Have You Ever Lost Something On A Run?

Since I finished the Prairie Fire Marathon last month, I've been in a bit of a running funk, and that has led to a blogging funk.  Since I don't just like to write about my latest 5 mile recovery run, I've been at a loss for a topic that might be a little more interesting than watching mildew accumulate in the shower.  That all changed a week ago Saturday when my stupid-ass went out for my morning run packing my cellphone and got back home not packing my cellphone.  Now I have something to write about that's about as interesting as listening to Kim Kardashian talk about morals.

On Saturdays, I usually head out my front door to do my long runs consisting of a combination of 5, 7, or 9 mile loops, out in the country on little 2 lane highways or dirt roads.  Because I'm out for so long, I'll wear a fuel belt and bring along some water, gels, and whatever else my intuition tells me I can't do without.  Sometimes, like Saturday, that includes bringing my cell phone.  After all, who doesn't like texting their BFF while attempting 8 minute miles into a headwind?

After mile four I looked down and noticed the wide open space in my belt's pouch where my phone hangs out.  I started to panic.  That phone isn't just my personal phone, but my work's too.  I told myself there was a possibility that I forgot to insert said phone in said pouch before heading out, so I decided to wait till I got home to chalk that weekend up to being ruined.  In a foreshadowing of things to come, about a mile and a half from getting home, the battery in my Garmin went out to lunch.

I mentioned my running funk above, and this was not helping.  By the time I finished my 7 miles, my body was telling it had enough for the day.  I was still not 100% recovered from the marathon, and I probably overdid a workout leading up to the weekend.  I was starting to feel some twinges in my knee like I was coming down with Runner's Knee.  Oh well, because after not being able to find the phone at home or by retracing my route in the car (and not having a bicycle), I knew I had to go back out on foot to find it.

As I feared, I got to mile 4 using a walk/jog combination without seeing any sign of it.  So, I turned back around to retrace my steps again without any luck.  In case you're keeping score, my 7 miles has now turned into 15 - 16 miles, and I have retraced my footsteps 4 times.  I was pretty much dejected at this point.  My legs and knees were pissed at me, and I was hungry from all the calories I burned.

Back home, I had pretty much given up, but it dawned on me the bluetooth on my phone was turned on and I might be able to locate it with another bluetooth device.  It was a brilliant idea that has worked for others, but (spoiler alert) it didn't have a chance to work this time.  While my wife and I were out looking for the bluetooth signal (Search and Rescue Mission Retrace #5): I was driving, she was scanning, and our 3 kids were in the back seat bored as hell, trying to understand what their parent's were doing driving along the highway at 5 mph.  About a half mile from home my wife said she got a feeling to look across the street, and there it was.

As it turned out, the reason it took so long to find was my cell didn't just land on the gravel shoulder, but as it was falling out of it's pouch, the 35 mph crosswind blew it back onto the highway where an untold number of vehicles drove over it until it wound up on the opposite side of the road.  By the time we got to it, the Ziploc bag I placed it in was tore up, the battery and battery cover were scattered, the battery was ruined, and the touch screen was toast.

Well, I went ahead and included a picture below, although it's hard to make out much detail.

So, consider this a public service announcement to all my running peers out there.  Secure you stuff, or you might end up running an extra 10k or half marathon.  Lucky for me, the phone's SIM chip was intact and I placed it in a borrowed phone from a buddy so I was only off the grid for the weekend.

My Quarterly Report, Not That I Can Be Described In 3 Months

This has been one of my worst years as a runner. I wasn't able to run the first two months of the year (hip flexor), then I spent another month on the disabled list around August (shin).  In between, I've been trying to get back to a semblance of the runner I was last year.  I think those circumstances (subconsciously) led my posts to be more "public service announcement" in nature (ie. Coaching, Stress Reactions, Food).  Well, lucky you, now you get to read about some of my running exploits which have little to no bearing on your well being.

Periosteal Reaction

A couple posts ago I mentioned my right shin suffered a stress reaction (periosteal reaction).  The doctor told me to stop running for two weeks.  The update on that is, 2 weeks turned into a month.  It was probably prolonged because I kept cross training, but I tried to be careful and now the injury appears to be in my rear view mirror.  If the reaction had turned into a fracture, I would have been sidelined a minimum of 8 weeks.

Five minute mile on the AlterG.

While rehabbing my shin, I employed my coach's AlterG treadmill two to three times per week.  I set my body weight for 70% and I was able to run pain free.  I even did a couple 20 mile long runs on the AlterG.  To try and make up for my lighter weight, I set it for faster speeds than normal and got my heart rate into the Lactate Threshold zone.  I probably paid for half of my coach's mortgage payment that month.

