Hey Stephen! You are an Ironman!!! Part 2

So, baseball season wraps up on June 4th and as soon as I get home I jump on the bike to get in an hour of work.  It's time to really get after it because my first real triathlon race is just over 6 weeks away and I have no idea what I'm doing. 

Every year, Tricia and I try to plan a trip to North Dakota to see her family in early summer.  This trip would be different.  We'd meet them in South Dakota instead and spend time in the Mt. Rushmore area. 

Just so happens there's a swim only event there that weekend that my sister-in-law has found.  Of course, my first thought is that this is a great idea.  Sure, I'm in.  "A Dam Good Swim" is the name of the race.  It's in the lake behind Pactola Dam.  Calm water, very controlled setting, right up my alley.  So I thought.....

In the days leading up to the race, we're informed that things are changing due to flooding.  WHAT?  I don't need all this.  Make this simple on me.  There would be no parking near the start line because the parking lot is completely flooded.  Race check-in would happen near the dam and we'd be shuttled down to the start line.  Tricia and I arrive early at the direction of the race director.  Lot's of standing around.......walked across the dam to get to a restroom.  Not at all an ideal setting.  Finally, I get a shuttle down to the start line. 

We stand around for an hour because the race team is delayed in getting buoys out.  Finally some race instructions.  I get my wet suit on and slowly wade into the water.  It's cold.....like really cold, or at least to me.  I finally get my face in the water and it takes my breath away.  HOLY CRAP!  The race organizer advertises this race at 68-72 degrees.  No FREAKING WAY!!!!  It's much colder, or so it feels.  I swim 2 strokes and freak out a bit.  I can't see my hand in front of my face.  The race organizer advertised the water as clear to about 20-30 feet.  DAMN, THAT'S COLD!!!  Race time and I'm slowly getting comfortable in the water.  Ok, I can do this.  The first group goes off.  They're going 2.4 miles.  My race is the 1.2 mile.  15 minutes until I go.  I'm wading around in this cold water.  I swim 4 -5 strokes and the cold water gets me.  I swim 5-6 strokes, no better.  Everyone in my race starts to gather near the start line and I find my way to the back of the group.  My only hope at this point is to complete this race.  No need to 'race', just going through the motions. 

The gun goes off and I let everyone take out ahead of me.  I get my face in the water and freak out.  I swim 2-3 strokes and lose my breath.  I raise my head up out of the water and start flailing.  I'm panicking and don't know how to do this.  Another 5-6- strokes in this cold water and another freak out.  Breath taken, Heart racing. Doggy paddle, cold, heavy breathing, heart racing, 3 more strokes of real swimming, head up, breath taken, heart racing, more doggy paddle.  I'm 75 yards off the start line and I stop.  I try to regain my breath and slow my heart rate.  I take 15-20 seconds as I see everyone in my race pulling away farther toward the first buoy.  5-6 more strokes and attempting to breath every stroke.  My breath is taken again.  I freak out and decide today's not my day.  I pull up, float for a second, and backstroke my way back to the start line.  Done.  Finished.  What the hell was I thinking when I signed up to do this???  I'm NOT a SWIMMER. 

The Eddie Ferrell, Music City Triathlon is a staple in the city and brings out all of the local triathletes.  I decide it's important to eliminate as much of the race morning anxiety as I can by picking up my packet and dropping off my bike the day before.  I get there and realize I'm completely out of place here.  I know some of these people through running, but I'm lost.  It's a lot like the first time I ran a big race.  Not knowing where to go or what order things get done and so on.  Fortunately, Tricia is with me and I gotta at least act like I know what I'm doing!  haha! 

I see some familiar faces and chat for a minute or two, then I see Season!  What a welcome sight!  Runner, Triathlete, Race Organizer, good friend.  I haven't seen her in probably a year at this point, maybe more.  I introduce her to Tricia and we catch up for a minute.  She knows that I've taken on this challenge of doing an Ironman and is extremely supportive and curious.  As a friend, she wants to make sure I'm doing everything I can to get ready for the big day and knows that this is a 'training race' for me.  Me, I kept saying that, but my anxiety was growing with every minute.  Tricia and I walk down to the river......yeah, the Cumberland River, where I'll be jumping off a perfectly good dock the next morning to swim 300 yards or so.  This is stupid!!!  Will this turn into another 'Dam Good Swim' spectacle?  Or can I really do this?

Race day arrives and I'm nervous.  I'm up extremely early to make sure that I have everything packed that I need.  Wetsuit - CHECK, Cycling Shoes - CHECK, Helmet - CHECK, Running Shoes - CHECK, WETSUIT- CHECK!!  I arrive at the race plenty early.  I get everything laid out around my bike.  The 'jerk' next to me not-so-politely tells me to move my things as I'm in 'his space'.  Clearly he doesn't know this is my first race and that I have no clue what I'm doing, or that I've only made it this far from youtube videos.  I see Brad and Emily and they want to get in a little run to warm-up.  Wait, I thought the swim was the warm-up!  haha!  I agree to go and grab my running shoes.  We run a couple of miles and given it's July......I work up a nice sweat.  Just in time to put on a wetsuit.  Not the easiest thing I've ever tried.  Everyone begins to head toward the river and line up for jumping in.  The people doing the Olympic distance race board the General Jackson and they head up stream.  Everyone standing on shore applaud and cheer them on, all while my anxiety grows. 

