Win a Free Trip to Vegas and an Entry into the 2013 Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Marathon

I live in Las Vegas.  I don’t gamble. When I say I don’t gamble, I’m serious. I haven’t stepped in a casino in years unless I’m headed to the buffet. I love sports, but don’t bet them. When March comes around and people are filling out brackets, I keep mine in my office drawer and keep my money. Raffles? No thanks. 

Only idiots buy lottery tickets.

This will all be mine some day!

On Monday, I officially became an idiot. But I’m not a gambler. In fact, not buying the lottery ticket would have been the real gamble. I’ll explain.

My coworker was planning an excursion to Arizona to “invest” in Powerball tickets. If any of those tickets were to win, everyone would receive a proportional amount of the winnings, so when my colleague approached me about the investment, I initially said no. Then I realized that if the winning ticket were purchased by my coworker, I would work at a place where everyone but me was a millionaire. That would ruin my life. So I bought a ticket as  life insurance.

And if we win? I guess we can all quit our second jobs.

And if we win, I'll hold a random drawing for anyone who follows me (those are good odds, by the way, much better than the odds of us actually winning the lottery, since I have very few followers). The lucky winner will receive a round trip flight to Vegas a 5-night hotel stay, and a paid entry into the LV Marathon in December 2013.

I don't exactly know when this drawing is, but I'll probably know if I win since I'll be the only one at work the next day.

Hopefully, the water won't be tainted this year.  Nothing sucks more than hard core vomiting and violent diarrhea after running 26.2.

The Miracle of Heart Rate Monitor Training: Really Big Free Half Marathon Review

Some thoughts on the Really Big Free Half Marathon at Lake Mead in Nevada

The Miracle of Heart Rate Monitor Training

I read a book about a middle-aged guy who wanted to get in shape and complete amazing feats of endurance. To build his endurance he started training with a heart rate monitor, keeping his heart rate in the aerobic range. The slowness of his training runs frustrated him. But it worked.

I did a little research on the topic and came across The Big Book of Endurance Training by Phil Maffetone. It talked about building an aerobic base by running with your heart rate in the aerobic zone. I was convinced. It was frustrating at first because I was running 2-3 minutes slower per mile than I was used to. After about a month I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of running slow, so I participated in The Boring Runner’s Virtual Sweat Your Thorns Off 5-k. It was in the high 90s and the course was hilly.

I set a pr.

For two months more I ran at my aerobic heart rate. I set another 5-k pr. The question that remained, however, is would it work at longer distances. I had to wait a month to find out. The Really Big Free Half Marathon was coming up.

I set a pr.

The Results

Official Time: 1:49:13
Overall: 85/1119
Men: 63/437
Age Group: 11/67

I’ll put this in perspective. This is the first time I’ve finished in the top half of men and top half of age group. My best overall finish before Saturday was 866 out of 2100.

What I Really Liked about the Experience

• I passed so many people during the last half of the course. Usually it's the other way around.
• I felt really good when I finished. Usually, I'm about to implode by mile 13.
• Did I mention I finished in the top 100. That means I could have gone out with the first wave and not finished in last.
• I saw some acquaintances and friends. I never run with friends. OK, I don't really have any friends.

The Significance of this PR

I can’t put into words how awesome I feel about this result. On the surface, I only improved my half-marathon pr by 42 seconds, no big deal. Consider, however, the following.

My unofficial pr was exactly 13.1 miles; that is, as soon as the Garmin said 13.1, I stopped. 13.1 at the end of the RBHM was 1:48:22, over a minute-and-a-half better.

This course was tough. My previous pr included only small hills and six miles on a flat surface.

My training was…enjoyable. Most of my training runs were slow and enjoyable. In the four months leading up to the race, I ran “fast” about six times.

The Race

The race began with a steep half-mile incline, one which I’d run many, many times. I knew once I got to the top of the hill and turned right I’d have a nice half-mile downhill. I made darn sure I didn’t overdo it for the first mile. I kept checking my heart rate monitor to make sure that didn’t happen. The next 2.5 miles were hilly—more up then down—and I made sure my heart rate didn’t get out of control. This took patience and discipline. After three miles I was at 26:40, about on pace with what I wanted to run the first half. This was good news insomuch that I hadn’t expended much effort. It was bad news because the most difficult part of the race elevation wise was the next three miles.

By the end of mile five (the steepest and slowest mile of the race), I was at 44:15, an 8:51 pace. I had a decision to make. I had to pick it up for the steep 1.5-mile incline if I were to reach my goal. Because I had run this distance twice in the last month, I knew I could finish. In other words, just finishing didn’t matter. It was time to increase the effort. If I crashed and burned, oh well. I got through mile 6 in just under nine minutes, a good accomplishment considering the elevation increase.

