A non-running Summer nightmare

I can talk all day about the why’s….. I could make up a thousand excuses… I can ponder reasons and doubts and probably come up with a very long list.  Plain and simple, the Summer of 2016 has been a tough running season for me.

 

Normally, every year my racing season ends with a short race, typically early in June.  The Summer is then spent rebuilding sore muscles, recovering from marathons and halves, taking some time off, and then building back for a Fall racing season packed with great races.

This, in part, is very true for the last few months with one exception.  I’ve been on the verge of injury, the brink, since starting back.  I’ve never felt quite right.  I’ve had PF in the past, a bout with it that lasted about 9 months.  A painful injury, but one I ran through causing it to linger way longer than necessary.  I learned my lesson.  Back then, I took a month off from running.  No running at all.  It seemed to do the trick, and when I returned to running slowly, the problem never came back.  The summer of 2016 has been a reminder to me of that pain, that desire to fun free and feel good.  I just haven’t been feeling right all summer.

What running I have done has been short, agonizing at times, and most certainly slow.  I feel like I’ve aged ten years the past four months.  I see all these people posting mileage for the summer, long runs, race prep, etc… It has been painful just to see that.  I want that!  My feet tell me no.  Not yet.

So?  What to do?  I’ve barely even been reading blogs this summer, much less write my own.  I haven’t had really any running news to share, so I just haven’t.  I’ve missed it for sure, but needed to focus on other aspects of my life that needed attention.  But here we are, heading into Fall, so what is my plan?

I didn’t enter the Chicago Marathon lottery this past Spring, so for the first time in three years I will not be heading to the Windy City in October.  I did enter the Berlin Marathon lottery, and I guess fortunately considering my injury status, didn’t get picked because that race is days away.  Marine Corps though, that’s another story.  I did enter the lottery, DID get chosen, so I have one marathon this Fall at the end of October.  I’ve debated over and over again if I should defer, but haven’t decided yet.  Why?  I think I’ve decided to give at least one race a shot and see what kind of condition it leaves me in.  Once that’s over, I’ll know.  I’ll know for sure.

So, without further ado, I AM RACING this weekend.  My body has been in preservation mode, and now needs to quickly flip to racing mode.  A half marathon this weekend should let me know once and for all, if indeed I am either in or out this Fall.  Why you ask, am I racing?  I just need to know.  I need to have a clear direction for this running passion I have for the next several months.

With a pacing gig lined up for mid October, and Marine Corps a few weeks later, and one last Half locally a couple weeks after that, I just need to know if I am back on track or not.  If the race goes ok this weekend, and recovery isn’t bad, I’ll know.  If the race is an epic failure, I’ll know.

So, wish me luck!  I promise to post a recap with all the details, good or bad, next week.    I’m either going to stare injury in the face and beat it, or I’ll be down for the count until 2017.  Should be an epic race either way.  ;). Here goes nothing!

Why do YOU run marathons?

I’ve read article after article about the reasons why someone should run a marathon.  Every article seems to list a top 5, a top 10, a top 3 reasons why you should.  But, for me the reasons why are just too numerous to count.

It’s all very personal.  Don’t you agree?  I want to push myself further than I ever thought possible, I want to run it to raise money for charity, I want to qualify for the Olympics….the list goes on and on and on.  Some may say they want to run a marathon simply to say they did.  Some run for time, some run for fun.  Some even walk.  I want to hear from you!

I’m going to blog about my readers’ top reasons to run a marathon.  More of a personal approach.  Real life, real runner reasons.  I’m going to compile YOUR reasons to run and blog about the TOP 5!

I’ll start things off with my top reasons…. why I run marathons.

1.  Inner sense of accomplishment
2. Clarity of mind
3. Pushing my physical limits
4. The break it gives me from “real life”
5. Creating my own legacy

Have you ever given it a lot of thought?  Maybe you just run to run, because you love it.  But why?  Why do you love it?  Please share your thoughts…

On the eve of my 27th marathon these thoughts cross my mind.  I often ask myself why I do this, and sometimes the reasons do change from race to race, year to year.  One thing remains true for me, the marathon is epic!  Running a marathon is no small feat and should be celebrated by all who complete one.

