Charlottesville - 2008

Its official, the next marathon is just a few months away. I signed up for the Charlottesville Marathon scheduled for April 19th. The course is supposed to be very scenic but also very hilly. I'm back into the swing of training after taking a nice week off after the Phoenix marathon. I'm very excited about the upcoming race and especially the fact that its so close to home!

Phoenix Marathon - January 13, 2008

Atlanta seems like a long time ago. But Atlanta was a painful race, so I needed some down time before the next adventure. I headed to Phoenix Arizona to participate in the P.F. Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon. I had run in the Virginia Beach Half Marathon late in 2007 and was pretty impressed with the "Rock N Roll" brand.....well organized, efficient, smooth running. I was hoping for the same in Arizona and I was very pleased. Jennifer came along for moral support (thanks babe!) and a buddy of mine from Tech, Chris Mallin came along to run the 1/2 marathon.

Arizona was beautiful and the weather in January is unreal. Basically perfect weather for running, about 45 at the gun, and around 60 degrees when I wrapped up the race. Much like the Atlanta run, I had battled injury prior to Arizona. After a 16 mile training run I developed some pain in my Achilles. The pain worsened to the point that running was not only not helping, it was nearly impossible. With only 8 weeks to the marathon I was not happy with this development. I took an entire week off then tried to work on the elliptical and bike....just working on getting cardio in. I ran 4 miles on asphalt in the 8 weeks leading up to the race....not the best plan.

Although very worried about how I would do in the race I ignored the advice of Jen to back into the 1/2 marathon. I figured I would at least give the full a try.....even if it killed me. The course was flat and I surprisingly had ZERO pain in my Achilles. It was a little tight, but overall held up quite well. The course was nice, not the most scenic, but much better than Atlanta. I got to see Jen at 3 different points during the race which was great. The last time I saw her was right around mile 20 and I felt wonderful. At that point I was actually on pace to come in with a 4:15, knocking nearly 15 minutes off my PR. But alas, miles 22, 23, and 24.....I truly hate those three miles. The 2 mile stretch between 23 and 25 is most painful and I had to bring the pace back a bit. Its amazing the mental boost you get when you see the 25 mile marker....I picked it up a bit and had enough in the tank to sprint in the last 2 tenths of a mile, resulting in a 4:19:47.....a new PR.

Like the marathons before it this was an emotional experience. I teared up (as I have on all three) when I saw that 26 mile marker. Its official, Im hooked on these things. I cant thank Ramsey enough for getting me started. I have already signed up for Richmond '08 (November), and I am considering Charlottesville '08 (April).

GEORGIA MARATHON 2007

Another one in the books. On 3/25/07 Ramsey and I, along with our Coach Carlos participated in the ING Georgia Marathon in Atlanta, GA. Quite a day it was. Ill get into more specifics about race day in a bit....

We arrived in Atlanta on Friday evening, Los & I by plane, Ramsey by car. A nice dinner at Rosa Mexicana was followed up by crashing back at our hotel in downtown. The next day included strolling around the city and hitting the runner's expo. Another nice dinner and we were set for the race.

Lets just say it was more than warm. Actually, it was just plain hot. 87 degrees was the high temperature (a record in Atlanta for 3/25), and when the race started humidity was over 80%. Not ideal conditions for a road race. But, when the gun fired we decided to go ahead and run it anyways. The race started at 0700 before the sun was up, and that was pretty cool. After about a mile Ramsey and I were both working up a good sweat.....at 0715....with no sun. Do you see where this is going??

It only got hotter....and hotter....and hotter. And the course was straight up RIDICULOUS. I never expected so many hills in HOT-lanta. It was by far the most difficult course (marathon or otherwise) that I'd ever seen. Everytime you got over one hill it felt like you had about 2 minutes to catch your breath and there you stood facing another climb.

The other major area of concern was Poweraid...or lack thereof. According to pre-race material every water stop would also be accompanied by a poweraid station. Well, I can remember 3...maybe 4 stops that actually had poweraid. Apparently there was some kind of confusion among the planners of the race, but this proved to be a HUGE issue for all involved. In 90 degree heat, with a hilly course, you have got to replenish those electrolytes at a pretty rapid rate. Runners were getting VERY upset and it was clear that everyone had about enough of Atlanta.

