My, um, training runs

I've posted before about my lack of organization (on purpose) when it comes to training for a marathon. It's not that I'm not dedicated. It's that it's no fun to have to do X miles on Y day and then intervals and whatever else a plan requires. To me, it's boring, boring, boring.

I've got the Lehigh Valley Marathon in September, so that's what's on my mind. But I still can't be bothered to train for it in any organized way. Would I do better if I did? Probably. Do I care? Definitely not.

That said, I've been in the habit of doing long runs on the weekends and have been feeling pretty good about them. I've even incorporated long bike rides on the opposite days for cross-training (though biking is less cross-training and more total fun).

From last weekend to the beginning of March, here are my long runs:

6/27: 15 in 2:18
6/6: 18 in 2:41
5/30: 13 in 1:55
5/16: 16 in 2:26
5/2: 16 in 2:23
4/19: 16 in 2:21
4/12: 14 in 2:06
3/22: 15 in 2:13
3/14: 14 in 2:05
3/7: 12.5 in 1:47
3/1: 10 in 1:29

Now that I look back at it, I just might have been training for a marathon. I've made a point to do one long run at least 3 weekends a month, and, for the most part, that's happened. If I look too close, this may just be a marathon plan... uh oh.

Salute to Running Dads

So I'm more than 3 weeks late on this post and Father's Day was last weekend, but better late than never when it comes to Take It and Run Thursday.

I had a wonderful childhood growing up. My parents were supportive of anything and everything I wanted to try. They encouraged me and took me to the store for soccer cleats, sneakers, bats, you name it. And it wasn't just sports. They encouraged me in the classroom and socially. In short, as Randy Pausch said in his book, I hit the parental lottery. I think I knew it at the time but I've been able to appreciate it more and more by the day.

In fact, my parents' 34th anniversary was on Father's Day, so there was a double celebration. They're as much in love now as they were 34 years ago (or so they tell me).

While both parents were incredibly encouraging, it was my dad that inspired me to run. When I was three years old, he trained for a marathon in Harrisburg, PA. He's been athletic his whole life and really took to the training. And when I say training, he did it big time. While most people do some intervals and a couple long runs, he went all out. In the months before the marathon, he was topping out at 50-60 miles a week consistently. And, he was doing this with a wife and 3-year old at home. Oh, and a full-time job. He's amazing.

At some point, I want to sit down and interview him about his experience. At that time (1982), no one knew about how long you could wear sneakers, what gels were, what and why to taper, etc. He just ran because he loved to do it, and he was good at it.

He was training to qualify for Boston, which at that time was a 3:00 marathon (vs. 3:10 now). And he was on track for the whole race until he had to stop at mile 24 to walk. He was getting dizzy (no electrolyte training) and was cramping. That walking cost him a BQ and he finished at 3:14. He knew then that he never wanted to do it again.

When I started running a couple of years ago, he couldn't have been more excited. We talked a lot about mileage and how much I should do and how much I should rest, etc. He had an extra excitement in his voice when we talked about it and it was just so fun to talk about.

He joined me at the New Orleans Marathon last February. The picture at the top left is after the race. I have it framed and sitting in my living room. I look at it often and just can't stop smiling. If you look at that picture, you can see how much pride he has in his son. We couldn't get those smiles off our faces all day.

And now? He's been trying and trying to get back into running because I think he misses it now that I'm doing all these crazy races. He has a bad back and that's caused him problems in the past, but I know he wants to hit the roads and do a little something. I'm so proud of him for trying to get back out there (in addition to him hitting the gym regularly).

So, thank you, Dad, and Happy Father's Day. On long miles, it's the pride you and Mom have in me that keeps me going.

My First "Brick" workout

Last weekend I did my first "Brick" workout, which was an absolute blast. A Brick workout is where you do a bike ride followed immediately by a run. Though I haven't committed to any triathlons yet (stupid swimming!), this is the first step toward at least a duathlon.

I did all of the preparation work. I filled my bike water bottles and my fuel belt before leaving on the ride. I put my running shoes directly next to the door and wore clothing that worked for both sports. That part was easy since I haven't yet purchased "biking clothing" so my biking clothes are my running clothes. I also haven't purchased biking shoes, so I've been wearing sneakers when I ride.

I know, I'm so hardcore. You don't have to say it.

