Phase One: week 5 of 5

Today is like a lot of days will be in the next 20 weeks. If I had any sense I'd just put on my robe, put on some tea, and listen to some Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane with Kendra. Instead I tried to find some clothes that would protect me from temps in the high 30's and rain. At least it wasn't windy.

The best protection against nasty weather that I've found is a feeling of superiority and a contempt for the weakness of others. In college, when we'd be running along the Chicago lakefront in January with temps below zero and hurricane force winds we'd pump our fists at the high-rise condos in fury - yelling "where are all you F@#%'s who clogged the running paths in July now?!! F$%#&*@ P*$$!*$!!" Not that anyone could hear us - but, it somehow made us feel a little less miserable.

Last week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles 8X150m strides
Wednesday: 9.5 miles
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 17 miles
Sunday: 7.5 miles
Total: 64 miles

This week
Monday: 9 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles 8X150m strides
Wednesday: 11 miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 15 miles
Total: 56 miles

Past Marathon Training: Frankfurt

Dedication: When studying abroad it's easy to be distracted from scholastic and personal goals. One must wake up with a sense of purpose and dedication - keeping your eyes on the prize.

Commitment: Any wavering on the daily chores leading up to a difficult challenge will certainly be punished. If not felt the day of - then certainly the morning after.

Sense of Purpose: The gratifying part of all this hard work is that one develops a strong sense of self - an identity that is always with you regardless of the trials and tribulations of life.

Connection to history: Finally, when it's all said and done - you feel a brotherhood with all those in the past who have put a challenge in front of themselves and attacked it with gusto.

Deerfoot

In the chapter entitled "Training with Experts", Tim Noakes (Lore of Running) profiled 29 of the greatest runners of all-time. The first is Deerfoot - a Native American born near Buffalo, NY who lived and raced in England from 1861-1883. He was already a known professional runner in the U.S. before he went to the U.K. - but, he became a legend across the pond. Thousands of spectators would come to watch him run. He would play up the public's curiosity with his Seneca background by screaming war chants as he crossed the finish line and even staging a fake scalping.

His most impressive accomplishment was in 1863 when he ran a world record 11 miles 970 yards in 1 hour, which wouldn't be beaten for 90 years later until Jim Peters ran 11 yards longer in 1958. More impressive than his times was the fact that he basically founded a professional sport. Although you wouldn't know it these days the Brits were the studs of distance running for most of the 20th century. Most of them could trace their tradition back to interest created by an Indian from America.

Phase One: week 4 of 5

Another big week for our Baltimore running group (TWSS) - with several people running the Philadelphia marathon and Alyssa getting an awesome (no abbreviations on BBB) 3rd place female at the JFK 50 miler. Will had a great premier marathon at just over 2:30 - the results don't seem to be up yet, so I'm not sure how everybody else did - but, just getting to the start line was an act of bravery with the temps below freezing this morning. This week felt more like Christmas weather than pre-Thanksgiving - I guess we're in for a long winter.

This weather is making me think about how many miserable cold weather miles I'm going to put in before April 20th. To top it off I just found out that I'll probably be in Minnesota for work the 3rd week in February, which just happens to be my biggest mileage before Boston at 100 miles for the week. I'll be lucky if the high is above 0 in Minneapolis at that time of year.

The mysterious knee pain disappeared and the long run went pretty well last week - so, I'm happy. Even though this next week will be almost a 20% increase in mileage and my first 2 hour+ run in 9 weeks - I'm not too worried about it. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Last week
Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles 8X100m strides
Wednesday: 7 miles
Thursday: 10 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles
Total: 54 miles

This week
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles 8X150m strides
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 10 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 17 miles
Total: 64 miles

It’s always brightest before the dusk: Injuries

I’ve been pretty lucky with injuries during my time as a runner. But, I’ve had a few experiences like yesterday – I was walking down the hallway when suddenly there was a sharp pain in my knee. I didn’t fall or twist my knee – I was walking straight ahead and all of a sudden it felt like someone had stuck a knife in my knee. The first thought is that it’s just some weird thing that will go away after a few paces. But, when I got up from my cube it was still there – when I got out of the rental car it was still there – and when I slowly made my way onto the plane it was still there. I’m now sitting in the airplane – and it might disappear after 2 ½ hours of sitting down or it might be worse. (Update: It’s still here) This type of pain is kind of like feeling the first rumbles of an earthquake – your start thinking, is this going to be “the One”?

