So I'm running across the bridge when . . .

This past weekend, my wife, son, and I went to Duluth. My wife and I met there while attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth twenty-three years ago tomorrow. We love Duluth and used to go up for a weekend every year after we moved back to Minnesota from our years in grad school in Indiana. It was a lot of fun and our son loves going to the shore of Lake Superior and throwing rocks into the lake. A good time had by all. Well, most of the time was good.

Saturday morning I ran 8 miles. Not a big deal any longer, nothing special, just a good 8 mile run to start the day. We were staying in Canal Park, which is a tourist-sort of area on Lake Superior, just off downtown Duluth. Part of the appeal of Canal Park is its proximity to the Aerial Lift Bridge, used by residents of Park Point, the 7 mile long sand bar jutting out from the city into the lake. The bridge allows access to and from Park Point, but, as its name suggests, will lift up to allow freighters, sailboats, and Coast Guard cutters to pass from the port to the lake or vice versa. It can take three minutes for the bridge to lift about 200 feet. It can take several minutes for a large freighter to pass through the canal and under the bridge.

Needless to say, the bridge is not something you want to be crossing when it is supposed to go up. Like I was crossing on my way back to the hotel finishing my run. There is a loudspeaker announcement that the bridge will be raised and clear the area. I was about 2/3 of the way across when I heard the bells go off and the voice telling me the bridge was about to go up, possibly with me on it. I sprinted, fast. I made it off the bridge, although the bridge operator scolded me on the loudspeaker, telling me to stop running. Right, I'll just do that and you'll have an hysterical 45-year old man who's afraid of heights, doesn't trust bridges, and can't swim standing on a hunk of metal rising up on 80 year old equipment (I know it's been updated, but the idea holds). I didn't look back as I came off the bridge, although I did walk to catch my breath. The rest of my run, all 4/10 of mile of it were uneventful.

I kind of wish I'd been running during my years in school there, I might not have panicked so much. Nah, I would have no matter what.

Why I run

So, it's been a month since the last update and I'm basically recovered from the adductor injury earlier this summer. I'm now wrapping up a base training program before starting my 2011 Goofy Challenge training on Labor Day. I've had a couple of really good sessions and a couple of not-so-good sessions in the last week, so I think I have to get re-focused on why I run.

I run because it makes me feel good, not only physically, but mentally. Running can clear your mind or order your thoughts. Being outside in the early morning thinking or not thinking is one of the best ways to start your day. Knowing that you're outside doing something physical while most people are still asleep or just waking up is a great feeling, like you've accomplished a lot before your day really starts. Even on the days when my workout doesn't go as well as I'd like, I still feel like I've gotten a jump on the day, a kick-start to whatever I have to do that day. Some days, I get such a rush from getting a run in before heading to work that the day just flies by and before I know it, it's time to go home.

I run because sometimes I need to check out mentally and just go. Putting one foot in front of the other for several miles without really thinking about it can be a great way to re-charge the brain battery or flush out the cerebral junk that has built up like a gunk deposit on an engine. Once I start running, I don't really think about anything in particular and the next time I focus on the here and now, I've gone a good distance and have rejuvenated myself.

I run because I know that if I stop running, I will slip back into habits that caused me to miss out on many things I could have done when I was younger. Before I ran, I would walk for exercise, but mainly walk to relieve stress, often self-induced stress, that needed a release. Then I would go home and eat poorly. I thought nothing of this pattern of behavior and by July of 2001, I found myself weighing about 240 lbs. and basically unhappy with myself. I started working out and lost 40 lbs. by late October of 2001. I maintained that lifestyle (adding running in early 2003) until this past January, when I realized that I need another kick in the butt. I changed my lifestyle again, becoming first vegetarian and now vegan, which allowed me to lose 40 lbs again, so that I weigh 185 today. I have more to lose and a great reason to keep running. Combined with my new lifestyle and good eating habits, I can not only lose the rest of the weight I want to lose, but keep it off and stay healthy for my family.

I run because it's the only physical activity I have done in my life that I can honestly say "I can do better" and believe that is the case. I use to play golf, but I don't much any more because I didn't care much whether I got better or not. I wasn't very good at team sports as a kid, although I played baseball and basketball, but knew I wasn't going to be a pro at either sport. I still love baseball, but as a fan, and that's just fine with me. Running is different. I know that soon, my body will peak and I'll have to be content with whatever running I get to do, but right now? Well, I want to BQ, hopefully before I'm 50, which means I have 5 years to achieve that goal. Will I? I don't know, I want to and plan to, but tomorrow is not promised to anyone, so I can only do what I can today to make my dreams come true.

