clothes and shoes. Since this was my first big race, I was a bit unprepared for the number of people there. I knew there were going to be about 6000 runners for the full and half marathons combined. But then there were the thousands of spectators hanging around the start. It was pretty exciting.

I got to my pace group of 10:00 minutes per mile. When we finally got started it took about 4 minutes to get across the starting line. Since we had timing chips, there was no real hurry to get moving.

Early Miles
Because we were in pace groups, there was not too much congestion at the start. Of course there was some, but I have dealt with more traffic in a 200 person 5K. Things moved very smoothly through the first mile. Somewhere around 3 things thinned out some. But there were some places on the course that were narrow and we bunched up again.

I planned a run/walk program for the race. I was going to run a mile and walk a minute. When the first mile marker came along, I felt awkward pulling over to the side and walking. I kept my pace up during my walk breaks and really did not lose too many places. I missed my walk break at mile 4. I just did not see the sign.

Miles 1-6 averaged 9:56 per mile.

End of First Half
I was pretty cold through the whole race. The temperature was 46 at race start and 55 at the end. I was wearing 3 shirts with the top one being a long sleeve that I did not want to toss (I originally had a sweatshirt on top of everything, but ditched it at the beginning of the race). My gloves were off and on several times throughout the race. Finally by mile 11 I pulled my long sleeve shirt off and tied it at my waist. I was still pretty cold and a few times considered putting it back on.

The half marathoners turned off at mile 12 and the crowd thinned out significantly. I finished the first half of the marathon in 2:11:16. That is a half marathon PR by 5 minutes.

Miles 7-13 averaged 9:58.

Beginning of Second Half
I just cruised through the first half knowing that I needed to stay on my plan and not try to go too fast. I was running faster than planned, but I felt very good and did not feel like I was pushing things too much. My calves tightened a bit around mile 16, but did not get any worse until mile 21.

Miles 17 to 21 were not as scenic as the rest of the race. It was still nice, but the whole race is, with the exception of some early miles, run through a park and greenways. It was a very beautiful course. I would like to go back and get some pictures before we leave the area.

My family met me just before mile 21. My brother and his family along with my wife and kids were there with signs. It was a pleasent surprise to see the signs. I hated that I did not take the time to talk much with them, but my race was going very well at that point and I was just getting the feeling that I might be able to break 4:30 if I kept the momentum going. I dropped off my long sleeved shirt and all my gels. I forgot that I still needed one more gel to finish out the course.

Miles 14 to 21 were at 10:15 pace.

Final miles
Mentally 21 to 24 were very hard miles. I did not want to push myself to the point of not having fun, but I also knew that I could maintain 11 minute miles and still finish in under 4:30. I finally left my gloves at the 24 mile mark. I was warm enough to think I would not need them any more.

Mile 25 was when my legs started getting stiff. I never got into cramping, but I was getting close. I took a bit more time to walk than I wanted. Mile 26 was also a hard mile. I just ran when I could and walked a bit more. When I hit the 26 mile mark I knew I could coast the rest of the way in, but I already knew that a 4:30 finish was not possible. I just took it easy and was able to smile through the finish line.

Miles 22 through finish were at 11:21. Maybe that final gel would have helped. I don’t really know.

Final time was 4:32:10 with a 10:22 pace.

Finish
I was met at the line by my family. They packed a picnic lunch and we sat on the ground and ate our meal. I had a meal provided by the marathon, but was really not too hungry.

At mile 18 I got a pleasant surprise. One of my college friends, and former supporting pastors, called my name. He has a unique voice, and though I never really saw him, I knew who it was. We heard his name called as he crossed the finish line and went over to meet him. His wife and family joined our mob and then we got another surprise. A mutual friend from college heard his name as well and came to see him. The third friend finished in just under 4:00:00, which was a first for him. We ended up with a group of about 8 alumni gathered shivering and congratulating one another. It was a really fun surprise.

Post race
I was pretty sore in my calves, but agreed to go run around in a corn maze with the family. It was probably the smartest thing I had done all day. As I write this all the tightness in my calves are gone. We will see if I can still walk tomorrow. But other than being tired, I don’t have any soreness.

