I completed a marathon! Here's my recap.
My girlfriend and I had gone to a Fiona Apple show the night before so we were up way past our bedtimes. This caused us to have kind of a slow start. After stopping in Seattle for breakfast, we were on our way to Portland. The drive down was nice. There wasn't too much traffic and the weather was fine. We rolled in to Portland at around 3 or 4 and checked into the McMenamins Crystal Hotel. It's a nice place and was within walking distance to the Hilton, where the Expo was.
The Expo was kind of a maze but I managed to find where to get my bib without too much trouble. They always set up expos so that you are forced to walk through all the vendors, which is kind of annoying. I had to walk to the other end to pick up my shirt and then walk through more vendors to get out the door.
That evening we met up with some friends at The Doug Fir Lounge for dinner. I had the mac n cheese because I thought it might be the most carbohydrate heavy item on the menu. Some of their cocktails sounded tasty but I didn't think drinking booze would make the race any better in the morning. After dinner it was off to bed for a sleepless night!
I got out of bed at 5:20 am and had a bagel and started getting ready for the race. It was probably a little too early but I wanted to get at the starting line with plenty of time to spare because I screwed up on my registration and got assigned to the "fast people" corral. I definitely would have been in the way if I started there so I wanted some extra time to figure out what a more appropriate corral would be. I saw a pacer for 5 hours in coral D and thought that was close enough. I found a good spot and anxiously waited for the start.
The race started at 7 and it took about 15 minutes for my corral to get to the starting line. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "What did I get myself into?" That feeling went away as soon as the race started and the excitement took over. Portland sure knows how to start a marathon! There were marching bands, Chinese dragon dancers, rock bands and a ton of fans.
Things started pretty smoothly for me. I was careful to keep my pace in check and kept the 5 hour pacer ahead of me. I did start to worry after 2 or 3 miles when my right leg started getting really stiff. It was a sensation I had not experienced while running before and it was way too early for something like that to be happening. I missed the first water station, which was fine, but I made sure to walk through the second one. Doing so kind of reset my leg and the stiffness went completely away. Relief! Somewhere around mile 7 the racers started thinning out so I decided to try to move up a little and really focus on my form. I was able to pass the 5 hour pace group and I thought I actually had a shot at finishing in under 5 hours. My goal was to just finish but doing so in under 5 would have been pretty nice! I managed to keep a decent pace for the next 6 or 7 miles, but at mile 15ish, things started falling apart. My muscles were started to get sore and were on the verge of major cramping. Unfortunately this was how the next 10 miles went. I was forced to walk more than I would have liked but I did run the vast majority of it and I was determined not to have my first marathon a DNF.
Miles 20 through 26.2 are almost indescribable. It was hard. The hardest thing I've ever been through. Every muscle in my legs hurt and it felt like they could completely seize up at any moment. My pace started to drop quite a bit and the 5 hour pace group passed me at mile 23. Oh well! It was kind of a relief in a way because I could just focus on finishing at that point. Despite how miserable I felt, I never once thought about quitting and all thoughts of why I was attempting a marathon vanished. I was going to finish this thing.
The last mile starts at one end of the Hawthorne Bridge. I was trying to focus on how close I was by thinking about how far a mile is back home on all those training runs. It's not that far! That didn't work. That last mile felt like 5. I made it, though. Crossing that finish line was relief like I had never felt before. I could not believe that it was over. I was in a daze. I wandered through the too blocks after the finish line picking up my medal, pausing for pictures and grabbing some of the food they had set up but I hardly remember any of that. I eventually made my way through and found my girlfriend. We went directly to the beer garden for the most deserved beer of my life.
I had a less than impressive time of 5:14:23 but I'll take it. This was the most rewarding experiences of my life and I don't think any race will be quite like it.
Thanks for reading! This blog will most likely be pretty much retired at this point. I'll update sporadically with updates on races I've run and any other running related information I feel should be shared. For now I am going to take a bit of a break from training and then perhaps do another round of Insanity while I figure out what my next race will be.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Week whatever - ChiRunning and some new gear!
