Rockdale 10K 2012

I love 10K's, it's that perfect mix of distance and speed. You don't have to push hard most the race like you do in a 5K. You don't have time to take in much. Most of your time is spent pushing pain aside. A 10K actually gives you a little time to ease into the race. It's a perfect race to run stalk.

Some (a lot of) runners like to put headphones on and drown out their surroundings when they run. They say it helps them keep their mind off the pain and helps them run faster, but not me.  I like to take in the sights and sounds of the world around me especially other runners. I like to hear their labored breathing and the pat-pat or stomp-stomp of their footfalls. I like to check their form see if they are heel striking or mid foot landing I look to see if  I can tell what effort level they are running at are they pushing a 9? 10? I chuckle a little bit because I remember being a green runner. You can always spot them within the first mile. They are already breathing extremely heavy, mouth agape and red faced. I really enjoy looking at runners around me at this point in the race. The poor souls.

Mile 2 is the point in the race that I start to get serious. I check my heart rate and it shows that I have recovered from the first hill my breathing is smooth and rhythmic and all of my muscles are warmed up. I'm ready to go. There is a slight down hill as we turn and  run through a corner of the neighborhood park. This is where I intentionally picked off my first two victims after almost colliding with one of them, the 20 something male, that choose to stop right in front of me. I did a quick side step maneuver and pushed on to overtake his counter part a 20 something female. We round out of the park and head down another side street straight-away and I hear a man and women conversing. She's talking about keeping under an 8min pace will mean an under 50min 10K. This spooked me a little. I felt like I had just caught up to my pack of runners or those that finish around the same time I do. This would be bad I would not be chasing many more people down if I had already caught up to those that finish when I do. Thankfully she was just running with a guy that was a newer runner and he was huffing and puffing so there was no way this was my group. At that point I picked it up a little bit and looked ahead to the long line of people I was going to take out in my next push.

That next push came as we made two right turns and headed for a downhill followed by the next challenging uphill. This little section of the course is where you loose it if you go out too strong. You have this hill then in a very short distance you have another steep hill followed immediately by a light gradual incline for a good half mile. Nobody gave me challenge early on in this race as I passed a bunch of runners. Most everyone I passed had gone out too fast and was paying the price already. In the last 2 years I was humbled by this section of the course. Twice I wanted to drop out of the race and it was only 2.5 miles in. That's how miserable this can be if you do it wrong; however, this year, my 3rd year, I was ready and this time I mastered it.

The little excitement I had didn't start until mile 3 . This stretch is a nice mostly flat section that ends with a nice downhill that lends itself to speed by not being overly steep. It was this section of the course that I decided I was going to bank some time on. I decided to hold off a little on the start of the decline because I hadn't yet recovered from that last set of hills as soon as my heart rate dropped to a normal cruising pace I hit it and the runners around me didn't like it. I got challenge after challenge every time I sped up to pass I would have tag-a-longs. Tag-a-longs are alright if they come up beside you to pace with you instead of stealing pace from you by running on your heels. The first was a guy about my age with heavy footfalls and rapid breathing. I was more annoyed than concerned as I knew there was no way he was keeping this pace even if the course was all down hill. After about a minute I decided I was tired of hearing his loud heavy breathing and kicked into another gear. He quickly realized I had plenty of gas in the tank and let me go. Next I caught up to a seasoned gal that decided she wasn't ready to let me go so we ran shoulder to shoulder until the steep downhill where I was able to manage the slope better and break free. She was a small thing and was in much better shape than I, but time is a tougher adversary than me and that alone was my advantage.

