Matthew Christian: Children, Science, Speed

Goofy Challenge Race Report

2010-01-17T12:35:00.003-06:00

So it has been a week since the Goofy Challenge and this gives me enough distance for a proper race report.

Preface: The Goofy Challenge is one of those things that fundamentally appeals to me as an athlete---the opportunity to do something really hard and test your limits. Ok, and the hardware is pretty excellent. When I discovered that a conference in Orlando coincided with the Disney Marathon, I decided to plunk down the (serious) cash and put my hat in the ring.

Arrangements and Expo: Arrived on Friday around noon (leaving Chicago in snow that threatened to cancel flights out). Airplane was filled with people flying in for the Marathon---which made it all very fun. I'm not a Disney guy and I was not coming in to 'do' the Disney thing with my family---I was going to a meeting at the Swan. So landing at Orlando is all well and good, but trying to find the 'Disney Magical Express' bus was so frustrating that I very nearly rented a car. Someone needs to explain why a 'reservation' is necessary since the buses run all the time.

Arrived at the hotel checked in and realized the meeting I needed to attend did not start for another two hours (I got out of Chicago on an earlier flight) so decided to go right to the Expo to pick up the packets. Packet pickup was pretty easy, but the Expo was a NIGHTMARE. I may have my gripes about Chicago races, but we can do an expo. For all of Disney's space, they had the expo crammed into the tiny 'Jostens' Center' which could in no way accommodate the participants. I had credit card in hand, ready to be suckered by some new running gear, but got so frustrated in the herd that I ended up spending no money. Good for me, but I felt bad for exhibitors. Tried it again on Saturday and it was just as bad.

1/2 Marathon: I got up at 2:30 to get on the bus at 3:00 and was at race location by 3:30am. Would have been nice if the hotel had posted something indicating that they were serving little lunch boxes at 2:30am, not knowing, I packed along bagels, apples, and peanut butter since all indications were that there was going to be no food available in the morning. Secret knowledge, I guess you have to ask... It was sleeting and colder than ever recorded for that date in Orlando, and fortunately I had a coat, hat, and gloves along from Chicago. Got to the race site, bought a cup of coffee and huddled in a little tent with a couple dozen folks for an hour before the long march to the race start---Disney serves Breakfast at something called the Race Retreat---added charge and a bit silly, but if I had known it was going to be this cold, I would have happily paid for breakfast just to sit in the tent. Worked OK, there were tents for post-race exhibitors and a bunch of us squatted in them to stay out of the wind. Bag CHECK at 4:30am was seamless and for the FIRST TIME in my running career, I stripped a bag liner out of a trashcan and made one of those trashbag ponchos. Never understood it until I hit a sleeting, 30-degree race morning in Orlando.

Corral A for the start, great folks, lots of energy. My strategy was to try to run 8:00 miles for the whole event (half and full). Gun went off and I was amazed at how many people were crammed onto a relatively small course. Simply could not get above an 8:15 mile from my position for the first two miles----should have started closer to the front of the corral---meaning that I had to really pick it up during the succeeding miles so that I hit the overall pace. Also, foolishly had not hit the potty late enough and had a full bladder at the start. Lost some good seconds around mile 3 trying to figure out which side of a portapotty had the door. A mile later, there were good woods alongside the course (and it was dark), so in retrospect, I would have done better to just wait and hit the bushes like so many of my colleagues. Even with the pit stop, I maintained a good pace, did a fair bit of drafting off of some taller folks along the way, and generally felt relaxed. Finished just a little faster than my planned pace and felt that I still had a LOT in the tank. A lot of the 1/2 was out on the roads around Disney with very little in the parks themselves, not too impressive. The event also takes place in the dark---for those who run reasonably fast (and I was NOT running very fast by my standards), the WHOLE event takes place in the dark. All in all, not too exciting as far as courses go.

After the event it started raining even harder and was FREEZING. Got into the bag check area with no line and...of course...the guy could not find my bag. Can hardly blame him, they require us to use identical bags so they really do all look alike, but I had little patience for this. Finally told him to forget it, walked to a different person and set her to work. All in all, 25 minutes to find my bag. Needless to say, I 'decorated' my bag a bit for Sunday morning so that it was more easily noticed---and I was in and out of bag check the next day in 3 minutes.

Got on the bus without incident, was back at the hotel, showered, and ready for my 9am meeting by 8:30am. I'm sure the meeting organizers were appalled at the amount I ate during the day---easily packed way 1000 calories in eggs and bagels alone.

Marathon: Lather, rinse, repeat in terms of wakeup. Had the same breakfast as the day before, but forgot to grab a power bar on my way out, which I realized later was more critical than I expected. Had the system down on day 2 so got to the race site, got coffee, trash bag, and was squatting in a tent in record time. Walk to the start was without incident---very much benefiting from a second day of an event. Following Nate's lead, I have always taken a squeeze bottle with a sports drink to get me through the early miles. For this, I took two bottles, figuring I would drink one in the early miles and then nurse another. Here's the weird: this is a pretty nice crowd, but I set down one of my bottles for a few minutes, did not move, and it was GONE. Seriously--I looked everywhere, thinking it got kicked and rolled away, nope. GONE. Did someone actually swipe my sports drink? Anyway, was already thinking that I was not going to carry both, so no loss.

Start was again a clusterf***. COULD NOT get above 8:15 miles---and the 3:30 pace group was having the same problem. Hung with them for the first three miles when the leader clearly decided to make up the time and dropped them down into 7:40 pace which I decided was going to be unwise. Decided instead to try to pick up by 5 seconds per mile and see if I could be on or a little ahead of pace by the half. All went well, knocking off a few seconds per mile, not stopping for any of the water stops, taking gels every five miles. Finally killed the sports drink entirely at mile 15. Around 15, I realized that the lack of power bar was going to be an issue---could feel myself getting hungry. Ate half a banana (why hand out whole ones BTW?). Watched some guy around mile 19 eat a mouthful of Vaseline (really!). Felt GREAT. Around mile 20 realized that I was a little off pace and decided not to worry about it, figuring I would end up coming in at 3:30:40 or so. Ended up chatting with someone I had been running with the whole way around 21 who said he was pretty much finished and was going to have to drop back, I remember thinking, nope, I'm good.