Winter Blues

The time has come.  Seems as though it gets earlier and earlier every year.  I have had it with Winter.  Dread it getting here, dread it even more in the midst of it, and eventually fed up completely with the cold and bitterness.  Jesus, and I don’t even live in the north.  My blood has completely thinned out in the years that I have lived in the south.  Winters here have been a walk in the park compared to those when I lived in NY.  That day is here though, I am ready for Spring!

So many of my usual things get hampered by the lack of daylight, the lack of sunshine, the lack of warmth.  My energy levels suck this time of year.  Why do I find this time of year is best spent on the couch or in bed?  The weather just lends to lack of motivation for me.  I have to force myself to bundle up and get outside for a run.  Does this happen to you?

My training miles really suffer at this time of year.  Looking back on my running calendar I realize just how unmotivated I am at this time of year.  60 something miles in January?  How pathetic is that?  What’s even more pathetic is that of those 60 miles, 26.2 of them were during a marathon.  I didn’t even take my running shoes on vacation.  Didn’t run once.

I can only hope Spring gets here soon.  I have a bunch of racing to do in the coming months, and that means training if I want to perform well.  I have Asheville Half and Full in four weeks!  Then All American Full three weeks later.  Then Rock ‘n’ Roll Raleigh Full the week after that.  I need training miles to feel ready.  What do you do to motivate yourself to get those training miles in for the races ahead?  Dreaming of Spring, warmer temps and sunshine doesn’t seem to be cutting it for me these days.  I need something more! Bring on 101 degrees!

Abbott World Marathon Majors

Slowly but surely….

It may take a while, but with conviction and commitment, I will run each of the worlds major marathons.  What an accomplishment that would be!  To get to do what I love and mix in traveling to places I’ve never been would be a huge treat!

As it now stands, at the beginning of 2016, I’ve run two of the six.  What started as a six year plan (when I first learned that I had made it into Chicaco in 2014) I thought about trying to run at least one of the six every year for six straight years.  Of course that plan could change at any time depending on when and if I qualify for Boston.  My best being only 7 minutes shy of my qualifying time, I know I can get to Boston!  When and where that lucky qualifying race will be is still in question.

So, in 2014, I made an epic start to the Six, in Chicago.  I followed that up with another run in Chicago in 2015, along with the second of The Six, in New York City.  My plan for 2016 was Berlin, but that fell through with a disappointing email that stated I didn’t get in through the lottery.  So, what to do now?  Is 2016 lost?  I think not!  My focus for the first part of 2016 will be really finding a routine again.  The last two months of every year are really tough on me work-wise. The holidays are just so tough, and busy it leaves me so little time to really run.  I usually just end up using November and December as full on recovery mode from busy racing years.  It typically works well to my advantage, as in years past when my racing commences the following year, I feel fresh and renewed.  My last few weeks of running have felt really good.

My 2016 plan begins with finding rhythm.  I am pacing three marathons and one half marathon over the next few months, and it all begins this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina.  My reasons for pacing are many.  First and foremost, I find pacing super gratifying because I can give back to my fellow runners.  Using the skills that I have learned through running over the past five years, and completing over 30 Halves and 22 Marathons, I feel very comfortable leading a group of runners to a certain finish time.  It’s a social event, too.  As a manager/director in real life, I am used to leading people.  Being the supporter, and helping people reach goals both personally and professionally.  This flows so naturally into my running, so my comfort level while pacing comes through.  Let’s talk, lets uplift and encourage, and get that PR.  Love it.

I will be pacing the Half and Full in Asheville in March, and then again pacing the Full at the All American Marathon at the beginning of April.  From there I have two more marathons planned before the Summer begins.  I plan on working on speed work, doing 800’s, and hill work during the Summer, and really pushing my own envelope when it comes to speed.  I need to if I want to really concentrate on getting a coveted Boston Qualifyer.  That race will be late summer if all things come together.  My tentative plans for Fall were a hopeful trip to Berlin, so I’ll need to focus on a new plan.  It will come with time.  I do know though, that I will keep focused on my plan of completing each of the Big 6.

