A Fork On The Road

When I set out to run the Tom King Classic Half Marathon in Nashville yesterday, my goal was very simple: to run at my marathon pace (secretly, really... a little faster). I wanted to use this race as pace training for the Country Music Marathon which is coming up on April 24th. I'd like to run the CMM in 4:30 which is a 10:17 pace. That was the plan anyway.

Quickly after the start of the race, an adjustment was made to my plan. This pace seemed awfully slow for a half marathon. I would leave the pace training to my training runs. Today I would shoot for a 2:10 finish time.

I have found that one of the most difficult things in a race is not to fall into the trap of running at the pack's pace. By all accounts it's always to fast. And yesterday was not any different. But... after a couple of miles I realized that I would go after the 2:10 finish time which meant a 9:55 pace, not to terribly off my marathon goal pace.

My first five miles splits were 8:34, 8:42, 8:51, 9:00 and 9:09. Pretty steady I thought, but way faster than my comfort zone. At this point I chose to slow it down some and try to get into a better running rhythm. The next five mile splits continued to be slower, but at the same rate of decreased pace as the first five; 9:19, 9:28, 9:37, 9:47 and 9:56. I was consistently loosing about 8-10 seconds per mile. Which felt comfortable. The last three were not any different. 10:06, 10:16 and 10:27. Finish time was 2:05:12. 4:48 faster than goal time. I was pleased.

There's a lot of talk in the running world about negative splits. One day, I think, I will have to give that a try. I will have to work on that.

The Country Music Marathon is only five weeks away. I will have to work on a more consistent pace in order to have a successful race. I hope five weeks is enough.

The weather for this race, historically has been less than ideal. Rain and wind and cold and all that. Yesterday's prospects were not any better. It had rained in Nashville for a couple of days and the weatherman projected more for race time. But, we live in Middle Tennessee and that is subject to change without notice. What to wear and how to dress was the question. Layers? No layers? Gloves? Tights? Shorts? I decided from the git-go that I would wear shorts. The temperature was mid 40's and that would be okay. However, layers? how many? It wasn't windy, but it was cloudy and the rain was coming. So three layers I wore. As it turns out, the rain didn't materialize during the race, it was not windy and the temperature was comfortable. Waiting for the race to start, I was wishing I had my gloves but very quickly I gave thanks that I left them behind. Somewhere around mile two, I realized that two layers would have been enough. Oh, well.

I remembered from last year that the course was wet and that the ground had puddles. I also remembered how horrible it was to run with wet socks. So this year I took some precautions. I found a new use for duck tape. Taped the mesh on top of the shoe to prevent water from getting my socks wet. See picture!  This worked wonderful.

Now to the fork on the road.  It is becoming very obvious to me that I need to make a choice.  Do I want to continue to train and run full marathons or do I want to concentrate and run for better times at Half Marathons?  This question I kept asking myself throughout the run yesterday.  I knew that if I wanted to push it harder, I had plenty in me to do so, but I didn't want to risk injury this close to the CMM.

What's more important to me and what would give me the most pleasure?  Pursuing a PR, but how fast can I really and realistically go?  And when would I know that I have run as fast as I can physically run?  What about the knees and the ankles?  How much use and abuse can they take?  Oh yeah, what about my back? Bulging and herniated disks, how much can they take?  What about the thrill of crossing the finish line at a marathon, would that equal the thrill of a PR on the half?

I'm not suggesting that I can't do both, but I don't think I can do both well.

But for now, the CMM is next.  Should my number come up for NYC, that will be on the schedule.  A decision will be made as to how many more I will run... however, in order to run an Ironman, I will have to have marathon training.  Decisions, decisions!

This Season's Official Training Has Begun

Not that I had a chance to take much of a break from training this winter, but officially the 2010 training season has begun!
I am trying to squeeze a couple of swims - three sessions a week would be ideal, a couple of spin classes - at least until I can consistently get the bike out on the road, and somewhere around 25-30 miles of running per week.  This millage will continue to go up as the date for the Country Music Marathon gets closer.
There are a few demons I have to face, fight and conquer.  Primarily is the one that fights with me to get up early in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays to go swimming.  This week was a good battle, but I can proudly say that I won, for on both days I made it to the pool!  Step One has been taken.  Next week, Step Two.  It has been said that it takes two weeks to create a habit.  I am hoping that to be true, for if it is, and I make it out of bed on Monday and Wednesday this coming week, then my chances of success (in this area) have been tremendously improved.  But man, getting up at 4:15 sure is a struggle.
Second and not such a battle is the one that challenges me to do two workouts on Monday and Wednesday.  After the pool in the morning, I have a spin class scheduled for Monday afternoon and strength conditioning on Wednesday afternoon.  These are not to bad.  I think these can be managed.
The third battle is taking the day off when I'm supposed to take the day off.  Putting a little smarts behind this one, could easily be conquered.  I think!
My schedule for the next week is as follows:  (and I post it here for accountability purposes)

Today:  Afternoon Swim (1200-1500m)
Saturday:  14 mile run
Sunday: - OFF
Monday:  AM - TriSwim, PM - Spin
Tuesday: 7 mile run
Wednesday: AM - TriSwim, PM - Strength
Thursday: AM - Spin (optional), PM - 7 mile run

 Additionally, I have started a program called "One Hundred Push Ups".  I am on the second week of a six week program which, if completed according to plan, will get me to 100 push ups.
'til next time...

