Last JCC class, more success, longer swims.

We had the last stroke swim class, read: insane aerobic interval training, last week, and it was a doozer.  My workouts during the week paid off, although the support staff calmly went about her business of making it look easier as always.  About the middle of the workout, when the instructors said, ok now 6 laps of freestyle in a row, I had to say, "You have got to be kidding me."  But I went ahead and did it, although there was some confusion about the distance that provides an interesting intersection of phenomena:

Classic catch-22 SNAFU:
1. Rather than keeping track of laps, the instructors were watching for the support staff to stop since she is always ahead of me.  (Cognitive Miser)
2. I though I was done, but figured the instructors kept better count, and they said to keep going. (Informational Influence)
3. So it is up to the support staff, who...you guessed it...was waiting for me to stop.  She did that so she could do an extra one--to really put me in my place?  (Downward Social Comparison)

This sillyness could have gone on for quite some time.  But after 7 laps, I had had enough and wanted some answers.  I thought that the instructors had just pulled the old aerobics instructor trick on me (5 more, now 4 more, now 6 more...) but the truth was even more interesting.  I was pretty annoyed for a moment, but got over it because it added up to doing 250m--a new record! 

It is legitimately hard to keep track of laps when you are flipping your body around and generally low on air.  Now 250m is something I can do a couple of times a workout, which gets you to 650-750m workout in a hurry.  I will keep pushing out the distance I do all at once, although I am not upping the distance too much because it is nice to not be totally exhausted at the end.  The 900m all freestyle workout is the goal for the next couple of weeks, if I could do 3X300m that would be pretty great.  For sure we are over the initial really bad challenge of breathing, and now repetition and muscle buildup combined with technique work will gradually get me the rest of the way.

Major Breathing Breakthrough!

I finally broke through the 100 yard barrier in a big way.  I waited Sunday to Wednesday to be fresh and then started my workout with 150m swim without breaks, then on Thursday I did the same out to 200 yards!  Each time, I wasn't frantically out of breath at the end, and actually felt pretty calm.  The workouts were 750 yards and 650 yards total, making them longer than in the past. 

The last key adjustments were to slow down my strokes (more time to breath in), and to move my head over to breath even before the window opens so I take advantage of the whole time to take in a less rushed breath, and fill my lungs.  It takes an act of conscious attention and will to focus on doing what I need to for quality inhales.  The slower stroke rate means that one-sided breathing doesn't come at such a hyperventilating speed as well.  Getting away from the panicked feeling of breathing is really huge, because that has always led me to use my arms too quickly to make it to the end of the lap so I can stop.  Now, I hope to stay within myself and push out that distance gradually.  I can actually imagine a 900 meter swim, at least in the pool, for the first time, yeah!

Verdict: Not a Natural Swimmer

My official position will come as no surprise to my 3 loyal readers: swimming is not natural, not for me anyhow.  I don't swim, I drown in one direction until I hit a wall, and then I drown in the other direction until I can't take it anymore, then I stand up and gasp for a while, then repeat.

While I have been killing myself to the tune of three 600m yard workouts a week, the support staff saunters in to our weekly swim classes (read: torture sessions) with no preparations, and casually reels off laps one after the other.  While I stand hypoxic between sets, I get flashbacks to SCUBA diving, where the rest of us are on empty and the support staff has a 1/2 tank left.  My goal is to be less frantic and take longer inhales, slowing speed down a little to improve calm.  Again the parallel with SCUBA, where calm is King. 

Mundane updates: Marie Reed Pool is super convenient to where my guy friends live, and a great place to practice flip turns because it is a 25m yard pool.  Earlier in the week, I did reel off a couple 100m yard swims there, so the other modest goal this week is to make it 125m yard or 150m yard.  We shall see.  The flip turns are great technically speaking, but that is more time you can't breathe, so that isn't great.  I have pretty much given up on running since swimming is wearing me out so much.  Turns out my dislike of running in the cold is stronger than my fear of running out of air and drowning--go figure.