Wouldnt it be amazing to be able to say one day that you completed all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors?  Boston, Berlin, London, Tokyo, Chicago, New York.  Wow!  That would be something, wouldn’t it?

Have you completed any of these races?  Would love to hear your stories!

Sick as a Dog!

It’s always this time of year.  Sometime between the beginning of November and Christmas.  Sickness befalls me.  The rest of the year I am typically as healthy as a horse, in fact I think my average for getting sick is about once a year.  Now happens to be that time.

It began with a tickle.  A bit of a strange scratchy feeling in the back of my throat on Saturday evening.  I could tell something was awry.  I hoped it was just dust and allergies causing it, because I had been digging around in the attic getting down Christmas decorations and tree ornaments.  I woke up on Sunday feeling just a little bit worse.

Monday rolled around, after barely being able to sleep on Sunday night, and I felt like a freight train had barreled through me.  I felt like I had the Flu!  Couldn’t be that though, because I get the Flu shot yearly, and had just been inoculated about three weeks prior.  It must just be a bad cold.  I struggled through Monday, but it was bearable because I had the day off from work,  Tuesday?  Now that was another story.  I about fell out by the time I got home from work.  Pure crazy sick!

Today hasn’t been much better.  Every year I get sick around this time and it’s curious to me.  How come it always coincides with a downtime in my training regime?  Every time this happens I’ve been “taking some time off”.  A running vacation of the non-running kind, if you will.  I think it’s sort of strange that as soon as I stop running, which only happens in late November and December, my body at rest, picks up an illness.  I swear to God, if I was training for a marathon right now, I wouldn’t have gotten sick.

Thoughts?

Had to put in a sick chihuahua photo, since I own two of them.

Satan’s Ass Crack

Ok, I’m not sure where you live, but does it ever warm up to over 100 degrees there?  It does here.  Today is perfect evidence of it.  Thank God the humidity is only about 30%, otherwise it would be pretty much unbearable outside.  Not very conducive for a run later, I’m afraid.

Oh no, and don’t check the 10 days forecast if you’re not a fan of starting to melt the moment you walk out the door.  It’s a pretty brutal fact, and here it is….

6/16- 104

6/17- 99 (a nice chill down)

6/18- 102

6/19- 100

Then we have 98, 99, 99, 95, and 98.

Summer is here, and Satan is sitting his ass crack down smack dab in the middle of North Carolina.

I actually went for a 3 mile run late yesterday when the sun went down below the tree line.  It wasn’t fun but I got it done.  It was like 92 at the time.  How will I ever endure the coming week?  I actually prefer running in the heat versus the intense cold, but these temps are making me really think hard about if that’s truly the way I feel.  I’m pretty sure if I cracked an egg outside on the ground it would start to cook today.

Historically, it doesn’t get this hot that often here.  I remember about seven years ago we had a Summer where we hit over 100 degrees like seven days in a row.  It was brutal.  The weather extremes these days are incomprehensible.  I will say this though.  I need to suck it up because winter always returns with a vengeance, and I truly don’t like to be cold.  So, as with everything else in life, I have learned to endure the struggle.  The heat must not affect my training that badly, as my Fall marathons are always faster than my winter and Spring marathons.

How about you?  Are you a cold or hot weather runner?  It seems around here that my favorite months for running are March and October

Pacing to BQ

So the days of Spring are long gone, and so are the days of being lazy, cooped up and on the couch by 7:30pm.  Summer is here, and a new strategy for fitness and speed has hatched.

Summer is always an interesting season for me running wise.  It’s usually too hot for distance training, but the abundant daylight offers so many more chances for the runs I like to do.  Runs during the evening!  Typically I hate running in the dark, as it is very unmotivating to me.  This time of year I can afford to come home from work, relax for a few hours, and then head out for a run.  It makes me happy to be able to do that.  I hate feeling rushed, and feeling like I need to get in my runs when I am not mentally or physically prepared for them.

