Saturday, December 25

All I want...







Day: 476, Calories: 0, P90X Back & Biceps


Log EntryDaily Note:
Merry Christmas. P90x was a total smoke out today. Upper body needs TLC after all the running.

Nutrition0 Calories

WorkoutP90X Back & Biceps
Status: Completed
Total butt whipping. Been over six weeks.

WorkoutP90X Ab Ripper
Status: Completed

Thursday, December 23

First 5K in 15 years

I did the Jingle Bell 5K last night. It was super fun. I like the night run with the party after. I got 60th place (top 6%) overall and 7 in age group with a 20:00 min time. That was my goal and is a PR (I think). I may have run a 5K faster in high school cross country, but I cannot remember.  I was never all that fast.  It was definitely my fastest 5K time as an adult.

I did pull my hamstring a little, but not too bad (see below).

Congrats at Shaheen and Coach Nick on kick butt PRs!

Here's the data:


5Ks are so different from Marathons. In fact, other than the fact that you are running, there is nothing in common.   Here are my initial thoughts about it:

Pace:  In the Marathon, you have to use your mind to deliberately control your pace in an effort to maintain energy levels.  In the 5K, it is basically as fast as you can sustain.  I think form plays a big role in the 5K, because if you can run clean and efficient, you can go a bit faster for the same oxygen consumption.  There were moments last night where I felt like things were aligned well for a few minutes and then it got sloppy again.  I need to learn how to stay in the groove better.

Fuel & Hydration:  In the marathon, you have to consume lots of carbs before and during the race to have enough fuel to finish.  In the 5K, you don't even think about it.  I did not even take water at the stop.  In fact, it is bad to eat before the race because of cramps.

Warm Up:  You do not need a warm up before the marathon because you can really just use the first mile as a warm up.  In the 5K, you really need to do 2ish miles accelerating up to 5K pace before to get warmed up to avoid injury.  I did this, but it was too early and I was cool by race time.  My hamstring pulled a bit in the first 100 yards because of this.  Next time I am gonna warm up right to the start.

Breathing:  In the marathon, you are no where near your VO2 limits.  In fact, you are at a very comfortable breathing level the whole way.  In the 5K, at least for me, this is the limiting factor.  I was at my VO2 redline most of the way.  It did seem controlled during the 2nd and 3rd miles and I was feeling super strong toward the finish.  For me to get faster in 5K, I need to do more speed work and push out my VO2 limits.  Breathing is such a mental block for me.  There is a point where I know my body has more, but I hold myself back due to heavy breathing.  This happened last night.

Fast Twitch vs. Slow Twitch:  I don't know a lot about this, but I know I have much more developed slow twitch muscles than fast twitch.  My 100 yd max speed is just over my 5K speed and should be much faster.  This is because I don't do much track work and have focused on the marathon.  Int he marathon, fast twitch do almost nothing for you, but they can really help in the 5K.

TL;DR:  5Ks can be a really great way to balance out your running journey and are a stark contrast to the marathon.

Tuesday, December 21

Blake Running Form in Vibrams

He sure looks great!

5K Speed Test Tomorrow

I am running the jingle bell 5K tomorrow night and will use it as a first speed test to dial in my 5K pace.  I am hoping to run a sub 20 min.  That will be sub 6:25s. 

Sounds fast to me.  We will see.

Monday, December 20

I'm back - Finally

I had my first strong run since the marathon today.  Put down a stack of sub 7:30s on an 8 mile tempo run.



I guess it just takes two full weeks to fully recover assuming you don't get injured.  The funny thing about marathons is that you have to do a two week taper before and then a light two weeks after.  So aside form the marathon itself, you do not have any really hard runs for about a month.  On top of that, you have the muscle fatigue and minor damage from the marathon that sets you back a bit.  The accumulation of the above factors feels like a 6 week set back.  That is a hard pill to swallow considering I accomplished something that is supposed to be an indicator of fitness.

The next six weeks are about rebuilding upper body strength and conditioning and preparing to PR in the 1/2 marathon. 