Swimming like an Ostrich

I don't remember exactly how it came up, but at a party last night my ability to swim was compared (favorably?) to that of an ostrich.  I immediately regreted not calling the new version of my blog Ostrich at Sea or something along those lines, because that's how out of place I feel.  The support staff "kind enough" to track down this video, which bears a startling resemblance to my swimming, particularly in how far I  prefer having my head out of the water: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6SSqQZPcds

The video also does a nice job of capturing the cruelty to animals aspect of an ostrich swimming, which has its analog in my case as well.  The only difference is that rather than being tortured by drunken ex-pats, it is the tyranny of my own stubbornness that pushes me into the pool day after day.

Swimming is a Grind

There's no sugar coating it, swimming is tough.  On Sunday we had another brutal Stroke Class at the JCC, I held back a bit on the kicking only laps and tried to ease up on the freestyle portions speed wise, so I made it through in slightly better shape than the previous class.  Afterwards I felt sore rather than just having blubbery arms, which I took as a good sign that the breathing isn't the only limitation anymore.  Truth is being sore probably has everything to do with breathing, because it determines how much time I spend anaerobic (a lot).

My plan today (Tuesday) was to just do easy 50m's at alternating breathing, and hope to make maybe one or two into 100m.  I did do 5 solid 50's alternating breathing all the way, but then I hit the wall and could only do about 30m before switching to backstroke, total distance 400m...ugh that is lame, but I had to listen to my tired body.  I also want to focus on only swimming good form, and I was able to work in a few Mr. Smooth ideas today like body roll AND I am developing this little feather kick which is low energy but keeps my back end up, so that is pretty huge.

I was so tired, I forgot to practice the new trick we learned in Stroke Class--flip turns.  They are actually pretty intuitive once someone explains it to you.  So have to do that during my next workout.

Thanksgiving tummy + flip turns = hmmm, ok maybe over the weekend?

Well, while not everything is moving in a positive direction, we are only a few weeks away from the magical 6 weeks where muscle and other body changes should start to make this easier...right?

Breathing breakthrough!

I decided to focus primarily on relaxing and breathing, expecially breathing out continually under water, and alternating sides breathing every 3 strokes.  I did 600m (12X50m) alternating sides almost the whole way each time, and felt pretty relaxed about it.  At times my lungs got to where they were screeming for air, but I was also able to calm down and find the pocket of air behind my wake pretty often as well.  The pocket stays open for a while, so you can just hang out there and get a nice slow long breath in if you do it right.  Keeping the top of the head in the water when you breath is critical to coasting along the surface having a pocket.  With that and good body roll you can actually get away with just a little flutter kick to keep the back side up.  I am getting closer to the calmer/slower crawl that is critical to going beyond 100m at a time. 

Mr. Smooth my new Cyber Bromance

What can I say, Triathlon training and the people you meet can change a man.  Ironwoman introduced me to Mr. Smooth, who is now the object of an intense Cyber Bromance for me.  He has everything, tireless endurance, perfect form, three stroke breathing, and he looks great from every angle--I love to hate him already! 

This must be how women feel watching Disney princesses--an intoxicating brew of joy and envy.  Somehow knowing it is make-believe hardly helps keep it in perspective.

Looking at it more positively, I have a ton of inspiration and instruction from Ironwoman, and the tough JCC teachers, and now Mr. Smooth taunts me way out ahead of me in the lane.  Thankfully, the Support Staff is very understanding when I eat mac-n-cheese before swimming, talk about a tenderfoot move!

First JCC Stroke Swim Class

Who knew you could get so tired in a 19m pool?  The JCC has Adult Stroke Swim Classes, so my Support Staff offered to sign up with me, how great is that? 

Lessons of the day: (1) no mac and cheese prior to swim class, (2) no running the day before swim class so long as we are doing mostly kicking drills, which really tire me out to where my legs locked up a bit.

