Sunday, November 2, 2014

Race recap: State #4: Indiana

Race: Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
Date: November 1st, 2014
Result: 5:18:51


When I signed up for this one on New Year's Day I had visions of this one being my PR.  I was also about 25 pounds lighter and didn’t yet know how lazy I would become.  In 2013 I logged over 1500 miles of running.  This year, I’ll be lucky to break 900.  The training for this race started well enough the first eight weeks or so in July and August, but when it was time to start putting in the long runs of over 13 miles, I ended up twisting my ankle at the start of my 11.4 mile third leg in Ragnar Napa in September and didn’t run at all for over a month until about 10 days before the race started.  I jokingly posted each day on facebook a 10 day crash course training program, so if you find yourself in the same situation you can do the following:

10 day crash course marathon training begins today! Day 1: Look on internet to see if such a thing exists. No such thing exists.
Day 2: Wore my running clothes under my work clothes today.
Day 3: Studied course map to determine most convenient mile marker for Mae to pick me up with her car.
Day 4: Watching horror movies is a good way to elevate the heart rate when you're this inactive.
Day 5: New shoes! Looking good is more important than feeling good (With a warning in the comments that this is actually a very bad thing)
Days  6, 7 & 8 - the fetal position provides an awesome back stretch.
Day 9: Cut nails and hair to offset 0.00001% of the weight I gained.
Day 10: (pic of holding a beer) hydrate hydrate hydrate! And carboloading!

The drive down to Indianapolis in our rented green Kia Soul was an ominous one – it snowed the whole way down with high winds rocking us back and forth as if we were out on a boat.  But we got to the expo just in time as the exhibitors were folding up shop and Mae picked up a head band and arm phone case from one of the vendors since we forgot to pack them in our haste to get down here on time.  During bib pickup the volunteer who was handing out bibs asked me what I was shooting for.  “Oh, I just want to finish.”  
“He didn’t train at all,” Mae gleefully added.  The volunteer, a fit grey-haired man with the look of tens of thousands of miles under his belt, almost looked at me with contempt.
“I trained, just haven’t been running much this past month.  It’s my third one this year.” 
“Well, you know what to expect then.  Just don’t go out too fast and listen to your body,” he told me as he handed me my packet.

My pre-race pasta dinner
We grabbed a late dinner at the empty Hard Rock CafĂ© across the street from the Hampton Inn downtown since they offered 20% off for hotel guests.  Unfortunately their menu was pretty scant of any pasta dishes so my pasta meal was a cheeseburger and fries.  The only other carbs I put away for the race came from the Stella I nursed throughout the meal.

Thankfully the snow didn’t stick on the ground although it was below freezing but we were at least both prepared for the cold.  Under Armour’s thermal compression gear really keeps the heat in and the pants also double as compression socks to help keep the calves from cramping up early.  I saw in the race guide that they were giving out Clif Shot Bloks at two different points in the race, which I normally use, so I only packed one into my runner's belt, along with four Advil, my phone and my Bluebud X headphones.

With my typical three hours of sleep, Mae (who was running the 5k) and I walked the few blocks to the start line and stayed in a heated building near the start until the race line started moving and I was under way.  The first two miles were spent running through highway underpasses and between taller downtown buildings so my GPS incorrectly logged 2.2 miles when I crossed the second mile mark.  This extra distance really messes you up because every time you look at your watch you think to yourself that you really haven’t run that far yet.  And I kept the wise old volunteer’s words from the expo running through my head.  Hold back.  Listen to your body.  And my body was telling me to run 11 minute miles.  The only people I was passing were speed walkers who were presumably doing the half marathon since we don’t split off into our own routes until mile 7.   

Approaching Monument Circle
The race felt like a neighborhood 5k since most of it runs through residential areas.  There were police officers at every intersection letting through cars one at a time whenever there was the smallest gap between the runners, which were few and far between.  With their hands already extended out, holding up the traffic, I tried high-fiving all of them. 

Besides the beautiful fall colors the only scenery of note was the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument downtown, the Art Museum area and the Butler campus.  With barely any spectators and not much of a view (I’m spoiled after running in wine country in my last race) I turned my focus to the many bouncing female butts in black runner’s tights in front of me to pass the time.

I was actually feeling pretty optimistic at the halfway mark of getting my first negative split since I held back so much.  But even at 11 minute miles my pace started to slow at mile 17 when my feet really started to bark at me.  I didn't have enough time and training to break in a new pair of Nike Lunaracer 3's, and with only 8 miles in them before the race I really paid for it.  I normally would like to have 100 miles on any shoe when running the full.  I should have just run in my NB 980’s which have over 500 miles on them, even if they didn't provide much cushioning anymore.