At the bottom of the hill I knew I was going have to back off and recover from that little game of speed play. The monster hill was coming soon and I would need to save some energy to make it up. I turned the corner and started up the toughest hill on the course a grueling 3/4 mile climb up a 4% grade. I was hoping for better performance up the hill, but settled for forward motion that didn't include walking. This was the only spot on the course that I got passed and I was not happy. Finally with the last hill out of the way it was time to get down to business. I did a quick heart rate check and noticed that it was still up and realized that it wasn't going to come down anytime soon and I I didn't have time to wait for it the end was drawing near. I pressed on giving chase to the group that had managed to pass me up the hill. On the hill I decided to let anyone pass that wanted to I'll catch back up at the top. There were 2 guys that passed me, tall and lanky. The kind of guys that look like runners. One had asked the other if he was ready for the hill. The other didn't answer they just put their heads down and went. They put a pretty good gap between me and them and it wasn't until the final stretch that I caught up to them. We turned the corner and it was on.

You could see the finish as you rounded that final corner coming off a decent downhill where you really had to control your speed and step due to the steepness. While I'm usually quick down those kinds of hills the pack in front of me was just as quick. The problem with that final stretch is that it's long. It's a good half mile to the finish. The good news is  my strongest running is always done in the last half mile. I can convenience myself that the faster I go the quicker the pain will be over. As I picked it up I passed a guy that had been walking. I suspect he had been run-walking for a bit at this point and with that kind of recovery you can muster some good speed between walks. The problem was he decided I wasn't going to pass him. That he would just stay a tad in front of me no matter how I tried to push ahead. Thankfully his tank ran out before we got to the finish line and I was able to pull away just as we crossed the 6 mile marker with .25 left to go I spotted my running group friends that where cheering me on. That helped engage the after burners and I dropped the hammer and passed 2 more runners before crossing the finish line.

My final time was a 47:14 and is the fastest time I completed this course by over a minute. My race strategy worked with the hills and it always helps to be running people down.

Winter 2011 - 2012

This first catch up post brings us back to the end of last year and beginning of this year. The winter of 2010-11 was a miserable snowy one and I was prepared for another bout of snowy misery in 2011-12; however, mother nature had different plans and we ended up with warm average temps and almost no snow. Ideal for running. Too bad it didn't fit into my plans.

I finished the 2011 season off on November 13th with a new 8K PR. It was a great way to wrap up an exciting year of running. I finished my first marathon and went to school to become a personal trainer. That's when my passion for all things fitness really exploded.

With winter nearing and my new knowledge of fitness training I decided to focus on more aerobic strength training. I had seen a nice gain from Insanity back in May and June that I thought it would be great to do another round. As I said I planned for another snowy, icy, cold winter which meant I wouldn't be able to run outside anyway. In fact I had made plans to do a lot of cross country skiing along with aerobic strength training. Turns out you need snow to do that, but I digress. So after that last run I jumped right into the workouts. I logged zero miles from November 19th to January 31st, but was super consistent with my workouts. Due to the holiday's I didn't lose any weight.

The most amazing part of my winter was the opportunity I was given to put my newly acquired trainer skills to use. I led a group of 20 people, of various ages and abilities, through 16 weeks of group fitness training. It was a lot more fun and fulfilling than I ever thought it could be. It had some challenges, but that's what keeps things interesting right? The biggest challenge was the lack of equipment. We had resistance bands and that was about it. Most of the moves were body weight orientated. Keeping things new and fresh was hard, but I got a lot of great feedback from the participants. What's even more exciting is I will likely get the opportunity to do it again this winter. I'm already in planning mode. It reminds me of setting up my training plans for running. Planning is half the fun!

That's pretty much the skinny on my winter. Next up spring training.

Where to resume...

I find it humorous that my last post was about motivation and then 9 months of silence. I assure you I have not lost any motivation in fact quite the opposite is true. I've been more motivated than ever. I have a lot of stories to catch you up on and I promise to get to them in short order.

