Elite Jogging For Dummies

I've had a sore throat that has been steadily getting worse over the last few days.  Other than the sore throat, I've mostly felt fine--no other major symptoms. Anyway, yesterday was pretty bad.  I thought it might be strep so I went to the InstaCare to get it checked out.  The test came back negative for strep, which was good. However, the doctor looked at my throat and said I probably do have "some kind of virus."  Couldn't get much more specific than that.  No antibiotics because it's a virus, not a bacteria.  I told her about my training and the marathon and all of that.  She said I should be "fine" to race.  I hope so.  Like I said, I don't have many other symptoms but the throat is pretty uncomfortable.  Energy is down a bit as a result too.

So, I ran easy this morning. My throat has been the most raw in the morning and the first 20 minutes or so were not comfortable.  After a while, it didn't hurt so much when swallowing.  I was feeling about 85% overall as far as energy and running economy go.  I'll just take it easy for the next couple of days (as I should anyway) and see if this will dissipate.

I went to the Black Sheep workout this morning, just to get on the track for a bit and say hi to everyone. I ran an easy warmup.  While they did a very long pacing drill, I ran a mile in 6:03, then easy, then another mile in 6:04.  Throat still hurts.  Perhaps a little better today.  Morning is definitely the worst for it.  Still no other major symptoms, I'm just going to try to ride it out until Saturday! 

am--Ran to and from Mark's house for a massage. 

pm--Ran on the woodchip path in Liberty Park.  No finer surface for an easy run like this.  

Throat still generally crappy. Worse in the mornings, better in the afternoons. My voice has taken on a baritone-like quality.   

Fast Running Blog T-Shirts are Ready to Roll, just in time for St. George: check out the thread on the Discussion Board for more info:  http://fastrunningblog.com/forum/index.php/topic,47.0.html

And now the details of my run:

AM--I went out to Radda to run a few easy miles with the gang. My Garmin died (was not plugged in last night like I thought it was) and I really have no idea how far I ran. My guess is 2.5. I did a few pickups to test the legs. Seemed fine. I never feel all that great in the days before a marathon so I don't expect to have that hummingbird feeling.

The bigger issue is my throat. Still hurts upon waking up. It loosens up after a while, but it's not comfortable. It doesn't feel like a cold; more like an infection, but the doc said it's not strep. I think it is getting slightly better. But I am definitely thinking I will feel pretty much the same way on marathon morning. It's just not healing that fast. However, my energy is generally ok, and I don't have much head or chest congestion.

It would be great to be going into the marathon feeling 1000%, but you come race day there are some factors that are beyond control. In all events, I plan to run as fast as I am able on Saturday.

Heather went out to get the paper this morning and found a gift on our doorstep:  a marathon-o-lantern.  Josh and Megan brought it over.  Very cool!! Thanks guys.

It's Monday night now, far removed from Saturday's race.  I'm in Los Angeles for the next few days with my wife and baby.  I lived in LA for eight years, I have friends here that haven't yet met little Jack.

Today I took Heather and Jack on a walk up to the place where I first started to run again, in March of 1997.  While I ran competitively as a sprinter when I was young, it was not until a couple of years after college, at 25, that I started to run distance with any conviction or dedication.  I was hopelessly out of shape at that time.  It had been a long time since I had done anything good for my body on a regular basis. 

I used to live at the base of the Hollywood Hills in Studio City, next to a place called Wilacre Park.  One bright day I strapped on some ancient running shoes handed down by my Dad, dawned an aged pair of cotton sweat pants, pulled on a cotton t shirt and headed out the door. I ran up the steep trail made of broken pavement toward a small meadow.  I covered less than a half mile.  I reached the meadow and doubled over, dry heaving.  A woman came over to me and asked if I was ok. I don't remember my response, or if I responded.  I just needed to rest a while. 

But a couple of days later, I went out again.  And a couple of days after that, again.  And so on and so on.  I trained like a beginner, but I was passionate.  I loved the idea of being a runner.  In April of 1998, I ran my first 26.2 mile race, the Los Angeles Marathon.  I finished in an elated, cramped, totally wiped 3:38.