Love is all you need
I was texting back and forth with Mae as we gave each other updates on our locations after she finished her 5k when I finally met up with her at the Indianapolis Museum of Art around mile 18.5.  We talked for what must have been 5 minutes and snapped some selfies.  I told her I was feeling good and she said I looked good too, which according to day 5 of my 10 day training, is most important.  We kissed our goodbyes and shortly after I passed my favorite sign before the 30k mark – “You run better than the government.”

What sucked about being a back of the packer though was by the time I got to each of the stations where they gave out Shot Bloks they were all out, and there were just wrappers everywhere on the street.  I was tempted to pick one up since it seemed like many of them still had pieces in them, but didn't want to create a gross-out memory for the runners behind me.  So I had to ration my only pack of six Shot Bloks over the course of 5 hours.  I did scarf down a pair of bite-size frozen snickers that were being handed out at a random table since I didn't have much of a breakfast.

This cock though near mile 19
But at my slower pace my energy wasn’t the issue, it was my feet.  The last 12k became a test of how long can I withstand running with what ended up being three blisters on my right foot.  So I would run until my feet needed relief, then walk until I felt better.  This method left me with so much energy that at mile 26 I was able to sprint for the last 200 meters across the finish line and passed about a dozen runners just trying to make it across.  I was handed my medal, a disposable hooded jacket, a knit stocking hat and a cookie and took some finishing photos.  The pain in my feet was so bad I took off my shoes and barefooted it over to the parking garage a few blocks away and headed straight to the closest Arby’s off of I-65 to order what is now a post-marathon tradition – an Arby’s Max with double meat as my protein recovery food.

Even though this was my slowest finish time it didn't really bother me considering I didn't train for this thing.  I never hit the wall and my calves never cramped up on me.  I couldn't believe how enjoyable a marathon can be when you’re running at a pace dictated by your body, not your watch.  Moving forward I won’t shoot for specific times and just listen to my body so I will no longer fall apart the second half like I did in my previous four marathons.

And it was inspiring to see these amazing volunteers standing out in this freezing cold for so long helping us get through it.

Next up in 2015 will be Grandma’s Marathon in June with my friends Mike and Wanda, who inspired me to run the 50 states, and possibly the Borgess Run for the Mittens, which is two marathons in a weekend (Michigan and Wisconsin), in early May.  I said this after my last full in Ohio, but with a renewed awareness of my fitness level and how far I've fallen back I’m going to start counting my calories and run more often now so I can get back into and beyond the shape that I was in 2013.

Registration: $60 + $5.30
Flight: N/A
Hotel: Hampton Inn Downtown $139

Monday, May 5, 2014

Race recap: State #3: Ohio

Race: Flying Pig Marathon
Date: May 4th, 2014
Result: 4:59:50


Totally fitting this was my next race since I've turned myself into a bit of a porker. Instead of losing the five pounds that I wanted to since the Missouri race last month, I actually put on 5 more pounds putting me right at 190. Take into account how short I am, that's a ridiculous amount of weight to throw around town.

I never slept this well the night before a race but after chasing Mae around for her 5k in the morning, a hike to the expo that forces you to snake through every vendor booth before you can pick up your t-shirt in the afternoon, a trip to Skyline Chili for their famous three-way and taking in a ballgame in the evening, I was pretty exhausted the day before my race. The highlight of the expo was I got to wait in line for 15 minutes at the P&G booth to pick up tampons and pantyliners. Free is free, right? At least we signed up Mae for the 5k at the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis in November and got to save 5 bucks. I was also going to try to meet a couple friends of my friend Mike at the expo who were also running the full, Siva and Connie. But they were running behind schedule so we never met up. Siva recently joined my Ragnar Chicago team as a late replacement so it would have been nice to have introduced myself to him.

Great American Ball Park 518 Row A Seat 21
After the expo we also knocked another MLB Stadium off our list and enjoyed a great pitching match-up between the Reds and Brewers' two aces – Cueto and Gallardo. Not having a rooting interest in either team, we were rooting for outs, which I’m sure confused the fans around us. I proceeded to carbo-load (sort of) with a big slice of LaRosa's cheese pizza and a large cheap Rolling Rock beer.  
  