I bring joy to some when
they see me coming.

I bring joy to others when
they see me going.

I've got plenty of dri-fit shirts to run in, but a lot of them are a solid color with no logos or "flair".  I like to express myself a little when I'm out running, and plain shirts just aren't cutting it. I decided awhile ago that I wanted a shirt for my blog, and so it was just a matter of time before I got around to designing a Limited Edition, 2 Slow 4 Boston shirt, and finding a company to make it.  I spent a lot of time trying to get the graphics right for the printer, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

Can I say I ordered shirts in
 three different colors if those
 colors are Black, White, and Grey?
The answer is not black and white.

Club logo used with
permission from me :-)

Last month I was elected President of the local running club sporting about 300 members. Most runners in the area use our club's website for the race calender and race results.  I think when it came time for presidential nominees to step forward, everyone else on the council took two steps back, leaving me unchallenged (and unsuspecting).  I'm tempted to embed a "Hail To The Chief" mp3 in my blog for your listening enjoyment, but I'll spare you, for now. This will probably be one of those jobs with all the responsibilities and none of the power or appreciation to go along with it.

My first marathon since last December, the Wichita Prairie Fire marathon, is now less than 2 weeks away. While dealing with my shin, I was only able to run 53 non-AlterG miles in the month of August. Come September, I felt out of shape. But then I ran a 55 mile week pain free followed by a 58 mile week, including my first non-AlterG-aided 20 mile long run of the year. My latest long run was 18 miles with a pace that equaled my marathon PR. I'm still not in as good of (marathon) shape as last year, but now I have some confidence and potential for a good race.


Surprisingly, I haven't talked about or promoted the Running Blog Database at all since I created it earlier in the year. Now it's time to mention it again. Most of my readers might not even notice it's tab sitting innocuously in 2nd place on my home page, or the big blue logo on my sidebar. Over the Summer I redid the RBD color scheme, and tried to make the layout a little more appealing. Every week another blogger or two adds their blog to the RBD.  It now contains about 749 blogs. Last month the Database page had over 150 views with a lot of those coming from other blogs who displayed the logo in their sidebar and linked to it. Thanks to all my blogging buddies who are helping to send traffic this way. Please check out the RBD if you haven't visited in awhile, make sure your blog is in there and up-to-date, and please consider linking to it on your sidebar if you're looking to add some "flair" (Office Space style) while promoting other Running Blogs to the general community.

I'll Get To The Point, With Bullets

1. Friday, I signed up for an Easter 10k run.  Before going into the store to register, I told my 3 and 5 year old kids not to run around when we got in there.  How's that for irony?  No running in the running store.
2. Last week, Nelly posted a link to an inspirational story about a coxwain named Jill Costello.  I found it to be a very compelling narrative that can translate into your own approach for running.  The article also turned me on to a motivational rock song called "Got To Do It" by Andrew W.K. that I am adding to my playlist.  What do you find inspiring?
3. I'm happy to report that my hip flexor that I injured right before Christmas was mostly healed by the beginning of March.  I've been slowly adding miles back to my base, and just yesterday I did my first speed workout of the year (7:24 pace).  My hip seems to have taken it all in stride (I like that pun).
4. I ran 48 miles last week.  That includes a 14 mile treadmill run, which is the first time I've gone over 10 miles since Christmas.
5. I've had 4 weekly sessions with an Active Release Technique (ART) provider for my hip.  Seeing as how he didn't start treating me until 2 months into my rehabilitation, combined with not having gone through this injury before, I'm not sure how effective it was, but I think it helped.  I'll be going back to see him earlier if something like this happens again.
6. I tried but failed to sign up for the Pikes Peak marathon (which goes up and back down the mountain) because it sold out in less than a couple hours.  There's always next year.
7. This weekend I'll be running a couple legs in my first relay called "Brew to Brew."  The race runs from a bar in Kansas City to another one over 40 miles away.  I'm looking at it as more of a social experience than a race.

My Nipples Are Out of Shape

Even though I've always been too busy to post every few days, I still feel kinda guilty that this is my first post about my running in almost a month and a half.  To my credit, I did spend a fair amount of effort last month putting together an interview with a local running celebrity who ran in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Part of my reason for not posting much had to do with me taking some time off from running thanks to a hip flexor injury that had me sidelined for the month of January. Like most running injuries, it can be attributed to too much intensity, not enough rest/recovery.

