Reflecting on Goals

While cleaning up around the house tonight I found the Runner's World magazine that I read while on a plane to the Dominican Republic for my New Years vacation last year.  On the cover of that, I wrote down some 2012 accomplishments and 2013 goals.  It's very interesting to look back and see that 2012 was full of personal records just as 2013 has been.  I see a trend here.........and I like it!  In 2012, I set new PRs in the 5K, Half-Marathon, and Marathon. Two of which I updated this year (didn't attempt a half-marathon).  I look back on those times and recall how happy I was with that success and how eager I was to continue to work hard and find out how much improvement is left in this body. It is almost time to start thinking about goals for 2014, but, there's still a month left in 2013 for some hard work and hopefully improvement.   

I skipped writing about my training last week because things got a bit crazy with another high mileage week and work related deadlines.  The end of the year is coming and you'd think that the sky is falling.  Just so you know, it ain't fallin'!  That said, let's start with last Saturday's 'long run'.  

Saturday

This is the run that I like to treat as a race.  The training plan calls for 15 miles and my goal is to get to marathon pace, or better.  So, why not race?  The Viva La Diva 10 miler was this day and I recall Jackson Miller, Kevin Christian and Courtney Terrell running this race last year as a training run.  By golly, if you can run this course at or better than your goal marathon pace, you can run a marathon even faster. Lower your goal pace buddy!  Holy crap!  10 miles up, down, up, down and up more.  2.5 mile warm-up followed by 10 miles of hills into the wind.  3rd place overall, 2nd overall male, 1:10:31 for a 7:03 pace.  I'll take it.  Notice, no 2.5 mile cool down to get to 15 for the day.  It was cold enough and that race freaking hurt!

Sunday

The weather on this day just plain stunk.  I was a bit banged up from racing the day before and only really needed 8 miles of running.  I decided that I'd stay indoors and mix up my training with an hour on the bike.  Good call.  The knees and hips needed this one.

Monday

Start of the last high mileage training week of the year.  2 Mi. WU, 7 x 1 Mi., 1 Mi. CD.  Wasn't able to get this in at lunch when I wanted because of a dentist appointment.  Got to the track after 4:00 p.m. and knew I was going to finish in the dark.  Had my headlamp ready.  Temps started dropping as dark came and this workout got tougher with each progressive mile.  I did learn that I'm capable of pacing myself pretty well without being able to see my watch.  

Tuesday

Another day of running in the dark.  I really hate training this time of year!  10 miles in and around, and around, and around my neighborhood.  Ugh.  Took it pretty easy, but really just wanted this one over with as quick as I could.  

Wednesday

I had a little time in the schedule and the temps cooperated.  I had to escape the office. Ahhhh!  What is that in the sky?  Oh, it IS the sun!!!  55 Degrees and 10 miles later I'm eating lunch at my desk.  Hate doing that, but it was so worth it on this day!!!

Thursday

Another good weather day.  64 degrees for a nice and easy 6 miles.  Typically, Thursday is an 'off day', but in my highest mileage weeks, these miles are for volume only.  I try to work on different things as I work through these miles.  Stride length, foot fall, lowering my hands and running relaxed.  

Friday

Cold air is starting to move in again and by Sunday it will barely reach the freezing mark for the high.  11 miles today at 7:30 pace.  Friday runs are supposed to be faster and hopefully as fast as marathon pace, but in a high mileage week, this is very good for me.  Nice confidence builder.

Saturday

The last really long training run of the year.  22'ish miles and the goal is to be done in less than 3 hours.  That brings me in at about 8:00 per mile.  Not trying to set land speed records, but not trying to slack off either.  This is a comfortable pace that I know I can hold for a good while.  Temp was 35 at 6 a.m. when we started and the first day I've broken out the running tights.  Have I mentioned that I hate training this time of year???  Daniel, Katie, Chris and I went out together and at about mile 5 ran into Jackson, Ashley Evans and Emily Mack.  Of course, they were getting after it a bit faster than we were and rather than slowing down for us, we sped up for them.  Even at this :30 per mile faster pace, I felt very comfortable and that I could hold it all day.  It was good to catch up with each of them even if for just a couple of miles.  This turned out to be a really, really good run.  Chris decided in the last 3 or 4 miles to push the pace.  While Katie and I didn't exactly keep up, we stayed on the gas pedal and brought this thing home.  21.6 miles at 2:53.  I'll take it!

Sunday

After laying on the couch most all day Saturday and sleeping late on Sunday, I needed to get moving. It wasn't going to warm up at all today so let's go. Sort of like taking a band-aid off, the quicker you do it, the less it hurts.  33 degrees when I started and 11 miles at 8:15 pace.  The first 10 of these miles sucked, each one progressively worse.  As I passed the 10 mile mark, I remembered that I was closing in on 80 for the week.  This last one might have been the easiest, most enjoyable mile of the week. 

