Marathon By 40

It wasn’t pretty, but I did it! After missing most of my runs in October to the weather, being sick, traveling, or just plain being lazy, I decided to go ahead and run in the DRC Half this weekend. My previous long run (see below) was only 8 miles, and I’ve only run a handful of times since then.

The race day was great. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. It was a beautiful morning, crisp and cool early, and sunny. I got to the field in plenty of time for bag check and a short walk around vendor tents. I wandered to the starting line around 7:45 and saw that the last pace balloon was 2:30. Considering I was trying for just under 3:00, I moved towards the very back of the pack. I was planning on taking this run like all my other long runs, starting with a 5 minute walk, so I figured it would be OK to start with the walkers in the back. I was right, and the timing worked out just right as I was able to walk all they way through the large ramp on to Mockingbird. I started my first 3 minute run after the first few steps over the Mockingbird bridge.

Miles 1-10 went fairly easy and well. It was fun to see friends who live on the course out cheering us along. I know I surprised at least one of them who didn’t expect to see me there. I continued on a 3 run / 2 walk interval, changing occasionally to accommodate a hill or bunched-up turn in the road.

My first real sign of fatigue came heading up the dam to mile 8. I was supposed to be running at the time, but the narrow path and steep hill were too much to take on in what was left of our crowd, so I ended up walking. Getting to the top, I started to run again, but it was much more difficult to get going than it had been earlier.

Once I did start running again, I felt much slower, but at least I was able to stay in the 3/2 interval. I didn’t hurt (other than a small blister starting to wear on my right foot), I just felt the full effect of weighing too much. It started to feel much warmer than it had when we started. Things went well until mile 10 when it was increasingly difficult to get running after the walk breaks. I switched to a 2/3 for a while, but found myself walking much more than walking. There were only short (less than a minute) runs from there until I got under the Buckner bridge when I “sprinted” hard to the finish. It did feel good to finish strong, even if it were about a third of mile.

It felt great to finish. My steps immediately shortened and felt very stiff. A volunteer placed the medal around my neck and I staggered over to get an official picture. I couldn’t stop smiling.

After finishing I ran into John and Bill, who both finished well ahead of me and were enjoying the after-race treats. We all took time to enjoy a beer in the sun and I got lots of good advice for my next event from these seasoned runners.

I’m happy to started and finished. It’s a big step towards my final goal. And per a friend’s advice, it was great to go just to see what a large event is like. Props to the DRC for putting on a well run race. It was easy getting to the start/finish, the bag check went smoothly, and I enjoyed the pizza and beer after.

I’ll likely write more about lessons learned and plans for the next race later. But its worth mentioning now how around mile 12 I thought “this distance running is hard stuff.” I have even more respect now for all my friends and acquaintances who have finished a marathon before. There’s a steep road up ahead, but after feeling the sense of accomplishment I had this morning I realize that its a challenge worth taking.

Yesterday I went for my weekly long run. The plan called for 7 miles, which was a new longest distance for me. It took a few miles to get into a rhythm, but by mile 3 I was feeling good.

When I returned home 1:38′ later (including a 5min warm up and 8 minute walk-back/cool down) I checked my Nike+ report and was happy to see a PB for both my 5 and 6 mile splits. It felt great to run farther than I ever had before and still get PB splits.

However, the rest of the night was brutal. My ankles and the outside of my shins felt as if someone had been beating them with a bat all afternoon. I didn’t feel this pain while I was running, it came on quickly after I showered. All evening I was hobbling around and I went to bed in real discomfort. I was afraid I would be hobbling all day today.

Well, I have been quite pleasantly surprised to experience absolutely no pain today. I’m hoping that I’ll experience similar recovery times this week as I get back on track with interval training before taking on my next long-run, an 8-miler at the end of the month.

A while ago I wrote about what fun it would be to run the same courses as several famous real and fictional runs.

On a whim tonight a buddy and I (in Philly for the week on business) decided to run up the steps. I use the term “run” loosely, as there were many lights we had to stop for and lots of pedestrian traffic to work around. But, it was a good jog. It wasn’t a wet snow like I mentioned in the original post, but 40F was plenty cold enough, thank you very much.

Our hotel is just over a mile away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We ended up running to the museum, going up the steps, posing for pictures, then running along the river, up Race to City Hall, on to the Liberty Bell, and then to the Comcast Building lobby (to see the amazing video wall - it must be seen to be comprehended) before heading back to the hotel.

It sounds goofy, but after going up the steps, we felt invincible (yes, another Philly-movie pun) and just kept going on to the other sites.

If you’re at all nostalgic or sentimental for the movie, don’t pass up the opportunity if you get it.

That’s one historical (albeit fictional) run down. Wonder when I’ll get a chance for another.