It's a slow go as people one by one jump in to start the race.  Standing on the dock, I get to see lots of athletes swim by.  Some swimming as if they've done this their entire life, as if they have gills.  Others, not so much.  I have hope that I can do this.  I also have serious anxiety as I see those people who are struggling.  I'm standing behind a lady that I've talked to on a couple of occasions at the pool where I train.  She's doing this race without a wetsuit, her first without one.  The Olympic distance swimmers start to come into view and I slowly get to the start line.  5, 4, 3, 2, 1.......Here we go! JUMP!!!  DAMN That's cold!!!!  Face down, cold water, panic!  I tell myself to slow down.  I can manage this.  Face back in the water.  Panic.  Doggy Paddle.  I get my head turned and paddle as best I can.  I rollover to backstroke and slow my heart rate.  I try to roll back over to swim and freak out.  I hear one of the kayakers ask if I'm OK.  I nod that I'm fine.  Really Stephen, are you fine?!?!?  Doggy paddle, doggy paddle......I'm killing this doggy paddle!  Oh, there's Tricia, she's taking a picture of me doggy paddling.  That won't be my favorite triathlon photo of all time.  Let's try to swim.  Ok, there's 5 strokes.  Doggy paddle.  5-7 more strokes.  Hey, there's the finish line.  I got this..........

I come out of the water feeling exhausted, but I made it.  I completed the swim portion of this race!  That's worth celebrating.  I take my time getting up the hill from the river and try to slow my heart rate.  Once I reach my bike, I'm ready to roll.  I had come out of the water 25th of 26 in my Age Group.  Now, let's get after it!  I get out of transition on the bike and know that I have to pace myself.  While this is only a 14'ish mile bike ride, I've got to run following this.  Not something I've really practiced doing a lot.  I'm patient to start and take my time settling in.  By the time I get to Ellington Parkway, I'm ready to do some racing.  I'm consistently passing people, lot's of people.  As I make the turn to come back, I know that the worst of the climbing on the course is behind me.  Let's get after it.  I push hard all the way back into downtown.  As I get close to the stadium, I ease up a bit knowing I need to shake out my legs so that I can run.  I've just put down the 7th best bike time in my age group and while I didn't know this at the time, I'm moving up quickly.  I get my bike racked and running shoes on.
 

Tricia has my hat and now we're gonna have a little fun.  I ease into this run, but I'm passing people right and left.  I know a lot of people got into the water before me, but this many???    The first mile I click off at 7:43.  I blow by a kid that everyone who passes cheers on and tells him how great he's doing.  I ask if he's ok.  He says yes, then I tell him to push harder!  haha!  Never let up, young man!  2nd mile at 7:29 and we're heading back toward the finish.  3rd mile at 7:10 and I feel really good all the way to the finish.  I've just put down the 4th fastest run in my age group.  Add all that together with my very slow transition times and I finish 7th in my age group.  While that swim was frustrating and I know I have lot's of work to do, I know now that if I make it out of the water that I can be competitive at this.

To be continued............

Hey Stephen! You are an Ironman!!! Part 1

What on earth was I thinking?  Seriously, at what point did I lose my mind here???  

The last time I wrote in my blog was November of 2016.  I had just quit at the 7 mile mark of the Indianapolis Marathon.  After that, I went to Huntsville in December of the same year to run the Rocket City Marathon, while I finished the race, it was mentally grueling.  In April of '17, I went to Boston for the third time, expecting to have an amazing race and feeling as fit, or more so, than I ever had.  Turns out Boston doesn't exactly care how fit you are and threw me a slider in the dirt that I didn't know how to handle.  It was a hot day by marathon standards and I wasn't prepared for that at all.  I ran the worst marathon time I'd posted since 2011.  With that performance, I was done with racing!!!  Finished!  Never lacing them up again.......or so I thought!

Oh wait (squirrel), I've got a guaranteed entry to the Chicago Marathon for 2018 (something shiny).  Let's get that on the books and see if I can slay this dragon in my head.  Chicago was very good to me the first time I ran it, maybe I can duplicate it again!  That would turn out to be an impossible task.  Training officially started the day that baseball season ended and I made it all of  7 weeks into the training before getting crushed by the dragon!  I tried to run a 10k on the 4th of July only to bail out half way through.  Then, after a family vacation to Florida, in which I didn't run at all (thinking the break would help), I came back to run 5 more days before totally bailing out on the plan!  Cancelled flights and hotel reservations without even so much as a whimper or a second thought.  Now, I'm really done!

So, what am I gonna do with all this extra time in my life.  Burger week only lasts 1 week.  I can't seriously eat like that any other week or I'd weigh 350.  For 3 weeks I sat around mostly did nothing.  Ran maybe 2 days per week.  Rode my bike a couple of times.  Ran once or twice more, then rode my bike 2 or 3 more times.  Hmmmm......that's actually enjoyable.  Maybe I'll buy a road bike and do a bit more riding.  At this point, I'm guessing that my wife already knows where this is headed.....she's way smarter than I am!!!  I still had no clue.  

I buy a road bike in September and start to ride a bit.  20 miles here and there just before the weather turns cold and then I get on the trainer at home for an hour at a time or until my butt can no longer handle the seat on this bike.  

