Phoenix "seasons" and an iPod rant

We have three "seasons" for runners in Phoenix:

Season 1 - Long Sleeve / Layer season - November through February

This season is when the temps range from 37-49 in the morning and it feels cold (yes, I know it's nothing like the stuff people get across the country, but that's their problem). Pre-dawn runners usually have on a few layers of stuff and may even don the occasional hat and gloves when it gets a in the 3o degree range.

Season 2 - Short sleeve and comfortable season (technically this is two seasons, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want) - March and April, and then the end of September through October.

The mornings hover around 50 to 70 degrees and the sun is just coming up during the run. It's not as dark as an Edgar Allen Poe poem and that tends to add a little spring to your step. Eric and I both agree that 55 degrees is the perfect running temp. Anyway, it is the a great time to be a runner in the valley.

Season 3 - Asbestos suit, nuclear reactor hot - End of May through beginning of September.

You do anything you can to get your runs in before that searing orb of vile heat breaks over the horizon.

Well, the weather today was just about perfect. It's my first day in 4 months running without wearing a long sleeve shirt. What a joy.

Now for my rant of the day:

What's up with everyone running with an iPod???? Running is supposed to have a zen-like quality about it. You are supposed to feel your posture and your breaths as the miles tick away. You aren't supposed to be rocking out or masking the jog in a thick, sugary icing just to choke it down. More importantly, it's not safe! People are not looking out for joggers and to be stone deaf during your run is asking for trouble.

Why do I bring this up? The Ragnar Relay (a 200 mile x 12 person relay) went by my house yesterday and when I asked one of the joggers what the event was (Ididn't know it was the Ragnar at that point) he yelled, "The aid station is over there!" and pointed off in some vague direction. Come on guys, I can understand the occasional use of an iPod, but get out there and feel the run and, more importantly, BE SAFE!

now get back to work...

Blog focus shift

Ok, I've decided to make a change with this blog. I used to focus on the marathon, but that need has passed. As such, I'm making a shift for the short term. I'm going to take a stab at entering...who knows what. It could be a random thought when I was getting coffee; or an observation about my kids; or something stupid I did (i'm guessing that this will be the bulk of the entries). Anyway, let's shake things up and see what happens. And with that I'm now drawing a total blank about what to enter. Stay tuned.

I will keep adding stuff about running. The short if it is, I've only been doing threes and my ankle still sucks. I'm afraid to complain about it in front of Mary for fear that she'll ban me from ever doing a marathon again. I can see it now. I pop off with a "oh honey, I'm starting to gear up for RnR in January." Then she'll roll her eyes and ask how much moaning and belly aching will she have to put up with after the run is done. I tend to be in her camp on this one. I hate whiners and she's even less patient with them than I am...probably because women are tougher than men, and you all know that this is true. I have two words for you who are naysayers: child birth. nuff said.

now get back to work...

Post-goal collapse

I've been sneaking in a few runs here and there, and the ankle is feeling better, but for the most part I've had a total exercise collapse since I completed the marathon. I've reverted to a beer drinking, calorie absorbing machine. I'm sure I've put on at least 5 pounds since the marathon ended. The good news is that I just read about a study involving identical twins that looked at the aging process and weight. What they found was that a little extra fat helped to hide wrinkles and that the bigger twin always looked younger. So at least I know I'll hit 4o looking a little younger than my 3% body fat brother. Should I really be bragging about this???

So now that I've seen 4:30am runs in the cold rain are very difficult to wake up and do when there is no goal attached to them, I guess I have to find a good goal that comes sooner rather than later. Does anyone know of an enticing half marathon, or similar distance, to do in or around June?

Fat guy signing out.

now get back to work...

Getting back into the swing of things

3 around the high school.

I did a slow three today. Yep, the ankle still sucks. I wore a brace to alleviate some of the stress on the leg, but I'm beginning to think that this is gonna take a while to heal. I'm going to keep stretching it, icing it, and using the bengay stuff. I think I might try the elliptical jogger next time around to see if that helps.

