Volunteerism

Today, the weather was absolutely perfect. Perfect for a marathon run, for instance. Just two weeks late. Oh, well. Crystal blue skies, temps in the 40's at 7:00 and warmed to maybe 60 by noon. Just gorgeous.

This morning, I volunteered to help at the King of Jester races here in our neighborhood. I was assigned to the registration desk, and was very busy from 6:30 until 10:30. King of Jester is a series of races, actually, starting with a 5k (actually 3.2 miles) race on extremely tough hilly terrain at 8:00. Then, there's a hill ascent up a steep 17% grade hill for just over a half mile, running. Then, there's a "human powered" hill ascent on roller blades, unicycles, recumbent trikes, skateboards, whatever. Then, last, there's a bicycle ascent over the same hill. Think L'Alpe du Huez, but just for a half mile. All the courses are ugly, extremely ugly, stagger through the finish and barf ugly. Anyway, volunteering for the race alleviates any responsibility for me to attempt the races. Whew!

I had a pretty fun time with the whole deal, and ended up watching a little of the bicycle climb. It's just a crazy race. There was a special King and Queen of Jester title for the man and woman who had the best combined times in the three events, and they got these cool neighborhood street cruiser bicycles. The sponsors put on a good show, there was plenty of good food and entertainment, and it seems everyone had a good time.

I should volunteer for races more often, by the way. I should pick a race about every 3 months or so, when I won't be racing, and help out. Lord knows I've run enough races and enjoyed the volunteers at those races!

My hamstring (left) is a little tweaked this morning, probably because I was too aggressive with yesterday's run. I've iced it and stretched it and put a heat pack on it. And repeat. I'll either back way off of tomorrow's run or call it a rest day instead. Best to get well now and not mess around with injury already.

Anyway, a good day, and now I'm going to try and avoid watching the Oscars.

Slightly longer Long Run

On a lovely rainy, misty, drizzly morning, temps in the high 40's, I set out with Henry at 7:00 for a 7 miler on the I-35 loop. I had intended to take it pretty easy, and decided to let Henry set the pace. It turns out that he was in a frisky running mood, and we were a good bit quicker than I had planned. We cheerfully greeted all those runners out on a nasty day like today, figuring they deserved it after getting out in the weather. The trail was full of small puddles, but nothing we couldn't hop over. We had a couple of miles in the second half of the run that went down to the 8:35 range, and ended up with 6.9 miles at 9:01/mile average pace. A nice brisk run. Legs felt just fine, and it was altogether one of those fun runs, where we were happy to be out there, despite the conditions.

Afterwards, we met up with the rest of the Gazelles for the stretching session, and then we all took some group pictures. It was fun to hang out with everyone after the few weeks of enforced exile from GazellesWorld. Next week, I start back up with the regular workouts, taking it easy at first. Instead of the easy 45 minute recovery runs set on Wednesdays, I'm going to substitute the cycle/weights workout. At least for now. I may end up doing that run as well, but not for several weeks.

For the week, 19.3 miles, 4 runs, 3 weight workouts. I'm volunteering for a race tomorrow morning, so I'll get in a little bit of cycling to and from the race site.

Weights Again...

I continued the grand adventure in cross-training and strength training today, with a visit to the gym. Started off with the Lifecycle for 20 minutes (Random program, Level 4) just to get warmed up, and then did some decent stretching just for fun.

I was able to do 2 sets of all the exercises, and I even increased the weight and/or reps on a handful of the exercises. I can't wait until my biceps are strong enough to pull a little more weight. I'll stick with 2 sets of the routine for now, especially since Gilbert has added situps/pushups/back raises after every run. In a few weeks, I'll add that 3rd set. I did add lat pulldowns today. I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't tremendously sore from Wednesday's workout, so I think I'm approaching this the right way.

It's a slow road, trying to improve strength, but I remain committed to the process. Tomorrow, I stretch it out for a 7 mile easy long run, which should be fun. After the stretching session, we're scheduled to take a bunch of group photos with Gilbert, so that'll be humorous.

Another Step Down the Path...

On a blustery but nicely cool afternoon, I went out on the trails behind the 'hood for a nice little recovery run. I felt absolutely great, and that was a pleasant sign on my first back to back runs since Freescale. 3.7 miles, 9:52 pace, all in recovery zone for HR. Just a fun run on an overcast and windy day. It was right at 50 degrees, just perfect. No aches, no pains, no worries. My arms are a little sore from yesterday's weight workout, but the legs are fine.

Also did situps (2 x 12), pushups (2 x 10) and back raises (2 x 12) after this run, as prescribed by Dr. Tuhabonye. I'm woefully weak on some of those, but it will get better. The months after a marathon are a good time to start a strength training regimen, and I agree with Gilbert that this is a good thing for me. And, did the stretching ritual, just for fun. Tomorrow is indoor cycling for warmup and then weight training.

Midday run and Weights

Frank invited me to join him at 11:30 this morning for a 5 miler around Town Lake. I haven't run with other folks since the marathon, so I figured it would be a nice chance to catch up with Frank and run at Town Lake for a change. We cruised around 5 miles at 9:17 pace, a good run on the comeback trail. It was my longest run since the marathon, and it felt just fine. I'm keeping myself under control with running, so this was plenty fast for now.

After Endurox and a banana, I made my way over to Gold's Gym for my first try at the full Gazelles weight routine. I did 2 sets of everything, and dialed in my seating positions on the various apparati (?) and the appropriate weights for the weighted exercises. I discovered that my biceps are basically totally wimpy right now, and I'm only bench pressing 50 pounds. I knew that going in, but it's still pretty humbling to be setting the machines or the barbells with so little weight. I did not do weighted lunges this time, and I didn't add any arm/upper body stuff this time, either. On Friday, I'll add tricep extensions and probably lat pulldowns. I predict big soreness tomorrow, but this is definitely something I should be doing.

