How I survived a 20 mile run.

Twenty minutes before the start of the 8 am run I consumed 2 Endurolytes and 2 ounces of Perpetuem all washed down with water.

My wife came on her bike to accompany me for the run. She had her CamelBack which was half filled with water the night before and placed in the freezer and in the morning I topped off the rest of the bladder with water.

I wore my knee high compression socks. The result is I get NO calf or shin soreness after a long run.

The miles flew by because we did a lot of chit chatting on various topics on life and family.

To hone in on the perfect nutrition: I used two 24 ounce bottles of water (sip every 15 minutes), a 5 ounce flask filled with a pasty consistency of Perpetuem (sip an ounce every 20-25 minutes), 4 Endurolytes (take 2 tablets every hour) and I thoroughly enjoyed sips of ice cold water from my wifes CamelBack she had on her back.

I thought the weather was perfect with cool temperatures and some overcast clouds.

After the run (2:33:17) I had a bottle of Recoverite and a banana which were waiting for me in the car.

Having great companionship and the right amount of fuel made for a perfect long run.

Post Mardi Gras Marathon

My recovery from the marathon has gone well. I took three days off following the race and then ran an easy 2 miler on the fourth day. My hamstrings and quads were a bit sore the first three days but by Thursday they felt fine and good enough to run the 2 miler.

I finally got on the bike (using the trainer) six days after the race and I enjoyed a nice brick session of and easy 2 miler on the treadmill followed by a 30 minute spin on the bike.
I am looking forward to building back my biking strength and to improve my swim technique.

If my running legs are fully recovered and strong by March 14th I'll run the St. Malachi 5 miler. I am already considering my spring and summer and fall racing season and look forward to sprint triathlons, my first Xterra race, an epic century ride, and a fall marathon.

Mardi Gras Marathon Week.

This is the week where all my hard marathon training comes to fruition. The 7 days leading up to the race is all about REST. Rest means no new home projects, heavy lifting (like snow shoveling), staying up late, or any other strenuous activities that causes me to stress my body or mind.

Monday will be either 3 easy miles or no workout. Tuesday calls for 4 x 400 repeats at 5K pace. Wednesday an easy 3 miler and travel day. Thursday and Friday is getting acclimated to the heat wave. Saturday is a 2 mile leg loosener. Sunday is race day.

My nutrition plan for the week will be to cut all sweets including my favorite dark chocolates. To increase my carbs with more fruits, veggies and some pasta stuff. Otherwise, I won't try anything new in my diet including a detox cleansing.

I will try a "news fast" but look for inspirational words and videos about running. I will remember to smile and have a good time from now and while running the race.

Taper Time!

After 15 weeks of consistent marathon training I have made it to the final 3 weeks of taper training. Today's run was a 20 miler and that was followed by a 10 mile marathon pace run on Saturday. The run seemed especially hard today because of the 2 inch snow covered trails. My legs felt and feel like they ran 30 miles. But I'm sure running a hard 10 miler the day before didn't give my legs much recovery time. I think Hal Higdon did it that way for the Advanced II program on purpose to toughen the runners up. The totality of Hal's program gave me the confidence and physical shape I need to run a good marathon. I missed 2 workouts early in the program, shortened a 19 mile to 15 mile run, but ran a 22 miler instead of a 12 miler. The quantity of the runs is out of the way but the quality will continue up to race day. And my focus now is getting to the starting line well rested. Yoga is my choice of recovery to get me prepared mentally and physical for race day. If I can do a little every day I'll be happy.

Post triathlon Racing Season

After my last and most difficult triathlon or endurance race ever, I was ready to toss my goggles, bike and running shoes out in the trash. I was totally spent on the sport of endurance and was ready do some other sport to keep me in physical shape.

Well, I am glad to say I didn't toss anything away because after a week of resting and looking back I began a training program for the Mardi Gras Marathon on Februrary 1, 2009. I am using the Hal Higdon's Advanced-II 18 week marathon training guide. I am in week 7 and I have been able to maintain a consistent schedule and meet the paces in my training.

According to the McMillanrunning.com web site my training paces were calculated on my recent 5K in August. And if training goes well I should have a sub 3 hour marathon which will be a personal best.

Wasting no time.

I'd like to thank my family, friends, and including those I've never physically met here in blogger land, for all your encouraging words sent to me for running the Boston Marathon. I am motivated to train and race well, in part, because of all your kind words.