I did a 14-mile ride without a problem and immediately threw my bike inside, tossed on my fuel belt and went for a good 6-mile run. I didn't have any of the normal problems with my legs feeling weird, like I figured I'd have.

The real surprise, outside of the fact that I loved it as much as I did, was how fast I went out on the run. I looked down at my Garmin a mile in and I was at a 7-minute pace! For someone who struggles to keep 8:30-miles, this was a huge surprise. Of course I immediately slowed down, but shows you what you can do when you're warmed up.

I absolutely loved the breakup of riding/running and I ended up burning nearly 2,000 calories in the process. Don't worry, I made sure to put them back on as soon as possible!

Movie Review: The Runner

I just watched The Runner: David Horton's 2,700 Mile Run of the Pacific Crest Trail. (Hat tip: Joe)

David is one of the premier ultrarunners who has run across the United States as well as several other ridiculous ultras. He teaches running at Liberty University and a number of his students (current and former) took part in this 66-day run.

He started at the Mexican border and ran the Pacific Crest Trail all the 2,700 miles north to the Canadian border. His goal was to beat the record of 83 days, done by a person who walked the trail. David wasn't walking, or at least not much. He was the first person to run the trail.

It was a relatively short movie (only 87 minutes), but I enjoyed it. We got to see part of his struggle as he had to cross treacherous rivers and through deep snow in the Sierras. For the most part, though, it didn't seem like he struggled all that much. They only showed one or two blisters and there weren't any injuries that potentially sidelined him. Needless to say, he's in unbelievable shape.

When I started watching movies about runners, I never understood why they'd attempt these ridiculous runs. But, as I watched this movie, I didn't ask that question at all. It's about the end, sure, but it's really about the journey and about doing something you never thought you could do.

New Runners: We're Rooting for You!

There are two times of the year when new runners tend to start up in droves. You've got the New Year's Resolution crowd and then the warm weather crowd.

Since New England weather is so nasty around New Year's and I don't go to gyms, I only hear from others about how crowded the gyms are. I wouldn't know. I'm still the lone crazy guy trudging through the snow/ice and dealing with the extreme cold. But, from what I hear, those gyms are crazy!

The second time, and the one that I notice, is when it finally gets warm in New England--or warmer, I should say. We've had temps in the 6os/70s, which means that I will actually see people running in the evenings or on the weekends. I know that I don't see them when it gets at all chilly, so my bet is that this is the I-have-to-wear-a-bathing-suit-this-summer crowd.

And you know what? That's absolutely fine. While not all of you will fall in love with the sport, some of you will. And that means there are more runners this year than there were last year. And new runners. And probably some past runners as well. Do we begrudge the fact that you may start and stop? Not at all. In fact, we're rooting for you.

But if you're listening, er, reading, here's what I'd recommend to stay interested in the sport.

1. Start out slowly. Start by running an amount of time and don't worry about the distance. It will come.
2. Make sure you get new running shoes because, more than likely, your sneakers have way too many miles on them. And, if you can, try to only use them for running.
3. Be OK with walking a bit, especially in the heat. Listen to your body.
4. Try to change up the routes so you don't get bored. A bored runner won't be a runner much longer.

At the end of the day, congrats for hitting the roads, even if you decide you don't love it like we do. We'll still be here to greet you if you decide to return.

My "red flag" moment

When I started my running journey a couple of years ago, I was very overweight. I'm 5'9" and I weighed closed to 260. I had ended a long-term relationship and I looked at myself in the mirror the next morning. And I didn't like what I saw.

While that moment was important, and one I'll remember for a while, the one that sticks with me is what I call my "red flag" moment. It's when my 38 waist jeans weren't able to fit anymore and I needed to get a 40.

I remember that time at the store. I refused, absolutely refused to buy the next size up. 34, then 36, then 38. But never 40. I just didn't have the heart to hit the next set of 10's. So I didn't buy that size and I decided right then and there to do something about my waistline and general fitness.

Fast forward a couple of years and I continue to keep the weight off, and when the waistline gods are good to me, I even lose a little weight. I'm not stepping on the scale as often, but I'm still aware of my weight. Instead of fretting about the pounds, I look at whether I can comfortably move one notch in on my belt. Conversely, have I not eaten well so that I can't hit that notch? I need to be aware if I'm actually loosening the belt to fit into pants.