Grand total of 80.04 miles for the week and a boost of confidence after finishing the week in some tough weather conditions.  I told a friend that's a new runner that the distance makes you physically stronger, but the elements make you mentally stronger.  I may have gotten a bit stronger mentally this week.  Maybe the time off my feet the previous Sunday helped, but I didn't feel like I'd been run over by a Mack Truck yesterday when I wrapped things up.  My favorite time of the training cycle is here....Taper Time <insert sarcasm here>.  Less than 3 weeks till we blast off in Rocket City.   

Back to Training

As my alarm started chirping at 4:30 a.m. this past Saturday, I realized that it was really time to get back to training.  Since chasing down that elusive Boston Qualifier in Chicago in mid-October, I had either slept late and completely avoided a long run, or raced a 5K.  I had also taken the time to watch my nephew, Kale, play basketball and hang out with my niece, Kinsley.  Oh yeah, and I had been eating like a horse!!!  All of which were very much needed.   

With this lack of structure, for me, comes a lack of focus and motivation.  I got my BQ, so now what?  Do I relax a bit and try to enjoy running a marathon as a 'tourist'?  Or, do I continue to work hard and see how much improvement is left within this training year.  I mean, heck, that 3 hour mark is only 10 minutes away.  ;)  So, a week or so ago, I decided the latter.  I need to know if it is possible for me to improve on this 3:10:17 marathon time.  Therefore, it's back to training.

Monday
What a better way to find out if there's improvement left in this training cycle than starting off with a hill workout!  This was tough.  I haven't been on the hills in over a month.  The goal with my hill work is to be at or lower than 5K pace.  With the time change the day before, I knew that I needed to try to squeeze this in during my lunch hour to keep from having to do it in the dark.  9 x Hills with a 2 Mi. warm-up and cool-down.  Got very close to my preferred paces and was probably a little fast on my WU/CD miles.  

Tuesday
Totally did not expect this run the day after a hard hill workout.  Nate was in town and he's trying to pack on the miles as well.  We both needed to get in 10'ish miles and had planned to do this relatively easy.  Yeah, right!!!  Seems that every time he and I run together we go faster than we plan.  This is good as I think he and I both relax a bit and just run.  We were able to carry on a complete conversation the entire way and knocked down 10 miles in just over 1:15.  I think we both got a nice boost of confidence from this run.  

Wednesday
While the temperature was good on this day, the rain arrived just as I started running.  I needed another 10 miles and hadn't run with East Nasty since Chicago.  I started almost an hour early to make sure I got in 6+ prior to the short EN route.  While I don't horribly dislike running in the dark, and definitely don't mind running in the rain, I absolutely despise running in the dark AND the rain.  6+ by myself before EN.  4 mile EN route with Eric Block, Josh Furnier, and Mark Miller, all of whom left me in the last half mile.  The legs just didn't respond when those guys took off.  

Thursday
This was intended to be a very easy run just to remind the legs that running is what we do.  I got started just as it was getting dark and knew that I was going to be rushed for time.  The legs felt pretty good and I turned it up just a bit.  Finished 6 miles at just under 7:30 pace.  

Friday
This is the beginning of my weekend series.  My training this year has me doing half the distance of my long run on the day before and the day after.  Twenty-two was the goal for Saturday, so this run called for 11.  The idea of the Friday run is to be aggressive and attempt to get to marathon pace.  I didn't quite make it there, but knocked out 11 at 7:35 pace.  Felt relatively good about this effort.  

Saturday
Yep, Long Run Saturday.  22 Miles and I left my vehicle at 5:55 a.m.  This was the day of the Hard Rock Marathon in Nashville and I knew that a.) I needed to get started well in advance of the race and b.) I'd have to change my route a bit to avoid the bulk of the race traffic.  The goal for my effort was slow and steady and just knock down the miles.  Time on the feet means more to me right now than any aggressive effort on this number of miles.   I got to 14 miles before encountering any significant race traffic.  This turned out very good for me.  Nothing like a 'race' setting to push me a bit faster than I was running.  Once getting into this race traffic, it appears that I unintentionally picked up the pace about 20-30 seconds per mile.  Hmmm......competitive?  Somewhere in this traffic, or maybe the numbness of the brain at 17 miles, I forgot how to do math and ended up cutting the last portion of my route short by about 3/4 mile.  Finished with 21.27 miles at just over 8:00/mile.

This run hurt!  While I felt good late in the run, I think the race traffic took over the brain.  In passing, a young lady yelled my name.  I responded, I think, but never looked and still have no idea who it was.  We'll call that 'focus'!  I spent the remainder of the day on the couch, napping and relaxing.  I guess 22 miles after taking almost a month off from the long run wasn't my best idea ever......

Sunday
The Survival Run.  11 miles.  Take it easy, slow, and exert a minimal an effort as possible.  I knew that I was closing in on 80 miles for the week and needed more than 11 to get me there.  Wasn't exactly sure how close.  At 5.5 miles I decided to go another half mile out.  That would get me awfully close to 80.  This was the slowest, most methodical run I've done in a long time and surprisingly felt pretty good as it ended.  12 miles at 8:27 pace.  