Almost four weeks have passed since my last marathon, and I have been busy preparing for what’s next.  I took a week off first of all, and really let my muscles recharge.  I intentionally signed up for a local 10k in the beginning of June so that I would have to start doing some shorter, faster runs to prepare for it.  If you’re anything like me, distance training can become monotonous.  I get into ruts, and feel like I can’t improve my speed. It’s always a given that I race faster than I train, but this idea I had is twofold, and hatched almost three weeks ago.

I was going to train for speed.  Focus on pace, and improving my focus.  My eighth run is today, and the seven runs at the beginning of this plan are leading me in the right direction.  I am trying to mix speed work, with endurance to try to achieve a BQ.  I have been shooting for 8 minute miles, and for me, it has been fun, but not easy.  You see, my normal training runs are on some hills, and I usually end up with an overall pace of somewhere in the 8:40 range.  For this plan I tried to choose the flattest route (it’s not flat) that I could to work on speed.  The first mile is always my slowest, no matter how hard I try.  But my results are becoming more what I need to see to possibly make my dream of a BQ come to fruition.

On 5/13 I paced 7:59 for a 5k.  On 5/15 I paced 7:59 at 3.25 miles.  I slipped a bit on 5/17 with am 8:12 for 3.25 miles, but I had worked all day on my feet and was tired.  On 5/18 I yearned for hills, so mixed those in and ended up at an 8:43 pace for 3.5 miles.  Then, super speedy day on 5/20 with 3.5 miles at 7:51 pace.  Two more runs of 4 and 3.5 miles right near 8:00, and I am pleased with how I am doing.  I will push myself hard on 6/6 during the 10k.  I want to see what’s possible, but with like 20+ turns on a challenging course, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Until then, I will keep pushing the pace envelope.  After the race, my focus will be pushing the pace during training runs down to 7:45. I need a pace of 7:49 over the full course of a marathon to BQ, so training for it will be crucial .  The best I’ve done in a marathon thus far is 8:06 pace.  I’ve got work to do!

I will have six weeks after the 10k to be ready for my marathon.  Like I said, I have my work cut out for me, but without a challenge I become complacent, and I do not want that!  I’ve got to see what I am capable of.  Wish me luck!

What are your favorite training go-to’s for increasing speed?  Pleas share!  Happy training yawl!

December Update -Health? Wealth? Wise?

Just a quick update today, as today is my last day off until Christmas.  So little time left before the big day, and so much to do.

I actually just wrapped the first gift, of the many I have in the pile to do today.  That alone is an accomplishment just days before Christmas.  I am no a big preparer for the holiday, and never have things like shopping and wrapping done early.  I always have good intentions, but it never happens.

December is a time to celebrate our blessings, but let me tell you, This December has also been filled with curses for me.  I started to get sick two weeks ago yesterday, and remain ill.  Finally getting better, but it has indeed been a huge struggle.  I thought I was on the mend about a week into my illness, but then it took a terrible turn for the worse which put me in Urgent Care this week.  I finally got a diagnosis of pneumonia, and sinus infection coupled with bronchitis.  Don’t you know I have felt great over the past two weeks?  Yep, not really.  It has been one of the worst sicknesses I have ever had, and during the month of December when work is at it’s peak in physical demands, it has been really hard.

Obviously it has impacted my December running goals, and have only been out on the pavement seven times.  Racking up about 30 miles doesn’t really cut it when it comes to trying to regain my fitness and move toward that first marathon on 2015 in Feveuary.  I remain confident though in my ability to bounce back, and definitely have experience on my side when it comes to training.

So, it has been a rough month health wise.  Wealthy and wise?  I am surely not wealthy, but have had the opportunity to fine tune some creative skills this past month.  No judgements here please, but I am going to share a few photos with you of some of my creations.  I work in an environment where a multitude of skills are required at times.  Being in management, if someone on my team is out of commission, I need to step up to the plate and get his or her job done.  Look at some of the things I had to create over the past few weeks.