Next year, I will mentally prepare for this set back for the marathon and not let it surprise (and upset) me.

Sunday, December 12

Thoughts on Recovery

I have had a pretty slow recovery this past week from the Marathon.  Part of it is my hip has been "cranky".  My legs have been lethargic and heavy too.  I did a 4 mile run on Friday and things were really stiff.  Today (Sunday) I ran 6.8 and during the run, I felt rough too.

After the run today, I started feeling much better.  In fact, for some reason, my hip totally stopped hurting.

Did I run through it?  Is it behind me?  Should I have run more last week?  Who knows.

I am going to hit the track and hills this week and test the legs a bit more.  We will see if I am out of the woods.

Friday, December 10

Great Advice From Coach Nick Pre Marathon (Forgot to Post)

Well, so far the weather looks perfect. Upper 30’s at the start and upper 40’s at the finish. Wind is pretty moderate and humidity is low. Now just prepare for the different phases of the race. The first 10 miles you will want to go too fast so you need to run this part with your “head”. Stay with the pace group. It is easy to feel good here and try and bank 2 min but don’t do it. It will cost you 6 minutes in the end. Miles 10-20 these miles are run with you “legs”. You should feel comfortable with the pace and you will worry about the last 6 miles. Don’t think about those miles and just concentrate on comfortable getting to mile 20. All those tough hill runs will make this possible. Now the last 10K. no way to say it but this is hard. Your legs will tired that is what you need to be ready for. You mind will be tired of working so hard to keep you motivated. You need to run this section with your “heart”. I always have to run this one mile at a time and sometimes I even break it down by ½ miles. Count them down. Good luck to both of you and I hope you have a great day. Pain is temporary but glory last forever.

First Cruise - Saiders Run

We had Roger, Matt and Scott.  Everyone is signing up for the RnR 1/2.  We will keep meeting on Fridays.

This was a much needed recovery run for me. Hip is still a little tender, but manageable. I will run again on Sunday and try 9-10.


Wednesday, December 8

Stole this from Steve H's FB - be that person!





Day: 459, Calories: 400, P90X Shoulders & Arms


Log EntryDaily Note:
First recovery workout today. Upper body strong, core medium, legs still timid. My left hip is still tender, but not bad.

Nutrition400 Calories
1 X 6 egg whites | 100 cals
1 X 1/4 cup cantaloupe | 100 cals
½ X 2 english muffins | 100 cals
½ X 1 cup oatmeal | 100 cals

WorkoutP90X Shoulders & Arms
Status: Completed

WorkoutP90X Ab Ripper
Status: Completed

WorkoutOther (Use Note Field)
Status: Completed
10 min elliptical.

Sunday, December 5

2010 White Rock Marathon

What a day.  I think I ran the best race I could have at this point in my life.  Unfortunately, that did not include a Boston Qualifier (BQ).  I missed by 4 minutes.  That is the only bad news though.

A little background about Boston Qualification for non runners reading this:  For a 40 year old male (me) to run Boston Marathon, they have to run a sub 3:20:59 on a certified course within 18 months of the Boston marathon.  For me to hit that time, I need to run an average 7:38 minute per mile.

The biggest thing I learned today is the Marathon is largely about energy management.  You burn up too much up front, you wont have enough at the end.  If you don't go fast enough though, you will not make your time.  There is a lot to this.  It is important to fuel well before and during the race to keep glycogen stores in the blood and muscles topped off.  But even with the best fueling, only the most elite athletes can make it to the end of a Marathon with any reserves.  The story of my race today is about this struggle with energy management.  I learned a lot today.  We probably went out too fast early on and that left the tanks empty at the end.  It is hard to know if you go out slower if you will have the energy to make it up later though.  It is going to take me several more of these to get this figured out.

Here is a really cool graphical overview of my race.

The day went like this...

