4 DrunkRunners

The Death of Sixpack Chopra

2012-01-19T16:49:00.000Z

It's with a heavy heart that I am finally confessing the death of Sixpack Chopra. You all know that I was in training and really enjoying my Five Fingers shoes. I still love them. However, genetics have struck a fatal blow.
What you don't know about the story is that I started having hip pain last summer. My right hip made it very difficult for me to do my job. Interestingly, if I went for a run, working was easier. So, I kept training and finally went to see a doctor when I could afford health insurance. That was in late November. X-rays were done and a diagnosis was made.
The news? Degenerative Joint Disease (read Arthritis) beyond my age group in the right hip and DJD in the left hip. Yep, kids, at the age of 40, I'm already well aware that a hip replacement will likely be necessary in about 20 years, if not sooner.
We are currently working on treatments, and I will be getting a cortizone shot next week. Yes, I know they operate on a principal of diminishing returns. If the shot works we try a new shot (Synvisc) that my mother has had much success with. Yes, my mother and I will have the same arthritis medication. I got kicked in the ass by genetics. I'm also in Physical Therapy, yet again. It's offering some pain relief, but not quite enough.
The short version of the story is that at the beginning of training for the Madison Marathon, I was told I shouldn't run. Basically, I can run, but it's not going to help me out when I'm 70. So, I need to find another outlet. Bicycle, swimming, whatever, but I can't put my joints through that kind of strain anymore.
This has been really tough to deal with. I'm not going to lie. I can't put into words what it's like to know that I should never run again. No more 20 milers over the Golden Gate Bridge, no more smack talk about Pooperella and Dr. Deetschei! I was really looking forward to this next race, and actually had 3 on the books for the next 12 months.
So, with moist eyes and a sore hip, I bid you all farewell.

Peace and Beers to you all.

I Hate Colds

2011-10-04T16:21:00.000+01:00

So, I was doing really well running. 5 straight weeks with few missed days. Then I got a cold last week. It's been a minor deal, and if I were working less, I probably would have kept running, but given my late nights I felt it was best to get some rest over the last week, which I have. The cold never progressed beyond an annoyance and hopefully won't.
I really do hope to get back on the road tomorrow and continue working toward my 5K. And there's a race next week here in Madison. It might be my first race in the Five Fingers. I have to decide whether or not to do the race, but I don't really see any reason not to.
That's all really. Just wanted to share that I've been waylayed by a cold. Something that doesn't usually happen to me. I'm not a get a cold kind of guy, but then there's a lot of germ sharing at work. I'll just have to be more careful.

Carry on Drunkrunners, Drink on!

Has Anyone Seen My Saddle?

2011-08-27T18:21:00.001+01:00

So, here's where I'm at. I'm trying to get he mojo and motivation back up, and would like to run the Madison Marathon again next spring. The problem is that I've got a lot on my plate. I work about 40 hours per week, sometimes only 32, but those weeks seem harder to come by. In addition I try to put in about 10-15 hours per week working on my dissertation. Add it all up, and by the time I spend some quality time with the hubby, I feel like there isn't much time for running. To further complicate matters, my body isn't the type that can get up early to go for my runs. 1) I need 8 hours of sleep minimum. 2) I need at least one hour between wake-up and run start, or I'm too stiff to make the run worth my while. Oh, and I work on my feet. Yeah, I know, it's a lot of excuses.

So, what I'm trying to do is to go running in the morning, but I may end up going in the evenings after work, once winter gets here and I can get out of work before 11 p.m.

Aside from all of this, I have re-started my running program. I'm starting with a couch to 5K program. I actually found the couch to 10-K to be too strenuous once it reached week 4, there wasn't any recovery time built in to make up for the longer runs. And that's that. I'll work up to the 5K, and then I'll find a running program somewhere to get me the next step and then the next and then the next. I've 5 months to get in shape before I need to start a 16 week training program, and it may be possible.

Yeah, Yeah, I know I've made brave and proud marathon proclamations before. Perhaps that is why this one is more reserved. I haven't "run" a marathon since 2009, and I'm out of shape. I'd like to do better on this one, than on the last one. So, I need to head into the race injury free.

By the way, this will all be done in a pair of Vibram Five-Fingers. I've been running in them exclusively for the last few months, and they are awesome. No knee pains, no leg pains, no back pains. Just a little tenderness on the foot itself, which should go away as I break my feet in to the work they have before them.

Week 3 Day 1

2011-06-07T16:27:00.002+01:00

Holy christ is it hot out there today!!!!! At the moment it's 87, but "feels like 91". Obviously that person is not running. :-)

So week 3 seemed like a steep jump in distance. Running 1:30 and walking 4:00 minutes - ten times. Ended up running over 4 miles, and, let me tell you, my calves feel it. They feel great, but they will be sore tomorrow.

That's going to be the largest hurdle for me long term with the Five Fingers. It's a killer calf workout. Don't get me wrong. My calves look even more amazing than they used to! The calf, however, is a slow muscle to develop, so it will take some time. I'm thankful to have a standing job so that my muscles stay loose during work and I actually seem to be gaining recovery time through this.

By the way, I just need to let you all know how excited I am to be back on the trails again. It's been a year, and I had forgotten how much I missed it.

Week 2

2011-06-03T16:14:00.002+01:00

So, I'm in week two of my training and it's going great!!!! I've decided to do the Couch to 10K. First, because I enjoy longer runs. Second, because I'm switching entirely to the Five Fingers. It's going to be a long road ahead, as this is a 14 week program. However, it's slow and at a pace that will help me get used to the shoes while also getting back in to running.

I'm headed out at noon today for week 2 run 2, which involves a 5 minute warm-up and then running 1 minute walking 4 minutes (8 times). It seems easy on paper, but those last two runs usually kick my proverbial ass. Sunday is the same work out.

So far so good. My calves hurt quite a bit. More than I remember them hurting during build ups, which I attribute to the shoes. They are training me to use my calves as the shock absorbers they were designed to be. Otherwise my body feels pretty good.

Me too

2011-05-24T23:06:00.001+01:00

I was thinking the same thing and was wondering if anyone was still running and just not sharing the good news!

Are there any runners still out there?

2011-05-23T18:46:00.001+01:00

I'm trying to get back on the road again. Anyone still listening? Any DrunkRunners still hittin' the pavement?

Five Fingers: A Perhaps Pre-Mature Update

2010-02-05T16:15:00.002Z

I was a little rushed writing the post yesterday, so wanted to follow up with a little more information.

I did go for a run yesterday which covered about 2.5 miles of ground. There was a lot of walking, because I wanted to make sure I didn't kill my legs with the first run. I know it's going to be a long transition into these shoes. The guy that sold them to me, has been wearing his for about a year, and he told me there is a long break in period. Not for the shoes, but for your body.

The shoes felt immediately comfortable, and I never felt any terrible jolts of pressure even when I started running the first time. My calves are killing me today, because of the run, but it's not an injury pain. It's more like, I just ran 5 miles up hill and then got in my car without stretching, kind of pain. So, this has me quite encouraged. Not because the pain is so bad, but recently even with the shortest run I come home and have knee pain.

The shoe sales man is training for and running the Boston Marathon in a pair of these. Granted, he's a lot younger than I am, but I know something he doesn't. The average age of the marathon runner is about 39. That's the average. And, although the salesman is much younger than I, if these old guys and gals can run marathons, it's certainly not too late for me to try out a different method.

I'll be running again tomorrow, but in regular shoes. I have to balance breaking in my body with completing my training for the swiftly approaching Madison Marathon!

Five Fingers

2010-02-04T23:48:00.002Z

Hey all,
Just wanted to stop in and see if anyone had ever heard of these shoes? Five Fingers Shoes. I bought a pair today and went for a short run. They were incredible. My calves hurt, but otherwise my knees feel fantastic. It's like running barefoot. Can you say Kenyan running method?

Because you are basically barefoot, you naturally have a mid-foot to fore-foot strike, which most science is telling us is better for us. It certainly felt better. I'm also told that it's better for your knees, because moving the strike further forward allows your calves to do their jobs as shock absorbers. Anyone know anybody that's used these for awhile? It's only one run, but so far I'm sold.

Sixpack

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

2009-11-28T16:03:00.000Z

I'm testing things out today. The Marathon Training has hit a critical point. Clyde and I both need to get running or we are getting into dangerous territory where we start skipping runs to catch up and then end up injuring ourselves. So, With a few runs done I wanted to see how this Garmin thing works.

You may remember I purchased the Garmin before leaving for Berlin, but it took Garmin almost a year to develop the software for the mac, so I was stuck. Now I've got it and I'm ready to explore it's possibilities.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Untitled

My runs are short right now. Yesterday was 25 minutes, but they'll be growing the training program I have been looking at for the warm-up period is a slow build up. Week 1: 10 min Tuesday run, 15 min Thursday run, 20 min Friday run. Week 2: 15 min Tuesday run, 20 min Thursday run, 25 min Friday run, etc. It's pretty good for building up to the big mileage. My biggest fear is the treadmill. I'm not sure how 6 miles on a treadmill is going to work. I'm definitely going to need to run in the winter cold. It's going to suck!!

Starting next week I'll be doing a lot of treadmill running, because I'll be in a hotel for 7 weeks. Thank God they all have at least a treadmill. Wish me luck!

Updates On All Fronts

2009-09-17T21:24:00.002+01:00

First, Janet's cancer has been confirmed. She has a tumor about 1.75 inches in diameter. The wise doctor knew that he was not capable of deciding if it was operable, so she is going to be visiting University Hospital in Wisconsin (one of the best) to see what can be done. I'm afraid I don't have many of the details, but I'm trying to stay informed. The good news is that the cancer has not metastasized. It's my understanding that this greatly improves the prognosis.

We all gathered at her home last week for a family reunion of sorts. They're easy to do with the McClards because everyone lives pretty close to one another. In fact, I'm one of the furthest away, and I only had a two hour drive. It was great to be around family, and the gathering was beneficial for everyone there. It seemed to help Janet to have everyone around and try to take her mind off things for a few minutes.

BTW, please let me know if you would rather not hear all of this other news. I'm feeling that the blog is a good place to rethink some of the things that have been happening, and I know that most of you would like to hear what is happening. However, if I'm wrong, just chime in, and I'll stick to running.

Which is where we are now. I've survived the first week of training, and must say it was much easier than I had expected. My biggest concern was that I am still working 7 days a week, most days are 10-12 hours. All of this time is on my feet. What I'm learning is that this has already strengthened my quads beyond belief. Yep, you read that right. Want to get in shape? Leave academia!!!! My legs have taken to the extra running quite well, and I'm really glad to know that.

I'm also sleeping much better. With the opening of the sushi bars, I stopped sleeping well. I mean really stopped sleeping well. Last night was the first night since July 20 that I have gone to bed and slept the whole night. There were many many nights when I was awake for an hour or more. When you have to get up at 5:30, it's not good to lie awake at night. Not good at all. So, I'm hoping last night was the beginning of a trend.

Last weeks miles totaled about 4. I have to doublecheck the figures and start my training journal today, so I'll be back with better figures next week. What I do know is that right out of the gate, my first 2-mile run was at a pace of 10:04. Not bad!!! I'm pretty psyched!

It's also time to announce that there has been a slight change in the plans. As it turns out, Green Bay and Madison are not a week apart, but two weeks apart. I'm actually a little nervous about this, I'm worried about how tired my legs might be that second week, instead of just being able to ride some momentum and some adrenaline to the next week. I'll need to do some reading before race day about how to recover a little more quickly for the next race. If we decide that two weeks apart is going to work, we'll actually probably run the Rockford Marathon (where Janet and all the cousins live). This would actually create a nice family gathering, with several people running different levels of the race. We're hoping that this will happen, because it would be fantastic to have everyone working together to help raise money for cancer and to show this support to Janet. Chris has already said that she wants to do something, T.J. has offered to run one of the marathons, Scooter may do something, and I'm sure there will be more.

With all of the work I've put in over the years with running, it would be so amazing to see so many family members taking part in such a positive and healthy way!

That's all for now, I'll probably be back next week with another report. Until then, drink on, DrunkRunners, drink on!

Finding the Reason to Run

2009-09-10T23:25:00.004+01:00

First the bad news. Last week our aunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's unclear as of right now what the full prognosis is, but we are hoping for the best. Until then, it's time to fight!! I can't speak for Clyde, but this has been some very tough news for me to deal with. She's the aunt that has been most supportive, to me at least, over the years. When I told my family of my "condition" she never batted an eye and gave me a great big hug. I'm so angry that this has happened to her, and I have to do something!! Clyde has run and raised money for the American Cancer Society several times, and you may remember that we ran the Madison Marathon together, raising a few thousand dollars in support of them. I don't want to steal his thunder here, but I need to post when I can find an onramp to the interwebs. He has decided to run both the Green Bay Marathon and the Madison Marathon. Because I'm younger and very competitive, I couldn't let him do this on his own. I've decided that, despite my sevendayaweek job that I can find the time to train for and raise money for these two marathons. Because of my schedule it is going to be difficult to do anything else for our aunt, so at the very least I can show some support in this manner.
Clyde tells me that they are only a week apart, which is going to be the big challenge. Running one marathon is, when said and done, not impossible. Running two is going to be difficult. And that's an understatement. What may make it even more interesting, is that I have decided (sorry Clyde if I'm copying you again) that if I raise $3000 I will run both marathons in a dress.
Yes, it's been worn before, but I've never actually run in it. Finding a pair of panties may be an issue, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. And I promise to deck it out with some rhinestones.

Now on to the running: The plan is quite simple. I'll be working my way back in to things. I need to take it slow, because being on my feet all day leaves me with little opportunity to be lazy because I hurt my knew. I've started a 5K in % weeks plan and will follow that until I can actually run 3.5 miles again. Then depending on how the calendar looks, I'll work up to a 10K before starting marathon training, which I'm pretty sure I have time for.

Today was the first run and it went really well. How far did I go? 10 minutes! That's how far. It felt good and I felt like a million bucks afterward. I was so excited I had to jump in the car and come tell you all.

So that's it. Clyde and I will be attempting something none of us thought we would ever do. 2 marathons in seven days. Yes, we'll be asking you for money, and we may even ask you to support in other ways. Anyone need a scarf? I may be selling them.

Until we meet again. Keep up the running and thank you in advance for your support!!!!

Sixpack Chopra

Complain More Often!

2009-06-05T18:10:00.001+01:00

After writing my plea for support the other day, I was able to go out and run 2 miles. It was great. Really slow but great. I am still incredibly sore and will try to run tomorrow.
I'm thinking I might need to whine to you all more often, because it seems to motivate me. That's all.

Drink On, Drunkrunners! Drink On!

Looking for Support

2009-06-03T17:33:00.003+01:00

Hey folks,
I've fallen off one wagon and gotten on another. It's been a month since I started my job as a bartender and I haven't run once. I'm finding it quite physically taxing and have been working on ways to make it less so. My body, it seems, simply isn't used to a life that involves standing for more than 10 minutes--running aside. Add to this the frequent occurrence of back to back shifts, i.e. 9:30-2 a.m. followed by 3:30-9:30 p.m., and you have one tired man. It sounds a little wussy to be whining about a work shift that starts at 3:30, but working two shifts and 11 hours within a 24 hour period is quite taxing. I continue to search for ways in which to fit running into this schedule.
This brings me to the wagon I have gotten on to. For the next two weeks I will not be drinking. At this age one would think I would understand the ways in which alcohol consumption effects motivation. A) running with a hangover is not fun, B) it IS a depressant, and that don't help either. So, I'm going on the wagon. For now it's a two-week hay ride. However, I'm seriously contemplating becoming a rather tea-totalling Drunkrunner. Note: I said "rather." I'm not joining AA, but I'm looking at severely limiting consumption. This is also helpful as I work in a bar. It's way too easy to get off work at 9:30 and step to the other side of the bar.
So, I'm writing to ask for advice. I need motivation. Any tips for running around what is a pretty f'ed up schedule? Forest, do you want to get together for some runs? Maybe twice a week? I know the commitment would really help me get out and at least log the miles.
Any advice anyone has would help.

Sixpack

I'm A Corporate Gym Sellout and I LOVE it!

2009-05-28T19:24:00.002+01:00

Just so you don't think I am all talk and no action, I am once again a proud member of a gym membership. Well, proud is still questionable. Today was my first real day in the gym and there are four particularly good things about the gym I have chosen: 1) an ass-load of treadmills; 2) due to the quantity of treadmills, exceeding the 30 min. time limit doesn't seem to be a problem YET ; 3) lots of windows AND 4) AIR CONDITIONING - even the treadmills have little fans that chuff out cool air.

And while I am exceedingly pleased with this, I also felt a sense of mourning as I completed a 6 mi. run on said treadmill. I am sure it is fleeting and I'll get over missing my outdoor run through tree-lined, hilly streets with glimpses of deer feeding in people's yards... Sigh. Oh well, with 90%+ humidity and rain every single day this week, I can get over that sense of nostalgia really quickly. Or better yet, I'll keep it and look forward to returning to it in October, just as the leaves are changing.

So, with today's run, that already puts me up to 18.5 for the week with an average pace of 9 min/mi, and I am planning another run either tomorrow or Saturday. Looks like I will make my 21 this week. I must say, the thought of paying money for a membership is probably one of the biggest motivators and I intend to get my money's worth!

Tag, you guys are it. Deetschei - How is the Big Smoke treating your running lungs? Did you buy one of those stylin' aerodynamic running strollers to take Iz along? Sixpack, how is the job schedule treating you? Consider doing calf flexes while you are standing behind the bar. Forest, how is the running and the training of other runners going?

I've been a naughty Drunk Runner

2009-05-25T17:35:00.002+01:00

Well folks, I've been bad. I have been running and not telling you about it. In the grand scheme of things, it could be a lot worse. I could not be running and telling you about it or not running and not telling you about it, in which case you would be shooting me evil blogger glares.

A while back I believe I blogged something about running a certain number of miles a week. Well, that didn't happen. I have been running but haven't been consistent in terms of distance/week. Now that the semester is over, I am hoping that this will change. I have managed to at least keep one long run (7 mi.) a week in the schedule. The other run tends to be a 3.5 or 5.5 mi depending on how tired I am/how hot it is that day. Blah! What ever happened to that marathon training I did religiously. Maybe I need to slap together a training plan and post it to the fridge like I did for the marathon. That way, I cross off the runs and feel a sense of accomplishment and when I think about skipping a run, I am confronted with a horrible feeling of failure that guilts me into running. Ah, yes. That sounds like a plan.

However, since I don't have any big race to train for, I have reverted back to my old weight loss running plan of 7-7-7, ideally at a 10 min pace. The rationale being that the longer I run, the more calories I burn. It worked once, not sure it is really "tried and true." I only completed 21 miles once and the rest of the weeks have been, as I said above, about 7-3.5 or 7-5.5 kinds of weeks with a faster pace between 8:55-9:20. So really, I totally suck at sticking to my original plan. I need to find a running buddy to keep me in check.

Anyway, that is really all that I have to share. I am still running. I am planning on running with much more regularity now that it is summer. After yesterday's hot/humid run, I am also strongly considering a gym membership for an air conditioned treadmill... I'll keep you posted.

Run on drunk runners/stumblers/couch potatoes. Run on.

Chiming in Again

2009-05-18T23:53:00.002+01:00

I started a new job two weeks ago, and it has kept me off the roads. I know I sound like a wuss, but I swear my legs have been really tired. Basically, aside from running I've done nothing very physical for years. I've been behind a desk. That's it. So, when I started working as a bartender and put in an 11 hour shift on my second day, it kind of wiped me out.
I managed, despite the difficulties, to go for a three mile run today. It was beautiful. I've discovered the joy of having your partner ride along with you. Three miles isn't a very long bike ride for him, but it is a good run for me. It was sunny, it was a little breezy, and it was all around awesome!!!!
I couldn't find my running watch, so I don't have figures about pace and actual distance. I ran for 30 minutes knowing that my pace would be 10 minutes or better.

That's all for now! Drink on Runners!

2 miles for Clyde

2009-05-10T18:43:00.003+01:00

That's what I'm back up to. I know that's not much but after 8 months off I think it's great. I finally found my mojo and it turns out it was in a the bottom of a battle of New Glarus brew "Coffee Stout". Who new????? Turns out I wasn't looking in the right spot. One night I got in and put on my shorts and shoes and was ready for a run but still couldn't get my butt out the door. I got pissed at myself and cracked the top on a delicious Stout. After I drank that I had the desire to run so I did, only a mile but I ran, I celebrated with a another stout and that folks is where my MOJO is. I am only running 3-4 days a week but I will get my mileage up in away that won't injure me again. I am going to concentrate on building a good base then speed. No marathons for me this year but I am thinking of doing 2 half's in late summer early fall. Today I will be doing my first 3 miler in a while..... well one that will be worth talking about any how. So what does this all tell you? Don't under estimate the POWER OF BEER!