79 miles for the week. The Daylight Savings Time thing stinks and makes it really tough on an 'afternoon/evening runner'.  This week turned out very good and gave me some much needed focus on Huntsville (12/14) and confidence.  Two more really tough weeks before Taper Time (~my favorite time of the year~).

Mama said EAT!!! - A Chicago Marathon Race Recap

I've tried for more than a week since race day to gather my thoughts, bask in the glow of a BQ, and attempt to write something that even the non-runner can comprehend. I'm still going to bask in this glow of a BQ for the next year+ while I wait to get to run Boston on a Monday in April of 2015. I think the smile in the photo above has become permanent and I still don't fully believe what took place 10 days ago.  

In October of 2009, I ran my first marathon.  It was my attempt at, as I say often, "getting into ridiculous shape" and making some significant changes in my life.  That day, I ran a 4:29:36 and was absolutely tickled to death, but when I crossed the finish line, I knew that I could do it faster and I set out to prove it.  It seems like decades ago that I started this process and writing it down makes me realize just how quick of a process this has been.  

So, how did this all shake out?  You wouldn't believe it if I told you!  Heck, I don't even completely believe it! But here goes.  

Friday
I flew to Chicago from Nashville on Friday afternoon.  I received a text message from Bree Roy (who also qualified for Boston in this race) telling me to get to the airport early as the security line was long and, she and Eric had missed their earlier flight because of it.  I got to the airport in plenty of time, the security line was normal for Nashville and proceeded through with no problems and the flight was on-time.  The plan all along was to get checked in to the hotel and then make my way to the Expo on Friday afternoon rather than waiting till Saturday.  Everything worked perfectly.  Upon arriving to the expo, I expected to deal with long lines, but to my pleasure, I walked right up, got my bib and made my way through the expo.  Again, everything worked perfectly.  By doing this, I free up my Saturday almost completely.  

Saturday
The goal was to sleep late, but that didn't exactly work.  I was up by 8:30 or so and knew that I needed to get in a short run.  The sooner the better.  From my hotel, the Navy Pier appeared to be just over a mile by looking at a map and it was a straight shot (so I didn't get lost), so that's the direction I headed.  Nice and easy, getting stopped at almost every traffic light, my Garmin ticked off a mile just before getting to the Navy Pier.  I decided to keep going to 1.5 and as I got onto the pier, I decided to ramp up the speed for a quarter mile or so.  Wow, this felt so stinking good!  I felt fast, lite and strong. At 1.5 miles, I turned back toward the hotel and took it easy, getting caught at a couple less traffic lights, and returning to the hotel in just over 23 minutes.

Back to the traffic lights for a second.  How do people that live in massive cities get in quality, long, consistent runs without getting stopped at traffic lights every other block?

The rest of the day was mine to do with as I pleased.  The hope was to be in bed by 9:00 p.m., so whatever I wanted to do, I needed to get started.  After a shower, Jennifer and I walked from the hotel to the start line.  The idea was to see how long it would take me to get there should it be necessary that I walk the next morning.  I think all of the marathoners that were not at the expo on Saturday were on the streets of Chicago.  The city had a buzz about it and everyone seemed to be there for the same reason. The start line and most everything around it was barricaded.  We could get close enough to visualize the enormity of the event that would be taking place the next morning.  We walked from the start line, to the finish line, and to the only real hill on the course, just before mile 26 on Roosevelt Blvd., between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive.  

From there I wanted to go to NikeTown to see what marathon related gear they had that wasn't at the expo.  I was specifically after a marathon related Visor.  This is my 'collector's item' from most races, but it seems a lot of races don't do visors, but rather the runner's hat, which, in my opinion, suck!  Found my visor!  Still everything going perfectly.  Lunch next, then a nap....or Cardinal's Baseball!  This was game two of the NLCS and needless to say, there was no nap.  WACHA, WACHA!!!  CARDS WIN 1-0.  Still........perfectly.  

Now, dinner!  I'm not a firm believer in the traditional carb loading dinner of the runner.  In fact, most of my reading and work with my nutritionist suggests that carb loading at dinner may be a bit late for carbs.  For a late lunch, I had an enormous bowl of spaghetti and dang that stuff was good.  My pre-long run meal has been the same since I started this process.  Filet Mignon, baked potato, mac n' cheese.  Fleming's was right around the corner and we were able to get in early and right to a table.  Again, perfectly.....and in bed by 9:00.  Of course, sleep is something completely different.  Wide awake at 1 a.m. when I decided to take a shower that didn't help at all.  I think I slept about 3 hours.  Plenty to run a marathon, right??  haha!  Let's find out.

Sunday
Race Day!!!! CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!  Finally.  I've worked all summer for this race and a chance to improve on what I did last December.  I told people leading up to race day that if I had a bad day, I would come home with a new PR and if I had a good day, I would qualify for Boston.  