Starting last week, I eased back into running even though I can tell I'm not 100% healed. Just 3 miles last Monday as I wanted to see how the hip felt the rest of the day. I ran 6 miles on Tuesday, then 8 on Thursday. I had been keeping up on cardio so I didn't feel out of shape. However, it's impossible to stay in running shape when you're not running, so my muscles did get sore despite my workout's lack of distance or speed. Saturday I went to the gym where I ended up running 12 miles, and riding a stationary bike 22 miles. It was at this point where I looked at my shirt and saw my right nipple had been bleeding.  I can't remember the last time my nipple bled after only 12 miles (I don't think ever). Usually a 20 miler gives me a 50/50 shot at being blood free without Body Glide. I guess as my running goes, so do my nipples.

Another reason for being absent on the blog front lately is because I've been working on my blog behind the scenes. I won't go into too much detail at this point because I've still got a kink or two to work out; I'll dedicate a whole other post to it soon, but I have been developing a Running Blog Database (See the tab menu item). The easy part was getting it set up and programming the webpage for it. The time consuming part is populating it with as many running blogs as I can find. That might be a never ending task. I got the idea for it because sometimes I have difficulty remembering which blogger belongs to which blog when I try to look them up. Hopefully, other bloggers will find as many practical uses for it I I do and bookmark it.

Last but not least, Jill sponsored a popular Secret Santa gift exchange over the holidays and this is my first opportunity to blog about it.  Besides being 2 Slow 4 Boston, I'm also 2 slow to post about a Christmas exchange before January ends.  I wasn't sure beforehand if I was even going to post about the exchange, but turns out my Secret Santa really hooked me up and I felt it deserved mentioning.  Johann from across the pond in South Africa was my personal Santa. I found out that the South African mail system is about as screwed up as our political system, seeing as how it took the package almost a month to reach me. Johann sent me a Comrades Marathon hat, a South African edition of Runner's World, and a microfibre towel.

Gifts from Johann

One thing I found fascinating about reading a Runner's World from another continent was their different use of the English language, along with different units of measure.  Below I took a snapshot of one example where they used kilojoules to indicate how much energy is supplied.  I had to look it up but 1 calorie equals 4.1806 kilojules.

Excerpt out of Runner's World's South Africa edition.

Now that I've got a Comrades Marathon hat, I feel an urge to run the race.  It would be a good challenge.

Thanks Johann for the
Christmas presents!

The Importance of Being Flexible, Among Other Things

So, I just noticed that someone who Googled the query, "what causes a slower marathon than expected?" was linked to my post about my last underachiving marathon.  Thanks a lot Google for putting me at the top of that list.

Last week I was reminded of the importance of being flexible.  And I'm not talking about something out of the Kama Sutra, or turning the act of pooping into an ab workout.  No, I'm talking about forces of nature conspiring to keep me from hitting the pavement.

My most recent week of running started out great, much like the week before where I hit the 80 mile milestone.  Until Wednesday that is.  At 5:45am, I was 3 miles into my 15 mile run on my gym's indoor track when I got a page over the loudspeaker.  I was lucky to even hear my name being called because my gym has those cheap, old fashioned loudspeakers around the track that sound like someone yelling into a kazoo.  Turns out my wife Lora was on the phone and she needed me to come home stat since she woke up sick (strep throat) and we have 3 kids who have to have adult supervision.  And after my wife, I'm the closest thing to an adult in our family.  Honestly, I was a little upset/letdown at first because my run got cut way short, but I didn't let on.  In the big picture, this was the first time I got called home during a workout, and that includes the times Lora was pregnant.

Here's where the flexible part comes in.  I ended up making it home before anybody needed help, so I put in another 3 quick miles on the treadmill.  I could've put in more miles that day, but I was content to play Mr. Mom mixed in with a little Betty Crocker, and tack some miles on to the next day's run.

So Thursday, I planned on hitting the gym for another attempt at 15 miles.  Only one kink.  When my alarm went off, Lora was still sick  (who would have thunk antibiotics take more than a half day to get rid of strep throat).  Hence, no gym for me.  I must have a little OCD since I was a little frustrated getting taken out of my routine again.  Can you say Rain Man?  The good thing is we have the aforementioned treadmill and I hopped on it again for 6 miles where I had to stop and get our oldest off to the bus stop.  Then I came back and ran 9 more to get my 15 for the day.