On the run I saw one of my favorite dogs, Katie the Bloodhound. She is so lovable, but she has that "hound smell"about her, she drools, and she sheds. My legs sleeve looked like it was made out of mohair when I was done petting her. In short, the dog violates Mary's top 3 of 4 items that a dog must meet if he/she is going to be a member of our house (the last being barking). So no Blood Hounds here soon.

Finally, let's talk Super Bowl. Why on God's greed Earth was the "fumble" by Warner not reviewed with 5 seconds left on the clock? That should have been an Official's review for sure. I'm not even saying that they needed to overturn the call, but the fact that it wasn't reviewed leaves me scratching my head. Roger Goodell, in the famous words of Ricki Ricardo, I have to say "Ju some splaining to do."

now get back to work...

I qualified for Boston...

...if I was 70 years or older. Now I know why that 69 year old man was cursing so hard after we crossed the finish line together. This apology goes out to you, whoever you were: I'd have let you past me if I'd have only known you were cruising for Boston qualifying time, but I'm sure you can understand why I didn't want you in the finish line photo with me.

Two blog entries in one day?!?!?

get back to work...again...

A not-so-great moment in sports medicine history

Yes, big pansy boy has been nursing a bad wheel for the last 10 days, but it's getting better. Reese has been riding his bike around the fountain park and I've been gimping around with a mix of running and walking. In all, it feels like it's at about 70%. I've also been putting on some Mineral Ice on my ankle and it works well. You know the stuff: smells bad and tingles a little, something like bengay.

Soooooo, yesterday I was scrambling to get the kids off to school while also getting a shower in somewhere and I made the unfortunate mistake of shaving, putting the mineral ice on the ankle, and then applying face lotion. Yes, my face was feeling very "refreshed" for about 15 minutes. Ugh. I won't make that mistake again...for at least a week.

Kudos to Elite for good customer service:

I once read that people rarely tell others about good customer service, but they'll readily tell something like 10 people about a poor customer service experience. So here comes a good one, and a bad one. The socks that I purchased from the RnR marathon expo were from Sock Guy and had a picture of a guy running on them with a saguaro cactus and a bunch of other bling on them. They are ugly, but they'll remind me of my accomplishment. After one washing the heel on one of the socks started to come undone. I first called Sock Guy customer service and they took my number, said they'd call me back, and a week later I had no response. So I gave Elite Racing a call. They immediately called me back and shipped out a new pair of socks with no questions asked. Sock Guy customer service loses a point and Elite Racing gains a few points.

now get back to work...

Blog abandonment

Hi all. I've not posted for the past 8 days or so because I'm getting through an ankle issue. Yes, I hurt myself during the run and I'm sure that it all happened when I poured on the steam (maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration) over the last 6 miles. I'm telling you, the person who said that the marathon is two races (the first 2o and the last 6.2) was totally correct. I'm dying to sneak out for a run. Any run. I'd settle on a 1 mile hobble at a 15 minute pace. Maybe a I'll try that. I gotta get out.

Now that the RnR training is done, what do I do with this blog??? I've grown attached to it, but I'm not planning on gearing up for another marathon until the end of this year or beginning of the next year. More than one marathon per year doesn't seem fair to my family. What to do? Well, here's my vision for the next 5 months: The bulk of the entries are going to be running related (why kill a good thing), but I'm also going to add more around the average day-to-day. Let me know your thoughts.

now get back to work...

Phoenix Rock n Roll Marathon Recap

Above: Brice and me at mile 19. Taken by Mary as she juggled two very bored children while waiting for me. I said it before and I'll say it again, "a marathon is NOT a spectator sport."

Well, the day finally came and Brice and I churned out the marathon. 26.2 miles of experiences, gut checks, emotional highs and emotional lows and I'll see what I can do to capture them all right here. First, kudos to Brice Moorman for his PR in the marathon!! 4:33 (we're disputing our chip times). As well, I was happy to knock out a 4:23, a little faster than I projected. So all is well.

Random thoughts and observations:

• Before I dive into this I have to say thanks to Mary for being patient with all the time that this training took. I love you.
  
• Everyone should know what it feels like to run through a 300 yard finishing area where thousands of people are cheering, no screaming for you to succeed. There's not a lot that can top that.
• If someone is supposed to be the standard bearer for the 4:30 marathon, then he should keep his pace at a 4:30 pace. That guy probably forced a number of people to hit the wall because of the initial pace he set.
  