I feel like my head is filled with knowledge about swimming, but I can only work on one thing at a time, so I really need to get to the pool and practice on my own.  We did maybe 600m during whole lesson, or 15x40m. 

Current goal (next month?): To go the race distance 900m during one session.  Next after that is to do it breathing every 3 strokes.

Swim kicking my butt.

Could swimming be any more draining?  Today was my third swim workout, and my first with my uber-energetic friend who ran two Ironman races this year, including Ironman Kona in Hawaii, wow!  This Ironwoman was super helpfull on pool technique and explaining all the swimming jargon, like recovery (the part of the stroke with the arm is out of the water), and pull bouy (funny float you put between your legs for swim drills).

We did a little diagnosis on my stroke today, verdict: (1) I rotate well, I can twist my body without going sideways, (2) I cross over, meaning my (hand) entry is across my midline which is easy to fix when you are thinking about it, and (3) it isn't that I sink like a rock, my tail does, which can be fixed with lower back, abs, and a little more kicking so I skim the surface.  Ironwoman was great to point out that a lot of things don't have a right way to do them like how often you breath, recovery, and number of kicks, so you can do what feels best.  Breathing every three strokes feels more natural for me and keeps me more balanced side to side and seems likely to go straighter (key for open water?), but is harder to sustain than every two strokes, so we will see. 

My verdict, getting technique right from the beginning is great to avoid practicing bad habits.  At this point though, it is also about getting meters in the pool over the next couple months it is going to take to grow some new muscle.  Together with some water sense and I hope to have a breakthrough where I don't need to stop every 100m.  We will see, today I did maybe 600m, but lets call it a 50x12 workout, which sounds better.  I love swimming in the airy big Wilson Aquatic center for free as a DC resident!

It's good I'm hitting the pool, because when I run 3+ miles, the muscle around the achillies still hurts in an overuse rather than just sore kind of way, which also keeps me off my fixie.  Being tired after swimming is really different, nothing is sore, you just feel like everything above the waist is made from rubber and your lungs have a wierd expansive feeling to them like they were trying to grow.

TRIATHLON!

With a great marathon behind me, it is time for a new challenge--Triathlon!

In keeping with tradition, here are 5 reasons:
1. Hard to imagine having a better marathon next year and I want to enjoy the afterglow a little longer.
2. Triathlon training is a great way to stay in shape, let the body heal, and to motivate training for the cold winter months.
4. marathon : stinky shoes :: Triathlon : new gear
5. Truth: Swimming is a longterm nemisis, I can't crawl stroke more than 50m.  So like the marathon, there's a score to settle.
 
So I signed up for the Philladelphia Sprint Triathlon on June 26th!  What better way to make a statement about swimming than a 900m open water gauntlet of other people's arms and legs?  After that, the 24K bike and 5K run just round out the experience.

So its off to the pool, swim classes, calls to friends who have done IronMan races.  Added bonus, the support staff is psyched to tackle swimming with me, so it will be great to have a training partner in crime!

Afterglow...afterblaa's

The few days after the race, I was all hobbling legs and euphoria, it hadn't sunk in how fast I had gone and how strong I felt. At work on Monday, I didn't do anything much and could not have cared less. Throughout the week I have been pretty bone tired even as the soreness lifted, getting in a short 3 miler Thursday morning just to work out the kinks and show I still can, the legs miss it.

Somewhere during the week, I started feeling cranky and a little down, they say Olympians, even successful ones, feel really lost after the games are over, so maybe that is a little of the same on a much smaller scale. Even this running page recommends finding non-athletic pursuits to fill the void.

As for the future, I broke 4 hours in a huge way, and had a perfect race, so it is tempting to leave marathoning at that. On the other hand, the devil voice is saying I might actually be good at this thing. It might be pretty cool to go under 3:30 or complete a tougher course. On the other hand, as a bucket list item, I should just put a huge red check over it and move on to the next (which is?).

