Rules?

My marathon training plan has me running a total of 562 miles. There are four weeks until race day and I've just crossed the 80% mark in terms of completed mileage.  I may still be a novice, but I've learned a few lessons along my 452 completed training miles:

Rule #1: There is no shortcut in the training plan for a marathon.

The miles simply need to be run. This rule is sometimes in conflict with Rule #9.  Oh well.

                                 

Rule #2: Running in 50° weather is much more enjoyable than running when it is -20° outside. I’d elaborate on this rule, but if you live in Vermont, you need no further proof.

Rule #3: Bloody nipples hurt, and should be avoided. As an added bonus, the shower afterwards hurts more!  Avoid the problem, because you can’t escape the need to shower after a long run.

Add caption

A bloody Mary is

more appealing to see

than a picture of

my bloody nipples!

Rule #4: Hills are somewhat easier and more palatable to me than they used to be, but headwinds still suck.

I debated the use of the slang word “suck”, but in the end, it is the most fitting term allowable on a G-rated posting. 

Rule #5: Take nutrition on board before you think you need it. If you wait, it's too late. The same logic applies to fluids as well. Although there is something to be said for the hallucinations that accompany hypoglycemia.

They make for interesting conversation with imaginary running partners.

Rule #6: When you've completed long mileage on the Burlington Waterfront, and you're amazed that the girls are still smiling at you... Remember, they're only smiling because you have chocolate Gu smeared on your face (and probably on your shirt too). 

There is just no easy way to finesse the Gu out of the packet without making a mess!   

Rule #7: Age 48 is not the optimal time to begin marathon training. I can now complete 20 miles, but I can't touch my toes.

Rule #8: The comedian Steven Wright says that "everywhere is walking distance, if you have the time."  The

same rule applies to running. No distance is too far.  

Of course I should wait until I complete my 26.2 miles before saying this too loudly.

Rule #9: Running is supposed to be fun. 

If it isn’t fun, you’re doing something wrong.

Rule #10: Miles go faster when you have a running partner.  After all, whining about pain and exhaustion is no fun without someone to hear you! 

Of course, all of these rules may be wrong… I am still a rookie after all!

And by the way, for those who have been reading my blog since my first one- I’ve been practicing (far from other people) and I'm finally getting pretty good at the "snot rocket!"

Until next week,

Greg

20 miles (or is it milestone?)

Saturday:

I'm heading out for my first 20 mile run tomorrow. I'll admit that I'm a little bit apprehensive about it. It strikes me as funny that when you run the full marathon you have a plethora of people to help you along the way, but when you do 6 miles less, well, you're on your own. No aid stations, no cheering crowds, no water stops, no several thousand other runners panting along with you.  When I ran 18 two weeks ago, I was pretty tired at the end. I couldn't have possibly done an additional two miles. I'm hoping that this was due to my not taking on enough nutrition along the way. So, I'll be sure to handle that differently tomorrow. My legs feel good. I've had a few days off. My plan is to run the actual VCM course, minus the beltline (highway) portion. It'll be a good way to work off some of my pre-race butterflies. I'm also looking forward to also running Battery Hill.  I do most of my runs on pretty hilly terrain in my hometown, so I think Battery Hill shouldn't pose a problem, but there is a mystique surrounding this particular hill. We shall see!  I'll let you know how it goes...

Sunday:

Well, I finished the 20 mile run.  

It was a bit of a good news/bad news situation.  I met Paige (the other VCM Rookie Blogger) for a Rookie Run and off we went.  It was probably the most perfect weather for a run- cold enough in the beginning to be considered chilly, but warming as the day progressed into a glorious bluebird day.  The first few miles flew by with ease.  Since we cut six miles off the marathon route by skipping the beltline portion, we hit the infamous Battery Hill at mile 9.  I'm happy to report that it was completely manageable.  Things may be different when the hill occurs at mile 14 on marathon day, but I’m sure that the Taiko Drummers will help motivate me!   Miles 9 to 13 passed without much incident.  We did make one wrong turn, and as a result missed running through one of the north end neighborhoods (a mistake that I don’t think will be reproducible when there are several thousand other runners and course volunteers nearby).  It was at mile 13.5 that Paige and I parted ways for the day.  My pace was probably never equal to hers, but she was nice enough to slow down for me.  But now that my pace was really starting to slow, I told her to run ahead and not wait for me. 