Have I given up red flag moments now that I'm where I need to be? Not a chance. There is still a weight that if I get close to it, I become extremely careful about what I eat and I up the mileage to increase my metabolism. I get back down to where I need to be, but that's only because I recognize when things have gotten critical.

I continue to have these red flags because I know how easy it is for weight to start creeping back up. It's happened before and I can't ever let it happen again.

Eat This, Not That

While I recognize that I'm at least a week late on the Take It and Run Thursday topic from Runners Lounge, I figured I'd at least give it a go since the topic is near and dear to my heart.

When I'm able to be in control of my food, I've been able to eat healthy (at least since I started to eat healthy, that is).

Eat this

For breakfast, I'll often have:

• eggs over easy
• Weight Watchers bagels
• smoked salmon (for lox & bagels)
• oatmeal
• bananas

For lunch, I've been quite consistent:

• lean sandwich meat (chicken, turkey, ham)
• low-fat cheese
• high-fiber, low fat bread (Weight Watchers has a couple excellent variations)
• 1/4 cup of almonds (pre-measured and in bags so I can take it and go in the morning)

For snacks, I've been consistently going to chips and salsa. The Baked Tostitos are good and salsa is significantly low in calories. I eat this snack often as opposed to potato chips.

My normal dinner diet consists of:

• grilled boneless, skinless chicken (with some sort of rub)
• grilled salmon (often pre-seasoned)
• swordfish
• tuna
• shrimp
• turkey tacos
• lean hamburgers (90% lean or more) -- probably turkey meat

Like Leana, I've largely sworn off red meat, with the rare exception of a steak when I go out to a nice restaurant. I don't have red meat much more than 12 times a year. I just don't get a craving for it anymore. In fact, my body tends to punish me when I do eat it. I always wake up in the middle of the night sweating and I never sleep well after steak. I just think my body can't process it very well.

Not That

When I'm in control of what food is in front of me, I'm quite good at eating healthy. I know that my willpower comes at the grocery store, not at home, so I just don't bring bad food into the house, unless I'm hosting a party.

I have completely gotten rid of regular soda (though Diet Coke and Diet Sunkist still play a major part in my day). I have no taste for pasta and only have to eat it come pre-race fuel time. And when I do, I get the whole wheat stuff.

I substitute turkey meat for beef and haven't missed red meat at all. I substitute fat-free shredded cheese (for tacos, nachos, etc.) for regular cheese. I substitute Weight Watchers sandwich rolls for regular, heavily starched rolls.

For me, I ask myself one simple question: do I want to spend the calories I worked so hard to burn on a fuller-fat roll or a regular Coke? That's an obvious no. Do I want to spend the calories on beer or wine? That answer's not so obvious.

1 year to go to reach Los Angeles

I'm now 2 years into my 3-year journey from Philadelphia, PA to Los Angeles, CA. Law school graduation for the class above me occurred last week, so that means I've got one year to go. That also means that I have one year to get to Los Angeles to complete my run across the country.

I've finally gotten out of Texas, no easy feat for such a large state. I'm in Bard, New Mexico on my way toward Albuquerque and across the state into Arizona. I'll be on Route 40 for the majority of the trip into Los Angeles.

At this point, I have about 37% left in my journey, which puts me slightly behind the 8 ball with only a third of my time to go. But, I've got just over 1,000 miles to go. If I average just less than 20 miles a week, I can make it to Los Angeles by graduation. As I've got a marathon coming up in September, I'll be getting lots of miles in for training.

Los Angeles, here I come!

Gearing up for summer

There's no time I like more than when I can finally exchange my YakTrax, long-sleeved shirts and pants for a t-shirt and shorts to hit the roads. After a long and very cold winter in New Hampshire, it's finally time for spring and summer.

But what that means for me is that I need to be careful about hydration. During the winter, I can do 6-8 mile runs without taking water with me. In the summer, I at least need to use my fuel belt. If I run over 10, that means I take my Camelbak. The rule that I stick by is that if I get thirsty, it's already too late, so I try to hydrate early and often.

The same 20 degree rule that you used in the winter also works in the summer. Your body thinks that it's 20 degrees warmer than the air temperature, so address your clothing appropriately. You don't want to over dress and get overheated.

The other thing seems like common sense: listen to your body. If you need to stop to walk, do it. If you need to slow your pace because your heart is beating out of your chest, do it. I've stopped a number of times and I'm always glad I did it. Your body is not just fighting the distance and the speed, but it's also fighting the heat and humidity. No reason to be a hero.