4:45 - Awake and heading downstairs at the hotel for coffee and something to eat. 
5:30 - Bathroom.  Coffee worked like a charm! :)
5:45 - Dressed and ready to walk to the train station 2 blocks away.  On the walk, ran into Ashley Evans (1st marathon and BQ) and her mother, who were walking to the start line.  Told them how far the walk was and convinced them to ride the train.  I'll take credit for Ashley's 2:48 marathon as I saved her legs for the run and not that walk to the start line!  LOL!!!  Completely joking because she's an incredible runner.  Maybe I can take credit for 15 seconds of that... ;)  Train to the closest stop and I'm there by 6:20 and all part of the plan.  With the changes to security as a result of the Boston Marathon incident, no one knew what to expect and I wasn't going to chance showing up later than necessary and not getting to my corral.  Made it in with almost no hassle and was able to hit the porta-potty, twice.  Damn coffee!  
7:15 - The Wheelchair athletes roll to the start line.  My corral starts cheering each of them.  Cold chills follow.
7:20 - Wheelchair start.
7:27 - National Anthem - As the anthem starts, the microphone start to cut out.  A few lines into it people in the corrals start singing.  Now it seems we have 40,000 National Anthem singers.  More cold chills and again everything going perfectly.  
7:30 - Gun goes off and it's ON!!!! Cold chills until I started moving and got to a slow trot.  The interesting part about this marathon is that the first 5 corrals required a previous marathon/half-marathon time to get into.  Meaning, everyone around me was equally as fast, or faster.  This was dangerous because when they start moving, they don't dilly-dally around and I'm just the guy that would get sucked in and go out way too fast........and I did.  First mile in the 6:50s, first 5K in the 6:50s and I'm feeling very, very good. As we finish the first 5k, we are heading out of the city and into Lincoln Park and some sort of farm.  I thought I had gotten lost and ended up in the corn fields of Illinois.  Who knew there was a farm in the middle of the city of Chicago??? Not me!

Ok, back to racing.......next 5K at 7:01. About this time I realize that I'm approaching Wrigleyville.  Yep, home of the Cubs.  I start looking around for any signs of baseball life and there are none.  I realize that its October and that the city of Chicago typically moves on from baseball about mid-June (obligatory Cubs fan jab!).  Oh well, back to running.  Next 5K at 7:02.  I looked at my watch at when I heard mile 8 click.  I think it was 55-56 minutes.  My goal was to be at 8 miles every hour.  I was ahead of pace and still felt good, but this was fast...way fast for me, or so I thought.    

Next 5K, 7:04.  Almost half way and back to the city.  Beginning to wonder how long I can keep this up.  Do I slow down and take it cautiously or do I go for whatever  this has to offer.  Yep, going for it!  Keep it up.  I'm right behind the 3:05 pace group and running very comfortably.  Dreams don't come without risks!

Halfway and I post a 1:32 flat.  4 minutes faster than my previous half-marathon PR.  

Mile 16 at 1:53 and way ahead.  

Mile 17 in 2:00.  Still feeling good and chugging back toward downtown Chicago. I know that I've got my BQ now as I'm still right on the 3:05 group.  Now, how much can I get.  How low can I go?  Let's find out!!! 

Mile 20 and the last bit of gel to push me toward the finish line.  Water stop just caught me off-guard.  I've got a mouthful of gel and I know that the next water stop is a mile away.  I've got to stop and get water.  1st cup has just a splash in it, need more.  Walked to get another one.  I've lost 15-20 seconds here and maybe more importantly, a bit of momentum.  I've fallen off the 3:05 group and lost sight.  DANG IT!!!!

Mile 22 and I'm starting to hurt a bit.  Still turning out 7:20 miles, but can feel myself slowing a bit.  Feet are hurting, quads are crushed and my calves feel like they could seize up at any moment.  I begin to remind myself that these miles are the reason that I did 80 mile weeks and 44 mile weekends.  So that I can be a bully through these miles.  So that mentally I can be tough in these spots. I think about stopping but my will says to push harder.  I see people dropping off to the side and stopping because of cramps as I drive by as hard as I can.  Someone yells "Way to go Hagan!!!" or something like that.  I was in a daze and look over to see Eric Block.  What a pleasant sight. "What's up E?"  And I'm gone!

Mile 23 brings me to Michigan Ave.  I know what's left and must keep pushing.  A guy carrying the 3:10 sign runs up beside me.  No way he's pulling away from me.   Can't believe that I'm now roughly 5 minutes off the 3:05 group.  Did I lose that much momentum because of crappy timing with a gel and water stop?  Or, am I just hurting and beginning to slow that much.  Either way, this joker is not getting away from me.  I know what's left, does he? 

Mile 24 and I'm tightening even more.  This doesn't feel good at all.  Can I hang on?  Doubt begins to enter my mind.  Dangerous.  Not cool.  I remind myself of 80 miles weeks and that I'm a freaking bully out here!  