I hit the halfway point in 58:07, seven seconds more than I wanted, but well within reach of a pr and accomplishing my race goal. I turned around and began increasing the intensity. I looked at my watch at the eight-mile mark. I had over forty minutes to finish the last 5.1. I smiled. I celebrated by ticking off a 7-minute mile followed by a 7:35-mile. The last two miles had some nasty uphills but I was so close to reaching my goal, I just powered through.

When I reached the turn at the top of the hill with about a half-mile left, I knew, barring a face plant, I had done it. I sprinted with a smile and crossed the finish line in 1:49:13. I let out a hoot, a whoo, high-fived a stranger, made a complete ass out of myself, and sauntered down to Lake Mead.
Mile Splits: 9:24, 8:40, 8:34, 8:18, 9:15, 8:58, 7:46, 7:53, 7:00, 7:35, 7:58, 8:08, 8:11, 1:29 (.24 miles).

Keys to Success
I’ll make this applicable to the four people who read this. Here’s what allowed me to improve.

• Heart Rate Monitor Training.
• Eating Well. Read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, if you want to improve your diet.
• Race Specific Training. The course was changed three weeks before the race. I was familiar with the course and aware of its hilly nature. I also knew there was a similar hill I run regularly, so I jogged up it and sprinted down it (about 2.5 miles one way) to figure out how fast I could run down. I used the results to devise a plan, which I executed perfectly.
• I had a plan and executed it. I didn’t panic because I knew exactly what I had to do to reach my goal.

Race Review

I want to emphasize that the Really Big Free Half Marathon was free. I paid a $50 deposit when I signed up. All I had to do was start the race to get it back.

If you’re into getting a super nice t-shirt and a sensational medal with a bag full of stuff you’ll never use and a half-pound of paper that will never be recycled then you’ll not like this race. If you like spending hundreds of dollars on overpriced merchandise at a race expo, you’ll not like this race. The t-shirts were lame. Did I mention the race was free? The medal was basic. Did I mention the race was free? The food at the end was water, Gatorade, bananas, and oranges. Did I mention the race was free?

I could personally care less about the t-shirt and the medal, and bananas and water is what I normally eat after a race.

If you’re into the camaraderie and motivation that comes with running with others, you’d love this race. If you enjoy running on a beautiful course, you’d love this race.

There were some organizational snafus. The course was changed twice and it started a half-hour late. These are things that the organizers will fix for next year. Did I mention the race was free?

Half Marathon PR

I did exactly what I said I was going to do. 1:49:17.  58:07 out. 51:10 back. Race review coming soon. I bet you can't wait. I'll include some different training I did that helped, if you're interested in such things.

Really Big Free Half Marathon Preview

The Really Big Free Half Marathon is coming up on November 3, 2012 in Henderson, Nevada at beautiful Boulder Beach at Lake Mead.  Those who have been to Boulder Beach know that I just employed sarcasm. The scenery, I’ll admit, is nice.  That’s not sarcasm.  There really are nice views of the lake and surrounding hills. The beach itself is an eyesore.

Why did I sign up for this race?

1. It’s free.  I like free things.  I refuse to pay for races that involve distances I can do on my own fairly easily.  I’m not saying running 13.1 miles is easy.  I’m saying I don’t need the motivation of signing up for a race to do it.
2. It motivated me to keep running over the summer. It’s difficult to run in Las Vegas in the summer on account of shoe-melting summer temperatures.  Knowing I had a race coming up in November got me out the door or on the treadmill more than normal during the summer.
3. It’s free.

How did I train for the race?

I didn’t really train for the race.  I ran.  I’ve done absolutely no speed work and very few tempo runs.  Since July 4, I’ve been running with a heart rate monitor with the sole purpose of increasing my aerobic capacity.  This has produced slower than average running.  That being said, I have set a 5-k pr (twice) since the middle of July.  And I’ve lost 10 pounds.

What is the course like?

There have been three courses so far.  The first course was in Henderson starting near the Henderson Pavilion.  Apparently, race organizers were unable to secure the proper permits and the race was moved to Lake Las Vegas on a ridiculously hilly course, which I’m glad to report was changed to the Lake Mead course, which still has hills but not as bad.

How have my recent 13.1 miles runs gone?

I ran the Lake Las Vegas course a few weeks back on a warm, humid day with tired legs.  The course was brutal.  It took me over 2:04 to finish it.  The course was changed on October 15, a few days after my trial run.  I wasn’t disappointed.  I tried to recreate the new course this past Saturday, although the hills I ran weren’t as steep.  I employed a strategy of keeping my heart rate under 142 for the first 3.5 miles to simulate the flat part of the course.