Monday's Workout Stuff

Forgot to mention what I did yesterday at the gym. It was mostly one set of all the standard workout, as follows:

10 x knee lifts/raises in Roman Chair
10 x straight leg lifts in Roman Chair (wow! These are hard!)
10 x crunches with body close to end of bench
10 x crunches with body further away from end of bench (gets different ab muscles)
10 x torso twist with weights (machine)
10 x oblique crunches on bench (10 each side)
(didn't do back lifts or weighted crunch pull down machine)
10 x bicep curls (30 pounds?)
10 x bench press (45 pounds freeweights)
10 x quad extensions (50 pounds)
10 x hamstring curls (bench - 40 pounds)
5 x single leg hamstring curls (standing, 5 pounds. I was ridiculously weak on this one if I was to use proper form and curl it all the way up)
10 x 4-way single leg multi-hip machine 40 pounds (adductor, abductor, hip flexor, glute)
10 x glute extension machine ("Butt Blaster") 50 pounds
10 x calf raises (3 positions, 45 pounds)
10 x tibialis raises (30 pounds?)
10 x arm swing running form deals (8 pound dumbbells)
Did not do lunges with weights this time, but it can be a part of the workout, too.

I am a little sore today from the weight work (arms and abs), even that abridged version of the workout, but I take that as a sign that I desperately need this as part of my program. I may add an additional upper body exercise or two to the workout (shoulder press, maybe, and tricep extensions). It will be interesting to do the full workout tomorrow.

Another Post-Marathon Run

It's turned hot here in Austin. This evening, when I did my run, it was sunny and 78 degrees. I sure do miss the cooler weather...

This morning, I met Gilbert and a couple of other Gazelles at Gold's Gym so he could show us the new and improved weight training regimen that he wants us to adopt. There's some new things since last May, but it's all useful exercise. I hope to get signed up for a gym tomorrow and begin the routine as a regular thing. I have such a weird mental thing about going to the gym, but I just need to get over it. No one cares who you are or how much weight you are or are not lifting, but I always feel self-conscious about the measly pounds I'm able to handle.

At 5:30, I went out and did the trail behind the neighborhood plus some other stuff, about 3.7 miles at just under 9:00 pace. It was a push all the way, but everything felt good, so I let it fly a little. I didn't use the GPS again, but I'll get it back out for Wednesday's slightly longer run.

This week, I'll do 4 runs (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday) and some warmup stationary cycling on Tuesday and Friday with the weight workouts. Next week, I'll start back with the Gazelles workouts on Tuesday and Thursday, and weights will be Wednesday and Friday.

A Little Fast, but Okay

I got a little frisky this morning down at the Town Lake trail. The intent was to meet the group at 7:30 for a nice easy 3-6 miles. Instead, I overslept a bit, and got down there closer to 8:00, so I had to run alone. I set out, intending to go out and back to arrive at RunTex in time for stretching at 8:30. Off I went. The weather was drizzly and mist, about 55 degrees. I was pretty good going out, averaging about 9:10 or so. I saw several Gazelles going back the other way, and decided I'd try to catch up with Joseph and Shannon on the way back. I guess I didn't realize how fast I was running, but it turns out I was averaging something like 8:15 miles going back. Oops. I felt really good, and it didn't seem that fast to me. I ended up doing 3.4 miles, more or less (no GPS today again), 8:45 mile average. Too fast, I know, but I'll be a good boy next week.

Afterwards, we gathered for the full stretching routine, and that was fun. It was nice to see some of the troops a week after the marathon, just to touch base. Alex seems to be better, or at least he has a plan to get over his injury now, and everyone else is glad to be running again. Jan is going to jump back into the regular Gazelles speedwork routine this week, but I'm taking one more week away, just to make sure my body has a chance to recover even more.

First Post-Freescale Running

After yesterday's torture session / massage appointment, my legs felt really great this morning. I went up and down the stairs with no problems, and that was a nice bit of improvement. This evening, I went out for my first post-marathon running, a nice easy 3.1 miles at just under 10:00 mile pace, and everything checked out great. No stiffness, and only a few bits during downhill running where I felt my quads at all. I kept it nice and easy, but it was still reassuring to find that I can still do this, despite my day on Sunday. The weather was wonderful, by the way. All day it's been between 50 and 60, which would have been great for race day. Alas... Afterwards, I did the full stretching ritual from Gazelles, and I didn't find any really terrible muscle spots during that. Even though everything feels great, I'll continue to be cautious for at least through next weekend, the 26th/27th. Saturday, maybe a nice easy hour run will be perfect.

Maroon 5 is the Best New Artist from the Grammys? I'd never heard of them. Typical weird result in that category...in the tradition of picking Milli Vanilli and CC Music Factory.

Massage Therapy

Today, I was finally back at my pre-race weight, so I can go back to normal food and drink consumption. Did another walk today, 30 minutes or so, just to let the legs do their thing. Then, after that, I went to see Ron for my post-marathon massage. The verdict? Calves and hamstrings were absolutely fine. No soreness to speak of. Quads? Amazingly sore. He worked them over with the massage hammer, an evil therapeutic device that blasts the muscles deep down, and there were more than a few times that I was really working hard not to tell him to stop the torture. I must admit they felt a lot better after he was done. The most soreness, however, was in the shin muscles. They were a bundle of tender tissue, for sure. Again, after the massage and hammering, they were much better. After I got done, Ron had to get going to see his nutritionist, and he let me continue to work over my muscles with the hammer, which helped a lot. I did an additional 10 minutes or so working over the tibialis anterior and quads, and they are markedly improved. I think I'll do some very very easy jogging tomorrow...maybe interspersed with walking. The Path To Recovery continues...

