6 Miles on the local trails

I went out to try the local 7 mile loop that I've had so much trouble with lately (only going 4 or 5 miles).  This time I went in the opposite direction so the first 5 miles were mostly downhill.  This resulted in my getting a BIG blister on my right foot/big toe.  After 6 miles it was hurting and also I was starting to get tired, so I walked the last mile home.

4 Miles of High Intensity Interval Training at the Community Center

I did some High Intensity Interval Training today (trying to shed holiday pounds). One mile warm-up at 6mph followed by 60 second intervals of 9mph with 60 seconds recovery at 5 mph.

The last three intervals (I did 8) I had to take two minutes recovery between the intervals.

I followed with a half mile cool down walk at 4 mph.

4 +1 Miles on local trails

I went out to run the 7 mile local loop, but pooped out after only 4 miles.  I'm not sure if it's the cold air, the holiday weight I've gained or my new running style.  I just don't have the endurance I used to have.

I ran another mile after the first 4 miles after taking a walking break of about one mile.

6.3 Miles on the Treadmill

I ran 6 miles on the community center treadmill in two 30 minute routines (due to the 30 minute limit imposed by the gym).  The first I ran 3.3 miles in 30 minutes.  The second I ran 3 miles in 28 minutes.

5 Miles on the W&OD

I set out to run 8 miles this morning. I figured I'd eaten enough carbs yesterday between the two Christmas parties to run a marathon, so 8 miles would be a breeze. But not so.

After 5 miles my left knee was making a complaint and I decided to listen to it. I stopped by a 7-11 and the nice clerk let me use his cell phone to call Handan to come pick me up.

5 + 1 Miles in Folly Lick and Runnymead Park Trails

After work today I headed out to run the 7 mile loop from Folly Lick to Runnymead to the W&OD Trails.  But after only 4 miles I knew I wouldn't do the entire loop.  I had to stop and catch my breath twice in mile 5.  I really started out too fast, but I was also tired from a day's work and last night's entertaining.  Lots of good food in my belly doesn't necessarily make for a good afternoon run!

After 5 miles I was still nearly 1.5 miles from home.  I walked a little while and then ran an extra mile (jogged really) and then walked home.

The lesson here... I think I need to do my runs before lunch (around noon) before I get too tired from work and too full from lunchtime.

The first 5 miles

 

 

The last mile, by quarter-mile increments

7 Miles - Hains Point and the Mall

Another great day for running in December.  It was a bit humid and that made it feel cooler than it actually was, but there was no wind again and that was nice (especially at the point of Hains Point).  A little more sun would have been nice.

I rand 7 miles and really felt pretty comfortable with my new gait.  I realize that I need to focus on having a mid-foot strike.  I was landing too much on my toes and that puts too much strain on my calves.  Mid-foot seems to work well and I had no problems today with the distance.

Mynor joined me for the run again today and we'll try and do it again on Friday, maybe for an 8 mile run.

5 Miles at Hains Point

It was a crisp and cool day.  The temperature was in the low 40s.  But there was no wind and no clouds to speak of.  And I had the company of fellow MCM First Timer Mynor Gonzalez to make the miles go by quicker.  All in all it was a very enjoyable run, even though my legs were still a bit tired from Saturday's 7 mile run.  I'm enjoying my new running style but it will take me a while to build myself back up to double digit distances.

7 Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was a cold day with gusty winds.  The temperature was about 40(ish) and the winds were from the southwest at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 20.  Still, it was a sunny day and very crisp.  I headed out with high ambitions to run 8 or maybe even 10 miles.  I've been doing good with my new forefoot striking running and I wanted to see how far I could go.

The answer was seven miles.

I just ran out of gas... pure and simple.  This new style puts more of the running burden on the calves and I think that's part of it.  But also I seem to want to run faster with this new gait.  I was averaging around 9:10 - 9:15 where I should have been running around 9:20 - 9:30 for a long slow run. 

But I really don't mind too much.  I set a distance record for my new running style, and I suffered no ill effects as a result.  I'll gradually increase my distance over time, just as I did with my initial marathon training. 

I have no specific goal (no upcoming race) and that's a bit of a blessing but also a problem.  I don't want to push myself too much but I don't want to slack off either.  I think I enjoy training with a goal more than just training for the fun (and health) of it.  I may have to do something about that.

