Running For Fun? What's That?

Running For Fun?  What’s That?

            I guess I am going to have to find out.  After running, and now recovering from, my first marathon I have been of course looking toward the future.  I immediately began looking for the ‘next race.’  I had tentatively scheduled a Thanksgiving Day race and a New Year’s Day race, a 5K and 5-miler respectively.  Before I actually plopped down the money though I began to wonder if I wanted to get right back into training.  I didn’t.

            From nearly the beginning of my running life I’ve been training for races, 14 in 17 months to be exact.  Granted, not all are marathons or half marathons, but you run differently when you have a time or a pace in mind.  It’s different when you just point your feet and go for the hell of it.  Or so I have heard.

            Turns out that I have really never run just for fun.  I was looking back over time trying to figure out when I had an extended period of just running because I want to, not because I have to.  I could not find one.  Sure, I have had periods where I wasn’t training per se, but it was because I was doing runs to recover from some sort of injury.

            It was a little different I must admit to step on a treadmill (give me a break we turned the clocks back and it’s dark right after I get out of work) and just go.  There was no ‘I need to run sprints,’ no ‘I have to hit 10+ miles.’ No, it was just running at a comfortable speed for a comfortable time.  When I was done I felt great.

            I think every runner at some point reaches the tipping point.  It’s like going back to basics to rediscover why exactly you started running at all.  After getting severely burned out during my 5 months of marathon training a return to the basics of running was just what I needed.  As of right now I plan on running for fun until the end of 2012.  January 1^st will see me start training for my 2^nd Hyannis Half Marathon in late-February.  Until then I will be running because I want to.  Granted I will do long runs, sprints, hills, but only when I want and for how long I want to.  Running for fun?  Wow, what a concept.

            How about you?  Have any of you gotten so into training and races that you’ve forgotten about the basic joys of running?  Have you ever taken such a break where you run only when you want to?  If so, how long did it last before the call of competition became too much to ignore?  Maybe I’ll last until New Year’s, maybe I won’t, who knows…

Will Power and Pain Tolerance: Cape Cod Marathon

            “I did it!”

            That was the first thing that popped into my head as I crossed the finish line of my first marathon.  I had just run 26.2 miles and lived to tell about it.  My time?  Well, that’s sort of secondary at this point to the overall accomplishment.  I look back to March of 2011, at who I was, at how I felt about myself, and cannot believe what I just did today.  Back then?  Sure, I went to the gym, a lot, usually 5 days a week.  Still, the results never came, I was around 185 lbs and that held steady.  My cardio?  45 minutes on an elliptical machine, maybe some stair climbing.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to look that way forever, and probably get worse as I inched closer toward 40.

            Flash forward to October 28, 2012 and I have just finished my first marathon.  As I write this my legs are elevated, calves firmly planted on a heating pad gratefully supplied by my good friend Deanna.  I have ice packs on both knees and have more pains than I have ice and heat to be honest.  Saying all of that, I would do it all again if I knew this would be the result.  This day was a life changer.  It was validation.  It was proof to myself that hard work pays off.  If you set your mind to it nothing is impossible.  There is nothing I feel I cannot do.

            I trained literally by the book for my first marathon.  I had all of my gear setup the night before. I carbo loaded, I electrolyte loaded.  I was pretty much as prepared as I could be.  Still, sometimes it is only a momentary lapse of judgment that can make all the difference, and it did. 

            I started slowly, knowing it was a ‘marathon, not a sprint.’  I felt as though I was running exactly the way I wanted to.  Sometimes during races you can get caught up in the adrenaline, or get caught up in others running faster and naturally wanting to keep pace.  I did not succumb to any of that, I kept telling myself that it was just me and the road. 

Coming up on Mile 12, the beginning of 12 miles of hills that are a part of the Cape Cod Marathon, I felt my right shoe come untied.  Only thinking of retying it I stopped and bent down.  That is when I felt a pain like someone had ‘unzipped’ my left hamstring.  Oh yeah, I screamed and cursed, partially at the pain, partially at my own carelessness, and also at the fact that I still had 14 miles to go.  I knew that I only had moments to decide my next course of action so I stood up and started to gingerly walk.  I walked a few hundred feet and it felt like the hamstring had loosened back up.  I resumed running but paid close attention to that injury.