To recover from the Monday marathon on Tuesday I walked 30 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Wednesday was a day of rest. On Thursday I swam for an easy 1000 meters. The soreness in my legs lasted for a good 3 days and by Friday I felt no pain walking up or down the stairs. Friday was another day of total rest.

On Saturday I ran an easy 5 miles with my son along side me on his scooter. He thanked me more than once for the good time we had enjoying the park scenery while chit-chatting.

On Sunday I rode my bike outside, for the second time this year, for a nice 24 mile ride.

This week I start an 18 week training program for a Half Ironman triathlon. I will use the tri-newbies program to help keep me focused and on track for the August 19th event.

The first 12 weeks is a base build up of mileage. Weeks 13-16 consists of speed/quality workouts followed by weeks 17 and 18 to taper. If I can keep most of this schedule I should be confident and happy to compete in my first Half Ironman Triathlon.

Why not PR at Boston?

I believe runners are hopeful people. We hope to run and race well even when adverse conditions such as, bad weather, injuries, poor diet, or any other unplanned events try to dash our hopes of obtaining a PR. We are blessed with the gift of good health and should perform to the best of our ability. It is hope that carries us beyond pain and all adversities.

Our hope is based on:
The consistent hours of running, strength training, and cross-training.
The new physique, after shedding a few extra pounds, and having more muscle tone.
The faster times of intervals, tempos, and long runs during training.
The encouragement given to us by our family and friends, telling us, we can do it.

It is through experience that our hope is confirmed.
It is through experience we gain confidence and are determined to meet our goal of setting a PR.

I would like to wish great success to all those running the Boston Marathon with me this coming Monday.

My goal will be to break 3 hours, which will be a PR.

Week leading up to the "great BM"!

I guess it takes all kinds of roads that lead to Boston, including heavy, wet snow covered roads. I managed to run 10 miles in our winter wonderland on the all purpose trails. The trails must have had 12 inches of snow on them, which made for a great cushioned surface to run on. I had fun making fresh foot print tracks in the snow. I didn't even mind my feet getting wet and cold. Besides I was enjoying the beautiful scenery in the park.

This week workouts include:
Monday - 30 minute Power Yoga with Graeme Street's Cyclo-Zen DVD
Tuesday - Kalahari Water Park with the cub scouts. I promise not to go crazy on the slides. If I get home early I'll do some 1/4 mile repeats on the treadmill.
Wednesday - swim 1000 meters and spin on the bike for an hour.
Thursday - 3 mile run at marathon pace.
Friday - swim 1000 meters and more Yoga with Graeme
Saturday - fly me to Boston
Sunday - 2 mile run on the Boston course or on the treadmill.
Monday - Run the great Boston Marathon (BM)

If anyone wants to track me online my race bib number is 3160. Click on the link and track me on race day.

Boston Taper Week 1 of 3

Every workout I do during this week will have to be repeated when I take the second half of the counterpulsation on delayed onset muscle soreness test at the end of April. With that consideration in mind I'm trying to keep the intensities of this weeks workouts to a minimum. But...

Monday I swam a steady 1000 meters in the long course pool for a nice recovery day. That was good.

Tuesday was my first 15 mile bike ride outdoors for the 2007 calendar year. What a thrill to be outside riding the bike in the park and up and down the hills.

Wednesday I did 8 x 800 repeats on the track with only 1:30 rest between repeats. I wanted to do each repeat at a comfortable 2:55 pace so that I would be able to repeat them again after Boston and the DOMS test. But then I also wanted to push the pace a little to help boost the confidence meter and I managed to average all 8 repeats at a 2:48 pace. Confidence meter went up 2 points from 6 to 8.

Today I swam 500 meters at an easy pace and then 1000 meters with hand paddles and alternating with fast/slow laps. In the evening I did 18 miles on the bike trainer with an average speed of 18.4mph.

I have been getting blood tests everyday this week and the results are showing a slow recovery from the damage done from the 20 mile run this past Sunday. I'm hoping by Friday all repair is done and I'll be able to run 13 miles this Sunday. I'll post the numbers and types of tests after I get them from the lab.

20 mile run, Tests, now Taper for Boston!

For the last 2 weeks I was looking forward to running my final 20 miler before the Boston Marathon. I found online that a local running store was hosting a fully aided 20 mile Boston prep run and I decided to sign up and enjoy the camaraderie within the beautiful and scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

But then, earlier this week I was asked by one of the professors in the Sports Science department here at CSU to participate in a study on the effects of counterpulsation on delayed onset of muscle soreness. I guess they use this treatment on heart patients to help relieve chest pain and other symptoms of angina and to relieve the symptoms of heart failure which include trouble breathing and feeling very tired even after a small amount of effort.