Runs in Istanbul, Turkey

Last week Handan and I went to Istanbul to visit with her friends and family.  While we were there I was able to get in a few runs along the coast of the Sea of Marmara on the Asian side of Istanbul.  The neighborhood of Caddebostan is where Handan's mother and aunts live and there's a nice 3 mile section of park built on landfill along the water.  It has bike and walking/running paths marked out, but mostly the locals use it for walking and feeding the stray cats and dogs that live there.

Four of my runs were solo and one was with Handan.  It should be obvious from the charts which was which.

4 Miles on the W&OD Trail

Today was a pretty stressful day.  It started out poorly due to a poor night's sleep and didn't get much better at work where nothing was working right (thankfully not my fault).  Anyway...

when I got home it was warm enough and not raining so I geared up and went out for a run.  I decided to run 4 miles all forefoot striking.  My calves had loosened up enough from Friday's run to try this new technique again.

I felt good running today.  It melted most of the stress away and I was just "out there running".  But at the start of the fourth mile it started raining, so I picked up the pace and hurried home.  Unfortunately on the ball of my left forefoot (just under the big toe) I started to develop a blister.  In all the training for and running of the marathon I never once got a blister, but here after only 4 miles I was developing one!  I think, with this new running gait, I may be more prone to blisters than before.  I'll have to see if the new New Balance Minimus 20s that I ordered will help with this.

10K on the W&OD Trail

Today I continued to practice a forefoot strike in my running gait.  I ran the first three miles using a forefoot strike.  Then I switched back to my regular heel strike because I could tell my calves were getting very tired and I was losing form.

I think my calves will be sore tomorrow.

It still amazes me how harsh the heel strike style feels after having run a few miles with a forefoot strike!

If I'm really going to adapt to this "natural" running gait then I'm going to have to buy new "minimal"  running shoes.  Then when I go running to practice my new gait I'll only run with a forefoot strike.  If I want to run more with a heel strike I'll have to change shoes.  For a while this might be inconvenient, but I think it's better for my new running style to not run in my stability control Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11s.  Maybe this weekend I'll shop for something else.

Which brings up the question... what to wear for "minimal" footwear.  I know it won't be Vibram 5 Finger shoes.  Maybe New Balance's Minimus 20s?  We'll see what feels good on my foot when I try them on.

5 Miles on the Mall

Today I went out at 11:30 to run.  It was a spectacular "Indian Summer" day with temperatures approaching 70 and little wind and low humidity.  I decided to run on the Mall today and did the Capital Building to the Lincoln Memorial round trip.

I've been reading about the benefits of running with a "toe-strike" gait instead of what's become a standard for runners - the "heel strike".  I decided to try running the first two miles with a toe-strike and then run the remainder in my normal fashion.  After the first half mile the new stride didn't seem so awkward and I was able to complete the two miles pretty easily.  When I switched back to my normal heel-striking gait I noticed how much more impact there was on my entire body!  It was quite pronounced.  Regardless, I completed 5 miles and enjoyed the run a lot.

Now (a few hours later) I can really feel how much more exercise I got in my calves!  I'm glad I only tried 2 miles of the new technique.  If I'm going to make the switch to this new, "natural" form of running it will have to be in a slow, measured fashion (much like my original build-up in miles).  We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks and months...

9 Miles in Central Park (Saturday, 11/12)

Handan and I were up in NJ/NY for the long weekend (Veteran's Day).  We spent Friday walking around NYC (Central Park, Greenwich Village, Times Square, etc.) and then Saturday we went back to Central Park to run.  Both of us had tired legs.  I'd planned on running twice around the park for a total of 12 miles but after 9 miles my legs were getting tired and I also needed to find a bathroom, so I quit after 9 miles. 

It was a beautiful day in the park.  Cool and breezy, but clear as a bell and the fall colors were spectacular!

A Week (or so) After the MCM 2011

11/3/2011 - W&OD Trail

11/7/2011 - Folly Lick Trail

11/7/2011 - Folly Lick Trail

11/9/2011 - Hains Point

11/9/2011 - Hains Point

Marine Corps Marathon - 26.2 Miles

Question: Which is harder... running a marathon or blogging about it?

