Big Cottonwood Marathon and Qualifying for Boston

I visited Salt Lake City in August, 2013. While there, I did an Internet search for some local hikes to take my family, many of which began in Big Cottonwood Canyon, which led me to Google "Big Cottonwood Canyon." Not only did I learn of several awesome hikes, I learned of a marathon that starts at Brighton Ski Resort up Big Cottonwood Canyon taking place in September.

It was at that moment I formulated a plan to qualify for the Boston Marathon. It involved running the 2014 Big Cottonwood Marathon.

So what made me think that a 4:00:55 marathoner, who missed qualifying by over 45 minutes think he could qualify for Boston? (1) I turned 45 this July, making my time 3:25 instead of 3:15; (2) Check out the course profile!

But isn't that cheating?

No. If the Boston Athletic Association says it's a qualifying marathon then that's good enough for me.

But isn't that kind of taking the coward's way out?

No. If the Boston Athletic Association says it's a qualifying marathon then that's good enough for me.

But doesn't it seem unfair?

No. If the Boston Athletic Association says it's a qualifying marathon then that's good enough for me.

Since we're on the subject of fairness, let's talk about genetics. Is it fair that the ideal runner's body, according to author of Racing Weight, Matt Fitzgerald, is the exact opposite of my body type? Yes, apparently, because the God deemed it so.

If God says it's fair that I got the genetics of an out-of-shape shot-putter then that's good enough for me. In order to level the playing field, for us squatty-type runners, he made mountains and canyons we could run down.

Here's a family picture from 2005. We're not exactly a genetically thin family.

I'm the one holding my daughter. My father and two brothers are next to me.

But, come on, it's not a real marathon. You could roll down that thing.

If the Boston Athletic Association says it's a qualifying marathon then that's good enough for me. Besides, have you ever run 15 miles down a steep canyon? I have. It's not as easy as it looks.

So you're seriously gonna count that as your BQ if you somehow finish in under 3:25?

Look, I have five kids. FIVE!!!!! Cut me some slack. And besides, If the Boston Athletic Association says it's a qualifying marathon then that's good enough for me.

The good and the bad from UVM #2 with tips and advice from a marathon novice

As I was struggling to finish my first marathon without collapsing or soiling myself, I was taken aback by a tall fellow just running along with a happy, goofy grin on his face. While me and many of my marathoning colleagues wanted to end our life by hopping in front of a bus, this guy seemed to be enjoying himself.

I wanted to be that guy.

I was that guy. I'm about to annihilate that runner in the bright green.

The good (during the race)...

Pacing. The most crucial part of my race plan involved the first seven miles, the fastest part of the course. I vowed, however, not to start out fast like most runners do on this course. If I was going to error, it was going to be erring on the side of caution.  I stole the first seven miles. I knew that many of the people passing me on this stretch would be wishing they were me in the second half.

Negative splitting. I didn't necessarily plan on negative splitting, especially with the first half having more of an elevation drop, but I did. I ran the first half in 2:00:55 and the second half in 2:00:00.

Still felt good at the end

Passing people. I passed over 250 people the second half of the race. It was freaking awesome. From mile 13-24, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I felt strong. Last year I felt exactly like all those people I passed. I couldn't believe how many people were walking. I was 862 at the halfway point. I was 419 the second half and 605 overall. In short, I was that guy.

The good (training)...

Miles. I ran considerably more miles in preparing for my second marathon. I set monthly distance records three times.

Slow miles. The first time around, I did every training run as fast as I could. That was stupid. This made recovery difficult.

Base building. I used a heart rate monitor and applied the teachings of Phil Maffetone to build a strong aerobic base. That allowed me to set multiple prs over the last nine months.

Consistent schedule. I had a basic schedule. Run on Monday, semi-long. Run on Wednesday, tempo or mile repeats. Run on Thursday, recovery (In the building phase I would do 6-8 mile slow runs on both Wednesdays and Thursdays). Saturday, long run. Although I had to alter the schedule because of life, I knew when the week started that I was going to run four times, one would be long and one would be fast.

Long run difficulty. I knew the course had a tough hill at mile 7 and mile 16. I tried to put a hill at mile 7 of medium runs in training and, more importantly, I put a long hill (about 5 miles) at around mile 15 of my long runs. I was also lucky enough to get strong headwinds at the end of those runs too, just in case (there was no actual head wind at the marathon). The uphill segments during the race had little effect on me.

The bad (the race)...

Piss problems. I drank way too much the night before and the morning of the marathon. I stopped five times to pee in the first ten miles and used the port-a-potty at mile 13. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why I barely missed that 4:00 marathon time.

Too conservative. I may have run the first half too conservatively. Oh well.

Tangents. Running to the side of the road to pee five times makes it difficult to run the tangents. I ran over .25 miles too far.

The bad (training)...

Hip. I got injured in the middle of February. Since I'd never injured my hip before, I had no idea that that hip flexor soreness would cost me six weeks of good training. I was really in a groove up to that point.

Fat. I'm too fat. I weighed about 186 for this marathon.

Running from Mediocrity

I finished 605/1471 overall; 402/823 for men; 62/128 for my age group. That's the top half in all three, but still dangerously close to mediocrity. But at least I'm running from mediocrity and not running to it like I had been.

What about Boston?

Well, the ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. I'm not even close. Will it happen? Probably not. But I'll keep trying.

What next?

 

Thinking about Running from an Angel Marathon in January or Boulder City Marathon in December. I will not sign up, however, until my weight is 175 or below. My only hope for getting better is to stop eating so stupid.

That's one fat marathoner (with good chi-running form)

Random Unofficial 5-k PR

Went running the other day.  Thought it'd be a good day to set a pr, a 10-k* pr.  I'd been running slow to get fast.  Some heart rate monitor guru said so in a book, so I'd been running slow to get fast, although--to be honest, I didn't think it would work.  It sounds stupid.  Really stupid.  How the heck am I going to get fast by running slow--although, truth be told, while training for my first and only marathon to this point (I've another one coming soon.  I bet you can't wait to find out about it), I trained fast and got slow.