Then mile 23 hit. Seriously hit me hard. Had been losing a few seconds per mile in 21 and 22, but nothing major and not worried about it. Mile 23 hit and the tired legs clobbered me. Mile 23 was around 9:15 and I settled in for 3 miles of pain. Took two gels to help get over the bonk, which allowed me to find a 9:00 for the last two miles, but not a lot of help---I was TIRED and I know I looked it. It was still freezing cold (I could see my breath), but I stripped off the throwaway shirt that I was (still) wearing at Mile 24 and hunkered down. Those last three miles are pretty good---running along a boardwalk and into Epcot---there are a lot of people cheering which makes up for the pain. Finished, collected the hardware, and was on a bus back to the hotel, tired, but not as sore as I would have expected. Overall, the 3:34:51 was VERY satisfying and the it was more of a bonk than muscle pain that kept me from the goal.

Overall: On the one hand, I actually think it was one of the most poorly organized races ever. I am clearly spoiled, because Chicago has such high quality events and it is easy to think that this should be the norm---but for the price, this was not very impressive. Even things like transportation which should be Disney specialties were not done well. That said, now that I have done 'The Goofy' once, I want to know what I could do---I think I could have run that half faster without impacting the full; I think that running a 22m training run would have made the critical difference for staying strong for the full. So I want to try it again, but only if someone else was going or if I happened to be there again. I would absolutely not go out of my way for it. Be nice if someone built a non-Disney back-to-back similar to the Goofy. Rock-n-roll organizers, this is just screaming for you to start something like this in a late spring time slot. I will travel for your races.

I did have fun being in a hotel full of runners (and scientists--for my meeting)---so I am inclined to go to a destination event and stay in the official hotel. Never would have realized that without an event like this.

Goofy Challenge 2010

2010-01-12T09:28:00.004-06:00

I am going to post something longer tomorrow, but for the moment, I thought I would give you what Disney will not: a file to compare yourself against the other Goofy Challenge 2010 racers.

http://home.uchicago.edu/~mchristian/goofy_placement.xls

I did overall and gender placement, but for now, you will need to do your own work to get the gender totals.

For those of you reading this, it was good running with you for what must will likely be the coldest Goofy Challenge ever. Hope to see you all at 5:40am sometime in the future.

CW-X Stabilyx Tights

2009-02-15T17:36:00.002-06:00

OK, I am totally a gear-hound, and bigger a sucker for a performance promise of clothing given those crazy suits the Olympic swimmers wore. I'm also a tights guy---I have some running pants that don't cling and can't figure out why anyone running faster than a 9-minute mile wants loose-fitting pants. That's my disclosure statement.

That said, with recession in the air, I have been trying to keep expenses to a minimum and I have a couple pairs of tights I love, so I was not in any hurry to buy another pair. Nevertheless, the piece on performance clothing in Running Times got me fixated on a pair of CW-X Conditioning Wear Stabilyx Tights and Linus and I stopped over at Fleet Feet after a visit to the Nature Museum. A hundred bucks later, I was the proud owner of tights that had a lot of promise.

First, they don't really make my size, I'm in that 6', 175 range which is a gray area by CW-X standards.

Probably too big for medium, but I should be at about 165 so I figured that if the tights work as they should, maybe I would be better able to drop that 10 lbs of beer and ice cream.

Second, they don't really give instructions on where your knee should end up to give you the best support. Especially for those of us in the gray area, it seems like we should make some of those adjustments to get optimal fit. I just guessed that the 'web' should criss-cross around the knee leaving the knee more free to move.

Those are the little gripes.

Took them out on a 12-miler today in about 28F. Holy crap, they were amazing. Negative split the 12 miles, running 8:16 for the first six and ending up with an average of 8:12/mile for the whole distance. Very comfortable throughout, and notable because I have been nursing a variety of grumpy muscles and joints for the past few months that usually leaves something sore after a long run. Today, nothing.

Day was cold, hands ended up numb running into the wind, but with the wind at my back they were ok. The CW-X tights did not change the fact that I get crazy hungry every time I cross the 10-mile mark.

Speaking of which, we runners in Chicago have a choice: hydrate properly and water the lawn or dehydrate. Yep, no bathrooms from about October to May in Chicago's parks. Shared a knowing look with a fellow runner as he left his deposit on one of the overpasses. We have all been there. Lately I opt for the dehydration route. That's another story.

Training for Peak Performance: Week 1

2009-02-01T21:39:00.003-06:00

Had a lousy January in general. Work got in the way of exercise and the intense cold and snow beat me down which meant that I was coming into the first of a 14-week training program for the the mini-marathon colder than I wanted. I am also looking down the barrel of the Shamrock Shuffle with about 8 weeks to play. Sad because I have A-Corral qualification this year and really looked to put in an amazing time. I will probably still PR if no injuries, but had hoped to have a better base ready.

Week 1 also had its glitches. Had my gear at work and never made it out on Monday which meant I missed the first day. Day 2 was an 8-miler which ended with declining mile splits and a sore hamstring and ITB. Took Weds off (should have been hills) to make sure that neither turned into a thing. Hit the 3 on Thurs fine, Friday was insane at work and missed that 8 but picked it up on Sat. Should have had a day between the 8 and a Sunday 10, so I was not really ready and ended up bailing at 8 on Sunday with twinges in the hamstring.

I think the key in this program is to be intensely aware of lingering hamstring issues---they have been nagging since mid-November and I need to find a series of stretches that really treats the deeper issues. At the same time, this is precisely the same training regimen I did last year at this time and it seems SO much easier this time. Like so many good Jack-Daniels-inspired routines, it cycles between longer and shorter weeks and week 2 is much lighter.