Most running injuries are just from overuse – we don’t know when to stop. Something must be in the water this week. My friend Ryan finally had to call it quits for awhile after he noticed a “bone protruding” from his ankle – probably caused by pushing his body too hard in the NYC marathon followed by a XC race a few weeks later – not to mention the just under 30 races he’s run this year. Gold medal winner Kenenisa Bekele apparently ran with a possible stress fracture in a race this last week which caused him to run a “pedestrian” 15:46 for the last 5k of his race.

There are also those injuries caused by non-running accidents that keep you off your feet as well. Olympian Paul McMullen famously severed his own toe while mowing the lawn. The above picture of Positano, Italy was taken about 30 minutes before I fell off a rented scooter in Italy – a month before I was going to run the Frankfurt Marathon. I messed up my knee so bad that 80% of my training was on a stationary bike leading up the marathon.

My worst injury was my sophomore in high school - I was cruising through a great XC season when I started having knee problems shortly before the state meet. I basically limped through the state meet – and then went on crutches for 6 weeks after learning I had Osgood Schlatters – an overuse injury that affects the growth plate in the knee.

Most injuries aren’t so dramatic – the last two summers I’ve had issues that haven’t forced me to stop running – but, they’ve made it much less enjoyable. Summer of 2007 I had a problem with “runner’s knee” and last summer I had plantar fasciitis for the first time in my life.

Over the next few months I’m going to write some posts about what the experts have to say about dealing with injuries and preventing them. If anybody has some interesting injury stories let me know. Injuries are a part of the sport - even after I listed my injuries above I still feel like I've been lucky.

Staying motivated

In the nine years since I graduated from college i've found that there are four keys to staying in good running shape.
1) Run with a group at least twice a week.
2) Find cool races to run.
3) Have goals.
4) Plan your training around these cool races and your goals.

It's pretty simple - but, when i've strayed from any of these goals my motivation drops big time.

It's also important to sprinkle some less important races in your training for the "big race."

For instance - this is my schedule for races up until Boston:

1/25 - very tentatively the Miami half-marathon. Either way I'm planning on running 12-13 miles that day at marathon race pace.
2/7 - USATF XC championship - with it being in Maryland this year there is really no excuse.
2/21 - Club Challenge 10 miler - I'm planning on treating this as a workout - but, I must beat my time from last year.
3/21 - National half-marathon in DC - This will be my main tune-up for Boston. My time here will give me a good idea of what I should shoot for on 4/20.
4/4 - I haven't found a race yet - but, I need to run 15 miles at marathon pace that weekend. Let me know if anybody has any suggestions.

Longer term plans: I've decided that I don't want to run a marathon more often than every 18 months - with goal races every 6 months.
Fall of 2009 I'm looking at maybe the Twin Cities 10 miler which is the same day as the Twin Cities Marathon.

Spring of 2010 I'd like to run some fast 5k/10k's on the track/road (Carlsbad 5000, random college track races). Making it into Penn would be my dream goal that spring.

Fall of 2010 - run a marathon on a fast course - maybe go back to Chicago or run the Steamtown marathon in my wife's hometown. And up my mileage 20% from what I'm planning for Boston.

Past that point who knows - but, I would like to run a few marathons in Europe (Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Rotterdam). I haven't completely ruled out an ultra - but, i don't think it's my thing. My zone seems to be from 5k-half marathon - with 10k-10 mile being my special sweet spot. I would probably be happier and more comfortable just running those shorter races - but, running isn't about being comfortable - it's about being comfortable about being uncomfortable.

Phase One: week 3 of 5

Running while traveling is one of my favorite things. Yes, you can get lost - or wander into a really bad neighborhood - but, i don't think there's a faster way to get to know a city or a place than running in it. The plan was to run in the Smokies on Friday - but, a delayed plane messed that up - fortunately I found a pretty cool trail just a little ways off of I-85 on my way to Charlotte from ATL. It was a surreal scene of bright colored fall leaves muted by a cover of fog in the foothills of South Carolina. The last two days I've run in Atlanta - which is a cooler/funkier city than I remembered. Once you get away from the city center there are plenty of leafy residential neighborhoods to run through. The topography is slightly gentler than Baltimore - but, there are plenty of hills if you look for them.