Long time no update! Sorry about that. I did my peak 20 mile run a week ago. Before I started I texted my girlfriend to let her know where I planned to run and how long I anticipated it would take in case I got hurt or kidnapped or something. The problem was that I had originally planned to do 18 miles but about 4 miles in I decided to just do the whole 20 and be done with it. Unfortunately the run didn't go that well. My hip flexor/groin got really sore and I ended up having to walk more than I would have liked and also caused my running pace to severely decrease. This ended up causing my run to last over an hour longer than I planned and created on worried girlfriend. The whole thing reminded me of this blog and my sudden lack of posts. I hope ya'll weren't worried!
Training hasn't been going great. I believe my last post was about a knee injury I sustained. It wasn't really a running injury but it did prevent me from doing much running for about a month. During that downtime I did a lot of research on how to safely start running again and also how to run without injury. That's how I discovered ChiRunning. I'm not going to go in to specifics but it promises injury free, effortless running by improving your form. I've been practicing it for a little over a month and I think it is making a difference. I learned that my form (while not terrible) wasn't the greatest. I was a heel striker, especially when I increased my speed, and that was causing a lot of shock on my knees. ChiRunning, along with other running forms, focuses more on a midfoot strike which is more efficient and less jarring of an impact. This midfoot strike led me to my first new piece of gear. My Newton Distance running shoe! They are designed for midfoot strikes. At first I wasn't totally sold on them because I was still landing too much on the heel. After my first 2 mile run I was shocked at how much wear was on the heel. These shoes are not designed to be run in like that so the heels are made of soft foam that really can't take much friction. I worked on increasing my cadence and posture and now I am more of a midfoot striker and am really loving the shoes. That style of running uses muscles that I'm not used to in the calf area so there is a long adjustment period before one is able to switch to using them exclusively so unfortunately I will not be able to wear them at the marathon.
My next piece of gear is the new Columbia Omi-freeze Zero line of sports clothing. It supposedly has a special material that cools you down more as you sweat. I bought a shirt and hat made of the stuff. I didn't really notice it cooling me down any better, but I do like the shirt. It is constructed well and the material is nice and light.
I also bought a pair of Injinji toe socks because I heard they are great for preventing blisters. I have had a very painful blister on my left foot that has really being ruining my form so I've been trying everything to help with that. The Injinji toe socks are great for preventing blisters, I think, but the one that was already formed still felt like shit. I have a theory that that blister is what caused the groin pain in my long run. I think I was compensating for the pain and ended up using the groin muscles more than I should. The groin pain led me to my next piece of equipment...
...The Stick! I did some research in to how to deal with sore muscles and came across The Stick. It's a similar idea to a foam roller, I think. You basically roll it over all the muscles areas on your body to give yourself a nice massage. I discovered by using it that I had a knot in my shoulder, back and a huge one in my right calf. Oh boy did that calf one not feel good to roll out! Yeoowwwch! I can't believe I was running on that thing and didn't know it. I'm looking forward to seeing my my running improves as a result of using the stick. I guessing my recovery time will.
That's about all for this post. Less than two weeks until the big day! I'm getting pretty nervous...
Training hasn't been going great. I believe my last post was about a knee injury I sustained. It wasn't really a running injury but it did prevent me from doing much running for about a month. During that downtime I did a lot of research on how to safely start running again and also how to run without injury. That's how I discovered ChiRunning. I'm not going to go in to specifics but it promises injury free, effortless running by improving your form. I've been practicing it for a little over a month and I think it is making a difference. I learned that my form (while not terrible) wasn't the greatest. I was a heel striker, especially when I increased my speed, and that was causing a lot of shock on my knees. ChiRunning, along with other running forms, focuses more on a midfoot strike which is more efficient and less jarring of an impact. This midfoot strike led me to my first new piece of gear. My Newton Distance running shoe! They are designed for midfoot strikes. At first I wasn't totally sold on them because I was still landing too much on the heel. After my first 2 mile run I was shocked at how much wear was on the heel. These shoes are not designed to be run in like that so the heels are made of soft foam that really can't take much friction. I worked on increasing my cadence and posture and now I am more of a midfoot striker and am really loving the shoes. That style of running uses muscles that I'm not used to in the calf area so there is a long adjustment period before one is able to switch to using them exclusively so unfortunately I will not be able to wear them at the marathon.