So drink on runners drink on!

Ran 3 Today!

2009-05-02T16:13:00.002+01:00

Yay!!!! It's all coming along. The hardest part of getting back into running is being in the middle of a torturous 3-mile run and thinking to yourself, "I used to run marathons!" It's a blow to the psyche. I'm telling you.

That said, it was a good run overall. I went to run with the Madison Front Runners, but no one showed. Evidently they moved their meeting location and failed to update the website. Not very professional if you ask me.

It is a beautiful sunny morning so I was not upset with a run alone. The meeting point was actually along the route of the Madison Marathon so I got to relive some memories of that as I ran the 1.5 miles out and back.

Aches, pains and complaints seem to be minimizing, of which I am quite excited. I've had to start stretching the IT Band a little, but that should be done anyway.

I felt like my time was really slow, but I ended up with an average of 9:36, so I'm not complaining.

Keep on keepin on!

Finally Reached The Elusive 6

2009-04-26T19:42:00.002+01:00

Well, after months of planning I finally did it. 6 miles in one week. In some respects I'm really disappointed that it took this long. In another respect I'm quite proud.
1) The two miles felt good. I ran it at the Dodgeville High School track, which is at a considerable elevation (1211 feet compared to Madison's 863 feet.) I was a little lightheaded but I did well.
2) I'm feeling no pain. That knee pain I've been complaining about for months seems to be working its way out if I build up mileage slowly. So that is exactly what I will do.
3) If I ran 6 miles this week I can do it again next week. Next Saturday I'll be in Madison and I'll run with the FrontRunners. It will be nice to get back into running with a group again. The last year all on my own has been tough. Having a group at least once a week helps keep me motivated. Just like the early DrunkRunner days when we would meet after school.

That's all for the week. There was nothing particularly notable about the runs, except for their mere existence!!!

Week's Data:

Miles: 6.07
Time: 55:46
Average Pace: 9:11 / mile
Overall Impression: I Can Finally Hold My Head Up High As I Call Myself A Drunk Runner! (ICFHMHUHAICMADR!)

Running Playlist

2009-04-18T16:39:00.002+01:00

I have avoided entering a running playlist until now, mostly because I don't run with one. I get very bored very quickly with the same song over and over. So, what I do is set the iPod on shuffle and hit the road. For your reading pleasure I will do that as I write here and enter the results. I'll also be doing what I would do on the road, i.e. Don't like the song? Skip it!

Format: Song Title - Artist, Album

1) I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore - Pet Shop Boys, Nightlife
2) Some Kind of Miracle - Kelly Clarkson, Thankful
3) Mr. X - Ultravox, Vienna
4) Measure of a Man - Clay Aiken, Measure of a Man
5) The Rose of My Cologne, The Beautiful South, Superbi
6) Wind Beneath My Wings, Elizabeth Withers, It Can Happen to Anyone
7) How Many Words - Blake Lewis, Audio Day Dreams
8) What is Love - Haddaway, Haddaway
9) Mr. Brownstone - Gun N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction
10) I Like the Way You Werk It - Information Society, Synthesizer
11) Reach - Gloria Estefan, Destiny
12) Help Me Remember - Rascal Flatts, Still Feels Good
13) Americanos - Holly Johnson, Blast
14) I Wanna Be A Toy - Dead or Alive, Youthquake
15) Beer For My Horses - Toby Keith, Unleashed
16) Tits on the Radio - Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
17) Stay With Me Tonight - Human League, The Best of Human League
18) Sexkeit - And One, Bodypop
19) Soldat_in oder Veteran - Gustav, Verlass die Stadt
20) Billie Jean - Michael Jackson, Thriller

Okay, those are a few. One more song that has brought inspiration when the run was tough is:
Till I Collapse - Eminem, The Eminem Show

Enjoy.

2+2=4

2009-04-15T16:17:00.003+01:00

Yep, I ran 4 whole miles last week. It's slow going, but I'm optimistic. Given the aches and pains I feel when I start to run I've decided I need to make sure to take it very easy.
My times aren't bad. I'm averaging about 9:45 per mile, which is perfectly acceptable. Actually, just to satisfy my critics, any time is perfectly acceptable. I've been a speed demon in the past and it's hurt me. No more! I promise.
The runs have been along beautiful Lake Monona in Madison.

One mile out and one mile back takes me almost to the point where this picture was taken and then I head home. In a few weeks, when I actually run a 3-mile run, I'll be running past this point. It's a great path. The sun has been shining, the wind has been relatively calm, and the path is pretty empty. I'm no longer dodging retired walkers, as I did in San Francisco.

Headed out today for another two miles. As soon as I can manage 6 miles in a week I'll start boosting the miles slowly. Until then, keep on Drinking, Runners!

Motivational speaker

2009-04-05T19:38:00.002+01:00

Well I could never be one of them because my motivation has been really low. The desire to run has been their but turning the desire into reality hasn't been an easy thing to do. I did however get out this morning and did a 3 miler which is good but unlike DR.PP I'm going to have to concentrate on miles not time. While running this morning I decided to not look at the Garmin until I was about midway on an out and back and then at the end. I was running and it was feeling good and that is all that matters. I felt like I was making pretty good time felt like a 9:30 pace or so and for me that is good especially after almost a year off from injuries and surgery AGAIN! When I got to the end and checked my time I found out I wasn't as quick as I thought but I'll take it it's a start. I know my time will get better as I get into shape, I'm glad some more of you are getting out as well. It made things so much better sharing the good and the bad and hearing how you all were doing, so I will try and post on a regular basis and will read yours for encouragement. So as they say "WADDLE ON RUNNERS WADDLE ON"!

BBC Article on Effects of the Economic Downturn in Kenya

2009-03-29T03:18:00.003+01:00

Kenyan Athletes Feel the Pinch

What's the Skinny?

2009-03-22T19:56:00.003Z

Did somebody say skinny? Oh right, that was me. So, the skinny is that I have been running since I last posted. The whole 15 mi/week business was a great idea in theory, but I haven't been able to put it back into practice since my last post. Booo! However, there was a birthday in there, which required mostly drinking and only a little running. Then I did exactly what I said I wasn't going to do - weight training on my lower body. I overdid it, per usual, and the soreness put me out for a couple of days. The last two weeks my total mileage has been LOW - let's just say, below 10 but above 5. Sigh. Although I am not running as much, my time is still really good, so I will tell myself I am working on speed over distance at the moment :)

Anyschmoo, I would much rather blog about today's fabulous 6 mile run. I finally braved Rock Creek Park - for those of you in need of an explanation for why I use the word "braved" think Chandra Levy. Enough said. However, it being a sunny, mid 60 degree, Sunday afternoon, I thought it would be the best time to give it a go. There were lots of families out biking, lots of runners and walkers, so I was able to relax and really enjoy the path, the trees, and the great weather. I took the dog along and besides constantly having to yank the leash to get him out of the middle of the path (which is giving my left bicep a great workout), we had a really great run coming in at a 8:58 pace. This park is massive, in Maryland alone the trail is something like 14 miles (not incl. the rest of the trail that leads into D.C.). This will definitely be a great place to train for a marathon and do longer distance runs.

Lastly, as I promised, I am posting my most current playlist of running music (in no particular order). And a shout out and thanks to our "lurker" ;) for sending me her list! Excellent selections that I intend to incorporate and that I have posted below for the rest of you. Now don't be selfish and post your lists! :)

Dr. Pavement Pounder's Running Tunes:

Around the Bend - The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Over and Over – Hot Chip

Shut up and Let me Go – The Ting Tings

Great DJ – The Ting Tings

Calabria 2007 – Enur

Paper Planes – M.I.A.

Adrenaline – Bauhaus

Joan of Arc – David Guetta

All Alone – Gorillaz

Handlebars – Flobots

Blind – Hercules and Love Affair

Sexy Hypnotist – Luscious Jackson

Dead Disco – Metric

Ça plane pour moi (Original 1977 Version) – Plastic Bertrand

Je ne te connais pas – Prototypes

Rosenrot – Rammstein

Out of Control – She Wants Revenge

Never Win – Fischerspooner

In the Morning – Junior Boys

That's not my Name - The Ting Tings

Backslider - Toadies

Drunkrunner Fan's Tunes:
Silver Lining (Recordist Mix)-Rilo Kiley
F**k you-Lily Allen
Just Dance-Lady Gaga
Poker Face-Lady Gaga
Come on Eilieen-Dexy's Midnight Runners
Eye of the Tiger-The Band
Video Killed the Radio Star-The Buggles
American Girl-Tom Petty
That's Not My Name-The Ting Tings
Untouched-The Veronics
What a Feeling-Peter Luts
Du bist den ganzen Weg gerannt-Tomte
You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
St. Elmos Fire (Man In Motion)-John Parr
Portions for Foxes-Rilo Kiley
Gives You Hell-All American Rejects

I Love Running

2009-03-16T14:59:00.002Z

I'm only a few runs back in to it, but I'm starting to realize how much I DO enjoy it. It was less than easy to get myself out running today. I don't really know why, except that I was just having a lazy day. A little packing, a little cleaning, but not too much of either.

I finally put on the shoes and headed out the door for two miles. It went really, really well. I ran the same path I always do which takes me along the Berlin Landwehr Canal. It's a nice quiet path and my nearest run in was with a 4 year old on a bike. She almost ran directly into me. Oh well, welcome to running in the city.

My legs are feeling great. There's no knee pain to speak of, and I'm keeping an eye on that. I did buy a brace, but I only want to use it if I have to. The best part is that I'm already getting a little faster. I know, I know. I promised not to use that word that starts S, sounds like peed, and ends in work, and I swear I'm not. However, we all know that we naturally pick up speed when we listen to our bodies. Just by running below the threshold where you start gasping for air, you train your body to perform better, thus increasing speed. My average mile today was 9:56. Not bad.

I've decided to stop telling you all when I plan to run and to post only after I have run. I've found that telling you is not a motivator for me. However, if I reward myself with a post to the blog I might actually get myself out there more.

Carry on Drunk Runners, Carry On!

Yesterday's Run: An Update

2009-03-14T16:05:00.002Z

I realized yesterday's post was less than emphatic, so I thought I'd correct that.

I'm very happy to be back running again, and if my legs today are any indication of what lays in store for me as I recover, well then I'm absolutely, positively, and pleasantly excited! I'm not sore. Well, not really. My quads are tired, but the soreness I felt in my ankles after the last run has not plagued me today. I attribute some of this to the fact that I stretched a lot more yesterday than I normally do. I also focused a lot on not letting my form deteriorate as the run went on. You know when you get tired and you start to schlepp along? I did my best not to do that.

This means I need to stretch more before running, and some added situps are definitely in order to help control the form. Abs! Not my favorite exercise.

So, I'm feeling good and ready for another run tomorrow!

Another Run

2009-03-13T15:42:00.002Z

Yep, there's not been much to report since the last run, except a lot of soreness, and a bowling adventure that left me with an incredibly sore right buttock.

Today I ran another 2-miler and it felt good. I'm running slowly, focusing on form and working on recovering healthily. All very difficult tasks for me. So, my 20 minute 2 mile run was great. It was relaxing and beautiful.

Nothing more. I'll blog every time I run so that I keep track of when and how often I run, and to hopefully provide some motivation for the others on the blog. I would encourage you to do the same.

Carry On My Wayward Drunk Runners

2009-03-04T18:07:00.003Z

Hey there everybody. Long time, no hear. I know we have all been drinking but the question is whether any of us have been running. Thanks to Sixpack for the update. It is good to hear that he is taking to the streets again. I, too, have found my way back to the flock and will be posting more regularly. Until about two weeks ago, I hadn't really run with any regularity since Thanksgiving.

But I am back and back with a vengeance. I have recommitted myself to running. After all, short-sleeve weather is just around the corner and don't even get me started about swimsuit weather. Speaking of weather, yesterday's 3 miler was set against the backdrop of a brisk 27 degrees. I take great pride in the fact that I got my butt out to run in below freezing weather. Now I know I am going to hear from the Wisconsin contingency on this one and I already agree that you are way more bad-ass than me. I have decided that I prefer running in the cold over running in the heat and humidity. You can always add layers but rarely remove enough layers without running the risk of public indecency.

Last week I managed to put in 15 mi. (3-3 milers and 1-6 miler). Apparently, the dog prefers 6 miles over three as demonstrated by his frantic laps around the backyard after returning from our 3 mi. runs. I am sure that having four legs gives him only a slight edge over me.

I am really pleased to see how quickly my conditioning is returning. My times are coming down quickly, perhaps too quickly. As usual, I need to pace myself and not get so caught up in what my Garmin tells me. However, I doubt I will ever reach enlightenment and free myself completely from my obsession with pace. I really admire Deetschei who, at least recently, was running sans watch. That is just far too radical for a control freak like me.

I also purchased an incline ab board and am LOVING it. I forgot just how much I love the pain that comes with sit ups and crunches. Seriously, I am an ab freak. I am holding off on any serious weight training for my legs, however, until they have gotten used to the running routine. I am a total wuss when it comes to soreness and don't want it to interfere with my running schedule.

So, there you have it. I am running again as well and looking forward to Sixpack's posts. Hopefully, Daddy Deetschei will soon find time to blog about his runs. I am also putting out a request to you drunk runners regarding your music playlists. Always in search for new running music, I am asking you to post your playlist for a 60 min. run. If you have your mp3 player set to random/shuffle, then please list whatever comes up. I will return the favor by posting my favs.

Gunnin' Fer a Sixpack!

2009-03-04T17:03:00.002Z

I ran today! That's big news. I mean, it's huge news. I haven't run since before I went home for Christmas. By my calculation that's almost 3 months. That's a long time. In the meantime I'm hoping my cartilage and stuff did a lot of healing.

Today's run was a simple 2 miler. Just getting my sea legs and I don't want to push it. I took it slow and nice and relaxing. I promise as I try to work back in to things that I will not utter the word speed work for the next several months. Except for that one time right there.

Wish me luck as I get back on the road and try to take running back from it's dark abyss. My goal is 6 miles this week, which I will repeat again next week.

Back at it Sorta!

2009-01-18T14:23:00.002Z

I feel a little inferior on here with all the Dr.'s. Oh well someone in the group has to be blue collar.

Well folks I'm FINALLY back in the game, I started on the elliptical this week and will be going outside for my first run today. I have to get my butt back in shape because for this years marathon training I will actually be coaching. That is just scary as hell to think of! I go from 241 lbs in '06 to coaching a marathon training program in '09, what has this world come to? I will be one of three coach's on hand during runs. I will be working with the people in my pace range of 9-10, I'm really excited about this opportunity. I plan to go for a 2-3 mile run today and work my way up from their. Actual training begins in mid February and I need all of this time to get back into it. Because of injuries I haven't ran since July and before that it was sporadic. I feel huge right now and not in a good way, I've been eating like I was still running and I'm paying for that. I have wanted this day to come for the last seven months, I'm pumped and ready to go. I just have to remind myself not to push it. It will be a little different this year not having the sibling rivalry with Six Pack but he'll be back and we'll pick up where we left off. Well folks I guess that's all......... happy running and happy core building. Push on runners!

Sixpack Hangs Up His Shoes?

2009-01-12T21:14:00.002Z

Hey folks,
It's been awhile since my last update, and that is because I haven't run. I have been having knee problems again. This time the right knee. I don't notice it much unless I'm climbing stairs or running more than four miles. Which has been enough to kind of scare me.
Add this to a trip to Wisconsin where nice days did not have a threat of freezing rain, the first chance in months to sleep in (with someone else in the bed), and you start to get the picture. I got back to Berlin on Tuesday Jan 6, and have had continued knee troubles.
On Clyde/Forest's advice, I have started drinking ginger tea, and that seems to be helping. He suggested ginger as an anti-inflammatory. It seems to be working. A week in and my knees feel better. So far it's done an amazing job. Since I don't often eat at home I have begun making a ginger tea and it does the same thing. Climbing the stairs to my apartment is much easier than it was in December.
All of this said, though. I took a long walk yesterday and I think I still have some recovery time ahead. It was admittedly a long walk, 8 km, on ice, but I was in a lot of pain at the end. And that is the point. All of the running paths here are covered not in snow, but in ice. And it's so dangerous, let alone unstable to run on them that I don't think I want to risk it.
In fact, the instability had me so sore when I got home that it was all I could do to walk down the four steps I had to traverse to get to dinner, which BTW was at Ron Telesky Canadian Pizza.
I have decided to give my legs a rest and to work on other aspects of my body. When my financial aid comes in I'm going to buy a pilates DVD. I won't be running again until the streets here are clear which could be awhile. I've also decided that the Paavo Nurmi Marathon will not be run. With my work schedule this summer I have little hope of even being able to get the time off, let alone the time to train, so I'm cancelling all marathons in 2008, which is a harder decision to make than you might think. I have run a marathon every year since 2006. Not a huge feat in my mind, but then I think of all the marathons I ran in the previous 35 years. I've got a lot of life changes coming this year, and I think it's best if I give my body the chance to adjust. I'm goign to continue running as much as I can, but right now I need to focus on being healthy and getting back the mobility I had 10 years ago. Perhaps not possible, but I've never listened to anyone that said I was too old, or too young, to do anything. So, pilates and some running here I come. In the end I hope to enter 2010 in much better shape than I have been in for awhile.
I remain your fearless leader, and will support you all in your ventures. I am still a runner. That is for sure! However, I just need to lay off a little.

Peace,
Sixpack Chopra

Woman Gives Husband a Kenyan for His Birthday!

2008-12-18T11:04:00.001Z

Given our Kenyan training method, I thought you would alway want to read this article. :-)

Woman Gives Kenyan as Birthday Present

Thanks for the Advice

2008-12-18T10:59:00.002Z

Thank you all for your running advice. I've weighed your suggestions with those I received from the other blog. Given the continuing pain in my knee even on non-running days, I've decided to cancel today's run.

I'll continue to re-evaluate, ice, and take ibuprofen, so as to recover as quickly as possible. I'll try to run on Saturday, if I feel good, otherwise the next run will be in the snowy tundra of Wisconsin. I present a relatively recent picture as proof that I'm not just exaggerating.

Advice. Given and Wanted

2008-12-16T20:51:00.000Z

First, I would like to share some advice. It is in the form of the Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich. It's amazing. I've been eating them for a few weeks now, and they are the answer to all my prayers, of which there are admittedly few. However, if you look at the Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich it's pretty damn good runner's food. 1) Whole grain bread- carbs, whole grains, all good. 2) Peanut Butter - good source of protein and some unsaturated fats-- I buy an organic one here consisting of only Peanuts and salt. 3) Bananas-- Excellent source of potassium. It's got everything a runner needs.
On running days it tides me over for quite some time, and on non-running days it takes me well into the afternoon. Great food.

Second. I need some advice. I've been suffering from a little bit of runner's knee. My right knee has been a little problematic for about two weeks now. It's getting a little worse. I've iced it tonight (which isn't easy given the German aversion to refrigeration) and will take Ibuprofen for the next few days. However, I'm hoping I can get some advice from the other runners.
I have a run scheduled on thursday. It's a 6 mile tempo run. Should I do it? Or should I get some rest and a little more ice?

P.S. in true DrunkRunner form. I've had a couple glasses of wine and just managed to post this message to the wrong blog. Oops.

Week 6 of 40 and kickin' A**

2008-12-14T11:52:00.003Z

Just got in from the final run of the week. Yes, folks, that's 6 straight weeks without a missed run. Hot Damn!

Thursday was the first speedwork workout, and it was a tough one. Total distance was 5 miles. But I had 2 miles to do at 8:40 with 800m cool downs. Sounds easy enough, except that I've barely broken the 9:00 mark. Let alone do it twice. Luckily I found a loop near my house that is almost a mile long, so I could at least try to pace myself (maybe it's the clouds in Berin, but I've not been too thrilled so far with the way the Garmin keeps my pace.). The first fast mile was smashing! 8:14. The second mile is harder to judge because I forgot to hit the lap button. However the 3rd and 4th miles were both at about 9:40 so I think I managed to hit the mark on the second mark.