Who still enters their age and weight when they climb on the treadmill?  As a computer programmer, I would love the chance to put some code into a treadmill that gives some feedback.  Someone enters in 24 years old and 106 pounds.  My mill could tell them their time would be better spent hitting some weights and eating something, or "Quit making everyone else look bad."  If somebody enters in an age of over 90, I won't even consider the weight, I'd have the treadmill put a little IM scrolling across the display, "You've put in your dues, you don't need to do this anymore.  Hope you can still read this."  Under the "Calories" column, I could blink the text, "Not enough" for all runners.  Finally, anyone who's been on the treadmill for 3 hours straight might get told to get a life, or that this treadmill will self destruct in 5 minutes.  How about, "Why don't you show this much stamina in other parts of your life?"  Hey, I resemble a few of those remarks.

What else could a treadmill tell a person?  Would anyone buy my treadmill?  I don't know, I'm just saying I've got ideas.

Now back to my point of being flexible...

Friday I'm happy to say was back to my normal routine, then BAM!  The weekend hit and it was all effed up again with schedule conflicts.  Surprisingly to me, the spell checker doesn't complain about the word "effed", huh.  Blogger must have sprung for the deluxe slang/urban dictionary.  I spent a little time stressing Friday night about how I was going to get my long run in:  Here's how my options played out:

• Plan A was to wake up early Saturday and complete the long run in time to take my 4 year old to swim lessons at 11:00a.  Didn't happen.  Lora went out with her parents leaving me babysitting our 2 youngest.  
• Plan B, wait until after lunch.  Run my long run outside.  Didn't happen.  The weather was nice except for the wind which was blowing 25 -35 mph with gusts over 40.  Running into that could be just 20 mph shy of the hurricane experience.  No thank you.  Besides, Lora wasn't back yet to watch the kiddies.  Next!
• Plan C, run downstairs on the treadmill again making it the third time this week I 'got' to be flexible. Plan C it was.  

Looking back, I was shooting for another 80 mile week, but with all that happened, I can't complain about ending up with 78 thanks to being a little flexible.  That is still the second largest training week I've ever had.  Here's my recap:
Monday:
12 miles total: 7 x 1 mi. intervals @ 6:45 avg., 3 mile tempo @ 7:30 pace.
6.74 miles in 20 minutes on stationary bike

Tuesday:
15 mile recovery @ 9:00 avg.

Wednesday:
6 mile recovery @ 9:00 avg.

Thursday:
15 mile treadmill tempo run @ 8:00 avg.

Friday:
7 mile recovery @ 9:00 avg.

Saturday:
23 mile long run on treadmill @ 8:45 pace

Sunday:
Rest

Well, less than 3 weeks until I run in the Dallas White Rock Marathon.  I guess that means I need to start thinking about a taper.

Training 4 Dallas

The Dallas White Rock Marathon is in less than a month (Dec. 4th), and I've been trying to squeeze in a few more quality workouts before I have to taper.  And when I say quality, I mean quantity.  Sure, I've been doing some decent mile intervals and tempo runs on a regular basis, but I also set a mileage PR last week.  That's right, how does 80 miles sound?  Does that make me a running octogenarian?  Allow me break it down:

Monday:
11 miles including 7 x 1 mile intervals @ 6:54 avg.
Tuesday:
15 miles recovery @ 9:06 avg.
Wednesday:
15 miles recovery @ 8:54 avg.
Thursday:
10 miles including 5 mile warmup, 5 mile tempo @ 7:30 avg. 
Friday:
7 miles recovery @ 9:15 pace
Saturday:
22 miles @ 9:15 avg.
Sunday:
Rest

My previous weekly best was 77 miles set the first week of September.  Technically, I covered all 80 miles in 6 days since I like to rest sleep in on Sundays.  That and it's my day to pray to God I don't get injured and tear an important mucsle during my upcoming speed workouts.  (BTW, the preceding week was a 66 mile one as I was building back from an October 9th marathon).  I started off last week nicely with the intervals.  That left me tired Tuesday for the 15 miler.  It took about an hour of running before I felt warmed up.  I got in 3 or 4 good miles before I finished the run in glycogen depletion mode.  Wednesday's 15 was about the same way except I felt a little better and my pace was a little faster.  I was a bit disappointed with my 10 miles at the YMCA on Thursday, but only because that morning turned into social hour and I spent time talking instead of running.  Nonetheless,  I thought my heart rate looked pretty good during my tempo miles.  Saturday, I was in no shape to go as fast on my long run as usual, probably thanks to the aforementioned mileage accumulation.  However, I did run 22 instead of my usual 20.  I read on the internet last week where it was suggested to do your long run in the amount of time it would take to complete a marathon, only run fewer miles and go slower, and that is what I did.

My weight has been going the wrong way lately.  Halloween contributed to that, but I need to get some self control and eat healthier.  I thought the extra miles would help, but I guess they only gave me an excuse to eat more.  Having said all that, I'm only about 3 or 4 pounds above where I was a month ago so don't feel too sorry for me.