It took me 4 hours, 24 minutes and 39 seconds to run the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon.  That's approximately 10 minutes and 6 seconds per mile.

It's been over 9 days and I'm just completing my blog about those 26.2 miles I ran on 10/30/2011.  I think the answer is obvious.

So why is it so hard for me to write this final blog entry?  The answer is probably more complex than I can easily explain, but I'll give it a try nonetheless.  I think it boils down to my mixed feelings about the entire experience.  On the one hand I'm very happy and impressed with what I accomplished... turning my health around 180 degrees in two short years and running a full marathon at a better-than-average pace for my age group (I was at 52.2% of men aged 44-49).  That's a lot to be boastful about, so writing about it should come easy.  But on the other hand I had very high expectations for myself going into the final few months of training, only to watch those hopes fade away (along with my conditioning) as I suffered through my Achilles tendon injury.  I've not fully gotten over the disappointment of my set-back and the impact it had on my race results.  I'm starting to come to terms with the disappointment and I'm trying to let go of those feelings.  Now I'm ready to blog them and, thus, hopefully, be free of them once-and-for-all.

But there's yet another aspect of writing this final blog that (I believe) has made me procrastinate.  I've grown so accustomed to training for the race that I don't want it to be over.  I'm addicted, if you will, to the training routine and the "having of a goal" that I don't want it to be over.  Documenting the final race (my first marathon!) makes it seem more concrete and while that might be good therapeutically in some ways, it saddens me in others.  This blog entry is much like a eulogy to a period of my life that is departed, a life event that will never be duplicated... and who wouldn't want to postpone that?

But I am moving on.  My first marathon is behind me now, and much like first love it was both exciting and yet failed to live up to the expectations I'd built up in my mind.  I'm pretty sure now that there will be more races in my future (10Ks, half marathons and probably even more full marathons).  Hell... I may even return to my "first love" and try the Marine Corp Marathon again in 2012.  Maybe love will be better the second time around. :-)

The Race Itself (and isn't this what you really wanted to read about)


Saturday, October 29th was a freakish day weather-wise.  We had rain, snow, sleet and high winds.  And it was COLD.  I had planned for a short, fast run outside in the morning as part of my carb loading efforts (see my previous post about the Western Australian Method).  But I couldn't run outside in the rain and snow so I went to the Herndon community center and used the treadmill.  Afterwards I ate some oatmeal, some bread, and other assorted carbohydrate-rich foods all day.  I didn't keep a journal of what I ate so (lucky reader) I cannot bore you with itemized lists and quantities.  I stopped eating after 7:00 pm as I wanted to make sure all food was digested prior to the race.  I went to bed early (9:00ish) and actually managed to sleep pretty well considering the nervous anticipation I was feeling.  I set the alarm for 4:30am.

Sunday, October 30th was forecast to be sunny with a slight wind, cold in the morning warming up to the low 40s by afternoon.  I'd prepared several layers of clothes for the long wait in the "Runner's Village" and starting corrals.  The best purchase I made, though, wasn't clothing but rather the pocket warmer packs from Walgreen.  At $0.99 they made a BIG difference in my comfort level during wait as well as the first few hours of the race itself. 

At 5:10 my wife Handan, step-son Tolga and I got into the car and headed into DC where I parked at L'Enfant Plaza.  En-route I had coffee and a ClifBar.  Handan and Tolga were signed up for the MCM 10K which started very close to the parking garage at L'Enfant Promenade.  Since they were so early they waited in the Promenade where it was heated and there were bathrooms to use.  My brother Alaric (also running the 10K) met them there.  I said my goodbyes and got on the Metro yellow line headed to the Pentagon station.

I arrived at the Runner's Village sometime around 6:00am... two hours before start time.  I'd planned on meeting some of my on-line Facebook running friends at the UPS drop-off zone.  And I did.  This was a good thing; I finally get to meet these people I'd been sharing all my intimate training details with for months (stories of pooping in the woods, injuries, etc.),   And as I'd guessed they were all wonderful, friendly and enthusiastic people.  The time we spent waiting in the 33+ degree morning air went very quickly.  I ate a banana, drank some juice and water and used the port-a-potty.  Before I knew it we were migrating towards the starting corrals.