The only complaint this week? Runner's knee. Yes, folks, I'm getting a little bit of runner's knee in the left knee. It's not too bad, and as I recall it does eventually go away as you build up miles. Still I'll be using some ice packs and trying to take it easy.

Nothing remarkable about today's 6-miler. The big deal for the week is the consistency I've been able to maintain. This is the first time I've been so vigilant about a training schedule, and it's really paying off. I'm feeling stronger and more comfortable. And there is something to be said for just putting in the miles. It's very important.

The next two weeks are going to be very interesting. Next week I need to bump up my running schedule so I can get my long run in Saturday instead of Sunday, because I'll be flying home on Sunday. I'll spend Sunday and Monday getting home and then will have to run again on Tuesday. Which means 6 miles on Christmas Day. Not a bad way to celebrate the holiday.

This week's Stats:
Distance: 13 miles
Overall time: 123:54
Average Pace: 9:32/mile
Overall Impression: I'm Slowly Getting Used To The Clouds. I Might Go Snow Blind Running In Wisconsin. (ISGUTTC. IMGSBRIW)

Daddy Runner

2008-12-11T18:00:00.002Z

Thanks for making the baby announcement on our behalf, Sixpack! I wasn’t able to get anywhere near the blog for a few days, for obvious reasons.

It is true that my wife and I welcomed our first baby into the world this past weekend, and for that reason I haven’t posted in a little while. Basically, the baby didn’t leave much time for running in the first couple of days, and I happily sacrificed my Sunday “long run” in order to stay home and change diapers while Tessa recuperated. Actually, now that I think about it, we actually both drove to her parent’s house so they could pamper us while we both laid immobile on their many couches.

I have been able to run two runs so far this week, though. On Monday I ran six miles and on Wednesday I managed just over five. Tomorrow I will try and get out of the house for another hour-long run if at all possible. If not, that’s okay. Changing diapers is much more fun than I ever thought it would be!!!

Week 5 of 40 and Rollin' On!

2008-12-07T10:59:00.003Z

YYYEEEEESSSSS!!!!!! Five weeks in a row! I really can't remember the last time I made all of my training runs for five straight weeks. I'm actually more proud of this than I am of my distances and times at the moment. It's been so motivating having each week behind me. I was lying in my nice warm bed this morning thinking, "I could wait until after lunch and then run." Then I thought to myself, "No! I'll probably have wine with lunch (Jenn and Steve are coming over.) and that will be the end of it." So I got out of bed and ran six miles. Clyde has always fought Sybill and usually won. I must say, I have rarely won that fight when I was lying in bed. I guess she likes to kick a man when he's down. :-)

So, on to the runs. Two miles Wednesday were more or less unremarkable. Except of course that it was snowing. And I mean snowing! It was cool. I'm making sure to do these runs, because I'll need the conditioning before I get to Wisconsin where it will be much much colder.

Five miles on Friday were difficult, but rewarding. I've begun training a little bit according to the Under 4 Hour Marathon book. A main principle is the negative split. I'm to run the first third slower than planned, the second third at the planned tempo, then the final third at faster than planned. IT WORKED!!!! I ended with a pace of about 9:16 which was my goal. I was worn out, and my legs still felt it this morning.

Today six miles. Nothing remarkable. Slow, just under 10:00 miles, which is right on track. The long runs aren't to be run trying to beat anything. I'm slowly learning this. The goal is to run the distance. So, when I find my self running too fast, I slow it down. It worked. I ran so far today that I could see the Reichstag (German Houses of Parliament). I had no idea it was so close to my house. Three miles, yes, but this is a massive city. It was a great run. I was a little tired on the way back, but maintained my pace with little difficulty. Great day!!!!

Week's Stats:

Miles: 13
Overall Time: 2:04:20
Average Pace: 9:34 -- That's only 34 seconds off my goal pace! Not bad. Not bad.
Overall Impression: I Like Running Almost As Much As I Like Beer (ILRAAMAILB)

P.S. For those not in the know, Baby Deetschei (it's a girl!) was born Dec. 5 at 11:45 a.m. in London. Congratulations Dr. Papa Deetschei!!!

To chase a Turkey

2008-12-04T00:15:00.002Z

Dear beloved Drunk Runners and Stumblers, I have missed you. But fear not, while I may be a complete slacker in the realm of blogging, I have not slacked on my running. Since last you heard from me, I have successfully completed weekly runs totaling 11 miles per week. While this is nothing to brag about, particularly since the memory of putting in 11 miles in one run are not so distant, I am happy to be consistent at this point. My times, I am even happier to say, are better than I had anticipated after 3 months off. I have been averaging 8:55-9:00 paces despite (or perhaps because of) the hills I have been running. After purchasing cold weather running gear (you know I LOVE to blog about running apparel - sometimes I wonder if I don't run just because of all the neat clothing and accessories. I am soooo girly), and reflective accessories for safety since it gets dark around 4:30 here, I decided I might as well sign up for a 10K Thanksgiving Turkey Chase to give myself a little challenge. Stupid me, I 1) naively assumed that anything called a Turkey Chase wouldn't involve hills and 2) had totally convinced myself that I would keep a steady pace and not go out too fast. Wrong on both accounts. Mile 1 was FABULOUS at a 8:20 pace. Mile 2 still fabulous at an 8:29 pace. Miles 3-6.23 less fabulous as miles 3-5 were steadily uphill with the occasional flat surface for intersections. Okay, okay. I am sure I am exaggerating a little. If you Google Earthed Wisconsin Ave heading from Bethesda toward Chevy Chase, I am sure it is not that extreme, but after you foolishly push too fast your first two miles the last 4.23 seem like they are never going to end - especially when you haven't "trained" for it. I really honestly thought I had told myself that this would just be one of my three weekly runs. And in the end, it wasn't horrible. My goal was to finish just under a 9:00 pace, but I was content to finish under 9:30. In the end, I split the difference with 9:16. Went home and took a nap while hubby prepared duck (apparently the other Thanksgiving meat).

So, that is what I have been up to and I wish I had been in London, 'cause the last time the Drunk Runners were all in town together and suppose to run, the drink got the better of us all and I now regret it. I fondly think back to that painful but rewarding first 12 miler I did with Deetschei and Sixpack in Napa. Those were the days!

That is just a quick update from me and I hope to be better about actually blogging about the running I have been doing once classes are over next week. WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post-Marathon Week Four. Possibly Week Five.

2008-12-03T11:42:00.000Z

Last week was my first week in which I broke fifteen miles since the marathon. Because of rain on the previous Sunday, I had to move my five miler to Monday. I followed that with three miles on Tuesday, and then another three and five miles with Sixpack when he was in town.

The first two runs weren’t really notable, but the last two were fantastic. Sixpack pretty much summed it up: it rained on us both times, and there were a few hills involved. On the first run, we went out towards the track where I did all of my speedwork for the marathon, which involved going through the Brockley conservation area and a lovely park in Ladywell. The second run was less “lovely”, in that we ran through Deptford towards Greenwich, but I tried to distract Sixpack from all of the crime and seediness by reminding him that we were actually running on the actual route of the London marathon, a “World Major Marathon,” and that his feet were treading the same asphalt as many a Kenyan.

Speaking of Kenyans, we should have been hungover the entire time because of the amount of beers we drank. However, remarkably neither of us felt too bad on the days after the nights of drinking. In fact, I should be hungover right now as I type this, two days after he left. It’s a miracle and a reason to give thanks. I haven’t run with a drunk runner since my wedding day, a year and a half ago. And that was the first run I had completed with a drunk runner since about a year before that.

In a way, the fact that Don and I could get out and run together and not feel like we have missed a beat is due to this blog, which has really served its purpose of keeping a few close friends together in spite of the fact that they now live thousands of miles apart, in different countries. So, one more time, “YAY to the blog!”

Week in Review:

Total Miles: 16
Total Time: No idea
Avg. Pace: No clue
Overall Impression: Happy Thanksgiving, Fellow Runners! (HTFR!)

London: Week 4 of 40

2008-12-02T15:04:00.003Z

Yep folks. Last week was mostly run in London with Deetschei. First and foremost I would like to say that it rains a lot in London. And when I say a lot I really mean all the time.
Friday morning after a hedonistic Thanksgiving we were actually able to get up and run 3 miles. Right now the focus is not at all on speed, but on distance, so we took it very easy. It was nice. Lots of puddles to dodge, and don't even get me started on whether I should look left or right. Let alone what I should do at a dual roundabout. Thank God I didn't have to drive there, just run.

We went through a fantastic neighborhood of old houses and nice tree-lined streets and finally made our way to a park. It was a great run. Although, I have to say, I could have done without the hills. They weren't very big, but I'm way out of practice. It was a little rough.

Sunday was 5 miles. Again, we had been out the night before, yet somehow British beer seems to not cause hangovers. Especially when combined with Indian food and multiple viewings of "Kung Fu Panda." (We watched it twice because Deetschei passed out the first time. I passed out too, but I had seen it before, so I was excused.)

It seemed a bit of a struggle to run 5 miles through Deetschei's hood. Mostly because there aren't those long boulevards I'm used to in SF, to say nothing of the highways of southern Wisconsin. We did a lot of weaving here and there, a lot of puddle dodging and a lot of puddle missing. It was, however, a fantastic run. We kept it at a relaxed pace. I aimed for somewhere between 9:30 and 10:00 on the Garmin, and we kept pretty well to that pace. The final paces were a little over 10:00 because I never stopped the watch for the many crosswalks.

It was fantastic to run again with Deetschei. It had been way too long. Just like running with any of the DrunkRunners. There is something VERY inspiring for me in running with my fellow bloggers. We've put a lot of time together on the road and this only makes me want to continue.

Tomorrow is 2 miles, then 5 miles, then 6 miles. Holy Heck! It's going to be a rough week, but I'm ready.

Stats:

Miles: 10
Time: 99:01
Average: 9:54
Beers Consumed: ~ 22 + 1.5 bottles of wine

Overall Impression: With Weekends Like That London Could Become My Favorite City! (WWLTLCBMFC!)

Week 3 of 40

2008-11-26T22:11:00.002Z

Yeah, I know. It's a boring title, but it's kind of motivating for me. I'm on quite a roll right now. I can't remember the last time I made 3 1/2 weeks of training runs uninterrupted. It's been great. I'm doing great. I'm feeling great.
Can't complain. I've added a few exercises to my normal run preparations. In addition to some ab work, which is doing good things, I've also added some calf work which my PT recommended the last time I was complaining of ankle pain. So, I do those exercises every time I'm headed out for a run, and I really do think it's helping. I haven't had ankle issues in over a week despite the fact that mileage is increasing every week.
This week was 9 miles. Quite a jump up from the 7 miles the week before, and it left me quite exhausted. Monday was a long day of stair climbing. Quads and Hams were sore and the calves were not much better. It felt amazing!!!
Running 4 miles on Sunday was quite a milestone. I was tempted to walk some, but didn't. I ran the whole thing. As Deetschei put it on the phone the other day, "Remember when running 5 miles was just a warmup?" It's tough to think back to those days, but I'll get there. Slowly but surely.
This weekend: London, the Thames, Warm English Beer, and Two Runs. I can't wait. It's a 10 mile week and I'll be with Deetschei for 8 of them.

Week in Review:
Miles: 9
Time: 56:21
Average: 9:35
Overall Impression: Neither Snow Nor Sleet Nor Drunken Night Will Keep Me From My Run! (NSNSNDNWKMFMR)

Marathon Plus Three Weeks

2008-11-24T17:17:00.000Z

Today marks the four week mark from the marathon, and I celebrated by running the five miles I wanted to run yesterday. I was intent on running yesterday. I really did want to. But it was freezing, literally. And it was raining. And as I was peering out the window debating on whether the rain had let up enough that I would only get wet and not drenched, Tessa pointed out that to run for an hour in the rain when not specifically training for something bordered on the insane. I looked at her, saw the wisdom in her beautiful brown eyes, and decided she spoke the truth. Why the hell would I run in freezing rain unless I had to?

So we went to the science museum instead and played with an infrared camera that could show the outline of her bra through her sweater. Sweet.

Since I skipped Sunday’s run, I only ran eleven miles last week. But since those levven came in two runs, I was pleased. Tuesday’s run was six miles, and Thursday’s run was five. I must say that these runs do continue to leave me exhausted at the end of the day, but my legs felt pretty strong throughout the runs themselves. I was looking forward to a solid three run/fifteen mile week, which is why the rain yesterday disappointed me a little. BUT, having said that, I’m cool with two runs for eleven miles.

Besides, I was reading some articles on Runner’s World, and they were pretty unanimous in stating that recovery from a marathon takes four weeks. That means that my taking it easy was in line with my recovery, and now I should be free to slowly build back up to twenty mile weeks.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. This week I will be running three miles on Tuesday, three miles on Friday, and five miles on Sunday. The last two runs have a super significance because Sixpack will indeed be blessing London from his Sixpackmobile this Thanksgiving, and we will have the chance to run together for the first time in, um, literally years I think. (Dude, when was the last time we ran together, anyway?) I’m looking forward to depleting London’s wine and beer supplies with him and then hitting some of the paths through the urban jungle that I term “running routes.”

It’s gonna be sweet.

Week in Review

Total Miles: Eleven
Total Time: No Idea
Average: Got Me
Overall Impression: Loving the fact that I’m mobile. (L.T.F.T.I.M.)

The Trials! The Fibrulations!

2008-11-21T16:01:00.003Z

Well, it snowed today! Yes, folks. Sixpack had to run in the snow for the first time in a very long time. Wait. I don't think Sixpack has ever run in the snow. He wasn't a runner when he moved to California. F@#$%^& Hell! This makes today a Banner Day!
When I awoke it was snowing. Not hard, but those great big flakes that are fantastic for snowballs. I decided to wait it out and see if it was going to continue or stop. It stopped. At 1 p.m. I went out for my 3 mile run. It was freezing! Literally. (I can finally say that.) I don't have a hat yet, but I will be getting one soon. I wore my gloves, my tights, my running jacket. I was bundled up. Much of the run was pretty uneventful. There were a few puddles that were not fun to deal with, but I managed.
Getting home I was absolutely exhausted. My quads have been heavy since the run. Living on the fourth floor doesn't help. I'm hoping that just means it was a good workout. I feel great otherwise. And especially proud that I didn't let a little bit of snow get in the way of completing one of my runs. So far, I'm on a three week streak, and I'm loving it. Feeling fitter every week, and my ankle seems to be getting stronger. Wish me luck for the 4 miles on Sunday. Ugh!!

The progress of a stumbler!

2008-11-18T17:25:00.002Z

Well folks it was a rough start! I went out for a 2 mile walk last Tuesday or so, but that was the last one. I have got an infection in my shoulder (well ....... had) and it has been really tender. I can't seem to find my motivation, it's hid worse than my balance on a good night of drinking! In time I'm sure I will find it again, I just wish I hadn't lost it. I never thought I would say this but I wish Sybil would come back, I could really use her right now to push and annoy the living day lights out of me.

On saturday I went out and bought an elliptical to use, hoping this will allow me to keep my cardio and the muscles I use for running in shape. I tried it yesterday and it was weird only being able to swing one arm, I felt like a fish out of water, a one winged plane, a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.I was able to do it but it never felt right. I only went five minutes though, today I will go for 20 and work up from their, I want to be at an hour and a half by the time I can go outside and run. Which will coincidentally be about the time Six Pack will be back in the states. So other than the elliptical I will still be going outside for walks to keep acclimated with the weather. Keep up with the running and the posts, it helps to get my now fat a$$ moving again! So happy running and drink on.

Setting a Marathon Goal

2008-11-18T16:01:00.002Z

Read a brief blurb in Runners World recently. I don't know what the overall article was about, but it suggested a very sensible strategy for setting your next time goal for a marathon. You should in fact, have about 4 goals.
1) Your training goal. What goal do you want to attain in your next marathon while you are training.
2) Closer to race day this goal is adjusted to an ideal goal. What time would leave you absolutely ecstatic?
3) What goal do you think you can easily attain. Given a few kinks, where do you know you are fit enough to come in.
4) What makes the day worth it. If cramps hit at mile 16 what time will still leave you with head high at the end of the day.

An example:
1) training goal: 3:00
2) Adjusted race day goal: 3:15
3) Easily attainable: 3:45
4) Still acceptable: under 4

Finally, and most importantly NO ONE ELSE should know about goal #2. That way, if you do hit it, EVERYONE is ecstatic. And if you only hit goal 3. Only you know that that wasn't the real one.

Just a little FYI. So, when I tell you my goal is to always kick Clyde's ass, you will know that my true goal is to make him look like a little wussy girl!!!!

Week 2 of 40

2008-11-17T21:19:00.002Z

This week went pretty well. I must say. So far the streak of workouts has extended to two weeks. Something I am very proud of. It's been a very long time since I could say that I had run everyone of my training runs.
Numbers are still very low, and even the recovering Dr. Deetschei is whooping my butt. However, the miles are good. My times are coming down on my shorter runs, but I did learn yesterday that my longer runs are going to suffer for some time. Not that that's to be unexpected.
Yesterday was the first 3 mile run. It's been a long time (get used to that phrase, I have a feeling as I continue training I'll be using it a lot) since I thought that 3 miles was a long run, but it sure felt like it. When I got to the halfway point it was hard for me to believe that I still had to run all the way home. Right now, I'm making sure I'm doing out and back runs. It's a good way of making sure I can't chicken out. Plus, I'm looking forward to seeing just how far I can go. As many of you know there is a canal through Berlin, and I live about 1/2 mile from it. I run to the canal and then run along it until I reach 1/2 way. Yesterday this meant that I ran one mile along the canal before turning around. It's quite nice, but I must say playing "Dodge the Smoking Germans" is not necessarily my favorite past time.
And about smoking! It's incredible here. You can't escape it. On a 3 mile run I encounter at least a dozen cigarettes. I've thought about counting, but it would just upset me. In fact, to let you know how prevalent smoking is here, I'll provide and example from my marathon book that arrived today "Marathon unter 4 H in 6 Monaten" (Marathon under 4 hours in 6 months). One of the example people for checking whether one is fit enough smokes. The suggestion was not that the person quit, but that he cut back on his smoking. Can you imagine training for a marathon and still smoking? I can't. Yes, Dr. PP we know about your friend, but seriously.

Stats:
Dist: 7 miles
Time: 65:40
Pace: 9:23
Overall Impression: Legs Still Feeling Good. I Think The Situps May Be Helping. (LSFG.ITTSMBH.)

Running Again

2008-11-17T09:50:00.001Z

Last week I ran three runs for a total of thirteen miles. It was pretty straightforward. On Tuesday I ran five miles. Thursday was four. Sunday I completed four in the misty rain.

I was really pleased because the five mile run occurred exactly two weeks after the Dublin Marathon, and I felt really empowered by the fact that I could manage a decent distance without having any problems so soon after the marathon. Once I knew I could run the five miles (gingerly, of course), my next question was wether I could string together a week of runs. I didn’t want to try for four runs in a week yet because I think its still way too early for that. But three runs seemed like a doable task.

My four mile run on Thursday was the real test because it required me to go out with only one day’s rest since the last run. I was surprised by how un-problematic it was. I expected some weak knees and tightness in my quads, but I really didn’t have any problems after the first mile. The same could be said about Sunday. I felt a little sore and tight for the first half mile, but by the time I was wrapping up the run near Tessa’s parent’s house, I felt remarkably strong.

One of the nice things about running the shorter distances is that there is really no pressure to “train.” In fact, I haven’t even been timing these runs. I haven’t even been using the NikePlus or my iPod. It has just been me and the runs. And I really like that. I even got to run through a park near Tessa's parent's house that I hadn't run in for ages because I have recently been concentrating on such long hauls and didn't have time for it. Running through the park was like catching up with an old friend.

I don’t think I would be a very happy camper right now if I couldn’t run at least a little bit, so once again I stand here amazed at how well this whole entire marathon experience has gone, compared to the last one. No, that does not mean I will be training for another one any sooner than my two mile self-imposed hiatus…but I can envision jogging throughout the winter and hopefully therefore avoiding both the holiday weight gain that tends to accompany all of that eating that I plan on doing, and the sympathy weight I will probably put on as I continue to snack along with my pregnant wife while watching Strictly Come Dancing. Thank god I can run, because I would hate to say no to all those Rittersport and cookies!

Week In Review

Total Miles Run: 13
Total Time: No Idea
Overall Impression: Woohoo! I’m Not Crippled! (W!INC!)