Oh, yeah, I also figured out today another Lesson Learned from Freescale 2005. When you have absolute data that says you are not at your best (my elevated HR, for instance), go quickly to your Plan B instead of trying to hang onto your major goal in the face of physical evidence. I think if I had backed way off at mile 4 or 5 instead of soldiering on at 9:00 pace, I may have been able to run 5-10 minutes faster on Sunday. Hard to know for sure, but backing off would have been a really smart thing to do.

The Day(s) After

Monday, I woke up, still 5 pounds lighter than Sunday morning. I did some good eating, grazing most of the day, and even got out for a short walk (20 minutes) just to start the process of healing. My quads are pretty beaten up, and my calves are slightly stiff, but mostly I'm okay. I feel sort of hungover since I'm still not stabilized with fluids. Valentine's Day was nice, the flowers were successfully delivered, and we all enjoyed my homemade chocolate covered strawberries.

Tuesday, more eating and drinking, as my weight is still 3 pounds under Sunday. It's climbing, though, so all should be fine soon enough. Wednesday is Massage Day, so that'll be interesting. I was really sore this morning going up the stairs to wake up the kids, but the legs have settled down since then. Tomorrow, I'll go for another walk and try to do a little easy jogging as well.

2005 Freescale Marathon

"The Marathon can humble you." - Bill Rodgers

Wow. It sure can. Full of enthusiasm, most of us looked forward to Sunday's Freescale Marathon, hoping to break PR's, and in some cases, hoping to shatter them. As noted, I was shooting to finally break through the 4:00:00 barrier. I got enough sleep on Saturday night, about 5 hours, after a good night's sleep on Friday night. I woke up at 4:15 am feeling good, until I checked the weather forecast one last time. 65 at the start, maximum humidity, with the sun breaking through by 10:00 and warming to 72-75 by the time I hoped to finish. Damn! I ate a bagel, and took my banana and Accelerade with me in the truck. I finished off the pre-race food and drink on the way down to the finish area, and met up with Frank, Alex, and Henry for our bus trip up to the start. We were nervous, but mainly anxious to get going.

When we were dropped off, the rains started, and by the time we got inside the Embassy Suites to wait for warmups, etc., the rain was pounding down with serious lightning as an accompaniment. It was bad enough (the electrical part of the show) that we figured they might postpone the start of the race. I called Gilbert, and he said that under the circumstances, we wouldn't gather for the usual warmups, but that we could do 5 minutes of easy jogging before getting in line. After passing that word, the four of us chatted nervously, and most of us were sipping water as we waited amid the crowd in the lobby of the hotel. The rains continued, but the temperature wasn't all that great. I swapped my planned long-sleeved throwaway shirt for my trusty throwaway Tyvek jacket (it's a better rain garment), and stuffed my clothes drop bag with everything else. A couple of port-o-stops later, we headed out for good to line up. The rains had stopped by about 15 minutes to 7:00, so we dropped our baggage and went to the front of the crowd.

As Distance Challenge competitors, we got the excellent perk of being allowed to line up in the corral just behind the elite runners. We were ahead of all the pace group signs, which was both exciting and daunting. We knew that tons of folks would be going by us in the first chunk of the race, but figured we could keep the blinders on while that happened. I found Jan in the DC corral, and we lined up together. Star Spangled Banner was average. Just before the horn, they let the other merely fast people invade our space, and then before we could get nervous, the horn went off and we were off with it. We crossed the start line only 7 seconds after the gun, which is certainly the fastest I've done that in a marathon!

Our goal was to try to run comfortable 9:00 miles for the first half, while the course was easier, and then settle back down a bit in the second half. Hmmph. Jan and I sailed up the uphill first mile, to the highest spot on the course, and then turned on Braker. First mile was right on schedule. Second mile was too fast, in our enthusiasm. The usual band that plays at the 2 mile mark was not present, which was a bummer. Kelly passed us during mile 2, searching ahead for Frank. We gave her the info, and she continued on. The 3:00, 3:10, 3:15 and 3:20 pace groups passed us by mile 2, as expected. I ditched the tyvek jacket during mile 2, and went with a singlet and shorts for the rest of the race. The last time I ran a marathon in singlet weather was Honolulu, so this wasn't a good omen. The sky was brightening as we negotiated the big puddles and streams in the road during mile 3 and 4, which were on and off pace. By now, I noted that my HR numbers were way off. I was at least 10 bpm higher than a similar pace effort at the 3M half marathon a few weeks ago. Not good. My breathing was fine, no problems there, but the weather was possibly already taking a toll. Jan continued to press the pace a bit too much for my plan, so I drifted back and found Gene Woodruff, my 73 year old running pal. We ran along together, talking a bit, and got to the mile 5 marker. I was avoiding the water stops early, drinking my own water from a disposable bottle. I was already fighting daemons, but was hopeful that I'd settle down.