On the way to the 4:00 corral (which I knew was optimistic for me... finishing in 4 hours) we stopped at the Brooks VIP Port-a-potty.  One of my new online friends, a gentlemen I hadn't even met except on the Internet, had supplied me with a pass to this oasis of heated commodes complete with running water and hand soaps.  After a short wait outside for a stall and another short wait in the stall I was all ready for the starting cannons!!!  I ingested one Double-Espresso GU gel and followed three of my friends (Justyn, Ryan and Lara) to the corral. 

Ooops... one more trip to the treeline... nerves got my fluids flowing again...

There was an impressive fly-over of Osprey helicopters (the type with two rotors that are used for heavy-lifting) and then promptly at 8:00am the cannons fired announcing the race had started.  This is when the striptease started... thousands of runners shedding their extra layers of garments.  I removed a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt but opted to keep my warm-up jacket on for the first mile or so.  Clothes were flying to the left and right of me and I realized that I had to keep my eyes open or else I'd trip over some discarded item or get blinded by something flying into my face!

A few minutes after 8:00 the crowd in our corral started to inch forward, first in a slow walk but picking up speed as we got closer to the starting gate.  By the time we were near the starting line we were in a light jog which picked up to a slow run as we crossed the line.  THE RACE HAD BEGUN but I was in a tight pack with little room to maneuver and no way to control my pace.  Thankfully people had (for the most part) honored the corral system and those around me were running the pace I was comfortable with.  I tried to stay close to Justyn, Lara and Ryan but it was tough in the crowd.  I stayed with them as we headed up Rt. 110 and took the exit into Rosslyn, heading up the hill between the buildings, sidewalks crowded with people cheering us on. 

My parents had a hotel nearby and we'd planned on meeting at the finish.  However my father said he'd try to get to the streets of Rosslyn to see if he could find me as I started the race.  So I spent much of the first mile and a half looking for my father's bright orange rain slicker in the crowds while simultaneously trying to avoid tripping over all the other runners.  We were still shoulder-to-shoulder and packed pretty tightly for those first few miles, the narrowness of Rt. 29 not helping matters much.  I didn't find my father in the crowds and, as I later learned, that was because he wasn't there yet.  It was fun looking at the crowds as I ran by them.  All the clever, funny signs, and patriotic displays, and generous offers of support and good wishes were a small but welcome taste of more to come.

As we turned from Rt. 29 (Lee Highway) onto the Spout Run Parkway the crowds of cheering fans disappeared and the pack of runners thinned out a bit.  I'd already lost Justyn, Lara and Ryan as their pace was faster than mine.  At this point I finally put on my earphones and fired up the iPod Shuffle with my MCM 2011 playlist on random.  The first some was the Allman Brother's "Jessica" which was suitably upbeat and energizing.  Spout Run Parkway was beautiful... tree-lined and all downhill!  I ran a great pace for that section of the marathon and felt great.  It also was the first place in the race that people started peeling off from the pack, running to the treeline (or into the woods) and "taking care of business".  I had no need for any kind of "relief" yet, but it got me thinking about it... where could I go along the route and when would I need to? 

Turning onto the George Washington Parkway was quite a sight.  The sun was peaking over the Georgetown skyline across the Potomac River and a field of bobbing heads lay before me, steam pouring off the heads and out of the mouths of thousands of runners before me.  The road was still a bit crowded but my brisk pace continued.  The on-ramp to Key Bridge caused a bit of a slow-down as it was iced over!!!  Thankfully that was the only part of the race where we encountered ice.  I learned later from my wife that the 14th Street Bridge had also iced over that morning but was free of ice by the time we got there 20 miles later.  Turning onto Key Bridge and leaving the ice behind, the first water stop also caused a bit of a slowdown as runners navigated to the sides to grab cups while others navigated to the center to avoid the water exchange area.  I opted for the middle of the road as I was wearing my 4 bottle Nathans running belt.  I took a few gulps of Kirkland sports drink as I turned left onto Canal Road.

There were quite a few humbling moments during my 26.2 mile run through VA and DC.  On Canal Road I encountered my first.  As I headed north on Canal Road I saw on the southbound side (approximately mile 8) the lead pack of runners.  A pickup truck with a large digital clock was preceding a group of 5 or 6 runners heading south at a pace slightly over 5 minutes/mile.  As I approached mile marker 5 along with thousands of ordinary runners like myself, I felt lucky to have witnessed the elite athletes as they passed us by.