On Saturday, I ran my tenth marathon, St. George.  I basically average about a marathon a year.  I know many people who run many more marathons and I suppose if I raced the distance more often, I might perform better.  But I have a kind of reverence for the marathon, it is so unlike any other race, and it keeps me from jumping into the mix very often.  It's the big dance, the culmination of my season.  While the marathon is filled with factors beyond our control, it is also ultimately a reflection of everything we have done to that date, good and bad.  You can certainly run under your potential in the marathon, but it's extremely difficult to run beyond your preparation.  Preparation can make up for a lot. 

If I look at the season as a whole, my preparation for this race did not start well.  I look back at my training logs from March through June, filled with pockets of very little running, the symptoms of nagging injuries, SI joint, IT band, hip pain, back trouble, tendonititis in the ankle.  A biomechanical mess. One little issue after another.  But swimming and stretching and simply wearing the right shoes all seemed to help. I wonder if the arrival of our little Jack may also have focused my efforts, to make the training time more valuable.  Heaven knows I don't have much time to train. 

In fact, I wasn't even planning to run St. George until August 28th.  I had been denied a spot in the lottery and jumped into the New York Marathon instead. NY sounded great, but was my second choice. I wanted to run a course I knew a few things about and could potentially run faster than last year.  I also wanted to be able to run with the bloggers that I know. 

  My stated goal for this race was to run faster than last year.  This was not a sure bet.  Based on my Hobble Creek Half in mid-August, which was only about 10 seconds faster than last year, I didn't have much more fitness.  But I did have a solid five or six weeks of training after Hobble Creek. I think that must be where 90% of my preparation came from. Remarkably, after a season of problems, my body did what I wanted it to do through September, handling the increased mileage and intensity with few complaints.  There was hope.  I thought I could go sub 2:35. Sasha said 2:32.  I thought he was insane.

So . . . the race.  The pace group we assembled was supposed to be pretty big, but ended up being lean and mean.   Our goal was 1:18ish for the first half and let loose after that.  The group  made all the difference in my race. Specifically, Ted's contribution was huge.

So here's how it went on this cool, cloudless morning for Marathon #10.  (Sorry if the