Working my way back into it

2008-11-12T15:39:00.002Z

I really want to avoid the four month lay-off that I had after my last marathon and have been very carefully easing my way back into running. I've been taking it easy, but am proud to say that I ran three miles twice last week. The first run was done very gingerly, and I could definitely feel some stiffness in my knee and quads. By the second run, I felt a little bit more, um, normal during the runs. The only real difference was that I was absolutely beat AFTER my runs. By the time I was ready to go to bed on both nights, I felt like I had run a lot more than three miles.

Yesterday I decided to try five miles. I like five miles because it is a route I have run a million times, and it is a route that at least takes me to the threshold of Greenwich Park. Even if I don't get into the park, I like the feeling of being able to run far enough so that I may actually see it.

In short, the run went really well. And I slept really well again last night. Its amazing but I think that if I keep on taking it easy for the next few weeks, I should be running again like normal within a month. And if things really go well, I would like to run a half marathon sometime this spring. With a jogging stroller and a baby! :)

Bay to Breakers report!

2008-11-12T15:16:00.002Z

Well folks knowing that a good percentage of us are Bay to Breakers Alumni I thought you would be interested to know that it is a marathon! Well at least that was the comment on the television shoe Eli Stone. The line was quote " I haven't sweat that much since the Bay to Breakers Marathon" end quote. So we can all add one or more marathons to our tally board, I mean come on it was on TV so it has to be true.

Well that's all for now. Whoops one more thing, since I am off work I get to go to a gait analysis clinic and learn about that. This part time job at Fleet Feet just keeps getting better.

Happy running to all!

Forest is done now!!

2008-11-10T01:20:00.003Z

Hello fellow drunk runners,

I have been back to reading the blog again as I have a lot of spare time again with yet another rotator cuff repair. I did this one as early as possible so I was healed in time to start training for my 3rd marathon. My motivation has been really low the last year really and while out on a run which is where all my great ideas come from, I figured out why. Like forest once I finally worked through my issues with women (really just the one......no man can figure out women as a whole) I just sort of said I'm done now and walked home. But that is not what I want to do, I really like ............LOVE running so I have decided to change my name to.................. wait for it.................. Clyde S. Dale, which is perfect for me. I will probably always run like I'm pulling a wagon full of beer ( but lets say NGB's Road Slush instead of Bud) but at least I'll be running.

I will start training for Madison really slow, for now all I can do is walk so walk is what I will do. Tomorrow I will get up and go for a 2 mile walk and build up until I'm okayed to run again. My motivation is Madison coming up and the fact that I lost my standings as a Drunk Runner and that my friends that is not an option. I started all this as a Drunk Runner and will always be a Drunk Runner, that and all 3 of you going back out and giving it hell helped. Oh yah and that if I don't get back out now while the temperature is dropping I know I'll never go out and start in January when It's below Zero. I would like to wish Six Pack luck with his 1st marathon training in a cold climate, You know I swore I wasn't going to laugh while I typed that but it's impossible not to. Good luck to all, I'll be posting and responding to posts to help keep the motivation going. It's good to be back and I look forward to all the posts from everyone again. Now PLEASE re adjust the number to 4 Drunk Runners and drink on runners drink ooooon!

Week 1 of 40

2008-11-09T14:10:00.002Z

Yep, that's right. 40 weeks to train for the next marathon. I'm already really glad I have given myself so much time, because, let me tell you, I was out of shape. I use that "was" lightly. I am still out of shape, but already feeling better than I was.
I've crossed a bit of a hurdle this week. As of today, I have successfully completed 5 consecutive training runs. I haven't done that since perhaps April. I haven't always kept such good records, so I can't be exactly sure.
This weeks goal was simply to get back on course. I've run the numbers for a 1/2 marathon training course that will finish right when I should be starting the other training, i.e. Sub 4-hour Marathon in 6 months (the book has not yet arrived). This means I was slated for 6 miles this week, which I have completed.
Each run got successively easier, to the point that I already know that running 3-miles next Sunday will not be a big deal. Which, I'm very excited about. If it is this easy this early, hopefully my muscles will continue to remember the strains it has previously been under, and will continue to perform.
The Garmin running watch is also great. It has freed me up a lot in my running. I just need to consult it occasionally to find out where I am and when I need to turn around. Right now I'm not so worried about time, although I'm averaging a good pace. A pace, that if I can keep it up, will mean only needing to take 16 seconds off per mile in order to run a sub 4-hour race. Not bad. Not bad.

Next week: 7 miles.
This Week's Stats:
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 55:33
Average Pace: 9:16
Overall Impression: Is This Thing On? Am I Really Running That Fast Already? (ITTO?AIRRTFA?)

First Post-Marathon RUn

2008-11-06T08:25:00.003Z

I had my first post-marathon run yesterday. It was ten days after the marathon, and it lasted three miles.
There's not too much to report, other than it was another run in the rain and I didn't have too many problems. I didn't have any problems, really. Although, I could tell that I didn't have much more in the tank than three miles. By the time I got home, my legs were increasingly tired and I could feel my knee slowly tightening up. By the end of the night, my legxs felt like they had run ten miles!

I'm going to run two tomorrow, and will let you all know how the post-marathon running continues.

This is my Sportsbra...

2008-11-03T01:44:00.002Z

Hell, why not? Might as well hop on the bandwagon! I, too, have been inspired to lace up the running shoes and hit the road again after a 3 month hiatus. Thanks to the examples set by ROWC and Dr. Deetschei, my competitive nature has been awakened from its lazy, bacon-induced coma. Because ROWC won't toot her own horn, it is my sisterly duty to toot it for her ;) Since April, when she ran her first race - the OKC half-marathon, she has completed two additional races. Her most recent race was a 12k, which she finished with a pace 1 min. faster than her last 5k race! Woohoo! And as far as Dr. Deetschei goes, he totally whomped my time, as he promised to do! I am really proud.

As a matter of fact, I know it isn't quite time for the year in review, but I feel that certain accomplishments should be reiterated. Not only did Sixpack pass his QEs, he also completed another marathon. Not only did I get a job, but I completed my first marathon. Not only did Dr. Deetschei join the ranks as DR., but he completed yet another marathon. Fan-freakin-tastic, folks! And the year isn't even over yet...

Okay, so back to that bacon-induced coma to which I was referring. I totally let myself fall into the routine of slacking by telling myself that the new job was just sucking all my energy and that I deserved to lay around on the couch in front of the tv with what little free time I have had. But enough is enough. The weather has cooled significantly, which makes it a little easier to run than in the summer - however, if you know me, you know that I will now start complaining about how cold my ears are or how I can't feel my kneecaps ;) I can't say that I have definitely convinced myself that I will be attempting to break 4 hrs anytime soon, but I can say that the first step is just getting back into a routine.

Like I said, it has been about 3 months since I last ran. I knew this to be true, not only because my Garmin told me so, but because my lungs felt like they were being jabbed with a glowing fireplace poker within approx. 3 mins of my run. Ok, part of this was due to the stupid pace (8:30) I allowed myself to slip into. I really shouldn't have worn a watch, it only gets me in trouble - remember that competetive side I mentioned... At some point while gasping for air on an uphill climb, I decided to just run as long as I could without doing too much damage to myself. I managed 3 miles with several stops in order not to pass out. DAMN, I hate that I have let myself get so out of shape. Argh! Grrr! S*np@zu$$$! And any others you can think of. Like Sixpack, the next few months will be spent simply getting reacclimated to running and getting the lungs back on board. The legs are sore today (boo!) but nothing a little bit of stair climbing won't fix. I need to look for upcoming local races to keep me on track and to keep me from backsliding. I'll keep you posted.

Again, I want to tell both ROWC and Dr. Deetschei what great inspirations they have been!

This Is My Hat.....

2008-11-02T13:29:00.002Z

And this is me throwing it in the ring.

I've decided to take up Deetschei's challenge, and have already chosen my next marathon. It is November 2, and they are currently running the New York Marathon. What better day to make such an anouncement than today?
My plan is as follows:
For the next several months I work on getting my fitness back. I'm still able to run 2 miles with little soreness. Mind you, I haven't run 3 times in a week since sometime in May, maybe even April. So, it's been a while. November, December and January will be rough months while I increase weekly mileage by 10% every week.
Staying on track of this will mean that by the end of February I will be running 21 miles per week. Not bad for someone in my current condition. I'm toying with the idea of working up to 4 runs per week in the near future. The next few weeks would look like this:
Week 1: 3 runs at 2 miles
Week 2: 2 runs at 2 miles, 1 run at 3 miles
Week 3: 4 runs at 2 miles
Week 4: 3 runs at 2 miles, 1 run at 3 miles
Week 5: 2 runs at 2 miles, 2 runs at 3 miles
And so on, until I am running 4 times a week at 5 miles per.

In March the true training begins. I have ordered the book: Sub 4H Marathon in 6 months. Actually, it's called Marathon unter 4H in 6 Monaten--the book is not available in English. I've not read it yet, but am already toying with the idea of offering to translate the book for Runner's World (It's their book). It's really something that should be available for the English market, but that's another story.

6 months of training takes me to the beginning August and to the Paavo Nurmi Marathon on August 8 in Hurley, WI. It's way northern Wisconsin. In fact, it lies just a bit south of Lake Superior on the Michigan border. WAAAAAYYYY North. It will be a good race to try to break 4 hours on, because it should be relatively flat, as most of northern Wisconsin is. It's also nearby, and I can drive there. I'll do my best to make sure Forest joins me at least as a spectator. I'll need to import as many as possible, because there are only winner's medals for the first 300 entrants. I'm guessing this means they rarely have more than 300 entries.

So that's that. I'm off today for a 2 mile run and the true beginning of my training. I ran on Friday, but that will not count toward my plan. Just a little warm up.

The Dublin Marathon

2008-10-29T14:41:00.004Z

My flight for Dublin was Sunday morning. Tessa drove me to Stanstead while it poured rain, and I mentally checked off everything I had packed, looking for anything I had missed. Everything was there, oddly enough. I was definitely wearing a new watch that I had to buy last week, because a German watch-maker ruined my tried and trusted Nike running watch by improperly affixing the back after replacing a battery. I noticed this after I got out of the shower one day and checked the time, only to find out that it was “foggy o’clock.” The watch I was (am) wearing was a cheapo replacement watch that held up to sixty laps in its memory, meaning that it didn’t do much, but if I wasn’t too tired after the marathon I could run a second one and throw a 10 K onto that for good measure, all while keeping track of my splits.

Oddly enough, that option never came up.

Once in Dublin I met up immediately with Sixpack and his friend, Catherine, whose husband agreed to take my luggage home for us while we went to the expo and registered. Without even getting to the marathon yet, I need to say right now that Sixpack’s Irish friends are good people. And by “good people,” I mean “fantastic people who grill you steaks and make you hot whiskey drinks while letting you ride around town in their Audi TT and play with their beautiful children.” We stayed with his friend Claire, who single-handedly made sure I was constantly fed, washed, and remained generally overly content. Catherine, meanwhile, ferried our friends around on marathon day, also kept me fed, and always maintained a high level of fantastic-ness that was simply awesome. I am a firm believer in contentedness leading to a less-miserable marathon, so I owe both ladies, and their families, a major shout out. Soooo, *major inhalation*, SHOUT OUT to the Irish homies!

Anyway, back to the marathon…

Sixpack and I met my friend Keith at the expo and hatched a simple plan for the following morning. Since Keith and his wife were staying in a hotel right next to the finish line, we would meet there an hour before the race and get ready. Keith is a good friend of ours and when I heard he was running Dublin, I knew I wanted to give it a shot and see what it would be like to run with him. Although we didn’t train for the marathon “together,” we kept in solid contact for the few months of training and both felt that our times were more or less compatible enough to run together. In all honesty, though, he is quite a bit faster than me. I just kept hoping that adrenaline and the miraculous “taper boost” would propel me up into his speed group.

As I showed up at Keith’s on the day of the race, I was pretty nervous. I only slept around five hours the evening before, and my breakfast didn’t go down well at all. I was continuing my Michael Phelps plan of eating two giant plates of pasta two hours before the run, but nerves just wouldn’t let me keep anything down easily. Sixpack was quick to help me calm down with lots of encouraging words, and he reassured me he would be at many mile markers to cheer me on. Still, I was pretty nervous but trying not to show it. I knew I could finish the marathon…but I wasn’t sure if I could finish it at the pace I wanted to finish it in. I had joked earlier about a 3:45, but I knew that I would never reach that because of injuries while training. As a result, I quietly modified my goals to the very hazy “somewhere around four hours” range. Since my previous marathon involved lots of tears, lying on the ground, a little crawling, and possibly even a somersault or two, even this modified goal wasn’t a given.

The main thing to tell you about the race was that it was very, very, very cold. It was near freezing when we started, and although it warmed up considerably about halfway through, it felt near freezing again by the time I was winding through downtown Dublin, looking for the finish line. Also, you should know that there were many hills. Many, many hills. Dubliners are clearly drunk when they tell you that the marathon is flat. Because it isn’t. Not only do they lie to you in the program, they lie to you on the course, as well. I can’t tell you how many people stood at the base of one particular hill near eighteen miles shouting assurances that it was the “last hill of the marathon.” Not only was it not the last hill of the marathon, I am convinced that they were spreading these rumors intentionally, and taking glee in the knowledge that each runner would be devastated with each incline that they encountered after it.

Keith held true to form in the marathon. He ran about twenty seconds a mile faster than I typically do, and I was able to keep up with him for the first half marathon. By sixteen miles though, I had to send him forward. I was feeling the pain already, and I didn’t want to jeopardize anything by pushing too hard for too much longer. I slowed down my pace and found that I was relatively comfortable until around eighteen miles, which is when things got tight and my calves started aching.

At twenty miles, I was really sore. I think I had fallen a few minutes behind Keith at this point, but I was buoyed by the knowledge that I was going to finish. I worked my way through “the wall,” and tried picking people off who were stopping to stretch or walking a lot. That helped me psychologically, but by twenty-two miles I realized that there was no way I could run the full marathon non-stop. This dawned on me when I noticed that a short walk made me want to die a little less, so I made the executive decision then and there to stop and walk a minute for each mile. Basically, once I hit a mile marker, I noted the time, and then just walked for exactly one minute. I would have liked to say I ran the whole thing without walking, but I think this method may have prevented me from worse problems. It may have saved my time.

There’s not much else to write about the last few miles other than to say that they hurt, a lot. I had a massive blister explode on the bottom of my foot at twenty-four miles, and by the time I was circling Trinity College towards the finish line, I was ready to be finished. There were no poses when I crossed the line. I just walked to the nearest barrier so I could hold myself up. I was dizzy and exhausted. I was exhilarated from finishing. I was proud. But honestly, I was mostly very cold.

I made my way back to Keith and Kate’s hotel room, where we took pictures with Sixpack, Claire, and Catherine. I bathed, showered, and then napped. I dreamt of “Murder, She Wrote,” because that is what Kate watched from underneath Kenny’s comatose, drooling body. (He deserved to be exhausted, because he finished his first marathon in about 4:06. What an amazing achievement.) Then we all woke up and went to the pub.

Although I was initially dubious about the concept, there is something amazing about a few Guiness after a marathon that I can’t describe. I felt like I was getting nourished by the calorific, stouty, goodness while my muscles were being relaxed by the alcohol. We threw down some chicken tenders and chips, and I damn near felt normal. Everyone told their war stories, and Sixpack shared some great pictures he took while cheering on half of Dublin in every language he knows. (Apparently he knows about fifty-two of them.) After the pub, we hit a bistro and loaded up on more food and, um, Hefeweizen. Sixpack and I then went home for some well earned rest.

I’m finally back in London, and my legs are sore, but I don’t feel crippled. Generally, in fact, I feel pretty good. I know I voiced some hesitation about my training plan in July, but I can only say now that it must have been the right one. I improved my time by almost forty-five minutes, and challenged breaking the four hour mark (I finished in 4:08:45). That is almost mind-boggling to me, because I’m not a “fast runner.” I’m much more of a “zen runner.” I can’t tell you how happy I am to have finished, and finished well. And I also can’t tell you how great the weekend was. I was lucky to have such a great support network, both in Dublin, and back at home.

Needless to say, I’m not going to be running another marathon for a very long time. It took two years between Cologne and Dublin, and I am not rushing to say when the next one will be. I figure that if there even is another one, it will probably be in another two years. I do know that I set up a great challenge for my fellow Drunkrunners with my time, and I would really like to see Sixpack or Dr. P.P. pick up where I left off and be the first one of us to break four hours. We’re pretty close to that as a collective goal, so while I sit here and heal up my aching bones, one of you guys needs to start training and beat my time.

Dublin Result, More to Follow

2008-10-28T09:53:00.002Z

Hi everybody!

I am checking in to report that I finished the Dublin Marathon in 4:08:45.

It was a long day, and I can't write about it properly until I am home, but I just wanted you all to know that I finished and am very happy with the result. It is now up to Dr. Pavement Pounder and Sixpack to be the first to break the four hour mark. I'm done with marathons for a little while. :)

Details will come tomorrow.

One Run Left

2008-10-24T17:42:00.003+01:00

Ahhhh, I'm at the end of the training plan.

I had my last run last night at the local track. It was five miles, three of which were supposed to be eight-minute miles. It went by like a dream. I felt nice and relaxed, and I am looking forward to this marathon.

I keep reminding myself how much it is going to hurt because I think it is important that I am not surprises when the pain sets in. However, I also keep reminding myself that no matter how much it hurts, I will be able to finish. I know this because I have finished a marathon before. I have it inside of me...somewhere.

I hope everybody has a great weekend. I am meeting Sixpack in Dublin on Sunday, and you can believe that Monday night we will be toasting all drunk runners everywhere at the pub.

Seven Days to Go

2008-10-20T08:16:00.000+01:00

Well, this is the sixteenth week. In exactly seven days I will be standing at the starting line of another marathon.

All in all, I feel pretty good. I ran eight miles yesterday, and all of the nuts and bolts seemed to be welled greased, while no cogs or springs flew off my body whenever I tried to turn. As Tessa keeps reminding me, I seem to be in much better shape than my last marathon.

I’ll post a bit more as the week goes on, but I just wanted to metion quickly that my handle has changed. Following in the footsteps of Pavement Pounder, I have added a “dr.” to my moniker, in celebration of the successful filing of my degree. It might sound sad, but updating my screen name on blogger may have been one of the things I most looked forward to when getting ready to submit my dissertation. Sixpack, you’re next!

Twenty Wet Miles

2008-10-06T11:22:00.001+01:00

I ran twenty miles yesterday.

It rained a lot.

Those two sentences don’t really do the whole event justice. In actuality, it rained as I woke up at six to eat two plates of noodles and a banana. It rained as I topped up my fuel belt with sports drink. It rained as I stretched and got dressed. And then it rained when I started. It continued to rain as I ran through Leytonstone, and you better believe it rained when I hit the Tower of London. Guess what I saw when I crossed London Bridge? (rain). And the Globe Theater, where I turned around, was situated firmly within the environs of Rain Town, UK.

On the way home, the puddles turned into lakes, and I swam at least two kilometers. If I had thought to bring a bike, I could have completed my first triathalon. By the time I got home I was so wet that my leggings had begun to foam at the kneecaps. This sounds weird, I know. But, apparently there was residual detergent or fabric softener left in the fabric, and the continual bending of my knee mixed with the steady rain to work the material into a lather. It was pretty funny.

Almost as funny as the helicopter ambulance I saw in the East end that was sponsored by Virgin.

The run itself went pretty well, but there were hiccups. I tried to stay true to form and break it up into three one hour periods, and then micromanage each period. In honor of Tessa, who is currently pregnant with our first mini-runner, I declared that each hour would be termed a trimester and that all pain and agony that I experienced through my “training pregnancy” would magically cure her of any pain and agony in her real pregnancy. In a very general way, the run did follow vague trends of pregnancy. The first hour was not very comfortable, as my muscles sorted themselves out and my body generally warmed up. The second hour was pretty much a cakewalk. Then, sometime during the third hour, wheels fell off and shoulders sagged, and the whole experience became a lot less fun as pain set in and the impatience to reach the finish line became palpable.

Did I mention the rain? After three hours of running in heavy rain, I don’t care how optimistic and annoyingly positive you (and I try to be both of these things, in spades), you are going to begin inventing new swear words at a fantastic pace.

Oh yeah, at about twelve miles my left knee locked up as the IT band called foul. I stretched it while waiting at a streetlight and slowly worked it back into action. My feet posed no problems, so right now that is the one thing I am asking Santa to fix before the marathon. It really is a pain, in more ways than one.