Ohayao!
It was an early start time of 6:30 for the race and we had stayed at the Doubletree at the "airport" 10 miles away in Kentucky. I put airport in quotes since we didn't see a single plane takeoff and land the whole time we were there.  I was up at 5 AM (which was really 4 AM my time) and Mae dropped me off just a few blocks from the start line near Paul Brown Stadium. Still in a sleepy stupor, I wandered over to Corral E and took a few pics. Even at 6 in the morning I felt comfortable in just my shorts and shirt so I knew it was going to be a warm day. One thing I thought was a really nice touch that I hadn’t seen before was that they had port-a-potties inside the corrals. More races need to do this! SWAT team members made their presence throughout the starting area, and were also in the corrals, too.

With the race underway and my chest thumping from the bass of the start line music and a touch of nervousness I began to discover that Cincinnati is just plain gorgeous. I can’t think of a better way to see America than 26.2 miles at a time. Since I wasn't going for any time goals I spent a lot of time taking bad pictures and soaking in the atmosphere. The course encompasses urban downtown streets, beautiful neighborhood parks, three bridges and a riverfront view. The scenery at the top of Eden Park as the sun began to break through the cloud cover made up for the miles of climbing. I’m thankful I had run the St. Louis marathon in April because I was much more prepared for these hills, and actually stopped noticing them after a while. And my quads didn’t shut down like they did last month.
Fourth Street Bridge

Siva and Connie
At Mile 4 I noticed an Indian guy running with an Asian gal run by me and thought they might be Siva and Connie. I figured the odds were pretty good. I sped past who I thought was Siva and saw he was wearing the same Chicago marathon shirt I had on so I just shouted out: Siva! That would have been real awkward if it wasn't him. He pulled off his right ear bud and gave me a look of non-recognition and I was like, uh oh. But Connie pulled up next to me and asked if I was Mike's friend and we introduced ourselves. After exchanging pleasantries and fist bumps they took off and I ate their dust since I had no desire to push myself to their pace. But not before snapping this pretty cool pic of Connie.      

I missed Mae at mile 11 because I had my ear buds on and didn't hear her screaming my name – there were tons of people in this area and I was so busy high-fiving all the kids I ran right past her. I kept my eyes trained on the right side of the crowds scanning for her purple jacket but never saw her. A few minutes later I got a message saying I missed her - she was on the left side of the street -  and I texted her back with a quick “sorry.”  She snapped a few pics of me running by.  

I had held back my pace for the first half of the race and felt really good around mile 12. I posted a pic of the mile 13 marker on Facebook and mentioned my race was just underway and was going to shoot for a negative split. Sadly, the adrenaline rush only lasted for about a mile and I shortly posted a followup comment with a “Jk lololol” because any thoughts of a negative split faded as my legs started to give out on me. 

The top of Edens Park around mile 7
My wall came at around mile 21. Once my Garmin had reset its lap after completing 21 miles and I had a fresh pace to work with, I started running at a BQ pace of 7:40 like a maniac to see how it would feel. I heard one spectator say, "whoa, that guy's sprinting!"  But this lasted for about a block though because I got a charlie horse in my left calf and I had to go back to a zombie walk until my left leg loosened up again. As I started running again I whipsered to myself the word "easy" over and over again to stop from overstriding and to keep the calves from cramping up again. I was the calf whipserer.

I finally saw Mae at mile 22, until I had almost passed her. Got a huge hug and quick kiss and told her my phone had died so I would have to see her at the family reunion area and would finish in under five hours. I had assumed I wouldn't be running any slower than I already was, and all of a sudden I had a time I was racing against. Quickly doing the math in my head I would have to average 12.5 minute miles the rest of the way, which sounds really slow, but when you have to do a 5k with both your legs cramped up it was quite a challenge. Plus with temperatures having gone north of 70 it was easily my warmest run of the year. I would run until my calves cramped, then walked it off until my pace dropped to 13 minutes, then ran until my pace went up to 12 or cramped up again.  I was starving at this point, too.  At mile 24 I ran past a table with some candy and spotted a tin full of gummy bears in it.  I ran back to the table and asked if I could have some and before she even answered I grabbed a fistful and stuffed my face.  I almost took a free tequila shot too from some college looking d-bags but thought better of it.   

Finally with the finish line, er, finish swine in plain sight underneath the Great American Ballpark I adopted this strange running gait in front of hundreds of spectators with both of my calves seized and about 100 yards left with 30 seconds to go – I ran straight legged and knees locked through the finish like if Frankenstein had peed himself.  I looked down at my watch and saw I had crossed in 4:59:50 and threw a fist in the air after I crossed. I got my medal, grabbed a few snacks and luckily found Mae right at the runner's exit saving me a half mile walk to the family reunion area.