I run because I have found great friends who also run, who are very encouraging, who know what it's like to go out for a training run in the dark, in the rain, in the heat, or in the snow to prepare for a race they more than likely won't win, but still will run as hard as they can to do the best that they can. Knowing that I have friends that will support each other through injuries, bad runs, great races, and recovery times allows me to feel included, which is something I don't normally feel.

I run because it's just good clean fun (well, except in the rain or after a snowfall!) and I encourage everyone to at least try it for a while and see what a difference it makes in your health, your attitude, and your life.

Recovery update

It's been a while since the last update, so I thought I'd drop a quick note. I found out a couple of weeks ago that what the doctor thought was a stress fracture of my right pubic bone was instead adductor tendonitis. Still not great, but I was cleared to start a walk/run cycle to gradually work up to full running. It's been going well, I still have a little soreness, but not nearly as bad as it was before I saw the doctor. I also started going to a chiropractor, which is helping a lot, too. I do stretches now (something I hadn't done in seven years of running before the injury) and I'm much better about cross training on the elliptical and biking. All in all, it's not going so badly, although I'm getting itchy to run again.

Stress fracture = detour

So a few weeks ago, I went to the doctor to check on the pain in my right groin. After a couple of x-rays and a few pokes, prods, and pushes, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture on the right side of my pubic bone. It's somewhat uncommon, but happens to runners who overtrain. I did. Upon reflection, I'm surprised I didn't do worse damage. I was told no running for 3 weeks, biking and elliptical were okay, and come back pain-free or the doctor would have to do an MRI to see if anything else was wrong. So, I've been on the elliptical (which you can see from the dailymile updates on the right) and biking (more on that in a bit).

I'm a bit disappointed that this happened, although I know I could have done worse damage from my overtraining. I realize what I probably did that contributed to most of the problem. Since March, I had run outside 4 days a week, running faster each week as I lost weight. Even on my long runs, I pushed to go faster. The Get in Gear Half-Marathon in April and the Minneapolis Marathon in June were PR runs for me, which is great, but training to set those PRs caused me to overdo it. A lot. I had planned on a 4 week recovery from the Minneapolis Marathon before starting a summer of base training in preparation for the WDW Marathon Weekend training I had planned to start on Labor Day. The last four years, I had started my marathon training on Labor Day, as it worked out schedule-wise to do so. This year, provided I'm cleared to run by Labor Day, I'll move into my training, but be much smarter about it.

Currently, I am doing 3 days of elliptical and 1 day of cycling (on Saturday, in lieu of my long run). I plan to keep at least one day of elliptical and the cycling day in my training schedule, with 3-4 days of running. Of course, as the weather changes in the fall and winter, I'll probably only get outside 1-2 days a week and that will only help me. I'm increasing my core work and weight training to a level that is about where it should have been months ago (never been good about keeping up the core work). I'm going to stretch now, too. I also saw a chiropractor last week, who wants to see me a couple more times to adjust my right side, and she will also give me some stretches to do, too.

Part of me is very frustrated that I kept pushing, but I really enjoyed getting out early in the morning to go for my runs. Even the two weeks of recovery runs I did seemed to go well, except, of course, for the pain in my right upper thigh area, as I referred to it on dailymile and Twitter. I know now that I have to be much more careful so that I can run for many years. The more I pay attention to my body, the better I will run, and the more I will enjoy getting to run.

Minneapolis Marathon reflections

I did not realize it’s been over a month since my last post. Yikes! I certainly didn’t intend to go this long between posts. I could say that I’ve been incredibly busy with work, training, family, etc. Or I could just say that the free time I’ve had lately has been devoted to trying to relax, usually by reading or watching something on TV. Not the best explanation, I know, but I feel like I’ve been on autopilot lately and need to recharge when I can.

On Sunday, June 6, I ran the Minneapolis Marathon and set a new PR of 4:54. My old PR was 5:17, set on my first marathon back in 2007 at Walt Disney World. A 23 minute improvement is nothing to complain about and I’m not, but I could have potentially cut even more time off, if it weren’t for the hills on the last 9 miles of the course. The route is very scenic, running along the Mississippi River for a good portion of the race and through a state park for a fair stretch. It was just really hilly getting down and then getting back up through the state park portion of the race. The weather was beautiful and the course volunteers and water stops were wonderful, but I didn’t get a good feel during this race. I’m not sure if I’ll run this marathon again (I’d do the half-marathon again – I did it last year and would be better prepared for it next time). If the course were reversed, I’d consider doing it again, but I’m not sure that is possible the course will change. I think many runners may find it challenging to run this race, but I also get the feeling that's what the race organizers intend.

As you can see, the course is a touch on the hilly side!