Every now and then, human beings lack the faith necessary to follow through on their plans.  My plan was run slow to run fast.  The theory, espoused by Phil Maffetone in The Big Book of Endurance Training, says that if I run with my heart rate in the aerobic zone, I'll build my aerobic capacity, allowing me to run faster at the same effort and to run faster at faster efforts.  As I said, I didn't really believe it, but I was actually enjoying the more relaxed paces.  It's like running was actually fun.  But I'd lost faith in the concept, despite ample evidence to support it, such as MAF test #3, the details of which I will not bore you, and I thought I'd better test the theory before my half marathon in a couple of weeks.

So I thought Monday would be a good, albeit random, day to set a 10-k pr.

I failed.

Instead I set a 5-k* pr.  It had been so long since I'd really tore loose that the concept of pacing didn't register and I ran a 7:21 first mile, which is fast (for me). Mile 2 was also a little faster than I should have gone.  It was 7:28.  Mile 3 was at 7:31.  These are close to times I was running 1-mile repeats at last January.  I realized after about 2.5 miles that I wouldn't have enough left in the tank for a 10-k pr, so I settled for a 5-k pr of 23:06 (a full 36 seconds faster than I'd ever run the distance befor), jogged a recovery mile, and called it a day.

As it turns out, you can get fast by running slow.  Who knew?

Here's part of the Sunset Dunes running trail in Las Vegas where my historic run took place.

*My current 10-k pr is 48:02.  I plan on breaking that before the end of the year.
*You could argue I actually failed since the plan was to run a 10-k pr.  I don't care.  Nobody was there but me.  Besides, in the Olympics, you can set the 5,000-meter world record during the first half of a 10, 000-meter race and it still counts.  If it's good enough for Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, it's good enough for me.

Heart Rate Monitor Training

My coach, who also happens to be my wife, came up with the ridiculous notion that I shouldn't be completely thrashed after each run. I told her she was stupid (under my breath). I agreed (out loud) and continued thrashing myself for several months, culminating in my earth-shattering 4:13 marathon during which I felt pain in every cell of my body.

All those people behind me eventually passed me.

As the summer temperatures settled around 105 degrees (quite cool for Vegas in the summer) every day, I decided on some cross-training. At the same time, I began reading a book about this middle-aged guy (I'm turning 43 soon) who became this mega-runner/triathlon guy. I have no desire to become a mega-runner/triathlon guy, but I have a strange fascination with mega-runner/triathlon guys. I even have a picture of Dean Karnazes and Scott Jurek naked. (I really don't. I'm just trying to lure visitors to my site and I'm sure "naked picture of Dean Karnazes and Scott Jurek" are immensely popular Google search terms.)

As I was reading the book (an incredibly tantalizing book review is coming up (the guys name is Rich Roll (I'm not kidding))), he talked about how his endurance training began with using a heart rate monitor. Even though he was used to busting out 2-hour runs all out 3-4 times per week, his coach would make him run without allowing his heart rate to exceed 140 beats per minute. He protested because all he could do were 10-minute miles. Before long, however, he was able to run 7-minute miles with the same energy output.

I love gadgets.  I now own a heart rate monitor.

I've used it twice and its excruciatingly tough, tough to the tune of 11-minute miles. It's kind of nice though. I'm not thrashed like my wife/coach tells me I shouldn't be (which leaves energy for a little night-time exercise, if you know what I'm saying). I could run for hours in the heat at 142 bpm. I have another gadget and more numbers to fiddle with. Since I'm doing P90X 2, I can go all out on those workouts without worried about being too sore to complete my 11-minute mile runs (I'm giving it 60 days and if my efficiency doesn't improve, I'm ditching the new gadget).

At my next marathon, I'll be as happy as this 80-year-old who narrowly defeated me last time.

Utah Valley Marathon Race Review

Editor's Note: The URL for this blog is nottooslowforboston.blogspot.com.  The author's time for the Utah Valley Marathon is 58 minutes away from being fast enough for the Boston Marathon.  This is probably not the first time you've been mislead by Internet claims.
Let’s start with the good. I finished. It took 4:12:54. It was about 23 minutes more than my goal time and about half the field passed me in the last three miles, but I didn’t care and I still don’t care. I was extremely happy when I finished and I’m extremely happy now.

I'm awesome

That being said, it definitely was not a peak performance. I made a lot of mistakes.

• I'm too fat.  183 pounds is a good weight for regular people, but not for marathoners (I'm 5 feet, 10 inches).
• I started out too fast. Not a huge surprise, since everyone starts out too fast in their first marathon. The crazy thing is I consciously tried not to go out too fast, but I did. 
• The race start area was a bit chaotic. Between port-a-pottie lines and U-hauls backing up and buses barreling up the canyon, I was completely out of my routine. 
• I was having stomach issues. Part of the pre-race chaos stemmed from stomach issues, issues caused by nerves. It was my first marathon, after all. 
• I got no sleep the night before. The last bus left at 4:15. I went to bed at 9:30. I left my bed at 10:30. I went back to bed at 11:30. I stared at the ceiling until midnight. I woke up at 1:00 A.M. I stared at the ceiling for 15 minutes. I woke up again at 2:00 A.M. I stared at the ceiling for 15 minutes. I woke up at 2:55 A.M. I never fell back asleep. 
• I didn’t sleep enough the entire week. My mama was in town (I'm blaming my slow performance on my mom?  That's weak). It was the last week of school, a hectic time for teachers. 
• I didn’t drink enough the day before. When you’re driving from Las Vegas to Provo (a 5-hour drive) with five kids (9, 6, 4, 2, 10 months), the last thing you want to do is have to urinate every three miles. For that reason, I drank very little the day before. Even though I drank at every single water stop and multiple times at some, I was still peeing rust afterwards.

