Another Half - Snow, Puddles, Splash!

I took a bit more rest this week after last weekend's long runs. I was beat tired for a couple days. But now with the weekend it's time for a longer group run (I've decided to make every other week a "short" run to ensure recovery time)

Ran with the Dana-Farber group on the Lexington run again. I ran the same distance I did 2 weeks ago, 13.2 miles...in the hopes I might see (make) some improvements. It was not meant to be: Although the temperature was kinder in the 30's, it snowed, sleeted, and snowed again before the sun came out. Almost the entire run was on about a half inch of snow that turned to slush (no traction). And there were a few areas covered in water to go around. I stepped my left foot in to a deeper puddle getting my foot wet in the first 30 minutes, leaving me a bit more weight to lug around.

All that said, I was only 27 seconds off my time from 2 weeks ago (1:55:33).

After the run, Dana-Farber had a video camera set up and were taking 10-second bites of runners, still winded and sweaty from theirs runs. I don't remember exactly what I said...but I'll send the link if they post it somewhere.

Back to Basics

When long-distance running, I try to focus on the present step, and the first step that gets me out the door, and not care about the 35,000th. (That's right, at my average cadence, I'll take about 35,000 steps over the course of the marathon.)

Perhaps it's an analogy for life itself.

Live.

One Step, One Breath, One Moment, at a time.

Starting to run? Try not to worry about the 5th, 10th, 15th mile...they will come.

 

Just feel comfortable knowing that the path you're on is the right one.

 

The same goes for cancer research.

 

A recent supporter reminded me of the basic good of the basic cancer research performed at Dana-Farber.

The cures for cancer will come through basic research.

Several recent articles that can be explored at Dana-Farber extol the single steps along the path to a cure, such as these regarding prostate, breast, and lung cancer breakthroughs and findings:

http://www.dana-farber.org/abo/news/press/2010/vaccine-approach-extends-life-of-metastatic-prostate-cancer-patients.html

http://www.dana-farber.org/abo/news/press/2010/genes-found-linked-to-breast-cancer-drug-resistance-could-guide-future-treatment-choices.html

http://www.dana-farber.org/abo/news/press/2010/combination-therapy-may-benefit-patients-with-specific-genetic-subtype-of-non-small-cell-lung-cancer.html

 

Therefore, we can take great comfort knowing the single steps we take, all make a difference.

A 2-Day Marathon

My combined mileage running on Saturday and Sunday was a bit greater than the marathon. It took therefore about 26-1/2 hours to run the 26.2 miles. Unfortunately on Marathon Monday, they stop the Marathon officially after 6 hours...so 2 days doesn't quite work.

I ran Saturday due to a schedule glitch on my part, showing up for my group run Saturday, which was scheduled for Sunday this week...oops. But I was near Boston on one of the warmest days of the year so far...why waste it. So I took the flat course by the river I used to run all the time I lived in Cambridge...10.3 miles. I only hope I didn't deplete my reserves, knowing I had a much longer run the next day.

 

Sunday

Same starting point different direction: run the 2+ miles to get to the actual Marathon course, and head in reverse for 8 miles, then turn around and run back through the toughest part of the course: the Newton Hills, around 4 miles where 3+ hills await, once you've spent your energy reserves.

 

I was running with a small group on the way out. Talking and keeping about a 9 min pace on the way out, both of which probably were spending my energy greater than my usual loner running. I paid for it when returning through the Newton Hills, where I slowed to a crawl, especially finishing up the final heartbreak hill.

 

About 18.5 miles in I started seeing the spots/aura I had 2 weeks earlier. I stopped running at 3 hours and about 19 miles, even though I hadn't completed the return. This was a pre-run plan because of the "spot-seeing" 2 weeks earlier. I did run/walk back to the starting point at the Mount Auburn club. Where I replenished with bagels, fruit, yogurt and juice. But there was no doubt I was wiped out. On top of that there were a couple places on me where my own clothes rubbed my skin off. Very painful in the shower...think sunburn.

 

Our trainer thinks I have to keep an eye on my fluid, electrolytes/salts, and glucose/sugar levels. Perhaps I'm hitting a wall of sorts as I get up into these mileages. The total number of miles seem close to being able to complete a marathon...but there is so far to go.

 

Our joke is that the spots is a pre-historic human defense mechanism: Your body telling you, "Hey, if you've been running for 17-18 miles, and if you haven't gotten away from whatever it is that is chasing you, perhaps it's a better idea if you stop and go hide instead."

 

Alright, I should be sleeping; not typing this blog....Goodnight.

Skiing...no, the kind you have to do work

We went cross-country skiing Sunday.
We haven't had the chance to go in 3 years so there was a bit of rust there.
Add to that a sled called a pulk, so little Ellis could ride along.
After some testing we were off. I didn't realize how choppy my skiing style is...think someone learning a stickshift the first time. Ellis was getting banged into her seat a bit, and I think she didn't like it. "All Done!"

Then she battened down the hatches and fell asleep, allowing us to ski and me to pull for a total of about 1-1/2 hours. Then I went out unfettered for 45 minutes later after lunch. Still, my novice form makes me have to work very hard.