During the next few miles the pace settled into a nice 9:10-9:15/mile range.  The course started to head uphill and it was (again) humbling to pass by the wheelchair racers using all their strength and willpower to propel themselves forward.  Later, as they zoomed past all of us runners on the downhill side of the hill I felt a little jealous... but just for a guilty second.

At mile 8 we were a few hundred feet away from entering Georgetown.  There were still some wooded areas by the side of the road so I decided to avail myself of the opportunity for some relief (it had been hours since my pre-race coffee, juice and water).  I wasn't the only one, and given what I saw later on the race* I'm glad I took this last "nature" opportunity.  Afterwards I needed to take off my gloves to tie up my drawstring running pants.  I discarded my heat packs which had done me a great service, tucked my gloves into my pants pockets and tied myself back up.  But when I went to get my gloves out of my pockets to put them back on (it was still pretty cold at probably 36-38 degrees or so) one of them had fallen out of my pocket.  Alas there was no turning back to find it, so I tossed the other one and ran the last 17+ miles with bare hands.  It didn't take long for my Raynaud's hands to get painfully cold, but what could I do?  I pressed on.

* what I saw (and some of my online friends sadly experienced) were 20 minute lines at the port-a-potty stations!

Of note: at one point in Georgetown the crowds got really quiet.  I'm not sure why.  They must have been pretty tired of yelling.  But this was not acceptable so I yelled out to the crowd (as best as I could yell having run more than 8 miles already) "Why so quiet? Help us out here!!! Make some NOISE!" which brought great whoops and yelps from the crowd.  That felt good.

Also of note: somewhere around mile 8 or 9 I realized that I was running too fast.  I'd fallen into the first-timer's number one mistake of getting hyped up and heading out like I was going to somehow, miraculously run a sub-4:00 marathon.  Once I realized my mistake I started to pull back my pace a bit and focus on enjoying the experience more.

I passed the first food stop (oranges) at mile 9 and welcomed mile 10 as it began the part of the course I was most familiar with.  My training runs frequently went over the next 10 miles of the marathon... Ohio Drive to Hains Point, Independence Avenue and the Mall.  I knew these grounds well and thus didn't expect any surprises.  But of course I'd never run with 20,000 other people.  And I'd never run surrounded by screaming race supporters and dumbfounded tourists.  The miles moved by pretty quickly as I enjoyed looking at the signs in the crowds and the costumes on the runners and fans alike.  There were super heroes, witches, fairies and other assorted (sometimes unidentifiable) costumes.

The highlight of my run came at mile 17 when I found my Handancim waiting for me in front of the Smithsonian Natural History museum.  She'd finished her 10K race, gathered her bags from UPS and then taken the Metro to the Mall to deliver me a banana and ClifBar.  I know of no more welcoming site than my wife's smile after running 17 miles and just about hitting the wall.  I got a set of new legs (for a while) from this lovely moment and glided the next two miles while finishing the banana (I didn't take the ClifBar).  Handan met me again on the other side of the Mall by mile 19.5 and took my water belt from me as it was nearly empty.  I knew at that point I was 'bonking' and would have a big struggle for the next 7 miles, but I knew my wife loves me and was there for me, and that was enough to keep me going.  I then turned left onto 14th Street and headed towards the dreaded bridge.

Mile 19.5, very happy to see Handan again!

Two of my other Facebook friends (Mynor and Lisa) were on 14th Street with cookies and other goodies for us runners, but I couldn't spot them in the crowd.  I think this was because of a funny sign held up on the other side of the street ("You've got stamina... Call Me" held by a cute girl).  But since I'd just had a banana and I had plenty of GU left in my pocket, I wasn't lacking for energy sources.  My legs were getting heavier by the minute as I ran (slowly now) up and over the bridge.  About halfway across the endless span I spotted Ryan who had left me in Rosslyn to stay with Justyn and Lara.  He was now walking across the bridge.  I stopped to give some encouragement but didn't want to stop too long lest I lapse into walking myself.

By the time I got to the other side of the bridge and turned into Crystal City I was spent.  And apparently so was my Garmin as it loudly announced with a beep that it was out of batteries and was shutting down!  Dammit!  I would not have a complete record of my run to post here.  I was pissed off about that, tired and beginning to despair.