There were some other things, out of my control, that may have slowed me down.

• The hills—as one might expect—were a lot more daunting in person than they were on the website elevation profile. 
• There was a headwind. I’ll be honest. The headwind didn’t really bother me, although every other person I’ve talked to who did the race complained about it. I didn’t think much of it. Of course, just because it didn’t bother me doesn’t mean it didn’t slow me down.

More random positives. 

• I’m a competitive person, which is why it’s so surprising how uncompetitive I was during this race. At no time did I ever feel I was competing against anyone but myself. I never tried to real anybody in. I didn’t feel bad after anyone passed me (and there were literally hundreds who did). I was just so appreciative that all those people showed up to support me as I attempted my first marathon. Some even gave me stuff to drink and eat (My Boston Marathon veteran wife, by the way, suggests that if I had been more competitive I wouldn't have embarrassed the family by getting chicked several hundred times). 
• I don’t know who the Utah Marathon Pacers are, but they deserve a hardy pat on the back. I used them at a couple different points to get my legs moving again. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up with them for more than a few miles each time. 
• Whoever decided to put creamsicles at the end of the race deserves an award—a Nobel Prize or something. I ate four of them. And let’s not forget about the chocolate milk people. Heavens to Mergatroid! I chugged about five of those. I also wolfed down a couple of oranges and pounded five or six cups of Powerade.

These are two of my five kids enjoying a delicious creamsicle.

The Actual Race

Miles 1-7. 58:35. This isn’t as fast as it seems. The first seven miles were mostly downhill. I felt good. The top of my foot began to hurt at about mile six.

Miles 8-11. 36:19. Miles 8 and 9 had some serious hills. Once I got over them, I settled in at a pretty good pace. I tried the sideways run for extended periods going up the steeper hills and was pleasantly surprised at its effectiveness.

Miles 12-13. 20:05. I started feeling pretty bad for some reason and slowed down considerably. The curvature of the road didn’t help matters much and there was some hilliness and headwinds. Luckily there were numerous porta-potties set up for the half marathon. The pit stop added a minute-plus to my mile 13 time.

Miles 14-16. 27:18. I stumbled out of the port-a-pottie and felt pretty good. I was at slightly under 1:57 at the halfway point and latched on to the 3:55 pacer for a couple miles. I slowed at mile 16. My right Achilles had started to hurt prior but it had stopped by mile 16. Mile 15 would be my last sub 9-minute mile.

Miles 17-20. 40:30. I had lost the 3:55 pacer by this point and was hurting significantly. I knew if I made it past the last uphill around mile 18 that I would finish. The expected burst at mile 18, unfortunately did not happen.

Miles 21-23. 28:12. Two things occurred as I passed the mile 20 milestone: (1) I ate some Gu and pounded half a banana; (2) The 4:00 pacer jogged by. I had a decision to make. I could either slog it out and finish at around 4:05 or I could go for 4:00 or flame out. I went for the glory. The most enjoyable 2.5 miles occurred here. I felt strong. I felt happy. I had not run into the infamous wall at mile 20 like everyone said I would. I felt myself tire just before the 23-mile mark right before my family cheered me on. Mile 23 would be my final sub 10, 11 or 12-minute mile at 9:55. 

Miles 24-26. 37:50. I hit the wall right after passing the 23-mile mark. Every cell in my body wanted to quit. My left quad started cramping up. Half the field passed me. I even stopped to walk two times for about a 100 yards. But I kept going. I was too tired to do anything but set one foot in front of the other. I knew I was going to finish and I no longer cared how long it would take. The words of Dean Karnazes inspired me forward: “If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. Just don’t quit.” Luckily, I didn’t have to crawl. Both walks were very short. I took short strides to prevent the quad from locking up.

This is mile 23. That's my baby on the right.

The last .35. 4:19. You can strategize all you want about running tangents and all that crap, but putting it into practice is a different story; hence, I ran 26.35 miles. There were two chutes at the end. Those who ran the half marathon to the left; those who ran the marathon to the right. When I entered the right hand chute, I was the beneficiary of a burst of energy and a sense of exhilaration that I do not recall ever experiencing. I could have cared less about my goal time, who beat me, whom I beat, who was watching. I raised my arms triumphantly, crossed the finish line, bent over (I may have wept for a few seconds), and shouted as I pulled at my shirt. I couldn’t believe I had actually finished. I was just so proud to have accomplished a goal that had been in the back of my mind for over 15 years.

I did reach one goal. I had never finished in the top half of a race before. I was 866 out of over 2,059 entrants. I finally finished above the mediocrity line. Next time I’ll finish in the top half of my age group.  

Looks like I'm still running from mediocrity. 

June 9, 2012 Utah Valley Marathon Preview

The Course

The marathon starts at about 6200 feet and ends at about 4800 feet. For those of you not skilled in math, this means much of the course is downhill. I’ve done quite a bit of training on hills—uphill and downhill. I’ve matched the degree of descent as best I could on training runs. Because I run up before I run down in training runs, the marathon course is much faster than what I’ve been running, so my 3:19:09 time in the 22-mile run may not be an accurate indicator of what I can expect to run on June 9.

There are three significant uphills, according to the elevation profile. After a good six mile descent to start, there’s about a mile of flatness and a slight incline for two miles. My long training runs have included a five mile ascent at about mile five, with three of the first five miles downhill. There looks to be a fairly steep, but short (that’s relative) ascent at miles 12 and 16. Miles 18-26.2 are mostly downhill. I have been training downhill. The last four miles of my long runs have been downhill. Every other mile of most of my shorter runs and some of my tempo runs have been downhill.

The only thing I haven’t prepared for is the altitude. I remember running at 6200 feet last June and I thought I was going to die for the first half mile, which was uphill. Once the descent started, it was all good. I’m going to head up to Mt. Charleston next week, and run six miles downhill from about 7700 feet to get a feel for the start of the race. Does anyone want to come pick me up afterwards and drive me back to my car?