The test would be in 2 parts and both require the subjects to run 20 miles at 70% of maximum heart rate. The first test would measure and compare blood test results of before and after the run and to determine the inflammation rates of soreness up to 5 days.

The second part of the test we run 20 miles under same conditions and after the run we get strapped in a bed, for about an hour, into what looks like inflatable cuff pads to compress the legs to force blood flow back up into the heart. The professor said it will feel like a good but tough message of the legs. And that he suspects the healing and soreness would be greatly reduced as compared to normal recovery time.

Today's Stats:
weight before the run 139 lbs.
after the run 135 lbs. (I need to drink more during the run)
C-Reactive Protein (is measure of inflammation in the body) before the run .72 mg/L
C-Reactive Protein after the run .96 mg/L (both results were in normal range)
Drank 24 ounces of apple cider vinegar & honey water mixture. (works better than Gatorade)
Average heart rate 130 BPM (75% max HR)
Run time 2:23:54
Urine specific gravity 1.016 UG. (after run and results in normal range)

There was other blood tests but I don't have the results yet. I'll post them later.

I won't be able to get the second treatment until after Boston. I'll recover 2-3 weeks before I run 20 and then get cuffed. Interesting test results to follow.

And now I will enjoy some rest from intense training and begin to mentally prepare for the 111th running of the Boston Marathon.

Timing my run.

Timing my 15 mile run on St. Patty's Day couldn't have been any better. The morning came with gray clouds and with snow blanketing the ground. Hoping the weather would clear up later in the morning, I choose to run some time after lunch. After lunch I drove my family downtown to watch about an hour's worth of Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day Parade. It's my youngest son's favorite day of the year so we had to see the parade and because it's his birthday.

The sun came out and dried the ground and I was ready for my run. Before we went downtown I mapped a course out of running from the parade to my home and figured it out to be 15 miles.

The route was to take me from where I work (CSU) and snake my way into the Cleveland Steel Mill area, up to the metro parks, and then up some major hills to my house.

Funny, later that early evening the skies turned gray, the winds picked up, and light snow was blowing in, but that was OK because I was out with my family enjoying my son's birthday at a Mexican restaurant. And sure glad I planned my run at the right time of the day.

Supplies on the run: 4 - 6oz. of water, 2 packets of Cliff shot gels.
Time to run 15 miles: 1:48:50 (or 7:16 pace per mile).

February elapsed before I could...

find time to put words on my blog.

Training for the Boston marathon is going well, even though I'm having to run most of my runs on the treadmill. I've ran 6-8 x 1/2 mile intervals, 3-6 mile tempos, and 18-20 long miles on the treadmill during the last 4 weeks. I still spin on the bike and swim 3 days a week. Also, I try to squeeze in weights, yoga, and stretching once or twice a week.

The most fun I'm having this off season is with yoga and swimming. After a yoga session I definitely feel refreshed. With swimming I'm learning to keep my head in the water longer by lifting it every 5th or 7th stroke and to breathe on both sides.

We spent 6 days in the Vegas and Utah area for my daughters wedding

Father with the beautiful bride.

and a few days hiking Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.
Beautiful scenery.

I'm hoping for the month of March my training is more outdoors and I reach my peak fitness before the Boston marathon on April 16th.

PR on the Treadmill

Today's weather was a cold 9F with -10F windchill. I was planning on running 20 miles outside but my wife reminded me of running in the past during freezing temps where I would come home after a long run, and I would have one frozen family jewel.
That was enough for me to reconsider my running plans for the day. She suggested I run on the treadmill and run 5 miles at a time throughout the day. I thought I'd get on the thing and see what happens.

After running 10 miles at a 7:30 pace with an incline of 1 %, I was determined to get the run done in one long 20 mile stretch. I knew I'd have to keep things interesting for the last 10 miles so I played with the speed and incline.
The last 10 miles went like this:
2 miles @ 7:00 pace, 0% incline,
1 mile @ 7:30 pace, 0% incline,
1 mile @ 7:30 pace, 6% incline,
1 mile @ 730 pace, 0% incline,
2 miles @ 7:00 pace, 0% incline,
1 mile @ 7:30 pace, 0% incline,
1 mile @ 7:30 pace, 6% incline,
1 mile @ 7:30 pace, 0% incline.