Philly to LA on Bike?

Though I had been planning to do this for a while, I finally went out a couple of weeks ago and bought a bike. I bought a Giant Defy 2 which is a decent bike, not ridiculously expensive, but not cheap either. If I end up riding like crazy, I'll upgrade at some point later.

And, since I can't do anything small, I took it out the next day and rode 9 miles, and then rode 40 miles the day after. Who says you have to start slow?

It was amazing to me how little I needed to start out slow. We use similar muscles between running and biking, but I didn't have any pain after the 40 mile ride and in fact when out the next day and rode another 15.

As for cross training, I'm finding that I can ride one day and run the next without any pain or sluggishness. On the running side, I find that I'm running a bit faster. I can't tell you how much I needed something to break up the constant pounding on the road. I needed it to keep my body together, but I really needed it to keep me sane.

I find that I really look forward to rides and to runs as well because I'm not doing the same thing every dang day.

My Record Calorie-Burning Week

Last week set a record for me that I think I may be able to beat sometime this summer when the weather is nice all the time.

This past week, I burned 7,873 calories--roughly 4 days worth of calories on a 2,000 calorie diet or 3 days on a 2,500 calorie diet (likely what I'm on, if I had any idea). To give you an idea, here was what I ended up doing.

Sunday: Biked 40 miles
Monday: Biked 14 miles
Tuesday: Ran 4.3 miles
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Ran 4.4 miles
Friday: Biked 14 miles
Saturday: Ran 16 miles

That works out to over 93 miles this week and nearly 8,000 calories. I suppose it makes sense that I'm continuing to lose weight and my pants that I bought 3 weeks ago are too big.

I did move my longer run to Saturday (but still biked 15 yesterday), so the numbers may be a bit high, but still... very happy with the results. The good news is that I don't have a voracious appetite right now. Though that could change at any minute.

The long run, the meet-up and the salt problem

I don't usually blog about specific runs anymore, but I had an interesting experience today and wanted to share it in hopes of getting some advice.

I did a 16-mile run this afternoon. I ran the 6.5 miles downtown to meet a friend to run around the downtown area. We ran about 3 miles and then I ran the 6.5 home for a total of 16. It was so neat to run to meet someone rather than driving. I felt very environmentally friendly today. I even stopped to hug a couple of trees along the way.

I made good time, too. I did 16 in 2:21, which is just under a 9-minute pace, and I only stopped to cross intersections. If I kept that pace for another 10 miles, that'd put me under a 4-hour marathon. Probably couldn't keep it up, but that sure feels nice to say.

So, here's where I can use your wisdom/advice. I've been taking salt tablets because I've come home "ashy" after long runs. I didn't have the problem the last time I was training, though it was during the winter.

I've been taking the Hammer Endurolytes. The bottle recommends taking 1-3 pills before and then each hour during the run. I took 3 before I started and then 3 more an hour into the run.

When I got back today, I was completely caked with salt on my face. It's never been that bad before. I practically looked like a ghost. I didn't have any cramping issues or light headedness, so that's good, but I'm becoming a bit concerned that I'm losing so much salt, especially after taking the salt tablets.

If you've had this problem before, what have you done that's worked? Should I modify my diet to include more/less salt? Take more or less tablets more or less often? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Running blogs - how and why

Writing this post takes me down memory lane to July 2007 when I started this blog. Wow, in a few months, it will be 2 years old. Crazy. In the blogging world, that makes me a dinosaur.

Side note: should we multiply blogging years by a number to make it more accurate like we do with dog years? 2 years blogging is like 14 years in the same job, or something like that. But I digress...

The how

Anyway, the process of starting a blog was quite easy. I use Blogger.com's templates/web space which is all free and I purchased the domain name from GoDaddy.com. You can link the URL to the blog in the settings and then you're all set.

Also, make sure that you set up your site feed so that people can read your blog through Google Reader through a feed called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Everything I read on the web starts from Google Reader which uses these feeds. Blogger sets them up for you. Make sure to put an RSS icon on your site as well.

The why

The idea of the web site was to keep me motivated to hit the roads as I went through my three years of law school. I knew that being away from friends and family would make it easy to stop running, and I have to exercise to keep my weight south of a hippo. So, I picked a route from Philadelphia to Los Angeles that I'd "run" over a period of 3 years. It is 2,736 miles (about 900 miles a year).