            I probably zoned out and didn’t realize that I was compensating for that hamstring which is only natural.  Then a familiar foe made its return: calf cramps.  These usually hit when I am dehydrated but I had made a point to stop at every water station.  Doesn’t matter how they happened, the fact is it was a bad set of cramps feeling like I had snakes crawling under my skin.  To make matters worse these first began to occur at Mile 15, I had 11 more to go.  

           Calf cramps had ended my day at the Smuttynose Brewery Half Marathon in New Hampshire in January.  They had also occurred during the Hyannis Half but only in the last few hundred yards so I was able to sort of hop to the finish.  This was 11 miles I was going to have to navigate with a pulled hamstring and two cramped calves.

            Finishing time took a back seat to finishing at all.  I walked for a while and then tried to run.  The cramps came back and I found myself using my water bottle to roll out the muscles, or at times jam the plastic carrying ring into the cramps.  This would allow me to run a few hundred more feet before the process had to be repeated.  I managed to make it to Mile 18 using this arduous method of pain relief. 

            At this point I realized that it was going to come down to will power and pain tolerance.  I was desperate to finish and achieve my goal.  Thus began experimenting with ways of running to avoid the pain in my hamstring and calves.  I tried running on my heels first.  One trip down a good-sized hill and I felt the pain in the IT Bands on both knees and decided that was not going to work.  I began walking up the hills and then running down them using the widest stride possible to get there quicker.  This succeeded somewhat but also caused pain in my feet and knees.

            When it seemed like I had no hope of finishing I got a shot of motivation.  My friend Emily was running her first marathon also and she sent me a text telling me she had just finished.  I was almost to Mile 20 and she was done.  We had agreed almost a year earlier to run our first marathons together.  She had worked so hard and done so well that the least I could do was gut it out and cross that finish line.  I told her I was hurting but would not quit.  That meant dealing with some pretty intense pain.  As she had done all through my running life Emily encouraged me.  The weather was cool and the clouds rolled in with wind and mist ahead of Hurricane Sandy.      

            I was coming up on Mile 23 close to Nobska Lighthouse when my phone went off; it was my mother.  I had thought she would not be able to make it for the race but she texted me that she was just ahead at Mile 24.  Despite the incredible pain rushing through my legs I gathered myself and managed to run faster than I had all race to make sure she did not have to wait for me much longer.

            I turned a corner and there she was.  I waved and smiled like I was in a parade, doing my best to mask my pain.  She told me she was so proud, and also told me not to stop since I only had 2 miles to go.  After that I was so close that there was no chance I would not make it to the finish line.

            In the home stretch I forced a smile for the cameras and passed Emily and her mother who had stepped out into the cool mist to cheer me on.  I crossed the finish line and immediately looked for a spot to collapse.  I lay face down in the grass knowing that I had just given absolutely everything I had.  Normally I’d be less than thrilled with my time but knowing the pain my legs had been in for about half of the 26.2 miles I was satisfied. 

            After only 18 months I had gone from never running to completing a marathon, injured at that.  I had done it.  I could barely walk on the way back to the car, and I will probably not be able to run for a few weeks, but I’d do it all again knowing this.  Once I had crossed that finish line I knew that nothing would be the same for me.  It was not just running a marathon, it was what it meant for me personally.  Never again will I think I cannot do something, all I have to do is look at my medal, bib number, and shirt.  I will remember that through the pain I did something that few people have the will or desire to do.  I will remember that and I will know I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.  I will remember that I did it.  I am a marathon runner.  

The starting line of the Cape Cod Marathon.

About 15 miles in, looking like I am killing it, but calf cramps had just set in.

Approaching the finish line, celebrating my survival.

Anytime I feel I can't do something all I'll have to do is look at this photo.

Burnout

        Do I still want it bad enough?

            This is the question I find myself asking as I sit 2 weeks from my first marathon on Oct. 28^th.  The honeymoon phase of my relationship is officially over.  Now as with all relationships I have to find out if it is really worth it.