Holy crap, these seats SUCK!!!  Still running a couple of days per week, 4-5 miles at a time, and now mixing in a couple of days on the bike.  By November I'm back to working out at least 5 days per week.  I'm feeling a bit better about myself and the fact that I don't have a race to look forward to, and can actually enjoy the run or ride.  By Thanksgiving I'm starting to think maybe a triathlon is in the future and I start digging around a bit for more info. By the first week of December, I start swimming 3 to 4 days per week, not having a clue what I'm doing and struggling to swim the length of the pool without drowning!  By the middle of the month, I'm thinking very seriously about an Ironman and by Christmas, I'm actually telling people about this crazy idea!!!  Before Tricia and I leave for Cancun for our New Year's trip, I register for a race.......Ironman Louisville.......October 13, 2019.  Damn!  What have I done???

I know going in that this is going to be the most challenging thing I've ever done.  Why?  Because I don't swim!  Like, I can swim the length of the pool, but that's mostly without breathing and I'm positive I can't swim 2.4 miles without breathing.... The first thing I do is reach out to Ironman friends Brad and Emily Rollins.  Brad has been coaching for several years and Emily is his prized client, in more ways that one!  They are both dedicated triathletes and working folk.  They get that there are other things going on in life that sometimes take priority.  They both also know how to get to the finish line..........fast.  I can manage the life part, I just need to know how to get to the finish line.  We talked about getting started the day that I get home from my last baseball game, whether that's the last weekend of the regular-season in May or after the Regional round of the NCAA Tournament at the end of the first week in June.  Between January and that time, I'd work to build fundamentals in the pool and some conditioning on the bike.  As Brad would say, "we gotta condition that taint!"  Oh geez, what am I doing?  

During baseball season, it's really tough for me to get into a rhythm with any sort of regular exercise.  Yes, from 2015 to 2017, I managed to train for Boston during the bulk of baseball season, but that's not the norm, nor have I ever wanted it to be.  Going out for a 22 mile run on Saturday morning before working a 3 hour baseball game is not my idea of a good time.  As baseball season starts, I find my way to the pool 4-5 days per week.  I add 3-4 days per week on the bike, all of it on the trainer.  I back off a great deal on the run as I know that's going to be my strength as we get to the summer training.  I decide that I'm not going to be beat by a lesser athlete just because he/she has a better bike setup, so I buy a Tri bike in mid spring and spend all my trainer rides on it getting comfortable being in the aero position.  

Emily passes along some of her swim workouts and I try, as best I can, to execute them.  I feel like rock in the water and probably look like a flailing cat fighting the water with every stroke.  This may be even harder than I thought!  

Baseball season wraps up for me the first week in June.  The NCAA selected me to work the Regional round of the baseball championship.  This year, they sent me to Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA.  Yeah, that's me with a front row seat for a laser to left center.  

As Brad and I had discussed, we'd start my training on June 4th, as soon as I got off the plane.  I felt as though I had done a good job getting my taint conditioned on the trainer in the spring, but had no clue what I was getting myself into when I got outside to ride.  35 miles, 50 miles, 57 miles, 70 miles.....and the numbers will keep growing. We decide it's important for me to do a couple of shorter distance races.  My first triathlon would be the Music City Triathlon Sprint race and oh, what a learning experience this turns out to be.........

...........to be continued.

My Running has Become a Millennial

Some of y'all know this and some of y'all don't.......So let me clear my throat!  I'm feeling a bit like DJ Kool right now! haha!

  

 

You millennials won't get that reference.  No honestly, I need to clear my throat.  Probably several times as I write this.  This isn't gonna be a fun one to write. 

Last Saturday, I walked to the start line of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.  My training leading up to the race had been good, not great.  I struggled through the summer heat and had a couple of bad, shorter races.  That said, I felt in the past month I had built a good bit of both fitness and confidence.  I was as prepared physically as I've ever been for a race.  It was an absolutely perfect weather day for racing.  A day like I haven't seen since 2013 in Chicago.  

The gun goes off, I run a slow'ish first mile and then find a groove.  I don't feel as though I'm working hard at all, 7:11, 6:54, 6:46, 6:45.  I'm chatting with Kevin, who happens to be right behind me pacing the 3:05 group.  .....and all of a sudden the thought runs through my head that I'm not doing this today.  A mile later, still on pace, I look for Tricia and decide that if I see her, I'm quitting. Where the heck is she?  What the hell?  I keep running, another good mile and then BAM!  I'm on the side of the street..........Done.  I quit!  I turn and wave at Kevin, tell him to have a good race and to keep it up.  What kind of freaking hypocrite am I???  7 miles in and I'm standing there as a spectator.  Margaret Jones runs by......"Hagan, you ok?"  Yep, I'm good.  I ask a spectator to borrow a phone to text Tricia to tell her I'm done and begin walking back to the hotel. 

I've spent the last 4-5 days beating myself up over this.  What has happened to me as a runner?  When it comes to running, I've become a millennial.  There's an excuse, with a plausible argument, for every run that goes bad.  As a runner, I've become what, as a person, I despise.  I've become the guy that will take all the credit when things go great, but if it's a tough day, it ain't my fault. I've stopped owning responsibility for my own failures.  Something else is the problem.  The heat and humidity......the remodel of my house...........I didn't sleep well.........I just don't want to be here. 

As a point of self-reflection, it's important to me to try to identify where this slide started.  Amazingly enough, I think it all started following the most successful day of my running life.  October 10, 2013.  Chicago Marathon.  I run my marathon PR by 19 minutes and qualify for Boston the first time.  As I was running today, I started chronicling the excuses I've used for my performances.......here's a sampling.