Splits, Mile 1-5: 8:52, 8:31, 9:05, 8:55, 9:01 (average 8:53, a little fast, but manageable downhill)

The 3:30, 3:40 and 3:45 pace groups went by during mile 5 and 6, and I saw Richard, among others, go by. I took my first GU at the water stop near mile 6. During mile 7, I fell back from Gene, as he gently pulled ahead. I saw Amy from my training group in the crowds during mile 7, and that was nice. The usual bagpipers were there along the railroad tracks, so musically, at least, the race was returning to normal. My HR went crazy during mile 6, which prompted me to back off from running with Gene. As we turned during mile 8, the sun was out in force, and I was thankful that I had stashed shades in my waistpack. It was super bright! I missed the mile 7 marker, but my splits for the 2 miles, 7 and 8, were right on schedule. My HR had subsided a bit, too. I was working on my full arsenal of mental tricks as we tooled along Shoal Creek. I stayed with my pattern of taking a few steps at every other water stop, starting at mile 7, and drinking water and/or Powerade, and pouring a cup of water over my head as well. I ditched my old hat at mile 8, too. Even with it soaking with water, it didn't feel like it was helping. At mile 9, I took my second GU, and then climbed up the short hill on 45th Street, to the mile 10 marker. My times had dropped off schedule at mile 9, and mile 10's split was slower still. I was still on my 4:00:00 schedule, but there was a dangerous trend happening. I moved on, into the sun again. We had also heard on a PA system the old chestnut, "Eye of the Tiger." Oh, boy. Bring on the live music, please?

Splits, Mile 6-10: 8:54, 9:06, 9:06, 9:13, 9:24 (overall pace 9:01, still on schedule)

I'm not sure, but I don't remember any music on the course to this point except the bagpipers. We headed down Duval and through the UT campus. I was recalibrating my goals for the day, in light of the weather and my HR numbers, which were still high for this sort of pace. I figured 4:10:00 would be an excellent goal, provided I kept up my current 9:20 sort of pace. I was still running the whole time, except for brief walks through the water stops for water in and on me. Passing the UT stadium, the first musical act blasted forth rock and roll, which boosted my spirits, if not my pace. As I crossed the half marathon mark, I looked longingly at those folks who got to finish their day there. Evel was announcing people, and it was tough to know that I was only halfway finished. I crossed the half marathon mark at 1:59 and change, with no real hope of my 4:00:00 finish, but with reasonable expectations of a 4:10 still. I walked some of that steep hill just after the half marathon mark, to try to get my HR under control. My third GU was at the water stop just past the halfway mark. Up and over that hill, and we enjoyed the downhill bit to Congress Avenue and the high school stage band playing at the corner of 6th Street. They were playing a sort of defunkified version of "Brick House," but it still bounced enough to make me happy. Turning onto 6th, at least the sun was behind us. For a while, I think we got overcast during this spot, but it didn't last more than 30 minutes. Down the familiar territory of 6th Street and onto Lake Austin Blvd we went. The 3:50 and 4:00 pace groups passed me by now. I was walking a little more now, on uphill bits, but was mainly ambulatory still. Mile 15 was a welcome sight, but I still had a long way to go.

Splits, Mile 11-15: 9:22, (9:34, 9:34), (10:02, 10:02) Overall pace 9:15, still okay for 4:10 finish if I could get back my snap.

Easing up to Lake Austin Blvd and the out and back portion of the course, the sun was out again, and with the humidity, it was becoming really tough out there. I saw Frank turning onto Veterans Blvd. and mentally calculated that he still had a shot at something in the 3:40 range. Then, behind him, I saw Alex with the 3:40 pace group, so his day wasn't going as planned. The 3:45 group came by on the other side, and later, I saw Richard, so he had fallen prey to the elements as well. Jan looked to be moving along pretty well, but I couldn't gauge her pace. The band near Mangia played a different sort of "Brown Eyed Girl," which was at least live music. I guess I lost some motivation during mile 17, going to the outward pylon. I know that I walked a fair amount on a slight uphill. I took my first gulp of Enervitene there, just after I made the turnaround. At least I was heading back towards the finish now! I saw other folks as I made my way along mile 18, and my spirits rose as I realized that I was ahead of a lot of people that I knew. Mile 18 was better, and even mile 19 was okay, as I furiously calculated the chances of a 4:20 finish. If only I could maintain 10 minute miles!! Right before the mile 19 marker, another high school band was playing "Tequila," and I couldn't resist. I stopped right in front of them, and did the Pee Wee Herman dance for a few seconds. Several other runners stopped right with me and did the same thing, spontaneously. It was a light moment on a tough day. Let the record show that my quads both almost cramped from assuming that dance position. After that bit of levity, I slogged forward, back into the sun, on mile 20. The massive crowds forming a Tour de France type human tunnel near the 20 mile marker was helpful, pushing me along into a jog at least, but by now, I was realizing that most of my goals weren't reachable. Only 10K to go, though.

Splits, Mile 16-20: 10:12, 10:57, 10:16, 10:25, 11:53 (!) Overall pace 9:37.

If I could get to a 10:30 sort of pace from there, I could at least get my Masters PR of 4:21, but that seemed a bridge too far. By now, I was taking fluids at every water stop and pouring another cup of water on my head to try and cool down, but nothing seemed to help for long. There was some good blues played at mile 21, but I was pretty much used up by now. I slogged along, jogging the flats and downhills, and walking anything that looked like an incline. By now, I was having to assure the medical people that I was okay as I crept along. The band at the softball fields around mile 22 or so was playing a mournful tune, which wasn't exactly good for those of us running. It was a good song, but not appropriate. Down mile 23, I saw three guys sitting on the side of the course, stretching quads, hamstrings and/or calves, as they tried to fight off cramps. Finally reaching Longhorn Dam, I at least knew the end was near. My splits now were pretty bad, and my HR hadn't dropped that much, really. It was down from the peak around mile 15, but still high, especially considering my current pace. The band at the top side of the dam was on break, and their PA was blaring Rush ("Tom Sawyer") for us. Okay, I guess. Reaching the little sharp hill up to Lakeshore Drive, I heard the happy strains of the Monkee's "Stepping Stone." The band was pretty good, but they weren't nailing the harmony vocal parts. Obviously, they needed help. I looked around (mentally) and decided that I was the perfect assistant and teacher. As they launched into the second chorus, I reached the guitarist and joined him on the mic for vocal harmonies. He was startled, but once he heard that I was on pitch, he laughed and let me join in. After that chorus, I moved on, my job done for that band.