Floral arrangements are not my forte.  Again, these were created out of necessity for customer orders.  All of the work is my own, and it made me proud to have completely satisfied customers.  Being able to show a creative side at work has been a huge plus on the wealth side this month.  Not monetarily, but self satisfaction.

As far as being wise?  As we head into a new year, I can say that yes, I have grown.  I have become more wise at work, dealing with staff and customers.  I have become a better friend, manager, brother, father and son.  I am better at maintaining relationships, through all life lessons learned.  I reflect more, and give myself time to think before reacting.  A lot of this I have learned through running.  I have learned these lessons about running, and during my runs.  Running gives me a lot of time to reflect, to contemplate, to relax.  It is a soothing activity for my soul, and I believe that I am a better person all around because of it.  My passion for running has certainly had amazing positive impacts on my life that go way beyond the medal placed around my neck at the finish line.  For this I am forever grateful and wiser for.

Does “Slow and Steady” really win the race?

As you know I have been in race season recovery mode.  It’s been like six weeks now, and I really feel like it has done my body good.  I’ve racked up very few miles in weeks, and although I feel like my body is recovering from the eight marathons and numerous other races in 2014, I am starting to feel that general malaise set in when it comes to getting my runs in.  Does this ever happen to you?

I’m trying to help myself, and yet I feel like I am being lazy.  I guess it cannot be helped.  In addition to having a lack of desire set in due to the cold, dark season I’ve had a severe head cold for eleven days now which hasn’t helped matters.  When I do get out and run a few miles I’ve been hampered by difficulty breathing and general tiredness.  It’s funny that I am hardly ever sick, but have been sick a good bit of the time I have been in recovery mode.  I think it’s related.

I know that based on previous years letting my legs and feet have a rest is critical to starting out a new race cycle with a clean bill.  I’m just getting antsy.  It’s like a long, drawn out taper, and I don’t like it at all.  At least at the end of a taper though is a big race to look forward to.  I’m still seven weeks away from a major race.  Maybe this is all just race withdrawal.  Maybe it’s a combination of seasonal affective disorder, recovery and illness, but I want to feel good again.  I want the desire to come back, the NEED to get back out on the road.

All in good time, I guess.  Slow and steady, I am trying to convince myself.  I certainly don’t feel like the hare at all these days, much more so the tortoise.  How does the off-season impact you?  Does recovery mode take its toll on you like it does me?  Convince me that this is a good thing.

Chicago Marathon – For the love of running

The trip of a lifetime.  Amazing people, amazing weather and an incredible race.

My Chicago Marathon weekend was SO much fun.  It was amazing from start to finish.  As soon as it was over I started trying to figure out in my head how I would or could ever do it justice in a review/recap.  For sure at this point, a few days later, I still don’t have it all summed up.  For those of you waiting with baited breath for a recap, rest assured it will be soon.

What’s wrong with a little teaser though, right?  Some photos?  A few thoughts?

I can say this…. I spent a lot of time over the course of three days on my feet.  Based on a pedometer app I have on my phone, I walked the equivalent distance of a marathon or more the two days leading up to the actual race.  Probably not the best things to do prior to a marathon, but Chicago beckoned me.  I had a brand new city in front of me, easily navigated on foot, and so I did.

I really fell in love with Chicago.  The aptly nicknamed Windy City left me with chapped lips, and a wind burned face.  The city is rich in history, architecture and culture.  The arts abound.  A city filled with 45,000 marathoners, friends and family, it couldn’t be all that bad, right?  One thing is for sure, no matter what part of the city I was in, a turn of the head in any direction produced plenty of views of folks in running shoes.

The food!  That’s a blog post of its own.  Wow!  Great places to eat everywhere.  I never ate a Chicago hot dog, but did indulge in deep dish pizza.  Twice!

As my recovery continues, with another marathon lingering large in just a few days, I feel my race weekend recap will be ready to post by tomorrow.  For now, enjoy some of the great pictures I took during the weekend.  If you need an immediate answer to the question of if I would ever run Chicago again, the answer would be a resounding YES!