A week off

This week was deer season. This is a week where running fades from the brain. Eating and drinking just about fade from the brain for that matter. I ran about 16 last Sunday which includes about 3 miles of running through the woods looking for deer. A new perk I have from being able to run. I can run through the woods and cover miles of terrain to see where the game is hanging out at. Most of the time, they will stand there long enough to see what in the world is running through the woods. I hunted quite hard till Wednesday at noon when I was able to get this nice 8pt!
I'm preparing for the Mistletoe Run for Youth in Winston Salem NC on Dec. 1st. I'm going to go all out on this one. I haven't run a half for 2 years now. Back then 13.1 miles was a new distance for me. I still respect this distance but I am going to try and push myself to a new limit. I may have made a mistake by taking this week off. I feel kinda fat and sluggish. I was able to squeeze in one mile today and that's all. With the rain coming, it may be hard for me to get in a quality run till about Wednesday so that is worrying me a little as well. I will try to run in the rain but I'll have to see how bad it is. My best pace for a half is 7:55/mile. I will be trying for at least a 7:50/mile. I'd like to get a time of 1:40 for the race. I think most of my family will be there to watch as well. My cousin's husband is running this. It was his idea. He is a fairly new long distance runner and is doing great. I can't wait to do this one.

Lessons Learned from MCM 2007

If you're just now tuning in for my Marine Corp Marathon posting please see the posting below this one.

Let's see what did I learn from marathon number 3?

Things I learned in general.

1. Figure out someway to not have to "go" during the race! Bathroom breaks and water stops destroy my time!

2. I need to find someway to fight off cramps late in the race. I don't know if this means having someone meet me with a gatorade or what? Should I look into salt tablets?

3. Carrying your own fluids and food is a good idea especially for the first part of the race. It would actually be good to have someone restock your pack about half way through because stopping at water stations in the last half of a race can tend to slow you way down since it is hard to restart. Next time I may try stopping at a station and refilling my gatorade bottle with gatorade and my water with water although I think that would really really slow me down.

4. I really like sport beans and they do boost your energy some.

5. Wearing your name or something recognizable on your shirt like "Hokies" gives the fans something to cheer for and gives you a boost as well.

Things specific to the MCM

1. MCM is fairly crowded. Don't look to run a personal record (pr) here unless you've really trained hard for it.

2. Be prepared for quite a walk getting to and from this marathon.

3. If you are going to have someone meet you during the race. You'll just about have to map out the exact spot because the crowds are tremendous and it is nearly impossible to find someone even within a certain block.

4. Miles 18-21 and 23-26.2 are hard. There's not much crowd support and/or it's a lot of uphill.

5. I will do MCM again! But not next year. It is a great time.

The 2007 Marine Corp Marathon

A week without running

This week I resolved not to run at all. I biked to work one day. I went on a 56 mile ride with KA on the new river trail which was great. I went on an intense bike ride this morning for an hour. Later in the day I went on a hike in the woods and I ran a little bit. The knee felt fine. I'm going to try running a mile tomorrow if nothing seems to hurt. I hope I can get back in the saddle again and get some runs in before the MCM. I have to ease into this and not overdo it. Thank goodness for the bike. I am really starting to realize that it complements running very well. Running tends to emphasize the back of your legs while biking emphasizes the front. If you only work the back of your legs, tension can actually build up in your legs when the back muscles outgrow the front muscles. Biking helps and I want to make it a routine.

Taking a big chance

Well with 3 weeks to go to the marathon, you typically run your last long run. My IT band hurts when I run on it. If I don't run for a couple days it sort of feels better. With three weeks to go and 3 20+ mile runs behind me I ran another 20 miler today. My leg hurt every step of the way. I took an ibuprofen before I left and two more during the run. They seemed to help some. Had it not been for my knee hurting, I think it would have been my easiest 20 miler ever. I ran it in 3:21 which counts all the stops I made. I think this is the faster I've ever run 20 miles in training. I had recorded a 3:08 on one of my earlier runs but I had not included stops. I hope I didn't completely mess up my knee today. The pain was subdued after the run with a hot bath. I would rate the pain as about a 6 when the run ended. Well I got through it, mentally I know that even if my knee hurts I can make it through MCM.

3 weeks till the marathon and I can't run!

After the 21 miler at Pipestem. I had one day of rest and then decided to do an easy run with a couple of the guys at work. It was my idea to run a trail near work that's only 1.75 miles but is tough. The first mile is basically up a rocky creek, and then the rest is flat to straight down a very steep hill. When I got back to work, I noticed my IT band in my left leg was aching. I took a day off and tried a tempo run on Wedensday, about 2 miles into it, the IT band started really acting up. By the time I got back to the office the pain was evident and here to stay.

I guess I'm going to have to resort to rest and some cycling! I'm trying not to panic or get depressed but it is tough with only about 3 weeks to go to the MCM.

I now have my official bib number for the MCM, it is 9394. You can actually get real-time updates on my progress throughout the race by registering at http://www.marinemarathon.com/Results/remote_runner_tracking.htm

Unfortunately, you have to create an account to do this but you will get split times and finish information instantly on a pager, text messaging number or e-mail. This free service is a great way for spectators to cheer for their runner (or runners) and be there to meet them for the celebration at the finish line. Live split locations will be at the 5mile, 10 mile, 13.1 mile, 15 mile, 20 mile, 23.5 mile and the finish points.