Despite all its issues, still an amazing feeling to see that finish line. I had been forced to walk about a mile and a half of the course, just due the injury to my foot. It started to hurt around mile 21 or 22 and I had to shut it down a little to keep from major injury. However, I had enough juice to sprint the last few hundred yards to finish under 4:40. Not the best time in the world, but all things considered I was pretty happy.

I'm actually more proud of this marathon than I was the MCM. One, the injury to my foot came so late in training, and I hadn't run in over a month leading up to race day. Two, the heat and the course were extremely challenging...more than I had planned for. So we end this chapter with an official 4:39:25.

Next stop.....Philly????

A battle...

Around 4:30 PM on 2/10/07, I set out for a 14.5 mile run. I was feeling really good for the first part of the run, especially the first couple miles. While that would seem obvious (the first miles should be the easiest), I have actually struggled more at the beginning of my runs lately. So as I headed up Warren Road and hit the 3 mile mark I was very pleased. Then came mile 9. It was around this time that I developed a very odd cramp.....my left toes. I usually don't cramp up when I run (I know Im lucky), and I certainly have never had "toe cramps". So this was a little strange to me. Luckily around the same time the cramp showed up I was near a park, so I stopped and stretched for a few minutes which helped a ton. I once again felt great and picked up the pace a little as I headed back toward the house. The sun went down around mile 10, and with it left any feelings of warmth in the air. It got cold and dark really fast. The decision to wear shorts became an obvious mistake about this time. Around mile 12 the cramp in the toe came back....so the decision had to be made: stop and walk....or push it out. I decided that due to the fact I was freezing and starving, I would just try to push through and finish up the last 2.5 miles. I did just that, and actually finished with a pretty good time for the distance. This was quite a battle though, Im hoping that my next long run (16 miles) goes a bit smoother. After the run I felt good though, no pain in my legs and the cramp quickly went away. This was my first significant run in my new nice + shoes. They worked very well and are just getting warmed up for the marathon.


41 Days til Race Day.....

A cold 13 mile run....

Next stop....Atlanta

So did you think I was done? Nope. Ramsey and I are headed to Atlanta, Georgia on March 25, 2007 for the inaugural ING Georgia Marathon. So I'm back in full training mode, and today I completed a 13 miler.

People often ask me, "So how is the training coming?". The answer is pretty much always the same for me, "Pretty good." I've come to the conclusion that part of training for a marathon is never actually feeling "great". Something always hurts, is sore, is pulled, or tight. So, as I prepare for this one I've just learned to take care of myself the best I can and keep trucking along.

49 days til race day.

MORE PHOTOS FROM MCM 2006!

Enjoy these photos courtesy of the Duck's.

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=2397225

Some early pictures from the marathon....much better ones coming!

http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_assigned_photos.cfm?BFI=nv2hom5dyi&OID=13692006F1&BibNumber=19230&CustomerNumber=D93382&Currency=USD&Language=en

4 hours 28 minutes 42 seconds

That's how long it took. 4 hours, 28 minutes and 42 seconds to complete my first marathon. Today was an unreal day, filled with excitement, pain, and fun. It started early as Ramsey and I headed out to the starting line. It was pretty chilly this morning (around 40 degrees) so the hour or so long wait wasn't too much fun. Not to mention the fact that we were anxious to get started. I've never seen so many people at a race in my life. As we all lined up it was amazing to see. As far as I could see in front of me and behind me was just a mass of runners (around 34,000 total). The first couple miles were good as we were very excited....they were a little slow just because of the number of runners. Really it didn't thin out until I got to mile 11 or so, and even then you would hit big pockets of runners. I felt really good as the marathon progressed, and was keeping a good pace, aiming at trying to run a 4:30 marathon.

I was actually running faster than that until I hit mile 20. That was in some ways a "wall" for me. Before today I had never run more than 18 miles.....and mile 20 on became more difficult with each step. But when it got real bad was around mile 23. Between mile 23 and 25 I was really hurting and had to come way back off my pace. Im proud to say I didn't walk a single step of the race, but during those two miles my running couldn't have been much faster than just walking.

