Why we run (not because of medals, mostly).

An article from the Wall Street Journal cross my Facebook news feed, a few hours after watching a very exciting Boston Marathon. The Article "What do runners find at finish? Seahorses, guitars."
written by Kevin Helliker, about the motivations of runners to race. For Mr, Helliker it is a very simple formula.

Medals!

Pure and simple. Bling Bling.

Mr. Helliker talks to various race directors, and medal makers to get the full pulse of what running really is about.

Not really.
Not at all.
Not even close.

See, just to the right of my desk where I'm writing this, there is my wall of medals. 13 of them or so from the last 2 years.

Before I received each and every one of them, I ran a race. A marathon or a half marathon or a 10k. And with each and every race, there is a story. A few of them, I look at and they make me smile, some remind me of disappointment. And a few I've not looked at or touched since I gotten them. The experience connected to them is so powerful, that I can't really look at them or touch them, but I keep them anyway. Those are my Chicago Marathon medals. I literally hide them. And they are mine.

The motivations of a runner are a personal one.  A runner runs for a myriad of reasons.  Could be doing it for health, for a family or friend or a loved one for a charity, people overcoming struggles such as addiction or abuse. As a memorial for a loved one. Some are trying to physically and mentally improve themselves.  And some people run just for the joy or running, and to see how close to the limits they can take themselves..

I'm pretty there are sure there are a few of them are doing it for the size of a running medal. And if they are, bless their hearts, So what? Because they are out there, too. Suffering and fighting long miles and blisters and cramping and pain. For all the reasons listed above and more. Because you have to run the race. Every entry does, to get the medal.

And the great thing about runners is that we don't judge why anyone is out there running. Or why they're doing it.  When we run, we run together, and we cheer and encourage each other. And with every race it's about crossing the finish line. And that's something the WSJ article totally forgets.
Running is not a thing. It's not a commodity, and a medal means nothing without the race before it.

That how you get the medal.

You finish.

The Fear of Running.

This last few weeks, I've decided to run a fall marathon (hopefully Chicago, we'll see), and try to attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

I haven't tried to do an attempt in a few years, and it for various reason got pushed to the side for other events. But as I realized there was a certain element of trying to qualify for Boston.

It scares me to death. Yup. To Death.

It's an all or nothing investment, really. You train and train and train, for that one day, and something can go wrong, and that's it. Sure you can try to do again, but it's very hard on the psyche and the body to try to put in another attempt a few weeks later. It's mentally and emotionally draining. Marathons have ended in tears of disappointment.

So why try again? Because as afraid of it as I am, I know that it's where I'm supposed to be. It's what I have to face in order to get what I want. And it kind of excites me that it makes me afraid. It motivates me to run and train better. Turning this fear into a reward.

In running it's easy to forget why were doing things. It's gets warm again, races sneak up on us and we're back at it again. See old friends and back into the groove. We find those very easy comfort spots in running with distance, or a certain pace, or even a certain group of runners. And those comfort points can create stagnant runners.

 Make a plan. Not just for this year, a 2 year plan or 3 year plan. Where do you really want to be? What are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?  Don't just accept them and take them for granted, CHANGE them. Invest in your fears of running. Invest in yourself  And make running yours.

For 2015, I'm facing the fear. Who is going to join me?

My thoughts on running the 2015 Shamrock Shuffle

I towed up to the start line of Shamrock Shuffle not really knowing I how I felt. There had been a lot of changes over the winter, some good and some bad. But I had run a pretty decent of 11 miles the previous weekend.

It was cold. Really cold.  I never really complain about the cold, so that's how you know it was cold. 32 degrees with 20 mph gusts. When we finally started my legs were really stiff, it was hard to get started and get into a good rhythm. Couldn't feel a thing the first mile.

After the first mile and warming up, I felt good, but unsure about pacing. This also due to loosing telemetry . on my Gps watch from running under Columbus Drive and Wacker, so don't panic, get into a groove and trust your pacing. Not much else you can really do about it.  I had no idea where I was, which is why mile 2 was at a 7:35 pace. Oops!

I had gears, meaning I could push the pace harder when I wanted. Shamrock has very loose corral standards, so you spend a lot of time bobbing an weaving and passing people. It was never a problem doing that, even on hills and inclines. And I passed a lot kids. Always good when you're not being smoked by kids.

Haven't run the race in a few years and the course had been changed. I liked it, but with the winds and the tall buildings, sometimes it was like running in a wind tunnel. That's when you run behind a big guy, which is what I did.

Really Pushed the last mile. Even up the hill at Roosevelt road. Didn't think I had anymore and I sprinted the last 100 meters. Felt like puking for a second. Just a second. Yeah, that's a good thing. Form is coming along nicely.