Motivation. Here today, gone tomorrow

 Ever notice how easy it is to have motivation for one day? You see something that inspires you or you are just in the mood so you take action. Yeah... that happens a lot to me too. If you could see all the books I've bought in the last couple of years and ask me how many of them I've finished. Zero, maybe one. I do really good for that first day. I might even make it through a whole chapter. The next day I might look at the book and actually think about picking it up. I might even read the back cover again or flip through a couple pages, but by the weekend the book is sitting on the counter under a pile of junk mail. When enough time passes and the guilt slips away I finally put the book on the bookshelf and forget about it.

Thankfully when it comes to working working out I have a stronger will. I've realized that it takes a serious commitment to change. That serious commitment comes at a price. It's going to take time, planning and energy. For planning it's one thing at a time. I've mentioned in a previous post all the successful behavioral changes I've made in my life. I certainly didn't do them all at the same time. A couple managed to overlap, but the initial focus was singular. Truth is I'm still working on some of those changes. I really want to lean out and get even fitter. It was a long journey to lose the 50+ pounds and now that I've stabilized it's going to take another commitment of time, focus and planning to reach the next goal. Financially I'm not a millionaire yet I still have my house to pay off and that's going to take at least 7 more years and then I can really start saving.

It also helps to realize there is nothing wrong with stopping along the way to take a breather once you reach a step towards your greater goal. In fact, you should plan to. I think a lot of us believe that if you stop you'll lose momentum. That you'll quit and won't go back. Personally I think it's that attitude that breaks you. It's the feeling of defeat, however, if it's planned you remove the defeat. Making it easier to return. After all you planned to take a break.

When I set out on my journey to lose 50 pounds I put a time limit on it. That as long as I could push through to that date I was free to take a breather regardless of how much weight I lost by then. That date was 12 weeks from my starting point. I ended it up making it 14 before I took a breather and I hadn't hit 50lbs yet. I got through the holidays added a few pounds and set back out on my journey after the new year. 8 more weeks later I was at my goal and still going strong.

Today was day 2 of my continuing journey to becoming a leaner, fitter man. I've been taking a breather since July of this year, but all that time I've planned on continuing on once running season ended. My last race was Sunday. So it ended and I wasted no time moving forward. Today reminded me of the focus it takes. The will power. Motivation was here yesterday when I started back, when I was excited. Today I was sore and tired as a result of yesterday. Today there was no motivation just focus. Just pure will power. When it comes to working out I can tell you this, the first day motivation will pull you through, but be ready for the next day and the next day and the next day. They will be tough and you will want to quit, you will want to find excuses why you can't. Plan for it. Make sure you do it even though you feel like it.Be prepared to push through for 2 weeks. It gets easier.

Oh and don't worry. I'll get around to reading. It's in my plan, just one thing at a time. That one is going to take a lot of focus.

Motivation Mountains

    The more I've pursued a healthy lifestyle the
more I've realized there is this motivation mountain you have to overcome and much like running over a huge hill. You need enough strength stamina to get up the hill, but then you still need a good amount  in reserves to comeback down and start up the next one. It's in that downhill that we lose our footing and go tumbling head over feet into a hot mess at the bottom broken and twisted with little interest in getting back up to continue on.

As with anything difficult you want to accomplish you have to face the mountains. Simply wanting something bad enough is not enough to guarantee a successful journey up all the hills.There are a lot of things I want badly. With some of them I have attempted the mountain only to lose my footing and end up in that broken twisted mess in the valley. Desire is not enough.

I have beaten a few mountains. I've quit smoking, lost weight, and re-gained control of my finances. Those experiences taught me that when you tumble down you have to get up and get moving again no matter how battered and bruised you are or how many mistakes you've made. I've learned that it's great to have support along the way, but ultimately you have to do the work to get there. I've learned that as long as you don't quit and give up that you CAN make it up and over. I've learned that with each success comes confidence that you can overcome the next mountain you decide to climb. It's really a matter of perseverance. During marathon training I wanted to quit several times. Things just weren't working out. The weather wouldn't cooperate, work was hectic and I was dealing with some nagging injuries. I forced myself to continue. It took some doing and I failed a lot during training. I gave up on runs. I cut other runs short. I didn't do the planned mileage, but because I didn't give up I made it. I finished. I beat the mountain.