My next piece of gear is the new Columbia Omi-freeze Zero line of sports clothing. It supposedly has a special material that cools you down more as you sweat. I bought a shirt and hat made of the stuff. I didn't really notice it cooling me down any better, but I do like the shirt. It is constructed well and the material is nice and light.
I also bought a pair of Injinji toe socks because I heard they are great for preventing blisters. I have had a very painful blister on my left foot that has really being ruining my form so I've been trying everything to help with that. The Injinji toe socks are great for preventing blisters, I think, but the one that was already formed still felt like shit. I have a theory that that blister is what caused the groin pain in my long run. I think I was compensating for the pain and ended up using the groin muscles more than I should. The groin pain led me to my next piece of equipment...
...The Stick! I did some research in to how to deal with sore muscles and came across The Stick. It's a similar idea to a foam roller, I think. You basically roll it over all the muscles areas on your body to give yourself a nice massage. I discovered by using it that I had a knot in my shoulder, back and a huge one in my right calf. Oh boy did that calf one not feel good to roll out! Yeoowwwch! I can't believe I was running on that thing and didn't know it. I'm looking forward to seeing my my running improves as a result of using the stick. I guessing my recovery time will.
That's about all for this post. Less than two weeks until the big day! I'm getting pretty nervous...
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Week 25 continued...
Well shit. That knee pain I mentioned at the end of my last post turns out to be a bigger deal than I originally thought. I tried to go on a little walk during a break at work the day after the run in which the pain emerged. I went about two blocks and my knee started getting really stiff and I couldn't walk without limping. It doesn't really hurt but it just doesn't feel right. I decided to take a break from all the training until my knee feels normal again It's been about four days now and it is definitely feeling better but not enough that I would risk running on it. I did do a 30 minute workout on my stationary bike today and that felt good. Hopefully I can get back to running soon but I know not to rush these things.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Weeks 19-25
I've been doing a pretty shitty job updating this compared to my Insanity blog. The problem is that this blog just isn't as fun to write and is probably much less fun to read. I'll keep having periodic check-ins up to the marathon and then much much less after that.
Week 19
Monday - 11 mile run
Tuesday - recovery
Wednesday - 30 min on stationary bike
Thursday: VACATION
Friday: VACATION!
Grade: F
Week 20
VACATION!
Grade: F-
I don't know about you duders but I cannot workout on vacation. There are mental blocks and it was 100 degrees in Montana which really limits the amount of physical activity that is possible. Plus I was hungover for half of it.
Week 21
Monday: 3 mile run
Tues: Cardio Power and Resistance
Weds: Nada
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: 3.2 mile run
Sat: Pure Cardio
Sun: Rest
Grade: C
Week 22
Mon: 12.5 mile run
Tues: Recovery
Wed: Mowed the lawn!
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: Plyometric cardio circuit
Sat: 6.4 mile run
Sun: walked the dogs a mile or two
Grade: A!
Week 23
Mon: 30 min stationary bike
Tues: Cardio Power and Resistance
Wed: 3.2 mile run
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: 14 mile run
Sat: Recovery (Plus I had no time because I had to get down to the Subpop Silver Jubilee!)
Sun: Rest
Grade: A!
That was my longest run to date. It went pretty well. I prepared for it by eating a ton of carbohydrates for the 2 or 3 days leading to it and I had Gatorade and some energy gels packed with me. The trail I took was pretty convoluted and not really well marked. I think I ended up somewhere.... Anyway, about the time I realized that I was lost was about the time that I needed to turn around anyway. I need to figure that out because I am depending on that trail for long runs. I really don't feel like taking my neighborhood loop 5 times. Also, there is a difference between recovery and rest. Recovery is after a particularly grueling workout where a rest is needed to recoup and prevent injury. Rest is more for mental recovery.
Week 24
Mon: Pure Cardio
Tues: 3.2 mile run
Wed: Plyometric cardio circuit
Thurs: No time. I had tickets to see David Byrne and St. Vincent!
Fri-Sun: I was in Montana again for a wedding. It was very hot there.