            For nearly a year and a half I ran every time with a sense of enthusiasm and joy because it was something I never thought I’d even be able to try let alone succeed at.  Race after race, milestone after milestone, it all worked seamlessly.  Now after 5 months of marathon training I find myself sitting here with a severe case of burnout. 

            Sure, I can come up with extenuating circumstances that have thrown my training off.  My job has been terrible at making a clear work schedule.  I find myself unable to set long term runs since my schedule seems to change every week.  I can easily think of a half dozen runs ruined by this incompetence. 

            I could also point to actually going too hard in my training and having nagging injuries catching up with me.  These make it difficult to maintain a normal running schedule when you're constantly having to rest aching body parts.  I have had pain in my hip flexors and groin for months and the left heel pain has made it tough to walk at times.  Still, I have continued on.  I have bought a few different insoles for my shoes, a foam roller for my muscles, things that I had hoped would reaffirm my commitment and keep me motivated.  Yet here I am 2 weeks to go wondering not only if I can do this, but if I want to.

            I liked the idea of pushing myself time after time.  I felt like this was all coming too easy, the distances, the races, the weight coming off.  All of this kept my feet moving for a year and a half.  I am thinking that the idea of running a marathon clouded my judgment.  The actual training is an unbelievably arduous process that has tested me beyond what I thought.  

            Running in and of itself is hard enough.  Add to that my stress-filled cooking job, the heat, being on my feet all day, I was at a disadvantage before I even hit the open road.  That I even made it this far is a victory in and of itself.  I am looking back at my charted runs since I began Memorial Day Weekend.  These are the facts.  In the calendar year before I began marathon training I had logged 920 miles.  Granted there may have been something here and there I missed, and bike riding and other forms of cardio were not counted, but that averages out to just under 19 miles per week.  Since starting training I have been regularly topping 40 per week, a good sized jump from what I was used to.

           Before marathon training I had run a distance of 15 miles exactly 3 times in 14 months.  In the 5 months since beginning marathon training I have eclipsed 15 miles 9 times including 3 20+ runs.  My beginner training program suggested only 1 20 miler.  I have also included several difficult hill runs to prepare myself for the 12 miles of hills in the middle of the marathon route.  Those are the straight numbers.

            I am in the tapering phase now, dropping my long runs to 17-18 miles.  I cannot find the motivation to even step outside.  The process of getting my gear ready, going to a place to run, stretching, and actually running does not thrill me like it used to.  Could it be as simple as I am fatigued from a really good hard training regimen?  Could it be that it does not excite me since I am always running on my own?  Many times I tell myself I have come too far to just give up.  I paid my money for the race and have every intention of running it, but then what?

            I wanted to run a 10K trail race in Nashua, NH the day after my 35^th birthday, November 3^rd.  The thought of amping up for another race has me seriously rethinking that prospect.  Do I finish my training, run my marathon, and take some time off to recharge my batteries?  Is it that easy?  Trying to get motivated will be even harder during the cold winter months, right?  Hitting the road when it’s sunny and 75 is much easier to do than forcing yourself out the door when it’s cloudy, breezy, and 35.

            So I find myself asking ‘Do I still want this?’  I look at my medals and race bibs and wonder what it all means.  Even a few months ago I had these plans to run the Boston Marathon next April with the ultimate goal being to go run the Honolulu Marathon in 2014.  I can’t see myself doing 2 more full-length marathon training programs.  It is not fun for me right now, it feels more like work, like a job.  I’ve had my share of injuries and doubt but I never thought of giving up.  I thought that I was a runner now, it was part of me.  Maybe I still am.  Maybe my fellow runners, especially ones who are training for their first marathon, or remember how their first one went, can give me some encouragement.  It obviously is bothering me if I have written this much.  All I know is in 2 weeks I will complete my marathon, my time is not important anymore.  What happens in my head and my heart in the days and weeks after that will tell me if I am truly a runner or just a poseur who got as far as he could before turning back.     

Good Weather and Good Health Does Not Always Make For A Good Race

The 2012 St. Peter’s Fiesta Road Race was the first event that I had done for a second year.  For those of you not familiar with my 2011 race in Gloucester, Massachusetts I can sum it up pretty quickly.  I went into it with a painful right Achilles and Runner’s Knee in my left knee.  It was also cloudy, rainy, and raw in late-June.  I ran the 5K in 22:48 and was happy with the time all things considered.

