Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I had many running goals for 2012 but really met only two of them; completing my first (and last) half-ironman and my fifth (and last) Marine Corps Marathon. MCM was also the 19th marathon I completed (and last). I also finished fourth in the Rochester Runner of the Year contest, which was nice. (Jan and Pete also finished fourth. Top five get awards).

The marathon has always been a challenging distance for me, at least to complete it at the pace I wanted. My goal was always to qualify for Boston and many times run much faster than the necessary time required. This usually resulted in me not reaching either time goal. I made the BQ time once and ran the 1996 Boston Marathon. If you look at the race time prediction charts none of my marathon times match up to what the charts said I was capable of running. This includes when I used to run 37-39 minute 10k's to the 45-49 minute 10k's I run now.

Since ultra-distance races (which I consider anything longer than the Olympic distance triathlon and half-marathons in running) are out of my future plans, here, finally, are my sports goals for 2013.

1. Beat Mike Weinpress in every race we compete in. He has been a training partner, racing nemesis and friend for longer than we can remember. I think we both had hair on our heads when we began running. Despite this I still enjoy beating him in a race and know I had a good race when this does happen. 2013 will be the year of "beat MW".
2. Train for and run a "fast" mile on the track. In 30 years of running I never trained specifically for the mile and my fastest ever was a 5:13, though there were a few times I ran in the 5:20's during longer races. I'm spending the next eight weeks or so doing just that. Fast now means under 6 minutes. This training will leap-frog me into faster 5k's -10k's for 2013.
3. Run under 7 minutes a mile at races in the 5k-5 mile distances and 45 minutes or less in at least one 10k.
4. Bench press 200lb 4x on my home gym weight machine. My best ever is 200lb one time.
5. Beat Amanda and Jan on our virtual bike trip to Oregon - 3,000 miles.
6. Commute to and/or from work by bike more often, at least 1x per week when weather allows.
7. Lose at least 6lbs. During a recent physical exam my doctor said I was in good shape, but noted 5 years ago they weighed me in at 170 and 3 years before that 162. Dr. Sarnov said I must have been training hard for some race to be 162. That was the year I missed a BQ time at MCM by 63 seconds and ran the Philadelphia Marathon 4 weeks later, missing BQ by 10 minutes. He laughed when I said I knew I was fat and needed to lose weight.

That's all the goals for now. Feel free to share one or more of your goals.

MCM Finish Video

Mike Weinpress crossing line. He is running on center yellow line, red hat and shirt, long black socks. Mike's clock time is 4:00:30, chip time 3:58:51. IE seems to like to block these videos, so try Firefox if you can't get it to view.

 http://www.csnwashington.com/video_content_type/mcm357-404?t=171-432

Lou crossing the finish. He is right in the beginning of this video along right side of road. Red hat with blue visor, red shirt.
http://www.csnwashington.com/video_content_type/mcm-451-502

Jen Katz. http://www.csnwashington.com/video_content_type/mcm342-350

Jen is in pink top, along the center yellow line, looking ready to run another five miles. She is near end of this video.

Charlie Mullen finishing. Clock time 4:41:34, chip time 4:39:55. Charlie is in white hat, dark clothes, near center line and saluting Marines about 20 yds before he finishes. http://www.csnwashington.com/marine-corps-marathon/mcm-440-451

Take It Easy - marathon theme song?

Adapted from Jackson Browne hit, "Take It Easy". (actual song begins at 2 minute mark).

Well I'm a-running down the road trying to loosen my load

I've got twenty-six miles on my mind
Four with too many hills, five into the wind
Two across a bridge that makes me whine.

Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own feet drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Why you run marathons over and over, so take it easy.

Well I'm a-nearin’ the corner in Crystal City
With such a fine sight to see
It's the mile 23 sign, my lord,
Starin’ back at me.
Come on quads, don't say maybe
I've got to know if you’re goin’ to cramp and scream
We may run slow or we may win
But we will never be here at MCM again
So c’mon legs just let me get back to Rosslyn.