Mile 25 feels like it's 95 degrees on a mid-August day.  Where'd that sun come from?  Where's that cool breeze that I felt when I was near U.S. Cellular Field?  Oh wait, that was the sucking wind from the White Sox!  LOL!!!  About a quarter mile in I see the massive big screen monitor at the end of Michigan Ave.  That's where I turn to hit the hill.  I've got this.  I'm on a 3:10:00.  Holy CRAP!!!!  Am I really doing this?  I try to pick up the pace but picking up my legs is a huge chore.  Big screen getting closer.  Guy in front of me looks like a very legit runner.  I've had him in sight now for a mile or so.  We approach the turn and he pulls off to the side and grabs his calf.  Oh crap!!!  If he goes down, what's going to happen to me???  I refocus.  Hill ahead.  Hope he makes it but I don't have time for him.  The hill........I own this.  I train in Nashville and don't avoid the hills.  I pass 6-10 people as I climb.  I make the turn and there it is!  My Christmas present......the Finish Line. 

FINISH
I think the look on my face in the photo above says enough.  Either finish this or die trying.  The 'die trying' might be likely.  I've just passed the 26 mile marker.  385 yards to go.  Spectators line the finish chute.  Bleachers full of people and they roar.  At this point, that's all I hear and drive toward the finish line.  I make it and stop my Garmin.  Garmin says 3:10:18 and I finally get my legs to stop moving.  I hurt so freaking good that I let out one the most primal yells ever.  I DID IT!!!!  And the tears begin to flow.  People look at me like I need medical help, asking if I'm OK.  I respond with "I"m amazing, I'm heading to Boston!!!"  The smiles that I get back reinforce the feelings that race through me.  

The finish line chute seems to carry on forever and mostly empty.  I realize that there are only about 2,000 runners that have made it there.  I'm ahead of the masses that will soon experience similar feelings as they cross the finish line.  WOW, this is a different feeling.  Where is everyone?  Oh well, keep moving, medal, keep walking, picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, banana, Gatorade, keep walking, picture 4, more tears, keep walking.  

3:10:17 is what appears to be my finishing time.  Wow, 4:43 faster than I needed to qualify for Boston.  Never once did I believe that I could go this fast.  The day before the race I said that if I could run an average 7:15 per mile pace, that would give me a 3:10:00, and then I shrugged it off as not even possible.  Well, I nailed it!!!  BAM!!!!!  I was a bully those last few miles and I punched this marathon right in the freaking mouth!  haha!!!  Although, considering how sore I was for the next few days, I think it may have won the fight.  I just got in a few good punches!!!

When I got to my phone, I had 30+ text messages and more than 35 Facebook notifications.  I hope that I was able to respond to all of them in an appropriate way.  I thank all of those who sent messages of encouragement and congratulations.  This is something that 4 years ago I never even thought of and was tickled to death just to finish a marathon.    

After a walk back to the hotel and a shower, it was time to eat.  Mom, being a mom, is worried because I'm too 'skinny' and I 'look sick'.  I told her in the days leading up to the race that regardless of how I ran that day, I was going to crush some Chicago-style deep dish pizza after it was over.  Seems everyone else in the city had the same plan.  30+ minute wait, while standing.  Get me a straight Coca-Cola, on the rocks!  Medium, Sausage, Pepperoni pizza for me.  What's everyone else having???  Mama said EAT!!!  And I was taught to do what mama says! (well most of the time anyway!)

After pizza, back to the hotel to relax.  More emails, text messages and Facebook messages.  Wow, this is overwhelming.  I had no idea that so many people were pulling for me.  During this time I was trading text messages with my oldest niece, Kinsley.  She's such an awesome kid and was keeping track of me throughout the morning.  I tried to explain to her what this meant to a runner.  Told her that Boston is like the Super Bowl of running.  She told me that I was "the best runner!!!" and that she loves me.  More tears even though I know that I'm simply the "best runner she knows"!  I love you too Kins!

2 hours later a message from Eric and Bree.  Let's meet up and celebrate just a bit.  More food!  Yes, still starving after crushing that pizza, and hey, mama said to eat!! ;)  

Everything that I needed to go right for a great race did.  Flights on time, expo early, easy Saturday, start-line early and coffee did it's job.  50 degrees at start time with a slight breeze.  Perfect day for racing!  An even more perfect day from start to finish.  I saw a quote from someone the week before my race that stated "The harder you work, the luckier you get."  I got really lucky on this day but hopefully it's because I worked so hard to get here.  

This has been an incredible ride!!!  I've learned that dreams do come true and that I'm solely responsible for making sure that MY dreams come true!  CHECK!  This dream just came true!

11 days till Christmas???

I'm reminded daily of what it's like to be a kid waiting for Christmas!

11 more days of this tapering mess and then I GET to run 26.2 miles and try to do it faster than I ever have before.  