As for times, my ipod died at 17.3 miles, so boo. BUT, it had been acting up a little before that, so I was able to monitor it before it died. This means I got my time right before it went down, and luckily it crashed right as I was passing under a major landmark. My time and my exact position gave me a chance to project my final time, roughly.

My first ten miles came in at 1:33, and when the ipod died at 17.3, I had been running 2:41 minutes. So, even if my pace dropped from 9:18 per mile to 10:00 per mile (and it did drop somewhat as the weather finally broke me, although I don’t think it dropped to that extreme), then I finished the twenty miles in 3:08 or so. If I maintained my pace, then it was just over 3:06.

Honestly, I felt like I didn’t finish as strongly as I did when I ran twenty miles last month. I’m a little bummed about that. However, I did run it about ten minutes faster. I also ran through the worst weather I have ever run in my life. I am not in the business of making up excuses or anything, but I have to draw some positives from this run. I think the biggest positive is that I know that no matter how bad things are in Dublin, I can handle it. I might not break four hours, but if knee problems pop up and the weather is absolutely dreadful, then I will know that I had seen it all before.

That has to count for something.

One Day at a Time

2008-10-04T08:39:00.002+01:00

That's the new motto. No more telling you all how much I'm going to run, how far, how often, blah, blah, blah. Instead I'm using all of my free time here to just get back into enjoying running. I'm not planning any races at the moment and won't be for a little while. I'm just going to run. That's it.

Went for what I think was two miles on Thursday. Not sure though, because my $300 watch decided not to find a satellite. WTF? I mean, I live less than a mile from an airport. Don't they need satellites? Has the Stasi disrupted my signal? I don't know what was going on, but 12 minutes into my run I looked down and the watch had registered a distance of 1/4 mile. I'm slow, but I ain't that slow.

I'll head out again today and try to do some troubleshooting with the watch. In the meantime I'm enjoying trying to figure out how to "run around the block" in Berlin. Seems the only way to do that successfully is to follow the remnants of the wall. Otherwise what I think should be around the block ends up being miles and miles and containing many missed opportunities. It's interesting when a modern city is still laid out according to old cow paths through the swamp. Soon I'll try a lap around the airport!

Good Time for a Recovery Week

2008-09-29T19:22:00.001+01:00

I just looked over my running schedule, and realized I didn’t miss as many runs due to injury as I thought I had. In fact, the couple of runs I missed were all over three weeks ago. I guess this means a couple of things. First, I need to stop whining. Second, I need to stop whining.

Even though I am removed from the days when little elves poked fiery stakes into my foot with every step I took, I still couldn’t help but feel like I needed my scheduled recovery week last week. I just felt like I was a half step behind everything, and the ensuing consternation over where I was compared to where I wanted to be made me lose sight of my marathon goals and all of the little things I had been doing to try and make them a reality.

A week with two eight mile runs interspersed with seven miles of non-speed work helped me get my concentration back. It was brilliant. I didn’t need to worry about fatigue, overstressing body parts, or anything else really. I just ran. And I was able to keep well within the prescribed, albeit modest, speed goals without any problems. This made for a happy deetschei, and I am once again looking forward to a marathon that is, actually, not that far away.

This week I am gearing up for my final twenty mile run. The last one went so well, I am almost afraid to run it again. I feel like I couldn’t possibly repeat the generally pleasant experience of finishing twenty miles without wanting to amputate massive parts of my lower body. In actuality, I’m setting the bar higher this time because I need to run it faster. Who knows what will happen. My money is on the amputations.

I do know that there have been some lingering issues with the IT band which have kept me busy on some of my longer runs over the past couple of weeks. It isn’t something that forces me to quit, but it does require some pretty steady maintenance and that constant search for the right stride, in which every step is either a little shorter or a little longer and the foot is planted a little more on the heel or the toe, all while trying to find that sweet spot where the knee doesn’t tighten up and those outside twinges don’t grow into something more. Ideally, I won’t have to waste the mental energy worrying about how to step, nor the physical energy of continually adjusting my stride, in the marathon itself. Let’s all put our faith in the taper.

But before that, comes the twenty. Because it’s there.

Remember Me?

2008-09-22T18:20:00.001+01:00

Remember Me?

Apparently foot injuries hurt. In my long and whatever-happens-to-be-the-opposite-of-illustrious running career, I had never actually injured my foot before. Once, in the Bay Area, I bought a new pair of Adidas running shoes that caused some mad arch pain after about a mile of running, so I threw them into the closet and bought new shoes. Problem solved. Those Adidas came out occasionally as walking shoes and whenever I listened to Run DMC, but I never ran in them again.

The day after my last twenty mile run I needed to go to the post office for whatever reason, and it was this very pair of shoes that were nearest as I lay on the couch watching ‘Deal or No Deal.’ I rolled over, put them on, proceeded to walk down the stairs, and felt a twinge, that was not a good twinge, on the outside of my right arch. I took off the shoes very quickly, put a hex on them, and switched to new shoes before limping off the to post office. Turns out, the damage was done. My foot was not right for over two weeks. Walking was a chore, and running was out of the question. I ended up missing speedwork during the week after my twenty-miler, and when I thought I had it all sorted out, a four mile run aggravated it to the point that I had to cancel the sixteen miles that were scheduled on the following Sunday. I labored through my “normal run” that week and completely made a mockery of speedwork on that Thursday. By Sunday, I knew I needed to run sixteen miles, but I wasn’t sure if I could hack it. I did it, even if it wasn’t pretty. I had to stop every few miles and stretch my foot. I ended up with a semi-decent time of 2:39:56, which was okay for a guy hobbling, but it was way off my goal pace.

That was probably the darkest moment in my training so far. All I knew was that I seemed a million miles away from my happy twenty miler, and that everything went wrong the day after I finally registered. Thanks to those shoes.

This all made me very unhappy.

Luckily, things improved on the following Tuesday. I felt fresh as I embarked on a six miler and finished the run in less than 52 minutes, without really feeling like I was forcing things. Then, on Thursday, I had what was supposed to be a tempo run in which five miles were to be at an 8:04 pace. I had been doing all of my speed- and tempo work on a track, and I was pretty sure that twenty consecutive laps were going to kill me no matter the pace I did them in. I got through it though, with about 7:58 per mile. This was reassuring. I think I labored through the run a bit more than I was supposed to, but the fact that I got through it meant that I hadn’t lost all of my fitness, right? Right?

I had my second of three twenty milers scheduled for Sunday, but I didn’t feel ready because my foot still feels pretty tender. So I downgraded the run to a sixteen miler, knowing that I have another twenty coming up in two weeks. The run went well, although I had some surprise (bonus!) ITB problems in my left knee that made things less than totally pleasant. I finished the run in 2:31:58, meaning that I shaved about eight minutes off my time for the same distance from a week previous. I dare to dream that I am coming out of the darkness. In fact, this time was actually a little faster than my target training time.

It’s a little frustrating to deal with injuries, as everyone knows. This time feels particularly bitter. It seems like an overuse type of injury, but I know that I am not running excessively more miles than I was before I started training. I even checked my log and noticed that I logged more miles in the month leading up to last winter’s half marathon than I did in the month leading up to the disintegration of my right foot. But, there is not much use in whining, I suppose. I dropped a couple of runs, which I try not to do, but I suppose it isn’t that bad. My last seven long runs were supposed to read like this: 16, 18, 20, 7, 16, 20, 16. What I ended up with was something like this: 17, 18, (sick), 20, (injured), 16, 16. Essentially, I had to drop a seven miler and a twenty miler. Its not the end of the world, considering I still have a couple more weeks before tapering, but it means I might need to revise my goals. Whereas my ideal goal was 3:45, I think now I might need to try and look towards 4:00 being my target. We’ll see how these last few weeks of training sort themselves out. I’m still optimistic, and I still trust in the plan.

I think things are going to be okay.

$400 Worth of Motivation

2008-09-09T17:17:00.002+01:00

Yes Folks, I spent $400 on running gear last weekend and now I'm feeling more motivated to get back out on the road. I think it's been clear through my posts over the past several months that I have been lacking in motivation. It's been tough to get out of bed and strap on the shoes. So, I thought, why not a new pair of shoes? And while I'm at it, why not pick up the Garmin Forerunner 405. I had actually been planning on getting the Garmin for some time, I simply needed to wait until I was paid for working in Beijing. Once that was done, I was ready to go.
This morning then was the first run with the new shoes and the new watch. It went very well. I'm still on way low mileage--8 miles scheduled for this week--but it is feeling good. I was encouraged by the accuracy of the watch as it measured my 2 mile run. I think it was off by an amazing 6 feet over the two miles.
There are many features I haven't even begun to explore like the virtual training partner--I can already see how that will come in handy on speed workouts.
My run was otherwise uneventful. It's going to take a lot of time to get back into shape. In fact, I've already decided to downgrade Dublin to a half marathon. I don't want to hurt myself, and I'm working on plans to run the Western States 100 in celebration of my 40th birthday in a few years. I need to stay in shape and keep running if I'm going to do that.
Speaking of shape, I'm still the same. Haven't lost any weight, but I haven't gained either. That's a plus. Now that I'm back on the road I might work toward those abs I've been looking for. Has anyone seen them? I lost them years ago.

Make Mine a Venti

2008-09-03T09:45:00.001+01:00

Best 20 mile run ever. No tears. No pain. Just tired by the end.

The weekend was a gluttonous one, so I knew I would have plenty of fuel to burn. Tessa’s aunt was in town to celebrate her 60th birthday, so this meant that copious amounts of food and wine were constantly at hand. Friday night, I think I ate an entire lamb myself, and I am pretty sure I put a few vineyards out of business by drinking everything they had ever bottled, then flying to Bordeaux and actually eating all of their grapes. And their vines. And their roots. And their soil. And their berets.

Saturday I cut out the alcohol but helped myself to Hungry Man portions at a family barbeque. I then went home and made a big pasta dish for the following morning out of fusili, tuna, and an aioli-like substance. (For the record: This did not taste good.) …You can see how I am obsessed with food right now. Its all about the Michael Phelps diet in this camp. If I eat like him, I am sure to grow seven inches and put on twenty pounds of pure muscle…

Sunday, I woke up at six and ate. I had the hardest time keeping my pasta dish down because I wasn’t that hungry at that hour, and as I mentioned, it didn’t taste so great. “ots of water helped. I took down two bananas as well as I mapped out my route. I had actually crashed out at my in-laws house, so I knew the route I would run from previous experience. It was pretty much a straight shot from their house to the Millenium Bridge/Tate Modern, via London’s east side.

The run was urban without being urbane (see what I did there? Eh, eh? What a loser!) It was exactly how I remembered it: lots of eel and pie shops, lots of people still partying from the night before, lots of tourists from the Tower to the Tate, and no Amy Winehouse laying in a gutter. I actually enjoy the route because it is easy, even if it is not as immediately beautiful as some training runs I have done in Germany, Switzerland, or even Chelsea. There is a certain rugged energy to London’s east side which somehow contributes to better running. That must be why the Olympic village is being built near Stratford. They are counting on the athletes to be similarly pushed by the fear of muggings and Jack the Ripper’s progeny.

I won’t give a mile-by-mile recap here, but it generally went down similarly to my 18 miler in Cologne. I brought three gel packs and three bottles of sports drink. I stretched at street lights and just focused on keeping my form throughout. I mostly listened to NPR, and by the time I was home, I was tired but not desperate. I ran a little slower than I was supposed to: I finished 20.6 miles (I had to round up while mapping it out in order to get to a discernable landmark) in 3:20:55, which was a 9:45 pace. To be honest, I’m okay that I ran it slower than the schedule plans, because I have two more twenty milers to run, and I can work on speed then. This time, it was all about me wrapping my head around the distance and showing myself I could do it. That part was accomplished, and I feel good.

Well, I felt good.

On Monday I put on an old pair of tennis shoes, and as I was going down the stairs I felt the arch in the bottom of my foot tighten up. It hurt oh so good, so now I am off my feet. I tried running yesterday and stopped at a quarter mile. I have speed work tomorrow, and will probably put it off until Friday in order to maximize the recovery.
It’s about right, though. I have agonized through twenty miles and wanted to die, only to turn around and run just fine immediately afterwards. This time, I got through this twenty miler with a relatively decent amount of ease, and pulled up lame from walking down stairs the next day. You would have to love running. If it didn’t constantly make you want to cry.

Back on the Road!

2008-09-02T16:51:00.002+01:00

Well, I'm back in the USA and attempting to get back on the road. I went to Fleet Feet yesterday and had my gait analyzed, by Forest of all people, and realized I might be more comfortable in a neutral shoe. That is as opposed to the stability shoe that I've been wearing. So, I'm going to give that a try. I'm also going to give the new Newton's a whirl. I'm hoping some of these changes will make me a better runner and lead me to more marathons and less injuries.

This morning I ran a whopping 2 miles and covered it in about 20 minutes. I'm making some assumptions here. I felt it better to run for 20 minutes and not worry about distance, than to try to push myself farther than I should. After all, I haven't run consistently since April. This is a very bad thing, that has also proven to be a pretty good thing. I feel terribly out of shape, but at the same time I do believe my tendonitis is healed and that I'm ready to go back at it again.

I'm going to run some numbers through Runner's World today and find a training plan to get me back on track for a marathon slowly and sanely. In fact, although I will run the Dublin Marathon, I think I'm going to give myself 6 months to train for the next one. Perhaps the Paris Marathon which will be run on the day before my 38th birthday. I'll, of course, keep you all posted.

For now it's back on the road and back to getting fit.

Overall Stats:

Distance ~ 2 mi.

Time: 20 min.

Pace: ~ 10:00 min/mi

Overall Impression: Seriously? Did I Really Run a Marathon in May? (S?DIRRAMIM?)

366 posts, a cold, and two year birthday

2008-08-26T10:37:00.004+01:00

I wanted to note here that this is the 366th post on drunkrunners.blogspot.com, which means that we have a leap-year's worth of commentary about running and drinking. That's a pretty big achievement. Even better, in early August we passed the blog's two year birthday. That mean you have all been drunkrunners for some time now, and I can't even begin to count the marathons, half marathons, Bay to Breakers and other races that have been run since that time. I think the most fun I have had as a reader of this blog would be reading about all the shenanigans that occur while training for these races. Of course, the race reports are always fantastic and awe inspiring as well.

Currently, I am battling a cold. I switched my first twenty miler from last weekend to this weekend, and am now just trying to stay awake. I will post a large post about the past two weeks as soon as I hit the asphalt.

Running On and Off

2008-08-24T13:56:00.002+01:00

I, too, have been a bit spotty with my running lately. Some weeks I manage 12 or so miles total, other weeks 0-4. Boo! Unfortunately, I don't have as good an excuse as Sixpack. I only have myself and my stress to blame. However, I can report that the runs I have been doing are a decent pace (9 and under) and you will be proud to know that I intentionally include more uphills than downhills in my route. It hit me the other day that I could probably alter my route so that I ran uphill only 1 or 2 times and that the remainder of my run was either flat or downhill. But, being who I am, I realized I would have been cheating myself. Hills still suck, don't get me wrong, but they are sucking considerably less. Formal numbers and more details coming soon.

Not Running

2008-08-22T17:18:00.002+01:00

Just a note to the group that I haven't run since my last post. This job has not offered much time to do anything. I felt guilty today running to the post office for an hour.

Deetschei-- I will still begin training again ASAP and will at the very least do run/walk marathon in Dublin. I'll have a free place for us to stay, that should make up for my poor performance. :-)

More when I get back to the states. Only 6 more days in Beijing.

Running in Germany

2008-08-18T10:56:00.004+01:00

I was warned that the weather in Germany would be horrible this weekend. Although that never materialized, when I went to the university to do my speedwork on Monday, I saw at least five girls wearing scarves. When it was 23 C out. You gotsta love Germany.

I love running in Germany, anyway. Things went really well this week. Thursday’s speedwork was challenging: I had 3 x 1600meters at 7:33 per mile, with 800 meter jogs in between, but I managed to get it all done in spite of some pretty bad humidity. In retrospect, the biggest challenge was getting myself clean afterwards after having forgotten to bring a towel…or finding a place to stash my things after forgetting to bring a padlock for a locker. On the one hand, I felt stupid for thinking I could get by without these essential items, but then I remembered that I always lived around the corner from the track and never needed to bring these things before. It was just a force of habit, I suppose.

And by “biggest challenge” I naturally mean “second-biggest challenge”. My biggest challenge was suppressing the urge to vomit after my tenth lap of near-sprinting. I found it fascinating that my time per lap (400m) was the exact same time the women were running 800m during the Olympics. I think that makes me half as fast as an Olympic athlete, which is completely mind-boggling. If I ever tried to DOUBLE my speed I’m pretty sure my legs would rip out of my hips and get bloody sinewy grossness all over the track. Which would be hard to clean up. So I won’t even try it.

Sunday’s run is the big story, however. My alternately discouraging/encouraging 16 mile run last week that ended up being well over 17 miles left me alternately hopeful/apprehensive about 18 miles. I decided to just the bite the damn bullet and do everything I could to make it a decent run. I bought a fuel belt for more isotonic drinks. I bought vanilla flavored goo. I didn’t drink alcohol on Saturday. AND, I woke up at 6:30 Sunday morning and ate two giant plates of salmon pasta even though I had no hunger whatsoever that early in the morning.

I hit the turf at 8AM, and had what could only be described as a moderate, comfortable run. Don’t get me wrong, I was tired by the end, but this was the most relaxed 18 miles I think I have ever had. I am not going to make any bold statements, and will re-test things next week for my first twenty miler, but I think I may have made a breakthrough in fueling myself before and during runs. I simply never hit a wall and never felt, well, pain.

Basically, as I ran along the Rhine I tried to concentrate on my form and simply break the run into three one-hour increments. I just kept telling myself to “manage this hour”, and I basically did. I had three bottles of fluids and two goo packs, and made sure I took down one of each by the hour mark. By the third hour I had enough juice left in me to speed up and I ultimately ended up with negative splits: The first 9.1 miles took about 1:28, and the second took about 1:25. My total time for 18.26 miles ended up being 2:53:44, which put me exactly at 9:30 per mile. This was exactly my target speed for the run, so I was very pleased.

Concentrating on my upper body form helped in two ways, I think. First, it kept my mind off my legs. Second, it kept me from getting overly sloppy, which hopefully conserved energy and helped me keep going forward. I don’t know. I do know that before Sunday I had never run 18 miles without immediately afterwards thinking anything other than dreadful thoughts about adding another 8 miles to the distance. This time, I felt pretty good about everything. I think the weight training on my non-running days is paying off, although Tessa claims that my arms are heavier and now I am no longer allowed to put them around her when we sleep for fear of crushing her. Because I'm that huge. Right. ;)

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I can run a marathon tomorrow. But I feel like by focusing on “managing” the pain and breaking down the run into workable increments, I can create a system that will get me through the marathon at the end of my training plan.

Oh, and I think my giant breakfast that morning certainly helped. Next week I will eat the same, and try adding bananas.

16 Miles.* Still Bonking.

2008-08-12T09:46:00.002+01:00

Dear dudes and girl dudes, my apologies for not covering the recovery week. It was three runs of six miles, and I skipped the weight training. I figured that you guys didn’t want to hear about it, so I decided to conserve my energy and watch Top Gear instead of posting. If it seems like I have been watching a lot more television than I ever have before, it is because I am victim to so much quality programming. Watching television is okay in a foreign culture, because it constitutes research. I am learning about the Brits every time I watch The Daily Show.

Week five was a big week. My tempo run on Thursday was sixteen laps at 2:00 per lap, which worked out to a 8:05 mile for four miles, plus two miles warm up and cool down. The tempo was good, in that it kept me going just outside of my comfort zone. I would have happily slowed down at any point, but it didn’t get excruciating until the twelfth lap. Those last four laps were less than fun, which may have been heat, or it just may have been the fact that the runs were doing the work they were supposed to do. Which was kick my ass into shape.

Sunday’s run was less than grand. I met some friends Saturday afternoon for a Beer Festival in Earl’s Court, and heavily restricted my beer intake in preparation for the run, but I’m not entirely sure it helped. All that I know is that when I was in the thick of it on Sunday, I didn’t feel good at all.