The Weather

The average high at the start in Wallsburg, Utah is in the high 70s. Since the race begins at six in the morning, I won’t be dealing with the high temperature. I’m guessing it’ll be closer to fifty degrees at the start—a little chilly for this desert dweller, but better than heat stroke temperatures. By the time I finish in downtown Provo, it will probably be in the 70s, barring an unfortunate heat wave. Since the run is in a canyon, I’m guessing there’ll be ample shade. I’ve run a 10-miler here before there but I don’t remember it too well, other than it was very enjoyable.

The Scenery

Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon

Provo Canyon is beautiful.

Marathon Plan

I have slightly less than four weeks to go before the marathon. I’ve come up with a race-day plan. Those of you with more experience are welcome to chime in and offer your advice.

Race Strategy

I will drink water or Powerade at every single stop. I’m considering bringing electrolyte tablets just in case. There’s Gu at certain stops too, but I’m going to bring a couple with me in case they run out. I finished my 22-mile run at a 9:02 pace. All I needed to do was finish the remaining 4.2 miles in 41 minutes to break four hours. I could have done it, although it was tough going and I took a few short walk breaks the last few miles.

Because the actual marathon course is faster, more scenic, and cooler, I’d be very disappointed if I didn’t break four hours, especially considering the extra mental and psychological boost you get from fellow runners. That being said, I’d be OK with a four-hour time. I’d be thrilled with a sub 3:50, ecstatic with a sub 3:40, and out-of-this world delighted with a sub 3:30.

That being said, my official goal is 3:49:15 or 8:45 pace. It's fast enough that I'll finish in the top half of a race, something I've never done, but slow enough that I'll finish alive.

Random Thoughts about Running 20 Miles

In honor of my first ever 20-miler, I find it necessary to create a blog post.  I hope reading this post is less taxing than the 20-mile run.

The overall experience was good.  In fact, I only kind of wanted to get run over by a car at mile 18.  Usually by mile 14 I’m seeking out city buses to jump in front of or to get in.  The long run also gave me some ideas on how to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  They include:

• Run the last 10 kilometers in under 12 minutes.
• Ride the last 10 kilometers on a motorcycle.
• Ride the entire 26.2 miles on a bicycle.

I’d like to pass along some suggestions for others attempting to run 20 miles.  I’ve done it once, so that makes me an expert.

• Don’t be a time hero.  During the previous week-and-a-half, I’d run 11 miles at an 8:15 pace and felt good about my ability to traverse semi-long distances at a pace that would give me a sub 3:40 marathon.  There’s a big difference between 20 and 11 (9 for those not good at math) and I decided to run at a relaxed pace.  You’ll never guess what happened.  I actually enjoyed myself and was able to run the last couple miles at a much faster pace than anticipated.
• Don’t be a slug either.  I had no time goals other than not to run a single mile in over 9:45, with the exception of refueling miles for which I allowed myself an additional 14 seconds. I succeeded, running a 9:47 and a 9:49 on refueling miles and only exceeding 9:30 a couple times on the rest.  Most were under 9 minutes.
• Consume liquids and liquidy solids.  The high temperature for the day was 98 so I headed out before it got too warm.  I also heard that dehydration was bad so I hid water in strategic locations along the way and put three packets of that gooey gel stuff, which, by the way, is intolerable if you have no water to drink afterwards.

Part of my route took place on a mile-and-a-half loop at Sunset Park where a race was taking place.  I was running in the opposite direction of the racers, which I’m sure proved irritating to many but fun for me.  If you’ve never experienced a race in this manner I highly recommend it.  It allowed me to shout words of encouragement and jokes at the participants, who despite my fun banter still looked irritated.  

I ran the last quarter-mile on the loop in the same direction as the racers but ran around the finishing gate for fear race directors would handcuff me and drag me off to jail.  Nobody seemed to care that I had already run 16 miles but were overjoyed when anyone finished their little 3.1-mile trot and were irritated by my mere presence even though I’d arrived much earlier than they.

Other random thoughts:

• The only thing better than finding a five-dollar bill in your running shorts is looking at your Garmin and realizing you’ve gone seven miles and not six.
• I was happy to see my wife and four of my kids (Trenton slept in) at mile 11 to cheer me on.
• My three pair of running shows cost me approximately $235.  Of course, I wore the ones that cost $15.  They're the best shoes I've ever had.  Too bad they're discontinued.
• There’s nothing like the post long run buzz the next day.  I was a little tired, a little stiff, a little sore, and a little buzzed with confidence and accomplishment.
• My current strategy for the actual marathon is to run the first 20 in about 2:50 and hold on for dear life in hopes of breaking 3:45.  The course is downhill most of the way.
• I have at least one more 20-plus miler planned.  I’m looking to go 23, 3-4 weeks before the event and then taper with maybe a 15-miler 2-and-a-half weeks out.  I may rethink my time goal.
• As I said, the marathon course is primarily downhill and I’ve been working on my downhill form.  I’ve become quite efficient by shortening my stride, lifting my heels, and letting gravity do the work without having to brake with my quads.  It’s led to a substantial reduction in pace without causing damage to my legs or making me winded. I’m rattling off 7:00 to 7:30 miles on slight downhills without an appreciable increase in effort which makes me think I can nudge my marathon time under 3:40.   Obviously I wouldn’t be tearing down hills at a 7:00-pace but I don’t think running some at 7:45-8:00 minute pace is out of the question, even on a long, long run.  On the other hand, I just might be conservative and go for something under four hours.

I’m open to suggestions.

Does Running Make You Fat?

Many people run to lose weight. Sounds good, in theory. Some people enter a race in hopes of ramping up their training in order to lose weight. I got down to a svelte 177 and began training for a marathon. I figured it wouldn't take too long to get down to 170, maybe 165 and just start tearing it up. Four months later, I'm up to 184.

Similar things happened when I trained for my first half marathon. I began at a non-svelte 204 and finished the race at 211. You think running a half marathon is hard when you're in shape, try running one when you're a freaking beached whale.