Well I'm a-runnin’ mile twenty-five trying to loosen my load
Got a world of trouble on my mind
Lookin' for motivation to keep on goin’
But it’s just a little hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own feet drive you crazy
Come on quads, don’t say maybe
I gotta get up the hill to finish and see my baby.

You know we got it easy
We oughta take it easy

Marathon Taper Week

This is it, the last week before the Marine Corps Marathon that Lou, Mike W., Jennifer, Charlie Mullen and I will be running. Jan, Eileen and Joanne will be racing the MCM 10k. There are no special training runs we can do this week that will help us finish our respective races. If our training isn’t satisfactory already, the miles haven’t been put in, Sunday will be a long day in which we can physically suffer while enjoying the sites of D.C.

 

Ten Thoughts on Taper Week

 

1. I like planning out the food to eat, looking over nutrition guidelines, making a menu for each day and meal from Wednesday to Saturday night.

 

2. Today (Tuesday) I noticed walking up the stairs at work doesn’t hurt as it did in many of the last 12 weeks. This is a good sign, no doubt due to running less than usual on Sunday and a complete rest day on Monday.

 

3. Am I getting fat? Really, I feel the need to constantly cram carbs into my mouth. There is a box of Cheerios (20g carbs) in my file cabinet. I eat them dry, no milk, for a mid-morning snack in front of the computer like I’m a two year old getting potty trained and this is my reward. Carbohydrate loading = good, gaining two pounds = bad.

 

4. Last night I woke up in a sweat after dreaming about having to use a bathroom at the start line and thousands of people are around. Once the race begins at 7:55am I will be fine, but leaving the security of the hotel and waiting an hour + beforehand could be a high anxiety time.

 

5. With known gastrointestinal issues on many race mornings the final meal on Saturday night is key. I haven’t found a magic bullet yet that is the proper nutritional balance along with no side effects. The plan now is to have rice flavored with chicken broth, a few vegetables and ???

 

6. Since my daily running miles have decreased but the water intake hasn’t, there is a path worn in the floor from my cubicle desk to the bathroom.

 

7. I have finished the Marine Corps Marathon four times, the 10k once, this entire experience should be a piece of cake. So, why do I fluctuate between excitement and dread?

 

8. The Marines and crowds make this race awesome, especially the Marines.

 

9. Will anyone really care if my finishing time is 3:39:59 (Boston Qualifier) or 4:30 except me?

 

10. It’s good to have a mantra for when the times get tough during the race, this can be a bad patch that pops up at mile 17 but you push through and feel better at 20, or it can be at mile 22 when you don’t know how you can run the last four miles. Borrow mine if you like;

 

• Must beat Mike W, Must beat Mike W.
• Must beat Lou, Must beat Lou.
• Pick a loved one and run a mile for them saying the name over and over.
• A Marine wouldn’t quit (or Navy guy I guess, Lou).
• Jan’s favorite, count your steps. Around 130-140x my right foot hits the ground is ¼ mile.
• Count the number of people you pass in the last few miles, in a large race like MCM maybe just count the men, or women. Make it tougher by subtracting the ones who pass you.

Semper Fi Fund - Marine Corps Marathon

On Sunday, October 28, Jan will be running the 10k and I will be running the marathon in Washington, DC. For the first time ever we are running for a charity, the Semper Fi Fund. This is the basic information regarding the charity, "The Semper Fi Fund is a nonprofit set up to provide immediate financial support for injured members of U.S. Armed Forces and their families. We direct urgently needed resources to Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces. The basic ideal that drives our efforts is simple: as much as these American heroes have sacrificed, they deserve the best care and support available in their hour of need. Injuries are often severe, and the road to recovery or rehabilitation can be long and costly.

If anyone would like to make a contribution, here is the link. Thank you.