I grabbed a Flying Pig Cream Ale after the race at the Moerlein Lager House for a celebratory drink. Not typically what I would order as I prefer hoppier ales but the combination of sitting down for the first time and drinking something besides Gatorade or water was so refreshing. When I sat  down on the barstool I let out an "aaaaah" which gave the bartender a chuckle. Yet, energy wise I felt so good throughout the whole race. It was the opposite of St. Louis when I started feeling horrible by mile 10. I was upset that my calves gave out on me again, but I knew it was from having to work more because of the weight I gained, and the lack of training during the winter.  

I LOVED this race. The crowds and volunteers were so supportive. The whole town really gets behind this race and there was so much live music almost always within earshot of the whole course which I'm sure I would have enjoyed if I weren't wearing ear buds. Mile 18 had a stretch of road running completely devoid of shade and there was a long line of volunteers fanning us as we ran by with their signs. Throughout the whole race I heard "Let's go Chicago!" thanks to my Chicago Marathon shirt and that was cool to hear. Also, I think the quality of Elvis improves as you get closer to Memphis because this one particular Elvis I ran past destroys the one in the Chicago Marathon. Oh, and one thing that made me laugh was at mile 25 there was a volunteer shouting out to us at the last water station that the Gatorade was in the Gatorade cups and the water was in the white cups. Having run through 24 previous water stations, I think it was fair to assume we would have figured it out by now.
Crazy swing near mile 24

On the 5 hour drive home I think I started a tradition - An Arby's Roast Beef Max sandwich to get protein into my system for recovery and start the rebuilding process in my leg muscles. I did this last month too so I may have a thing now. And normally I walk around everywhere with my medal all day but this one was so heavy it was actually straining my neck on the car ride back so I had to take it off. And other than a sore neck from carrying around this heavy ass medal, I came out of this race unscathed.

I guess it’s time to get back on myfitnesspal and start tracking my calories again so I can get back down to a more comfortable racing weight. With a summer of training in front of me and two Ragnar relays (Chicago & Napa) there's no reason I can't shed 25 pounds and get back down towards running a marathon in the low four hour time or better. Indianapolis is a fast and flat course, and I will employ the following advanced strategy to go for a new PR:

Strategy 1) Run faster


Registration:
Flight: N/A
Hotel: Doubletree Cincinnati Airport

Monday, April 7, 2014

Race recap: State #2: Missouri

Race: Go! St. Louis Marathon
Date: April 6, 2014
Result: 5:05:39


Charity: National Children's Cancer Society, Inc.
Amount Raised: $270



The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Me Struggling

Not sure if a steak dinner was the best idea the night before a marathon, but I kind of didn't do anything right prepping for this race, so why start now? We attempted to have dinner at the Old Spaghetti Warehouse but the two hour wait was a bit much so we said screw it and drove back to the hotel and ordered room service.  I chilled in bed with a belly full of ribeye and put my race gear together while watching and ultimately dozing off to the two NCAA Final Four games.

About the gear – I planned on wearing my charity shirt that I picked up the day before for running for team National Children’s Cancer Society, but it was too tight (read: I was too fat) and a bit chafe-y.  Luckily I had one other clean technical shirt left in my luggage so I ran with my Ragnar shirt.  I was upset because I left my Adidas running shades at home, so I had to pick up a pair at the Expo.  As for the shoes, the NB 980’s which I bought for this race were heavier than the racing flats I've been used to, and the extra cushioning didn't really offset this fact, because they just got heavier and heavier as the race went on. 

It was a great move to book the Sheraton which was two blocks away from the start corrals so I didn't have to worry about getting there on time. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning but just couldn't fall back asleep. Tossing and turning for the next five hours, I finally wandered up 14th street from the hotel at 6:30 while the kids were still knocked out from two days of museum exploring and decided to take a selfie while the runners began to assemble at the start line.   

After the anthem, Jackie Joyner Kersee had a few words at the start and before I knew it the race was underway right at 7 am and Coral C started to work their way to the start line.  I had time to check and make sure my GPS watch was working and off I went, hanging with the 4:00 pace group throughout the downtown area until I felt the need to slow down a bit.  And that point was right after running through the Budweiser Brewery around mile 5.
The Budweiser Brewery
  
At the bottom of Holy Hill, which is actually a 2.2 mile long stretch of three consecutive hills, a priest was sprinkling runners with holy water at mile 6.  I instinctively did the sign of the cross as I was blessed and started working my way to the top.  It’s actually a race within a race where you get a separate time for this stretch.   I could really feel myself expending so much more energy versus running on flat ground and even though I knew there were hills, I was just not experienced enough to successfully tackle them. 