Dalton picked Blake and I up at at a chilly 6:30AM and we got Fair Park with just enough time to pee, bag check and get to the line.  We started strong (maybe too strong) with a stack of sub 7:30s and two sub 7:20s (except for the first mile).  Running through downtown was mostly downhill and exhilarating and it was very hard to keep speed in check.  Here are the first 5 mile splits

1    07:55:00
2    07:22:00
3    07:26:00
4    07:17:00
5    07:16:00

Coach Nick Polito warned us not to go out too fast and I think this may have hurt us later.  All through Mckinney and Turtle Creek, I would tap Dalton on the shoulder and give her a thumbs down signal to slow down and then we would speed back up.  It was just as much my fault.  There was one downhill just before Turtle creek where I really opened it up and probably hit a sub 6 pace for 300-400 yards.  We were just feeling great.

It was fun seeing Sheri, the boys and Mom and Dad at mile 6.  We were really confident and strong at that point.  Dalton and I ditched our sweatshirts here as we were definitely warmed up even thought he temperature was still under 40 and it was windy.

Around Mile 7 my hip started hurting and got progressively worse until about mile 12.  Around Mile 9 Dalton told me her hip hurt too and we chalked it up to sympathy pains.  I remember doing a body check at 13 and I could no longer feel it.  I am not sure if the endorphins were covering it up, or if it just said "OK, OK - I guess we are doing this.  I will just shut up now."

Miles 6-10 are pretty tough.  Lots of up and just a little down.  I felt strong, but was feeling my first signs of fatigue around 10.  Miles 6-10 were basically on BQ pace mostly because we were headed uphill:

6    07:34:00
7    07:33:00
8    07:46:00
9    07:41:00
10  07:29:00 

Miles 11-13 are mostly downhill to the lake.  Mile 11 was a quick 7:22  and then we slowed it a bit coming into the lake.  We turned on to Lawther and saw the familiar view of White Rock and the steep hill at Tee Pee Hill.  This is the first time I remember breaking pace deliberately and we took the hill slowly to keep the legs fresh.  At the top of the hill we both ducked into the porta potties for a 20 second "power pee".  Dalton was going so fast, I could hear her from next door.  Even with the stop, we had a 7:48 mile.

11    07:22:00
12    07:48:00
13    07:40:00

It was nice getting our only break from running and I took my third GU here and was down to one in reserve.  I was pretty much taking a GU every 3 miles and alternating water and Gatoraid at the water stations.  We did great cruising through the stations without slowing down.

Once we crested Tee Pee hill, the north wind hit us.  Dalton was wishing she had kept her sweatshirt and I was cooling off quick too. 

At the halfway point, I remember feeling pretty good and now that my hip was not hurting, my confidence level went up.  At this point, we had about 50 seconds in the bank and although I knew we would burn that on the Dolly Partons, I also was starting to feel like we had a real chance at BQ.

Around mile 14, the 3:20 pace group finally caught up to us.  I was a little bummed about this.  I was taking comfort up to here that as long as they were behind us we were safe.  We locked into their pace through 14-18:

14    07:39:00
15    07:43:00
16    07:24:00
17    07:28:00
18    07:32:00

The pace group was not all that steady considering we were on flat White Rock at this point.  The 7:24 at 16 was tough and this is where I started to get a little light headed.  I saw Sheri again at 16 at the Bathhouse.  She loaded me up with GU and a banana.  The banana was a nice break from the GU.

When I go long distance, I get a mix of endorphin relief and light headedness.  The combo makes me feel pretty drunk.  From 16-20, it was like a 3 beer buzz, but later it got more intense.

The whole way down the east side of the lake the wind was to our backs and the sun was shining.  I remember feeling great and the temperature being perfect.  I am not sure if I ever even broke a sweat.

The dam was at mile 20 and I started to get mentally fuzzier.  I stopped checking out the crowd and basically was focused on what was ahead.  At the Winstead/Gaston turn, I saw Wes Roemer and he asked how I was doing.  I told him I was a little light headed.  I was actually at about a 5 beer buzz at this point.

As we approached the Hooters water station just before 21, I remember looking for the 3:20 pace group and saw them up ahead about 150 yards.  I asked Dalton what she thought and she said she thought we were still just ahead of schedule.  I remember thinking, "Oh Crap, we are right on schedule about to hit the final hills.  Time to dig."