The same goes for the blog, I wonder if the title wasn't shortsighted, perhaps I should end it soon, but blogging was a new fun things too, and who needs to drop two of those in as many weeks? Perhaps something less drastic, so keep an eye out, the second word on the header could morph into triathlon, homebuyer, couch potato, or self-indulgent navel gazer (not really a tenderfoot at that!). I know that new challenges keep me fresh and have got to make for better blogging than same old same old.

Ask me in another few days when I am fully recovered and the sun is out. Dully noted, this race takes a lot out of you mentally too.

Mile speeds throughout race.

I was going to try to insert a table with my splits, but that seems less trivial than I thought, so here they are old school minutes:seconds for mile times during each section of the race provided by the handy chips we taped to our shoes for the race. All I can say is, check out those NEGATIVE SPLITS! You can see I was feeling stronger and stronger and starting to give it the gas a little after mile 10. I have to credit to having my cousin with me for that last low split.

5K 8:42
10K 8:47
15K 8:40
20K 8:20
25K 8:20
30K 8:24
35K 8:17
41.29K (finish) 8:28

3:44

I cannot believe I just ran the marathon in 3:44,

I cannot believe I just ran the marathon in 3:44,

I cannot believe I just ran the marathon in 3:44.

That means 8:33 mile pace, and I held that the whole race. I felt so strong the whole way, only really tightening up for the last mile or so.

There are lots of possible reasons: the magical powers of tapering, the ambiance of the crowd and having everyone who came out and cheered for me, having my cousin there to run the last 6 miles was great although he felt a little sandbagged since I assured him there was no way I would be running under 9 minute miles at that point! Two friends came over last night for the "last supper" and cooked up an amazing pasta recipe with squid and tomato sauce and all other good things, and I ate tons, and felt full the entire race which was a huge help. The weather was ideal.

But in the end, I have no idea, it was 15 minutes faster than I even dreamed of running, so how do you explain that? My only 20 miler was well over three hours. So all I can say is I was very fortunate to have a great race.

I haven't named names in this blog, since I don't give my own, but to everyone who I know who came out today to run or spectate, to grab the impossible cab in Georgetown and feed me, to encourage me along the way, especially those I didn't get to see--Thank you all. It was wonderful to share this triumph with you all. Special thanks to my personal support staff who suffered through the lows and vacation interruptus to support my dream of becoming a marathoner.

Tapering Swiss Style: wine, fondu, jet lag...

So I managed to mix vacation and running again without the one ruining the other.

Tourist logic: 4-miler + 3-miler = one 6-miler.

Keeping up with even a tapered schedule along with Helvetic consumption of wine and cheese was a challenge, but the running seemed to help me sleep through the night.

The body feels good, just a little headachie with the wine. The running was gorgeous, drop out of the Kummer's house down through the vineyards to the edge of a glacial lake and run between the water and cute as can be villages dating from the 1400's. The Bis was blowing (Europeans name their winds) which meant cold windy weather from the Alps, but not too wet. Concerns of dehydration are replaced by dreams of little runner gloves. One more week to go now, have to keep after the stretching and avoid getting the flu everyone has.

20 (ouch) miles on pavement, 3:05.

So today was supposed to be the big race conditions simulation run, on pavement, in VA after a Metro ride, walk to and from station...and it was all that and more. Oh what a difference the surface makes. For the 19 miler, I had maybe 5 miles on pavement, this was something else entirely. Another wrinkle, a bunch of short steep undulations on the Mt. Vernon trail, very unpleasant on tender legs. I know I have said before that I may not be able to walk tomorrow, but I am pretty sure I mean it this time. Walking is going to hurt--and as a colleague pointed out, you will want to walk down stairs facing backwards--I really get that today.

On the positive side, I had a cold up to yesterday, and I will be tapered down for the actual race, so hopefully that and motivation of race day will get me through the final 1+ hour of suffering. I decided that someone should be enjoying that pain, so I invited my younger brother to join me for the last 6 miles or so. He promised not to act too happy about my predicament, we'll see. Another big positive, no specific injuries, just general hurt (below the knee cap, shins but not the ripping feeling, and right at hip and ankle bone as usual). I saw someone sitting on a bench at a water stop, he was on mile 16 of 20 training for the MCM as well, and had been stopped in his tracks with shins, so I feel lucky--he got his gut check early.