I just didn’t have the energy to finish well. In fact, as I hit the last two miles, I was even heckled by a street performer who stopped doing a magic trick long enough to remind me that he could walk faster than I ran. I couldn’t even argue with him. He was probably right. I don’t even know how fast as I was going at that point, but I know that I was exhausted and cramping. And I think it was due to eating way too little before the run. And nothing during the run. Soooo, I’m back to square one with my bad habits, and have decided that I need to wake up extra early on Sundays just so I can eat a big breakfast and then have time to digest it somewhat before the run. Next Sunday we will try something along those lines, and I will let you know how it goes.

Other than the bonking, the run was actually beautiful, but extremely windy. And the wind didn’t help. I finally moved things up into central London and ran almost the entire distance along the Thames. I started at London Bridge, traced my way along the South Bank, went through Battersea Park to the Albert Bridge, then doubled back through Chelsea to Parliament Square and Green Park to just short of Buckingham Palace. The thing was, there were 20-plus mile an hour winds along the Thames, and I was getting blasted like I was in a wind tunnel. I had to deal with this for the first five miles, and then once I made the turn home from Parliament Square, again on the Chelsea side for another three miles. I was exhausted by four miles, and feel like the wind might have contributed to my bad run more than anything…but nonetheless, if I had a bit more food in my system, then maybe I would have been able to finish fast enough that I could escape the silent heckles of the abusive mimes. I finished it nonetheless, but I ended up with mile averages that hovered around 10:30 or so. Like I said, it was a challenging day.

This week promises some real fun. I am flying to Cologne Thursday morning, so I will do my track work at my old track on the Unigelände. Its not as nice as the track at Ladywell, but its considerably more free. Sunday I run eighteen miles along the Rhine, so I am essentially switching one big river for another. It should be considerably less windy though, because the Rhine is much wider than the Thames and lacks the giant buildings on either side that funnel the wind into your face no matter which direction you face. This will be a sentimental run. I’m looking forward to it. But not as much as the ginormous breakfast I am going to eat at six o’clock that morning.

* (Update: I just checked my route on USATF for the first time, and it turns out I ran about 17.3 miles and that my Nike+ seriously needs to be re-calibrated. The real new lesson is to check your routes before you run them, unless you have a GPS! :) So instead of 10:30 miles, I was closer to 9:35, which is only a little slower than my goal pace. I'm officially less discouraged by this run. I am also dreading the 18 miles next Sunday a little less, knowing I only have to run an additional .7 miles or so. After that big breakfast, I should be sorted. Hopefully.)

Third Week Review! Action! Comedy! Hijinks!

2008-08-01T12:48:00.001+01:00

14 miles. So very, very long. When did it get to be so long? I don’t know. But man, somebody added bonus miles to my long run last week. Quite frankly, I don’t think its cool, at all, to mess with somebody’s long run by sneaking in at least six miles extra. I mean, fourteen miles? Who are we kidding? That felt like it was at least twenty miles. Maybe even 22. Whoo boy.

Anyway, as you may have gathered, my third week involved challenges. And determination. And alterations.

I knew that things would need to be juggled slightly because Tessa and I were going to Stourhead Saturday night for some fireworks and fancy dress, and also to Wells to visit our friends Megan and Andy. So, in order to accommodate this wrinkle, I did something unprecedented: I moved my long run forward instead of back. Knowing that my weekend would be jammed full of friend-type goodness and farm time chicken chasing, I woke up very early Saturday morning and ran. And ran. And ran. In fact, I’m probably still running at this very moment, and if you should see me in Greenwich, ask me what I did with my keys.

The things is, my body just doesn’t understand Saturday long runs. It just didn’t catch on that it was supposed to be partaking in an endurance building activity. It thought that it was supposed to be on the couch scanning the TV for O.C. reruns, and as a result, it never got into the groove. It didn’t step to the beat. So the long run lived up to its name, and I didn’t enjoy myself as much as I could. Considering I was running around Greenwich Park while holding a giant banana for sustenance, I should have been having a blast. I mean, parks + bananas = tomfoolery of some sort, doesn’t it? Don’t answer, P.P. because I already know your response, and I know it involves George Michael, and both he and I don’t find it funny. Not one bit. ☺

Anyway, week three is over and I am in the middle of week 4, which is an oh so savory recovery week. Three runs of six miles, and nothing more. Its been fantastic, and I am really looking forward to waking up Sunday morning, strapping on the shoes, and being home again in less than an hour.

So I can get back on the couch and find those reruns of the O.C..

Last Weeks Miles: 23 miles

Last Weeks Average: Somewhere around 9 minutes per?

Total Impression: Halfway to Halfway There on Sunday! (HHTS!)

Outside Run, Not So Bad

2008-07-30T00:08:00.002+01:00

As you all know I hadn't planned on running outside while here in Beijing. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. And surely this morning was desperate times.

I awoke at 5:15 and I was wide awake. There was just no sense in going back to bed, and if I was going to get a run in today I was going to have to go right then and there. So, I did. Oh and the gym doesn't open until 7. I braved the heat and had a nice time.

The path around Workers Stadium seems to be quite a popular place to run. I passed several! WOOHOO 3 WEEKS IN AND I'M ALREADY PASSING PEOPLE!!!!!! Furthermore, the pollution isn't so bad. I can still feel my lungs and my allergies didn't react too badly. Of course, the effects of pollution are usually much longer term than just a 20 minute cooldown, but at the same time, I'm really feeling like the pollution here isn't as bad as has been reported. But then, how do you measure pollution with the naked eye? Further, reducing traffic emmissions, shutting down factories, and yesterday's rain all have added to the cleanliness of the air today.

Overall Stats:

Distance: 3.2 miles
Time: 29:02
Pace: 9:40
Overall Impression: The Chinese Seem To Like The Hayes Street Haters Shirt!!! (TCSTLTHSHS!)

Beijing Update

2008-07-28T15:07:00.002+01:00

Well I did it. I ran today. I was supposed to do 4 miles, and I'm afraid I didn't quite get it all done.

The gym here is crazy. It's empty. During my 40 minutes on the treadmill I saw two people. One when I got there and another when I left. That was it. The treadmill was nice. Complete with television. Not a bad deal really. I turned on Chinese MTV and enjoyed a nice run.

Well, nice if you like running in 85 degree weather. Yes, I know I told you I was at the gym, but evidently it is not air conditioned. The thermometer on the wall read 85! I couldn't believe. No wonder I was sweating my balls off.

At about 3 miles I did something wrong and invoked the emergency shut down. Sweating, panting and feeling a little light headed I decided that was far enough. I showered and went home. I've been making up for the distance with a lot of walking, so I don't feel so bad, but I will try to beef up the next few runs to make sure I do all my mileage.

I found the runners! My mistake was thinking that no one here runs, I was looking in the wrong place. Actually the wrong time. When we headed to dinner tonight I saw all sorts of runners. They were waiting for the cooler weather. It was even breezy tonight and was therefore approaching something you might call comfortable. That run outside may actually happen. As I get acclimated to the weather here I'm starting to think it may even be feasible.

I'll keep you posted.

Running in Beijing

2008-07-27T07:58:00.003+01:00

The short version of this post is that it hasn't happened yet. I have, however, been doing a lot of walking. And I do mean a lot. I have decided, after tackling Tiannenmen Square, Banhei Park and the Pearl Market already today, that my run will be tomorrow morning. This will keep me a little off schedule, but the walking is surely helping, and quite frankly I'm having some weird leg pains. Can't figure those out yet, but it will come in time.

I will not be running outdoors. Period. Two reasons:

1) This picture

That is Beijing at about 5 p.m. It has looked like that since I got here. Now imagine that humidity with 90 degree weather. I'm sorry Dr. PP but that is worse than anything Texas has ever seen.

I still await someone who can explain the fascination with building world capitols on swamps. Berlin, Washington, D.C., Beijing. I mean, WTF?

2) I have been here for three days and seen One, count him, One runner. That's it. It just isn't done here. Besides, if you knew the chaos that is crossing the street WITH a green walk light here, you might understand my apprehension to put myself in harms way just for a run. BTW, I have been here for 3 days and am yet to see a cab driver use a turn signal. I feel so at home!!

That's it. As soon as I run at the gym here, I'll be sure to post.

Week 2. Done and Done.

2008-07-24T17:56:00.002+01:00

Week Two is now in the books.

When last we met, I wasn’t sure if I could squeeze any more miles out of Greenwich. I did manage to get twelve miles from it last week, but just barely. Greenwich Park opens up to a group of very large fields in Blackheath, and I thought I would worm my way around the periphery of those just to see how far I could go without having to retrace my steps. It accommodated my needs, but I will definintely have to run somewhere else next week. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. But please understand that I am trying to keep unsavory experiences such as stabbings, muggings, flashings, shootings, and even maimings to a minimum. It’s a tall order when you live in the big bad city ☺

Speaking of the city, I officially had a horrible run on Tuesday. I don’t even want to blog about it (But I will). And the thing was, it had nothing to do with me. I felt great physically, but it was if London completely conspired against me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I poke fun at London a lot. You kind of have to give the place a hard time simply because Londoners take themselves so seriously. But it really is a great place to live most of the time. I mean, its silly to say, but there are only a handful of cities in the world that have as much going on as London at any given moment. And by handful, I mean maybe three. And I only speak the correct language to be understood in maybe one and a half of them.

Nonetheless, Tuesday was the day London let me down. It was hot and smoggy. The sky was literally brown. For some reason, traffic was horrible so I was running by permanent gridlock, which meant I was constantly inhaling exhaust. There was even more garbage than usual on the sidewalks (and in this part of town, there be more than a little on good days). To top it all off, there was a plague of flying ants. I kid you not. They were everywhere. You know how sometimes you run through a cloud of gnats and the cloud drifts along with you for a few feet, so that you get temporarily nervous that it will stay with you constantly and you will never be able to stop going “ptff ptff ptff” with your mouth? Well, that happened to me Tuesday, except it was with flying ants, and the cloud literally stayed with me for the duration of my four mile run. I had bugs crawling on my jersey when I got home, and it stung when they bounced off my arms and face while running. I had to shower even faster than usual just to wash off the unclean feeling. By the time I was out of the shower, I generally hated everything about the city and wanted to move to the forest and live in a house made of candy. It was not a quality day for urban appreciation.

Soooooo…that was that. London and I have since hugged and made up, but I still don't trust it completely. Everything else is going pretty well. I have been lifting weights for my cross training, and feel pretty good about the three runs a week. Speed work and tempo runs are all under control, although the super nice track I found near us costs £2.40 to use. I think I should get them to sponsor my marathon fee… seriously.

Last Weeks Miles: 23 miles
Average Pace: about 9:15
Overall Impression: Ant Free For Two Days! (AFFTD!)

Swimming a 9:30 mile!

2008-07-21T16:41:00.003+01:00

Yes, you read that correctly. I went out the other day for my 3 mile run and finally realized what Dr. PP was talking about when she needed to grow gills. It's awful. I felt like I was aspirating the entire run, but I did it! Well, almost.

I headed out of the house and decided to run the driveway--that's a 1/4 mile already! And just headed on down the road. Aside from the need for goggles and fins, I have to say it all went very well. I didn't exactly have the distance mapped out, and I haven't found the other half to my Nike+ since the move, so I was judging the distance by my watch. My previous 2-mile runs had been at 9:30 so I assumed that would be my pace for 3.

On my way back my newfangled shoe laces proved to be not so cool. They are elastic "never tie your shoes again" shoe laces, and I have to make some adjustments to them, for I could feel the blister on my heel at mile 2.3. Mind you, I haven't had a blister since the finish line of my first marathon 2 years ago. I tried to push through it and keep running, then I remembered that I had promised myself I wasn't going to be injured this time around. I know that sounds a little wussy, but a blister can set you back a few days and I didn't want that to happen. So I stopped and walked home. I measured the course yesterday and it turns out I had actually already run 2.8 miles, so I was pretty happy.

Today I undertake the 3 mile that I should have run yesterday (letting the blister heal) and will begin treadmill training later this week. My schedule will be a little f'ed up this week what with a flight to china and all, but I will stay on track!!!

BTW, I have started a blog to relate my travel experiences and will be letting everyone know of my exciting journeys through that. You can find it atVagabunt. I won't be able to tell you everything until I get back from China. Word is our internet activity and our conversations will be monitored. Oh how I love China!!!!

Week One in Review

2008-07-18T16:19:00.000+01:00

Week One is in the books, and in retrospect it went pretty well. I found a track through Google Earth that is about one mile away, so I will be able to do my tempo runs and speed work without any problems. The track is actually pretty sweet: it is rubber, it is well maintained, and I have yet to see the chalk outlines of dead bodies on the way there.

So I got that going for me, which is nice.

The long run on Sunday was switched a long run on Monday, proving that it is never too early to start shaking things up. I was in Bournemouth for a three-day bachelor party this weekend, and after wakeboarding and flying like crazy around a ropes course, I was feeling a little “fragile” by Sunday afternoon. If you throw in copious amounts of alcohol and a trip to clubs and pubs that literally ended after the sun was coming up, then you could imagine my desire to postpone those ten miles. (Quick aside: My wife will testify that I am obsessed with the idea of staying in bars until daylight, which is pretty humorous because I tend to go to bed before ten PM. Having actually realized my lifelong ambition, I can assert both that it was wonderful and that I deserve a ticker-tape parade of some sorts for actually staying awake and coherent the entire time. I have two words and a coordinating conjunction for you: Vodka and cola.)

In short, the extra day’s recovery didn’t help. Hell, I didn’t feel right until Wednesday. The ten miles? Let’s just say that I did them in a time that was very close to the prescribed time and leave it at that. Oh, and this week’s training is still on schedule so I won’t be missing any runs, either. Nice recovery, methinks. Now if I could only find my liver.

On the technical side, I bought a new sensor for the Nike+ so I am not running watch-commando any longer. Well, I had my watch with me the entire spring, but I just chose not to use it. I highly recommend going without if you aren’t training for anything, but its just a matter of choice. Granted, I am going to come up much more than a hundred miles short at the end of this year’s calculations, but it’s all good. I’m back on the clock now and keeping close count of everything with an intricate system of punch cards and sundials. Granted, I’m not quite as clinical about my preparation as, say, the Russians are in Rocky IV, but I don’t have the best of Soviet technology at my disposal. I like to imagine that Drago and I share a few attributes, however, and that I still gleaned some important training strategies from that montage in which he pummels a red cushion with his communist rage.

This week should be pretty chill. It totals twenty-two miles with a twelve mile run on Sunday, which will involve a lot of circles in Greenwich Park. As I look over the next few weeks, I realize that Greenwich is failing to offer me the miles I need, and that I will have to start directing my attention northwestward, towards the city. London running is always a mixed bag, but if I can cut across London Bridge on a Sunday morning, then I should be able to find it almost entirely vacated, save for the zombies. Today I have five miles, with two miles at 7:38, which are in turn broken up by 800 meter jogs. Tuesday I ran five miles, but I don’t remember the time requirement. It was a modest goal that only left me half dead. But, then again, that could have just been the bachelor party’s revenge.

Last Week’s Miles: 21
Last Week’s Time: Ack, I’m not online right now! Let’s say I did them all in six
minutes.
Overall Impression: In Training Limbo. Not Quite There Mentally Yet. Marathon
Still Too Far

And I Ran...

2008-07-16T16:47:00.002+01:00

"I ran not far away, but I ran...." (Sung to the tune of Flock of Seagulls) Come on everybody! You know the tune. Sing along.
That's the story of the beginning of Marathon training. It's going to be a long slow training, but I'm very optimistic. Deetschei and I are training for Dublin and clearly he is going to kick my ass, but he's younger, he'll probably always do that.
This should be week 2 of the training, but it is really just week 1. Aside from Forest and I's 2 mile run on Sunday I have run about 35 miles since the end of April. That included the marathon. Not good. Therefore, I've stepped way back to the beginning and will do a training plan that is registered as "very hard" but starts with an assumed 6-10 miles a week. That's more than I have been doing, but I'm hoping it won't stress me out too much to start that low.
Training absolutely had to begin today, 1) because it is now 15 weeks to the marathon, and B) because I weighed in at 200 pounds yesterday. I haven't weighed this much in a long time, and I will now be taking care of that. You all know that I am recently singled and with my new found poverty, I'm sure losing weight will not be difficult, however, in the land of cheese and beer I am already finding it tricky.
Well, Cheese, beer and French Toast Fantasy. Ann Sather restaurant in Chicago serves French Toast Fantasy. Thank god for me it is 200 miles away. I would be a house. Start with two cinnamon rolls. Slice them in half (like a bagel) dip them in egg batter and fry like french toast. Nice start, eh? Well, then you slather some Mascarpone cheese in the middle, top with gronola and fresh fruit. Then you can finally serve. You'll be happy to know I didn't use the syrup she provided, although it certainly would have been decadent.
But, I digress. I'm going to look around and see what other training plans might be out there and maybe more appropriate for my fitness level, but for now, I've got 8 miles scheduled this week. 2 today, completed in 19 minutes--not bad, not bad. 3 on Friday, 3 on Sunday!

Wish me luck. The goal, as I've discussed with Forest, is to finish this marathon injury free. I know I said that about the last one, and I didn't injure myself at the marathon. I did it beforehand. So, in a sick way, I didn't injure myself with the last marathon. Anyway, I'll be taking it slow. Icing, Ibuprofen, etc.
Nutrition is also going to be a big part of it all. I've been working on following a different eating plan, one devoid of foie gras, and will slowly improve my diet and overall health, so that on race day I will be svelt and ready to go. :-)

Glad to hear everyone else is doing so well. Keep up the good work!!!!

Over the river, through the woods, over the hill and another hill and another hill...

2008-07-15T14:48:00.002+01:00

So, as I recently discovered, there is a reason why they call our area "Hillandale." Compared to the swampland that was the L.J., our new home is full of small hills and some steady, gradual inclines. I won't even pretend that it can compete with Sixpack's Twin Peaks run, because it simply can't. Some days I really miss the flat, mindless run through the old neighborhood; other days I enjoy the new challenge and the fact that this kind of running forces different muscles to work. The other big challenge created by our recent move is finding a long enough route (that doesn't loop 10 times) that navigates between questionable and less questionable streets and neighborhoods. I joked with Ginifer when she gave me my Garmin that I wish it had a feature with police updates or could tell you "Crack head in .10 miles. To avoid, turn left now." (Clearly I shouldn't have watched so many episodes of The Wire before moving here.) But seriously, we found a really great area that has tons of regional parks with paved and unpaved trails. In many regards it feels a lot like the Bay Area and runs along Wildcat Canyon or Nimitz Trail.

I have been running 3 to 4 mi. runs every few days. My times are good - given the fact that I am becoming reacquainted with hills - I love the fact that uphills almost always mean speedy downhills! Nothing really noteworthy to share. I need to find some local races to get me back into the competitive mode. I'll find a few things that will help me focus and give me a goal.

That is the update from here. Let's hear from the rest of you DrunkRunners! Runs only When Chased - post about your 5k and how your training has progressed. Sixpack, any runs across Portland? Wisconsin? Forest, how are you surviving with Sixpack constantly giving you a hard time? Deetschei, keep us posted on the joys of running without a watch - I am intrigued.

16 weeks to Dublin (training again)

2008-07-10T14:43:00.004+01:00

First off:

Dr. P.P.: Those are some great pictures of B2B. It looks vaguely fantastic, in that wonderful sort of way. Although you have heard many congratulations from me behind the scenes, let me formally congratulate you on your smoking marathon result and remind you that my only living goal left is to beat your time by exactly one hour. (Just some context: I told the good Dr. that I wanted her to beat my marathon time because I knew her competitive nature would help push her forward over the last miles. And now, my own competitiveness is well served with an attempt to beat her time. Our relationship is predictable that way. :) )

Forest: Welcome Back! Don’t sweat your marathon time in Madison, I believe you currently have the current fastest marathon record in the group. You don’t have anything to prove. ☺

I have been running regularly since my half-marathon in January, but I haven’t been posting. It is my bad. This Spring I had a fantastic amount of written work due, and quite frankly I didn’t want to risk using up all of my good words on the blog and leaving myself empty for publications. I have similar philosophies about going to the driving range before a round of golf: I know I only have so many good shots in my body, and I don’t want to risk wasting them before the game even begins. So, just know there was plenty of running, but I simply didn’t feel like talking about it.

Know what else I didn’t do? Time it. The battery on my Nike+ died a few months ago, and I have been running completely commando in the watch department. It was refreshing to not worry about anything while logging my requisite 20 or so a week. If I only managed fifteen, or even thirteen miles a week, I didn’t sweat that either. In fact, I had two decent lay offs of about ten days that occurred when I twisted my ankle in London and then slit my foot open on a rusty pipe in Mauritius. The latter left a very lovely scar that I have begun to tell people was received during an emergency foot transplant. Starting now.