From there, it was more of the same, mostly walking up the Riverside hills, and passing Greta at the peak of the last hill, with her Iyo Ngwe Gazelles sign. My quads screamed as I jogged down that last hill. With just a mile to go, I just couldn't find any motivation to start jogging again. I wasn't being passed that much, either. For the last 10k, there was a giant crowd of walking wounded runners. Yet another PA system blasted out "Eye of the Tiger." Geez... With a half mile to go, I took a Twizzler and a small cup of beer from the Hash House Harriers table, shouted "On, On!" and moved on myself. Fighting off a wave of blue, I finally reached the mile 26 marker, and decided to suck it up for at least the last 385 yards. I passed through the huge crowds there, running as best as I could, and even saw Mary Anne and the kids as they shouted out my name. I have never been as glad to see a finishing line, I think. I hope I held my head up at the finish, but I'm not sure. Wearily, I kept moving for a bit, and then gathered myself for a few seconds with my hands on my knees as another wave of depression pulled through me. So many miles of training, so many hours, and all I got was 4:28:13. I was choked up, but moved on through the chute. The work was done.

Splits, miles 21-26.2: 11:20, 11:51, 12:22, 12:48 (includes musical break ), 12:52, 12:40, 1:58 (9:22 pace for the finish at least). Overall 10:14 pace. I had missed most of my goals, but I had clipped off 20 minutes from last year's time. Improvement, at least.

Making my way forward, I got the very nice medal, found my baggage, and chugged the bottle of water offered. As I rejoined my family on the other side, on the way to the Distance Challenge area, I was still choked up as they asked how I did. It took a few tries before I could tell them my time. When you're exhausted and disappointed, it's hard to control your emotions. The DC finish area was very nice. They had beer and mimosas, water and Powerade of course, and all sorts of nice snacks and food. I gathered up a bunch of stuff, including plenty for the kids, and we settled down outside by Frank and Alex. The Finishers shirt was nice, and the DC finishers item was a nice long-sleeved zip front running shirt. Maybe it'll get cool again sometime, so I can wear it this year.

Now that the race was over, it was clear that the weather had pounded us all. Frank ran a fine 3:55, considering the circumstances. Alex fought off injury just to finish, but still destroyed his existing PR. Richard also blasted his PR. Diana and Margaret qualified for Boston, despite everything. There were a couple of Gazelles who DNF'd, which never happens, it seems. We ate and drank, changed into dry shirts and shoes, and wound down from the long day. I met Alex's parents, Richard's wife, and assorted other friendly folks. Henry stopped by, and he ran almost the same time I did.

After a while, we were refueled enough to head home. Frank and I made the long walk to the cars, and we were off. I got a big Dr. Pepper and a bag of ice on the way home, and once there, made a nice ice bath to soak the legs in as I drained that Dr. Pepper down. I wasn't too hungry still, but I craved liquids. Even after the bath, I was still over 5 pounds lighter than I was at 4:20 am. That's not good. A hot shower finished off the process, and I was a little more at peace. My legs weren't too bad, just heavy, I wasn't injured, and I'll be able to run soon enough. By the time the Gazelles party at Gilbert's house was over, I was really okay, mentally.

So, once again, I've learned that I'm not a great warm/hot weather runner, and I've still got work to do to get to 4:00:00. But, that will come in time. I'm looking forward to two weeks mostly off of running, and my mid-week massage. The Spring Racing Season beckons, and there's always the Indy Mini Marathon coming up, too. Redemption is just around the corner, if I'll just continue working.

Ramblings and Rest

I've finished off my pre-race pasta and chicken dinner (it's what I've eaten before virtually every Distance Challenge race this year), and I've settled in with an alternating hydration diet of Gatorade and water. NASCAR is on the tube, and there's virtually nothing left to do for tomorrow. I do need to pack my post-race bag with dry clothing and such, and I need to pin my number on my singlet and lay out my race day outfit and shoes, but those are easy tasks. I'm trying not to obsess over the baggage issue, and pack and repack the bag several times. I have finished burning a CD of vocal music from Burundi, to get us in the Gazelles mood tomorrow morning. Life is good.

This is the time where things start getting quiet, and the mind races ahead, thinking about tomorrow, pondering strategy, checking the weather (again)... The marathon is such a strange and wonderful beast. It's a test of your perseverance in setting out 4, 5 or 6 months ago with a training regimen and plan for a one-shot event. All those early Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings devoted to long runs, hilly runs, fast runs... The mounds of pasta that I've eaten preparing for those long workouts and races... The beers and late night concerts that I've chosen to miss in order to be at my best for workouts and races... The semi-monkish existence that I've led since September, with all of those things aimed at a one-day, 26.2 mile athletic endeavor on February 13th.

It's just amazing what we're willing to do to pursue our running lifestyle. But, what we gain from it is overwhelmingly positive and powerful to each of us. We learn, although we have physical limits, that through hard work and training we can push those limits out beyond our current state. We learn how powerful our minds can be, driving us forward when every fiber of our physical being is screaming at us to stop. We learn the pleasure of a simple 7 mile run with a group of training partners and friends, sharing that joy of being able to do this amazing thing. We revel in a race well-run, each of us able to have a deep sense of satisfaction, even though we all have different abilities and different finishing times.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning. I have a calmness now that I've never had before any other marathon. It will be a grand experiment, in part, because I'll be running with a pacing partner for the first time. I hope that Jan and I can run together and help each other as far as the 20 mile mark. That would be great. I wonder what songs my internal radio station will play for me during the race? :)

The work is done. It's time to run. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Last tuneup and race goals

This morning, we got to sleep in, and met as a group at 7:45 for a very short (1.7 mile) jog warmup. Some people did the drills afterwards, but many of us went up and checked out the finish line to do some last visualization. We finished it off with some striders (I did 3). Properly warm, we did the long stretching ritual, and there was a huge crowd for that. Seems as though a lot of the casual Gazelles showed up today for last minute words of wisdom, etc.