I didn't start to feel my knees complaining until somewhere around mile 14.   I was getting pretty tired by the time I hit mile 16, but I managed to keep running with some very brief walks inserted.  By mile 18, knowing that there were only two mile remaining, I was able to run all the way to the Waterfront Park finish line without stopping,  I know that there is a theory of “race day magic”,  I’m hoping that this magic is enough to carry me through miles 20-26 on race day.   I’m imagining that these miles will be quite a struggle.  I guess time will tell.  It’s only five weeks until marathon day and I have one more 20 mile run planned before I begin my taper.

George Mallory, the famous British climber, when asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest is quoted as saying “because it is there.”  My Dad always thought that he should have said something more prophetic, like “I climb because it makes beer taste even better.”  I enjoy the convenience and necessity of energy packs like Gu, but with that said, the best news of the day was that, after running 20 miles, I got to enjoy a completely guilt free stop in at Al’s French Fries for a cheeseburger, french fries, and a soda.  Perhaps this is the best part of running long mileage (and the beer doesn’t taste too bad either)!

Who Knew?

I was caught off-guard by a few running-related maladies when I first started running longer mileages last year. I’d like to discuss a particular one of the many medical maladies related to running…

And so we begin-

It was inevitable, of course, that I would eventually get caught running long mileage in the rain.  I suspect that it was even predictable that I would, at some point, get caught running long mileage in cold weather.  However, the part that I hadn't counted on, was the fact that these worlds would collide and that I would ultimately get caught running long mileage during a rain storm in cold weather.  It was, in fact, during last autumn's first cold weather rain storm when I discovered my first running related malady.  I speak, of course, of the dreaded Hemo-papillum, or bloody nipples (by the way, I made up that scientific name).  Ironically, I think “bloody nipple” sounds more like a late-night shot of liquor than a painful running injury, but alas, no.  While out on this aforementioned run, I knew that something was wrong but just figured that I was getting chaffed.  Little did I know that, upon removal of my outer layer, I would see a blood striped shirt underneath.  The shock was startling, but the shower, Holy Cow!  Now, I am a man, and I can only imagine the pain of childbirth, but I must believe that the pain I felt when the shower water hit my chest is similar to that of childbirth (in an effort to avoid hundreds of mothers yelling at me, I’ll admit that this comment may be an exaggeration).  I’m not afraid to admit that I screamed like a little child!  Well, as the expression goes, this too shall pass.  I didn't give much thought to this problem again until about two weeks ago.  I was out for a weekend long-run in cold, windy weather, and… well, you can probably guess the rest.  

                                           I was going to insert a bloody nipple pic here,

                                           But figured you would prefer seeing my backyard.

I happened to find a suggestion on the internet for a possible solution to this problem.  It turns out that my old blister control friend for hiking-Moleskin, when cut into nipple sized circular sections, can prevent the problem.  Well, I gave this possible cure a try on last week’s 18 mile run…  It solved the problem, but I discovered two side-effects of this technique. First, as I was heading out the door of my school with the moleskin applied, my colleagues told me that the patches (or pasties, in their words) were very much visible through my tech shirt (Wonder if VCM knew this when they designed the “VCM in-training” shirt?).  Secondly, as you may know, moleskin adheres very well… perhaps too well!  As a result, I needed to wear the patches for the next several days while I waited for the adhesive to eventually wear out.  The good news is that, yes, it worked!  But I don’t think that I’ll employ this technique on short runs, or even most runs, but long, cold, wet runs… absolutely!

On a more VCM training related note.  I participated in the first wave of the Unplugged half marathon on Saturday.   The temperature was a bit on the cold side, and it was pretty windy, but I had a great run (and my pasties worked well too!).