I decided to walk for a bit and try and get some wind back in my sails.  At first walking was almost harder than the slow trotting I'd been doing.  My legs were tight!  After a few minutes walking my legs loosened up and then I was able to jog a bit.  Crystal City seemed to go on forever, but I plowed through with my new walk/jog program.  Eventually I found the turnaround point in Crystal City's canyon of concrete and my mood lightened up a bit.

And that's basically how I finished the last 4 miles of the race... fast jog followed by walking followed by more jogging. 

I think I jogged (I guess I could say "ran slowly", but really it was more like a jog in my mind) the entire last mile to the finish.  It's hard to say... things were hazy in those last four miles.  I know I took donut holes from the last food stop sponsored by Dunkin' Donuts, and I almost took some banana slices from a nice family in the Pentagon parking lot.  I remember how much it hurt too run down the entrance ramp to Rt. 110 and thinking to myself "it's not supposed to hurt to run downhill!".  And I remember that I came across a gentleman running in a Coast Guard shirt whom I'd talked with briefly back in mile 7, and how impressed I was that he was still at my pace all those miles later (I think he was about 60 years old).

I didn't walk up the hill to the finish.  I saw the video and I was jogging/running.  I remember digging into the last reservoir of energy that I had when I saw the hill and the crowds cheering the finish line.  It wasn't pretty, but I crossed the finish line with my head up and my arms waving and a look of satisfaction on my face.

I stood and waited as the crowd of runners ahead of me received their medals from the helpful Marines.  But then I nearly collapsed because my legs were turning to Jello. Thankfully there was a fence for me to lean against or I certainly would have been down in the mud on my hands and knees.  I held tight to that fence for a minute or two until I got my legs back.  Gratefully I received my medal... thanked the Marine... received my foil blanket and again thanked the Marine... got some water and snacks and thanked the Marine... and then I got my finisher's photo taken and then I called my wife.

I found Handan outside the fenced area after about 20 minutes.  We slogged through the mud to the Semper Fi Fund tent where my parents were waiting for us.  The nice people at the Semper Fi Fund provided sandwiches, cookies and drinks and I ate voraciously!   And after about 30 minutes of recounting the race to my parents and Handan, we got up and left.

And that was the race as best as I remember it..
 

 

 

3 Miles on the Treadmill

What a shame that my last run had to be done on the treadmill at the community center.  Unfortunately it was raining when I came home from work.  And then, to rub it in, when I came home after three miles and a nice sauna, it was no longer raining.

Ah well.  Training is as done as it will ever by.  Nothing left to do now but carbo load and wait.

For the record, I'm going to be trying the Western Australian Method of carbo loading.  On Saturday morning I'll run as fast as possible for 2.5 minutes, then run fast for another 30 seconds.  Then I eat carbs during the day to total "12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of lean muscle mass".  I make that out to be about 910 grams of  carbohydrates.  That's a lot!

Wish me luck...

4 Miles on the W&OD Trail

This taper run was run on THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY EVER. (sorry for shouting)

It was just a picture perfect fall day. Somewhere between cool and warm but with a slight breeze and very few clouds. The trees are turning colors and the birds are gathering nuts and berries, and I ran too fast for a "taper" run but who cares... I felt great and I have 5 days to recover. 

Best of all, I have Handan's oatmeal cookies to enjoy afterwards!

6.2 Miles with my Beautiful Wife

One week before the marathon and I wanted to have a fun, relaxing run with no pressure about time and distance.  Thankfully Handan wanted to go for a run today.  So we ran together at her pace and it was great.  The weather was beautiful... sunny without wind, crisp and clear.  Handan ran at a good pace for her.  We stopped a few times for traffic lights and to stretch, and somehow the SportTracks software that makes my graphs clipped some distance off the run. But we ran 10K and Handan set a personal record for that distance at 1:07:35.  She is so ready for the MCM 10K next weekend.

6 Miles on the W&OD

I set out today to run my last long, slow run.  I wanted to run 10 miles.  But stupid me...

• I wore the wrong socks and my toenail dug into my toe and bled (and hurt)
• I ran too fast
• I didn't fuel properly (apparently) as I ran out of gas after 6 miles.