Finish time was 39:41.

My glutes hurt, but nothing else. That's a really good thing. My running form is coming along. Getting used to my shoes. I ran in Adidas adizero boost. Very comfortable racing flat. Very happy with the choice.

Next race, maybe a half in June. Until then, more training.

6 Things I learned running 3 marathons in 3 months

So After running the Fox Valley Marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon and the Naperville Marathon in 3 months. I am happy to report, I'm done with marathons for 2014. But I had a lot of fun, and I did learn a few things.

1) The first marathon is the hardest. Fox Valley was on Sept 21 and was a strain on the body and mind. Not because of the race, but because I hadn't run any marathons in 9 months. My mind and body were not prepared for it, and I started too fast and suffered a lot. Twin Cities Marathon was two weeks later on October 5th and It was a bit easier to deal with the mindset of marathon running. Even though the course in Minneapolis-St. Paul, was pretty hilly.   But I felt more confident of finishing. Getting to Naperville, November 9th, I was confident of finishing, and mentally relaxed, and had a lot of fun doing it, there was no pressure, and at 4:10:16, was the fastest marathon of the three. Once you mind and body understands the task at hand, then it's time to enjoy to see what you can do. It actually became fun.

2) It's not the running, but the recovery: People were curious what I did between marathons to prepare me for the next race. Answer: Not much. My runs were easy and in moderate distance. My longest run was 17 miles two weeks before Naperville. Other than that, it was slow and short in mileage. After each marathon, 2-3 days were taken completely off before going back to running. I got massages and chiropractic adjustments in those days off. The most important part was getting back to easy running as soon as possible.

3) Let's hear it for running form: After toiling on working my running form for the last three years, it really turned out to be the positive for this endeavor. Because I worked on a balanced running form and a midfoot strike, I got through the marathons with zero injuries. When I wanted to run, I ran. there was no physical issues to hold me back. I stretched and foam rolled several times a week.  And at 45 years old, that's a really good place to be. I ran in Sketchers GoMEB 2's for Fox Valley and Twin Cities Marathon, and I ran in New Balance 1400v2's for Naperville. I switched to the New Balances because of chafing of my toes in wearing the Sketchers. New Balance were way more comfortable in that distance.

4) Nutrition is important, sorta: When you run in marathons, you can't help to notice the sheer amount of gels and food people carry with them, Saw a runner in Naperville finish with six gels still around their waists. It's easier to carry what you exactly need, instead of what you think you need. And in all of these races, additional nutrition was available on the race route. So always check to see what the races offer.  In these events, my food choices were very simple to follow. Clif Gel bloks before the start, 2-3 GU gels for the rest of the race. Combination worked pretty well. I stayed away from chocolate flavors because they irritated my stomach. Huge fan of Gu's salted Caramel gel's. Simpler the better. Find choices and stick with what works.

5) I'm ready for 2015: Training well into November makes training rather easy for the rest of the winter and into the next year. Hopefully the weather will be a bit easier than last year (fingers crossed), and I can take this momentum and keep going through the winter. Why stop? It's way too hard to start up again.

6) But I'm glad I'm done: Don't know if I'll do this again, it was fun, but man, I'm really tired.

"I hope I get it!" The Marathon Lottery.

This year is the first time the Chicago Marathon 45,000 spots are being decided by lottery. A chunk of them went to multiple finishers, fast finishers, and charity participants. The Other 25,000 spots are being decided by lottery. Which means unless I run a marathon faster than 3:20, I've probably run my last Chicago Marathon. My home race.

Of course, there are other marathons with the lottery system:  NYC, Marine Corps, Houston and of course Boston, to name a few. This year, the NYC Marathon had 77,000 Lottery entrants, only 9,170 of them got picked to run the race. That's about 11%.

It's not the question of the race or it's quality, but of the effort and stress required to get in, in order to participate. Just to get to the start line. As if life wasn't hard enough. As if training wan't hard enough. I thought running was to be fun, and a way to be get rid of stress, not create more of it. There is now a dividing line here and that's not running to me. Those who get in. And those who don't.

Running is supposed to be an inclusive sport of all people, types and shapes. Everybody has a story. And that story is not only propels us to run, but defines our lives.  There should be a freedom here of what we choose to run, and what we don't. Not the other way around. This all seems rather exclusive. That's not running to me. At all. And it certainly takes the happiness out of it. It has all the fun of waiting to hear back if you got a job.