• 2013 - Rocket City Marathon (DNS) - Raining, This was my 'B' race, I already qualified for Boston
• 2014 - New York - Cold, 25-40 MPH winds (this one might actually be legit), logistics suck
• 2015 - Naples Half-Marathon - Too hot to race hard
• 2015 - Boston - Cold, rainy, windy
• 2015 - Franklin Classic - Stomach issues (I ate Hot Chicken 2 days before), Hot.
• 2016 - Boston - HOT (It was 60 degrees.  That ain't hot!!)
• 2016 - Watertown Half - Humid, it's a training run, I don't want to be doing this
• 2016 - Indianapolis (DNF) - My summer training was terrible, I've got no confidence, I don't want to be here. 

It goes beyond just race day.  It goes to the daily runs as well.  When doing interval work, if I'm running faster than pace, great!!  When it starts to hurt, rather than miss my pace, I'll stop to catch my breath.  On hot days this past summer, I'd slow down when approaching a traffic light hoping it would change to keep me from crossing just so I could stop.  Or, even if I could cross, would stop anyway just because I wasn't feeling it.   The long run..........pshhhh!  I bailed out more this summer than Free At Last Bail Bonds.  Do I get the same number of miles as I would if I executed the way I should, yes.  What I miss though is the confidence to know that I can push through when things get tough.

So, how the heck do I get out of this horrible habit and start owning my success AND failures?  Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, said "Success breeds complacency.  Complacency breeds failure.  Only the paranoid survive."  I've said before that I've gotten complacent with my running.  I've achieved things that most won't dare attempt.  I'd say that even among runners, I've achieved a state of 'accomplished' as an age-group athlete.  Heck, on a good day this past summer, I actually won a small 5k in my hometown.  And, for what its worth, there were no excuses on that day.  What I had not considered until reading his quote is that my complacency has bred my failure. 

For me, getting out of this habit begins with a reminder about why I started running and then clearly identifying my goals.  I must be brutally honest with myself about how committed I am to achieving those goals.  

I started running because I was eating poorly & drinking too much, I was over-weight, and life, as I know it now, was running away without me (no pun intended).  I decided to do "something absolutely ridiculous to get into shape." I'll never forget the day I registered for my first marathon and the feeling of 'What did I just do???"  The feeling of excitement that followed for the monumental challenge of a marathon.  Nor will I ever forget the first thought that went through my head when I crossed the finish line.  "I CAN DO THAT FASTER!!!!"

My goals today are a lot different than they were when I started running.  Today, there are basically two goals.  The first is to always be in good enough shape that I can run a half-marathon tomorrow.  Not necessarily for a great time, but that I can actually do it.  The second is to be able to run Boston any year that I want.  This goal........uhhh, it requires WORK!  It requires that I find a way to mature as a runner and accept responsibility and ownership for both my successes and failures.  It requires that I remember or re-learn how to push through when things get tough. 

How committed am I to these goals?  Its a good thing I'm answering this today.  Last Saturday, I was finished with running for a month or two, and was seriously evaluating if I wanted to even make the trip to Boston in April.  Those who know me best, know that when I experience a failure, there's usually a 'Redemption Race'.  After I finished beating myself up for a 4-5 days, I registered for that Redemption Race.  In a month, I'll toe the line again in Huntsville at the Rocket City Marathon.  Ironic it's the first in the list of the 'excuse' races.    I hope I'm able to find the determination I took with me to the start line in Chicago in 2013.  I hope that I'm able to work my way out of this excuse making habit.

 

I sent to my coach a screenshot of my race registration confirmation.  He asked if I was getting a bit of the fire back.  My response was a resounding yes, in very clear, direct and explicit terms!  I'm a grown-ass man and need to start acting like it.  Especially when it comes to doing something I love. 

I don't know if anyone will read this or not, but let's assume for a minute that all my friends do......I need everyone to hold me accountable to this.  Do not coddle me.  Call me out on my BS!  The excuse making guy is not me and it's darn sure no who I want to be.  

I am responsible for and own the effort that I put into every workout.
I am responsible for and own the success AND the failure of those workouts.

I am responsible for and own the effort I put forth on race day!
If I do all these well, the results will take care of themselves.  

Let's hope the next time I write, we're talking about successes again. 

Training (March 28 - April 3)

Another good week of training in the books.  I found myself really tired at the end of the week and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the grind that it's been for the past 6 months.  However, after a couple of days away from it, I feel like I'm as ready as I've ever been for a marathon. 

Monday - After getting home late from Fayetteville, Monday was to be an easy day.  Since the time change, I've been trying to run on Monday night with the Tin Roof 2 Running Crew.  This is good because I see some familiar faces and get to run with some people that are as fast, if not faster, than me.  This day would be no different.  Alex and I got in 4 easy miles prior to starting with the Crew.  I needed 9 total miles for the day with some strides on the end.  After 3 more steady miles, Kyle McPhee and I take of on strides by ourselves.  Kyle is a former collegiate runner that claims to have some extra weight on right now.  He can run circles around me but at the same time push me to go just a bit harder on each of these strides.  Great workout.  9.4 total miles @ 7:45.

Tuesday - Easy, breezy miles.  Seems all my miles lately have been 'breezy'!!!  8.23 @ 7:59.  With a baseball game scheduled for the evening, this one happened at lunch.  Rushed again to get from meeting to run to meeting.

