A sliver of doubt

I am T-minus 9 days from is supposed to be my foray into the world of Ultramarathons and yet, I'm still trying to feel 'normal' after another ear infection hit this past week. I have a decision to make early next week and I'm slightly afraid of doing the unthinkable...pulling out of a race.

I really want to do this run. One of the things I promised myself for 2011 was that I would find events that would take me back to the reasons I love running and honestly, just staying fit. The SanTan Scramble (50K) is pure trail running with some fairly technical ascents and descents - mainly because you're running up a big hill! I've been out a few times to check it out and have really enjoyed myself out in the desert. Something about running in the open air of the desert early in the morning gets me charged up.

3D view of the 50K course along with elevation profile (yikes!)

Herein lies my problem. I'm feeling about 75% today and have logged maybe 10 miles since the PF Chang Marathon on January 16. Compound that with the treachery and hazards that come with trail running. Never-mind that I am committed to do the Ragnar Relay only 2 weeks after the 50K. Talk about zero down time...

Everyone thinks I'm nuts right now. So do I. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do about it yet.

I'll keep you posted.

The beat down

In traditional form, several days after my race, my body's defense system has been trashed and allowed 'the nasties' to invade and lay a beat down on me.

Though I'm not laying in my bed in the fetal position, I sure feel like I could resort to that at any minute. Fatigue mixed with sore muscles and an overall sense of punishment has given me some sort of head cold that's bee super-sized with sinus pressure. It's enough to make me go "blaaaah" but not quite wretched enough to keep from going about my normal business. DayQuil to the rescue I guess.

I haven't run since Sunday - (a) too sore and (b) convincing myself that I'm protecting my body from any further illness. Likely (c),  I'm just a wimp.

I have plans to go out with my buddy Andy this weekend to check out the Goldmine trail around the SanTan mountain. Home to the SanTan Scramble, I'll be making my ultramarathon (50K) debut on February 5. Hopefully there is not too much elevation to deal with. I'm pretty sure I can get through 31 miles with the right pacing and nutrition.

That's if I'm feeling better.

Here are some personal pictures from the PF Chang Marathon on January 16, 2011. ASI Photos can be found here (and if you watch the video carefully, you'll see 'older-man-in-pink-shoes' cross just after me). Enjoy.

PF Chang Marathon Race Report

It's been approximately 5 years since the crazy idea of running a marathon first crossed my mind. Since running the Portland Marathon back in 2007, I have been haunted by my time and the issues that came up that day which prevented me from meeting my goal.

PF Chang 2011 was all about setting those demons to rest and trying to capitalize on 9 months of prior Ironman training to carry me through this race. Literally, I was banking on that "Ironman Spirit" to keep me going and mentally power through the final miles knowing that my training over the last 3-4 weeks had not been sufficient.

Out of the gate, I felt really good. Of course the energy, music and announcers are there to get you pumped up and everyone is having a good time. I will freely admit that I was pushing the first half of the race. I was trying to stay within the 8:15 to 8:30 range (erring on the faster side of course) for the entire race. Between miles 0 and 15, this felt very achievable. I was pacing with the 3:40 group at this stage in the race.

I did break the cardinal rule of race day however...nothing new on race day. Duh. I was looking for every advantage I could get so I wore some new CEP compression socks with my relatively new Newton's. This would not work out in my favor around mile 18. I could feel the socks shifting at the balls of my feet and blisters starting to well up. Each step was starting to hurt with the additional pressure.

Mile 20 would be the first aid station I actually walked through. I could no longer hear the bands playing or the kids yelling. My quads were on fire. The feet were half-numb. It was me and the lines on the road at this point. The 3:40 pace team was gone and all I could hope for was to keep up with the 3:50 pace team.

"A marathon is 20 miles of hope and 6 miles of guts..."

The mile posts seemed like there were getting farther and farther away. Just when you'd think you were reaching another mile marker, it would actually be one of the kilometer signs (damn!). The joy and buzz had left the faces of many at this point in the day. Folks were shuffling, panting and groaning all around me. Just git'er done.