Running 20 miles on the treadmill today was a personal record and I got to see the display time go from 99:59 to 00:00 for the first time, too.

Some other numbers I recorded during my run was:
Listened to Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium - 2 times,
Lost count of watching cartoons on WBKids with no sound,
Ate 2 packets of vanilla Cliff shots, one at 7 miles and the other at 14 miles,
Drank 1 sports bottle of water with 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of raw honey,
Average heart rate - 127 bps,
Max heart rate - 144 bps,
Total time to run 20 miles - 2:27:41

My legs didn't feel like toast after the run and I was glad to finish a nice run on the treadmill.

What was it like to run 20 miles?

Four weeks into my 16 week marathon training for Boston, I ran my first 20 mile run this past Saturday.
I think running 20 miles in 20 degrees with strong head winds wore on me physically and mentally. My face was frozen and legs were tired after 16 miles. I had to have positive mental thoughts expressed verbally in order to finish the run. I began to think what happens to you mentally when you're involved in a long run. I'm sure there are more writings to define the effects of mental stress from endurance activities but I like this little article I found online at Mens Health

Behind the Science - Does running by yourself hurt your brain?
Edited by: David Schipper
The study: Research at Princeton University suggests that exercising alone hinders neurogenesis, the creation of new brain cells. Rats that lived alone and exercised alone showed a loss of brain cells; those that lived and exercised in a group showed an increase. Researchers speculate that having a partner blunts the cell die-off that typically occurs when the brain reacts to the stress of exercise.

A closer look: It was a rat experiment, and the lonely rodent runners had to live alone, too. "Running is not at fault here, but the living in isolation that can cause the brain to deteriorate is," says Charles Hillman, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Illinois who has studied the effects of exercise on the human brain. When Hillman measured cognitive function in men who had exercised in isolation for 30 minutes, he found improvements in their brain function. "It's a definite sign that your neurogenesis is not being negatively affected," he says.

Our advice: Run alone or with somebody. Either way, it's smart.

OK, but my spirits did get a little pick-up when someone driving by gave me a friendly wave and toot from the horn. And when another lone runner, coming from the opposite direction, said words of encouragement for running early in the morning cold. At that point I realized I need someone to run long with. I feel much better when there is someone else I can share the pain with. But if I have to go at it alone, maybe it'll make me tougher and that my neurogenesis will not be negatively affected, I should be OK.

17 miles then 20

I've completed 3 weeks of my 16 week marathon training for Boston. Today's run was an easy 17 miler which lasted 2:07:12. The weather wasn't too bad for the middle of January with light rain and cool 34 degrees. During these long runs I'm trying to figure out fuel and water intake. When I ran 13 miles 3 weeks ago with no fuel or water I ran out of gas and was determined to not let that happen again during my long runs. I now carry my fuel belt with water and use 2 packets of gels. I eat the gels every 60 minutes and sip water every 15 minutes. So far this is working for me.
Next week I'll be running a 20 miler.

I love the snow for the beautiful scenery in the parks, cross country skiing, down hill skiing, and snow tubing with the kids, but I don't like it on the roads for driving, or running in the parks. Running long on icy snow covered roads/trails is no fun so I'm enjoying these dry days during our mild winter. But, then we are in Cleveland and I'm sure we'll get our share of wintry weather soon enough.

Buckle down for Boston

The holiday time I had with my family flew by this past week. My gift and blessing I have is my children. I enjoy watching them grow and become who they are day by day. I am declaring the "people of the year" award goes to my children. For my oldest son serving in the Navy for his hard work and service. My other son serving as a Marine who recently came home from Iraq completing his third tour. For my daughter who graduated this December with a Masters in Physical Therapy (at the age of 22). And finally for my youngest son who I am glad to see enjoy life as an 8 year old kid should.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas time with your family and friends. We sure did.



My official 16 week Boston marathon training schedule begins today. Today's workout was a 2 mile easy jog followed with 3 X 1 mile fast runs with only 1 minute rest between each mile. I finished with a 1 mile easy jog. Each mile was run in 5:56 per mile pace.

A day in the park.