An Endurance Athlete...Me?

According to Webster's online dictionary, "Endurance" is defined as the act, quality or power of withstanding hardship or stress.  The act or fact of persevering.  An Endurance Athlete is able to accomplish feats such as Marathons, Half Marathons, Triathlons and challenging Ultra endurance events.

But what's the attraction and why are so many seemingly normal people attracted to this? Considering that the majority of the world's population has trouble finding the time or energy to work out at all, let alone train for a grueling endurance event?  What makes these elite athletes different and where do they get their energy and motivation to do so?

Accoridng to an article published by Forbes.com, "Much of this is mental.  While many endurance athletes say there's nothing special about their physical abilities, clearly people who are drawn to and are able to accomplish feats such as marathons, triathlons and challenging ultra events differ from the rest of us somehow.  A big piece of the puzzle is how these athletes think about their lives, goals and the obstacles they face."

Jenny Susser, a clinical psychologist at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery goes on to say that "many endurance athletes also have common personality traits which include persistence, endless curiosity, a lack of fear when it comes to failure and a sense of boldness."

Personally, I can atest to these statements.  But when I set out to run my first race, the furthest thing from my mind was becoming an "endurance athlete".  And a short four years thereafter, I find that I am a member of a very elite group, purely by accident.

After completing my first half marathon I found myself wanting to push the envelope a bit further.  How much could I endure?  I how much would I be willing to go?  How high is my pain - physical and mental - threshold?  Do I have the dedication to commit to a training schedule?  When is enough?

One of the greatest and most attractive elements of endurance sports is that you can create and execute your own goals at your own pace.  For me my goals have been simple: to simply finish and to finish in respectable time.  Respectable as defined by my standards.  Doing this has enabled me to measure my perforance in accordance to my wants and needs.  I have had disappointments but mostly success.

So how far am I willing to go?  or a better question may be, how far can my body take me?

That question remains to be answered.  Up to this point no one single event has left me wondering why I do this or if it's time to quit.  On the contrary, every event has reinforced the reasons why I do this and wondering what's next?

50 Ways To Identify Triathlon Obsession

A FB friend, Spence Smith posted this compilation of the "you know you're an obsessed triathlete when...".  These have floated around the interned for some time now and you have probably seen some of them at one time or another.  I too thought it was a great list to share!

50. You are over 30 and there is still someone in your life that you refer to as “coach”.

49. Your last bike cost more than your first car.

48. You have peed outdoors more times in the last year than you did in your first year of university.

47. You think of mowing the lawn as a form of cross-training.

46. You’ve worn a heart-rate monitor to bed.

45. And it wasn’t when you were sleeping.

44. You refer to the front hall of your house as the “transition area”.

43. When you get home from a training session at the pool, the newspaper is just being delivered to your house.

42. You have changed more flat tires this year than light bulbs.

41. The most frequently used software program on your computer is the one that keeps track of your workouts.

40. You have no idea why they call Cal Ripken Jr. “Iron Man” when, after all, he was a baseball player.

39. The first three items on your grocery list are Gatorade, power bars, and gels.

38. When you floss at night, it’s to get the bugs out of your teeth.

37. Your legs move in a cycling motion while you are asleep.

36. When you see a drop of blood, your first reaction is that you spilled some red Gatorade.

35. You know how far you biked and ran last year, to one-tenth of a kilometre.

34. You think the ultimate form of wallpaper is about 64 racing bibs.

33. A 19-year old kid who works in a bicycle shop know more about you than your next-door neighbour.

32. Your children are more likely to recognize you if you put your bicycle helmet.

31. You have a vanity licence plate with the word “Kona” in it.

30. About half the shirts you own have at least a dozen logos on the back of them.

29. You don’t find the word “fartlek” in the least bit amusing.

28. When you refer to your “partner”, you mean neither your spouse nor the co-owner of your business but the person you run or bike with three times a week.

27. You shave your legs more often than your wife.

26. The closest you came to punching somebody was when they disagreed with your position on whether wearing a wetsuit amounts to cheating.

25. It doesn’t feel right that you can’t “clip “ in and out of the pedals in your car.

24. There is a group of people in your life about whom you are more likely to know how fast they can swim 100 metres than their surnames or occupations.