I felt a strange sight coming back on the Metro, sweaty and like a sack of potatoes. I resisted the urge to taunt people who had just finished the Army 10 miler, which shows you just how exhausted I was. I mean 10 miles, that's nothing! Next up, tapering in Switzerland!

Icarus' Revenge

So after a glorious Sunday, my wings melted and I crashed into a vicious migraine headache Monday afternoon. Lets just say I had a large empty trash can next to the bed while I slept for something like 13 hours. Fortunately went unused, but oh the inhumanity of it all.

Only to rise again and pound out a solid 8 miles Tuesday night, only to have the headache come back a little Wednesday. Will I ever learn? I really hope that we go back to highs in the 70's.

The crazy thing is I almost convinced myself the migraine was withdrawal for not running for a day! While I am running I feel just fine, it is only when I walk a little to drink water that I realize how tight my legs are. They want to stay bent in a C shape and just rotate on the axis of my hips. But no knee or shin pain, so that is a blessing. Hoping the step-back 12 miles will be relatively easy on my body the weekend. Sort of a recovery run--see how twisted this gets?

Oh yeah, I had the legs today.

Ran from my place in the city to my parents near Great Falls, MD. It is crazy how long these runs are getting to be. I felt so good I extended what should have been a 17 mile workout to 19! This way I hope to hit 22 for my last long run, which would be great. I could honestly have done a few more today. I did it in 2:52, which comes out to 9:03 per mile pace.

With this workout, it is oh so very tempting to dream about a sub 4 hour marathon, but I know I get slower as I go, and I don't have quite enough weeks left or miles per week to make that all that likely. Still, if everything goes perfectly from now until the finish, it is a possibility. Doing a sub-4 marathon would really put this thing to rest in my mind so I could move on to doing triathlon or holding down the couch. On the other hand, speed kills, so I need to keep that in mind as well.

Almost all of the tendon and shin problems from last week are gone, especially the unevenness of the two sides and the resulting twisting motion. Only mistake, not eating enough this morning, so I was hungry most of the run. Gu's are fuel but not food. Nothing dad's barley chicken soup couldn't fix though.

You know you want something really badly when...

Shin splints: tight muscles yanking tendons to shred them off the bone, I thought I would have to give up the race throughout the week. I was really upset and unpleasant to be around. I have to admit, I want this race really badly. Classic conundrum, stick with training and injure yourself and you don't start the race, break training and you don't finish.

Solution: Sensible talking off the ledge from support staff, sleep a lot, dunk offending parts in ice water till they turn red, shave miles off mid-week run, wait an extra day for the long run, and gut it out for 15 miles with a 10 minute break in the middle for stretching.

Result: 2:27 of sometimes twisting form and uneven stride, but I felt ok the whole way. That's 9 min/mile, so I'll take it for sure. We'll see if I can walk tomorrow.

Looks like it's the C&O Canal Towpath from now on. Do the mileage first and hope the taper over the last weeks allows healing so I can handle the beating from the road.

No magical miles today.

Well, that's what I get for waxing poetic about my twinging muscles in the last entry...I got smited today for my hubris. It is a step-back week, so only 11 miles, but I was tight, hungry and out of rhythm for each and every one. Maybe the excesses of Wednesday caught up with me, maybe running on asphalt rather than the plush sand of the canal towpath is what did it, but whatever it was, it was a struggle the whole way. On the upside, it was cool to run all the way to my old apartment in Silver Springs and back, and you can't complain about getting to run through Rock Creek Park on the weekend so the roads are closed to cars. I haven't had much experience suffering for long distances, so maybe that was the point?

The marathon bod.