Grade: D
Week 25 (Current week)
Mon: Nothing. I was very tired from the trip to Montana so I needed a nap after work.
Tues: 3.2 mile run
Wed: Cardio Power and Resistance
Thurs: 6 mile run
We are up to date! I will probably repost this week with the next post with the rest of the week added. My run today was good but I actually had to cut it short by half a mile. My left knee really started aching so I had to walk the last bit. I'm hoping it was caused by bashing it against my counter while trying to wiggle in to my compression shorts and not from the run itself. It would really blow to get injured this late in the game.
I'm not going to proof read this post so ignore any grammar/spelling mistakes unless they are really bad. In that case, please let me know!
Week 19
Monday - 11 mile run
Tuesday - recovery
Wednesday - 30 min on stationary bike
Thursday: VACATION
Friday: VACATION!
Grade: F
Week 20
VACATION!
Grade: F-
I don't know about you duders but I cannot workout on vacation. There are mental blocks and it was 100 degrees in Montana which really limits the amount of physical activity that is possible. Plus I was hungover for half of it.
Week 21
Monday: 3 mile run
Tues: Cardio Power and Resistance
Weds: Nada
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: 3.2 mile run
Sat: Pure Cardio
Sun: Rest
Grade: C
Week 22
Mon: 12.5 mile run
Tues: Recovery
Wed: Mowed the lawn!
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: Plyometric cardio circuit
Sat: 6.4 mile run
Sun: walked the dogs a mile or two
Grade: A!
Week 23
Mon: 30 min stationary bike
Tues: Cardio Power and Resistance
Wed: 3.2 mile run
Thurs: 30 min stationary bike
Fri: 14 mile run
Sat: Recovery (Plus I had no time because I had to get down to the Subpop Silver Jubilee!)
Sun: Rest
Grade: A!
That was my longest run to date. It went pretty well. I prepared for it by eating a ton of carbohydrates for the 2 or 3 days leading to it and I had Gatorade and some energy gels packed with me. The trail I took was pretty convoluted and not really well marked. I think I ended up somewhere.... Anyway, about the time I realized that I was lost was about the time that I needed to turn around anyway. I need to figure that out because I am depending on that trail for long runs. I really don't feel like taking my neighborhood loop 5 times. Also, there is a difference between recovery and rest. Recovery is after a particularly grueling workout where a rest is needed to recoup and prevent injury. Rest is more for mental recovery.
Week 24
Mon: Pure Cardio
Tues: 3.2 mile run
Wed: Plyometric cardio circuit
Thurs: No time. I had tickets to see David Byrne and St. Vincent!
Fri-Sun: I was in Montana again for a wedding. It was very hot there.
Grade: D
Week 25 (Current week)
Mon: Nothing. I was very tired from the trip to Montana so I needed a nap after work.
Tues: 3.2 mile run
Wed: Cardio Power and Resistance
Thurs: 6 mile run
We are up to date! I will probably repost this week with the next post with the rest of the week added. My run today was good but I actually had to cut it short by half a mile. My left knee really started aching so I had to walk the last bit. I'm hoping it was caused by bashing it against my counter while trying to wiggle in to my compression shorts and not from the run itself. It would really blow to get injured this late in the game.
I'm not going to proof read this post so ignore any grammar/spelling mistakes unless they are really bad. In that case, please let me know!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Weeks 15, 16, 17 and 18 I think
Alright, time for an update. I haven't been totally slacking this past month. Here's what I've done!
Week 15
Monday - Max Cardio Conditioning
Tuesday - 6.3 mile run
Wednesday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Thursday - 3.2 mile run
Friday - Nothing!
Saturday - 54 minutes on stationary bike
Sunday - Rest
Total miles: 9.5
Week grade: D
Week 16
Monday - Mowed my lawn!