In short, I need to stop running in order to lose weight. As it turns out, no matter how far you run, you can't eat a bowl of ice cream every half-hour and not pay a price.

Before Marathon Training-December 2011

After Marathon Training - March 2012

Secrets to Running Farther

The following are secrets to running your longest distance ever. My longest distance before Thursday was 13.1 miles.  Here are some secrets to success on how I accomplished a run of 15 miles.

1. Don't actually run the entire distance.  I stopped at 13.23 miles.  That's where my car was.  I was tired.  I drove the remaining 1.75.  It was the fastest pace of the entire "run."
2. If you're attempting to run the longest distance of your life, make sure you map your route so you reach the "I just want this freaking run to end" portion of the run right when you pass your nice, comfortable car.
3. It's best to try your really long runs when you have a cold.  It produces great snot rockets.
4. Water is for wusses! (I'm in Vegas and we do funny things to the water before handing it out at races)
5. Whatever you do, drink very little water the entire day before a long run, especially if you're running in the afternoon and the temperature's higher than it's been in months.
6. Add lots and lots of hills.  There's no sense in doing the longest run of your life if you can't make it challenging.
7. Run at a fast pace.  I ran it over 30 seconds per mile slower than my half marathon from two weeks ago and over a minute slower than my 10-k pace and look where that got me--at my car with 1.75 miles to go.



You ever felt like this?

8. Make sure you have to drive your daughter and her friends across town within an hour of finishing your run.  That way you can get your body accustomed to making life and death decisions while being semi-delirious.

+++++++++

Although I failed in my quest for 15 miles, I'm OK. Part of training is realizing what an idiot you are and correcting the idiocies before the actual race.  I've run two half marathons in 12 days, 2 more than I'd run in four years and the two fastest I've ever run.  I also threw in a pr 10-k in between along with an awesome head cold.  Technically, the marathon training program has yet to begin.  

I've plenty of work to do.

I Am the Fastest Man Alive and a Big Fan of Hyperbole!

There's no magic bullet for running faster.  It doesn't happen overnight.  It does happen, but it takes work.  It's the results of an accumulation of doing the little things daily.

+++++

10 kilometers, 6.2 miles, the perfect race distance.  It's long enough to make you work.  It's short enough that there's no risk of bowel-movement-while-running syndrome.  I'm not much of a racer.  The last 5 races I have entered, not including Ragnar, have been between 6 and 6.2 miles.  I finished near the end of most of them.

Up until last summer, the best time I'd raced at the magic distance was around 55 minutes.  Last summer, I raced it in just over 53 minutes.  I then lowered it by a minute-plus, 52:19 at the beginning of the year, over five minutes less than the year before.

++++++

I have a magic mile pace as well.  It's eight minutes/mile.  I'd never actually run that pace for more than a 5-k.  That did not, however, stop me from calculating all my race/fast run goals for that pace for the last 10 years.

This is what makes the Qualify for Boston Goal so ridiculous.  It's four times longer than my favorite distance at 45 seconds/mile faster than my magic-mile pace that I've never achieved...until now.

+++++

I headed for the park after work on Friday and rattled off a 48:02 10-k.  That's a 7:45/mile pace.  I ran on a 1.5-mile track at the Sunset Regional Park in Henderson/Las Vegas.  As I finished the first lap, I peaked at my Garmin.  It read 11:38.  I nearly soiled myself in surprise, which would have negated my previous theory on running 10-ks.  I was under 23:00 after the second lap. The first 5-k was run in 23:38, the fastest 5-k I've ever run by nearly a minute.

At this point, I had a pretty good notion it was going to be a good, fast (in relative terms) run.  I slowed a little, running the second half in 24:24, the second fastest 5-k I've ever run.

I AM THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE!

So the question is, how can someone take nearly six minutes off a 10-k time in a little over six months?

Here's what I did:

1. Improved conditioning.  I did this through cross-training.  I began with P90X.  I then went with Insanity.  I ran five times between July and December.  The fifth time led to a strained soleus.  There was a little Plantar Fasciitis mixed in.  I love cortisone.  I didn't really start running as a primary exercise until January 2.  Happy New Year!
2. Lost weight.  It helps not lugging around an extra 20 pounds.
3. Ran hills.  I really have no choice.  If I'm going to run near my house or near my work, there will be hills.
4. Ran fast.  I've only actually done three speed workouts, mostly mile repeats.  I hate them.
5. Did double workouts.  Getting up at 5:00 a.m. kind of sucks.  Working out again at 2:30 in the afternoon kind of sucks.  Setting a PR doesn't suck.

Going Forward

I enjoyed my accomplishment for a day or two, just like I enjoyed the half-marathon I ran under 1:50 last week, but as I said then, There's work to do.  Running a 10-k at 7:45/mile is no where close to running a marathon at a 7:15/mile pace.

• Speed work.  This is where the money is.  In addition to doing mile repeats, I'm going to add some 800 and 400 intervals.  I need to get more serious about these workouts if I'm going to get faster.
• Long runs early.  Technically my marathon training doesn't begin until the end of February. I've already run 13.1.  I plan on going 16-18 by the end of this month, slow.  I want to get the distance up and maintain it, so I can concentrate on speed.
• Double workouts.  Running at 5:00 A.M. twice per week followed by Insanity workouts in the afternoon have paid dividends.
• Rest on Sundays.  As always, give the Lord His due and He'll give you all the strength you need.

For the first time, I believe I have an unrealistic chance at this (unrealistic is a step up from impossible).

The Ingredients for Runner's High

It had been a while since I'd had a really strong run.  Last Thursday I was finally feeling healthy and decided to head outdoors for a 10-mile jaunt.  The first 3.5 miles were uphill.  It didn't matter.  I was still enjoying myself.

Then I got to turn around.