Ran North along the path yesterday and South today. Jackson Harbor is looking spectacular, covered with ice and snow. I am running these days with the iPhone and I have a nice, rugged camera precisely for these occasions, but (a) I can barely remember to wear decent running specs, much less remember a camera and (b) the little iPhone case is nice, but too cumbersome to pull the phone out with cold hands and (c) I just don't like stopping on a run. I think this is why I am not a super social runner. That said, lifted with KO yesterday after the run and remembered again just how quickly the time goes by when you workout with a friend. The run goes by awfully quickly with Gareth Emery, especially the soaring female vocals that run through episode 71...so I don't feel like I am missing human company all that much.

Heading toward 70.3

2009-01-02T23:46:00.001-06:00

Looking back over 2008, I did not master all of my goals, but I raised the bar for myself in significant ways. Spent the 1^st planning my 2009 season and looking beyond. Two key goals: Boston and Ironman by 2012. Training plans for 2009 have to keep those in focus, with the idea that I might just be able to hit Boston this year and I need to get a couple 70.3s under my belt. So two key events with a third in the wings: Indy's Mini-Marathon (trying to get a better spot for Chicago Marathon) and Whirlpool 70.3. Planning to run Chicago Marathon as well to capitalize on the fitness from the 70.3; planning to have the training in place to push for a Boston qualifier, but I don't want Chicago to be a key race---did that this year and the training just bored me in the end.

So here are a couple key markers that I have laid out at this point. 14 week plan to the Mini Marathon which overlaps at week 9 with the 20 week plan leading to the 70.3 which gives me time to add two 20+ mile runs after the 70.3 before Chicago and come what may. Finish working on all of this over the weekend. Pretty sure I have my base worked out up to March at this point, but need to fill in a couple spots and make sure it is realistic, given family, work, etc.

Runnersworld Update

2008-12-30T21:26:00.001-06:00

If you had a site with 185k topics in your forums and more than 3.13M posts, you might feel pretty good. You would feel especially good if those thousands of regular users have figured out how to update their avatars and append signature lines to their posts, despite a hopelessly non-intuitive interface with limited possibilities, meaning that they were reasonably tech savvy crowd. Add to this that the site adds tremendous value to your print magazine, increases loyalty to that brand, and provides a prime platform for additional advertising revenues. In planning an update, what would you do?

If you are Runnersworld.com, not much. Don't get me wrong, on the surface they seem to have been busy: rebranding the community as 'the loop' and claiming that "The world's best running web site now has the world's best online community." Apparently the world's best online community includes user blogs, photo sharing, enhanced profiles, internal messaging. On the surface, they seem ready to have jumped into web 2.0 with this update; instead, they seem to have stumbled backwards into web 1.0.

No time tonight to run through a comprehensive strategy for Runnersworld but here are a couple thoughts:

First, take a look at profiles on Facebook, My Space, Linkedin or even Blogger. The new RW interface is better than it was, but what an opportunity lost. You have a community looking for friends, running partners, competitors---many of these folks would abandon their Facebook sites if they could do similar things on RW with people who share their hobbies. Look at some of the forum users---I have seen people with upwards of 30k posts! These people are living on the site.

That said, if you don't want to be in the profile business, that's cool too. Use Facebook Connect or OpenID. Or keep the same profile setup you have, but include places for your community members to link to their other profiles so that they can connect on that level. Or make it simple but relevant: shoe model and size, favorite running gear, link to a 'favorite route' map. Never create another vanilla profile page—we all have enough of those already.

Second, if you are going to add blogs to your community site, plan to consolidate your industry. There are thousands of runners' blogs out there, a good portion of those bloggers are RW community members. If you are going to run blogs on the community site, you want to create a situation where people are likely to move their blogs over. You might want to think about an import function that works with the major blog engines, you might want to ensure that people can skin the blogs, add links, the whole works. We are not talking about a group trying to monetize here---almost every one of the running blogs I read are just enhanced training logs (like this one). You have most of the interface already, but you need a little something to get us to move off of blogger.

Again, you may not want to be in the blog business, but then why add it? Go back to point one and give us places to connect to our blogs. A better use of resources would be to let us add feeds from our external blogs to the site so that the community discussions are informed by the broader realm of discussions.

Third, do we really need another email substitute? Better to do status updates (ala twitter/facebook) or wall posts (facebook). Look at how your people are using the forums…there are whole topics devoted to people updating their status before and after their workouts.

Finally, INTEGRATE. RW's training log is not the best on the market, but it is pretty good and many of the people in your community are also using it. Why integrate the training log into the community so that people could easily follow each other. Even better, add a calendaring function that integrates so that people can post planned workouts and report what they actually did. Here you simply need to take advantage of what your community is using and pull it together into a cohesive product.

I am a Runnersworld.com user and a happy one, but it is precisely my fondness for the site and the community of runners that makes me feel that this was an opportunity squandered by poor planning, lack of vision, and criminal lack of input from users. When you have a huge community that clearly wants to connect with each other, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, if you build a site that lets your users connect to each other and to the other places that do social media well, you win by not having to carry the overhead but serving as a portal where these multiple links connect.

Road to St Marks

2008-12-27T20:42:00.001-06:00

I always feel like I should hit something of the confessional when I update this periodic blog. The gaps between posts have been large enough that I should provide a broader update---and in the context of a race report, perhaps that is appropriate. But not today. Looking at a short post, not a long confession.

Ran a simple six-mile out-and-back with my 15-year-younger nephew (a runner at DePauw) who barely broke a sweat while I pushed it in the heat. Getting a little wiser with age, I just ran my pace (avg 8:04/mile) without trying to prove anything. That said, I was probably feeling a bit more like a 8:15 pace so having a partner kept me close to the top of my game. My right hamstring has been bugging me for the past couple months and I had some of that on this run, no doubt exasperated by a 14-hour ride from Carbondale to Tallahassee the day before. It has been a long time since I ran with someone and I was surprised at how much more energy it takes to talk while running. Little things were also surprising, like the sound of the shorts swishing which I never hear because I am either listening to music or because little sounds.