There are other marathons in Minnesota, of course, but Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth is a logistical problem for me and the Twin Cities Marathon is in October, usually the weekend we go to Walt Disney World (around my wedding anniversary). I may stick to running half-marathons here and do the full marathon (or Goofy Challenge) at Disney.

I’m in recovery mode for another week or so and then I begin a base training period before starting my training on Labor Day for the Goofy Challenge. Like I did when I ran it in 2009, I plan to share my training throughout the weeks leading up to the race. It should be more fun this time because I know what to expect and I’ll be joining many friends I’ve made on Twitter, Facebook, and Daily Mile who will also be running that weekend.

Forgot to mention

I forgot to mention that I re-joined Team AllEars for the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I'm very excited to be a part of the team and looking forward to seeing old friends and making new friends at the meet-up marathon weekend.

Get in Gear Half Marathon race report

A quick race report and update: Yesterday was the Get in Gear Half-Marathon and I was able to set a PR due to good training and my changing eating habits and in spite of rain, sometimes lots of rain. The Get in Gear has been around for over thirty years, although the half is only two years old. Before last year, Get in Gear was a 5K and 10K race. I’ve run both over the last few years and wanted to run it again, but felt the 10K was not long enough. I decided to run the half when I saw that on my training schedule for the Minneapolis Marathon on June 6, I was scheduled to run 13 miles yesterday. That seemed serendipitous to me, so I signed up for the race. The course is the same for the half and 10K for the first 5 miles or so and then splits so that the half course goes along or near the Mississippi River for a few of miles and then doubles back.

I’ve been getting faster fairly steadily, knowing how fast to go out for the longer distances, so I felt pretty good about how I went out when the race started. One issue I ran into was that my Garmin kept switching modes because the rain drops would accumulate on the bezel and cause a mode switch. I often had to try to get back to the training screen that showed my average pace while continuing to run (except for water stops and one other gel break, I ran the whole race, no walk breaks – another recent improvement). I felt I was at a good pace the first 3-5 miles and was able to continually go a little faster each mile after that. I did have one split that was slower by a few seconds, but I think that was a mile I was wrestling with the Garmin. Ultimately, I finished at almost a sprint, powering through the last half-mile and really pouring it on the last few tenths of a mile. I tried to stop my watch as I crossed the finish line, but had the same issues. I knew my watch time and chip time would be different (and they were, but either way, I also knew I had set a personal record for a half-marathon. I finished in 2:13:17, four minutes faster than my previous best set 5 years ago in my first half-marathon. That’s right, the half races I had run since 2005 had all gone downhill until yesterday.

Not paying attention to my training or weight really had hampered my running. The work I have done in the last two months, the weight I’ve lost (weighed 200.5 this morning, the least I’ve weighed in almost 9 years!), and the renewed enthusiasm for running, and really, life in general has paid off immensely. I’m not one to seriously consider what ifs in my life, but really, what if I’d done these things 5 years ago, 3 years, a year ago? I didn’t then, but I am doing the right things now.

Next weekend, I’m running a 20-miler, which is usually not a big deal, however, my wife, son, and I are going up to Duluth for a family gathering. I’ll be running in a town that I lived in for almost four years in college (that’s where my wife and I met 23 years ago this year), but I never ran in college. I did walk a lot, but around campus. We’re staying at a hotel downtown, so I’ll need to find my 20 miles somewhere. I have ideas and I’ll look at maps. I’ll also have my iPhone and Garmin, so I should be okay as long as the weather is okay. I’ll post how the run went when we get back.

So much different in just four weeks

I posted almost a month ago and was just beginning to run outside more. Since that last post, I’ve been outside every day I’ve run except one (and I think I slept late that day!) I’m getting up around 5:00 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to make sure I get my run in before I go to work. Saturdays, I’m able to sleep in a bit, but I still try to get outside as early as possible so I don’t eat up the day with the run.

The biggest change I’ve seen in 4 weeks is that I’m faster. Much faster. I’ve shaved at least a full minute to minute and a half off my pace, depending on the distance I’m running. How? I run smarter, not going out too fast, I push myself harder, knowing I can do it, and I’m losing weight, down 4 lbs in 4 weeks. Not a very dramatic drop, but I’m in the long-haul weight loss mode, trying to get down to 180 by January (again, anything lighter is a bonus) by cutting down on meat and dairy drastically and eating more fruit, veggies, and less junk. There are a few more changes I’m going to do with my eating habits that I have to transition into in the next few weeks before I feel that I’m in a good place to sustain my new habits. The dairy needs to be cut more (watch out Starbucks baristas!) and I really do want to eat less meat, sort of an omnivore-lite lifestyle. I’m not sure I can go truly vegan, but I can see vegetarian. Not because I don’t want to or don’t think I can, but because I’m trying not to make 2-3 different meals each night for myself, my wife, and my son. For medical reasons, my wife can’t have most fresh fruits or vegetables and it makes it a bit tough to find a balance of what we can and can’t eat together. When I first started changing my eating habits, I was full on vegetarian/vegan for most meals, which caused my wife to feel left out. Not my intention, so we’ve found a balance that we can work with to gradually get me where I’d like to be.