For the first 3.5 miles, I had hills for lunch.  Going down them was dessert.  I reached a point about four miles in where I was enjoying myself--perhaps 'enjoying' isn't the right word--and could only smile.  The only time I'd ever smiled uncontrollably while running was the time a sixty-year-old passed me and immediately tripped with a little help from my left foot.  I'm just kidding (it was my right foot).  Anyhow, smiling uncontrollably and running ten miles aren't usually synonymous.  But they were.  This state of bliss lasted for about 2.5 miles when I made the mistake of looking at my watch and realized I still had four miles to go.

Those four miles happened to be the fastest four miles of my life.  Go figure.

Recipe for Runner's High (I'm not an expert by the way)

• Don't get run over by a car.
• Run downhill.
• Wear underwear to prevent chafing.

Putting things in perspective

• I ran 10 miles in 83:24, an 8:22 pace.
• That's a faster pace than I was running 5-ks a year ago.
• I ran the last mile in 7:45 on a flat surface, the fastest of the 10 miles, which tells me there was plenty left in the tank.
• The slowest mile was 9:20 going uphill, which tells me I'm slower going uphill than downhill.  Who would have guessed?
• I'm still more than a minute/mile slower than my Boston qualifying pace.
• I've made a lot of progress but there's a lot more work to do.

Go me!

*****

Other notes: I'm getting faster.  I ran five miles this morning faster than I'd ever run five miles.  My mind needs to accept that I can run even faster before it happens.  I'm excited for the marathon and excited about my training.  I'm excited my wife is hot.

What did I get myself into?

I loved my Monday morning run so much that I did it again on Tuesday.  I did a Max Insanity video Monday and Tuesday afternoon.  I had planned on an easy day today but changed my  mind.  I lifted weights in the morning and did mile repeats in the afternoon.

What was I thinking?

I had never done mile repeats before.  I had no idea what to expect.  Now I know.  I only did two of them and if I can maintain that pace for an additional 24.2 miles with no rest in between, I'll almost qualify for Boston.  Nothing has ever seemed more impossible.

****
Workout Update

My body is handling the increased work load quite well.  I altered my original schedule to accommodate my new found love of morning runs.  Tomorrow (Thursday) will be an actual rest day.  I'm sleeping in and doing some kind of Yoga in the afternoon.  I'm going eight miles on Friday morning, which means I'll have to get up at 4:30.  I'll work out back and biceps on Saturday and call it a week unless I feel like strengthening my core.  That'll make 21 miles for the week with a couple of serious fitness workouts and some weights.

The 2 months of Insanity has prepared my body well for the training I'll need to do for the upcoming 26.2 miles of insanity.

My good friend over at Feet Meet Street (When I say ‘friend,’ I don’t mean actual friend. I’ve never even met the guy.  I think he’s a teacher and if we worked at the same school, we could be friends), talks about how setting goals helps us realize just how colossal our failures are. Funny stuff.

But is it true?

As the URL of this wonderful blog suggests, I have set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. When I started training, months before I started the blog, I had no notion of qualifying for Boston. I just felt it would be a good time to run a marathon. As I lost weight and got faster (mostly through cross training), I thought it would be a great idea to set a ridiculous goal: qualify for Boston. To find out just how ridiculous this goal is, just check out this listing of my qualifications.

Yesterday, my first semi-serious run after the strained soleus, while recovering from a minor chest cold, I ran 6.2 miles (Technically, I ran 6.45. I stopped after the first ¼-mile to forcefully discharge phlegm, walked back, and started over). I finished that 6.2-mile run 11 seconds faster than my fastest time ever. Now you would think that’d be accompanied by fist pumps and jumping jacks. Not the case. It was so much slower than the time I would need to even have a slight chance of qualifying for Boston that I was upset.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

It’s bad in the sense that I should have at least given myself a pat on the back for running faster (nearly a full minute faster per mile than I ran a 10-k in June). It’s good in the sense that without a ridiculously stupid goal, I would not have improved my times as much. In addition, because there’s so much more improvement needed, there’s little chance for complacency.

So, yes goals do help us realize just how colossal are our failures, but they help us fail less than we would have unknowingly failed otherwise.

*************

12 goals for 2012

1. Finish the Utah Valley Marathon in less than 4 hours. I realize this goes against the blog’s URL.
2. Finish the Utah Valley Marathon in less than 3.75 hours. So does this.
3. Finish the Utah Valley Marathon in less than 3.50 hours. And this.
4. Finish the Utah Valley Marathon in less than 3.25 hours and qualify for Boston. I can have multiple goals for the same event and there’s nothing you can do about it.
5. Run the River Mountain Loop. That’s a 35-mile extremely hilly route that goes around the River Mountains, adjacent to Lake Mead, in Southern Nevada.
6. Run the River Mountain Loop without dying.
7. Drop an additional 15 lbs. I currently weigh 180. 180 pounds is the least I’ve weighed on New Year’s Day since I was in the 7^th grade. I’m estimating that 165 pounds would be a better running weight to have any shot at goals 3 and 4. It would also make goals 1 and 2 less painful and more likely.
8. Finish paying off my student loan. We actually had this goal for 2011. We hammered out ¾ of it last year. It’ll be done by March. What does this have to do with qualifying for the Boston Marathon? Not much. But there are some applicable principles between the two: (1) Consistent effort produced big results; (2) The goal provided motivation to work more; (3) I ate a lot of pasta.
9. Attract more visitors to my blog. If you’re reading this then the goal’s been accomplished.
10. The last three deal with my relationship with God and all that stuff that makes me a better father, husband, person, and runner—things like prayer, serving others, developing charity, not murdering walkers who travel three abreast on mountain trails and don’t move when I politely yell “passing on the left,” and studying divinely inspired writings. These are actually goals 1-3, not 10-12 but this is a running blog and not a religious one so I put them at the end.