Just so you don't think I spent my whole week running...  Here are some photos of a few other activities I did over the course of last week:

Went trick-or-treating on Halloween.  My kids are the 3 on the left.
Don't tell them I've been enjoying their candy.

Saw an 80s hair band called "Tesla"  with some friends on Saturday night.
The garage band I'm in covers their song, "Modern Day Cowboy."

Any guesses what this monstrosity is?  It is the makings of a chicken
coop.  The wife and I have been working on it for months it seems.
Hope we can get it done before Winter sets in.   It is also the reason
I haven't been blogging as much lately.

Have a good week!

Getting Back Down To Business

Well, it took about a week and a half after the marathon for my legs to finally start feeling normal when I ran.  Last weekend I went for a 13 mile long run as I build back up to doing 20 milers.  Afterwards, I took the family out to lunch at a local burger joint.  We sat by the kitchen where a couple guys were sweating over the grill trying to keep up with demand. 

Out of the blue, my wife Lora says to me, "You know what I really like?  Watching a guy in the kitchen, cooking."  That, by the way, was a little lighthearted dig at me for not doing more meal preparation around the house. 

I thought, two can play at that game.  So I said, "You know what I really like?  A woman who knows her place, and gets the laundry done on time."  That was probably the best comeback I could come up with on the spot, but it was at least true that she hates doing laundry and had been putting if off. 

I think a few other little meaningless things were said before she was all like, "Why do you always have to be right?"  So I was all like, "Well how do you think it makes me feel knowing that my wife is always wrong?"

It was kinda quiet at the lunch table after that which I didn't mind cause usually my wife talks a lot and it gives me a headache.  At least, that's how I remember the conversation, and if it's on the internet, it must be verbatim.  OK, I better stop there since she reads my blog, and if I keep going, she will probably cease to see the humor in my highbrow writing skills.

My lovely wife, Lora, who might be regretting about now
asking me to mention her more in my blog.

That story was a bit out of place for my running blog, but worth telling I think.  Now back to my regularly scheduled, and overly analytical post.

I have never done more than 2 marathons in a calender year before, but thanks to the previous marathon leaving a bad taste in my mouth, I have signed up for a third.   I just registered for the Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 4th.  Anyone know someone who's running it too?  Any bloggers?

This also means I haven't done 2 marathons this close together before now.  Not that it's a big deal, but by the time I get back to running 70 - 80 miles/week, it will be about time to start tapering again, and I do want to race it with a PR in mind.

Here are my workouts from the last 7 days as I prepare to run another 26.2 in a little over a month:

Friday:
5 miles @ 8:30 avg.
Saturday:
13 miles @ 8:12 avg.
Sunday:
Rest
Monday:
10 tempo miles @ 7:54 avg.;  10.15 miles on stationary bike in 30 minutes.
Tuesday:
7 miles recovery @ 9:00
Wednesday:
12 miles @ 8:30 avg.
Thursday:
12 Lactate Threshold miles @ 7:18 avg.;  6.85 miles on stationary bike in 20 minutes.

Total running miles = 59
Total biking miles = 17

Next week I'll start back in on intervals for the first time since the marathon.  Hope everyone is running some good races this fall.

You Got Questions, I've Got Answers

Thanks to everyone who wrote in wanting to know something about me.  I enjoyed reading and answering all the questions, so without further delay, here are my responses:

XLMIC:
Q:  Have you ever run naked? How far did you go? Was it enjoyable?
A:  Yes, on my treadmill, but not too far.  Not particularly enjoyable as I recall, it was a little distracting.

Q:  Weren't you in that porn film?
A:  Yes, I was all over it.

Q:  Have you ever watched one of "your" films?
A:  Yes, multiple times.

Q:  What barnyard animal is staying at your house?
A:  A Turkey, and not just at, but inside at times.  Long story made short, he doesn't do well in 110º heat, and neither do I.

"Bak Bak Motherfuckers!"

Q:  What was your favorite OTHER sport?
A:  Favorite sport to watch is Pro Football.  Favorite sport to play is either soccer or baskeetball.

Q:  Who got to name the kids?
A:  My wife and I went through some names together, and came to mutual agreements on all 3, but as I recall, I had to convince her of 2 of our kids names.

Chris K:

Q:  Do you really think you are too slow for Boston?

A:  Yes, I know I am, and the BAA lowering the qualifying times didn't help me, but thanks for your confidence in me.  I do have faith that I will qualify someday.