Still determined to make my goal, I was run-walking from mile 21 through the end. I stopped a couple times to stretch out my calves and quads. The signs of under-training were becoming oh-so-evident between miles 22 and 25. I had a fleeting moment of enthusiasm at mile 24 crossing over the Rural/Scottsdale Rd bridge. As I cursed the slight elevation I realized that this is the same bridge we crossed during the bike (and run) of the 2010 Arizona Ironman. I only wish the elation and joy had stoked the fire of that "Ironman Spirit" I was trying to rely on, but it didn't.

Sometimes motivation comes from the strangest places. During the last 3-4 miles of the race, there was this older man - let's say mid-60's to be fair - who kept leap-frogging with me. I'd catch him running and then I'd stop to walk for a while. Running again, I'd catch up to him again. The only reason he caught my attention was because he was a thin little man wearing a pink pair of women's Newton's. There was really no way I was going to let him beat me to the finish (but let me be the first to say that he has my respect for running a respectable time at his age).

Not to be outdone by pink-shoe-dude, I stepped up the pace for the last 1/2 mile to ensure I widened the gap and finished ahead of him. Motivated? Perhaps to save my pride more than anything. What ever it takes though, right?

So what was my goal you ask? Sub-4 hours.

I smashed my previous 2 marathon times by an hour. I'm happy with my performance and time (3:50) but again, I know that with the proper training and motivation, I could do better.

Here are my splits in case you're curious. Try to ignore the final 2 splits - I walked around the athlete area for about 15 minutes before realizing I had not turned off my watch (happens all the time).

Thanks to everyone who was there to support and push me through to the end. Perhaps PF Chang's in 2012? I guess we'll have to see. Thanks for reading.

The perfect storm

I originally did not intend the timing of this post to be the culmination of so many events but here we are at the end of the week and there is a lot going on.

For starters, it's my birthday tomorrow. I feel very thankful to have my health and the support of a loving family. My Ironman journey has not only been a phenomenal physical and mental challenge for me but it has also been the catalyst for an increased level of activity for my wife and 2 kids (7 and 4). I'm proud that I can instill the idea of fitness and well-being into their lives.

Second, it's the eve-of-the-eve of the PF Chang 2011 Marathon. I'm feeling relaxed and as ready as I can be for the effort that has gone into my training. I could have definitely done more but at this stage, I'm not going to dwell on it. I'm going to do my best, follow my race plan and let things happen.

As if this blog wasn't filled to the brim already...guess what? It's my 100th post! Aside from the therapeutic value 100 blogs brings me, I'm not sure there is much else to celebrate here :) I honestly didn't think my writing would last thing long but outside of the psychological release it brings, I'm also managed to create some friendships through my writing and following the writings of other athletes.

One of the things I've been meaning to do for a while is to review the Newton Gravitas shoes. After wearing my previous pair (Performance Racer) into the grave, I stepped out to grab another pair. Fully intending to buy the same shoe, I hit a local shop RunAZ - they have always been outstanding with their service and shoe recommendations.

Compared to the Racers, the Gravitas are slightly heaver (we're talking ounces here...) and have a firmer feel to the arch and heel. By sight, they have the same structure and width, but the Gravitas just feel more stable. Though I could not find anything conclusive on the Newton website, the Gravitas is called a 'trainer' while my previous shoe was a 'racer'. Though there is a difference in weight, I can't be certain that a few ounces would really make that much of a difference for me.

They accommodate orthodics (I use Superfeet) nicely and provide an outstanding run.

A few suggestions to Newton (I know you're reading!).

1. Though I love the airflow that comes with a wider mesh, it also allows more pebbles and gravel into the shoe. I stopped 3 times during the IMAZ to empty my shoes because they were filled with rocks from the dirt path.