I'm going to create an account just so I will have emails of my own split times for posterity. The marathon starts at 8am and there are several "corrals" that runners will line up in based on their expected finish time. I'm going to be in the 4th one back which is for the 3:40 to 3:59 finish time. Audrey and I will be staying near the Dunn-Loring Metro stop which is about 8 miles from the start line. We'll get on the metro around 5:30am and head to the start which is in Arlington near the Pentagon Station Metro.
The website describes the course as "Similar to 2006, the 2007 USATF certified course starts in Arlington, VA, and winds its way through Rosslyn along Lee Highway before turning on Spout Run and the George Washington Parkway. Runners will experience a climb on Lee Highway in the first few miles of the new course, but are rewarded with a descent along Spout Run and the parkway. After crossing the Key Bridge into Georgetown, runners will be on familiar territory through the District of Columbia. The course passes the Kennedy Center before entering the National Mall and numerous monuments, memorials and landmarks, such as, the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veteran's memorials, Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. The marathon once again returns to Hains Point and "the Awakening" (see below) in East Potomac Park before passing the Jefferson Memorial. After crossing the 14th Street Bridge back to Virginia, runners will venture to Crystal City, return past the Pentagon and finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It is truly a beautiful course and aptly nicknamed "The Marathon of the Monuments.""

"The Awakening" is a 100-foot statue of a giant embedded in the earth, struggling to free himself. It was created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. and installed at Hains Point (East Potomac Park), Washington, D.C. in 1980 for the International Sculpture Conference Exhibition. It proved so popular, however, that 27 years after the event it still remains, even though the National Park Service admits that the "temporary permit" has long since expired.

The statue consists of five separate pieces buried in the ground, giving the impression of a panicked giant trying to pull himself to the surface. The left hand and right foot barely protrude, while the bent left leg and knee jut into the air. The 17-foot right arm and hand climb above the observer while the bearded face, with the mouth in mid-scream, struggles to emerge from the surrounding earth.

I have three long runs down now and plan to do 5 all together before the marathon. So I have two more weeks of fairly intense training followed by three weeks of taper. I can't wait.

Touring Pipestem Park 3 Times (21.6 miles)

We camped at Pipestem State Park this past weekend so I ran from the campground to the lodge then down to true road, out onto route 20 and back into the park at the main entrance. I did this 3 times. This was my 4th long run in about 4 weeks and my body is really starting to adapt. This was my slowest run yet at about a 10:30 pace but the terrain here is very hilly. I felt good when I finished with only moderate calf pain. I recovered quickly and by the next day was feeling almost normal.

It really, really helps, when I eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water during these long runs. For this run I woke up then had an Oat and Honey granola bar before the run (220 calories) a GU pack w/ caffeine (100) calories. Then during the run I had 4 GU packs (100 calories each) and another Oat and Honey Granola bar about mid way. So all together I ate about 1000 calories during the run. I speculate that I burned about 130 calories per mile so I probably burned about 2800 calories. For the marathon, I am going to have to eat even more. I drank 0.5 Liter of water throughout 5 miles so I drank 2 Liters of water during the run (4 bottles). This all worked out very good. My time was something like 3:47 minutes. I've received my bib number for the MCM but more about that in a later blog.

20 Miles in the rain

The weekend of the 14th, we camped at Sherwood Lake near Neola, WV. It was a great weekend. It rained Friday, but was beautiful and chilly the rest of the weekend. I ran on Friday before the girls got there so as to not interfere with our weekend activities. I pulled the camper up and did some initial setup then on with the running clothes and out the door. I would run 10 miles downhill away from the lake and then turn around and run back uphill for 10 miles. The Garmin would later tell me that it was a 700ft drop down and a 700ft rise back up or a 1.3% average grade.

Just as I hit start on the Garmin the rain started falling lightly. I said "Oh well" and went on. This would be a great place for a couple buddies to run as there is very little traffic on this paved two lane road through the national forest. By yourself, in the rain, it can get lonely. Thank goodness I had the ipod cranking along. At mile 5 the rain increased in intensity, I pressed on and the rain kept slowly cranking up in intensity. I was placing waters and GU packs along the route to eat on the way back. I've found I need to eat about every 45 minutes at least 100 calories maybe more. I need about 0.5 Liters of water every 5 miles, depending on the temperature.

I had turned around at mile 10 and was starting the climb. The rain had intensified even more and by mile 12 I looked to the clouds and said out loud "Is this the best you can do?". Thank goodness it wasn't lightning or I wouldn't have said that. I wasn't taunting God, I was more so taunting the rain itself. I know better than to taunt God in that situation. I guess you could say I was feeling sassy.

I was feeling good till about mile 18 when the terrain got very hilly. I hung in there till my Garmin said 20.00 in the campground and I stopped. It was a good run. If you were to ask me "What did you think about for those 3 hours and 22 minutes of running?" I really can't say anything specific. It is weird. I thought about my pace, the next water bottle or piece of food, the song that was playing, and how my body felt. It's amazing but your mind sort of goes blank in this state almost like it is refreshing itself. Simple math is hard to do, thank goodness for the Garmin! The next day (Saturday) we had some of the family up for a cookout. Note all the jackets!



Dad and I did a trail run around the lake of 3.7 miles on Saturday. As you can see in the picture below I think I wore him down a little with that one!