The marathon itself is much more of a mental struggle than it is physical.  I never actually believed this until I first attempted it.  Sure, it is a physical battle and you must prepare, but the mind, wow, it is absolutely the most powerful muscle in the body!  This taper thing is strictly mental training!!!  While the body is recovering from the 80 mile weeks, the mind is stressed because you want to run and, per tapering rules, can't run nearly as much as you want or feel you should be.  Not that I want to be injured, or wish that on anyone, but I think an injury is easier to deal with than a taper.  UGH!!!

Another good week of training in the books.  50+ miles and I felt like a complete slacker because I didn't do more.  

Monday started the week with a speed work session of hill repeats.  I've actually come to love this workout.  I know that when it's finished, I've improved.  2 Mi. WU, 7 x Hills, 2 Mi. CD for a total of 8 miles.  I've also noticed over the summer that my warm-up and cool-down miles have gotten progressively faster.  This is extremely encouraging for what is to come.  

Tuesday - 6 Miles
I'm trying to approach this taper unlike previous marathons.  My goal is to push the pace on every run that I do.  Regardless of how many miles these days call for, I want to be gassed at the end of every single one of them.  I'm also learning how to gradually ramp up the speed.  This one started right around 8:00 per mile and finished close to 7:00 per mile.  Now, for some of you, that's a bit slow.  For me, that's getting after it and fortunately, I wasn't gassed when I finished but rather ready to run.  Tapering sucks!  

Wednesday - 6 Miles
A couple of years ago I responded to a Facebook request from a friend regarding an opening on a Ragnar Team for later that week.  I had no idea what I was getting into, but jumped at the chance.  Turns out the bulk of this team ran regularly with the East Nasty running club.  I had always done all of my training on my own, had never run or trained with a group and didn't know what to expect.  Since then, this group has become a regular part of my training.  Being surrounded by like-minded people help confirm that I'm not the only one doing this and that I'm at least moderately sane for attempting some of this stuff.  Being surrounded by people that are faster than me pushes the competitive side of me to run harder, faster and to not be outran by.  On this particular night, I went out with the 'Fasty Nasties'.  These guys/gals are the people that make it look effortless, as if they are gliding or floating.  These are the people that win all the local races and compete in the national races.  The people who, if they run the marathon, simply show up and qualify for Boston.  I clearly did not fit in, but I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone and kept up for more than half of the 4 mile run. I've got a lot to learn and a long way to go to keep up with these guys/gals, but I'm closer today than I've ever been.   

Thursday - OFF DAY
These days freaking stink right now.  I'm not running enough to deserve a scheduled off day.  Tapering sucks!

Friday - 8 Mi. 
The weather is starting to round into form for a nice fall marathon.  This day was a bit warm when I started, but the humidity was very low.  I returned to my very familiar Stones River Greenway, hills and all.  This is my 'home' track.  Something I've never done during training is shy away from hills, in either long or short runs.  I firmly believe this makes me a better runner.  Gravity is both amazing and sucks, all depending on which side of the hill you are on, and the quicker you get to the top of the hill, the quicker you get to take advantage of the amazing side of gravity.  Knowing this track allows me to be strategically aggressive and vary that strategy from day to day, depending on how I feel or even if I want to try out something different. 

Saturday - 15 Mi.
This would be the last of the early morning long runs.  4:30 a.m. I despise you!  Anyone that knows me knows that I hate morning and hate getting out of bed!  I would rather sleep till noon and work until 10 p.m. than carry regular office hours.  I'd rather run in the evening heat of the summer rather than the cool of the morning.  Regardless, this summer, I've gotten up at 4:30 a.m. every single Saturday to get my long run done.  This has served two purposes.  One, to beat the heat of the summer on my long run, although, this summer was very mild in comparison to last year.  There's nothing worse that 20 miles in 90 degree heat.  And two, to open up the rest of the day for 'Lake Time'!  Last long run complete.  

Sunday - 8 Mi. 
The past 16 weeks, these runs have been about survival.  This one turned into a rather speedy 7:30 pace run.  I really like how my body is responding to these faster runs.  I feel a bit sluggish early on, but after a mile or so, it's time to drop the hammer and go!  

I feel like a kid in the days before Christmas.  Constantly wondering if Santa is going to show and what will be waiting for me under the tree when I wake up, if anything.  5 days ago, I started looking at the 10 day forecast for something that was 16 days away.  I know, silly.  I looked at it while I was at lunch today too, still 11 days out!  If you were wondering, there's a 60% chance of rain in Chicago on Friday, October 11th.  Nervous energy and excitement abound and many sleepless hours during the night because of it.  I think tapering really is like a kid waiting for Christmas!  

Taper Time

The last week of very intense training is now complete.  20 days remain until the gun goes off at the start line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  Today, while doing an 11 mile 'survival run', my mind stayed occupied with thoughts about my training and whether or not I had done enough, or if I was ready for this challenge.  The response to all those questions echoed in my head as if it came from a holler in the hills of Kentucky (Yes, I know this sound very well.  Ask my mom!!).  Either that, or my brain was empty enough today to create that echo.  Either way, I hope you get the point.