This year was to be totally different.  Another full year of running under my belt, no injuries, and a sunny evening to run the race.  It all set up for a great time, or so I thought.

I arrived in Gloucester a few hours early as I did last year.  I love the historic fishing village and enjoy taking in my favorite sites as a way to keep my mind clear before running.  I visited The Man at the Wheel statue, Stage Fort Park, and Hammond Castle.  There was a farmer’s market at Stage Fort Park and I was tempted to buy some veggies and wine but then realized that there would be several hours where my purchases sat in my hot car so I decided against it.  After sight-seeing I hit the YMCA.  There I got my number and t-shirt and changed in the locker room.  I was all by myself after the last man left the pool and vacated the locker room.  It gave me time to think about where I came from and where I was going as a runner.  I tend to get philosophical before and after races.

I got down to the starting line nearly an hour early as I like to do.  I enjoy easing my way through my stretches while getting amped up with my music.  The St. Peter’s Fiesta, celebrating Italian Heritage, was in full swing.  Last year with the rain the carnival was pretty much closed so I wandered around empty food stands and rides.  This year people were everywhere and the smell of sausages and fried dough made it difficult at times to focus. 

I stretched up on the bleachers and then down by the water.  As I tend to do before races I needed to thank my best friend Emily, since it was she who finally convinced me to start running in March 2011.  She was actually running outside at the same time back on Cape Cod, it was sort of fitting.

I got set at the starting line, I chose the 8 minute mile marker to plant myself.  With hundreds of people lined up on the road you’d think that drivers would avoid the road, well you’d be mistaken.  One car full of complete idiots decided to drive straight through all of us, beeping their horn to get people to move.  They ended up being lucky that all of us didn’t decide to just tip their car over. 

Back to the actual race and the minute markers.  You’d think other people would pay attention to those and choose their starting point accordingly but no.  The horn sounds and there’s a gaggle of slow pokes clogging up the road in front of me.  I was walking, bouncing, trotting, and finally busting out in an angry sprint up onto the sidewalk and past those folks.

I was using my Uncle Steve’s Garmin GPS watch which I kept checking my pace on.  Through 2 miles I was consistently 6:45-6:50.  Then I began to notice that the sun made this race hotter and more humid than last year.  I was gassing out and having difficulty catching my breath which naturally made me slow down.  In the sun, heat, and humidity I noticed the hills that the course held.  It was a beautiful run in my favorite town but as far as the overall result it was not there.

Despite being tired I managed to finish in 22:57.  Not quite where I wanted to be, I had hoped the weather and my good health would result in a sub-22 minute run.  I was pouring sweat and chugged a pair of Gatorades and a few bananas.  My only saving grace was that despite my less than stellar time I did not come out of the race with any injuries.  As with the year before I didn’t stick around too long after the race.  I didn’t win any awards and had a 2-hour drive home with work early the next morning so I got a jump on any other people leaving.

As I gazed upon the incredible sunset driving home along Rt. 128 I barely had time to think of what I could have done better in this race.  I had scheduled a second race 5 days later and had to prepare for that one.  I may not have set a personal best at the 2012 St. Peter’s Fiesta Road Race but there’s always 2013, I will be back for my 3^rd try then.
Have any of you runners ever had a race with perfect weather where you felt great but the results just didn't happen?

The t-shirt logo

The Man at the Wheel Statue

One of the views at Hammond Castle

Not too happy with the sea of slow people who planted themselves ahead of me.

Minimalist Running Shoes, Yes Or No?