Wednesday - Coach has said a few times that he'd be glad to pace me over a few miles if I was interested.  I've always said yes, but until this day, we hadn't been able to work it out.  As I'm getting closer to my race, Coach decided we'd run a tempo pace over some hills.  We did a short warm-up and then dropped the pace just below 7:00.  Coach talked the entire time and gave me a play-by-play of the route as we went.  Don't you just hate those guys that can run and talk???  haha!  While I'm back behind him dying, he's carrying on a very one-sided conversation!  We finished with 11.24 miles @ 7:02.  This includes both warm-up and cool-down miles. 

Thursday - Another day where I'm cramming miles in at lunch because I'm traveling for baseball in the evening.  This time, I'm driving to Atlanta.  Not so bad and I could run after work, but there's the expectation of some thunderstorms.  8.23 @ 8:01.  Easy, breezy!

Friday - Friday's have turned into a very hectic day.  By traveling on Thursday evening, I'm able to work most all day on Friday, but I have to be at the ballpark before the end of the work day, in most cases.  Slipping in a run at lunch is tough, but I'm finding a way to make it happen.  Did a couple of easy strides on the end of this one.  7.07 @ 7:49.

Saturday - Long run in another city.  While this is challenging to coordinate and learn, this has been a lot of fun.  Atlanta is no different.  Just a mile from my hotel is the Noon Day Creek trail/greenway.  It connects on the far end to the Kennesaw Mountain trail/greenway. On Friday, I figured out there was no water on the trail so I stashed a small bottle on my way out.
I've also been doing long runs on minimal nutrition in an effort to familiarize my body with the feeling of running in a carb depleted state.  This time I took a gel prior to starting and then one at mile 6.  A 20 mile run on low cals/carbs is freaking tough but it's a bit easier today than it was a month ago when I bailed out half-way into a run.  20.5 miles (5 Mi. Fast Finish) @ 7:40 (last 5 @ 6:55).

Sunday - In this blog I've mentioned several times that I need to learn to run slow!  This is still a work in progress and I expect it to always be.  Saturday's run, followed by 9 innings of plate work, left me sore and stiff.  I managed to take this one very slow.....for me.  6.13 @ 8:31. 

70.9 miles for the week.  I like this as a final, high-mileage week for my training.  I feel good about my fitness and excited about the possibilities of a good showing in Boston.  Now it's time to start stalking the weather report!!! 

Catching Up

As my marathon training has continued over the past several months, I’ve thought often of writing about what’s been going on.  I realized a while back that I hadn’t written in this blog since my race recap from Boston last year.  Wow, almost a full year since I’ve set down to projectile vomit my thoughts into words.  Tricia has asked me every couple of weeks when I’m going to write again.  I haven’t really had a good answer for her, but here’s a go at it. 

So, 2015 turned out to be a pretty good year.  I didn’t accomplish all of my goals, but here’s a quick recap.

1.    2500 Miles – 2,091 Miles.  I came up a couple hundred miles short on this one.  After being a hundred or so miles ahead of schedule when I got to Boston, I quickly lost this momentum and ran only 135 miles in April, 65 in May, 81 in June and 103 in July.  I guess you could say I took some time off. 

2.    A New PR in every distance – I ran 1 full, 1 half, 2 10k’s, and a couple of 5k’s.  Taking time off definitely decreased my chances of succeeding at this goal.  I did however PR in the 10k and 5k. 

3.    Help someone else achieve a PR – I’m going to call this a success.  When 2015 started, Tricia and I had just started dating and she appeared to have no interest in running.  After sitting at the finish line in Boston waiting for me to get there, Tricia had an itch that she needed to scratch.  She decided to run her first 5k, then another faster, then another one even faster.  She ran her first 10k and then her first half-marathon.  I told her from the beginning that I was going to do my best to stay out of her training but that I’d be there every step of the way.  I can only hope I did a good job of staying out of her way while encouraging her and giving her accurate, solid advice.  We’re still dating, so I guess I did. 

 

4.    Re-Qualify for Boston – DONE.  CHECK.  Man ‘o man, was it good to check this one off the list. 

5.    Cross-Training – Yeah……I got off to a horrible start with this one and never got back to it.  Training for Boston was intense, I took time off, and when I did get back to it, I had a lot of work to do just to get into running shape. 

Now, let’s take a look at 2016.  My only goal for 2016 is to run faster than I ever have.  Considering it’s such a small, little goal for an old guy, I think this is the only one I’ll have for the year!  Haha!!!  Actually, I’m also carrying over the 2,500 miles goal to this year also.  Had I not taken off so much time last year, I would have destroyed this goal.  I need to achieve this once in my life, just to say I did. 

One thing I’ve done to help with these goals is enlist the help of a coach.  I reached a point last year of thinking I had gotten everything out of my body that my knowledge of running would allow.  I’d questioned and studied all I knew to and was beginning to run out of answers.  I asked a lot of the people that I run with who are working with coaches about their guy/gal.  I even asked those that don’t have coaches if they’d considered anyone and if so, who and why?   Everyone had their guy or gal for a reason and made compelling arguments for why I should consider them.  While I was in line at Whole Foods getting lunch one day, I see Susan Wenner.  Susan and I chat running every time I go in and I mentioned to her I was considering a coach.  Before I could finish my sentence, she says ‘Oh, you have to go with Scott!’  I could physically feel the enthusiasm with which she said this and for the most part, my mind was made up.  Scott Wietecha would be my first choice to work with if it was an option. 