Your body on marathon is divided at the waist, calm above, dissonant chords below. If you sit for long, the calfs are stiff and tingly, but the strangest sensation is lying in bed and listening to the random strings plucking themselves all over the legs, up then down, front then back. The amazing thing is that, when you get them moving again, they loosen up, shake off the abuse for a few magic miles where your mind drifts away before some part of the body, the lower body, calls it back.

There's something different about your upper body too that I can't quite put my hands on; it might be that it is so silent by comparison. The heart and lungs don't even seem to do much. My body has to remind itself from time to time to take a breath if I am sitting.

I am thankful for my body, for what it has allowed me to do so far. I thought this race would test constancy, calm persistence, and mental strength, but a lot of it is up to my body, my lower body and hopefully calm above.

Flying Lessons (Social Facilitation Part III)

So it was great to have a running partner today, we’ll call him KHK. I thought I would joining him for 7 miles on his 9 mile run. KHK showed up and surprised me, “We’re actually going for flying lessons,” which is pretty cool, except this admission came at mile 5, and it sounded more like, “We did that last mile in like 7 minutes,” we were flying alright! Funny thing was, I struggled a bit, but it was nice to unwind the legs and see what they could do. Let’s be clear, my ‘lower stomach’ promptly voiced its disapproval, and I am curious to see if I can walk tomorrow, but unless this derails the whole attempt, it was worth it to feel that High School CC feeling again. So next Wednesday, I’ll do my best to earn my wings again with KHK, Icarus be damned.

Officially Marine Corps Registered, Thanks Matt.

Legal Waiver Excerpts:

“I verify I have full knowledge of the rigors of this race and the risk involved in participation, and I am physically fit and have sufficiently trained to complete this event.”

So I am now legally required to train, hear that honey?

“It is also recommended anyone over the age of 35 and/or with a family history of heart disease consult with their physician before undertaking the marathon.“

“PARTICIPATION CARRIES WITH IT CERTAIN INHERENT RISKS THAT CANNOT BE ELIMINATED COMPLETELY RANGING FROM MINOR INJURIES TO CATASTROPHIC INJURIES INCLUDING DEATH.”

So if I had waited one more year, this thing could have killed ME and not just my social life.

36 is the new old age ay? I'll show'em...soon as the ache in my left hip heals.

13 miles in 2 hours flat!

This whole week I was feeling pretty strong, it's either the conditioning is kicking in, or the temperatures weren't so bad. Today I opened it up just a little on the way out and paid for it a bit the last 3 miles, but overall felt pretty good. Great conditions 70's, no rain, no sun.

I am learning about where I need to keep the heart rate, 155-160 for early in the run, 160-165 is good and sustainable, 165+ and it seems to keep going up so maybe for hills and the end of the run, but 170+ and I am burning matches, I have about 2 miles of that in me before I hit the wall and have to pull it way back. Recovery from 170's is reluctant.

Gu tasting notes: chocolate: like the pudding--amazing, lemon: tastes better during run than prior, strawberry banana: awful especially when warm. Got the variety pack, so more notes to come.

Work/run balance: advantage run

12 miles in 1:52 & scrambled eggs beats cupcakes

Well, this 12 mile thing is getting almost routine. Another canal run, this time much cooler, got rained on a little to make sure I was totally soaked through. The fun today was trying out all the new gear I picked up at Road Runner Sports. New shoes, socks, sporty skivies, and a visor. Visor = no squinting + no headaches + keeps rain out of eyes--my dorky runner ensemble is almost complete.

Celebrated with a strawberry shortcake cupcake at Baked and Wired, and randomly the girl in the blue dress from the Jazz in the Park fashion montage was there working. She looked none too pleased to be recognized. Just left the change on the counter with the to go box when I got out of the lu. Can't say I blame her, even minor celebrity can be annoying, especially when you get recognized by sweaty runners--o joy! Food verdict: the cake part shrunk and the strawberries were smaller than last time, too much icing. That's not gonna get it done in the DC cupcake wars.