Mile/Split	Comments
1) 6:02	Nice and easy from the start: pace group is Ted, Cody, Chris Rogers, and me.
2) 6:09	Small uphill here.  No problems.  Pace feels easy.  Carol Cabinillas tucked in for a bit.
3) 5:50	A downhill appetizer, but just a little.  The first aid station with the elite bottles was totally dark and no one handing anything out. I stopped to look for my bottle, but was just wasting time. Jumped back into the race and caught up.
4) 5:51	A very sensible pace for us here.
5) 5:49	I think this is where we caught Scott Browning.  Ted and Cody could see his ponytail swinging ahead of us.  My vision isn't that good.
6) 5:34	Veyo is now in sight, and we're hurtling toward it.  Guy from Canada tucks in. He's clearly speedy. I think he said he missed the start of the race.
7) 5:38	This pace is comfortable, but danger lurks ahead.  Elite bottles are hand-delivered here. I had attached a CarbBoom gel to each one and just took a swallow when I grabbed the bottle. Better than sucking down the whole packet.
8) 6:31	Pulling ourselves up Veyo.  I separated from the group briefly, not because I was trying to pull away, I just didn't feel like it was necessary to back off intentionally. I was fine with keeping up the same effort as we were already running.
9) 6:20	Too slow here.  Should have picked it up. James Barnes is in sight, we'll catch him soon.
10) 6:09	Ten miles in 60 minutes flat. Good pace for us. But Dammeron Valley is not done with us.
11) 6:22	Is this the last hill?
12) 6:00	No it's not the last hill.
13) 5:49	Reached the half in 1:18:40 something.  We're a little slow, but no problem.  This is a negative split course for me.  The group separates here, I pull away from Ted.
14) 5:42	Starting to descend. Passing and getting passed.
15) 5:28	Geronimo!!!  I hear the wheelchair guys go 45mph through Snow Canyon.
16) 5:28	Still truckin'.  I feel pretty good.  Occasional thoughts of a portapotty stop.
17) 5:30	Good splits for 17 and 18.
18)  5:27	Cruising toward the overpass.  This is the loneliest part of the course, in my opinion.
19) 5:52	Trying to figure out what my 20 mile split will be and do all kinds of other maths beyhond my abilities at that point.
20)  5:34	20 miles in 1:57.  Negative split territory. If I can hold a 35 minute 10k, I may be able to do something decent.
21) 5:27	My last fast mile. I also vomited some foamy Gatorade. Felt great.
22) 5:46	My right calf decides to strike up a conversation about  spending the rest of the morning mingling with the spectators. Calf problems are my nemesis in the marathon. The cramps are giving me some concern.
23) 5:41	Just 5k to go.  Sub 2:35 is in the bag, 2:34? 2:33?  I can't do the math at this point.
24) 5:43	Hanging in there.  Just two miles.
25) 5:50	Slowing down, but effort is still steady.
26) 5:55 27) 1:20	At mile 26, my calf stopped chatting and sta, started screaming. In fact, after taking the hard left turn to head toward the finish, it seized up like a vise grip.  I stopped, not voluntarily, but because my leg would not move.  Next thing I know, here comes Ted right behind me, saying "come on, let's go, let's finish!!"  He could have just  blown past me and thought nothing of it. It's a race, after all.  But he basically dragged me out of a paralisys and got me going.  I managed to get running, pain free somehow.  We decided to finish together.  It was a great way to end the race. We somehow squeaked in under 2:33 on  I was 2:32:59, Ted was 2:32:58.

 So Ted is basically my hero for the weekend.  He survived a car wreck, which is the #1 most important thing, but what he did on the course should not be overlooked.  He gave huge encouragement early to our pace group, especially Cody.  He treated it like a team experience.  We are all competitive, but the ultimate goal is simply to do our best. Ted helped all of us do our best in this race.  I would not have finished in under 2:33 without his help, I know that.  It was the hardest part of the race and he took the opportunity to lend a hand.  Very selfless. 

So this was a PR by almost 5 minutes over last year's performance.  A couple of months ago I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but it somehow came together on Saturday.  I'm enjoying a couple of days off from running.  Still soaking up the experience and reading about all the amazing performances on the blog. Congrats to all.

We drove up to Santa Barbara today.  Heather ran 5 miles along the beach while I watched Jack. Then we switched roles and I ran 2.5.  Calf was a little tender, but overall things felt fine.

Back in town last night.  This morning I ran easy with a group of 8 or so.  We ran a south loop across the new footbridge that crosses into Tanner Park.  It's a nice new access point, opens some great route possibilities.  Pace was easy.  All soreness while walking around is gone, while running I still felt some.

This was my first run pushing Jack in the baby stroller. Heather was running 10 miles today and Jack and I joined her for the first few miles of her out and back route.  It was quite an adjustment pushing the stroller.  When I got home, I read about something called the Stroll Smart, that is designed to allow hands free running with the stroller.  It's a good concept, but the reviews are mixed from what I've seen so far.  Still, it may be worth trying.  I would like to be able to run with the stroller without feeling like I can't really run.

Easy group run from 15/15.

Group run with the black sheep. We ran a pace ladder 1min/2min/3min/4min/5min and back down, with equal time for recoveries.  Basically was an easy run with some surges.

Lots of thunder and lightning last night, and plenty of rain.  By the time I got out the door to run, the rain had passed though the air was still plenty cool--about 40 degrees.  I wore tights for the first time which seemed unnecessary at first, but the wind picked up enough in the second half of the run to make it a decent decision.  I ran through the U, Federal Heights, Aves, City Creek, Memory Grove. Pace was 7:35 per mile. 