This is the first time in a VERY long time that I have gone out for a run with someone. In my work life I spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve and foster collaborations---and pointing out that collaborative science produces BETTER science. I had a better workout and a more satisfying workout today running with someone---even doubling up on the amount that I got 'done'. Why am I such a soloist then on the trail? I think it is first a matter of laziness: I don't have a current running partner and I don't want to spend the time to recruit one. Oh, I have asked around a bit, but none of my immediate circle of friends is running seriously these days. Collaborative running would also require flexibility in my routine. With kids, my wife and I live on a pretty strict schedule that gets them fed and to bed but also gets us out to the gym. Having a 'collaborator' would require me to accommodate yet another person's schedule. And then there is the pace negotiation---because no two people actually run the same speed on the same day and it takes some skill to be able to admit your own pace needs and negotiate them with the other person. In the end, even though I know I am not getting as much out of my workouts as I could, the lazy factor takes over. The same is true in science. This requires some further thought, but I think it illuminates the difficulties of getting collaborative scientific teams off the ground.

I am only doing this to stay at the top of my game

2008-11-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

In one of those lovely intersections between my day job and my hobby, a couple studies have appeared indicating that exercise improves brain function. Nice to know that all of this exercise might keep my limited brain function intact.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com

According to research published ahead of print in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine, brain power decline can
be prevented and possibly even reversed by engaging in regular aerobic
exercise. Leading cognitive neuroscientists Art Kramer (US Beckman
Institute at the University of Illinois) and Kirk Erickson
(University of Pittsburgh) offer a critical evaluation of the large
number of studies that show how aerobic exercise and physical activity
can be beneficial to the aging brain.

Cognitive decline with aging has been linked to white and grey matter
deterioration in certain parts of the brain. The greatest effects of
cognitive decline are usually seen in activities such as task
coordination, planning, goal maintenance, working memory, and the
ability to switch tasks - a group of activities termed
"executive control."

Exercise effects on cognitive and neural plasticity in older
adults

British Journal of Sports Medicine

Hot Chocolate 15k

2008-11-02T16:19:00.002-06:00

Anna Lisa shot me a line several months ago about the Hot Chocolate 15k, mentioning that the swag was pretty extraordinary. I admit that a fleece and hat certainly made it worth considering, but more than anything the relatively unusual 15k distance and the chance to run an inaugural event made it compelling. Like most civilized folk, I had been planning to take some time off after the Chicago Marathon and a 15k three weeks later was hardly a break.

A couple of things made this seem pretty doable. First, for the month prior to the Marathon, my training pace had been pretty steadily around 8 min miles which is up about a minute over the past year. As I mentioned, I went into the Marathon thinking that this could be my M pace (it was not). Although I had trouble going down stairs for about three days after the marathon, I was back to 2500 yd swim workout by Tuesday at noon and I managed to get some good miles in that week. Last weekend I went out for a 12 miler at an 'easy' pace and when I looked at my splits at home, I had averaged a 7:35 mile for the whole run. The Marathon had been a bit of a disaster, but left me at a higher level of conditioning and not as fatigued as expected.

Add to this that I have been really pumped about my performance at the Athens Sister City 5k where I ran a 20:40 5k the day after a 22-mile training run. I did not expect the Marathon to tell me much about what my performance could have been, so I have been wanting to have a reasonably well-rested race to find out where things stood. Based on some calculations from McMillan and others, I figured that with a little mental toughness, I could manage a 7:02 mile for the whole race and maybe find a little extra in the tank at the end. Still, when the email before the race indicated that we could switch events if we wanted to, I very nearly opted for the 5k just to make sure I could run the race I wanted.

OK, too-long preamble; here is the race report.

Lined up about 10 minutes before the gun. Had all-but-one satellite in view on the Garmin and I was almost the first up which I did not want, but it was unclear who would be running 7-minute miles so I pulled back a bit before the start and probably pushed out in with the top 25. Needless to say, the pace was a bit too quick and I knew it right away. Backed off quickly and wound up hitting mile 1 at about 6:46 which I thought was completely insane. Garmin was off by 0.05 already at mile 1 which seemed crazy since I had a better first mile result in downtown Chicago. I let myself back off a bit with the intent to drop to 7:15 and recover for a mile to get my average back on. I got passed by a number of folk, including a woman in a blue shirt who I figured was running 7s. I could not quite hold her pace, but kept her within view and just ran what I thought seemed reasonable. By mile 4, Garmin was reporting that I was losing ground on my goal, running closer to 7:12s. I refocussed and decided to commit my mental energy to the 7 pace. Still getting passed in that stretch by a few folks and I could not find enough to keep up with them. At mile 5 I checked time on my watch and realized that I was closer to 7s than I had thought---I was in fact running slightly better than 7s. The stress of not hitting my own pace left and I opened up a bit. By mile 6 I was reeling in a few people that had passed me along the way. By mile 8, I realized that I was about 90 seconds under pace and still pulling in a few folk. The woman in blue was still pretty far ahead, but in sight and I decided to catch her AND see if I could open the pace up a bit to get in around the 63 mark. During Mile 8 I started picking up most of the people that had passed me along the way, including a guy that would re-pass me every time I went past until my relentlessness ultimately broke him. Finally, there was a tight turn which took us up the slightest little hill and across some grass and the bump seemed to crush the spirit of about a dozen folk in front of me while I was going to the arms and opening up. Somewhere in that mile some guy who looked like a coach hollered at me to 'just go fishing' and pull in the next group. I did and caught the woman in blue and several others by the time I hit the 9 mark. The last .3 was long but I kept it going, getting passed at the end by a woman who I had been in contention with for most of the race (she won her 45-49 F division, so no shame on my part---plus I caught her hocking a very respectable loogi around mile 6 which earned her my full respect). Hit the mat at 1:03:30.