Not to worry, the girlfriend was awesome and cooked scrambled eggs and toasted Italian loaf and cantaloupe--now that's a runner's breakfast. Thanks babe. Feeling uneasy about what: school in session + weekday workouts = ?! stay tuned.

Jim came just in time! (Social Facilitation Part II)

This is my ode to runners giving each other a lift. The situation: dehydrated, running in the heat of the day, and I missed my mile marker, so now I'm running 9 instead of 7. About mile 6 a random retiree Jim catches up to me and offers to run along with me. All of a sudden, I am talking AND running faster. Jim carries me through the rest of my run telling me marathon war stories. He wears himself out to stay with me as I pick it up in the home stretch, so he ends his run early but we finish as teammates. Did I mention he is retirement age? What an athlete and a tribute to sport and sportsmanship. Wherever you are out there Jim, thanks man, you saved my run today. Maybe I'll see you on the canal again some time.

Pig Roasting as Cross-Training?

If cooking can be cross-training, then pig roasting has got to count, at least when you do it country style, I mean the pig carry, the wood chopping, not to mention the eating, there should be a championship for this man.

12 mile Golden Gate run!

Probably the most amazing scenery I will see for a run. I took in the Victorian Conservatory of Flowers, past stately Eucalyptus and vase shaped pines, past the huge working Dutch Windmill, onto the beach, then trail running up and down the beach cliffs toward the glowing red bridge, finishing with a triumphant downhill, or so it seemed, through the forest of the Presidio just in time to grab the bus back down Haight St. to the hotel!

Sadly the gf on roller skates and plan didn't work out (downhills + traffic + skates = yikes!).

I went pretty slow but felt good the whole way with something new and exciting around every bend. 1 PB&J and 2 Goos were enough to keep me going along with carried water. Nice cook temperature and SUNNY which is rare in SF this time of year :)

repeat moral: long runs don't hurt (as much) when they are gorgeous!

Truth telling: All this was made possible by the icing I did on the Achilles tendon the day before--I hope to avoid the tragic ending of a Greek demi-god, or the original marathon messenger of lore for that matter!

Cross-training or not cross-training I

Question: So does this qualify as cross-training?

NOT gone 10 miles yet! (continuing SF saga)

Excuses: I was feeling good and in a rush--needed to go: thank gf's uncle for the GPS>rental car return>train>bus>hotel>taxi in time for>ferry>backpacking before 3:30pm--so I went a little fast running to the park and realized that it wasn't 1.5-2 miles but more like 1 mile to get there (unless I was on warp speed). So that just cheapens 10 mile run on the same route down to 8+ UGH! That makes me mad, which following my instincts (see first post), makes me want to go fast and kill off this workout to make up for it.

Result: Missed training run the next day because the legs are a mess. Remember, speed kills in marathon training...must remember!

in a rush + angry about previous run = going way too fast + fried legs

On the plus side, Angel Island in the middle of SF bay had amazing views and amazing weather.

First 10 Mile Run!

Staying with my beautiful and very pregnant cousin and her husband in Campbell, CA. Had a great long run with race ambiance because a bunch of marathon clubs were out along with the Red Shirt Divas, plus-size women in bright red shirts with their motto: seeking balance. Seeing all those people working toward their personal fitness goals is pretty fantastic and a great motivator.

running + eating energy goo = snarfing + amused Red Shirt Divas

Rest Day California Style

Porsche 911 Turbo

"This car is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

--Ferris Bueller 1986

The girlfriend's very generous Uncle David lent me this fine piece of engineering. With no admonitions prior, he asked only one question afterwards, how far I took it. I knew a low number wouldn't do...I like to think I didn't disappoint. He told me with a sly smile that the fines for that speed were upwards of $2K.

Trail Run California

7 miles, last single digit long run.

trail run = vacation feeling + stick with training

moral: long hills don't hurt (as much) when they are gorgeous

Social facilitation of a running partner

I met up with my running partner G.H. and wouldn't you know a 3 mile training run turned into 5 miles. Feeling the effects of Sunday's run and an active weekend in the sun, but I had a little left for the big hill at the finish. Either you work the hill or the hill works you as they say.