I ended last week on a very, very high note.  My long run last week was 15 miles and I set out to run it at my BQ pace.  Nailed it.  First time I've ever come close to my marathon goal pace during a long training run.  

Monday - Track Work - 2 Mi. WU, 7 x 1 Mi., 1 Mi. CD

For the first time all summer, I enjoyed a track session.  The weather was absolutely incredible and there was a slight breeze.  My goal was to be consistent at whatever pace that meant.  My 2 Mi. warm-up was slow and I ventured away from the track and onto the green way to get this done.  That's something new for me and I believe that may have helped eliminate some of the monotony of a track session.  Anyway, I nailed the workout with 7 miles averaging something like 6:45.  The last 3 were at 6:50 each.  I believe that I could have posted some faster mile times, but not sure if I could have continued that through the end of the workout.  Consistency achieved and confidence boosted, again. 

Tuesday - Easy 10

Well, this was supposed to be easy following the Monday track session.  And, physically it felt that way.  10 miles at 7:44 pace is, or has been, pretty fast for me.  On this day though, it felt very comfortable.  It feels very good to look down at your watch 8 miles or so into a run and realize you are killing it and barely breathing hard.  Another confidence booster.

Wednesday - 11 Mi.

This turned into a craptastic run!  When talking with non-runners, I get the question all the time, 'Don't you get bored out there?'  Heck yes I get bored and this was a perfect example of that!  Bored to death with the green way path that I run 2 or 3 times a week, I decided to venture off it to 'spice things up'.  Well, that worked going the 5.5 out.  The way back, I found myself bored to the point of walking!  I was chugging along pretty good until mile 9 or so when I just shut things down, walked for a couple of minutes, talked to myself in a very demeaning tone, and tried to find some motivation to finish.  That motivation was that I was still 2 miles from my vehicle.  Sometimes, I'm smarter than I give myself credit.  Multi-loop routes give you 'outs'.  Out and back routes, don't.  You get 5, 7, or 11 miles away from your vehicle, there's only one way to get back. And....the quicker you do it, the quicker it's all over.  Confidence destroyed.  I think I may quit.  Running sucks!

3 days in and 31 miles on the books!  BIG WEEK.

Thursday - Easy 6

Somehow, I was able to quickly put the previous day's craptastic run behind me and go out to enjoy this one.  I told myself to not look at my watch and to acknowledge everyone that I passed.  As a runner, I think we are all guilty of obsessing over the watch.  This day, it was simply a tracking mechanism and would not define my run.  Acknowledging everyone for me is a very simply way to relax and run.  A wave, smile, a 'hello', 'good afternoon', 'cute puppy' or some other comment to another runner, walker or just goofing on the old guy that I passed on his bike while he was climbing a hill.  I told him that he may fly by me when we start down hill, but that I owned him when it came to climbing.  We both got a pretty good laugh out of it.  Really, really needed this run.  

Friday - 11 Mi.

My Friday runs are intended to be faster, near marathon pace runs.  That wasn't happening this week. The legs felt like cement blocks and I didn't need the additional pressure with a 20+ miler coming on Saturday.  So, I took it easy and knocked down 11 at an average 8:00 pace.  I'll take it considering the big week.

Saturday - 20+ Mi.  

My buddy Nate is getting ready for the Rocket City Huntsville Marathon and his training is starting to ramp up pretty good as well.  He and I run together pretty well and it's easy to pass the miles when we could both talk baseball the whole way.  We did a route in Nashville that I call City Loop.  This is a 13 mile loop starting and finishing at LP Field.  To add my extra miles, I would go out toward and into Shelby Park.  When we arrived at 6 a.m., we found that there was some sort of pre-race prep going on and that we'd likely catch the tail end of it.  Either he and I killed the run, or my timing is just horrible!!!  When we came back to LP Field, we found that one of the 'color run' events had just started.  Nate got out of there as quick as he could and I grabbed a Hammer Gel and a water and started out Davidson.  OH H-E-double hockey sticks!  These 'color run' events are not really 'runs' at all.  They are walks and gimmicky walks at that.  (Don't get me wrong, anything that gets people to move is a good thing but I didn't need a traffic jam in the last 9 miles of a long run.)  So, not only was I attempting to run through walkers spread all over the street, I had to avoid the 'color' stations where people were throwing powdered 'paint' or chalk, or the 'spray paint' stations.  UGH!!!!  I finished my last 20 miler and now have a basically new pair of shoes with pink paint on them!!!  Did I mention it was pouring rain when we started???  Started out thinking 22 miles. Very, very content with 20.  