So I wasn't happy with my run because it wasn't what I'd intended to do.  But if I look at it as a 6 mile pace run, it was pretty good. :-)

But that means I still "owe myself" a 10 mile slow run.  Tomorrow...

5 Miles at Hains Point

It was a clear, crisp day and I went for an 11:00 run in Hains Point.  It was also pretty windy and my eyes were tearing up by the time I rounded the point.  Still, the run was enjoyable.  I felt really good... no pain in my legs at all and maybe even a little strength beginning to creep back in.

One more long(ish) run tomorrow and then really short runs next week as I rest up for the big one on 10/30.

8 Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was a damp and drizzling afternoon.  I came home from work and headed out to the trail.  Unfortunately I'd eaten a good lunch about 3 hours earlier and it was still digesting in my stomach. So during my run I had acid reflux which made the run less-than-enjoyable.  But my legs felt good and I ran a nice pace for a mid-week run.

I have to start tapering now.  Slower runs, and shorter distances.  On Sat. I'll have one more semi-long run and next week it's all short runs (4 miles max).  Of course then there's one BIG run on 10/30.

5 Quick Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was an absolutely beautiful day today out on the trail.  After a day sitting on my butt indoors with no windows and no activity whatsoever, it was a joy to get outside and on the trail.  I ran off my frustrations from my relatively poor weekend run (Saturday's 20 mile attempt).  Running is good therapy, and today was a great stress reliever for me.

My calves are a bit tight though.  Time for the foam roller and then some ice packs.

20 Miles on the W&OD, Herndon to Arlington

For my last long, slow run I decided to visit my brother and his wife at their new home in Arlington.  As luck would have it, their new house is just blocks off the W&OD trail which also runs through Herndon.  Checking on Google Maps I found it's almost exactly 20 miles door-to-door.  So I set out to run 20 miles and I wanted to run it exactly as I would prepare for race-day.  I documented everything I ate since yesterday morning and tried to load up on the carbs.  However I must not have loaded enough as I 'bonked' after 15 miles (as the chart shows).

The first 15 miles were good though, and the first 6 were especially enjoyable as the weather was beautiful and it was almost all downhill.  All-in-all, the weather was wonderful and the path wasn't too crowded and the runners were all friendly.  There were many groups out on training runs, no doubt for the MCM in two weeks.  I noticed a lot of Team In Training t-shirts and water stops all along the 20 miles.

My diet from yesterday and today...

4:45 ClifBar + Decaf Coffee

7:00 Egg (2) on bagel  caffeine coffee

10:30 Oatmeal (w/ raisins and walnuts)

12:00 Pasta Bolognese

12:30 Greek Yogurt (non-fat w/ honey)

2:15 Potato Wedges w/ ketchup and salt

4:30 Mashed sweet potato

6:30 Shredded chicken, whole wheat roll-up w/ tomato

7:00 ClifBar

4:45 ClifBar + Coffee (real)

7:00 Sports Drink

8:00 Mango Juice

During the run I had two bottles of Costco sports drink (in 4 Nathans belt bottles).  I had one GU at mile 10 and another at mile 15.  Maybe I should have had more GUs and had them earlier?  Also maybe more of a breakfast before the run?  If anyone has any feedback please feel free to provide it.

7 Miles on the W&OD Trail

This morning I set out to run 8 miles on the W&OD Trail.  However I knew that I wasn't fueled appropriately.  I felt "light" and even though I had a ClifBar and a GU gel before I left I didn't feel like I was adequately prepared.  After the fourth mile (at the turn-around point) I could tell it was going to be a struggle to get back.  And after the 7th mile I decided to call it quits. 

It was a cool day, but humid and drizzling/raining during most of the last three miles. 

I love being outside running.  It's so much better than running on the treadmill.  For my next run I'll really focus on the proper nutrition (quality and timing).

3.2 Miles on the Treadmill

It was raining hard when I got home from work.  I went to the community center to run 5 miles on the treadmill, but I ran too fast (6.8 mph) and at too much incline (1.5), and I didn't eat enough today, so I tired out after only 3.2 miles and stopped. 

Tomorrow I'll run outside again where I can enjoy the scenery.  8 slow miles is the plan.

8 Miles on the W&OD Trail

After work today I had planned on running 5 miles, and then tomorrow I was planning on running 8.  But since the forecast for tomorrow is for heavy rain all day I decided to run 8 today.  Tomorrow I'll run 5 on the treadmill.