I could then visualize where I was by mapping my route across the country. (I discussed how here). I've shared the progress along the way and I'm currently in Texas (though actually located in New Hampshire). It's been a very cool way to keep me motivated as I try to reach LA by the time I graduate in May 2010.

And keep me motivated it has. When I started the blog nearly two years ago, I didn't expect to run as much as I have. I've run an ultramarathon, countless 5Ks and 10Ks, 4 or 5 half-marathons, one marathon and I've got another marathon planned for the fall.

Why do I do it? Part of it is self motivation. But a lot of it is being inspired by the people who read this blog and whose blogs I read. They (you) have inspired me to keep pushing myself to run farther and harder and faster.

The content

I was a little worried that I'd have nothing to talk about on this blog and that no one would care to read it. But that hasn't been a problem. It's amazing what types of things come into your head when you're running. I think 80-90% of my topics come from my time on my runs. Some posts are reminiscent of Seinfeld (have you ever noticed that... or what is the deal with this guy...), but others are questions that need answers. And I always get the answers from you.

I've also loved the Runners Lounge Take It and Run Thursday. While not every topic speaks to me, most of them do. And those topics send me down other paths and eventually I've got another post.

A good deal of people talk about non-running things on their blogs, too. What's going on with their family, job, etc. I really enjoy reading it, especially because I've gotten to know them better after reading their blogs through the years. But that's not me.

I'm quite private and I tend to stay almost exclusively in the running mode. Just a preference.

Running technology tips

We runners talk about how simple running is. It's just your shoes and the road and it can't be simpler than that. Oh, how we try to coax those newbies into running by mentioning its simplicity.

Little do they know that not only can running get to be expensive, but it's also not all that simple, or at least doesn't have to be all that simple. We've got technology to complicate our lives, and complicate it it does.

I started by using the Nike+ system since I already had an iPod and figured that'd be the path of least resistance. Fast forward 6-8 months and the distance calculations were all over the board. I did a 20-mile run and it only recorded 18.2 miles. I'd go for a track workout and it'd be off by a couple tenths of a mile over a short 3-4 mile run.

And recalibrate and recalibrate I would. But the darn thing just didn't like me or it wasn't a good piece of technology. Either way, I broke up with my Nike+ in favor of a Garmin 205.

I've been quite happy with the Garmin 205, despite its large size. I've learned to set it outside a couple of minutes before heading out so that it can acquire it's satellite. I've also learned to start it about 10 minutes early if I'm in a new city more than 400 miles away. It will eventually find the satellites, but it takes a while.

And it's quite accurate, at least for me. If I map out a run ahead of time, the Garmin is almost exactly on. I haven't had the Nike+ problems.

I've even had good look in cities with tall buildings or running trails with lots of tree cover. The Garmin has certainly worked as advertised. I like the running calorie count, time and mileage, along with the elevation. In all, I'm quite happy with my Garmin.

That said, if I forget my Garmin or the batteries die, etc., then I tend to rely on two web sites: mapmyrun.com and runningahead.com. While MapMyRun is good, I think RunningAhead is even better.

MapMyRun tends to require a lot more waypoints to map out your run. You have to go and click at each intersection and turn of the road to ensure an accurate distance. However, with RunningAhead, it somehow knows the shape/turns of the road and makes the adjustments for you.

Additionally, you can get elevation maps on RunningAhead. I used it to map my 48 in 48 run last year. It's free and I still use it quite often in new cities or when I'm trying to map out a longer run.

iPod as a to-do list

I've been struggling to stay motivated on the longer runs and have found most of my music to be a bit stale. The music's good, mind you, but I've just heard it so many times that it's lost its luster.

This past weekend I decided to let my lack of time and scheduled long run work well together. So, in addition to the standard work out playlist, I created a "to-do" playlist in iTunes and synced it to my fitness iPod.

The to-do playlist consists of new music that I just haven't had the chance to listen to. It may be a new type of music or a CD that a friend has burned for me. I only have so much time in the car and don't often get a chance to listen to everything. But, on those long runs, I've got nothing but time.

The one down side is that it's not always "pick me up" type music with a rhythm that keeps us going as you near the end. It hasn't been a problem so far, though, because at least it's new and I can concentrate on the new stuff.