Gilbert was in a good mood, and announced that he might run the half marathon after all, just for fun. Apparently, his back problems have improved. I made plans with Jan for our run tomorrow, and logistical plans with Frank and Alex for getting to the race start. We're all a curious mix of nervous and excited and fearful. All the pace pods were making last minute plans for race day, including some people making plans that seem, well, a little silly. We'll see how it all works out tomorrow. Jan and I have gone back and forth about whether to start in the Distance Challenge corral up front, and we've decided to do it after all. We'll have to be very focused early as the faster people behind us zoom around in the first 4 miles or so, but it will be nice to avoid that 10 minute wait to cross the starting line.

Weather is supposed to be dry, with overcast skies clearing towards the end of my racing day, around 10:00. Temperatures a little warm, starting in the 50's and warming to over 60 by race's end. Clothing choices will be important. It will for sure be a shorts day. Gloves won't be necessary. I'll wear a cap, I think, but no warm hat. I'll probably start with a long sleeved shirt over my singlet, and ditch the long shirt along the way somewhere. I'll have my waist pack for storing GU and Enervitene, and I can stuff my long-sleeved shirt in there if I don't see a familiar face along the race route.

Race Goals: I have a span of race goals, as is my pattern. The slowest goals are there just in case I have a bad day. Some folks have laughed at the overabundance of these times, but it amuses me to have them ready, so I'm going to use them.

• Emergency Backup Goal: 4:21:17 (9:58 pace), which is my current Freescale course PR and Masters PR. Hopefully, this goal won't be necessary.
• Close but no cigar Goal: 4:01:52 (9:13 pace), my current lifetime PR, set at Marine Corps back in 1992, my second marathon.
• Primary Goal: 3:59:59 (9:09 pace), I'm going out strong to get the 4:00:00 barrier knocked off.
• Scientific Goal: 3:57:09 (9:03 pace), based on an analysis of the Distance Challenge races and their predicted marathon times. This is what my numbers predict.
• Dream Goal: 3:55:00 (8:58 pace), which is the goal Gilbert chose for me.

I ran 4:48:35 last year at Freescale, 11:00 pace, so I know that no matter what, I'll destroy that time. I'm ready to run fast and smart, and Gilbert's training has given me mental strength that I haven't had before. I hope to go out comfortably, and enjoy the downhill trend of the first half without cranking up my HR too much. 1:58:00 - 2:00:00 would be fine at the half marathon mark. Then, I'll settle in through mile 20, and hopefully pick up the effort there for the last 10K. In a perfect world situation, it would be cool to actually pick up the pace starting at the Longhorn Dam, as if it were a training run. I've run the last 10k of this race at least 5 times in training, so tomorrow is when all that knowledge pays off. And, whatever happens, I know I'm on the way to even more improved times in the year ahead, as I continue with Gilbert and stick with a solid running program. Rest of the day is all about relaxation, food, and hydration.

Les Expo

I visited the Expo today, and I was pleasantly surprised. This year, besides the enormous RunTex area in the middle of the proceedings, there were many of the "off brand" or "discount" vendors in attendance, along with a good number of the usual vendors (races, running groups, sunglasses, chiropractic adjustment, etc.). I took 30 minutes or so to wander around after I picked up my race packet, and saw some people that I knew, including the race directors for the Durango Marathon, who I met a year ago at a Galloway function in Florida. The packet pickup was really cool, by the way, with the Distance Challenge people getting to pick up their stuff in a special line. The DC race bib is a different color from the other numbers, which is pretty neat, too, even if it is pink. The race bib has our number on it (I'm #437), and it has our first name on it in smaller letters, which is a good idea.

I didn't find anything that was screaming at me to purchase, so I left after maybe 45 minutes total. I did take the time to chat with Rich Benyo, one of the editors of Marathon & Beyond, a very fine running periodical. I told him that I was a devoted reader of his magazine, and that made him feel good. I also met Dick Beardsley at the M&B booth. The Mizuno guys had the newest iteration of my shoe, the Mizuno Creation 6, on display, which they said had some slight fit changes in the upper, but no changes to the business part of the shoe, the insole, midsole and outsole. The new colors for Spring are back to an orange, and in the Fall, they'll go back to blue and black.

My legs feel seriously rubbery today, which is another manifestation of taper madness. I shall ignore that. I slept well last night, and I'm looking forward to another good night of sleep tonight. That's all I can do at this point, right?

Just 40 more hours, give or take...

Mini Fartlek Tuneup

Last night, I had a seriously sleepless night. Don't know why, exactly. But, it was at least 1:30 am before I dropped off to slumberland. Turns out that several Gazelles also had some tossing and turning, so maybe it was some sort of psychic convergence...or maybe just coincidence. Anyway, I figure I'll get a good night's sleep tonight, at least.

This morning was crisp, clear, and cooler (42 degrees). The marathoning Gazelles set out for a relaxed 20 minute warmup (we went a little longer, at 21 minutes and change), about 2.2 miles. Then, we ran back and forth on the dirt and gravel part of the trail, doing 16 x 30-40 second fartlek pushes, not as hard as normal fartlek workouts, with 15 seconds of jogging in between. We were counting the intervals in our head, so the length of the fartleks were extremely variable. No worries. Total workout was about 4 miles, pace around 9:00 overall. My legs felt a little heavy, but there was no problem getting going this morning, unlike several weeks ago, when it took 5 minutes or so until I felt smooth running. Tapering does help, huh?