• Yet another good reason to be a man, we get to pee in side streets while most, but not all, women were forced to wait in lines for a port-a-potty.
• We saw two women with prosthetic legs running the marathon, and beating us for a good portion of the race. They are my heroes!!! I will never forget them!
  
• Brice, your "running joke" about the PR was very funny (it's his first marathon, so the PR was in the bag).
  
• Seeing my family at mile 19 was awesome!!! Even better was when the kids wore my "finisher's medal" for the rest of the day. They thought dad was pretty cool and that's worth a few dings and scratched paint on a piece of metal tied to a ribbon.
  
• Anyone who volunteers for the water stations, medical, finish line, driving, etc. is awesome!! I finished the run with bambi legs, which caused me to move at the whim of a gentle breeze or subtle tilt of the pavement. As such, I found myself drifting away from the bottle of water I so desperately wanted and a volunteer chased me down to get it to me. Thank you whoever you were!!
  
• The bands during the race were amazing. I was indifferent about them prior to the race, but they made it very fun.
• I learned that you can turn a good marathon into a serious gut check if you get cocky and up the speed at mile 20. I thought I was good because I passed the area known as "the wall," but "the wall" can find you anywhere during the marathon.
  
• I'll admit that I am now a big fan of whoever the person was that created the "running skirt." Was that my out-loud voice???
  
• The cup of coffee that I had from Starbucks just after the marathon was about the best cup of coffee I've ever had in my entire life. Also, I apologize to the lady behind the counter because I walked past the pastry display and laughed quite uncontrollably because I realized that I could eat that entire shelf of sugar and still not surpass the calories I had just burned. That's a peculiar and pretty darn cool feeling.
  
• Kudos to Elite Racing for putting on an error free event. It took a lot of work to make it move so seamlessly. Great work, but your shirts at the expo still sucked! Cotton?!?!? Really?!?!?!?
  

Also, here's a brief "day after the marathon" input. If you really want to know with pinpoint accuracy the elevation changes in your house, even if it is only one floor, run a marathon. My legs are sore today and I am very aware of things like the step into the shower, the weather strip that leads out the front door, the guides in my sliding glass doors for the backyard, the uneven spot in the tile down my hallway, and there's even a step from carpet to tile. I'd like to say I'm joking, but no...

One final thought. Find something you really want to do, ought to do, or should do and write it down in a clear goal, and share it with the world. It'll change your life. Do it now.

Now get back to work...

Cotton Shirt?!?!?!?

I went to the marathon expo yesterday all atwitter about the prospect of walking out with my race bib and, more importantly, the race shirt. Sugoi is one of the sponsors for the marathon and they make GREAT shirts. So my only concern was whether or not they were doling out short sleeved or long sleeved shirts. Well, that all turned out to me moot when I found out that, rather than a sweet micro-fiber Sugoi shirt, they decided to hand out Hanes Cotton Tee Shirts?!?!? Are you kidding me??? I paid 110 dollars and they hand me a cotton tee??? That's like booking a night at the Ritz and getting a hammock and a mosquito net for a room. Elite racing (the guys who put this one) I'm very disappointed! Of course, they'd let me buy a great Sugoi shirt with logo and "finisher" across the front for $35...

Let's move on to other news. The weather it turning hotter and hotter. It's 80 here today and it looks like tomorrow is going to be even hotter. Greaaaaaaaaat. In light of this information I've made a last minute change in my race gear. I'm ditching the Camelbak because I think it'll be too hot, and I'm going to use two hammer flasks instead. I'm going to fill one with two hammer gels and two scoops of HEED (electrolyte stuff), and the other is going to have two hammer gels and Perpetuem (proteins). Essentially I'm making energy/electrolyte/protein concentrate for the run. I'll wash it down with water, as there will be water along with the Cytomax on the course. I'm not thrilled with this last minute change, as I like to keep my hands free when I run, but I think the weather is forcing me make this adjustment. We'll see how it works out.

Go Cardinals!

Wish me luck.