Facebook and MCM

     Possibly I made a mistake by "Friending" the Marine Corps Marathon on my Facebook page. The Marines send reminders about how little time is left to train, now down to 24 days and 20 hours. I already feel woefully unprepared for my 19th and last marathon.
     If the weather is too warm I won't have a good race. If the dew point is over 60 I will become a sweat puddle and runoff into the Potomac in a little stream of my own water. But the Marines just keep sending their updates and my blood pressure and anxiety levels go up.
     Intelligent readers will say, "relax Mike, it's all for fun, you've done this before". Hogwash! It's 26.2 ridiculous miles with 25,000 other people. It's about maintaining a reasonable pace and not cramping so much in the last two miles a spectator wife turns to her spectator husband and says, "well, he's not going to make it to the finish". (happened in my last MCM, but I did finish, darn her, even if I did scream a bit in pain). It's about being able to run any kind of pace up the last hill toward the Iwo Jima Monument and feeling some pride of what you just accomplished.
     That's why I worry.

Top Ten Wednesday Thoughts;

1. Friending didn't become a verb until 7 years ago.
2. Poking has several meanings, the best is the 3 Stooges with Moe trying to poke Larry and Curly in the eyes. Now it's been hijacked by Facebook.
3. College students who attempt to exit a door with 3 signs stating, "NO EXIT", "EMERGENCY ONLY", should have their ID taken and be expelled from school. They are too ignorant to be here.
4. Really, I need to "Friend" you?
5. I want to go back to the time when a great phone was one on the wall with a 20' cord and politicians couldn't robocall me. (another new word, robocall).
6. Who will win the presidential debate tonight? If you like Romney now, he is the winner. If you like Obama now, he will be the best. The debate will do nothing to change minds.
7. Running at 5:15am is still hard, but I'm happy I can go home and relax after work.
8. I do like texting.
9. Gas at $4.03/gallon again? Give me a president who will get the price down to a reasonable level and not let the gas companies screw us, that man/woman will get my vote. I may even donate to their campaign.
10. Am I a bad American if I watch the Yankees play tonight instead of the debate? Promise I'll switch over during commercials.


    
    
    

What Next?

It's always difficult to finish a major race and find the motivation to keep training at a decent level, and for some people to train at all. There has to be some mental and physical down time. But, depending on how you did in the race, it's not always easy to convince yourself that is exactly what needs to be done. This is especially true if the race was a long event, like a half-marathon to ironman distance.
What if you fell short of a goal time? Do you pick up training where you left off and look for another race? Once I ran the Marine Corps Marathon missing the Boston qualifying time by 63 seconds. A week later I felt pretty good, was desperate for a BQ time and signed up for the Philadelphia marathon. Three weeks to "train". In hindsight Philly was a good race for me, but I fell apart around mile 19 and missed qualifying by 8 minutes.
Eight days ago I completed a goal race, the Tinman half-ironman. My finishing time was about 30 minutes slower than the slowest I thought possible, but I am still proud of myself. All sorts of thoughts go through my head; do I spend six months next year or the year after and try again, hoping for a better time? It's always a crap shoot for the weather, staying healthy, and even if I cut 30 minutes off my time, so what? I'd finish in the top 30% of my age group instead of 50%? I can't find the motivation to think about that.
The immediate goal now is running the Marine Corps Marathon in 16 weeks. It's great to have a plan in place, not fall into some depression because I don't know what to do next. Exercise needs to be a continuous life-long process. Having goals helps keep you motivated, whether it's the local 5k, a sprint tri, trail running, or incorporating a race with travel plans. It doesn't even have to be running. Sacrilege, I know, but the body was meant to move, not blob out at a desk, behind the computer or in front of the television.

Happy Birthday from the Marines?

Jan, who happened to have a birthday yesterday, June 27, received this e-card from the Marines. We are running the Marine Corps Marathon in October, Jan's sixth time at this race.