Scott is easily the Nashville area’s most decorated runner: a professional runner, Olympic Trials qualifier, and 3x winner of the Rock n’ Roll Country Music/Nashville Marathon, I think Scott knows what he’s doing.  After a few conversations, we started working toward an April 18, 2016 peak date.

Back to running fast, I started working with Scott in late September and immediately ran 45 consecutive days.  Wow, that wasn’t what I had in mind, but I quickly remembered why he’s even involved.  He’s the coach, I’m the athlete and I need to trust everything he suggests I do.  If I buy in fully, I may be able to improve on the hard work I’ve already done.  After a day off, 53 more consecutive days to finish up the year.  In December, I ran a 5k and PR’d by almost 30 seconds.  My last 5k PR came the week prior to Chicago in 2013.  I like this as a good sign.

2016 has started off extremely well.  In February, I ran the Cedars of Lebanon Half Marathon as a training run.  I went in with relatively low expectations and while I was hoping to PR, didn’t expect it would be by much considering the course.  After 13.1 hilly miles I had a new PR by just over three minutes.  WHOA!!!  Coach, whatever you’re doing, it’s  working!!!  A month later, I ran the Tom King Half and ran another minute+ faster.  I like this trend and hope to keep it up.

I’ve been given the chance to run Boston again, 21 days from now.  I’ve work extremely hard for the past 6 months and feel like I’m in the best shape of my life.  I told a friend last night I thought I was a better runner now that I was in my 20’s.  Granted, I didn’t run a lot in my 20’s because I was busy with other things.  But, while I know I’m more committed to it, I also feel I’m stronger both physically and mentally.    

I’ve said for a long time now that I want my best performance in the marathon to come on the world’s biggest stage.  I’ll never have the opportunity to run in the Olympics or even the Trials.  I’ll never compete for prize money at one of these big races.  But, that big stage still awaits for all of us.  Mine just happens to be on Patriot’s Day and I’m taking a whole sack full of grit and determination with me, along with 6 months of hard work and fitness, and I’m going to find out just how good I can be on one day. 

 

2015 Boston Marathon - A Race Recap

It seems normal to me to wait several days before writing a race recap.  There are so many thoughts and emotions that go into a race and effectively processing all of them is a challenge for me.  Following a disappointing result in New York last November, I wanted to make sure that I fully evaluated this performance and the experience that it has been.

My final evaluation is that this race was a complete success.  Period.  No doubt about it.  Did I have the race that I wanted or expected?  No, absolutely not.  Were the conditions tough and getting tougher with each minute that passed?  Yes, absolutely.  That said, I ran a tougher course, on a tougher day, only 2 minutes slower than a PR that I posted on a flat, fast course on a perfect day.  OH, and I did the one thing that was most important to me for this race.......RE-QUALIFY for BOSTON!

Race day started out like most all do.  Up early, BodyGlide and Vaseline, coffee, and start the feeding process.  I had discussed a feeding plan with Jessica in the days leading up to the race.  With the addition of a bus ride to the start line, the timing of my food intake was very important.  We agreed that I needed to eat 2 hours prior to my scheduled start time.  So, I bagged up my bagel, peanut butter, granola bars and Gatorade/Water and took it with me to the bus.  As I'm getting out of a cab near the bus loading spot, I hear someone yell my name.  Ladies and Gentleman, it was the one and only Beth Meadows!  Those of you that know Beth know the infectious energy that she possesses.  A big hug and we were off to catch a bus.  Running into Beth was a bit of a God-send.  If you've ever run a big city race, and specifically one where you are transported to the start line, you know the alone feeling that you get when you know no one and are simply being herded like cattle to your destination.  We laughed and talked the entire way to Hopkinton.  Thank you, Beth.  Your timing could not have been better.  (Read her race recap here...... https://ultramarathonoflife.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/boston-marathon-ok-it-was-cool/)

When we arrived in Hopkinton, it started raining.  I had truly thought of everything that I needed to pack heading to the race start.  Throw away clothing, gloves, hat, food, water, toilet paper, and a.......garbage bag......not so fast my friend.  I left the garbage bag in my backpack.  DANG IT!  Luckily Beth and I only had a short walk and the rain mostly stopped.  We found a spot in a tent where I continued to eat my bagel and peanut butter.  If you ever want to be the envy of every runner around, have a bagel and peanut butter in a crowded area prior to a race.  According to Beth, for every person that asked me where I got mine, there were 10 more than were staring at it.  My response to the question of where I got it became, "At Dunkin' Donuts, 26 miles away."  haha!

As we started funneling toward the start line, I had one last chance to get in line for a porta-potty.  I walk into this open area where there are literally thousands of runners and walk right up on Greg Kyle, Jackson Miller and David Canas.  So great to see these guys prior to the race.  I hope they know how much they helped to quell the nerves that were starting to build.  While we were standing in line, the National Anthem began and a sense of urgency took over.  Everyone started moving faster and faster.  Finally walking toward the start line again, I was quickly routed into my corral and heard the announcing of the elite runners.  I knew we were only minutes away.