 I really enjoyed the race, but felt more enjoyment about having a cut-back week in my mileage.  My legs had been feeling constantly tired and they really needed a break.  Now I feel as though I’m more prepared to step into my longest three weeks of training.  I have the first of two 20 mile runs planned this coming weekend.  I’m sure that I’ll have a lot to report to you about that experience!

Until next week,

Greg

OMG, Am I Really A Morning Person?

OMG, am I really a morning person?

I read a quote this week that seems pertinent for this week’s blog- “I dare you to train for a marathon and not have it change your life.”  Susan Sidoriak

In my last blog, I whined a bit about Mother Nature and her inappropriate sense of humor.  This past Friday, ahhhh, remember this past Friday… Mother Nature finally relented and allowed spring weather to make an appearance.  I only had a half day of work, and had plans to go skiing with some friends at noon.  I had been offered a free ticket to ski Stowe.  What could have been better than a half day of work, followed by a free day of skiing, followed by a few adult beverages shared among friends?  Well, as it turned out, and much to my astonishment,  I cancelled my plans to ski.  I had to.  I simply had to.  There was no choice.  The sun was shining, it was 60° outside, and I was due for my first 18 mile training run.  Sure, I could have waited and completed my long-run over the weekend, but winter was scheduled to return, and I just couldn’t bear the thought.  The other great part of the day was that, since I was already in Burlington, I could run on the flat, traffic-free bike path.  I parked at Leddy Arena and ran six miles south to Red Rocks Park.  I then turned and headed north back beyond Leddy, over the Winooski river bridge (mile 14.5) and into the neighborhoods of Colchester before returning to my car.  It was right around mile 15 when I really started to feel fatigue setting in.  My longest previous run was 16, so I knew I was beginning to push my physical boundaries.  By mile 16, I was needing to insert some occasional walking into my run.  The last mile wasn’t easy, but the promise of completing 18, sitting down, and getting more fuel on board made my legs continue to move.  I was extremely happy to complete the 18 miles and was so glad that I didn’t have to go any further (I’m not sure that I could have).  Lesson learned: one Gu pack and a few “Sport Beans” are not enough nutrition for this length of a run.  This coming week is a cut-back week for my training.  I’ll be running in the Unplugged half-marathon on Saturday.  I never thought I’d see the day where a 13.1 mile run would feel like an “easy day”!  I’m really looking forward to seeing what my ½ marathon time looks like at this point, so that I can get a more accurate prediction of my full marathon pace.

“I dare you to train for a marathon and not have it change your life.”

I hate to admit that I’ve become a morning person, but I almost always run very early in the morning.  This is mostly due to my inability to sleep in, and I still very much need that first cup of coffee to get me going, but I digress.  I’m usually awake and out of the house by 5:00 AM for my run.  I get my mileage done before most people, including my wife and daughter, are out of their beds.  What’s neat about this is that I’ve taken care of myself and have a level of personal satisfaction instilled in me before the “real” day officially begins.  There is something to be said about arriving for work and having five or eight miles already completed.  This same satisfaction extends to my weekend runs as well.  Now that the days are getting longer, I could run after work, but then I’d feel as though I were missing out on family time, or time to do other household chores.  I’m not meaning to pat myself on the back, but it is just a great feeling to have run long-mileage early in the day.  Even after I run long, painful mileage, I can’t help but feel great that I did it.  There have been many days where I didn’t want to run at all, days where I struggled just to get out the door.  But I have never had a day where, once I had completed the miles, I was anything less than happy that I actually laced up my shoes and went for the run.  Many of us are great at taking care of others, but forget to take time for ourselves.  So, of what benefit is my running to others?  Well, I won’t be audacious and, for even a moment, try to answer this for anyone other than myself, but I am certainly a better person as a result of my running.  I take the time to take care of myself, and I believe that the satisfaction and joy that I achieve can’t help but make my small little piece of this world a better place.

So I close this week’s blog with the quote from above- “I dare you to train for a marathon and not have it change your life.” Now that I am ¾ of the way through my training program, I don’t think that I can accept this dare.