Last training run

I did 4 yesterday and 3 today. I have to admit that it was a little weird knowing that the next time I put on the shoes, shorts and shirt it will be "go time" for the marathon. I'm 80% certain that I didn't do too much damage to my training by missing some training over Christmas and New Years, but we'll reserve total judgment for the "post 26" blog. I'm more concerned about the weather. All winter long I've been training under the assumption that a freak snow storm would hit the day of the marathon. It rained two years ago and last year was very cool, so the last thing on my mind was how to prepare for a hot day. It's supposed to be 75 on Sunday.

Now I'm sure you are saying something like "Dummy, it's Arizona!!! Hot is par for the course." Well, again, it's been very mild this winter. As well, most of my runs start at 5 am, which means that I've been training in a temperature range of 37-44 degrees every morning. As well, I usually escape the sun, as it's not up before 7:30. Also, I ask you to consider that my long runs also start early and tend to be no hotter than 60 degrees at the end of the run. The marathon starts at 7:40 (the sun will be up) and I don't plan to be off the course before 12:20 (mid day heat). So here's my strategy to beat the heat:

I'm going to avoid, at all costs, the Cytomax "fruit punch" electrolyte drink served at the Marathon. Gag. Choke. Spit. If you want to try some, you can pick it up at your local WalMart, Target, or Safeway...ummm nuff said. I've decided to take my CamelBak 50 on the run with me and I'll fill it with a little extra HEED (my electrolyte drink of choice) and some Perpetuem (fuel so I don't start to cannibalizing my musles). I'll get an even larger and more boring list of pre-race stuff up here after I go to the Expo tomorrow.

Now get back to work...

Pep talk from my friends???

First, I did 5 miles today, which is probably the shortest run I've had in the last 2 months. It felt like nothing and that is encouraging. Speaking of "encouraging", I've had two conversations in the last 4 days that I can only file under the category of Karma.

On Saturday I was getting a tune up from my chiropractor, and friend, Matt Teusink. He asked what my target finish time was for the marathon and I told him, without a hint of embarassment, I was targeting something around 4:30. He laughed and asked, "What, are you walking the thing???"

Ok, I can take a little ribbing. It's not the fastest Marathon, but I kinda figured 4:30 was respectable. I moved past the conversation with a slightly bruised ego, but I shook it off. Then, last night, I'm talking with a friend of mine, Rob McKay and, like Dr. Teus, he asked what my target finish time was for the marathon. And again I responded with 4:30 and what does he say? "Are you walking the thing???" In the immortal words of Charlie Brown AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

4:30 is NOT walking!!!!

This bring me back to the Karma I referenced earlier. When I was young I used to tease my mother about her sub-sonic pace during her runs. I would "speedwalk" next to her and and torment her until she unleashed a profanity laced tirade that told me it was time to leave. Now that I think of it, I guess that was why she and I never ran together. Ah the clarity of hindsight. Anyway, Mom, your pace was fine and I was an unkind bully, and now I'm getting it in spades. I apologize.

4:30 is NOT walking!!!!

Now get back to work...

Ideal taper for the marathon???

I did 13 yesterday at 10 minute/mile pace and it felt good. As well, I woke up this morning and my calves were a little sore, but not in a way that would scare me away from the Marathon this weekend. So now it's time for the "taper strategy". Here is the normal train of thought on how to effectively taper:

Rest - Don't overdo the week before your marathon. Cut your miles down by a lot. Heal your body so it works to it's fullest potential.
Nutrition - Head toward the carbs and hydrate when you eat, as water and carbs will make your body more efficient in creating much needed glycogen. Eliminate alcohol and coffee, as they can cause problems with dehydration and unwanted intestinal issues during the race.

This all sounds simple enough, yes? Let's see what I'm doing:

Rest - There's a convention in town for a professional association my company supports, and these guys work hard and play even harder. I'm supposed to spend two evenings out with them. Do you think they'll notice that my cocktail that looks like a Greyhound (grapefruit juice and vodka) is actually HEED Lemon Lime Electrolyte drink? Oh and then there's the golf tournament on Thursday. Oh and did I mention that I have a friend in town from New Zealand who swears he's going to take it easy this week; however, easy for a Kiwi and easy for me are very different.