Later, I got my tuneup pre-race massage from Ron, and he worked out some minor tightness in the calves and shin muscles, pronouncing me fit and ready to run. He didn't find any knots or problems while working me over.

So, now there's almost nothing left to do between now and Sunday except eat right, get some sleep, and do a super easy 10-15 minutes on Saturday morning, followed by stretching.

Taper Madness (Cont.)

The closer the race gets, the stranger I feel. Today, I was doing something totally non-running related, and I got that sudden cold chill that I'm racing a marathon on Sunday. In the space of maybe 2 minutes, I had the fear that my training hasn't been sufficient, then the knowledge that Gilbert knows what he's doing, and I've done almost every workout, especially the important ones, and then I obsessed for a bit over a mild sniffle that I experienced, and then finally I settled down again. Strange, but nothing out of normal for this strange week. Legs feel great, if a bit heavy, and I've been a good boy all week nutritionally. Tomorrow, we have a last group workout, and I get my pre-race massage tuneup, and then Friday it's the Expo.

The mind plays crazy tricks on you in Taper City, and you just have to keep going back to all those miles of training that you've invested in this effort, and trust that the Plan is solid. Weather is still shifting a bit, but it looks still like a day in the high 40's to mid-50's, and overcast. That would totally be good with me.

Last Fast Stuff

This morning was 50 degrees and overcast, currently the marathon morning forecast. We cruised over to Zilker Park for our 3000m of repeats. There was a lot of chatting about race goals and strategy as we ran over to Zilker, of course. Drills were fun, and then we gathered for the Word. Gilbert offered us the option of doing 3x1000m with 300m slow jog between or doing 3000m continuous, slightly faster than marathon goal pace. My subgroup of Jan and Henry chose to do 3000m continuous, and we were off. Naturally, in the dark, we were a little quick, and hit the first mile in 8:25, much faster than the 8:55-9:00 I anticipated. The rest of the course was downhill to flat, and we sped up a bit coming in, I guess, for a final pace of 8:15/mile for the 3000m run. Too fast, but it didn't feel crazy fast when we were running. This far out, I don't think it will harm anything for race day, but I do wish we had been more moderate. HR wasn't too bad, though, so I think it'll be fine. After everyone finished, we jogged back to RunTex. Several of us did most of the stretching routine afterwards. Gilbert is getting anxious for us, I think, but remains positive when he talks with us individually. If race day is like this morning, that would be okay for me. Not ideal, but pretty close. Overcast and 50-55 degrees would be fine. Tomorrow's another off day. For the day, right at 5 miles, averaging 9:00/mile.

Tapering Down To Freescale

Today, on a nice sunny afternoon, I headed out on the trails behind the house for a nice and easy 30-45 minute run. It was maybe 60 degrees or so, and nice after days of damp and drizzly weather. I cruised for 3.7 miles, mostly on dirt and gravel, with some hills, and averaged 9:14/mile on the run. It felt relaxed, and I pushed the inclines slightly just for fun. Nothing all out, but just a little shakedown cruise today. I did the full stretching ritual afterwards. Tomorrow will be 3 x 1000m with the Gazelles, slightly faster than marathon race pace. Wednesday off. Thursday is massage day and a really easy warmup and some running on the grass. Friday I go to the Expo to do all that business. Saturday is an easy 20-30 minutes and stretching, and that's it. Race Day on Sunday. Current long range forecast is lows around 45, highs in the low 60's, overcast. Sounds okay to me. 30% chance of rain. My Dr. Pepper fast has begun, and so far it hasn't been all that bad. A mild caffeine withdrawal headache this morning, but that's it. Body is feeling fine, I've actually trimmed down a couple of pounds since early January, and I'm just counting the days until Sunday. I think tapering causes a time stretching phenomenon along with all the other physical manifestations...tick tick tick tick...

Weekly Stats (Week of 1/31-2/6):

Four runs totalling 25 miles. The Taper is upon us, and the mileage dwindles down. Next week, we've got one short speedwork session (3 x 1000m at 10 seconds faster than marathon race pace) and then two other very casual group workouts, and one 30-45 minute easy run on Monday. It's all about rest and nutrition from here to the race. Exciting but scary. Time to start checking the super long-range weather forecast, I guess...

Celebrity Sighting

I forgot to mention earlier this week that I had an Austin Celebrity Sighting. I was dining at the Schlotzsky's sandwich location at Hwy 183, near Braker Lane, for lunch on Wednesday. I kept noticing this woman over across the restaurant, chatting with a guy. She looked familiar, but I couldn't put a name to the face. I went back to reading my book, and then as she left, I noticed that she was very tall. I filed all this away, and today in the Austin American Statesman, I saw a picture of Kristin Armstrong, Lance's ex-wife, and "Voila!," that's who it was on Wednesday. If I could've figured it out earlier, I'd have congratulated her on her NYC marathon. Oh, well.

Last Reconnaissance Run Before Freescale

My head cold has returned, but I'm hopeful that it'll go away by next weekend. That caused my HR to be slightly elevated today, but that's okay. Today, on a gorgeous morning in the mid-40's, clear and crisp, we were sent out on a 7 miler incorporating the last 10k of the Freescale course. I ran with a big pack of Henry, Laurie, Volel, Jan, Patrick, and myself. We caught Margaret and Liliana towards the end of the run. Gilbert told us to just go out and run easy, and we did. After the water stop at about 4.3 miles, I stayed to talk with Gilbert for a bit, and then had to bust a quick mile to catch the guys again, so my pacing wasn't exactly even. We ended up doing a little over 7.6 miles at 9:48/mile pace, and then did 7x100m strides on the grass at Auditorium Shores. We jokingly practiced crossing the finish line and holding our arms high for the finishing photos, waiting to click our watches until after the photo area was passed.