Tired at the end, but not in the way I was after the Marathon or Accenture---which makes me think that I still had more in the tank. Moreover, I have had a busy day subsequently and I have felt shockingly fresh which further suggests that I had more to give. That's always a bit frustrating, but gotta love a great run and a pace that would have given me a PR at both 8k and 10k distances. The final average was a 6:49 mile which was 13 seconds per mile faster than planned and the same pace I ran for the Shammy six months ago---and I was totally fired up after that race. I think I have a 32:30 in me for an 8k right now and with a little speedwork I might get below the 32 mark by the 2009 Shammy.

Anyway very fun race. One gripe: so the 5k folk had pretty much all finished by the time the 15k was done and the lines to get into the food tent were ridiculous. Just a banana at the finish, that's all I ask. I ended up just grabbing three bottles of water and drinking one with some endurox powder I had brought along, skipping the chocolate ridiculousness entirely. Clearly the chocolate was a big draw for the ladies---we had 474 men out of 1515 in the 15k, meaning that women outnumbered us 2:1. Anna Lisa was clearly looking out farther than the fleece when she pointed out this race's swag.

2008-10-25T16:52:00.003-05:00

12 miles at 7:35 pace.

Set out thinking that I may decide to run either an 8:15 pace with a negative split or an 8:30 pace with pace descending by :10/mile ending with a 7:30. Hit the first mile in 7:10 quite by accident and re-evaluated my plan, cutting back to a 7:35 in mile 2 and then a couple 7:45s. Felt good and was busy thinking about a literacy and health study and some ideas for a Microsoft/Telligent talk. Let my body just go for the most part. At the turnaround decided to keep to the negative split plan and picked it up a bit. Not sure right now whether I did, but pushed it throughout, slowing only during the last mile due to stoplights and traffic on 53rd. Street running is a total pace-killer.

I am especially pleased with where my running has gone since the Chicago Marathon. Had a fun and strong tempo run on Thursday and this 12-miler confirms that the Marathon left me in solid shape and that the swimming is really paying off. Looking forward to the 15k next weekend, wondering what I can do.

Also really happy looking back over the past year. Ran a 12-miler around Christmas last year and while I was not especially suffering, it was a major effort. Also thinking that I ran that 8-miler run in early August at 7:30 pace and really had to work to hold it. Today, I just ran it and let it go where it went---and it went fast. Last year at this point I was getting back into shape and working up to an 8-miler in anticipation of the Turkey Trot. It seems like such a long time ago.

Reading Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running yesterday and today and I am blown away. I have been so down on almost every novelist writing in the past 20-30 years that I had completely ignored Murakami. No more, probably running out to get one of his novels as soon as I have consumed and annotated this one. I will put up a post eventually with some of the best aphorisms.

Race Report: 2008 Chicago Marathon

2008-10-13T05:09:00.001-05:00

A little history: Back in May, I was seriously considering trying to run a Boston qualifier at this year's marathon. After the 1/2-mary in June, I lost about six weeks to an MCL injury and that caused me to revisit my plans. It was a good thing too, I realized over the summer months that I just don't train well in the heat. Add to that the need to keep the swim-bike-run thing flowing and my marathon-specific training dropped significantly. I went into the 2008 Chicago pretty confident I could run a 3:30 and figured I might even be able to pick up a minute over the last 10k if I stayed solid on 8-min miles for the first 20.

The race was hot. Nate convinced me that carrying my own drink for the first six miles would make life easier---and it really did. I found a great little 20oz Evian bottle (narrow with a squirt lid) and filled it with Accelerade. It held through mile 9, meaning no water stops and better quality drinking (e.g., I am certain I got all 20 oz, where I can never be certain how much I get from a cup). Don't love carrying a bottle, but getting to skip the aid stations was perfect and I
felt fantastic.

The crowds were fantastic--Chicago really comes out for the event and all along the course people were screaming encouragement and there was music and entertainment. I feel sorry for anyone who chose to wear an ipod since they would have missed out on the incredible fan support.

Held a pretty solid 7:51 to 7:56 through mile14 feeling great. At mile 14, I started to feel the effects of the heat and dropped to 8:15 then 8:30 then 8:45 and down it went. By mile 18 my quads felt like lead. I was fading but determined not to walk and so I pushed through Pilsen and then Chinatown (again, unbelievable crowds), but the post-Chinatown hill hit hard and I broke down to walk for a few steps along Wentworth. My quads were so sore already that walking was actually less comfortable than running, so after 30 steps or so I picked it back up and kept running. From there I kept the legs plugging away, walking only through aid stations until abotu mile 24. I was telling myself that I could walk a bit after the 40k mark, but just couldn't make it and ended up taking about 400m down Michigan, just trying to replenish the legs a bit.

Amy and the kids were on the corner of Michigan and 35th---and I couldn't believe how much that helped. Melissa was on the North side, but I never saw her because the crowds were so thick. Having friendly cheers at that Mile 24 mark was so critical especially after being clobbered by the heat. Zofie was busy doing something else, so she only saw my back, but Linus was looking right at me.

Found a little be extra at Mile 25 and determined to run it in, albeit slowly. The 'hill' on Roosevelt is just as much of a killer as everyone says.

Ended up at 3:51:51, 4843 overall --- so easily top 20% but much slower than hoped for. I was pretty sure that Chicago Marathon was a one-shot deal for me, but despite the pain (during the race AND as I write this!), I loved the experience and will almost certainly do it again next year. As the pain got worse, I kept telling myself that this is how the marathon at the end of the Ironman must feel and that kept me moving. Now that I am no longer a marathon virgin, I can get moving on toward a Boston goal and then the Ironman. Definitely planning on a 70.3 next year---and I may opt out of Chicago next year to run Indy and/or I may look for a cold-weather marathon in the winter when I can really get some speed.

Accenture Chicago Triathlon

2008-08-25T09:35:00.001-05:00

I'm the one limping in at 0:19-ish with the terrible leg cramps.