About 12 hours after I get home tonight - I get on a plane for Minneapolis. Our company headquarters is on the west side of the city, which has plenty of parks connected by a series of bike paths. Of course the problem this time of year is the weather. It's only supposed to get down to the mid-20's this week - but, there was the same forecast when I was there last November and I woke up to single digits one morning. This time I'm going to be prepared for anything.

This week is about the same mileage as last week except I'm taking a day off.

Last week
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles 6X100m strides
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: 14 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 9 miles
Total: 56 miles

This week
Monday: 0 miles
Tuesday: 8 miles 8X100m strides
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 7 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 16 miles
Total: 54 miles

old man discusses his favorite websites about running

I'm old school - or maybe just old. I didn't have an e-mail address until I was in college (even then I don't think I used it much), I didn't get a cell phone until I was a year into grad school, I remember playing "pong" - I'm even so old that I remember thinking pong was cool. My first video game system was an Atari 2400 - it was brand new. We didn't have a computer at home until I was in middle school. When I think how completely dependent I am on technology that has been developed since I was 18 - it's a little horrifying.

I click on Letsrun if I want to see what's going on in the running world or just see where "flagpole willy" thinks I should invest my money, I use marathonguide.com for the easy to use pace calculator, I pop onto washington running report for the local running calender and results, I head over to USATF running routes if I'm in a new city and want to see where the locals run or want to measure a route, and of course I go to twss to find out the local workout - or see what the latest post is from a growing list of bloggers like myself. Of course I keep all of this surfing to non-work hours only.

One website that's kind of cool and was started by the local running store in my hometown is half2run - it challenges people to run half marathons in half the states. they have a pretty good list of half marathons from all over the country - and a place to keep track of where you've run.

I probably look at Letsrun more than anything - the front page has a pretty good list of world-wide results with commentary from the sites founders wejo & rojo (the johnson brothers). Lost like diamonds in a haystack are some pretty good posts from the message board (Brian Sell once famously said of the Letsrun message board, "if I wanted to know the opinion of a 18:30 5k runner I'd ask my wife") . They've saved the best in the 4th sticky down on the message board - anything by renato canova (Italian coach of many Kenyans), Hadd, or John Kellogg are my favorites. Jack Daniels will sometimes post as "jtupper" - and all runners should know about the "summer of malmo". And there are plenty of characters such as the aforementioned flagpole willy, the 4:30 miler, meyerhoff, etc.

Instead of post-modern - they should call our age "post-boredom".

Science of the easy run

We tend to discount the easy run as "junk mileage" - is it just about having a big number at the end of the week? Or do those easy days actually contribute to our ability to run fast?

By my count >70% of my training days before Boston will be "easy". So, I hope it's important, otherwise I'm wasting a lot of time - but, how will these miles make me faster on April 20th?

Here are some specific physiological improvements that are made during easy runs.

Stroke volume: The heart is really just a pump sending oxygen & other nutrients carried by the blood to organs and systems that need those nutrients to function. Stroke volume is the amount of blood that is pumped with every beat of the heart. Higher stroke volume means that the heart doesn't need to beat as quickly - and studies have shown that stroke volume is improved due to time spent running/exercising rather than intensity of training (Daniels, 2005). So, even if you were to train harder - you wouldn't necessarily increase your stroke volume.

Muscle development: Easy runs increase the "number, size and distribution of the mitochondria" (Daniels, 2005). Mitochondria are the "only part of your muscle fibers in which energy can be produced aerobically" (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001) - they are basically little energy plants that use oxygen to produce energy for the cells they inhabit. Since 99% of energy is produced aerobically in a marathon it's important to have a lot of these little buggers. Exercise also increases the rate at which oxygen can be processed. And third there is an increase in blood vessels in the muscle - basically improving the distribution of oxygen to all parts of the muscle. Finally muscles get better at conserving glycogen, using fat for energy, and dealing with lactic acid through easy runs (Daniels, 2005).

Running economy: Although there are many ways to increase running economy - some researchers believe that the most important factor for improved running economy (both biomechanics and cellular economy) is by the amount of accumulated miles rather than the types of workouts that you do (Pfitzinger & Douglas, 2001).

There are certainly other components that are important for marathon performance that require more intense training (lactate threshold, overall speed, VO2 max) - but, we'll get to them later. For now, all I want or need are some nice easy runs (except for when Fed Hill gets out of control of course).

Phase One: week 2 of 5

Not a whole lot going on racing wise this week. Just a bunch of foolish people on bikes - not that I would ever participate in anything like that.