Once I saw the sign for mile 25 I knew I had done it. At that point I was so close I knew I could do it. Things got emotional for me at that point. I guess looking back on the training and preparation I had made, as well as the injury I battled made everything a bit overwhelming. I found myself tearing up as I plugged along that mile. It was a great feeling as the 26 mile marker got closer and closer. The last two-tenths of mile of the race are uphill as you run toward the Iwo Jima Memorial. As I got to the bottom of the hill I picked up the pace considerably. I had a former Marine behind me who started pushing me harder. The two of us ended up sprinting all the way up that hill to the finish line. After we crossed he shook my hand and we talked for a while. He thought I was also a Marine.....was sorry to let him down. He seemed to be at least somewhat pleased that if I wasn't a Marine I was a police officer.

Overall, this was a great experience. I couldn't be happier that I had the chance to participate in this event and look forward to the next one.......

Pictures and more details coming soon.

This morning I woke up a little before 5:00 AM to start what would be my longest run before the marathon. I'm currently in Nags Head on vacation, so I thought the change of scenery would be nice. I plotted out my 18 mile course yesterday....the straightest stretch of road I've ever ran, thats for sure. I had one turn, beyond that it was pretty much like running in a straight line for 18 miles. One thing that I hadn't accounted for was wind. I was about a block off the Atlantic Ocean for the entire run, and from start to finish I felt like I was running straight into the wind. It certainly slowed me down a bit, but I still managed to complete the run in just a few minutes over 3 hours. This was certainly the most painful of the long runs, as the miles add up, the knees begin to feel the pain. Around mile 15 I started to feel my knees with each step. I pushed through and ran the entire distance, and after some stretching jumped into the hottub (benefit of being on vacation). That and a couple of Alleve have helped the soreness. The marathon is just over a week away, and there are no more long runs between now and then. Honestly I will probably only run 1 or 2 days between now and the race, and those will be short runs. The last week is going to be more about getting myself in a good position to start and finish the 26.2 on Sunday. Overall I'm really happy with how the training has come along. I had some serious doubts a few months back....taking 2 months off for a stress fracture didn't help. But my body has held up well, and the running has gone even more smoothly than I could have imagined. 8 days and counting........

I just ran 16 miles...All by myself.

Well, the 16 mile run is complete. I started this morning a little before 5:30 am and completed the run in about 2 hours and 38 minutes. I'm sticking right at my planned marathon pace of 10 minute miles. Everything went well on the run, and I'm glad to have that distance under my belt. To complete a marathon all I have to do is run another 10.2 miles! Cardio wise I'm sure Ill be fine, but the knees and joints do take a beating. I could tell I had run 16 miles when I did my stretches after getting back home. Overall I couldn't be happier with the results of the run, as indicated by my ridiculous smile above. 18 miler this coming weekend, then its time to coast into the DC and knock out the Marathon.

Me, just after completing my 14 mile run.

14 miles!

Well, I just completed my 14 mile run for the week and it went very well. Just under 2 hours and 20 minutes, right at a 10 minute mile pace. My schedule got a little messed up due to some heavy rains, but I got the run in. 16 miler coming up next weekend.

Less than 1 month to go

Well I'm officially less than 1 month away from the MCM. Hard to believe how quickly it has snuck up on me. This was a good training week, as my leg continues to feel good. I did a 6 mile run on Tuesday, 8 on Wednesday, and then 3 on Thursday. Funny how short 3 miles seems now.....

Today I ran 12 miles, a six mile out and back. That's the farthest I've run while training for the marathon since my injury hit me at the point when I was running 10 miles a few months back. It felt really good to run 12 today, kind of a mental hurdle. This week will have a similar schedule laid out, with a 14 mile run set for Friday morning.

12 miles - 2:00:00 - AVG HR 166

Back in the game??

Where did I go for so long? Well, its been quite some time since I posted anything on this site.....and its been a long couple months. The time off included several trips to doctor's and specialists. Several $40 copays, X-ray, and bone scans later.....it was determined that I had a stress fracture in my left leg. When training for a marathon this is what most doctor's call "BAD".