23. Some of the shorts you wear today are tighter than the ones you wore in high school.

22. You are frustrated with the latest Garmin Forerunner because its live readings have a margin of error of approximately three per cent.

21. There’s a separate load of laundry every week that is just your workout clothes.

20. One of your goals this year is to be faster at getting out of your wetsuit.

19. You failed high school chemistry but you could teach a course on lactic acid.

18. All you want for Christmas is something called a carbon crank set.

17. You wore a digital watch to your wedding.

16. You have to have completely separate meals from your spouse because he or she is on a low-carb diet.

15. Your bicycle is in your living room.

14. You have stocked up on a brand of cereal because it has a coupon that will save you money on your next two pairs of running shoes.

13. In order to establish a new personal best, you considered peeing without getting off your bike.

12. One of your proudest moments is when you lost a toenail.

11. When a car follows too closely behind you, you accuse the driver of “drafting”.

10. When you went for a job interview, you wrote your social insurance number on your arm in black marker.

9. Your spouse cried during Terms of Endearment; you cried during the television coverage of the Hawaii Ironman.

8. You are comfortable discussing the sensitivity of your nipples with other guys.

7. Your spouse is looking forward to the day when you will slow down and just run marathons.

6. You have paused in front of the mirror in your wetsuit and thought, “Hey, I look like Spiderman.”

5. You see no issue with talking about treatments for chafing or saddle rash at the dinner table.

4. You recently asked your spouse out for dinner by asking if he or she wanted to “fuel up” together.

3. For you, “bonking” no longer has a sexual connotation.

2. The magazine secretly tucked under your mattress has pictures of really expensive bicycles in it.

And the No. 1 sign you’re obsessed:

1. Most of this list doesn’t seem like a joke to you.

13.1 + 26.2 = 39.3 Goofy 2010 Recap

When I first signed up for "The Challenge" last February, the furthest thing from my mind was the weather. After all, it's Florida, Central Florida at that. The weather usually that time of year is perfect for running. This was not an issue and it shouldn't have been an issue. But as it turned out it was the biggest issue we had to deal with.

On Saturday, it was cold, very cold and windy, and rainy and sleety (at times). Temperature itself was manageable, low 30's but wind gust of up to 18mph made it bad, real bad. On Sunday, it was colder but not as much wind and the sun came out. Average temperatures for this time of year are 61F.

The crowds were amazing. Not sure of the exact number but I heard numbers varying from 12k to 20k for each race. There were 9K Goofy runners. It appeared to me that there were more Marathoners than Half Marathoners which was a surprise.

The idea going in was to go and have fun.  Run -walk - run - walk - Finish.  At no time did I set myself a time goal for either race and as it turns out this was the smart thing to do.  I had read and heard that the distractions during the race would be many, to take full advantage of them and to have fun.  That I did.

The event itself was extremely well organized. What else could you expect from a Disney organization?

The course itself was wonderful. Going through the parks was amazing, specially on the Marathon course,  going through some later in the morning made it more fun because the crowds were bigger and louder.

I ran with five friends from my local running club; Hendersonville Running Club.  Leslie, Shari, Bob, Charlene and Skip.  On Saturday morning we caught up with each other at mile 3 or somewhat there after.  We ran the rest of the Half together and finished together.  That was prety amazing!  Thanks ya'll for allowing me to share this experience with you.  On Sunday, although we had made plans on where to meet, it just didn't work out.  I met up with Skip somewhere around mile 16.  We ran together for about 6 or 7 miles then he went ahead to go catch up with his wife who was just ahead.  The rest of the group had started at an earlier corral and we had no opportunity to meet up.  That was a bummer!

Since I was running solo for the majority of the Marathon, I took advantage of some photo ops, not to many so as not to break the pace, but a few none-the-less.  I really wanted to meet up with Goofy but he was no where to be found!  Oh, well.

As far as the run itself it went just as planned.  I had trained to run a mile and walk for .20m.  As it turned out we ran for 5 minutes and walked for 1 minute on Saturday and I ran for 4 minutes and walked for 1 minute on Sunday.  This was just a perfect plan.  Other than slight soreness in my ankles and heels, all was good.  I was concerned about my IT band but that was not a problem.  YES!

As far as the time it took...well lets just say that I finished in plenty of time to qualify for the "Goofy".   The crowds on the courses were such that going for specific times would have been a disaster.

Today my legs are sore, my ankles and heels not as bad.  I will take it easy the rest of this week for it is vacation time.  Next week it's back to training for the Country Music Marathon is just around the corner.

In Retrospect - 2009

By any account, 2009 was a year like no other year, for that I am grateful!