I know there is an attraction to these races, history and bit of romance, but these races are like a really good restaurant.  It's occasionally nice to have and wait for, but really I hate to wait for food. To eat. No matter how good it is. And no matter how good the food is. I'm hungry, and I want to eat.

I don't know what the answer is, so I'm going to do to other races instead. Races I can sign up for now, train and prepare for, with a piece of mind, that I don't have to worry if i'm in it or not. There are so many wonderful alternatives to Chicago, so I'm going to explore them. Fox Valley Marathon, Twin Cities Marathon, to name a few. According to the Marathonguide.com website, there are 32 marathons around the United States and Canada on the same weekend as the Chicago Marathon. And 31 are taking registrations.

The other alternative, is to simply run fast enough, so I won't have to worry about lotteries.

I'm working on that, too.

Happy Running!!!

Rules of the treadmill.

So, with the worst winter in Chicago in a few years, and my somewhat blah performance at the Houston Marathon, my only getaway has been the treadmill at my local fitness center.

As we talked about before Treadmills (see Turning the "Dreadmill into the Treadmill"), I decided to take the attributes, and use them to prepare for the my next race, The Country Music Marathon, in April.

Treadmills are not a true replacement for outside conditions, but they can aid in getting you ready for when you go back outside.

My Goal for the Country Music Marathon is a sub 3:40 marathon, but the course is quite hilly, so I have two simple rules for the treadmill.  That 1) The hill mode will always be on (unless I'm doing high speed intervals in which the treadmill will be at 1% grade) and 2) 1 will try to exceed my normal pace on a regular basis with either progression runs or intervals. Being on a faster pace helps expand my lactate threshold, and helps me sustain a faster pace for a longer period of time. Since Chicago is so notoriously flat, getting used to the resistance of climbing hills now will help until I can get outside and run on hillier terrain in the area. So, I'm trying to go uphill or go fast, or both.

So here are three workouts I've done in the last three days: No treadmill workout is longer than 45 minutes.

Friday: Hill reps at faster than standard pace. warm up for a mile, then 5 minutes at a 6% grade climb at 8:05 -7:54 a mile (my standard pace is around 8:30), then recover for three minutes at 0% grade. Repeat cycle 5 times. Cool down with one mile easy.

Saturday: Progression Run: Put treadmill in hill mode, put it on level 4 or 5. Highest hill should not exceed 3%. Start 1 mile at standard pace, then for the next 4 miles, increase pace 1/2 mile per hour.

Sunday: Intervals: Warm up 6x800 meter @ 6:40-7:00 per mile with a 2:00 recovery, then cooldown. Treadmill is set at a standard 1%.

As I do more treadmill workouts, I'll post them.

Happy running!

Observations on the Houston Marathon

So, long story short, The Houston Marathon was not one of my better efforts. I was undertrained and overmotivated. Coming in at 4:15:38. It was too warm, and training through Chicago Polar Vortex's did not help. The races 55 degree temps, deemed cool by Texan standards, left me feeling fried about mile 20.

The Houston course reminds me a lot of the Chicago marathon course, except for the constant right hand, slightly uphill bend between miles 17-20. Just kind of annoying, and not good for my right IT band. I would run it better by running down the middle of the road. But that might have of have been about my suffering pace at that time, than anything else. Few hills going back into the city 20-25, mile 26 is flat. Latter half is sunnier than the first half.

At the race expo, everyone gets a standard T-shirt, and being disappointed by this, I bought a techincal shirt, and then reading the race info later, everyone gets their techincal t-shirt (and a glass mug) after they finish. So, I have three shirts from the race. That's what I get from not reading the material before the race.

Also at the expo, Meb Keflezighi (Who won the Half Marathon National Championships the next day) was signing autographs and taking pictures, which I missed in the middle of expo glory. But I got this pic of him as he was finsihing up:

On race day, the pre race events included two religious services.

The cliched running sign of 2014 will be:  "_________, run like they do in the Hunger Games!"

Worst repeated sign: "If you fart, you'll run faster!" I hope that doesn't catch on.

Post race set-up was one of the best I've ever seen. You got your finisher's shirt, Your glass mug, get back your race bag, get an ice cream bar, have a hot breakfast (eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy) soft drinks, milk, snacks, change your clothes in a real changing area,  and sit in a chairs like a real human, and being all under the same gigantic roof only a few feet from the finish line. All of this, with your waiting friends and family in a seperate meeting area.  The Chicago Marathon could learn a lot from this race.

At every single mile marker, there was a person yelling out split times based on the race clock.

People calling out my name with a Texas drawl, sounds pretty cool.

People were so nice. Friendly, warm and welcoming. They really enjoyed that you came to Houston, and they hoped you come back. I think I will come back.


Happy Running!