My legs (quads) are still sore 2 days later.

By the way, XC skiing is great cross-training exercise. Cheaper, no lines, lots of time alone...and you get warm, not cold!

In love with…a burrito?

A different slant on love on Valentine’s Day.


Long-Distance running requires at least one non-athletic activity to sustain performance:
Eating! Eating lots of carbohydrates.

What’s a good inexpensive way to eat lots of carbs? Well, make yourself a lot of rice, beans, and pasta. But if you’re out and need a quick fix: Burritos at Chipotle.

I sincerely hope that the Food, Inc. and other works that depict Chipotle as a buyer and supporter of sustainable agriculture are truthful, because a lot of food is served there.

Yesterday, after my long-run, I found myself ordering a burrito, stuffed to the gills…in fact, upon rolling it, the tortilla broke. I said they could just wrap the entire thing in another tortilla. I wish I had a picture of this thing…if you were to take a standard bottle of wine and knock the neck off…that was the size of this behemoth. I thought for sure I’d take half home, then reminiscent of Coney Island hot dog eating phenom “Kobayashi” I polished this thing off.

So to those who love…love to eat…running does have a desired side effect.

About a Half

I'm having a hard time finding time to workout balancing work/commute/family, but I managed to get in a decent 8.5 mile run on Thursday. It seemed like I was going slow, but I have to remember that the runs that start and end at my house have steep hills. I'm sure there are studies on this, but to me it seems like going up a steep hill taks about 30% more effort and going down only gives you back about 15%.

This might be paying dividends, for the run today, I chose to run about a half-marathon (13.1 miles).
A typical training plan varies long run lengths each week, building toward the race. (for example, my weekly long runs have been about 10.5, 10.5, 7, 12, 15, 10, 18, 13)  

Lexington on the rail trail bikeway has long steady, only slightly up and downgrades. (There were however several ice patches that required careful stepping) Overall, the run felt good, with the ability to take longer strides when I felt the need to change it up.

And that's the idea: Run 15, so the next week's 10 miles seems easy; run 18, so the next week's 13 seems easy.

Boston Marathon: Line

The sleepy rural town of Hopkinton. No Starbucks, no McDonald's, no Dunkin' Donuts, no chain of any kind.

All year long, the start and finish lines of the Boston Marathon remain on the street; repainted freshly each year. You can see them from space here.

In Hopkinton, the Start is across the street from the town green, where there's a gazebo where a band sometimes plays and Santa comes to visit children at Christmastime.

In Boston, the Finish is on the long stretch of Boyston St., amongst the shadows of the Prudential Center and John Hancock towers, a block from the Back Back shopping district of Newbury Street, and feeling about a million miles (26.2 to be exact) from the Hopkinton town center.

Almost 18 Miles - Complete Exhaustion

I was too exhausted yesterday to think about and write this passage.


Saturday, the DFMC group met in Waltham at the Boston Sports Club, where the Celtics have their training facilities. Another good turnout, about 100 runners. About 19 degrees, with a light breeze. I dressed adequately for the cold, except I didn't cover my face or smear it with vaseline and the windchill caused my face to go numb. When talking to others, I was slurring all my words. The course wound through some great scenic roads in Lincoln with lakes, historic homes. There were also some killer hills, the steepest of which always went down first, and you knew that you would just have to climb back up them upon return.

It felt kind of natural to run a bit faster than the 15 miles I ran last week, except that at about 17 miles, I started seeing "blue spots" around the corners of my eyes. I knew I was reaching my limit with just 1 long hill left to climb. I made it up the hill almost back to the start and walk it off to the finish, running a total of 17.9 miles in 2hours, 47minutes.

The bad news is that I felt completely spent, kind of ill when done; the good news is that after about 15 minutes of cooling down and stretching I felt half back to normal.

And within a couple hours the appetite returned, eating muffin, pasta, juice, then burger, fries, potato chips, fries, onion rings, salad, and finally ice cream. If you like eating, which I do, then running does enable a bit of splurging...but I'm looking to eat plenty of the right foods to re-fuel.

Embracing the Cold

My training plan is starting to call for 7-8 mile runs mid-week (which was scripted for novice marathoners by 1976 Boston Marathon winner, our coach, Jack Fultz). So I have to figure out how to get these in, especially with limited daylight. Working from home tends to give me the ability to start work early and finish with enough daylight to get out there for a long run.
Today's run started at 4:15 and I went through the nearby state park and back.
A really tough course. 7-2/3 miles; this descends 250 feet from my house with lots of hills, and then return, making up the 250 feet. The goal wasn't to get faster, it was to get in miles, and enjoy it as much as possible. 31 degrees, light wind, wearing enough layers to be warm, but not overheat. The lake at the park is frozen over and the ice fishermen are coming in from the day. One of the areas was still snow covered so I could feel the crunch of snow underfoot. There were no cars, and the silence, except for the wind through the trees. This is what winter running is all about. Cold, but clean.

Reflections on icicles

Pictured here you can see the icicles I referred to in the previous entry from my run in the low teens last Sunday. The tewk is a great hat to keep ears warm and cultivate icicles.