Tuesday - 3.06 mile run
Wednesday - Cardio Power and Resistance
Thursday - Pure Cardio
Friday - 3.2 mile run
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 3 mile run
Total miles: 9.2
Week grade: B
Week 17
Monday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - NOTHING
Thursday - 3.2 mile run
Friday - Cardio Power and Resistance
Saturday - 10 mile run
Sunday - Mow lawn
Total miles: 13.2
Week's Grade: C
Week 18
Monday - Rest
Tuesday- Pure Cardio
Wednesday - 3.1 mile run
Thursday - 30 minutes on stationary bike
Friday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Saturday - 3.2 mile run
Sunday - 30 minutes stationary bike
Total miles: 6.3
Week's grade: B
I've been coming up with a better, more consistent program for me over the past month. I'm still testing it out but I think it will be good. I'll go in to more detail if I stick with it. I've also come up with a new grading system for my week grade's but it is a little complicating and I am still fine tuning it. It involves number of workouts, quality of workouts and number of days skipped for no reason. That's why week 18 has a better grade than week 17 even though I ran half the miles. Not that the grade really matters at all.
I started week 19 off with an 11 mile run and it went pretty well! I'm telling you this now because I have no idea when I'm going to update again. I have another week of working out and then I'm on vacation. I'm going to be visiting my brother, who is also big on physical fitness, but we also like to eat out and drink a lot when we are together so I doubt there will be any exercising happening.
Week 15
Monday - Max Cardio Conditioning
Tuesday - 6.3 mile run
Wednesday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Thursday - 3.2 mile run
Friday - Nothing!
Saturday - 54 minutes on stationary bike
Sunday - Rest
Total miles: 9.5
Week grade: D
Week 16
Monday - Mowed my lawn!
Tuesday - 3.06 mile run
Wednesday - Cardio Power and Resistance
Thursday - Pure Cardio
Friday - 3.2 mile run
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 3 mile run
Total miles: 9.2
Week grade: B
Week 17
Monday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Tuesday - Nothing
Wednesday - NOTHING
Thursday - 3.2 mile run
Friday - Cardio Power and Resistance
Saturday - 10 mile run
Sunday - Mow lawn
Total miles: 13.2
Week's Grade: C
Week 18
Monday - Rest
Tuesday- Pure Cardio
Wednesday - 3.1 mile run
Thursday - 30 minutes on stationary bike
Friday - Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Saturday - 3.2 mile run
Sunday - 30 minutes stationary bike
Total miles: 6.3
Week's grade: B
I've been coming up with a better, more consistent program for me over the past month. I'm still testing it out but I think it will be good. I'll go in to more detail if I stick with it. I've also come up with a new grading system for my week grade's but it is a little complicating and I am still fine tuning it. It involves number of workouts, quality of workouts and number of days skipped for no reason. That's why week 18 has a better grade than week 17 even though I ran half the miles. Not that the grade really matters at all.
I started week 19 off with an 11 mile run and it went pretty well! I'm telling you this now because I have no idea when I'm going to update again. I have another week of working out and then I'm on vacation. I'm going to be visiting my brother, who is also big on physical fitness, but we also like to eat out and drink a lot when we are together so I doubt there will be any exercising happening.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Week 13 & 14 - "Recovery"
I read somewhere that a good rule of thumb for recovering from a hard run is to take it easy for one day per mile. That is exactly what I’ve been doing! I haven’t really been following my diet by eating out a lot (Scuttlebutt, Brooklyn Brothers Pizza, Quinn's Pub, Kingfish Cafe, Lost Lake Cafe, and the always excellent Bitterroot BBQ) and drinking a lot of booze. There is nothing better than enjoying a beer on a hot day outside! I also went to a METZ show in Seattle that totally blew me away. This hedonism has been fun, but my 13.1 days of recovery is over and my wallet is empty so it is time to get back to training and healthy living!
The recovery period hasn’t been totally devoid of exercise. I did attempt a run a few days after the half marathon because I was curious as to how quickly my body could recovery. My muscles felt fine but my knees ached quite a bit. I did another run a week later. My knees were better but still achy. I did manage 4.5 miles with that run. Other than that I’ve just been taking the dogs for long walks, which has been fun. Also, the weather has been great so I've been riding my bike to work every morning.
Tomorrow I will get back into the swing of things by doing an Insanity workout. I think I’ll have to cut those workouts out when my mileage gets higher but I’m not quite there yet. I’m looking forward to it!
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