As the flat part of the run ended, I gradually increased my heart rate to the 150-160 range for about five miles.  Once I reached mile 8, I made sure I didn’t get above 165.  That wasn’t a problem.  I rarely got it above 160.  Once I reached mile 10, I stopped paying attention to heart rate and just ran.  I stayed mostly between 160-168 with an occasional spike to 170.  The last three miles were slightly downhill.  Here’s how the miles looked: 8:36, 9:16, 9:14, 9:02, 8:58, 8:55, 8:32, 8:44, 8:35, 8:37, 8:39, 8:32, 8:17.

Four Possible Strategies

1. The go for broke strategy.  This is the all-out from start to finish, complete the race in under 1:45. This strategy presents the possibility of not finishing, which isn’t that big of a deal since solely completing the distance means little.  That being said, I haven’t trained hard enough for this strategy.
2. Go for a pr strategy.  This would involve mental discipline. It would require going out not too fast on the uphill 6.55-mile first half.  In order to do this I need to have confidence in my downhill running. I am familiar with most of the course and believe if I can reach the half way point in under 58 minutes without getting my heart rate too high, I can knock out the second half in under 52 minutes, breaking my unofficial pr of 1:49:55.
3. Go for the official pr strategy. I honestly don’t remember my official pr. It’s around 1:56 and I ran it the first half of the Utah Valley Marathon last June.  This I could do comfortably.
4. Take it easy strategy. This would involve breaking my previous best half marathon time from nine years ago of 2:02:04. This would be an enjoyable trot through the Lake Mead Recreation Area but nothing to get excited about.
5. I’ve decided on #2. I’ve been running similar hills the past couple weeks and could run the 3-mile downhill right after the halfway point in about 21-22 minutes without killing myself before the last 3.5 miles.  I think with the momentum and the camaraderie, I could knock out that last 3.5 in less than 28 minutes.

Factors that could change my mind include weather. The only weather that would cause me to alter strategy is wind, a possibility on the River Mountain Trail in early November. I don’t foresee the temperature making any difference. I’m used to 80s and sunny. Early November at Lake Mead will be between 50-70 at 7:00 A.M most likely. The narrowness of the trail may play a negative role, especially coming down the hill.  It may also help me not move out too fast the first half.

The race is November 3. If you’re an experienced half-marathoner, let me know what you think.

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Exclusive Interview with Marathon Legend Trent Lorcher

In honor of me signing up for the Utah Valley Marathon, I thought I would share this exclusive interview. My wife shot it. It's exclusive because I finished 866th and the elitist Utah sports media only cares about runners who finish in the top 865.

This video is about a minute long, which is 4 hours and 12 minutes shorter than the marathon (not shown). There is a 30-second clip of me running, but I look so stupid that I felt we'd all be better off for it to remain private.

Note how my two older kids are old enough to not want to hurt my feelings and how the younger kids don't care that I just ran a painful 26.2 miles.  The baby I'm holding is mine.  My accomplishment would have been more impressive if I'd carried her the entire distance. I did not.

Some Benefits of Getting Old

There are some benefits of getting old.  Here are my top two.

1. I'm not dead.
2. I no longer "need" to prove I'm a man by doing some great athletic feat, which is good because I'm not really capable and never have been.

There was a time, however, when I felt it was necessary to prove my manliness while running.

My wife is a runner. She's fast. She's also injured, which means I no longer run with her. And we have five kids. When we were first married, we ran together almost every Saturday, and by together I mean she'd wait up for me.  I, on the other hand, was racing. I beat her twice.  The first time I beat her, she thought I was hurt and ran back to look for me.  I had taken a shortcut.  The second time I chased her down at the end of a five-miler.  She didn't know we were racing...and she was seven months pregnant. 

I used to occasionally enter local races.  One such race occurred on New Year's Day. I don't recall the year. I do recall feeling a tweak in my calf muscle about half way through. I kept going. About six really old guys passed me. I couldn't hold back any longer. I just had to beat the octogenarians, so I sprinted the last mile, injured my calf, and couldn't run for another several months.

Then there were all those morning or afternoon runs in the park or on the streets where I just had to "race" everyone I saw. That's just stupid.

Those people behind me eventually passed me.

Now, I don't care. Maybe it's that completing a marathon gave me the self assurance that I'm good enough or maybe I'm an adult now.  Of course, that doesn't stop me from swimming in alpine lakes for no apparent reason. Looks like I might need to do an Ironman.

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.