I was in the 8th corral of Wave 1.  Wave 1 contained about 7,500 runners.  With 7,000 people ahead of me, it took about 5 minutes to get to the actual start line.  This 5 minutes seemed like an eternity.  As you approach the start line, it narrows significantly.  It really is a two-lane road from Hopkinton to Ashland.  Based on what I had been told, I knew it was narrow and down-hill, but don't think I was prepared for this.  Felt like I was running down the middle of Old Glasgow Road. It was hard to believe that 27.000+ runners were going to 'fit' through this section of road.  But, they've been doing it for 119 years, I think they know better than me.

And I'm off.  I knew to be patient during the first mile and things started to open up a bit during the second.  I rattled off a couple of really good miles and settled in.  I took a gel at mile 4 and grabbed a sip of water.  I took another gel at mile 8 and another sip of water.  I felt as though I needed to use the bathroom again and as I approached mile 9, I had to stop and find a tree.  Yes, guys are lucky and we don't necessarily have to wait for a porta-potty.  I lost about 30 seconds or so during this stop but was quickly back underway.  The course seemed to be fair at this point and I rolled through miles 9 to 13.  I made it half way at 1:32.  I was hopeful of a bit faster, but knew that I could still drop a PR if I stayed after it.  Speaking of mile 13.  This is where the all-girls Wellesley College is located.  About a quarter mile away, you can hear the roar of the crowd and it grows and grows as you get closer.  It seemed that the bulk of the runners were making their way to the right side of the road.  This is where ALL the girls were.  Sensing this, I made my way to the left and found a good bit of open space to run in for about a half mile.  This was also about the point where it started raining lightly.  I took another gel at mile 13 and grabbed a sip of water.  This time I actually walked through the water stop to ensure that I got a good bit of it in me rather than on me.  I am not good at managing those cups and drinking water from them while running.

Miles 14 and 15 were not good.  I don't know if I lost focus during this time or what, but the results of those miles seemed to set a tone for what was to come.  By the time I got back to running hard at mile 16, the rain picked up and the wind started to blow.  By the time I reached the Newton Hills, it was pouring and the wind was in my face at 25 mph.  This is not what I had in mind for this day.  Seriously, can a brotha get a good weather condition race day???  I took another gel at mile 17 and grabbed a quick sip of water.  I knew then that this would be my last gel because I really needed to get after it to get close to the PR and re-qualifying.  There are 4 Newton Hills but the only one that gets any talk is 'Heartbreak Hill', the last of them.  Don't get me wrong here, Heartbreak Hill is tough given that it's the last of the 4 and mile 21 is at the top of it, but, in my opinion, it wasn't the toughest.  The second hill which was shorter, but much more steep, was more difficult.  When I got to the top of Heartbreak Hill, my thought was, 'surely that isn't all'.  Seriously, that's all you got???  Maybe they should rename it 'Heartbreak Hump' 'cause where I come from, we don't call that a hill.  hahaha!!!

Mile 21 and realizing that I'm losing hope for a new PR.  The rain continues to pour, the wind blows harder and now the temp feels like it's dropping.  It's downhill from here but I need to get after it.  Somehow, from somewhere, I found a little zone where I just ran as hard as I could for the last 5 miles.  Mentally I checked out.  I remember seeing the Citgo sign and knowing I was close.  I remember seeing Fenway Park off to my right.  Aside from those landmarks, I don't remember much at all about this part of the race.  Mile 25 and I realize that no PR is coming and I need to hustle if I'm going to re-qualify so I dig a bit deeper.  The crowds are picking up as we are now in Boston.  And then I see it........Hereford St.

Likely the most famous statement in marathon running is, "Now a right on Hereford and a left of Boylston."  I feel like these should be within a few short feet of each other when I hear that said.  When I turned on Hereford, I expected to almost immediately turn left.  Nooooo.....it's more than a quarter-mile and seemed even farther.  The crowd was even louder!  I turned onto Boylston and could see the finish line.

Oh My!  The crowd roared!  They were 4 or 5 people deep on each side of the street.  I'm running down the most famous street in ALL of running and I'm about to requalify to be able to do it again.  AMAZING!  If I wasn't actually doing it, I'm not sure I would believe it.  I know that Tricia and Judy are going to be on the right side of the street.  I work my way to that side hoping to see them.  I see Tricia and she's yelling at the top of her lungs with an enormous smile.  I can't help but smile just a little bit.  I cross the finish line at 3:12:19.  2 minutes 41 seconds under the 3:15:00 needed to qualify for Boston in my age group.  BAM!

The finish line chute was a zoo.  I've never seen so many people using wheelchairs and being moved to the medical tent.  As I slow down, I begin to shiver.  The farther I walk, the more uncontrollable the shivers.  I can't open my banana, or my water, or the protein bar because my hands are so cold.  I'm soaking wet and by the time I get to my heat sheet, I'm freezing.  I meet up with Tricia who has dry clothes for me.  I'm so wet and cold that it actually hurt to put on dry clothes.  I tell her that I've got to get warm and we decide to start walking to get to a cab.  After walking a half block, we see a building that the lobby is open.  She suggests ducking in there for a few minutes for me to warm up.  Great idea.  We do exactly that as she walks to figure out how far I've got to walk before we get to a cab.  Ten minutes later we walk 2 blocks, hail a cab and back to the hotel.

There is something very special about this race, in this city, on this day, Patriot's Day.  I knew when I toed the line that I was surrounded by runners that were better than me.  I knew that everyone around me had earned the right to be there and that none of them were going to take that opportunity for granted.  I've been incredibly lucky to run some incredible races.  After this race, when someone asks me which is my favorite, I have a new answer.