Q:  Who's the boss? You or the Mrs?

A:  I think we do an equal amount of bossing each other around, the only difference is the Mrs. ignores me more than vice versa.

Q:  Do you wish you had an "h" in your name?
A:  It is kinda a pain having to clarify at times my non-common spelling, but at 3 letters instead of 4, it's 25% faster to write.

Q:  How handsome in real life is Jim 50 after 40?
A:  Jim graciously sent in a reply which I'll repost for those who missed it.
Jim: Let me handle this one for you Jon ... CK - I'm not sure words can describe the pure animal magnetism and deep manly musk that this gentleman exudes. He bowls overhand. Dead sexy indeed.


Well said Jim.  I've got one more thing to add.  Jim went down to "The Virgin Islands", now they just call them "The Islands".

Michael:

Q:  Was it difficult going through life with your name or did it help get you chicks?
A:  Not too difficult, I can't really say that it's helped me get laid girls though.  I mean, I never went up to one and said, "Hi, I'm Jon Holmes.  Does that name ring a bell?"  Although, looking back, that might not have been a bad strategy.  If they knew my name then that could've been a sign I was trying to penetrate the right market so to speak.

Q:  Do you have any other major running goals (outside of Boston)?
A:  I haven't really mentioned it on my blog, but I want to run a marathon in all 50 states.

Jim ... 50after40:

(I can appreciate his knowledgeable and thoughtful questions about Wichita)

Q:  Do you wish you had more hills in Wichita to train on?

A:  Yes, this place is as flat as Kate Hudson.

Q:  Have you ever described yourself as a "Shocker"?

A:  Yes, I am a proud Shocker!

Q:  Will Wichita's airline industry ever come back to full strength?
A:  I think it will recover, but some of the jobs are going overseas, and like everything else, the economy has to improve first.

Q:  Do you ever go watch the Wingnuts?
A:  For most of you, the Wingnuts is Wichita's baseball team.  The Wingnuts have only been here a couple seasons, and I haven't seen them play in person.  For one, I'm not a big baseball fan, second they aren't even a minor league farm club.  Wichita used to have minor league farm clubs here.  I'll probably end up going as part of a social outing.

Coy Martinez:

Q:  Do you think that barefoot running / minimalist running is just a fad and that it'll go away? Would you ever run barefoot?

A:  I don't see it staying as popular as it is right now, but a lot of people swear by minimalist running, and I think there will always be a market out there for it.  I'm too scared of stepping on something sharp to run barefoot, but I've been wanting to try a minimalist shoe like the Vibram 5 finger.

Jill:

Q:  What's next after Pikes Peak?

A:  It will be about time for a fall marathon, but probably just the one in my hometown.  My travel budget is shot for the year.

Q:  Do you think Pikes Peak is going to be the most rewarding race you've ever done?

A:  I actually think it might.  There are more factors/challenges at play than a normal marathon.  The greater the challenge, the greater the reward.

Q:  Do you think you'll reach a point where racing won't hold the same value to you as it does right now?
A:  Good question.  I'm sure one day that will happen, but it will probably take old age or debilitating injury to do it.

Q:  What's your blog name going to be when you make it to Boston?
A:  I really like my blog name.  I'm not sure I'll want to part with it.  Now the way Boston is set up, I might qualify, but never get in cause the faster times get priority, hence, I will still be 2 Slow 4 Boston on a technicality.

Q:  When you qualify for Boston, will you actually GO to Boston to run?
A:  Yes, it will be a priority to travel there and run and experience it.

Q:  Finally, will you wait for my sorry butt at the top of PP?
A:  I would like to do nothing more, however I doubt I'll be in charge that day.  My family will have already been waiting for me for 4 hours by the time I make it to the top, and the PP website says we should get off the mountain as quickly as possible for both congestion and health reasons.

Fair Weather Runner:

Q:  Who is your FAVORITE Wichita runner?

A:  That's a loaded question.  I know Hannah reads my blog on occasion, not to mention a few others, so it would be unfair to single someone out.  Maybe if you and Hannah were to get in a ring and mud wrestle while I ref, I could come to a conclusion.

Nelly:

Q:  How did you meet Mrs. 2Slow?

A:  I met her on an internet dating site.  Back in 1997, that was kind of a new way to do it.

Q:  What is your strength routine?

A:  Lift as much weight as I can.  Actually, I don't really have a set routine, but I do try and hit the weights about 5 days/week while at the gym.  My main exercises include lunges with dumbbells, leg extensions, ab crunches, and back extensions.  I do several sets of each while increasing the weight for each set.

Q:  Have you had any other injuries besides runners knee?