I was also getting worried that I would miss the point where the marathoners and half marathoners would split their course and didn't study the maps well enough to remember where it was so I kept checking around me for other marathoners who had on gold bibs.  All I could see behind me was a sea of bouncing blue bibs and began to freak out.  There weren't many full marathoners to begin with (1394 finished); the event is heavily geared more toward the half marathon where there are about 12,000 runners.  Turned out the volunteers did a great job at the split and at mile 9.5 I was pointed to run towards the park ahead as the half-ers were turned around for their home stretch run.        

Seeing my entire family in Forest Park at mile 12 was one of the coolest things ever.  I actually didn’t see the kids right away, and spotted Mae first about 10 yards down course taking pics when I look off to the side and saw I had just about passed them.  A nice lady next to the kids was frantically pointing my own kids out to me like I was long-time estranged to them.  It was kind of a funny moment.  I ran back and picked up Maya and gave her a hug.  Miles and Marcus were cheering me on and gave their hair a quick tussle.  Ah, my family, I thought.  I handed off my hoodie to Mae, gave her a quick kiss and kept going.  Immediately everything felt lighter and more comfortable in the 48 degree air as the sun began to break through the solid cloud cover.

The morale boost I got from seeing my family lasted for about 5k and I hit my half split right around 2:14. But exiting the park going west into the ritzy neighborhood nearby lined with beautiful old houses began another uphill battle.  At this point I began to curse my weight and every extra pound of pizza and cheeseburger I was carrying and after mile 15 I adopted a run quarter mile/walk quarter mile pattern for the next mile.  I felt defeated.

That’s when an angel in Sauconys swooped in to help me out.  “Come on, keep running, let’s go.”  I looked over my shoulder and noticed this runner was directing her words of encouragement toward me and so I pulled out my ear buds and tucked them into my pocket and began running with her.  The person she was originally running with was well ahead of her and I guess she needed to adopt a new running partner.  I reluctantly agreed.

Small talk revealed that she was running her first marathon and was looking to knock a few items off her bucket list in her midlife crisis.  I told her about my quest for 50 and couldn't tell if she believed in my goals since I was in such bad shape at this point in the race.  But her determination kept me going and I kept running, abandoning my walk/run approach and managed to keep running for the next 5 miles because of her.  Every time I wanted to stop, her vocal support made me keep going.  Turned out she was a 20 year veteran, an Army Captain Commander about to make Major, and thought her can-do personality was perfect for what she did. I did my best to reciprocate the encouragement, as she was battling her own problems with calf cramps, but it wasn't easy.

Around mile 21 my left quad really decided to shut down on me and just absolutely had to walk it off.  I told my temporary bff to run her race and thanked her and off she went.  She probably would have finished 10-15 minutes faster if I didn't hold her back, and I’d probably still be out there somewhere between miles 17 and 18 if it wasn't for her positive mental attitude.  She really wanted me to finish with her and I feel sort of bad that I couldn't, but when running a marathon, you really do need to run your own race.  But I’m grateful for the time she spent running with me.  Thanks Debra!   

The home stretch - all downhill from here
I saw the 4:45 pace leader run past me around mile 23, a cute brunette wearing pigtails, and laughed because she was running all by herself.  I thought about following her to the finish but just didn't have the legs.  The final mile was all downhill and I could see the finish line from really far away so I would run at about an 8 minute pace until I cramped up then walked till the cramps subsided.  Then run, then walk.  Lather, rinse, repeat to the end.  I can’t wait to find my professional pics so I can see just how uncomfortable I must have looked crossing the finish line. 

Frozen custard sandwich in hand
Because my late check-out time was 1 pm and it was already creeping on 12:15 I had to high-tail it back to the hotel so I could shower up before the long drive home but first I got my medal, a banana and this AMAZING frozen treat from local joint Ted Drewes – frozen custard sandwiched by two oatmeal cookies.   That alone was the single most rewarding prize anyone has ever received in the history of the world.      
 
A post-race injury self-assessment revealed a slightly sprained big right toe and nothing else.  The hip I was so worried about and coddled over the last three months didn't really bother me and I didn't get calf cramps until my mad dash the last 0.2 mile.  Although it took me over five hours to finish, I really was pleased to just finish without injury considering how little training I did.

My favorite sign I saw on the course: "DO EPIC SHIT."  I laughed and high-fived the sign holder because I thought to myself, that was what I did in Madison and it didn't work out so well.

Registration: $0
Flight: N/A
Hotel: Sheraton St. Louis City Center $214