Pre Marathon Thoughts

I have been asked many times what goals I have for tomorrow’s race. Some people have a specific time they are striving to achieve. Others are just trying to finish. My goal for tomorrow is a bit different.

I really don’t have a time goal, though I expect to finish between 4:30 and 5:00 hours. I have trained with the 4:45 time in mind.

And my goal is not just about finishing. I feel well trained without being overtrained. I have completed two runs of 20 miles as well as many long runs leading up to that. I have no thoughts that the distance is unattainable. My body is prepared and very healthy. Mentally I am ready. I have teased about being nervous, but really am not. I am totally confident about being able to cover the distance.

So what is my goal for tomorrow?

To totally enjoy my first marathon. I am not trying to race it. I have no plans to hurt my body in getting across the line in a fast time. But, if I do get through faster than anticipated, or even slower, I plan to have fun with the experience.

I realize that I can never run a 5K race and have it be my first one again. Also, I will probably never go to a 5K and just jog around the course for the experience. I will always be chasing a number. Always trying to beat my previous time.

I have a chance to do something tomorrow on that course that I will never be able to do again. This one is all about the experience.

Shirt: I will be wearing an ASD Athletes shirt for the race.

Week 16

Week 15
Monday
Supposed to be 2 easy miles. I biked 14.1 instead.

Wednesday
The 5 mile tempo run that was scheduled that day was a 5 km. fast easy run. Was not near tempo pace, but it was much faster than my long runs. I also ran Thursday for 2.6 miles.

Saturday long run did not quite make it into the long run category. I was supposed to do 8 miles. I started the day with a killer 3.14 mile hill workout. If it was not such a hard run, I might have actually enjoyed the scenery. Beautiful fall colors in Virginia near the Shenandoah National Park.

After driving a few hours to our next stop we spent 5 hours at a church for its missions conference which included an international banquet and a church service. The family we stayed with happened to be home to a certifiable running nut. We talked about how much we liked running and training. We ended up talking ourselves into a 4 mile run at 10:00 at night. Hills again for the second time in one day.

Week 16
I have to admit to leaving my training plan at home on this trip. It was an oversight. But the runs are supposed to be something like 2 miles on Monday, 6 miles moderate on Wednesday and 2 miles on Friday. Then the week ends with a marathon on Saturday. I think I can remember that without the training plan in front of me.

The way the week will play out is that I ran on Tuesday for 4 miles. I plan to run again on Thursday for just a mile or 2. I need to test out an idea. Then on Friday I will run just 2 real simple miles.

Review: 50/50

50/50: Secrets I learned while running 50 marathons in 50 days, Dean Karnazes’ second book about running that I have read. The first one was Ultramarathon Man which was basically race reports strung together to give a history of his running life. 50/50, while different from the first in many ways, still has the same passion of someone telling a story, yet teaching lessons as he goes along.

The first couple of chapters are narratives about how the idea of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days came about and how the first few races went. Scattered in the narrative are tips and tricks he learned in his running career that a new runner could benefit from. A few chapters into the book the amount of narrative and teaching switch roles. He begins to spend much more time talking about running and preparing yourself for your first marathon than telling details of each marathon run during the event.

The style of the work is exactly what I like in a book. The chapters are short. He focuses on one main theme for each chapter. He relates the events in an enjoyable, east-to-read, style. And since I love biographies and non-fiction of just about any kind, the interweaving of race reports with training guide is exactly what appeals to me.

Whatever you think about Dean and his shameless self promotion, you have to admit that there are many more people enjoying the sport of running because of Dean Karnazes. I was a runner before I ever heard of Karno, but the idea of pushing towards running my first marathon, and hopefully many ultras in the future, can be traced back to Ultramarathon Man.

I highly recommend this book for newer runners and marathoners. While more experienced runners may enjoy the story behind the 50/50 event, I don’t know if they will get as much out of the book as a newer runner will.

I will add the same disclaimer to this as I did on Ultramarathon Man: there is some profanity in the book which is unnecessary and dissappointing Therefore I caution readers about buying it for younger runners.

I want to thank Steve at Run Bulldog Run for having the drawing in which I won the book. Also I thank the publisher for overnighting a copy of the book to me the day they learned my first copy was lost in the mail.