Back in November I set out to mentally and physically prepare for the dedication it would take to complete a half-marathon training program. I decided to walk or run/walk at least a mile every day in December just to see if I could get into the habit of getting up early every day for the run.

Well, it was half a success. I certainly completed the streak on paper. Between Dec 1 and Dec 31 I ran/walked a total of 55.68 miles, with at least a mile every day. While I didn’t get up early for each one of them, I did prove to myself that I can find a way to adapt and keep the commitment required to complete a goal or plan.

With that confidence behind me, I’ve started training for the Big D Half Marathon on April 4. After I complete my “long” run today of 4 miles, I will have finished week 2 of the 14 week plan. I’m following the Half-Marathon Run/Walk plan as prescribed in John Bingham’s Marathoning for Mortals.

So far, so good. I’ll post more later when I decide if I’m going to actually commit to running the race.

Normally I don’t write about specific runs here on the blog. I’ll generally add notes to each run as recorded on Runner+ and I reserve this space for more general topics. But I couldn’t help but share my sense of accomplishment regarding the mini-milestone I achieved this evening.

Tonight I ran my first 10k.

Wow. That was fun. I used a 3min/1min run/walk mix to run my first 10k workout. Other than making the mistake of not warming up, it went great. I started jogging right out the front door thinking that I was running so far I should just blend the warm-up into the distance. Bad idea. My shins started throbbing 10 minutes in and it took another 15 minutes to run it out. But after that I just got stronger and stronger as the run went on and generally had negative splits the rest of the distance.

I think I can call myself a runner now. Not because of a distance milestone, and certainly not because of any speed accomplishments, but simply because I’m actually crazy enough to enjoy this. I’ve learned that I really love to run.

Not wanting to loose momentum, I’ve set sights on the next step towards a marathon. The Dallas Running Club is hosting the Walk, Wag, and Run - Run Your Tail Off 5K/10K for its members (of which I am now) on October 25th. That’s only 7 weeks to train, which isn’t quite as long as I would like. But, the next local 10k that I can find after isn’t until January; I’d rather not wait that long.

I’ll use the Podrunner 10k intervals plan which will take me to a full hour of running by the week of the race. I’ll likely walk or jog two days a week besides the plan to help loose weight beforehand.

Running twice as far as I did last race will be a challenge. I remember during the race just before finishing mile 3 thinking “why would anybody put themselves through this?” But I also remember how great it felt to finish, record a new personal best, and celebrate the accomplishment with my friends.

I’m taking Sundays off, but every other day of the week, let’s go run!

Wow! What an experience! This morning I completed my first official running event: The Labor Day 5k at White Rock Lake. I finished 9th out of 11 in my weight class. So while I wasn’t the slowest guy out there, I gave him a good race! I was also able to run a new PB (personal best) at 34:39 (a full 3 minutes faster than the practice 5k I ran 3 weeks earlier).

I was really thankful to have Mike (900 above), Keith (superstitious up-side down 13), and Arshaad (943) there running with me. Actually, they were running ahead of me. Mike won his age group (way to go, Mike!), Keith got 3rd in our weight group (I don’t think to qualify to run with us clydesdales anymore), and Arshaad ran 5th in his age group. So, job well done to each! All of them were waiting for me at the last 10th of a mile where the course turned from the road to the grass. Before I saw them, I felt like I was out of gas. But it was very encouraging to hear them cheering, and they helped me kick it up a notch or two for a final sprint. It was great to have them cheering and to share their company after the race. Congratulations on your great runs, guys.

Thank you also everyone who encouraged me with comments and emails. Making the goals public was another driving force to make sure I pushed through. Your support means a lot.

So, I’m now hooked. I’ve realized that if I have a goal and a plan, it’s possible to make significant progress. The race was a lot of fun, but this 5k is just the first step. There are many miles to go before my first marathon. I’m taking time this week to scour race calendars on the net and select my next event.

Let’s take a break from running to recover.

Links:

• My photos on Flickr
• Race results at ThrustonRacing.com
• “Official” photos at CelebratedImages.com

I’m registered and have sights on my first major milestone: to run a 5k race. I’ll be joining friends from work and college on September 1st to run in the Labor Day 15k & 5k Run at White Rock Lake.

As I mentioned earlier, I have run a 5k once before just over two weeks ago in a workout, but never before in an organized event. I’ve only run twice since then, taking a break over vacation and missing a day last week due to rain.

This week I’ll be running the Couch to 5k week 6 intervals to work my way up to running the full distance again.

I’ve got to make sure I get all three workouts in this week if I want to have a chance to beat my practice time.

Are you in Dallas or close by? Have you been thinking about running in a local event? Come on out! You can register this week online, at Run On! or even on-site race day. I hope to see you there.

Until then, let’s go run!