July 6 roundup

2008-07-06T21:02:00.004-05:00

The week ended with my first Triathalon. So let's begin there. Firecracker Tri in Benton Harbor

Results

Driving out to my folks house afterwards, I looked at Amy and said, "wow, my swim was remarkably bad". To which she replied, "it's good for your kids to hear that---that you are bad at something and yet choose to do it anyway." If that is the case, I am bound to be a great parent.

The important thing is that I had a REALLY great time. Too often, when I run, I am so focused on a particular pace or performance, that I don't find myself simply enjoying each and every moment of the race. Today I sort of wallowed in it. OK, I was ready for the swim to be over and I was tired by the end of the run, but I really enjoyed every moment of the race. I need that sort of sheer pleasure in my routines and I am really happy that I got that here. I want to go out and Tri again soon---that is the danger spot, not unlike after the Turkey Trot last Fall.

The swim portion reminded me that I HAVE to get my crap together for a 1500M in two months (53 days)! This was hard enough at 400M. I cannot imagine slogging along for 40 minutes of that---so I have to get it together so I am able to do it in 35 or so. No records necessary, but I want to have a good performance. The bike leg was fun, I bet I could have done it even faster if I was not so busy just having a good time.

The week was an odd one. My knee (probably MCL) is still bothering me, so I have not been running (and that bothers me almost as much as the knee). So I was out biking several times, but no pool time. I did one open water session on Thursday in choppy water.

New week, new training plan---more biking, more swimming, probably laying off the knee for another week in running, but we will see.

June Update

2008-06-28T10:17:00.003-05:00

This blog, as you can tell, was a lot easier to keep up when the snow was on the ground and I was out training less. It seems to me that I have about 8 hours/week for training at most and the more time I spend out on the road, the less I have to update this blog.

Since the last post, I ran the Soldier Field 10 (May 23rd) and the North Shore Half Marathon (June 8). The Soldier Field felt great and it was a nearly perfect day. I did not run as well as I thought I could (a) because I was not planning to peak at the race and did not do any tapering (or even carbo-loading) pre-race and (b) went out slower than I should have, hitting the first two miles about 8-10 seconds per mile slower than planned. I could have run faster, overall, but I was trying to discipline myself to a negative split. That worked well. Great race---will be a favorite.

North Shore Half was also a nice race, but the weather was brutal. I was looking for a "B" corral qualifying time for the Chicago Marathon, but the heat and humidity wiped that plan out within the first three miles. I adapted and set my sights on a "C" time. By Mile 9 I was already lactic from the effort and I dropped to training pace to finish. No problem getting the C time, but wonder whether I would have gotten the B if I had started at Marathon pace and looked to pick it up as I went.

Heat, Humidity, and heavy training took its toll and I wound up with what I think is an MCL sprain/strain on the right knee. I had been planning to take three weeks of light training anyway and it looks like we might be heading for 4. Jury is currently out on whether I will do the Firecracker Tri on July 6, although I am almost certain I will---the knee only seems to swell at about 4-5 miles and the cycling and swimming are low enough impact to cause few problems. The injury has me reconsidering whether I will be in shape for a Boston qualifying time come October, but that is still more than 100 days out. The main concern right now is whether I will be able to manage the Accenture Tri without doing more damage. As I have said before, I am in this for a lifetime and although I have difficulty backing off, I am unwilling to risk permanent injuries for a slightly faster time in any race.

That's the June update. I will try to do weekly roundups from now on so that the dozen or so of you who stop by here have something new to read.

Still out there running

2008-05-12T19:36:00.003-05:00

I have been away from this log for several months---mileage went up and I ran out of time to keep this up with any regularity. I am still out there running and biking (although the swimming has fallen by the wayside for now). More to come in the days ahead.

Back (in the snow)

2008-02-01T15:49:00.000-06:00

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:36:08	8:57 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:36:07	8:57 pace
Distance (mi )	4.03
Moving Speed (mph)	6.7 avg.	12.4 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+77 / -76

Avg. Heart Rate	156 bpm	Zone 4.2

Temperature (°F)	24.8°F avg.	24.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	E 14.5 avg.	E 16.1 max.

Start Time: 04:45:00 PM

After a ten-day rest to let my left knee heal up a bit, I was chomping at the bit for a run. I had been planning to go out for a run all day, but one thing after another got in the way. Finally, with snow coming down I decided just to change at the office and run home. The run was good, despite heavy snow on the lakefront trail---I actually started to go South and changed my mind due to trail conditions. Lots of slipping on the run, leaving the thighs a bit tender, but all in all it was nice to be back.

Still not a fish

2008-01-21T15:26:00.000-06:00

I think this is officially the first time that I have crapped out on one of these workouts. Exactly halfway and the thought of another 700 yards was too much to bear, so I bailed on the second half. The campus is closed today, so although I have been at work all day, I have been living on Diet Coke and coffee, with no input of real food. This was probably the main cause---but a secondary, and somewhat less reliable reason is the not-a-fish factor. It seems that whenever I have more than two days out of the pool, the following workout is REALLY difficult to bear. It's not that I don't have the strength, I just seem to drink too much of the pool and get frustrated by it all. That was the general feeling today---just not enjoying it at all.

Got out of the pool did the core workout (better balance on the ball; strangely the planks seem harder than they did last week) and then went for a 2-mile run at 10:00 pace and 1% incline on the treadmill, ensuring that HR stayed around 145 (c.75%). This was boring, but if I am going to find a 4th day of running beginning in March, then I want to add these 2-milers for a few weeks. My idea is to follow the program that I have outlined but do 4-days of running and then substitute swimming and cycling on the easy- and off- days. This will require me to be ready to alternate 8-mile and 4-mile days each week on Monday and then do speedwork on Tuesday. Starting in February, I will kick it up to 3 miles on the off day and then we will be ready to transition into a real 10k training schedule March 1.