I'm in the valley of a couple mountains right now. I have the desire. I have the want. I have the ability. I have the confidence. I just gotta do it. Here's my list for accountability:

•  Complete my trainer certification
• Trim off a few more pounds and really lean out
•  Log some volunteer hours

Running is oh so Mental

A typical 10 mile long run goes like this for me:

Walk to my starting spot. Look at my Garmin. Look down the road. sigh out loud and then trot, trot, trot down that road I go. Miles 1 -4 go by pretty quick.

At mile 5 I realize I have just made it half way. This begins the mental break down. It's like I suddenly assess my body for the first time all run. I think to myself I should be tired. Are my legs tired? Does my knee hurt? Am I getting a blister? How are my feet? oh, they are tired. This continues on for the next 2 miles.

By mile 7 I've had it with running wondering why I decided to run this far today.

By mile 8 I'm ready to quit 2 more miles just seems impossible. Everything I just talked myself into in miles 5 and 6 is starting to come to fruition. I literally talked myself into a sore knee and blisters on my feet.

All of the sudden I hit mile 9 and realize I just started the last mile. It's like watching the timer on the microwave :59 seconds is under a minute the foods almost done! The same thing happens in running. You hit the last mile marker before the finish line and it's this moment of less than a mile! It's like this happy switch gets turned on. I pick up the pace, my knee stops hurting the blisters have disappeared and it's like I just started out on my run. All my aches, pain and misery just disappear.

That last part happens on every single training run I do. I wish it was that way in races, but seriously when I'm in a race I am thankful that I will be able to collapse and die in less than a mile.

I've been working on this mental issue for the past year. I nearly had it beat during marathon training when each run was a major chore and last mile or not there was no happy switch, but I'd rather not be back in that space. That reminds me of the time I wanted to be eaten by a bear. But that's, another story.

Chicago Rock n Roll Half Marathon 2011

Another 13.1 miles in the books. What a difference a year makes.
Last year I thought I was in my prime. I was logging serious miles and I was ready for this race. That race fell apart from the start. My GPS watch would not work in the city. The big buildings blocked the signal and I was left to figure out my pace on my own. The result was a a speedy 5 miles then I basically crashed and burned. I even remember the dreaded mile 10. Everyone that runs half marathons knows mile 10 is when trouble usually starts. It's the start of the tough miles. Last year was no exception. From mile 10 to 12.5 I ran some and walked a lot. I had been mentally kaput since mile 6 making those last 3 miles excruciating. I finished, I was happy and I said no more long runs for me... Then I did a full 26.2 mile Marathon.

After surviving that experience I decided that 13.1 wasn't so bad after all. Fast forward to my rebuild summer. I took 2 months off from running and cross trained really hard. Leaned down and gained some good lean muscle and increased my cardio performance. In late July I started back running, but kept it short 4 -5 miles and a total of 20 miles per week. I did 4 weeks of that before this race. I was a bit skeptical that I could even finish 13 miles let alone do it faster than last year.

There were a couple of keys to this years success. First my overall physical fitness is up 200% from last year. Second since starting back to running I've been training with a heart monitor. With the heat like it was this summer I needed to make sure my effort was correct despite my pace. This helped me realize that a 150 beat per minute heart rate was a very comfortable pace for me right at about 8:00 minute mile to an 8:07. Remembering last year my GPS watch didn't work downtown; I knew my heart rate monitor would. So instead of trying to figure out how fast I was going I simply let my heart be my guide. That worked perfectly my 5K, 10K and 10 Mile splits were right in that zone 8:01 - 8:04 pace per mile. Third I hydrated very well all week leading up to the race. I drank a lot of water. Now I have the ability to tell right away when I run if I'm even slightly dehydrated. It makes a huge difference in performance and effort. Fourth I brought fuel with me (I don't like GU they have for fuel on the course so I bring my own - cookies). No more toughing it out for me. When your body runs out of glycogen (fuel stored in muscle) your legs turn to lead and you are finished. Finally was my mental attitude. I figured this race was going to be tough. With no hard training leading up to this race I expected a hard struggle. When things got tough at mile 11 it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I told myself 2 more miles and I'd be done. Then at mile 12 I told myself last mile marker before the finish line and as soon as I passed it I kept repeating to myself "Less than a mile". Those miles went by fast. I was amazed.