The injury hit me very hard and eliminated all prospect of running for some time. I kept going to the gym, just trying to keep my heart in shape....but its nearly impossible to simulate running by using an elliptical machine or stationary bike.

After about 7 weeks I was cleared by my doctor and started to run on the treadmill and on soft surface tracks at local schools. 7 of the most painful miles I have ever run came on one of these runs as I made 28 laps around the track at Hungary Creek Middle School....talk about boring.

But Im back on the hard top now. Just in time, as the marathon is just over a month away. I completed a 10 mile run this Saturday and did fine. Leg is feeling good and hopefully will keep feeling good.

The specialist who I saw could offer no real explanation for my stress fracture. Just said that it could happen to anyone at anytime. I'm convinced that my shoes played a big role in it. So I canned them and went to Road Runner's in Carytown to get a new pair....so far so good.

I just started raising funds for the race too. A little late, but up until about 2 weeks ago I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do this thing at all. Now my mindset is to just go out there, give it all I've got and cross that finish line.

In all reality, the challenge that the fracture created will make completion of the race even more special for me.

10 mile run - 1:40 min AVG HR - 178

Week 3

This week was tough. As mentioned earlier I felt some pain after my 9 mile run. As the days went on the pain got progressively worse. I ended up doing my speed workout but skipped my Friday run to try to save myself for the 10 mile long run. I ended up completing the 10 mile run, which in hindsight was probably a bad idea. Ramsey came into town and we did it together, in pretty good time. It was nice running with him and having some company for a change....but probably should have given the leg the day off. I scheduled a doctor's appt for a couple weeks from now and in the mean time Im not running at all. Ive been in the gym riding the bike and lifting, but its killing me not to run. Im at the point now where I have to be careful or I could jeopardize the whole marathon. Keeping my fingers crossed that the injury will clear up soon.

1. Speed Workout - 4 x (2 min fast/2 min slow) - AVG HR 174
2. 10 miles - 1:35:18 - AVG HR 176

Week 2

Another week in the books and the muscles are a little sore as I type this tonight. Part of the problem is that during my non-training time I was busy installing a new patio at my house....so I think that added to the pain. The long run went up to 9 miles this week and I continue to see improvement. My average heart rate on the long run stayed about the same as last week, but I knocked some seconds off the average time per mile. I did feel some pain in my left leg this week after the run.....mostly tightness and some discomfort every now and then. I took today off to rest the leg and will be doing cross training the next two days to give it some more "down time".

1. Speed Workout - 6 x (1 min fast, 2 slow) - AVG HR 172
2. 6.06 miles 52:38 - AVG HR - 162
3. 9 miles 1:24:44 - AVG HR - 166

1 Week Down....17 More to Go!!

Well the 1st "official" week of training is complete and it was fairly successful. I did my first speed workout on Wednesday which consisted of running 1 minute at an elevated pace, then 3 minutes at a slow pace. I cycled through that 6 times. At this point I think the purpose is to just get my body used to changing paces, repeats, rest intervals, etc., so when I get to the real speed workouts Ill be ready. A 6 mile run on Friday and then an 8-miler early Sunday morning (0500 start time) rounded out the week. I can already tell I'm getting stronger even in the short time I've been training. 8 miles doesn't feel that much different from 6 miles I ran a couple of weeks ago. Now all that I have to do is keep at this for another 17 weeks.

1. Speed Workout - 6 x (1 minute fast, 3 slow) - AVG HR 169
2. 6.06 miles 54:00 - AVG HR - 179
3. 8 miles 1:16:11 - AVG HR - 165

6 days on....1 off

June 19: 1 week to the official start of my 18 week training prep for the MCM. I figured I would go ahead and get a jump on things by starting to get my life in sync with the 6 days of workouts per week. I went to the gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each day I did between 10 and 11 miles on the bike (the hill program on level 8 is actually quite challenging), followed by some lifting of weights. I decided that if I was going to start preparing for this race properly I might as well start to develop some upper body strength to go with the running. By no means am I trying to get to the point where you would see me with a shaved chest in the next Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, but just a little definition would help. Also, a lot of the stuff I have read about running indicated that lifting in moderation will actually benefit the runs. After lifting this week my arms felt like they were going to fall off. The pain was nuts, but that's what happens when you do no resistance training for a year and a half.

