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.  

Chili Peppers....on 'repeat'

12 weeks from today.  Wow!  How'd that happen so quickly?  It seem like only yesterday that I was celebrating the fact my entry was accepted into Boston.  That my qualifying time was good enough to gain that entry.  And now.......well now, it's time to go to work.

While many people I know have already started their training for Boston, I chose a shorter, more intense training option; 12 Weeks of Hell.  A couple of months ago, when I started planning this, it seemed like a good idea.  Today, I'm not so sure.  Fortunately I didn't rest on my fitness back then and kept running a decent amount of miles each week.  However, I didn't run fast very often and that has become an area of concern.  While on a casual long'ish run this weekend, I was asked about my upcoming training.  Before I could respond, Jenifer chimes in with "Run fast, all the time".  Yep, that pretty much sums it up.  So, it is only appropriate that this 12 week training plan start with a super-fast (for me) track workout.

The past 10 days or so have been pretty good in terms of running and mileage with a disappointing race performance sandwiched in there.  On Sunday, 1/18, I ran the Naples Daily News Half Marathon.  The goal for the race was to get as close as possible to 1:30.  It was not to be on this day.  66 degrees and 90% humidity for a 7:00 a.m. start.  I started out right in front of the 1:30 pacer, hoping that he was going to run consistent miles the entire way and that if I could stay right in front of him, I'd be good on my goal.  6:44 first mile and he's on my heels.  6:49 second mile and he's past me.  6:50 third mile and he's pulling away.  This guy is banking time and no way am I going to try to keep up with him and implode because of him.  I'm pretty good at implosions of my own.  And that I did.  Half way there and I'm on pace for a solid 1:30.  Two miles later, I think this is a great morning for a casual stroll.  Oh look, there's a Priest spraying everyone with holy water.  Ok, this is a first.  Never seen this one during a race.  Why doesn't this guy just have a sprinkler system of that stuff going off so that it's cooling as well???  I finish with a 1:34.  Not my best day by any means, but a couple of good things came out of this.  I was able to race without Plantar Fasciitis pain and I got to feel the adrenaline of the start line.

Oh yeah, this happened just behind me at this race.  While having snacks in the park after finishing I heard the announcer telling people that medical personnel were on the way.  Thankful that this gentleman is alive and well.

http://t.co/xH5EVacOIE


(Complete Tangent - Rant)
Seriously......IF you are going to be that person that wears the Vibrams (slap, slap, slap, slap), you CANNOT be the person that also wears speakers so that everyone else can hear your music.  PLEASE STOP!!!!  The guy that told you he hadn't heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a long time was not asking you to put it on repeat.  He was goofing on you!!!  You have essentially ruined 'Dani California' for me!  Damn You!!!!  HAHAHA!!!

Ok, enough of my ramblings.  Here's a recap of the last 10 days or so of running.........

Monday - 1/12 - 6.36 miles
Tuesday - 8.12 miles
Wednesday - 7.01 miles
Thursday - 8.05 miles
Friday - OFF DAY
Saturday - 4.02 Shake-out Run
Sunday - 1.15 mile WU, NDN Half Marathon
Monday - 1/19 - 7.08 miles
Tuesday - 7.09 miles
Wednesday - 6.45 miles (79 degrees)
Thursday - OFF DAY
Friday - Dry Needling/ART treatment
Saturday - 14.04 miles, on the ice with one fall. (28 degrees)
Sunday - 7.27 miles.

Goals
I'm about 10 miles off pace to reach 2500 miles for the year.  As Boston training starts today, I think I'll catch that up in a couple of weeks.  Nothing to be concerned about yet.

I am concerned about my 'cross-training' goal.  I did pretty well the first couple of weeks, but having been on the road a good bit, I've found it more difficult.  Need to get focused on this one.

PR goals......1 attempt, 1 failure.

Baseball, Boston and Plantar Fasciitis

Do you smell it?  Seriously?  Take a whiff.  That's the smell of college baseball's opening day being only 30 days away.  It's this time of year, every year, that I start to really miss the game of baseball.  There is nothing better than a freshly cut baseball field on a sunny spring day.  The smells and sounds of the game remind me so much of why I love being a part of it and work so hard to hold up my end of the bargain.  This year, baseball season is going to be a bit different because I'm training for a marathon.  I've never actually undertaken a spring marathon because of baseball.  That's always been my sort of built in recovery period from a summer and fall full of training.  To say that this is going to be a challenge is a gross understatement.  My anxiety level goes up every time I look at my calendar for the month of March.



So, there's a little race that starts in Hopkinton, MA on Patriot's Day that I was lucky enough to qualify for and be accepted into.  It ends 26.2 miles later in Boston at Copley Square.  This will be known as the 119th running of The Boston Marathon.  When I first started thinking about running a marathon almost 6 years ago, I never thought this was even a possibility.  Now, it's about to go down!!!


I'm stoked about the opportunity to run this race.  Coming off a disappointing day in the New York Marathon, I'm even more motivated and dedicated to my training.  In two weeks, I'll actually start a 12-week training cycle.  This is going to be a bit different for me because I've always done 16-18 weeks with a base building phase.  Not so much this time.  Fortunately, since New York, I've continued to run and have stayed in at least half-marathon shape and have a solid base under me.  Another change in my training is that I've assigned specific paces to each of my workouts.  In the past, I just ran how I felt except on Monday's when I would do speed work.  My thought behind this is to give each run a 'purpose' if you will.  Speed, Tempo, Long Run, Recovery....whatever it is that is going to make me fast enough to chase down another PR and do it in Boston.