At the start of the race I really wanted to run with the 1:45 pace group because I wanted to run a 1:45. That was my goal. I started out a pretty good distance in front of them and along the way they passed me. Once when I stopped to use the bathroom then a second time when I fought with my fuel belt. After those 2 incidents I kept them insight, but they were a good 30-40 seconds in front of me. That's an eternity in running.

To recap the race : As per usual the first 4 miles went by pretty quick and without issue. There is always a lot of chatting between runners in those first few miles. It's like people watching, but it's actually people listening. It's pretty entertaining, but by mile 5 all you can hear is steady breathing mostly your own, but those around you have gone silent. You are into the work of the race. That initial race day energy has burned off and you feel it. You also feel that you have 8 more miles to go. That means another 5 and a 5K on top of it. You quickly push that thought aside and focus on getting to mile 8 because at mile 8 you know there are only 5 miles left and 5 is pretty easy. You also know that you'll be at 10 just 2 short miles after that and that's when the fun starts. So that was me at mile 5 dreading that I had another 8 to go and wondering if I would be able to finish. Shortly after that I hit the 10K which meant about another quarter mile and I will be half way...yeah it's as defeating as it sounds. It's at this point you really take stock in how you feel and to be honest I was tired and ready to be done.

We turned down Michigan ave and I noticed we were close to where I parked the car. It was a huge temptation to hang a left and head towards my car and go home. I haven't quit in the middle of a race yet, but I have been tempted more than once. To make matters worse we were close enough to the finish line that I could hear the announcers calling out the first runners to cross the finish line. I wished that was me, not because I wanted to win, but because I wanted the race to be over. I could feel my form starting to go. My right knee was feeling tight and my foot started to hurt. I decided now was a good time to stop at a conveniently placed port-o-potty. 15 seconds later I was back on Michigan ave with my form back, my knee stopped hurting and my foot, well my foot was still a little sore, but I blocked it out. Then it started to rain. Ahhhh. That felt wonderful. It was a light rain and helped cool me down a little. The temperature was a decent upper 60's but the humidity was very high, comfortable, but high. Miles 8 and 9 were a blur. I had put myself in a zone after the potty stop and just held it there until I saw mile marker 10. It was my first half marathon where I was actually happy to see mile 10.

I told myself, "Self, this is it 5K left. I'm a 5K guy that is what I do. I run 5K's. I got this." Instantly I picked up the pace. I dropped the hammer and said aloud. It's on! I belted out my second fastest mile from 10 t0 11. The only faster one was the potty stop mile when I got into a zone. That and the fact that I stopped and wanted to make up that time. But mile 11 flew by quick. I couldn't hold the pace though. I started to fade as I headed towards 12. We were heading north into the wind and working against a slight uphill with some short but steep hills in between. Mile 12 was at the top of one of these short steep hills and I wasn't alone in my protest. Nobody around me conquered that hill. We all slugged up it and hoped we wouldn't have to walk once we reached the top. I quickly reminded myself 1 mile left and tried to hammer down the best I could. From a little over a half mile away I could see the finish line calling me. I looked at my watch and realized I had a shot at that 1:45 goal. I ran that last half mile in 3:48 seconds. I crossed the finish line stopped my watch and seen I hit 1:44:45. With a big smile on my face I walked over grabbed a water and proceeded to get my picture taken.