Yesterday, was a beautiful day in the park for a run and bike ride. Brian came over early in the morning to run 20 miles with me. The temperatures were around 65 degrees and the skies were a hazy overcast but clearing as the sun was rising. We started out from my house and ran down the hills to reach the Cuyahoga Valley Park Towpath trail. After we hit the 3 mile mark in 20 minutes we thought, 'maybe too fast' but also realized it was all down hill to get there and that the pace would eventually even out. We were feeling somewhat comfortable and agreed that mile 12 through 18 would be a concentrated effort pace. The last 2 miles up hill was to survive and see what was left in the tank. This was my 4th 20 mile training run and was my best in time and comfort. Finish time was 2:18:10 which is a 6:55 per mile pace. For my last 20 miler in 2 weeks I do not plan on bettering that time. I will savor the moment that all my marathon training is in the bank and ready for me to cash in on race day.

The afternoon was spent riding bikes on the same Towpath trail with my wife, me pulling my son on a Trail-a-bike, and a couple of friends. Before we began our 23 mile ride we enjoyed a nice lunch at Hoggy's restaurant. The ride was at a comfortable pace, which was good for my legs to recover and move out the lactate acid. We all enjoyed the time together and couldn't ask for a more beautiful day in the park!

2nd 20 miler in the bank!

Today, I ran my second 20 mile training run for the Columbus Marathon. I began to run with my new Fuel Belt, that was graciously giving to me from fellow CTC member, DaisyDuc, but found the belt too loose around my waist and it had so much bounce and jiggle that I felt funny holding my jugs, so I handed it off to my wife as she drove past me in the car, while on her way to meet me at the 2.5 mile mark.

A comparison of the 2 runs.
The course was the same for both runs.
1st RUN:
Start - 2 weeks ago at 7:00 am
Weather - light rain, 65 degrees
Company - Brian
Fuel - water from fountains on the trail and 2 packs of gel.
Pace - 7:12 per mile average
Finish Time - 2:24:01

2nd RUN:
Start - 8:00 am
Weather - sunny, 78 degrees
Company - "she who must not be named", (my lovely wife) on her mountain bike, keeping pace with me for 15 miles. She met me at the 2.5 mile point which was past the 2 major hills.
Fuel - plenty of water, no gels
Pace - 7:28 per mile average
Finish Time - 2:29:25

I think my pace suffered today because it was a hotter day and no gels to eat. I have 3 more 20 mile runs to get acclimatized to the heat and figure out the nutrition aspect of running long before the race. I think I'll learn something along the way.

Monumental 20 miler!

I would have to admit a few days before running my first 20 miler in over 11 years I had some doubt and fear of accomplishing such a run. According to my training schedule this was to be my first of five 20 miler runs and was to be run at a 7:30 pace. It's scary when you think of the distance and the pace. But, thanks to Brian, who emailed me earlier in the week, asked to run the 20 miler with me. The thought became less daunting because I realized that I would have someone to run with. He is also using the same training schedule to train for this coming October Columbus Marathon race.
This morning's temperature was 65 degrees and a light rain was falling down. Brian arrived at my house at 7:00 am. We started our run by heading down to the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area onto the towpath trail.
Brian wore a Fuel Belt for his water and gel needs. I had 2 packets of gel on the waist band of my shorts. We stopped at the 6 mile marker for water and gel. We made it to the 10 mile turnaround in 1:11:31 which was about 3:29 faster than scheduled but it was mostly down hill and I think we were comfortable with the pace. On the return we had a couple other pit stops and managed to run the split in 1:12:30 for a total time of 2:24:01, which is a 7:12 per mile pace. Overall I felt pretty good. I think with the near ideal weather, water and gel supply, and good company the run afforded us a good confidence builder and a setup for continuing the remainder four 20 milers.

Adventures in marathon training.

Finally, after a 11 year hiatus from running a marathon I am back to tackle the challenge. This past March I have decided to run the Columbus Marathon as a qualifier for the Boston 2007 Marathon. Today's countdown number for the Columbus marathon is 123 days away!
It is also my first day to begin an 18 week marathon training program. The training is similar to what I did for the Cleveland Half Marathon race this past May. The training is basically, 3 days per week of running and 3 days cross training. The running is of intense quality workouts.
To view my marathon training schedule click on FIRST to the Finish. This program starts at 16 weeks but I will start 2 weeks prior to this schedule and then continue with week 16.

I am looking forward to the adventures in this serious 3 running days per week schedule. I think the excitement in starting a new training program is just as exciting as running the race.

Today's workout was 12 x 400 @ 1:14 average (1:30 Recovery Interval)

Sorry, I can't tell you my predicted marathon finish time. Although, I will accept any guesses you might have. A clue from my recent Half Marathon race results should help.