Speaking of half-marathons and PRs, one of my goals for the year is to run a PR at every distance.  This coming Sunday, I take my first shot at a PR in the half-marathon.  I'll be running the Naples Daily News Half in Naples, FL.  Those of us that live and run in middle Tennessee know nothing about how flat this course is.  We think that the Tom King and Middle Half are flat courses.  Dude........this course is as flat as an airport runway.  Flatter than a 4th-grade girls chest! HA!  I think there might be 5 feet of elevation change.  That said, it's up to me to go out and race smart and put in a good effort.

One thing that could stand in the way of a solid effort is a case of Plantar Fasciitis that I've been dealing with for a couple of months now.  While this hasn't exactly slowed me down, or stopped me from running, it is something that I know is always there and it takes me a bit longer to loosen up.  I really feel this each morning when I get out of bed and shortly after a run when everything starts to tighten back up.  Last week I saw a doctor in Nashville that performed some Dry Needling, ART and I'm using some Kenesio Tape.


I got almost immediate relief.  This week has been much easier than past weeks and I've even knocked out a couple of really 'comfortable' runs.  I'm finding that it's all upstream from my foot.  Tightness in my calves, hamstrings and back seem to be the source for all my pain.  I'm really trying to be diligent about stretching and the use of my Stick and massage balls.  We'll see how things shake out on Sunday.

Here's a bit of a recap of last week's running.......
Monday - 9.4 Miles - Track Work - 1.25 mile WU, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1600, 1200, 800, 400 with 400 recovery jogs between each segment, 1.25 mile CD.  I didn't execute this perfectly, but wow, I felt great about just finishing this workout.  I know that I got better while doing this one.
Tuesday - 7 miles
Wednesday - 7 miles
Thursday - OFF - Travel Day
Friday - (Dry Needling and ART) - 7 miles
Saturday - 7.85 miles - Felt very fatigued in my calves from the previous day's treatment.  Cut this one short.
Sunday - 8.1 miles

2 weeks until Boston training officially starts.  I'm feeling pretty good about where I am physically and the progress that I've made with the Plantar Fasciitis.  Hopefully there's more relief on the way.

2015 Goals

As Christmas and the beginning of a new year approach, it's time to put into writing some goals to be accomplished during the 365 days of 2015.  2014 unfortunately, turned out to be one big learning experience for me, and one that I won't soon forget.  Let's hope that I've learned enough from the current year that allows me to succeed in the next one.  So, here we go........

Goal #1 - 2,500 Miles - This year is going to be different for me in that I've never ran a spring marathon.  This year, I am lucky enough to be going to Boston in April for that little race they hold there.  That said, I've never run a large number of miles during the spring (160 total for March 2014), and specifically during baseball season.  This year that changes and hopefully I can keep up with the demands of both marathon training and baseball season.  I'm going into the new year assuming that I'm also doing a Fall marathon.  With that commitment,  I think this goal is within reach considering I'm closing in on 1,900 miles this year and haven't exactly gotten after it the last month of so.

Goal #2 - A New PR in EVERY Distance - This was a goal that I laid out for 2013 as well and the reason for putting it out there again is so that I race and plan to race.  I ran a grand total of 4 races during 2014.  3 Half Marathons and 1 Marathon.  I don't believe that I toed the line often enough to be able to best embrace my competitiveness.  I love all of my running friends, and foes for that matter, but for the time that we are racing, my only mission in life is to beat you to the finish line.  In order to be better at racing, you gotta race.  I know already that I have a shot at two new PRs with a half in Naples, FL (1/18/15) and a marathon in Boston.  I'll start looking at the race calendar over the next few days to figure out where and when to attack the 5 and 10k distances.

Goal #3 - Help someone else achieve a new PR - I've been absolutely blessed to be surrounded by so many who are willing to help.  So many people willing to share little bits of information that they've acquired through study and experience to help me become better.  I think that now it is my turn to do this for someone else.  I don't know how this happens or what shape/form this comes in, but part of my becoming a better runner, athlete and person is to help others achieve their goals as well.

Goal #4 - Re-Qualify for Boston - Complacency has a way of letting the obvious hide in plain sight.  This goal seems to piggy-back on goal #2, but I feel that it needs to be put into writing.  If I PR at the marathon distance, I will re-qualify for Boston.  That isn't enough though.  This goal needs to be front, center and in my face as much as possible.  I've told people for the past year or so that an ongoing goal of mine is to be able to run Boston any year that I choose to do it.  Therefore, this goal needs to appear on my yearly list of goals.

Goal #5 - Cross-training - Reflecting back on the things that went right in 2013, and what went wrong in 2014, cross-training is one of the things that I must get back to doing.  Swimming, cycling, core strength training, increased flexibility.  I need to be much more consistent about all of these things.  The goal is to add two of these items each week to my schedule.  Even if it's only 30 minutes at a time.  I'll track this along with my running to ensure that I stay on track.  The challenge will be keeping up with this routine when the training mileage gets high and baseball season is in full swing.  

So, with 1 day left until 2015, it's time to get moving on some of these goals.  Over the next few days, as I learn where I'll be traveling for baseball, I'll start researching race calendars to see when I can fit in shorter distance races during the spring.  I'll also be researching yoga classes, boot camps, etc. in Nashville, Naples and whatever other cities I'm going to be in for the next 5 months so that I can work toward all of these goals.  

A big hope of mine for 2015 is that I've learned from the past couple of years.  I've experience enormous highs and some interesting lows.  Let's hope hope that I've aligned these goals with all of those experiences.  That said, what are some of your goals for the coming year?  Anyone setting a mileage goal or a PR goal?  Respond to this and let me know.  I'm very interested in what others set as goals.