I wore what will probably be my raceday clothing, shorts, cap, gloves, and two shirts. I felt just fine until we stopped. When we got back to RunTex, I enjoyed the ritual of putting on dry warm clothes, as usual.

Afterwards, the stretching session was fun, and the Governor even joined us for a while after he finished his morning run. Once we finished with that, Gilbert called us over to check out his Freescale race goals for all of us. He selected 3:55:00 for me, which is within the realm of possibility, if I have a good day. After a little more conversation about GU strategy for the big race, we scattered to the four winds. Just 8 more days to Freescale!

Massage Tuneup

This afternoon, I went to see Ron for my first taper week massage tuneup. Since I've been lucky about avoiding injury for the most part, and stay fairly limber due to a fluke of genetics (I suppose), most of my massage appointments are about maintenance and recovery. I went today to finish off the legs from the half marathon, as well as helping after the speedwork this morning. Ron didn't find too much to worry about, just a little tightness in the right hamstring and the usual tightness in the calves. He pronounced me healthy. I'll see him again next Thursday for a last pre-race massage to work out the sludge that collects during a drastic taper, and I've booked my post-Freescale appointment for the Wednesday after the race. After Freescale, I'll walk every other day and maybe will do some easy cycling to let the legs move around without a lot of pounding, and the Wednesday massage will help clear out some of the wreckage resulting from a marathon race. Just 10 more days!

Relaxed Speedwork (5x800m)

This morning was crisp and clear for a change, with the overcast that's created such a pall over the city for the last week or so disappearing. Temp was about 40, but it felt nicer without the rain and drizzle. A large crew gathered at RunTex, and we cruised over to Austin High School in the dark. There was lively chatter as we eased over to the track. Warmup complete and the drills finished, we grouped up for our workout. Marathoners were to do 5x800m with 2:00 rest between, and we were supposed to do them at or just under marathon race pace. That mean that I should be shooting for 800m times between 4:25 and 4:30. Jan, Henry and I ended up doing the repeats together, since Frank's group was going faster, and our usual peeps that aren't doing the marathon went to do their 800's with the faster people instead of hanging with us. We talked the whole time we were doing these easy 800's, and knocked off our 5 in 4:28, 4:36, 4:31, 4:20 and 4:25, ranging from 8:43 to 9:15 mile pace. My HR never got cranked up to any sort of big number doing the 800's, and the HR recovered swiftly in the 2:00 rest between intervals. After 3x100m striders, we headed back to RunTex. It was a nice little workout, just enough to get the legs turning over at the proper rate without blasting anything. Total day was 6.4 miles at 9:26 average pace.

We took time to stretch afterwards. Saturday's 7-10 miler over the end of the marathon course should be nice and relaxed, followed by the extended stretching regimen.

Nice and Easy Trail Run

Tonight, I headed out at twilight for a cool little run behind the neighborhood on the trails. I even wore my trail shoes for a change of pace. It was in the mid-40's, and was just perfect running weather. I concentrated on running super easy, and I set the HR monitor to beep at me when I got going too hard. Except for a couple of short climbs, I stayed below the warning line, and on those few climbs, it dropped back under the line quickly. It was fun to run as it got dark, navigating by the glow of moonlight through the cloud cover. I did the stretching regimen afterwards, which is the main reason I wanted to get this run done today. Everything is feeling great, and once again I just enjoyed the sheer pleasure of running easily...the quiet sounds of footfalls on the dirt trail, my internal radio station that was tuned to the reggae station tonight, and my thoughts of the upcoming marathon.

3.4 miles, 9:53 pace, nice and comfy.

Singing in the Rain

This morning, Gilbert sent us off to do a nice relaxed one hour run to flush out the remaining debris in our legs from the half marathon pace run. The weather was rainy, wet, and cool (43 degrees). I bundled up more than normal, just to try to stay dry (got out the rain jacket for the first time in quite a while), and we were off. Kelly, Frank, Alex, Jan and I formed a pack, and headed counterclockwise on the trail, doing the I-35 loop.

With the weather conditions, we got a little silly early, laughing about being out on a morning like this. The run was nice and comfortable, and besides dodging water puddles on the trail (we were unsuccessful), it wasn't all that bad. There was a lot of conversation as we cruised around, and it was nice to get to know Kelly a little better today. We discussed race strategy and paces for Freescale (Alex is going for a serious time, and Kelly and Frank plan to run together, with Jan and me forming a pace pod, we think), as well as a host of other topics. By the time we reached Auditorium Shores, we had only seen 3 or 4 runners on the trail, so we gave everyone we saw this morning a warm greeting. If someone was crazy enough to be out on a day like this, they deserved a hearty acknowledgement. We finished the workout off with 6 striders, flicking mud on our backs as we did full Gazelles form on the strides.

The workout ended up being just over 7 miles at 9:55/mile pace, which was perfect. I immediately got the wet clothes off and put on warm dry stuff from the truck, and I was very happy once I got warm stuff on. I was probably overdressed afterwards, but I'm not about to get chilled and catch a cold this close to the big race. I felt really great out there today, with very little stiffness or soreness from the half marathon, and it's very exciting to be less than 2 weeks away from Freescale. A nice easy 30-40 minute run tomorrow, then 3-5 x 800m at marathon pace (or perhaps slightly faster) on Thursday, and a 10 mile run on Saturday, incorporating the end of the marathon course for one last reconnaissance run. We'll get to maybe 30 miles this week, probably less, as the taper gets into full swing.