Bulletin Board Material

This excerpt from Benjamin Cheever's Strides: Running Through History with an Unlikely Athlete got me thinking about bulletin board material, motivation and when we need it most:

"And swiftly indeed did they run, for the prize was no mere beast for sacrifice or bullock's hide, as it might be for a common foot-race, but they ran for the life of Hector.  Three times they ran around the city, and then Hector stood to fight.  He lost, of course. Everybody lost to Achilles...Then Achilles tied Hector's dead body to a chariot and dragged it back and forth before the walls of the city.   

And you have to think that if Hector had known this was going to happen, he might have lost those last five pounds, taken the necessary days off, and done his interval work."

That got me thinking about motivation.  When did Hector need the motivation to run harder (yes, I know Cheever's account is rife with satire; just play along)?  It certainly wasn't when Achilles chased him with a spear. It certainly wasn't when his life was on the line.  He needed the motivation while training to fight.

That got me thinking about bulletin board material.  Quite often before a big sporting event, some idiot will run his mouth about how much better his team is than the other team.  Then the media gets a hold of it and claims that the aforementioned idiot gave the other team "bulletin board material," suggesting that the insulted team's coach is going to post the insult on the bulletin board so his entire team can see it, providing the necessary motivation to win the game.  That's dumb.

You mean to tell me that athletes need extrinsic motivation to play hard during the Super Bowl, Conference Championship Game or the annual rivalry game with State University?   These athletes need motivation in the off season, when there's no one watching, when nobody cares, when there is no immediate reward for playing well or playing hard.  That's when bulletin board material would help.  Everyone plays hard once the contest begins.  Everyone runs hard once the race begins.

That got me thinking about the Marathon (or any race of import).  Few runners have trouble getting out of bed on race day.  Few runners have trouble getting started when the gun goes off.  Few runners find trouble running hard when passed going up a hill.  Few runners, unfortunately, achieve anything close to their potential.  Why?  Because it's not the race that determines greatness or success.  It's the race preparation.

Few runners love getting up early for the daily training run.  Few runners relish the first 100 yards on a cold morning running alone.  Few runners are willing to power up a hill when there's no one to pass and no one to hold off.  This is when we need the bulletin board material.  This is when we need the motivation.

What's my bulletin board material?  Everyone who tells me I can't qualify for Boston.  So far, that would be everyone except my wife.  I'm not even convinced I can do it.  I even called myself out in my blog, printed it out and posted it on my bulletin board.

Whatever it takes.

What's your bulletin board material?

Revolutionary Marathon Strategy and a Double Plyo Debut

I'm not sure why I'm able to do 80 minutes of high intensity plyometrics without any pain in my calf when running four miles makes me feel like someone implanted a tennis ball in my lower leg.

Because of my calf injury, my unconventional training methods are being put to the test immediately.  For those who may not remember my training philosophy and my problem with traditional marathon training methods, I've approached the marathon in a completely different manner.  I'm only running three days per week.  One day is reserved for long runs.  One day is reserved for an easy run.  One day is reserved for an intermediate distance run.

Two days, however, are devoted to high intensity cross training.  Just in case the calf never heals I'm going to cross train my way 26.2 miles.  Here's a list of exercises:

• Mile 1 - Heisman.  This involves bringing the right knee to the chest, hand out like a Heisman Trophy, followed by the left knee.  Repeat until mile is over.
• Mile 2 - Jumping Jacks.  Do not run next to me.  You will get punched and punched hard.
• Mile 3 - Plank Walk.  Get in push up position, perpendicular to the course.  Walk on hands and toes to the side for a mile.
• Mile 4 - Power Jumps.  Jump vertical.  Bring knees above the waste to hit your hands.  Get in my way and I'll bring knees to your face.
• Mile 5 - Reverse Squat Jumps. Start in the squat position, core tight, hands in front.  Do a 180 jump, landing in the squat position.

OK, you get the point.  Maybe I should just hope the calf recovers.

Other than pulling a calf muscle and having to limp the last two miles, not being able to run again for another month, and severely diminishing what slim hopes I had for qualifying for Boston at the Utah Valley Marathon in June, it was an excellent start to my marathon training.

After the Showdown at Sundown Intermediate Triathlon in March, I spent from April until now getting in the best shape of my life.  3.85 miles into my first serious marathon training run I pulled everyone's favorite calf muscle, the soleus.

I am in good shape though.  I specifically chose a difficult six-mile run, the one I used to train for the triathlon and for Ragnar.  If I would have been able to continue--it was 2.1 miles downhill from the highest point of the run when I had to stop--I would have finished in about 50 minutes, not even close to qualifying standards, but about six minutes faster than my fastest time ever on that run.  Not bad.

I never felt tired.  When I stopped I wasn't really even breathing hard.  Not sure what to do from here.  I guess swimming and biking are an option, but what I really need to do is log some miles.

Guaranteed Way to Set a Marathon World Record

I read somewhere that for every pound a runner loses, he can drop five seconds off his per mile pace.  That got me thinking...

My last 5-k was run in 24:37.  I did an Internet search and found this calculator that uses a ridiculously complicated formula created by someone who didn't go to UNLV and I discovered I could probably run a marathon in 3:54, which is about a 9-minute pace, which means if I lost 120 lbs, I would finish the marathon about a half-hour before it started.

Bulimia never sounded this good!

Me in about seven months

Getting Ready for Utah

I have two goals for the Utah Valley Marathon on June 9: (1) Finish the darn thing; (2) Run it in 3:15 or less. I know I can accomplish #1. I have no idea if I can accomplish #2.

I haven’t entered a ton of races. I do not plan on entering any races between now and June 9. I don’t need a bib or a timing chip or a t-shirt that will be converted into an emergency baby clean up rag. And I certainly don’t need to fork over $30. It would be nice to have an aide station every couple miles on the long runs, but a bottle of water and a bush should do the trick. 

I'll use a different bush to urinate.

My goal to run a marathon at a pace I have never even, up to this point, run a 5-k sounds ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as having a phone that takes pictures sounded 20 years ago.