About 2 months ago I started to do some push ups, dips, and elevated push ups every night about...just to try to get some strength. After this week I felt like they had done nothing for me, even though I'm sure they helped. I had some good runs this week as well, and all but the long run were with a fellow Henrico officer.

1. 5 miles 46:26 - AVG HR - 189
2. 5.5 miles 52:40 - AVG HR - 186
3. 7 miles 1:10:13 - AVG HR - 176

My first "Long" Run

June 18: Did 7 miles today in the middle of the blistering heat (mid 90's). Big mistake. It killed me as I wrapped it up in 1 hour and 13 minutes. I ran out of water with about a mile and half to go....better planning next time. I also got a Polar heart rate monitor (father's day gift) to assist in the training. Great tool and I'm just starting to use it....however my heart was going nuts during this run. Like anything else you do in life you learn from mistakes......I'm learning.

Gifts...

June 17: Got a great birthday gift today from Duck....a racing running bottle. This will help as the runs go past 5 miles. Now Ill just work on building up the arm strength to carry this thing for 26.2 miles.

FIRST to Finish

June 16: After looking at several training programs I have decided to go with the FIRST program. 3 days of running, 3 days of cross training per week. There is a big emphasis on establishing pace and staying on course. I'm not sure my knees could take (or at least enjoy) 6 days of running every week so I think this program will work well for me. Ramsey used a similar program in preparing for the 2005 Richmond Marathon with success.

http://www.furman.edu/first/fmtp.htm

June 15: First run in the new shoes (after a couple miles of walking to help break them in). Did 5.2 miles in 51 minutes in 90 degree heat....so I was pretty pleased. Shoes felt great.

New Kicks

June 14: After a couple of runs on the old Nikes it became very clear that a new pair should be one of the 1st orders of business in this training. I ended up going with a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus. Ive never owned a pair of Asics before, but these looked and felt right on my foot. We will see how they do.

Running for a Cause

June 11: Today I decided to actually commit to this goal of completing the 2006 MCM. So I got all pumped up, logged onto the internet only to find that registration had closed and that the race had over 34,000 runners. To say it was a let down would be an understatement. However, in a very positive turn of events I found that various charitable organizations sponsor runners and that I could still put to run on behalf of one of them. I found an organization, Friends 4 Michael, that is dedicated to brain cancer research. Since brain cancer has a direct impact on my life through Jen's family I thought this would be the perfect choice. I submitted an application and was accepted! Now I will get to run the marathon and hopefully raise a sizeable amount of funds for this worthy organization.

From the Friends 4 Michael website (see link on right):

The mission of The Friends4Michael Foundation is to support children like Michael and their families, to keep alive the memory of Michael and his spirit, to increase awareness of the devastating effects of brain tumors on afflicted children and their families and to continue to fight for a cure for this horrible disease.

The foundation gives assistance, including financial, to children afflicted with brain tumors and their families, or to funds which support their fights. The foundation provides support for directed charities which assist seriously ill children afflicted with brain tumors. We provide grants to organizations conducting promising research on cures for brain tumors. We also provide scholarships to deserving high school students who demonstrate the qualities and abilities which Michael possessed.

Keeping alive Michael's memory and spirit.

Starting Slowly

June 7: Today was the first run since I began to flirt with idea of the MCM. Just three miles, nothing crazy. I usually stay in decent shape, so 3 miles was a slow start.....but I figured I've have plenty of time to build up to some nice loooooooooong runs.

The Motivation

June 6, 2006:
I received an email from my best friend, Ramsey Duck telling me he was headed to D.C. to run the Marine Corps Marathon in October. The email also had some guilt laden text to peer pressure me into running it as well. Duck is a "seasoned" marathon-er (2 under his belt) and frequently competes in triathlons, so I figured I would take up his challenge and see how I'd do. And the training begins.....(Ramsey is pictured above, after the 2005 Richmond Marathon. Ramsey before his training is seen below).