Run with the Radda gang.  It was still snowing a bit on my drive to Radda, but cleared up nicely.  It was still chilly, but a great temperature once we started to run.  Sam joined us. I haven't seen him since he and his wife Kelli had a new baby, Samantha Grace, last week.  I got to hear about Sam's new journey into fatherhood. I can certainly relate. 

 The run was easy pace. I am loving these easy runs this week.  My body seems very thankful.  This weekend is the Other Half half marathon in Moab.  This is Heather's goal race, though I'm also signed up.  I haven't yet decided whether to race it or just pace Heather.  It may be a game day decision.  Or, I may start out racing and if I'm feeling less than ideal, drop back and run with Heather.  In other words, my personal expectations for this race are barely registering.  I do look forward to Heather running strong, however.  She's got a cold this week, but I think she should be ok by race day.  I'm so impressed that she's been able to prepare for the half marathon just a few months after having the baby. 

I went to bed last night thinking about the need to get up in the morning and run uphill.  The weather was ideal when I woke up, 48 degrees.  I ran up to Morris Meadow for a couple of loops, enjoying the amazingly clear view of the valley (storms are great for that reason alone).  Decided to head down to the base of City Creek on the shoreline trail. I had a blast divebombing through the singletrack in the midst of all the fall colors.  I started to ask myself why I ever run the roads during this part of the year.  Stayed on the trail down through Memory Grove.  Ideal conditions today.

Easy run from Foothill with a group of six or seven.  We ran up to the firehouse on 11th Ave. Nice and social pace.

The Other Half Half Marathon. The point of our trip to Moab for this race was for my wife Heather to run. She was awesome, finishing in 2:04, just a scant 15 weeks after giving birth to our baby Jack. She ran with our friend (and fellow blogger) Helen. They finsihed together and looked very strong on this tough course. I am extremely proud of my wife and impressed with her accomplishment. She has showed a lot of determination and toughness in getting back into running shape. I hope she continues to stay motivated. This is probably her fifth half-marathon and (pr 1:49, I believe) and I think she has many speedier times ahead. Go Heather!!

Since I'm still in 'easy' mode after St. George, my expecations for this race were pretty low. I'm proud to say I met them. My own plan was all over the map until the gun went off. It went something like this: try to run it as a marathon pace tempo workout. Do that until my calf gives, and if it doesn't give, then just keep going. If the calf locks up, drop back and take it easy at no risk of injury. I figured that, at least, it would be a good test of where my recovery is at since the marathon. The start was cold, probably 30 degrees. We also had some headwind, not to mention some very nasty hills between 7 and 10. It's not a fast course.

At the start I ran into Brad Anderson, a fellow Black Sheep. He doesn't race often, but he is very fit and I looked forward to running with him today. We ran the first couple of miles together with Nathan Hornok. I was still kind of feeling out my condition in those early miles and didn't go with them when they pulled away at about 5k. Nathan said he wanted to run 1:15-1:16 which was not in my plan at all today. From 5k to 10k, I was just kind of coasting, still feeling things out. I picked it up from 10k to the 10 mile mark, eventually catching Brad. I thought he might go with me, but the course was taking a toll. I tried to take advantage of my downhill training where appropriate and just held on for a decent finish. Legs felt fine. No calf problems of any significance. A good day for this kind of race.

Finishing order: 1) Ewen North in 1:12. He's a brit, lives in Boulder, former Adams State runner. This was a course record by nearly three minutes; 2) Nate Hornok in 1:16:06. Great work. 3) Bernie Boettcher in 1:17:38: Age 43 and 3 time winner on the course. 4) yours truly; 5) Brad Anderson, Black Sheep and masters winner; 1:19:09. This is my best recollection of the finishing times..

Oh, I ran a couple of warm up miles and another mile at the end. This course is gorgeous and, in my opinion, beats the Canyonlands Half Marathon (same race organizers) for sheer beauty. It is at least a couple of minutes slower, howver. The finish at the Sorrell Ranch can't be beat.