I created my training schedule with the following philosophies

1. Positivity. Change the way I think about myself. If I hold onto the belief that I am slow, then I am slow. If I start thinking of myself as fast, I am fast.  At least that's what my MLM buddies tell me.
2. Running too much is not fun. I want to have fun.  
3. Running three times a week is fun. I want to have fun.
4. Intensity! Intensity! Intensity! I’m using Insanity in place of interval runs, tempo runs and hill repeats.  I'm going back-to-back workouts, followed by puking.  I'm considering doing the Insanity program, but instead of one disc, I'll do the same disc twice each day.  Now that I've written that out, that might be the single stupidest idea I've ever come up with.
5. Rest is necessary. In addition to a couple rest and recovery type workouts each week, there is a rest and recovery week every month. By rest and recovery, I mean reducing physical stress when necessary, not watching The Cosby Show and snacking on peanut butter Captain Crunch.
6. Injuries suck. See above.  The key to not getting injured is not getting injured.
7. Flab is the enemy. I’ve already dropped about 25 pounds.  
8. A schedule keeps one accountable. My workout calendar is completed up until March 6. I’m flexible.  It's ambitious.  So am I.  So was Mussolini, though.
   
   

The Problem with Traditional Training Programs

I am not trashing traditional marathon training programs. They, however, have trashed me. 

I made my own schedule. It follows the same principles as a traditional program, without all the nerdy runner jargon that only people who can run a fast marathon understand anyhow:

If you wish to run YOUR FASTEST MARATHON EVERRRRRRRRRR, you must not only do long runs and easy runs, you must do fartleks and tempo runs and tempo runs at your 5-k pace and tempo runs at your half marathon pace and tempo runs at your 5-k pace, but only on the second cloudy day following a new moon in months ending in ‘Y’ or beginning with an ‘M.” And don’t forget the 3 x 1200s and the 8 x 100s, and the 4 x 400s, and the Yasso 800s and the 1600 walk-on-your hands while blowing your nose in a windstorm half sprint at your 1-mile pace. 

Don’t get me started on hill repeats. Seriously? You want me to sprint up a hill, walk down it, and sprint up it again?

This is the only hill I'm repeating!

I’m not doing that.

I’m doing one long run per week until I do at least one run of 20 miles or more and 1 or 2 easy runs ranging from 3-8 miles. That’s all the running I’m doing. And I’m cross training. Intense cross training. Cross training that will make running seem like a day off. Cross training that will have me near puking…in the warm-ups.

If I ever figure out how to upload documents onto this blog, I’ll upload my training schedule. If you notice my schedule isn’t uploaded and you know how to do it, let me know.

Welcome!

Find out how a slow-footed, ordinary guy with five children can qualify for the Boston Marathon. 

The how-to part is quite simple. The Boston Marathon organizers establish qualifying times and qualifying marathons in order to participate in their marathon. If one’s marathon time is at or below the qualifying time and if one’s qualifying time occurs at one of Boston’s qualifying marathons, and if you get your registration in before the deadline, you’re in. Quite simple.

Not that easy.

The fastest 5-k time I’ve ever run is 24:37. I did it yesterday (November 14, 2011). That’s an average pace of 7:56.45 minutes per mile. Needless to say, I was quite pleased with myself. Five kilometers, or 3.1 miles, however, is much shorter than a marathon. It would have been impossible for me to keep up the sub-8:00 mile pace for over 26 miles.

But let’s pretend I could. Let’s pretend that I can run a marathon at slightly slower than my 5-k pace. We’ll make the math simple and round my pace time up to 8:00. A marathon run at an 8-minute per mile pace would require just under 3:30 to complete, an accomplishment certainly worth celebrating. There’s one problem, though: The qualifying time for a 43-year old man is 3:15. That’s 15 minutes less than my impossible to maintain 5-k pace would allow. Damn!

That’s a sub 7:30/mile pace. For 26.2 miles. I’ve never even done that for 3.1 miles.

Oh, by the way, I’ve never actually run a marathon. Another minor detail I might need to address. So all that talk about marathoners hitting a wall and the necessity of training yourself to run long distances and the need to hydrate is…in my case, just talk. I have run a few half marathons, the last one back in 2007, and an Olympic distance triathlon in March of 2010 and 2011, but I’ve never run a marathon.

In short, in order to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I need to complete a race twice as long as the longest distance I’ve ever run at a pace I’ve never run at even 1/10 the distance. Simple.

Step 1: Sign up for a qualifying marathon.

This step was pretty easy. In fact, I’d already done it before I even hatched this crazy plan of qualifying for Boston, which happened before I thought of writing a blog about it. I’ll be running the Utah Valley Marathon on June 9, 2012, which according to marathon organizers is the fastest Boston qualifier in the spring. That’s not why I signed up for it. I signed up for it because it’s about a five-hour drive from my house. I have relatives who live nearby. I’m a school teacher. School gets out June 8. Do I know how to celebrate or what?

If I had thousands of dollars at my disposal, I could hire a psychologist to analyze why I decided to qualify for Boston. He or she would probably indicate the fastest spring marathon planted the idea in my mind and my mind just ran with it. In addition, the aforementioned hypothetical psychologist might suggest I’m crazy. After all, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve never run this distance. I’ve never run a fast enough pace at any distance.

I’m doing it anyways.

Today is November 14. The marathon is June 9. That gives me just under seven months to get in 3:15 marathon shape. Did I mention my five children? It takes a lot of time to care for five children. My wife would probably appreciate some assistance.

I can at least use the “I’m only doing Yasso 800s today, dear, because I’m writing a book to support our family” excuse.

This quest will not be the central focus of my life. My family will be. I’m not going to log 50 miles of running per week. I’m not going to go out and buy all the fanciest equipment. I’m not going to spend my weekends running in every event I can find. Heck, I’ve already forked over the $79 for the Utah Valley Marathon. That's enough.

I don’t have a coach either. Don’t need one.

I'm going with an unconventional training plan. More on that soon.