     What is everyone's opinion about the new minimalist running shoe craze?  I have been reading about the benefits of barefoot running for a few months.  These shoes mimic that by being like they say a minimal shoe.  I am debating checking out the new Brooks Pure Connect once I am due for a new pair.  I have seen the FiveFingers shoes which include toes but am looking more toward the common shoe design just much lighter and thinner material-wise.
     Has anyone tried/enjoyed the FiveFingers shoe?
     I have seen that Nike, New Balance, and Saucony, in addition to Brooks have jumped into the minimalist world.  So if the heavy-hitters are producing these shoes there must be something to it, right?  It is said that barefoot running helps you feel each impact and therefore allows you to adjust your form and lessen injury.  That is something that absolutely appeals to me.  Anytime that I can lessen leg injuries I will at least try what is recommended.
     I am thinking of trying out some barefoot running on the nearby beaches soon.  I read that this helps in a few ways.  First you tend to land on your whole foot, not just the heel which is common with soft cushioned shoes.  I had a tendency to do that but have been recently trying to use shorter more frequent strides to avoid nagging knee pain.  Second, running barefoot helps strengthen the feet which will aide in better running overall.  Still I am shying away from barefooting anywhere but the soft beach sand because of the hazards of stones and various other debris.  So I want to try the shoes.
     The problem is that you cannot really try out these shoes.  You need to do proper research and make informed decisions as with any major purchase.  This is where you runners come in.  I currently run in Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12, I am a big fan of these shoes and Brooks in general.  I would love to hear from barefoot runners, or at least those of you who have tried any brand of minimalist shoe.  Let the conversation begin!

Thanks to Runner's World for some of the info I gathered for this post, you can view the lengthy article on minimalist running shoes here: Is Less More?

Destination: Boston Marathon 2013

So now it all becomes real.  Less than one calendar year.  5 years ago my Uncle Steve told me that he hoped someday to run the Boston Marathon with me.  I was not a runner, not even remotely interested in trying to be one.  I made one vain attempt to rush into being a runner, got hurt, and quit for 4+ years.

Once I began running for real 13 months ago my Uncle again brought up the possibility of running Boston with him.  He wanted me to ride the bus from Hopkinton, family, side by side at the most famous race on earth.  I laughed still but deep inside I knew that it was my ultimate goal.  I never wanted to make that known too early on.  I mean, come on, who was I to say I’d run the Boston Marathon before I even completed a 5K?  I’m sure most would have shook their heads and thought of me as delusional.

Here I sit though, the 2012 Marathon just passed 2 days ago and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can’t think of a better metaphor.  In about 5 weeks I will begin a ‘beginner’ marathon training regimen.  The 20-week program will lead me almost exactly to the Cape Cod Marathon which happens in the last week of October.  My goal for that is 3:45, or roughly 8:34/mile. 

I will be very strict with my training, not going to stray from the allotted runs for any reason.  I do plan on running as many as 6 races during the summer, but they will all be shorter runs, no halfs.  Once the Cape Marathon is over I will likely rest a bit and then begin a similar training program for Boston.  Luckily for me I have a very strong connection which is going to help me get into the race, hey, it’s as much who you know as what you know usually, right?

This race, this goal, has taken on a far greater purpose for me with the news that my Uncle Steve has a fractured hip and is out indefinitely.  He has always supported me and stood by me even well before I was a runner.  Now I am going to do the same for him.  If it is at all humanly possible I am not going to let him give up on running.  He has run Boston several times, he’s an Ultra Marathoner, I believe that he is in too deep to not try to make the incredible comeback. 

I am going to be extremely focused and extremely determined to make sure that I am standing at the starting line in Boston in 362 days.  What once was a mythical place now feels like a real destination.  Soon I will be heading into uncharted waters, then again running in general was pretty uncharted when I began 13 months ago.  Boston 2013 is just the next logical step in my journey.

Certainly there will be times where I want to give up or slow down.  I’ll bet when I do my first 20-mile run, probably in the August sun, I will be wondering if it is all worth it.  All I will have to do is remember the bigger picture.  I want so badly to run this race.  It will be an amazing achievement to be able to always say I ran the Boston Marathon even once.  It will be an even greater honor to run it with my favorite uncle, and to be there with him to soak in the atmosphere and know that I pushed myself and made it to my ultimate destination. 

In my weakest moments I will keep those words and images in my mind.  They will keep my legs moving.  I will be there April 15, 2013 at the starting line in Hopkinton, nothing and nobody will shake me from my path.  Have you ever been motivated to run a race for someone other than yourself?  For those of you who have run marathons what was the training like for your first?  How much did it differ from previous training?  What should I be expecting?    

The motivation for us starts now.