This blog just went literal, did you know you could blister between the toes? I imagine this is something First Class marathon runners know all about. Needed the old First Aid merit badge for this one, and my handy Scout First Aid Kit. That old motto--be prepared.

Final thought: ran past the Islamic Center on Mass. Ave. and for all that divides us by creed, I was moved by the soaring minaret and lightness and airy openess of the building. If only we could translate mutual architectural appreciation into a lasting peace among peoples.

The Georgetown Workouts (Part 2)

Sunday 8am training run (7 miles) on the C&O Canal. Easy math (starting at mile marker 1), soft sandy surface, shade, flat, and a handy suburban mom running my pace (a languid 8:10 after being up till 2am) what more can you ask for. Haven't gone that far in 5 years.

I felt good enough to race home and watch the Tour de France with a friend (Contador cast as the young prince ascending the Alps, Lance the magnanimous king-maker). Finish off the day going sailing on the Chesapeake...and that's how you live the Georgetown lifestyle! Monday is back to reality, which isn't so bad either.


Blog goes literal: Busted out the old Boy Scout First Aid Kit (BSA motto: be prepared). Who knew you could get a blister BETWEEN your toes from their rubbing together?

Week 2: The Georgetown Workouts

Saturday:

Teddy Roosevelt Island, complete with propaganda proportioned statue and huge fountain (left). Kayak to get there (middle). Cupcake down the hatch on GU's gorgeous Gothic quad (right).

For anyone who doesn't know Georgetown it's tawny DC, famous for window shopping, old city estates, and beautiful people watching--all surrounding Georgetown University the house of Preppydom. I confess, there are few better places on a sunny weekend day.

Overheard in the Georgetown Cupcake line, "My mom is making me come by the house and baby her and bring her meds after her jowl lift, she doesn't even have any bruising yet" (complete with upward pull on 19-year old skin). What an intoxicating concoction of schadenfreude and enticement to upward mobility; inter-class ambivalence never tasted so rich and creamy, or was that the mocca cupcake?

Training Schedule

I pretty much surfed the web for a marathon training schedule that would work for me. Criterion: tenderfoot appropriate, shorter runs during the week, not too many weeks out. I somewhat arbitrarily those Hal Higdon's: Novice I schedule.

Three short run days in a row in the middle of the week, rest day, long run and cross-training on the weekend, rest day--then repeat.

DC in the summer, all of those runs are in the morning if I can, which is taking some getting used to. It actually syncs up pretty well with my lifestyle.

Next challenge: training during San Francisco vacation, is wine tasting cross-training?

Week 1: Stigmata

GF thinks it looks like stigmata, her comment, “Gashes in both palms and your side, let’s see your feet,” cute.

Week 1: Revenge of the Cross-training (July 12 retrospective)

How, in the course of marathon training did I end up on my back, looking up at a blue sky, obscured by my bike, complete with left foot still in the toe clip? I haven’t actually read much yet, but I know this is not recommended form for marathon training.


mountain biker brain + fixed gear road bike = hubristic downfall

My left side looks like a mountain lion went to town, but I really did a number on the other guy's left paw (er left handle bar). Clearly the bike won, bouncing right back up and finishing the workout in great form, rather than whining and yelping around for like a week.

Going really fast on the flats is a blast on this bike, but I can't get my heart rate up on the bike—which is fine since this is SUPPOSED TO BE EASY CROSS-TRAINING.

Why marathon?

1. HUGE item on the bucket list I am too young to have.
2. Challenge of focusing a sustained effort outside of work.
3. Real challenge to my instinct to go fast when in motion, and go for the quick kill and move on.
4. Caught disease from reading two Lance Armstrong books this year.
5. Deep gut check for life's larger questions. (see #3)
6. Final answer: Buddy had an extra bib for the Marine Corps Marathon--oh yeah, he got kissed on both cheeks (thoroughly, like in The Godfather).