To dress appropriately

2008-01-20T20:01:00.000-06:00

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:25:40	9:30 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:25:26	9:29 pace
Distance (mi )	9.01
Moving Speed (mph)	6.3 avg.	13.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+207 / -207

Avg. Heart Rate	151 bpm	Zone 4.0

Temperature (°F)	9.5°F avg.	10.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	W 12.9 avg.	W 16.1 max.

Start Time: 02:49:36 PM (CST)

Although the schedule for the week was for a 14-mile run, the deep cold suggested another tactic, and I decided to go North for four, turn around, and see where I was when I got back. This approach allows for up to 15, but gives one an out at 8 (running down to the Museum Campus requires one to commit to the full distance). Having read a bit on winter layers for different kinds of cold and evaluating my gear, I decided that 10°F required: Hind Arctic tights, New Balance technical t-shirt (I love these, they are silky and light), Craft Trail zip mock, Craft Trail jacket, two-layer mittens, balaclava, woolie bullie cycling socks (thin soft wool). I had actually intended to wear a pair of wind tights, but forgot to add them. Anyway, although I think that another pair of pants could have been in order, the gear was otherwise perfect---and would have handled an additional 5 miles without a problem.

The other decision I made for the day was to keep HR at or below 150. WOW, this was hard and totally sucked in some ways. On the one hand, what a BORING run. Requires me to run no faster than a 9:30 pace and I really had to watch the HR monitor while I ran. Interestingly, at 150 bpm, I was comfortable and warm. At 145, I could feel the cold start to creep in. I held the average where I wanted it, but I was bored. The discipline is good and RW had an article that talked about how Carrie Tollefson managed to improve her weekly mileage by keeping her easy runs in the right zone. So in the spirit of trying to add some mileage, I will try to do some of my runs in the right zone, even though it sucks. I took the last two miles at a little bit more of a cruise pace and that felt better. That said, keeping a close eye on the HR kept my eyes off the clock and let me run smarter. I feel much better after the run than normal---which could also be a byproduct of a 'short' run. In the same way that I have decided to do a 1M TT each month to track progress, I also want to do a run at or below 150 each month to see how my splits improve relative to HR. In theory, but adding another long, slow run each week, I should be able to pick run faster at lower exertion---which is necessary if I am going to run a 3:20 marathon eventually---meaning that I need to be able to sustain a 7:40 mile for more than 3 hours. Right now, not possible (MAYBE a half, but it would nearly kill me). If I could eventually run an 8:00 around 150, I would be in a good place. I might not be to far, an 8:30 can be done around 160....

Live to run another day

2008-01-19T20:08:00.000-06:00

It's a funny thing to take one's running seriously---and to be at a point where you just do not think that the cold should stop you from running outside. I was in a very different place just a year ago, I freely admit---I told a friend of mine at the time that I might never bother to run outside again (of course, back then, I was working my way up to 35 minutes of running, 3 days a week). I stopped at Tati and bought a windstopper balaclava (I love Craft products and Tati carries the key pieces)---thinking at the time that the windstopper was probably going to be overkill. But in the end, I bailed out, deciding that the risk was to great (sub-zero temps and wind chills in the -30s) and that it was better to sit out a day and live to run on many more in the future. I tell myself that this is a life commitment---not about a run, a race, or even a season--but I was exceedingly grumpy all day, in part because my body was craving the run---and facing even an hour on the treadmill has become more than I care to bear. Should be warmer tomorrow.

Run fast to avoid the wind

2008-01-17T20:18:00.000-06:00

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:51:29	8:22 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:51:29	8:22 pace
Distance (mi )	6.15
Moving Speed (mph)	7.2 avg.	14.1 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+150 / -150

Avg. Heart Rate	158 bpm	Zone 4.5

Temperature (°F)	19.4°F avg.	21.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WSW 26.1 avg.	WSW 29.9 max.

Start Time: 05:01:12 PM (CST)

The books and magazines all suggest that with Winter running you should run into the wind outbound so that you do not work up a sweat with a tailwind and then turn into the wind and freeze. I have done enough of those runs already where you are stripping off layers only to turn around and put them all back on, now cold and sweaty. So I try to take it seriously and since the wind is usually North or South in Chicago, this works out pretty well, if you run along the lake---except when the wind is pushing 30 mph from the West. Ok, I agree it was WSW--so heading South first was a good deal, insofar as there was one, but coming back North on a slick icy path and then turning to face hard and freezing wind from the West was just cruel.

Actually, it was really just the last 1/2 mile that was cruel (very cruel), the rest was one of the best training runs I have had in awhile. Six miles of just laying it down---the worst split was in the second mile (8:38), and probably just because I was still trying to be cautious about the slick surface conditions. The rest of the splits were very respectable and even the last mile into a 25-30 MPH headwind, was right on the average for the day. Ran fueled by pent up energy from working to meet a 4pm and 4:30pm deadline today on a 375 page grant application---and it still needs work, but it is off of institutional endorsement. I probably still have three days of work to do to get it perfect, but we hit today's deadlines exactly on the the money (well, the 4pm got there at 4:05 for those keeping score at home). Anyway, it's funny how being under pressure actually energizes me and makes me play at the top of my game--rather than wears me down.

I did cut the distance from 7 to 6. Since we are supposed to drop another 15 degrees by Saturday, I may need to rethink my long run---'cause there is no way that I am doing 14M on the treadmill and I am not sure that I could do 14 against a wind like the one at the end. Of course my impermeable jacket and windstopper balaclava can probably carry me through just about anything.

kata skopon dioko

2008-01-16T20:25:00.000-06:00

I press on toward the goal, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:14). Not without some difficulty---January is a cruel month with grant deadlines, closing out year end books, reports, the first stab at taxes, budgets, annual meetings, and it does not help that it is cold. And then there are the new things---planning a running fund raiser for the Gargoyle and working on changes in web services for Augustana. It all adds up and takes a toll on work and home and even sport. This morning I just could not get moving and I decided to skip my planned swim, take an extra hour in the sack, and see where it left me. By late afternoon I felt better and I decided to stick the workout back in the evening hours. This is the second night-swim this week (and, I think, overall). I am surprised how much I enjoy it.