Anyways - although last week was "week 1" of the 24 week plan this week is the first real step up in mileage - and I add in both strides and a longer run. But, the legs feel very fresh and relaxed - it will feel good to take it up a small notch. I'm going to be in Georgia and North Carolina this week for a wedding and to see my sister and brother-in-law respectively. I'm taking Friday off with the hope to run a little on the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains. Last time I went there I saw a bear just off the path. It's a pretty incredible place.

Last week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 9 miles
Total: 40 miles

This week
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles 6X100m strides
Wednesday: 10 miles
Thursday: 4 miles
Friday: 14 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 9 miles
Total: 56 miles

Greatest running related movie of all time

There are some decent non-fiction films that show the running spirit out there - "The Billy Mills Story", "Endurance" and on a lower level the Pre movies. But, the greatest movie about running of all-time is "The Jericho Mile". I don't expect the younger generation to know "The Jericho Mile". It was a made for TV movie made only 2 years after I was born. But, someone on my high school team discovered it and the movie became a ritual on the nights before a big race.

The story is about Rain Murphy (Peter Strauss) a man in prison for a murder that, although brutal, is forgivable. He's put in a large Calfornia prison with the worst of the worst. The prisoners are split up according to race - with Brian Dennehy playing the evil white leader. The director was Michael Mann - an in executive producer for Miami Vice, director of Ali, etc.

Anyways - Rain uses running as his escape from the crushing reality of prison life. The prison "sports reporter" realizes he's actually really good - and they try to set up some real training and maybe get him to the olympic trials.

Here is a youtube of the final scene - the greatest scene dedicated to running in the history of cinema. It doesn't really give away any of the plot - but, it does give you an idea of how dated the movie is - which of course is part of the fun.

Here is a youtube from the first scene - which kind of sets up the setting of the film. The only reason that I post it is in the last few seconds Rain's buddy yells "kick! - kick! - kick!". If i yell that to any of my former teammates they would immediately know what I was talking about. The black guys call Rain "lickety split" - when i was in college a random guy in Chicago called me that - it may have been the greatest day of my life (other than the day i got married of course ; ).

What's so special about Boston?

As most people know - the Boston marathon is the oldest annual marathon in the world. It was first run in 1897 - one year after the innagural Olympics. Given the popularity of marathons these days, you might be suprised to know that of the four other "major" marathons (New York, Berlin, London, Chicago) the earliest is New York, which started in 1970. Before the running boom of the 1970's marathoning was not very popular - Boston survived based on tradition.

To get more of an idea of how a non-runner Bostonian views the marathon - this "idiot's guide to the Boston Marathon" by ESPN's the Sports Guy is pretty good. It's not my favorite column of his - but, there are some good lines like - "Any athletic activity that causes you to pee on yourself, justify it and have the justification actually make sense is something I don't want to be doing under any circumstances."

Basically he says that the Boston Marathon is an event (~500,000 people spectate) because people get the day off from work (Patriots Day), it gives people an excuse to be outside when the weather is finally getting good, get drunk, and make fun of other people. Four things that Bostonians love to do apparently.

Phase One: week 1 of 5

Good job to Jake and Ryan on the NYC marathon today. Jake ran a very even paced race off of a great summer of training. I'm guessing Ryan was a little disappointed - but, the good news is that I'm sure he can drop a bunch of time with a little more marathon centered training. The guy has raced 20+ times this year - parties like an animal the last few weeks - organizes our crazy group - and has hardly run a long distance run in the last few months. It was a tough day - but, there's no reason he can't come back to run a qualifying time for Boston in the next few months.

UPDATE: The Boston qualifier is actually 59 seconds slower than I thought. So, Ryan made it in by the skin of his teeth (8 sec). I can't imagine how hard those last few miles were.

Big news from back in my home state of Michigan. My high school team took the state XC meet title on saturday. My old coach, Don Sleeman is still the head coach at 70 years old. When I was a freshman he was still running sub 16 min 5k's - not sure if that says more about my age or his. My senior year (1995) was his last state championship. We were state champs my junior and senior year - one of those years we were ranked #3 in the country. I was fifth man my senior year and got 17th in the state. It was a pretty cool thing to be a part of - and taught me that with a lot of commitment and a little talent you can accomplish a lot - especially if you are surrounded with good people.

Last week
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 0 miles
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: 0 miles
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 36 miles

This week
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 8 miles
Friday: 0 miles
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 9 miles
Total: 40 miles