2. Make the top eyelets a smidge bigger to accommodate tri-specific shoelaces like XTENEX. Using plyers to thread your shoelaces is not acceptable.

3. Color - while I'm no fashionista, the colors leave something to be desired. Perhaps Newton wants everyone to know, "Look at me, I'm wearing Newtons!"

Newton Gravitas with XTENEX laces

Running, interrupted

One of the hardest things for an athlete to do sometimes is to stop. As in, stop everything...and take a break. In previous posts, I'd commented on how tired and lethargic I had been. To this day, I honestly don't know what it was. I had no energy. I felt weird in the head (yes, yes...let the jokes fly). It was even difficult to muster up the energy to just think about running let alone lace up the shoes and make it out the door.

So what was it? Who knows. Plenty of theories though.

#1: Fatigue - I'm tired plain and simple. I've been training for something for over a year now. It might be time to reassess the race calendar for 2011.

#2: Illness - The colder weather here in Arizona (yes, cold means below freezing!) may have brought about a slight head cold.

#3: Stress - The post-holiday let down crept up on me. Hosting family, trying to keep the mileage up and generally dealing with work may have contributed.

#4 Nutrition - Holiday and post-holiday saw a step back in nutrition (go figure). Processed foods and cookies are generally not the staples of all-stars.

Who knows. Perhaps it's all mental.

Thankfully, for whatever reason Sunday turned out to be a great new day and any feeling of fatigue and despair were gone. Perhaps it was not running for a week. Maybe even having a few beers and watching Jim Carrey do the Black Swan on SNL (HI-larious). Whatever happened, I was pleased to get out and have a nice run.

Who can say.

All I know is that I'm back to feeling good, not tired and looking to do the best I can this coming weekend in the PF Chang marathon. I'm not sure if my original goals will hold up due to the absence of any long distance runs but I'll give a shot and see how it turns out.

Next this week - product reviews!

Make up yer damn mind

My body has been messin' with me this week. It really couldn't be at a worse time. I'm supposed to be in the final days of my training for the PF Chang's Marathon and the longest run I've done is 16 miles. I don't feel sick in the traditional sense but man am I tired. Lethargic. Pooped. My throat is dry, but not sore. My shoulders are tight, but not in pain. I'm going nuts trying to decide how hard to push my training.

I normally am very resolved to listening to my body and knowing when to back down from training - but sitting here at my desk looking out at the warm Arizona sun is making it very hard not to bust out and get in a quick run.

Though I would prefer NOT to be sick, I just wish my body would make up its damn mind.

The clock is ticking

As I sat down the other night to look at my training calendar leading up to the PF Chang Marathon, it became clear that the amount of time left to get in some meaningful runs is quickly coming to an end. After bonking yesterday during my long run (planned 16, actual 12) I felt compelled to make sure that every run from here on out was a meaningful and quality one.

Today's run was a first - proud of that - but doing my best to keep it in context and remind myself that this is NOT my race pace (yet!). My previous tempo workouts were slightly aggressive but still within my comfort zone (e.g., between 8 and 8:30 min per mile). Speed workouts have been about alternating a faster pace (7:30/7:45) with a slower (8:15/8:30) pace as part of a mid-distance workout (6-10 miles).

Yesterday's run was about trying to keep a 7:30 pace for 6 miles - something I've never tried before. This idea of me being fast has actually caught on recently...I don't think I'll ever be super-fast (e.g., Ryan-Hall-fast) but having come from a 9:45-9:30 average a year ago, I definitely like the idea of knocking that down to a 8 or 8:15 pace. Being able to claim a 3:30-3:45 marathon time compared to a 4:15 or longer does have a certain appeal to it. After all, the goal for PF Chang's is to be under 4 hours...something I'm very confident I'll be able accomplish.

In the days to come - new product reviews!!

After 500+ miles in my Newton racers, they literally blew out. I'll introduce you to my new pair of shoes, my new CEP compression running socks and the latest flavor of Roctane (Island Nectars).