There is no nice way to put this.  The Dolly Parton hills are hell.  It is just relentless for over a mile between 21 and 22.  Look what it did to my pace up to 22:

19    07:34:00
20    07:49:00
21    07:53:00
22    08:07:00

For the first time, we were over 8 minutes.  I knew this would happen and our race plan called for making it up in the final four miles.

Dalton and I pride ourselves on our hill running skills and I think keeping it to an 8:07 today was respectable.

But...

With the hills behind us, I took my last GU, got my breathing stabilized said something encouraging to Dalton and then mentally told myself, "Dude, this is it.  Put the hammer down and lets get this."  So I literally gave it everything I had and felt like I was hauling butt only to look down at the GPS to see my pace still in the 8s.  So I played some more mind games.

- "This will be over in 30 minute"
- "Don't be a wuss"
- "Dalton is gonna beat you"
- "Why are you holding back"

So I really pushed on.  I was back in the 7s for a bit and looked around to discover I left Dalton.  I was a little worried about leaving her and then I heard her say, "Mike, Just Go For It."

I kept pushing for another couple minutes and then my 5 beer buzz went to about 10 and I started to get a little tunnel vision - Mostly just wavy lines on the periphery.

I felt like I was really moving along just to see 8:30s on the watch.  "Come on Mike.  Almost there.  Push."  It is a weird feeling when your brain is telling your legs to do something and they just say NO.

The amazing thing is I was not in any pain and there were no cramps.  I was just plain old out of gas.

Mile 23-25 were a real battle and the fade here is where I lost the BQ:

23    08:08:00
24    08:06:00
25    08:35:00


Dalton caught me at the beginning of Mile 26.  I already knew I missed the BQ.  I think she thought there was some way to still get it and she was kicking.  She was really encouraging me and I love her for it.  It killed me to say "This is all I got D. Go On!"  I was glad to see her pick up the pace and get about 50-60 yards ahead at the finish.  She got me by 18 seconds.

The last mile was a total blur.  I know there were thousands of cheering fans and it was fun passing the hordes of 1/2 marathoners.  I cannot imagine running a 1/2 marathon for 3+ hours.

As I came into fair park, I really tried to pick it up, but again, I was at max throttle around 8:50 at this point.  And that is how I finished:

26    08:40:00
27    08:50:00

My final time was right at 3:25.  Dalton's and my GPS said we went 26.46 Miles.  I am wondering if the course was a bit long.  It did not matter though.  I was four minutes off pace.  That would have gotten me to about 1 minute off pace, but not quite there.

I was a bit emotional at the finish for many reasons:
- I finished a marthon at 40 years old, after a heart attack and loosing 100 pounds last year.
- I beat my previous record I set in 1995 in Austin at a much faster course when I was 25 yrs old by 8 minutes.
- I feel like I ran the best race I could today and left nothing on the course.
- I know now that I can and will qualify for Boston.  It just may take one or two more tries.
- Last year, I ran the 1/2 marathon in 2 hours and it kicked my butt. Our 1/2 marathon time in the marathon today  was 1:39!

I am so proud of Dalton for crushing her previous best of 3:32 with an 7 minute PR.  She ran a wonderful race and was a god send to have at my side.  Thanks D!

I wanted to keep this post specifically about the race, but I will add one little side note.  If you have never run and wonder why we do it, I can't speak for everyone, but for me it is very simple:

I marathon because it shows me that there is still possibility and triumph in life.

Thursday, December 2

Three Days Out!

Let's see.  I feel rested, but I am a bit restless from not working out although I am sleeping pretty well. 

My hip seems mostly cleared up but I have not run on it yet.

I think I will do a short 2 mile run tomorrow morning.

I am starting loading tomorrow AM.

Dalton picks me and Blake up at 6:45 and we will drive down together.

It is nice having the blog to voice thoughts about this thing that is a really big deal to me, but not really to anyone else.  ;)