A:  I got a couple discs out of alignment in my lower back, so I spend a lot of time lifting and stretching trying to prevent it from bothering me.  Also, several years ago, I was tapering for a marathon when I came down with a kidney stone.  I had minor surgery 2 weeks prior to the race, but still ran a pretty good time.

Peter:

Q:  When is your BQ?

A:  I wish I knew.

 

Pikes Peak Training Week
7/25	5	3 x 1mi intervals 7:00 pace
7/26	3	Treadmill 12% incline 13:20 pace
7/27	8	6 miles on track @ 8:45, 2 miles 11% incline @ 13:20 pace
7/28	8	5 miles on track @ 7:45, 3 miles 11% incline @ 13:20 pace
7/29	4	9 min/mi on track, 1 mile on 12% incline @ 15:00 pace
7/30	20	penciled in for 20 road run tomorrow morning
TOTAL	48

Q & A. It's My Turn

My friend Nelly (The Shoutout King) handed this baton to me, so now it's my turn to step up to the plate and field some questions.  As this 2 week old tradition goes, no question is off limits.  If you can think it, I can answer it.  Ask me a funny question, maybe I can give a funny (yet truthful) answer.

Do you want to know:

• What barnyard animal has been staying in our house?
• How I met Mrs. 2Slow?
• Have I ever ran naked?
• How many miles I've logged in a year/lifetime?
• What is my homeopathic cure for sinus infections?

In the meantime, and possible question material, here's my latest Pikes Peak training log:

Pikes Peak Training Log
7/18	5	4 miles of 3 - 12% incline, variable pace
7/19	5	3 of the miles ranged from 3 - 12% incline
7/20	7	3 mile warm-up, last 4 miles @ 10% incline, 13:20 pace
7/21	10	flat, 8 min/mi
7/22	4	flat, 9 min/mi recovery run
7/23	14	4 mi warm-up, 10 miles @ 11% incline, 13:20 pace
TOTAL	45

Normally 45 miles/week would barely make the grade for me.  However, I have to keep telling myself that most of those miles were done on a slope of over 10%, and running 4.5 mph just doesn't add up as fast as running 7 or 8 mph.  The 14 miler took me 3 hours to do, and has given my a bit of confidence for PP as my taper time is nearing.

Toto, I Don't Think I'm In Kansas Anymore

Forgetting the fact that I got in the family minivan last Friday and hit the road for about 16 hours, the first clue I had that I'm no longer in Kansas was the high temps here in the 70s or 80s.  In contrast, Kansas right now has to have a thunderstorm for the mercury not to top out above 100º.  My next clue was that there are lakes all around me.  Kansas, no so much.  My friends, I have made it to the land of 10,000 lakes, otherwise known as Minnesota.  My family is spending the week at a resort on a lake with my parents, and my brother's family.

This vacation isn't fitting in real well with my training for Pikes Peak next month since there are no incline treadmills, weight machines, or stair steppers in sight to get me ready for the trek up the side of a mountain.  However, I do have some extra time on my side since I don't have to go into work.  Also a plus is that this is a real vacation where I can relax in the lake or by a campfire and not have to run around to tourist traps all day following an itinerary.  What I'm trying to say is I'm lazy and plan on drinking a lot I won't need to take another vacation to recover from this vacation, and I'm still be able to get my run on.

We're staying at a resort called Sunset Beach for obvious reasons.

After the sun goes down and we put the little ones (and the old ones) to bed, us thirty-somethings can sit around the campfire, drink a few adult beverages, swat some mosquitoes, unwind, and bring up topics like peeing in the shower.  Apparently, my wife has never thought peeing in the shower was an option, and was surprised to find out I have done it.  You would think she would know me better by now.

I'm happy to say I've been getting a full 8 hours sleep at night for a change.  By the time I get up, eat a bite, and hit the road, it is about 9:00a.  In Kansas, the heat would be beating on me like Casey Anthony by that time.  Here, it's been in the upper 50s or low 60s, and I can finish 10+ mile runs without being dehydrated.  My daily runs take me by several lakes.

Big Pine Lake (the one we stayed on)

Nitche Lake

Don't know the name of this lake, but I thought the cows added
something to the picture.

Having the extra time and some cooler weather, was a good combination for my running routine.  I wasn't going so much for speed this week as I was for the extra mileage.  As a bonus, it is also a lot hillier here than back home, thus making my runs harder in a good way.