Although our lives have been affected, like most everyone else by conditions and situations beyond our control, we have managed to remain positive and on plan. Yes, we've had some setbacks and some have been hard to swallow, but for every foot that we were pushed back, we managed to move two forward. This I attribute to the resolve of my wife and two beautiful daughters, without their determination, help and support, my personal accomplishments would have not been possible.

For me, the year began like any other year. Except this time, my goals were a little higher, somewhat more aggressive and yes, a whole lot "Goofier".

On December 31, 2008 I took the plunge and registered for my first ever full Marathon, the Country Music Marathon in Nashville. On February 17, 2009 I registered for the 2010 Goofy's Race and Half Challenge and on May 14, 2009 I registered for Ironman 70.3 Augusta... my longest distance yet. Many wondered if I had lost my mind. To be honest, I sometimes wondered myself.

But all was good. I managed to complete the Marathon and the Ironman 70.3 and in just 10 days we'll see how "Goofy" I really am.

Along the way, I learned some valuable lessons:

1) I learned that those constant aches and pains, you know the ones - those that will not go away, are a reminder that there is a price to pay for that sedentary life style I chose to live for the first 50 years of my life.

2) I learned, or rather reaffirmed, that goals can be set, worked and achieved no matter how crazy or unreachable they may first appear to be.

3) I learned that it is very, very difficult, almost impossible for me to get up and run or swim before the sun comes up, but I have no problem doing this to ride the bike.

4) I learned that there's no way I will ever, ever be the fastest in my age group so I learned to concentrate on my own swim, bike and run.

5) I learned that you must really pay attention to your body, your doctor and your therapist. An IT band issue almost sidelined me early in the year.

6) I learned that it is very important to surround yourself with a great support team.

7) I learned that I'm not as bad in the swim as I thought I was. I learned that with plenty of practice, concentration and determination you can make it from the starting gun to T1 in no time flat.

8) I learned that I don't give it a second thought when I go out for a long swim, ride or run, but when an event is approaching, the knot in my stomach gets tighter and tighter.

9) I learned that real life gets in the way... sometimes. You just have to adapt and continue.

10) I learned that people who usually ask you "why"?, will never understand.

And a bonus lesson... I learned that it is true, you're never to old to learn!

It is with great honor and humility that I now take the time to thank each and everyone of you who have supported and believed in me from the git-go! To my family - WOW... what can I say?! I am blessed to have you in my life, I love ya'll!

2010 - Decisions, Decisions!

Putting together a competition schedule for next year has not been easy. Many factors have to be considered before making the final commitment to any one event. Most of these have to do with the travel factor. Will these events require more than a one night stay? How far a drive is this event from my home? These are not as big a deal as the fact that work schedule (vacations) and my daughter's senior year (college) soccer (Belmont University Lady Bruins) schedule will have to be seriously considered.

I would like to participate in at least one Marathon, a couple of Half Marathons, one or two 70.3 Ironman Triathlons, one or two Olympic Distance Triathlon and a couple of Sprint Tris. Add to this the obligatory 5 milers to support local causes.

The year will begin in form with the Goofy Race and Half Challenge on January 9&10 at WDW, Orlando. For those that are not familiar with this event it's a Half Marathon on Saturday, January 9th and a Marathon on Sunday, January 10th. This Half and Full will not be counted towards my 2010 goals! Or maybe they will!

First off I have two 70.3 Ironman in my sights. I would like to return to Augusta and I am considering the Steelhead. The Augusta 70.3 simply because I would like to see improvement on this year's time and the Steelhead because the timing and location are right.

The one obstacle with Augusta is that on that same weekend, Belmont Soccer has two games and it would be a big deal (to me) to miss either. The Steelhead is on a date (July 31) with no conflicting events. Additionally, this event is held in Benton Harbor, MI and it would be sort of like a homecoming to me. I went to high school in St Joseph, MI which is the other half of the Twin Cities, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, MI. The event expo is held at Lake Michigan College, school which I briefly attended. As far as the distance, they're both almost equidistant for driving. 408 miles to Augusta, 459 miles to Benton Harbor. Hotel reservations have been made for both, will make a decision soon.

Regarding shorter distance triathlons, I am looking at Chattanooga Waterfront Tri on July 11th and Music City Triathlon on July 25th. Both of these are Olympic distance events. One issue with these is the timing. If I choose to do the Steelhead (July 31) it would make sense to choose the Chattanooga Waterfront as well.

I will go back to the Mach Tenn Sprint Tri and to the Mountain Lakes Tri. I did both this year and enjoyed them. Again, I'm looking for time improvement.

And as far a running events are concerned, I will run the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville and the St Jude Memphis Half for sure. I have registered for the lottery for the NYC Marathon. A decision on which events I will run will be determined by whether or not my number comes up for NY. Should I not win a slot in NY, I am seriously considering San Antonio, Chicago or the MCM.