Nutrition - aside from the parties I'll be attending, there's a lunch and dinner associated with the golf tournament on Thursday as well as dinner at the Rustler's Rooste on Friday. Did I mention that they have a 700 pound long horn bull in the front of their place? I'm sure I'll get something that will be marathon-friendly that night.

In summary, let's scan a checklist optimal taper and compare it with my actual taper:

Optimal vs. Actual
Cut miles back... yes
no alcohol... sort of
no caffeine... can't promise you that one
rest... I opted out of a second round of golf on Friday, does this count?
eat well all week... Rustler's Rooste offers a 2 pound "Trail Boss" Porterhouse steak, is that bad?

c'est la vie.

now get back to work...

Why couldn't I be a better golfer?

I finished out this week with an 8 on Wednesday and a 7 on Friday. Both were at an easy pace and I'm gaining my confidence for the Marathon after my "hiatus" during the holidays, and this brings me to an observation: not all sports are created equally. I offer the following two examples:

Golf - If you take a month off from golf, you can still go play 18 holes. Sure your touch around the greens will be off a little, but you can still go out there and do it. In fact, I have a friend, Cliff, who seems to play better when he takes bigger and bigger breaks between his rounds of golf.

Running - Take a break from running and you automatically fall backwards. Eric qualified for the Boston Marathon the first weekend of December and, understandably, he took some time off afterward. After about 3 weeks he sets out for an easy 3 mile run and the next morning his legs are sore. I experienced the same challenge this week.

I sure picked the wrong sport to tackle!

Now get back to watching NFL playoffs...

A great 7...crap!

I felt great on my morning run today and is scared the heck out of me. Sure, you are asking yourself, why is this dork so unhappy about a good run, especially after he complains so much about his bad runs. Well, because of my stomach-flu-induced hiatus, my muscles are peaking right now. I'm in top form, but I have to hold that form for 12 more days because the marathon isn't until the 18th. Can I stay peaked for that long? It's possible, but not probable.

Eric gave me the first realistic advise that I've had since I jumped into "panic mode" after my training went down the drain (literally) these past few weeks. Everyone else I've talked with says the same stuff to me, which is "oh, you got your 20 in? you're fine." But that 20 was a full 4 weeks before the marathon. The important 20 was supposed to be last week. So I was talking with Eric and he says to me, "It's as simple as this, you'll be fine up to the last 2 or 3 miles and then it's going to suck and I mean it is going to suck HARD, and you'll gut it out to finish the marathon." So then I thought about my other marathons I've done and 2 of them comfortably fell into the "suck hard" range, which gave me some solace. I'm confident that I can complete a "suck hard" marathon. So, I'm moving forward at full steam.

Now get back to work...

Dawn of the Dead

So, shortly after my last blog, I assumed all was well and that I was back on track for the RnR Marathon. I ran a 7 on Tuesday and 8 on Wednesday, and everything looked good. Then came January 2nd... Let me ask you, "what are the odds of catching two stomach flues in a 7 day stretch?" I wish that this was a rhetorical question.

Sooooo, this morning was perfect for running and my running partner, Brice, headed out for his twenty while I did practically nothing. Do you know how hard it is to know that you are physically able to run 20, but you are at home while someone else is doing it without you? I kept checking the time and thinking to myself, "he's probably at mile 10 now. I hope it's going well." I repeated this process ever 15 minutes until I was convinced that he finished his run. He might have caught a little rain at the end, but it should have been perfect running weather: 50 degree and cloudy.

I'm going to take one more day off and then I'll try to get back on track with three longer mid-week runs this week. If they go well, I'll give myself a green light for the Marathon. If not, then there's always the "Lost Dutchman" marathon in February.

New Year Thought:

Hey, to my faithful readers: 2008 was a curious year and I'm guessing that 2009 ain't gonna be much better, but one thing we can control is our perspective. When things go wrong we can look at the the pain or we can look at the friends who help pull us back up. I'm not going to turn this into some drawn out thing because I'm sure you can think of an example where bad things turned good. Not all do, but if we keep our perspective, we'll find more good than bad. Have a great 2009.

Now get back to work...