Speaking of Mauritius, I have finally run in the southern hemisphere in spite of the obvious risks of falling off the bottom of the earth. It was heavenly. We were limited by lack of sidewalks and we always had to run in pairs because of gangs of wild dogs (no lie), but the fresh air and the scenery were exquisite. I wanted to eat the whole island as I hustled up and down the same hill near our house. I wish I was officially training for a marathon then, so I could mark off another country in which I have run whilst training, but its cool. I’ll keep Mauritius in my heart nonetheless.

So I think I have established that Spring was a big grey area of aimless running. Summer and fall will be exactly like that, but only the total opposite. I have just started a 16 week plan for the Dublin marathon that promises to completely rock. I am a little reticent about it because it only has three runs per week, and I just don’t believe these plans have enough run days in them. Also, I know…I mean I KNOW, that nobody ever does the required cross training on the “off days” that makes these plans work. So I reserve the right to switch running plans halfway through to something else…but so far, I’m still pretty psyched. It has the tempo and speedwork I need to bring my time down, plus three savory 20 milers. I look forward to the tears.

Even though I am running with a new plan, my big focus this time around will be nutrition. I am not satisfied that I can repeatedly log sub 1:50 half marathons, complete 20 milers in under 3:10, and then show up for the marathon and only walk off with 4:52. It simply does not add up. And the more I flash back to my last marathon, the more I am convinced that the noon start, coupled with my only eating a small bowl of pasta four hours previous, conspired to my Bonking at 17 miles. In fact, I got in touch with a physical trainer a few months ago who advised me before I started training that I should run real slow in order to train my body to gain fuel from fat more efficiently, and to eat more. Lots more. So I said to myself, “Listen to THAT guy”. And I did. And I do. And I will. Food is going to be the fun part of this marathon. There is going to be a lot of it, and I sincerely hope that I put on a few pounds of blubber over the next couple of months, so that when I hit twenty miles my body just starts devouring itself like Pizza the Hut in Spaceballs. That’s when I know I will succeed.

Regular posts to come. I swear.

Bay To Breakers (aka DrunkRunners Fest) 2008

2008-07-08T22:54:00.012+01:00

Thank you, Sixpack, for sounding the call to all Drunk Runners. I admit that I have been very remiss in posting since my marathon. Initially there was nothing to report as I was sidelined by that ever-so-annoying Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome Hoopla.

A report from Bay to Breakers is long overdue. Due to various factors: Sixpack was practically on his deathbed (despite the copious amount of alcohol we poured down his throat in an attempt to kill whatever was making him sick), my shins and ankle were still causing me a lot of pain, the copious amount of alcohol consumed across the Bay Area the day/night prior to the race, etc.... we ended up walking the race and taking in all the sights, sounds, and liquids we came across along the way to the finish line.

First there were drinks at Vesuvio in North Beach (sadly, no pics).

Then multiple Irish Coffees at the legendary Buena Vista.

Next was Jupiter, where we sat and drank beer for at least 5 hours - there might have been some pizza and live reggae in there somewhere, but I mostly remember beer:

After that it was off to our dearest haunt, Zeitgeist (again, no pics). If memory serves me correctly, we headed back to Sixpack's place at around 1:30 am and more drinks were consumed. Only Ginifer seemed fit enough the next morning to run the race; however, out of a strong sense of DrunkRunner loyalty, we all ended up walking it together. To be fair there was a bit of running at appropriate moments - at the start of the race, up the last few blocks of Hayes Street (how I hate you, Hayes Street!), during photo ops, and a mad dash toward the finish line.Lest you think us total weenies, we did consume Jello shots before 10am!

And stopped by the beer tent, post race, for refreshments after our arduous effort!

While I have opted not to post pictures of every naked person we saw, I leave that in Sixpack's capable hands, I will share these pics with you. There is something to be said for walking B2B - you certainly get to see a lot more of the colorful side of the event.

The start of the race - flying tortillas, marshmallows, and beach balls. Note the tons of yellow signs telling us we were sinners and going to hell.

A group who were apparently big fans of "Deadliest Catch"

My Peeps (This one was for Chantelle)

Vikings

My favorite: Salmon swimming upstream

My arch nemesis: Hayes Street

Who doesn't want to save the TaTas?

Seriously, did anyone actually think there wouldn't be a group of Elvises at this race?

Don's lesser known, but feistier twin

Well, it was a long 7.46 miles, but we finished and looked damn fine in our skirts - Note: Sixpack got more shout-outs from fellow skirt runners than the sistas, which was most likely due to the fact that he has the better legs!

Forest who???

2008-07-04T12:50:00.002+01:00

I'd like to start this re introduction by congratulating Dr. PP on her marathon, that was an awesome time you clocked. It truly is the best feeling in the world when you cross that line, sorry it took so long but GREAT JOB!!

One other thing I need to point out right off the bat, I was feeling good in the beginning of the marathon and could have definitely went out in front but CHOSE TO STAY WITH THE CLAN. After Six Pack stretched his legs I chose to stay back and make sure Kojak crossed that line before they stopped recording times.

I think I should have ran my race, cause I ended up with IT band syndrome. I you all noticing a pattern here, all I ever do is get on here and complain of injuries. Why do we do this people why. Sybil and I are not speaking at the moment, for once I won and have taken the last month off. Things are starting to settle down and I think I'm going to try running this weekend and see what happens. This time around I'm going to come back slow. I'll build a good base work my core and do weight training and see if I can kick this injury crap. I have scheduled a half marathon for Sept. I'll see how that goes and how the body feels, I may try to do Jacksonville in Feb and carry that through to Madison again. Well folks HAPPY RUNNING hope to see you in the funny papers.

Forest F. Gump

Are We Still Runners?

2008-06-22T16:37:00.002+01:00

I keep checking back here to see how everyone is doing and no one is posting. Are we still out there? We are 15 strong. I hope you are all running.

I will be running again soon. I've taken some time following the marathon to try to rest my ankle. The PT refers to it as shin splints, and I need to make sure it heals. In the meantime, I'm two weeks away from beginning training for Dublin. I'm still considering Berlin, but will have to cross that bridge when I get there.

In the meantime, let's hear some noise, People!

Marathons, Brasts, Tattoos

2008-05-29T01:21:00.004+01:00

It was a day like any other day, except that on this day we were to run another marathon. It would be Kojac’s first, Forest’s second, and Sixpack’s third. None were in very good shape. Forest had had shoulder surgery during training. Kojac had had the usual ups and downs of training for the first race. Sixpack had been sick for weeks and had only logged 5 miles since his 20-mile training run.

All knew they would cross the finish line, because they were all McClard’s and therefore stubborn as mules. Add a little German, a little Swede, and a lot of Scot together and you start to get the idea. It was going to be a great day. So as the sun rose over Madison Wisconsin and our motley crew made their way to the starting line, spirits were very high.

The plan: A run-walk marathon that involved running four minutes and walking one. The first 8 miles were relatively uneventful. There was lots of chatter, lots of shit talking and a little bit of stretching. In this 8 miles the governor’s mansion, Malcolm Shabazz High School, and Willy Street were all observed and celebrated (not in that order).

At mile 9 I’m afraid it was time for Sixpack to find the beat of his own drummer. I wasn’t feeling awesome, but I was starting to feel a little crampy and not well served by the running/walking pace that was being observed. So, with the permission of the other DrunkRunners I went ahead of the group, and remained there for the duration of the marathon. I crossed the 13-mile marker a full 5 minutes in front of Forest and Kojac, and the 18 mile marker about 15 minutes before them.

Yes, I was in front, but this does not mean that my marathon was a vision of perfection. I remained crampy for the rest of the race and even wondered, while climbing the hill at mile 18, whether I would be able to re-hydrate enough to keep going. It turns out I could. I finished the race in 5:15:03 (give or take a few seconds).

The highlights of the day were

running the first 1/3 with Forest and Kojac. I do wish I could have stayed with them, but most of you know how it is. There are more injuries from running too slow than from running too fast.
My fabulous shirt was another highlight. (Pictured below). As I would run past people would encourage me that Brats was the better option, or “Only 22 miles to Bratfest.” or at mile 23, everyone at the water station began chanting “Brats, Brats, Brats” in unison. It was like running with my own cheering section everywhere I went. Simply awesome!!!!!

Tattoo party with Forest. After the race Forest and I went to get tattooed. Now, I wouldn’t normally recommend a tattoo after running 26.2 miles, but there isn’t much—besides a beer—that I WOULD recommend under those circumstances. Forest’s tattoo is an awesome design with the state capitol dome and a banner reading 26.2 underneath. The artist did a fantastic job! Mine was an addition to my existing dolphin tattoo-Before and after pictures below. Again, I have to say, I think he did a fantastic job.

Beer, beer, and more beer. After the race we all went to Mom & Dad’s for “brats”* and beer. It was a wonderful way to finish out the day. Simply amazing.
Dying for some relaxation I took a bath in mom and dad’s jacuzzi tub. The most unfortunate part of which was having to cut it short in fear of falling asleep and drowning. It was so comfortable and relaxing I hoped I would never have to leave.
I KICKED FOREST'S ASS SO BAD HE TOOK SECOND TO LAST IN OUR AGE GROUP!!! - Love ya, bro.

* To clarify for those in the know. What we were initially told were Brats, were actually chorizo and Italian sausages. It seems that in the past few years, as Johnsonville has expanded their product line, the word “bratwurst” has come to mean any coarsely ground sausage roughly six inches in length. I don’t understand it either. However, I’m sure you can imagine our surprise when we were served “Mexican and Italian Brats.” Next year I suspect we will be eating Irish Quesadillas, Guatemalan Moo Goo Gai Pan. You never know.

Please Do Not Attempt This At Home!

2008-05-15T06:22:00.002+01:00

This post will detail how one should not train for a marathon. I've got some experience in this department, although, by the numbers, I'm the most seasoned veteran of the group.

1) Do not try to pile on too many miles too fast.

I'm convinced this is what happened with my ankle, and it qualifies as injury #1. With a rather sedate winter (flues, Christmas, Semester start, etc.) I believe I piled too many miles on too fast, and just stressed the heck out of my ankle.

2) Be careful with your ankle brace or you could develop a rash over your entire body.

Yes, it was on my feet, my left ankle--the one with the brace--the right ankle, my hands, my elbows, and who knows where else. No one knew what it was, but they gave me some steroid cream and sent me on my way.

2) When you injure your ankle give it rest, but please try to not catch a cold.

3 weeks ago, I set the shoes aside to allow my ankle to heal, and to give the rash a little time out of the brace. At the end of the this week, just when I thought I was going to be getting back on the road, I came down with a cold. That was 11 days ago. A ton of Nyquil, Dayquil, and whatever other Quil I could buy on a street corner to make it through the day, and I was starting to feel better.

3) Saturday last, day 8 of the cold, my behind started to hurt. I'll spare you the details, but somewhere between the massive dehydration brought on by the drugs, and a diet that is not so fiber friendly, I ended up in the doctors office on Monday and was sent home limping.

4) Sunday, just when the cold was ending, I came down with the flu. Fever, chills, congestion and three days on the couch. I'm now feeling better, but not sure when the congestion is going to clear entirely.

This all means that I have not run in almost a month. Dr. PP will be here with Ginifer this weekend, and we will most likely drink the Bay to Breakers, I don't have much hopes that I'll be able to run before then.

Which brings me to the marathon training. After all of this, I am still registered for, have raised money for, and bought a plane ticket for a trip to Madison for the Bratfest Marathon (my name, not theirs.). I will still be doing the marathon, even if I walk most of it and don't finish. I'm looking this week and next at Run-Walk programs--You know, run 4 minutes, walk 1--to see if I might be able to stretch what fitness I have at least into a finishing time and a medal. I knew I shouldn't have gotten all cocky and hung up my medals two weeks ago. Now they stare down at me in disdain as I write this. They know they are the true medals, the ones where I went in to the race at least half way trained and ready to finish.

Next week, I just hope to not kill myself while still crossing the finish line. I'm working on an extra long race mix for my iPod.

Wish me luck. Oh, and I promise to post Bay to Breakers pictures, including me in the sassy running dress.

Put that horse down

2008-05-06T23:18:00.001+01:00

That's how I've been feeling lately. I decided to take a week off to offer time for my rash to heal and for my ankle to recover a bit. Then this weekend I was struck with a wicked cold/allergies (it's so hard to tell the difference).

It is now 2.5 weeks to the marathon and I haven't run in just as long. I'm a little concerned, but knowing the first 20 is under my belt, I'm confident I will be in good shape. If only I can get some running in this week.

"Well, When I Ran MY Marathon...."

2008-04-30T23:20:00.013+01:00

Warning: This is a loooooong post. As I am not likely to EVER run a marathon again (although never say never), I fully intend to milk this post for all it is worth!

As you know from last week's post, I was skeptical that I would be able to run or even finish last Sunday's OKC Memorial Marathon. Busting my big toe open on the front steps of my dad's house within 20 minutes of arriving caused me to question whether I was subconsciously sabotaging myself. After much gushing of blood, application of Neosporin, and pushing the flap of skin back down, things seemed to be under control.

GROSS! This picture doesn't really do the nastiness of this injury justice, but I thought I would share it anyway.

The next day the entire gang went to the Expo to pick up running bibs, to activate chips, and to pick up complimentary t-shirts. Ooooh, I also discovered this thimble-sized container of Body Glide, at Fleet Feet, which I promptly purchased but ended up not needing.

Better safe than sorry when it comes to chafing!

That evening the sistas, Ginifer and Runs Only When Chased, and family gathered for mounds o' pasta and lots of hydration. I admit, I had a sip, literally a sip, of wine with dinner. Runs Only When Chased decided to show off the Fuel Belt she had received for her birthday last month:

Who knew hydration could be so sassy?

Needless to say, the evening ran long which meant late bedtime for Dr. Pavement Pounder and her crew. I'd say that between going to bed late and the excitement and anticipation about the race, I probably got about 2 real hours of sleep before the alarm went off at 4 A.M.!!!! Does anyone know of a marathon that starts around 4pm? I am not so much the morning person... However, the adrenaline kicked in and I was in unusually high spirits. After oatmeal, a cup of coffee, my anti-inflammatory, and a glass of water, I was feeling on top of the world. I even had time for interpretative poses of what I anticipated pre and post-marathon Dr. PP to look like:

Ready to kick some marathon ass!

Anticipating the physical wreck that would be Dr. PP after the race.

I know, I know. Get to the actual race already, right? Okay.

The weather for the start of the race totally sucked: 48 degrees, raining, and a wind chill in the 30s. However, by mile 20, the sun had started to come out and things had warmed up mildly, or at least it felt that way. I'll take cold weather over hot weather any day of the week for running. It wasn't until I made a stop at the Port-o-Potty around mile 8.5 and had a hard time closing the door that I realized my hands were numb.

Speaking of Port-o-Potty's (although not really), no one mentioned how difficult it is to catch back up with your pace group after a bathroom break! Yikes! I had decided to stick as close to my pace leader, Paul, as possible, which was made easier by the fact that the poor man was forced to carry a stick with yellow balloons tied to it for the entire 26.2 miles. What a saint! Upon exiting the Port-o-Potty, I really wished I had stuck with my speedwork. After 1.5 miles uphill at a fast clip (well, fast clip for me), I managed to catch back up with the group. Never underestimate the psychological factor a pace group can play. I kept telling myself that as long as I was either ahead of my pace group or had the balloons in sight, I was gonna make it to the end. Of course, my mistake came when I spent a good 8 miles ahead of my pace group, during which time I had teamed up with a woman named Cami who had also run ahead of the same pace group - only to be passed and left in the dust by the pace leader at around mile 20. Cami and I had a nice chat until I could tell that she clearly had more fuel in her tank and I wished her well and sent her on her way.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Oklahoma, "where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains," is actually quite hilly, unlike the flat swampland that is the L.J.? You would think that after 18 years of growing up in Oklahoma this thought might have registered with me prior to the race... Well, it was made all too clear, especially when forced to run over highway overpasses!!! You can check out the elevation chart here. This was excellent training for B2B. Hayes Street, I'm comin' for ya!!!!

Since I ran the final 6.2 mi. alone - I dispute the course's claim to only be 26.2, since my GPS Garmin watch posted my total distance as 26.47 - which, by the way, gave me a waaay better pace ;) - I tried to mimic Deetschei's technique of dedicated miles to people. This, however, failed because all I could do was think about how Deetschei had done this. Instead, a catchy, inspirational German song, appropriately titled "This is for everyone" popped into my head. I was kept preoccupied by trying to remember the lyrics for the next 4 miles. I also tried to focus on Sixpack's statement that "as long as your are passing people, you are doing good." Now, this was made decidedly more complicated by the fact that there are marathon "runners" who use a technique known as "Five-Oners" or something. Basically, you would see people walking, you would just be about to pass them and then they would take off. You'd start to catch up to them as they walked again and just as you were about to catch them, they took off again - alternating sprinting 5 minutes and walking 1, or something close to that. I totally felt shafted, especially since I had decided NOT to walk, except for 10-15 sec. through the water stops. Somehow it felt so unfair. However, once I finally passed a girl who had been taunting me with her "5-1s" between miles 22 and 24, I felt vindicated! Ha! Who says I'm not competitive?!!!

As I approached the finish line, I was surprised by how many people hadn't left enough gas in the tank to finish strong. Now, I might have been in pain, but I was certainly not about to be caught walking across that finish line. As I hit the final straight away toward the finish line, I heard my name, glanced over and saw Ginifer and Runs Only When Chased, who had successfully finished their half marathons about 2 hrs earlier and were cheering me on from the other side of the barricade. Ginifer challenged me to pick up the pace, so I kicked it into high gear. However, I started to fear that I had wasted my final reserve a bit too soon. Once I saw the finish line, I knew I could keep up the pace to the finish line while passing several people along the way (including shirtless dude - Sixpack, I included this just for you). I know it doesn't look fast (even though it was an 8:56 pace) and it certainly isn't pretty, but I got the job done!

Dazed, confused, and utterly exhausted, I was greeted by my family on the other side of the finish line. Much rejoicing was done by all (involving some tasty J Brut sparkling wine thanks to Ben).
I am happy to report that my Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome didn't play a significant factor in my race thanks to rest, ice, and some fab-tab-ulous insoles purchased the day before the race. After the race, Ginifer treated the sistas to massages. Helga* proceeded to pluck my shin muscle like a banjo string, pretended to break wood blocks with her hands like Bruce Lee on the back of my calves, and ended with what I can only surmise were voodoo jazz fingers in an attempt to minimize the pain she had just inflicted on my post-marathon quads and calves. Needless to say, it is now day 3 post-marathon and I still have to lower myself to sit and assist myself in standing. Don't even get me started on stairs! And while I am not certain I will do another marathon (although the Phoenix Rock-n-Roll marathon does sound appealing), I am looking forward to B2B, and I am starting to entertain the thought of a half marathon this fall!

I just want to thank all you Drunkrunners for your words of wisdom and votes of confidence. I couldn't have done it without ya. Now I get to give advice and preface it with "Well, when I ran my marathon..."

Distance: 26.2 (or 26.47 depending on who you believe...)
Time: 4:46:25
Avg. Pace: 10:55
Observations: Don't believe it when a race says headphones aren't allowed. I learned the hard way; however, I also learned that I can run with my thoughts for 4:46:25 without going crazy!

* All names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.

Done and Done

2008-04-29T16:02:00.002+01:00

This is just a quick post to let you know that I completed the OKC Memorial Marathon on Sunday in 4:46:25 and my legs are still intact. Despite the fact that I thought they were threatening to secede from my body like Texas from the Union, they have stuck with me, although they are throwing quite the temper tantrum at the moment. Details about and photos from the race to follow soon! Thanks for all your advice and support, Drunkrunners!

Not Running With an Ankle or a Rash. No, I'm Not!!

2008-04-26T16:58:00.003+01:00

The week has been anything but uneventful, and this post is long. Read at your own risk.

Tuesday: Doctor's appointment about my ankle. Dr. Dixit took X-rays and said they looked fine, but wanted to do an MRI, because my issue was perplexing him and he wanted to see it a little better. Later I got a call that they found something in the X-ray and wanted to redo them because they found something weird in them. I'll find out soon if that weird thing was in my body or not. They decided not to redo the X-rays when I told them I already had the MRI scheduled.