Rain & Ice & Snow, Oh My

48 days until dreams come true.  

Ever have one of those 'real' moments where you know that 'shit is about to go down'?  I had one of those yesterday when I receive a text message from my Nutritionist stating that we needed to soon discuss my nutrition plan for Boston.  Cold chills covered my body as if I was standing at the start line ready to race.  With every day that passes, I get more excited.  The workouts are getting tougher, but I believe that I am as well.  

I missed out on writing this past week because things have been extremely hectic.  Baseball season is fully under way and as I learn better each year, Baseball Coaches like to play Weather Man too.  Not a good idea.  Stick to what you know, or in some cases, don't know.     

Running in South Florida definitely has advantages.  As an Ice Storm hit Nashville on Monday the 16th, I was in sunny and 75 degree Naples.  That day's run was to be a tempo run.  I've openly admitted that I'm not very good at the execution of a tempo pace.  I've searched for and read every definition.  I've asked runner friends about how they execute these runs and still I struggle with this.  That said, I like how this run turned out.  After a warmup mile, I dropped below 7:00 pace, leveling off at just below 6:40 pace for 3 miles and then knocking down the last mile at 6:24.  A good,  hard, 7 mile effort with enough energy in the tank to finish strong.

The next day was an easy 7 miles to shake off the sting of a fast prior day.  I feel like I'm getting better at this kind of running as well.  I tend to keep dropping the pace until I find myself putting out a significant effort on an easy day.  I didn't do that on this day.  I'm also finding that my 'easy' pace is dropping down to about 7:30.  I like very much!

Wednesday of that week was scheduled for 6 miles with no particular pace assigned to it.  I'm not really sure why I didn't assign a pace, but I've been trying Wednesday runs at or near marathon pace, so I went out with the intent of going faster.  After a couple of warm-up miles, I put down 4 averaging 6:46.  I'm beginning to enjoy this 'fast' running.  

Back home on Friday (and for the next week) and things get complicated.  Snow, and mostly Ice, still blanket Middle Tennessee and baseball for the day was already cancelled.  Friday was to be 11 miles at marathon pace.  It turned into 11 miles at 'just don't bust your ass' pace.  A 50 degree temperature change definitely makes me better understand the 'Snow Bird' mentality.  I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't try the distance/pace, but please that I got out on a 25 degree, icy day and got the miles.  Saturday's baseball was cancelled early as it was 40 and pouring rain.  Not even a chance to get outside to run so I went to the Y for an hour in the pool and then back home for an hour on the bike.  Missing a long run is near disaster in my mind.  I hate situations like this.  

Sunday was to be a 10 mile 'recovery' pace run.  I was able to talk Jenifer and Alex into 13+ instead.  We had planned on doing a 'Tom King' like route, but decided that if the Shelby Bottoms Greenway was still covered in ice, that we'd improvise and make it up as we go.  And we did.  13+ miles at 7:53 pace, while not busting my ass is a success.  All this before heading to the ballpark for a double header.  This turned out to be a very, very long day.  

Monday would be another day of baseball and running while dodging ice.  The paths still aren't clear and with a temperature of only 28, it wasn't going to happen then either.  9 miles @ 7:47 pace is a win for this day.  Monday is typically a 'speed workout' day for me, but I changed this up because of the previous day and the remaining ice.  

Tuesday.  Hill Repeats.  Oh how I've missed you!  You suck!  Yes, those are exact thoughts that went through my head on this day.  I felt sluggish.  Legs were tired.  3 baseball games in two days, on top of the mileage, was taking a toll.  8 x Hill Repeats, 4 x Down Hill Repeats.  A total of 8 miles and I didn't hit my paces a single time.  Either my feeling of sluggishness was dead on or I grossly miscalculated my paces for this workout, which is highly likely.  Did I mention another baseball game?  Yep.

On Wednesday, I would have yet another baseball game and needed 9 miles.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to do this one fast, but still went out with 'good intentions.'  9.3 @ 7:34 on this day was a very good run.  

By Friday I knew that Baseball Coaches turned Weather Men are shitty Weather Men!  On Tuesday of this week, a decision had been made to cancel due to impending bad weather.  By Friday, it was gorgeous.  Thank goodness.  This weekend was a high mileage weekend.  11 Friday, 22 Saturday and 11 Sunday.  I really didn't know how I was going to pull that off and work baseball at the same time.  Luckily I didn't have to worry about it.  Friday was 11 quick miles @ 7:12 pace.  Saturday's long run was miserable, in part because I hadn't gone long in a couple of weeks, other part because it was still freakin' cold.  22 miles at 8:09 pace.  Not bad, but I really struggled in the last 4+ miles.  Sunday's 11 miles were the first time in 10 days that I had run with the temp above freezing.  Break out the shorts!!!  Woo Hoo!!!  Those 11 miles wrapped up a 71 mile week.  My highest mileage week since October.  The body is feeling it, but its also a nice accomplishment.  

Even with all of the improvisation of the past week or so, training appears to still be going well.  The miles are adding up and I'm becoming more comfortable with those faster paces.  It feels really good to execute some of these longer distances at faster paces, something I haven't tried regularly in prior training plans.  I'm also ahead of pace on my 2500 mile goal for the year and expect that gap to increase through April.  Soon I'll get to work on some of the other running goals for the year.