Easy run from 15/15. I have a little bit of residual soreness in the quads, but nothing very significant.  Calves feel fine. I spent a few minutes on the foam roller when I got home to smooth out the IT bands, quads, and glutes. 

Black Sheep workout at Sugarhouse Park. It was my turn to coach. For better or worse, I had no stomach for a track workout or anything that required a lot of well-defined parameters. So I decided we would do a fartlek workout where everyone in the group would have a turn to choose the next leg. There were about 18 or so people.  Each person could take their choice of intensities; mild, medium and spicy (like salsa . . . or Indian food) and mix it up to their liking with a point to point run or a run by time, etc.   It worked well and we had a fun time. 

A meandering run this morning where I took lots of turns on an old route not taken previously--breaks things up a bit.  The mile down Memory Grove was great; fall colors still in action and just enough light to see them.  7:29 pace for the run.

Run from Radda at 6am. It was dark the entire run. This would ordinarily be fine, but we did the canal section which was really, really dark. The footing wasn't so great, but we all survived. The mansion tour was enjoyable, as we were cracking jokes about the spooky setting. . . .a couple of the gigantic, castle-like houses were lit in such a way that they looked a bit like they might belong to Count Dracula. Did not encounter any actual vampires, to my knowledge. However, while crossing a soccer field behind an elementary school, a golden retriever appeared out of nowhere and scared Aimee Larkin pretty good. Her greatest fears while running are dogs, vagrants, and flashers.

On the return part of our loop I ran 6 strides of about 150-200m each, at 90% intensity to work on the form. I want to feel lighter when running. I need to get forward my lean and push off just right. I saw some pictures from St. George and was doing a lot of heel-striking. That could have just been the downhill, but it is something to be conscious about.

From home up Memory Grove to the 1.5 mile mark in City Creek Canyon.  On the return, I ran into Heather and my friend Karen, (in town from Austin TX).  They were heading up City Creek with Jack in the baby jogger.  Heather handed Jack off to me and I ran home with him. No problem, except carrying the stroller up the 4th Ave stairs was kind of a drag.  Beautiful morning to run. 

PM: took a page from Sasha's book and ran over to Mark and Sarah's house for desert. .50

Cucina loop on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  Out the door at about 7:15 am, plenty of light on the trail. The weather was great as well.  There is still some very nice color as the scrub oak is now fully turning.  Average pace: a blinding 8:56.  The climbing and a few random stops along the way explain that.

This was the last day that my friend Karen is in town from Austin.  She wanted to get in twelve miles up City Creek.  Heather came along as well and I pushed Jack in the jogger stroller.  It was a really nice run from the house, up Memory Grove, to the 3.5 mile mark in City Creek.  I found that pushing the stroller was a good way to keep a more sociable pace.  On the downhill, gravity did the work for the stroller.  We had a huge brunch at Avenues Bakery afterward, and a nap.  Very restful.  Had a great visit with Karen.

Late getting out the door today, 7:15 am.  My Garmin automatically ended daylight savings prematurely and said it was 6:15, but it wasn't so.

 I ran the Ensign loop,so designated because Ensign elementary is in the middle of the run and features a beautiful view of the city from above 11th Ave, as well as a prime porta-potty.

Weather was great, nice fall run.

Black Sheep workout today.  Adam RW coached. He had a Halloween themed run, complete with ghosts, candy, and a macabre and grueling pace ladder workout in the SL City cemetery.  After the warmup, we marked out a very hilly one-mile loop in the cemetery, with neon glow-sticks for markers ("ghosts") at each .33.  We then ran out and back to each marker, ostensibly at marathon pace, for a total of three hilly intervals (.66, 1.2 mile, 2.0 miles) that were very painful. Cooldown with Adam down to 11th Ave and B street, overlooking Memory Grove, then back. 

Ensign loop with Josh, Megan, and Amy.  Easy pace and an enjoyable run.  

Tonight, a very eerie trick or treater came to my door. The Ghost of Steve Prefontaine. (aka Ely Oftedal).