I felt good running the 8, but I could tell my calves where a little tight.  After the run I took my very first ice bath.  This sounds uncomfortable, but it turns out it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd imagined.  Actually, once you go numb from the cold it's almost pleasant.  Really.

Army Ten-Miler

Today I ran the Army Ten-Miler.  It was a beautiful day... sunny and no wind and unseasonably warm temperatures.  It was a perfect day for running 10 miles through the streets of DC!

I thought that I was early for the race, but by the time I got out of the Metro station (so crowded!!!) and through the security checkpoint and up to the starting line, I hardly had 10 minutes to spare.  Whew!

My Garmin got into a funny "keys locked" mode which I've never seen in all the time I've had it.  Never.  I fidgeted with the buttons for nearly 15 minutes and finally, almost 20 seconds before the race started, I managed to reset the damned thing and was able to track my time.

Unfortunately the rush to get to the starting line meant that I didn't get that last bathroom break I was hoping for.  So, like dozens of other runners, I pulled over to the side of route 110 and relieved myself there as thousands of people ran by.  I lost about half a minute but was a much happier runner as a result.

The race course is generally flat, but there are small hills going over the bridges and going up Virginia Avenue towards the Watergate complex.  But those are not long or steep and I was generally able to keep my pace and didn't notice any problems with my Achilles tendon.

I'll repeat that last part... no problems with my Achilles tendon!  Whew! (again).

My unofficial time was just under 90 minutes making for a sub-9:00 mile.  No word on official times yet.

Edit: The official results are in.  My time was 1:29:51 for a pace of 8:59.  Also of note... my Garmin (and a lot of other people's Garmins) measured the course at 10.17 +/- miles. 

Time for ice and football. :-)

Big shout-out and thanks to my lovely wife Handan for supporting me today.  It was great to see her smiling face at the finish line.

8 Miles on the Sugarland Run Trail

Yesterday I spent two hours on the recumbent stationary bicycle and today I had physical therapy after work.  The physical therapist (Ron) gave me a few exercises to perform and then gave me a nice massage that really loosened up my calf muscle.  So I left PT feeling both tired from the recent exercise but relaxed from the massage.  I decided to run 8 miles.

I took the W&OD Trail to the Sugarland Run Trail and when my GPS hit 4 miles I turned around and came back.  The first four miles were mostly downhill, so naturally enough the return trip was mostly uphill.  My speed (which was pretty good considering that my legs were tired) was much slower on the return trip.

11 Miles on the W&OD Trail

I was feeling pretty good today even after running 8 miles yesterday, so I set out for a run today without a specific distance goal.  I just wanted to run and to see how my ankle would feel running a second day in a row.  I watched my pace and kept a mindful eye on how my ankle felt.  Thankfully I didn't have any issues and was able to run 11 miles.  I think if I had actually planned the run better by fueling for a longer run and not having run 8 the day before that I could have run at least 13 or so miles.  That's encouraging.  It makes me think my stamina will come back quickly (after a slow start post-recovery).

I iced my ankle afterwards and did some stretches.  There's some very mild swelling but nothing significant.  I will rest it tomorrow (except for physical therapy tomorrow afternoon) and then I'll run a 5 miler on Tuesday.

8 Miles on the W&OD Trail

Today was cool and it drizzled for most of the run. While I miss the early morning summer runs, I have to say that running in cooler weather has advantages. I didn't feel nearly as dehydrated during the run as I had months ago. I needed to remind myself to drink from my water bottles.

I'd planned on running 10 miles but after 8 miles I felt like my Achilles tendon had enough and I didn't want to push the issue. Unfortunately that meant I had to walk/jog the remaining 2 miles back to the car.

All in all I'm very happy that my ankle feels good and even now (3 hours later) it's not noticeably swollen or sore.

Nutritionally I didn't prepare well for my run. Last night I ate a veggie curry with rice and then this morning I ate a ClifBar for breakfast and had a bowl of ground turkey chili for lunch about 1.5 hours before I ran. I guess I didn't consider a 10 mile (which turned into 8) run worthy of proper fueling. I had enough energy for the run but I did have some discomfort from the chili in by belly only partially digested. In the future I'll plan better.