Sunday - 11 Mi. Survival Run

I've quit referring to the day after my long run as a 'Recovery Run'.  These have simply become about survival.    Beautiful day and it seemed as though a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I ran easy, relaxed and without the stiffness that typically follows a 20 miler.  I ran thinking about this entire summer of training and whether or not it was enough to improve upon my previous personal best marathon time.  Whether my training had given me the strength, endurance and foundation upon which to run that magical BQ.  11 miles at 8:00 pace.  I'll take it and wrap up a very solid run week.  

80 miles on the nose this week.  2nd highest mileage week ever.  Physically, while a bit tender from the week, I feel strong.  Stronger than I have at this point before any previous race.  Mentally, I'm beginning to believe.  Confidence is high and I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks of shorter runs that I can really try to push the pace.  I know that I have work to do, but I honestly believe that I'm a better runner today than I ever have been and have prepared for success.  

Taper time is here.  For those that don't know, in endurance training, the last 2 to 3 weeks are progressively lighter work weeks to allow the body a chance to heal from all the hard work and let you approach the start line eager and refreshed.  Early on in a training cycle I find myself wishing taper time would hurry up and arrive.  Once it's here, I question my previous work and wonder if I can sneak in an extra couple, or 5, or 10 miles and not hurt myself.  I've learned to trust the taper itself.  I haven't learned to trust the work that I've done over the previous 15 weeks. 

When it rains........I catch up!

It has been one of those summers. The temperature hasn't been excessively hot, but it has rained more than any other summer I can remember. Last summer, it seemed that it didn't rain for weeks upon weeks and the temperature most definitely reflected as much. Tens of days with the temperature above 100 degrees made training for a marathon a death trap of it's own. So much so, that by the beginning of August, I was forced to take 4 or 5 days off just from the sheer exhaustion of it all. This summer is so very different. We've had some hot days, sure, but nothing in comparison to a year ago. With the more mild temperature, you'd think that I would have sweat less. Haha! Not so much. High humidity due to the rain makes even the shorter runs feel like a trip to the sauna. 

In the early spring of 2009, I decided that I needed to do something absolutely ridiculous to get into shape. I'd just come off a couple of difficult months in the gym trying to get ready and in shape for the upcoming baseball season. This couple of months were the most difficult I'd ever experienced in the gym and made me wonder if it was age starting to creep up on me, if maybe I was eating too poorly, drinking too often or a combination of them all. I spent a month or so thinking about what I could do to accomplish this ridiculous feat. How could I get into ridiculous shape? How much was I willing to change my entire life to get into this kind of shape? And lastly, and very much the least important at that time, what would I do once I got there, if I did? (Of course, I never thought I'd seriously follow through on this effort!!) It didn't take me long to figure out that I wanted to run a marathon. I had always viewed people who run the marathon as the elite of fit people. I believed, and still do, that you are truly fit if you can finish 26.2 miles. So, I signed up for my first marathon without a single freaking clue as to how to train for or accomplish this feat. Half of the battle for me was writing the check. Once that was done, I was fully committed to this effort and have been ever since. 

8 marathons later, I've improved my race time by more than an hour over that first race. 8 marathons later, I still believe that I have room to improve as a runner, a person, an employee, a friend, a son, a brother and an uncle. Most people view running simply as a physically activity, and while it can be that, for me, it is so much more.  Running gives you a chance to think, or not think.  To reflect, or not.  To listen to nature, the city, or your favorite hip-hop artist, or not.  Running gives you a chance to work out the angst from the day at work, the frustration with friends or loved ones, or a chance to glow and enjoy a significant accomplishment in your life.  Running is 'free therapy'.  It listens and consoles, or congratulates as needed.  

I've learned an enormous amount over the past four years about who I was before I started this process and who I've become since. I've learned that the human body is an incredible machine that is capable of almost anything if you train, rest and feed it properly. I've also learned that runners are not typically people that are content with the as-is and are willing to work as hard as it takes to make those improvements.  I've also learned that some runners take the day off when it rains.  

This summer, after many conversations with friends and acquaintances, reading, studying, listening and more conversations, I decided to get more aggressive with my training.  Previous training plans had maximum weekly mileage of about 55 miles per week.  That's where I would start this plan and go up from there.    This week is the final big week of my training plan before I begin my taper for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 80-85 miles by the end of the week.  During this training, I find myself very reflective.  Thinking about my first race just as much as I think about the next.  Thinking about where I was as a runner the day that I started this nonsense just as much as I think about where I am today.

October 13th is 27 days away and whatever happens that day, I've already won.  I've won a lifetime activity that gives me perspective on life from many different angles.  From the homeless guys on the benches at 6 a.m. in downtown Nashville, to the kids and puppies on the greenways, perspective of life from so many things that I never dreamed of seeing years ago.  

I am a very blessed and lucky man.  I'm blessed with my health to be able to pursue these ridiculous goals of mine.  I'm lucky to have an amazing family, amazing friends and incredible running friends that push me to be better every day.  If you are a better runner than I am, when it rains, I don't take the day off.  I catch up!