I’ve also had a attitude adjustment, due to Gordon at Running to Disney who is, despite his protestations, an inspiration to many people who follow his training and his awesome changes in eating habits that have made him change the intro to his podcast. He is no longer a chubby, back-of-the-pack runner, but is a mid-pack runner who has made an incredible leap forward in his running. His journey and transformation gave me the kick in the pants I needed to buckle down and take my training more seriously. No longer do I just go out and get the miles done. Now I pay attention to my pacing, my breathing, my hydration and fueling during long runs, things I did a few years ago, but stopped doing because I thought I knew enough about running. Well, obviously I didn’t know as much as I thought and I’m excited about running, training, and racing again. Thanks Gordon!

I’m still running the half-marathon on April 24. I have to review the course map, but I think I’ll do fine. Although I’m treating the race as a training run, I think I can actually PR (won’t try too hard, but still may get it) this race, such is my improvement and new attitude. I just have to watch the pace the first few miles, but I’ll do fine.

I hope to have another post before the race, but if not, I’ll have a race recap post soon afterwards.

Spring is almost here!

It’s been a while since I last posted, so I’ll catch up briefly on what I’ve been doing.

Training is going well now that the weather is improving. I’m able to get out at least once during the week in addition to Saturdays. I’d get out more if I could wake up earlier. The time change always throws me off for a while until I get used to it, so hopefully I’ll adapt soon and be able to get out on the shorter Monday runs. Since I currently run Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, running after work on Fridays is not ideal as I would be running twice within about 12 hours. I tried that once last fall and felt it all weekend. I’m also doing core work, thanks to Gordon at Running to Disney who sent me his core workout. It is pretty straightforward, but until I get used to doing the crunches, pushups, and planks again, it provides me a nice, tough workout (not only for my core, but my use of colorful language and metaphors!).

I have realized that, although I feel like I’m improving my speed a tiny bit and even beginning to get a handle on pacing, I need to do more. I think I have not been pushing myself as hard as I should on the weekday running and so I’ve begun to run harder, especially when I’m outside. As you may remember, I have an elliptical machine downstairs at my house, so if I’m on that, I can set the program and level to get tougher. Running outside is a whole different thing, though. Pushing hard was actually not easy while the routes I ran were icy, so now that our snow is basically gone for the season (knock on wood), I can begin to really push the tempo. On Saturdays, I’m trying to get into the habit of running paces that will give me negative splits. I think I’m getting there, we’ll see what happens over the next several weeks.

In late April, I’m running a half-marathon that happens to be on a weekend I’m scheduled to run 13 miles. Boy, is that ever serendipitous! I’m going to treat the race as a training run, so it will be nice to get a race in before the Minneapolis Marathon at the beginning of June. It will also be nice to do long training runs for a race without worrying about cold or snow!

In addition to the training, I’ve begun a change in my eating habits, again thanks to Gordon’s inspiration. I don’t eat much dairy or meat, make my own hummus now, and eat fruits and veggies more than I used (which was actually quite a bit). I’ve really cut down on junk, especially the “treat” Coke and Mountain Dew, and I’m limiting the number of Starbucks trips each week to one (two if I’ve been a very good boy!). I’m losing weight, a little more slowly than I’d like, but it is coming off and if I keep these eating habits in place, I really believe I will be much lighter come January 2011 and the WDW Goofy Challenge. I’m currently at 208.5 lbs. and I plan to be at about 180 lbs. by January. Lighter would be fine with me, but I feel that 180 is a good target and reachable for me. I feel better and I know that getting that weight off will help me finish the Goofy easily.

Interlude

This past week, my son got his tonsils out. Much more important than training, although I did work out 4 days this week. I've realized, yet again, how much I dislike hospitals and how thankful I am that I have not had to spend time in one for myself in about 30 years (and even then it was a false alarm with my appendix). Hospitals, doctors, and nurses are wonderful, but staying healthy is obviously the best way to stay away from them. Don't get me wrong, I've gone to Urgent Care several times in the last few years, but did not need a hospital stay. I just feel very lucky that I have managed to avoid having any health issues that were very serious.

Sorry for the ramble there, it's late. Take care everyone!


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