Wednesday: Wellness exam. Yes, the physical has been replaced with the euphemistic Wellness Exam, where my doctor actually sat down and asked me how I was feeling. No, I don't mean as part of the conversation, he really wanted to know. It was a situation so strange I almost responded inappropriately with information about blaming it all on my mother and hating my father. :-) The exam went well. I was deemed healthy, blood was drawn (Time to check the cholesterol), and for those keeping score, I coughed well, my testes are healthy and the prostate is doing fine. It seems the older I get the more places my doctor wants to stick his finger. Or was he just a gay doctor? I may never know.

Thursday: MRI completed. The MRI was uneventful. Lay down, put in these earplugs and we'll wake you when you are done. Yes, I fell asleep. An MRI is an incredibly loud procedure, though not as loud as a Velvet Revolver concert. However, the rhythm of all the noise is quite soothing and I was out like a light. I have the films and they will be interpreted Monday.

Friday: Thursday afternoon actually I developed a rash. I thought at first it was athlete's foot in a strange place, because the ankle brace was creating a bit of a moist environment around my ankle especially if I walked a ways and perspired a little. However, by the time I got up in the morning I had a rash on my hands, elbows, knees, and ankles, and my head itched. So, it was back to the doctor. I debated even going to the doctor, but the advice nurse thought it would be a good idea. So I missed a talk by a Belgian author in order to go to the doctor. This entailed a 45 minute nap in the visitation room while I waited for the doctor to show up. She arrived and was completely perplexed. Using words like eczema, scabies, and psoriasis I thought she was just going to tell me I had cooties. I could have handled that, but she didn't. She called in a doctor--she was actually a nurse practitioner--and he didn't know what was going on either. The usual advice was then given: take this steroid creme (I've already got 3 tubes at home) and call us if it doesn't get better. Just once I would like someone to tell me what this shit is. All I can find is that it's an environmental or food allergy. If it's a food allergy it's not a food I often come in contact with, for this happens only about once per year. Was it that cheese danish I ate before the MRI?

All of this is to explain that I haven't run this week, trying to give my ankle some rest. I will try a short run tomorrow, while trying to avoid hills. Then I'll find out what is going on on Monday.

Peace out!

The Tentative Two

2008-04-24T01:48:00.002+01:00

The first quarter of a mile was a little iffy, but things started to loosen up after that. While the pain did not completely disappear over my 2 miles, it lessened to a nagging dull ache. Now, a nagging dull ache for 2 miles is one thing, that same ache for another 24.2.... that is another matter entirely: a matter which I am excited about undertaking. Who knew someone could be so excited about a dull ache? I'm icing as I type this and will be vigilant with taking my anti-inflammatory. I hope to try another 2-3 either tomorrow or Friday. OKC, here I come!

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

2008-04-24T00:02:00.002+01:00

I learned today that Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is just one big, ol' fancy-pants way of saying "Shin Splints." Doesn't it sound so much more impressive and dire?

Well, after approximately 45 minutes in the waiting room, a few x-rays, and another 10-15 minutes waiting in an exam room, I learned this 5-Dollar phrase. I also learned that I am slightly knock-kneed, although the Dr. had another big word for that, too, which sounded less pitiful. I wish I could remember it.

In another twist of fate, the Dr. inquired about my ACL scars. For those of you not in the "know": I tore both ACLs on Texas A&M's sh*tty excuse for a playing field in college. Did I mention that I tore my left and right ACLs on the SAME field, at the SAME end of the field, in the SAME spot on the field, and what I suspect was the SAME hole in the field, two years apart? I swore A&M my lifelong enemy after that. So what is the twist of fate, you ask? Well, after telling him my story, I said "Tell me you didn't go to A&M!" [Imagine the sound of silence with only crickets chirping in the background.] He quietly admitted that he had, indeed, attended Texas A&M. But I decided to forgive him and let him continue the exam.

No visible fractures, breaks, bone spurs, bone chips, NADA on the x-ray. But then again I really didn't expect him to see any. However, unlike Sixpack, I was not sent for an MRI. Boooo! I really want to meet your Dr. someday. He sounds like a very, very thorough. Because my Dr. couldn't locate one specific area of soreness on my leg/ankle during the exam, he deduced that I had not yet developed a stress fracture. He did, however, read me the riot act about my knees (although those were not the painful body part in question) and seriously suggested I start taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin to stave off arthritis later in life. But that is another blog post entirely.

Needless to say, I was sent home with photocopies of stretches for shin splints, a prescription for an anti-inflammatory, the suggestion that I should buy some gel inserts for my shoes, and that I should wait until I can walk without pain before running again. However, I don't really have pain when walking (only the evening of/day after a long run). He also advised me to stop running if the pain persists and to VERY VERY SLOWLY work back up to distance running. At no time, I will have you know, even upon direct questioning, did the Dr. say that I could not run the marathon. Now, he also didn't say, "Hell ya, go out and kick that marathon's ass!" I also didn't ask him about the chances of longterm, serious injury if I ran the marathon in pain.... I think that was pretty much a no-brainer. He also suggested that I go for a short jog and see how my leg is feeling, since I haven't run on it since last Thursday. So, after I finish this post I am going to do some stretches with my little Theraband, slip on my shoes with my new inserts, and see what half a mile and maybe even a mile feels like. I will probably be testing the waters up until the day of the marathon before I make my final decision. Deetschei scared the hell out of me with the "you can break your leg if you run with severe shin splints." Yikes! So, depending on what happens and how I feel after the marathon, I might go back for a follow-up visit and talk orthodics with him. I gotsta fix these aching legs o' mine.

So, my friends, I feel a little better about the prospects of Sunday's marathon, but at the same time, and this is totally the Debbie Downer inside of me, I worry that he wasn't very thorough. He seemed to totally block out my complaints about my ankle hurting.... But then again, I am just a fake Dr. What do I know? ;)

Bitter Sweet

2008-04-21T19:52:00.002+01:00

Seeing as how I am not currently running and my last post was titled "Running with a Lower Body," I suppose this post should be titled "Sitting Around with a Lower Body." But that just seemed too depressing less than a week before my first marathon.

After the disastrous 20-miler-that-was-really-a-17.55miler, I have put in a few more runs without much consequence. By that I mean that I ran through the pain and completed an 8 and a 12 miler. I thought that the leg/ankle injury I had sustained had either stabilized or at least wasn't getting worse. Sadly, on last week's scheduled 5 mile run with Ben, I had to stop at 2.5 and walk home. I can say unequivocally that instead of the pain disappearing after a few miles (common for minor cases of shin splints, I have read) the pain remained the same, if not worsened, (a sign of severe shin splints and lots of other potentially unpleasant injuries).

Since I am only a fake Dr., I made an appointment with the Orthopedist. In light of the pain and all the info I could find on the internet, I decided to skip my remaining runs and to rest, ice, and take anti-inflammatories until the marathon.

My hope: the Dr. will give me some voodoo wonder drug and tell me I am good to run on Sunday.

My fear: the Dr. is going to tell me that if I go ahead with the marathon that I will do irreparable damage to my body that will mean the end of running. That would be a hard pill to swallow.

However, and this may come as a shock to those of you who know me well, I have decided that I would rather be able to run for the next 30 years than finish 26.2 miles and risk a longterm injury. While the thought of 4 months of training all being for nothing is too depressing to really entertain, I realize that I have still benefited greatly from the training.

I'll keep you posted.

16 Miles and that Damned Ankle

2008-04-21T16:39:00.002+01:00

It was off early yesterday morning for a 16 mile run. When I say early, I mean I got out of bed at 7, and began the run at 7:55. Why DOES it take so long to throw on some shorts, eat breakfast, apply body glide, gather the iPod, mix the gatorade, scrounge out some gels, put on the shoes and head out the door? It just seems to me that I have to get up early just to get all the run prep done. :-(

Speaking of Gels, there was a shortage yesterday. I woke in the middle of the night and realized that I had run out last week and hadn't replenished supplies. Thankfully I had a couple Gu Hardrock samples that I was given at a party last year. Yes, while chatting with a girl at the party I found out she was an employee of Gu and I told her how much I loved it. She surprised me with some top secret samples of a product they were testing for elite athletes. Since I clearly look like an elite athlete, she thought I could be a guinea pig. I only had two left to run all of yesterday's 16 miles.

I was also short an ankle brace--it had somehow been left on my desk at school. So, doubly handicapped I headed out high in spirit if not supplies.

The first mile went incredibly well. I reached the highest altitude of my run gasping only slightly. Clearly my fitness is improving. If you've ever been to my house you know that the only way out is up, and the first mile is UP!!!! The blessing is that after mile one it is downhill for the next 3. It is at mile 4 that my first water break stop comes in. It's a great place to stop and get some water, blow my nose, fill-up water bottles, pee if need be. This would turn out to be my only water stop all day, a fact of which I am quite proud.

In order to complete 16 miles it was necessary to cross the Golden Gate Bridge and back, then head through the marina, on to fisherman's wharf and the Ferry Building. To have done all of that (12 miles) without a water stop was something I hadn't done in quite some time. There were still 3 times when I was forced to walk because of knee pain, but that was OK. I've actually found that if I stop to walk when my knee hurts it gives the muscles time to recover, and the pain goes away. More importantly, I don't end up limping for several days afterward.

When I reached the end of the run I had to sprint even further--something I did none too gracefully--in order to catch the train home. The train conductor actually almost left because she thought I was a jogger. Ooops. Must have been the costume.

Home to ice. I tried out the new ice bath method (see "Ice, Ice, Baby") and it worked swimmingly. I sat down in warm water then chilled the hell out of it. As the water rose my body got used to it. Before I knew it I was submerged in an ice bath and still had sight of genitalia. Of course, there was a point when I thought there was going to be a retreat on par with Monty Python "Run Away! Run Away!", but it never happened. Anyway, 15 minutes in the ice bath and today the only thing that hurts is my un-braced ankle, which I've got an appointment to have checked out tomorrow.

Week in Review:

Miles: 34.05

Time: 5:36:07

Pace: 9:52/mile

Overall Impression: Sixpack Be Ready For Marathon! Eat My Dust, Forest F. Gump! (SBRFM!EMD,FFG!)

Ice, Ice, Baby!!

2008-04-17T22:07:00.002+01:00

Ice is my new best friend. As you are aware, I went for a 20 mile run on Sunday. Now, 20 miles is never easy. Not when training for a marathon. Maybe one day, when running more marathons makes the later stages of training a little more routine, they will get better. For now, 20 MILES SUCKS!!!!

This time, though I decided it was time to go for an ice bath after the run. A few conversations with Forrest when I was in Wisconsin convinced me that it might be a good idea. It was simple enough to prepare. Start a bath with lukewarm water. Not hot, but not so cold that you can't get in. Have a seat, and turn the water on cold.* When the tub is full and you are chilling nicely, dump in a bunch of ice. We have an ice maker so it's not hard for us to come by.

It was amazing. I was a little sore on Monday. In the past, however, I've been darn near incapacitated for days after a long run. Tuesday I managed another 5 miles, albeit slowly. That's one day of rest after 20 miles and then right back into the fire. On top of all that, I've run another 10 miles since then. I'm feeling great and looking forward to the rest of the week and Sunday's ice bath!!!!

* For the record, I took this week's ice bath in a kneeling position. After all, the boys don't care much for cold water. The kneeling allowed for the icing of most of my legs, without ending up with a mangina. This week, however, I will try the above mentioned technique in hopes that the slow chilling of the body will eliminate some of the shock.

My Idol, Buster Martin

2008-04-14T15:27:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, Buster Martin, age 101, completed the London Marathon.

According to the news report I saw on NBC last night, Buster's average day includes 8 pints of beer and 14 cigarettes. His training regime involves little to no water and regular "hydration breaks" for beer. Watch out Kenyans, there is a no kid on the block.

Congratulations and Bravo to Buster Martin!

Running by the Numbers

2008-04-13T23:43:00.003+01:00

37 -- the age of Sixpack Chopra during today's run. I felt great knowing that I was 37 and still running well. I recall thinking, ten years ago, that I would probably not be running at such an old age. After all, one needs to slow down at some point.

20 -- Number of miles completed today! Yes, I did say completed. It was a long day, almost four hours, but I made it through.

80 -- approximate temperature during most of my run. It was a scorcher. I think I even burnt the top of my head. Oh well, at least it was sunny. After months and months of cold weather we have finally had an amazing weekend. Everyone was out so the trails/route were packed, but it felt great to be out there with them all.

3 -- Number of water/potty breaks. I wouldn't normally go to such extreme measures, but with the heat today I knew very early that I was going to need to stock up on water throughout the run.

68 -- Ounces of gatorade and water consumed during today's run. It was brutal. I did manage though to stave off dehydration. The sweaty seat on the train ride home confirmed that I had maintained full hydration.

2930 -- Number of calories burned during 20 miles. If that's not reason enough to run I don't know what is. This, of course, prompted a trip to In-N-Out for lunch (Best-O-Burger doesn't open for another week.)

Not much else to say about the run. A few things I learned today:

That ankle brace is awesome, but I'm going to schedule a doctor's appointment to try to figure out how to get back to running without one.
Tourists are generally confused by half-naked men running past them with band-aids on his nipples.
If you say it forcefully enough the word "Excuse Me" can be understood no matter what your native language.
Pedestrians are not allowed on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I learned this after walking under to bridge hoping that running on the other side would help me avoid some of the tourists. Alas, I had to retrace my steps and run with them anyway.
Warm vanilla Gu reminds me of some sort of frappuccino, only warm and not so sweet.

The final Numbers:

Miles this week: 33

Time: 5:41

Average Pace: 10:20

Overall Impression: There Is Nothing Like a 20 Mile Run To Make One Appreciate Sitting Down. (TINLA20MRTMOASD)

This post brought to you by: Gu, In-N-Out, and the people at Best-O-Burger.

Running with a Lower Body

2008-04-07T15:46:00.002+01:00

Does anyone see a trend in our posts of late? I haven't gone through them, but I can only surmize that a large majority of our recent posts have been dedicated to pain and injury!

I haven't posted in a while, not because I haven't been running, but simply because I haven't felt like there was anything newsworthy about which to post. After my first failed attempt at 20 miles (conditions proved less than favorable - a wind advisory that I had conveniently failed to notice, 90-something % humidity, and high pollen/tree count) ended at mile 13, I vowed to avenge my honor with the second 20 mile run scheduled in my training plan. Other than that, my runs have consisted of the standard 2 mi easy runs, the 7-8 mi. tempo runs, and the 12-16 mi. long runs. None of these presented any real problems and have been rather uneventful. Although, I did manage to give myself a fever by running my 16 miler with a sinus infection. Oops. Other than that, my only big concern has been my shin splints (I can totally see how Sixpack might think it was a stress fracture given how crippling they can feel). I have had to adjust/skip some of my runs in order to rest and give my legs some time to recover. In anticipation of yesterday's 20 miler, I made sure to take an anti-inflammatory early that morning and to ice my shins throughout the morning and afternoon.

Now, I can only assume that the copious (and I DO mean copious) amount of alcohol that I consumed the night before at Ginifers did not serve me well, because I almost delayed my run because I felt like such crap. But, I told myself, yet again, that I would not lose faith in my tried-and-true Kenyan training method, so I ran hungover. This wouldn't have been a real problem, had it not been 80 degrees yesterday. I have had to face the sad, tragic fact that there will be no more "cool" and "chilly" running days before the marathon. It looks like high 70s to low-mid 80s from here until the end of April. Even pushing my run off until late afternoon didn't seem to matter. Checking the weather report, even early morning the temperatures were still anticipated to be in the high 60s/low-mid 70s. But enough about the weather.

The plain and simple fact is that I failed my 20-miler yet again. ARGH!!!!

I made it to mile 17, which was a feat in and of itself, because my lower body had seized up on me by mile 15. During my run I thought about Forest and Sixpack's stories of finishing runs with one leg completely straight and looking like a total freakshow while just trying to finish. While I am disappointed that I still haven't completed 20 miles (the marathon is 2 weeks away) and am beginning to doubt whether I will be able to complete 26.2, I fully stand behind my decision to stop at mile 17. I have NEVER EVER EVER wanted to cry during a run before - except perhaps while doing rehab for my two torn ACLs - until yesterday. It took about everything I had just to make it home. Today, I almost wish I had stopped at mile 15, because I fear I have truly "done myself a mischief." My right ankle, calf, and knee make it impossible to put any weight on leg. In order to walk up the stairs, I have to do the ol' "one leg up, next leg up onto the same step" routine. I have to keep my right leg entirely straight while walking because the shooting pain in my ankle makes me cringe and grind my teeth. If things don't improve by mid-week, I am heading to the doctor. I've experienced similar pain before after runs, but never to this degree. Keep your fingers crossed that it isn't anything that will prevent me from attempting the marathon.

On that fabulous note, I can report that my time for the 17 miles (walking and limping included) wasn't half bad. However, I'd prefer to cross the finish line without looking like Quasimodo, but at this point I suppose I would settle for just finishing.

Yesterday's Run:
Distance: 17.55
Total Time: 3:05:49
Overall Impression: OUCH! (OUCH!)

Week's Runs:
Distance: 27
Time: 4:34:55

Running with an Ankle.....Brace

2008-04-03T22:29:00.002+01:00

Folks, it is week nine of the marathon training and things are getting crazy. I was sick and/or on Spring Break for most of March, which really messed up the running schedule. This week will be the first week in which I ran every mile prescribed since week 4, which was back in February. Aside from the time off due to the flu, I'm in pretty good shape.

Thank ankle is still bothering me, often invoking a running stance akin to Quasimodo. Yesterday I took action and purchased a simple ($15 was as simple as they got) ankle brace, and that served me very well today. Not only was my ankle not as sore during the run, I feel I'm recovering better from the run itself. I always told myself that I would stop running if it required wearing a brace every time I run, so we'll see how recovery goes. I'll try a run next week without it. If I'm still in pain I'll see a doctor. My guess is that the ankle pain is some sort of tendonitis, but I have no way of knowing. Some of you may recall my self-diagnosis of a stress fracture, only to find out that it was shin splints. Ooops.

Sunday was an awesome run. I ran with Forest and we covered the better part of Madison. Starting with the charity runners in a parking lot across the street from my in-laws, we ran the first 4 miles with them and then we lost them, or they lost us, either way we couldn't see them any more. The route took us around lake Monona, which is huge and quite picturesque. We could see the lake for most of the run and keeping it on our left were able to find our way back to the starting line.

During a short out and back segment that we through in to make sure we had enough miles, Forest offered the option of returning the way we had already traveled or heading the rest of the way around the lake. I take full responsibility for the fact that I chose to finish the lap around the lake, and that that is where we ran into all the hills. Forest was cursing my name, but I have to say I felt more in my element. Running the hills my legs opened up and I suddenly found it difficult to slow down so that he could keep up. All in all a great feeling. Especially since it was a good indication that I will kick his ASS in May.

Yesterday, 2 miles. Uneventful, treadmill, blah, blah, blah.

Today: 7 miles. Speedwork today! I did 5 miles on a track (plus one mile there and back) and maintained the prescribed 9:22 pace. I was surprised and encouraged that I was able to keep up the pace. The ankle brace held up, and I would guess that the slowing down that did happen in the end was entirely dehydration.

Sunday: Sixpack turns 37, and he must run 18 miles. This is my favorite run of all of them. I'll leave the house and make my way to the Golden Gate Bridge, I'll run across it and back, then follow the path back to downtown and catch the bus home. I love running Golden Gate Bridge. It really gives me a sense of accomplishment!!!

Overall:

Miles: 25

Average pace: 9:45

Impression: Back On Track And Looking To Kick Forest's Proverbial Behind On My Way To The Beer Tent! (BOTALTKFPBOMWTTBT!)

Snow, Dial-up and Sixteen Miles

2008-03-31T16:57:00.002+01:00

I'll keep this brief. I've been in Wisconsin for the past 10 days (I'm flying home today) and it has been nothing short of crazy. It has snowed no fewer than 3 inches while I was here, and they got 6" the night before I arrived. Wisconsin in March, you gotta love it.

Also, I've been way out of touch because my parents have dial-up, it's no wonder Forest never has anything to say. If it took me 20 minutes to write an e-mail I wouldn't be blogging often either.

Finally, Forest and I went for a 16 mile run yesterday. I think it ended at closer to 15.6, but who's counting. It was a beautiful run. We circled Madison's lake Monona. It was a bit chilly, and a little hilly in the second half, but I feel great today and look forward to next week's 18 miles.

More later,

Sixpack