Did the core exercises from RW again. I thought that I was pretty weak in the core, but I am having no trouble with these exercises (some trembling at the end of a 2 minute plank, notwithstanding). This gives me some sense that the combination of swimming/biking/running is working the core adequately. I will keep these up and add some tougher ones down the road with the hope of trimming down more of the gut---but all in all, I feel pretty good about where things stand in terms of core strength.

The quote from Paul at the beginning has come back into my mind these past couple months and it strikes me as profound both for running and life. He does not see the run as a simple here-to-there, but as a long, continuous striving that reaches the prize at the END, but not at some interim end. Always becoming, always captured by the endeavor, always engaging oneself fully in the moment and the day---looking toward what is ahead. I will probably come back to this again.

Too fast to burn fat

2008-01-15T14:31:00.000-06:00

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:12:37	8:58 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:09:45	8:37 pace
Distance (mi )	8.09
Moving Speed (mph)	7.0 avg.	15.4 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+166 / -166

Avg. Heart Rate	154 bpm	Zone 4.3

Temperature (°F)	23°F avg.	24.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WSW 7.5 avg.	WSW 8.1 max.

Start Time: 12:46:11

After several weeks of very mild temperatures, warnings about an arctic chill made me wonder whether I was going to be able to keep up with my running schedule this week. I suppose it is all too easy to forget that I thrive in temperatures below 32°F and that the 23°F today still had me stripping layers to keep from overheating. I stopped at Tati to pick up a balaclava en route, not that I even put it on today, but if I am really going to run 14 on Saturday, I will need something to break the wind around my face.

Ran an average of an 8:37 pace with mile splits ranging from 8:13 on the low end to 9:05 on the last mile (which includes cool-down). Most of those miles were in the high 150s for HR and between that and the overall pace (which did not seem fast), I find myself wondering whether I am able to do an 'easy' run. I really have a hard time keeping my HR in the 70% range---running with an average HR around 130-140 seems a bit sad, to be honest. I would have to put on slow, depressing music to do that. As I was running today, I found myself thinking about this phenomena and wondering whether these instructions to run at slower paces really apply to someone who runs 3-4 days per week. Yes, if I was a 6-day guy, I can imagine that I would have to find some slow runs. But since my 'recovery' days are spent in the pool or on a bike, maybe I do not need to worry about running at 80-83% most of the time. The funny thing is that these are not Tempo runs either (which are supposed to be 20 mins or so at 90%). On a side note, RW had a great piece on progressive tempo runs which I need to start including as a way to spice things up since I am trying to stay off of intervals until March---surprisingly hard because I like to push it. I am not too worried about all of this---I only want to find a way to ease up and burn some remaining fat, but I find it hard to believe that the heavy caloric burn is not helping me in some way.

Core Work and Swim

2008-01-14T22:21:00.000-06:00

Finally had time to hit the pool just before 8pm and was running on fumes for most of the workout---which also means sucking in more than my share of pool water. I noted that the more tired I get, the less I am able to maintain any type of form in the pool---and my breathing goes downhill as well. I also work less efficiently: I swam 18 and 16 s/l during the first of two sets and then 20 and 18 s/l on the second. My flip turns are improving (one was nearly perfect), but getting the breathing right for the turns is still an issue. I know that flip turns are hardly critical, but they add an element of fun to the equation.

I have been doing crunches and planks for the past couple months, but the recent Runners World article on core strength reminded me to get more serious about it. After the swim last night I added the first four core exercises in the base fitness workout (Plank/Side Plank, Bird Dog, Back Extension, Swiss Hip Extension) and was surprised at how well I was able to do them. The hip extensions are done on a balance ball, and this is the place where I had trouble (I kept falling off), but I should also see some rapid improvements as I build the strength and muscle control on the ball. In contrast to swimming (and regular lifting) these kinds of exercises fit with the reasons that I love running---they are really endurance work and require one to develop sustained muscle control.

Base Miles

2008-01-13T20:32:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to figure out what people mean when they talk about 'base miles'---and although I have no doubt that I have been building a base, I do not know what sort of base one needs before adding some a harder training regimen designed to push up my VO2 stats.

I am putting together a little roundup on the topic, here are two to start:

The short of it, a period of lower intensity training. Also known as endurance training or Long Slow Distance (LSD). The duration of the period ideal for base building varies from athlete to athlete and is dependent on a number of factors including athletic/race goals, athletic maturity (i.e. cycling age versus calendar age), fitness, hours available for training, life style (including stressors and support systems), etc. . . . if you're fit and free from injury and assuming you're racing sometime in the future, then a period of at least 6 to 8 weeks of base building is ideal. Raceplan

the goal is to build a strong aerobic foundation with miles that are run a little faster than recovery pace but slower than lactate-threshold pace, or somewhere between 60 and 75 percent of maximum heart rate. These comfortable, steady efforts are often called base miles because they form the "base" of a runner's training program, and should account for 80 to 85 percent of total weekly mileage (with the other 15 to 20 percent coming from higher-intensity training). Physiologically, base miles are important because they boost aerobic conditioning, develop slow-twitch muscle fibers, increase blood volume and glycogen storage, strengthen connective tissue, and enhance the body's ability to burn fat. Runners World

Blue 6

2008-01-13T20:21:00.001-06:00

This is the first of what I expect to be a four-day week of swim workouts. I tried, comically, to do proper turns, but with little actual success. I will continue to fool around with this, mostly because it adds a little variety. Overall, things are coming together little by little, but I still find my efforts rather laughable. A member of the UC team was in the lane next to me this afternoon and I took a few minutes to see if I could pick up anything by watching her---I mostly realized how much more I still had to do if I wanted to really see some speed. I did not use the rest periods that Hines puts in to this workout, preferring to rest briefly during the changes between drills.