Minnesota Mileage
7/10	11	8.5 min/mi
7/11	9.5	8.75 min/mi
7/12	13.1	9 min/mi
7/13	0
7/14	12	8.9 min/mi
7/15	16	9.75 min/mi
TOTAL	61.6

Now that the running formalities are out of the way, I'll post a few family vacation pics:

My wife and kids raced turtles in a weekly event sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.  First turtle to the
outside of the circle wins the heat.  I was rooting against our turtles because winning the heat would mean having
to wait around for at least an hour for a semifinal.

My oldest boy, Colter, caught his first fish, and his uncle tried to get him to kiss it.

For those who like wildlife, we had chipmunks running around camp.

My adventurous wife taking her chances in water outside of a pool.
I will not comment on the lack of contrast between her and the raft, but
I'm sure it's my fault for not knowing how to take a picture.

Minnesota's state bird, the Mosquito.

Lunchtime with 2Slow's mom and brother.

My 4 year old, Hayden

We will be heading back to Kansas Saturday where I will have no guilt about my workouts here, but I will have to man up and hit the inclines and stairs hard next week.

One Kick Ass Day in May... The Other 28 Days, Not So Much.

My last couple posts have been about my relative success on the racing front.  First, I kicked some bootay in a 2 miler scoring my first PR (12:22) in several years, and placing 1st in my AG.  The next weekend, I submitted my photo to Webster's Dictionary so they could place it next to the word "awesome" after I set a PR by over 6 minutes in our local half marathon (1:36:02).  That was May 1st, and that was the last time I was able to run without being injured or fatigued this month.

Setting my 2 mile PR.  I just got this pic from a friend, so I figured I'd share it, even though my race report was a month ago.

I thought I was being prudent enough taking a couple days off after the half mary, but I should've slept in a third day because less than one and a half miles into my recovery run (running 1 minute slower than marathon pace) I got a sharp pain in my right knee.  I am no stranger to knee problems.  I've never had a serious knee injury, but it seems if my body is going to break down, my knee is always the first to go.  The next time I ran was about 7 days later.  Although I had been going to the gym every day, even logging a 2 hour session on the elliptical machine, hitting the pavement again seemed a bit awkward.  I thought my knee was getting better at that point, but about 10 days later I aggravated it again.  All the while, my fastest runs only approached marathon pace.  It seemed the more I increased stride length aka speed, the more likely my knee was to complain.

I almost went to see the doc., but I knew whatever Latin term he would assign to it, the advice would be the same, it needs rest.  Well, I don't have time to rest, although I would if that was the only way to heal up.  Instead, I took one day off, then started wearing my knee strap on.

I don't know why I didn't think to start wearing it earlier, but I have slowly been seeing progress ever since.  This past Thursday, I ran a 7 mile progression run.  By the time I hit my last mile, I was up to my 5k race pace. My knee by no means felt 100%, but I think I might finally be on the mend.

While I'm on the topic of knee straps, let me mention that the first time I ever came down with runner's knee was several weeks before a marathon.  Another runner informed me about what knee straps are, and even loaned me his to try.  Cut to the marathon, my knee was still an issue, and I didn't think I would be able to finish, but I gave the race a try with the strap, and I was able to finish the 26.2 miler without making my knee much worse.  In my own personal opinion, these knee straps are miracle workers for runner's knee.  Infomercial done!

Another oddity about my month:  My cardiovascular system kept wanting me to push harder, but my endurance (usually my strong suit) wasn't having any of it.  In other words, my heart rate and perceived level of exertion are rockin' the house, but after 5 miles, depending on the day, my energy is depleted and asking for a rain check.  I've been able to counter this a little by consuming more calories during my runs.

I've got a 10k race coming up June 4th, and I am planning/hoping for another PR, so I hope my knee will cooperate.

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Last but not least, I feel compelled to mention that I'm a closet fan of Oprah Winfrey.  As you might know, she pulled the plug on her talk show after her 25th season last week.  Some of her episodes weren't all that interesting to me, but others were very entertaining and/or informative.  Even though I almost never made it a point to catch her show, it happened to be on at a time when I tend to watch TV.  To name a few recurring topics of hers, I found the visits from Dr. Oz very informative and useful.  Also O's "Favorite Things" was always a wild affair.  "Favorite Things" involved her giving out expensive gifts to everyone in her audience and them going ape shit.

I did, make it a point to see her final 3 shows.  Maybe if I had seen more of her shows, I'd be more in touch with my emotions to explain why.  I won't go into any more detail, but now that she has moved on, I wanted to give her a shout out as someone who made a difference in my life.

Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day!

Pikes Peak, My Awesome Workout, and Some Funny Wedding Photos

I'll bet you didn't know I was keeping you in suspense.  So before you go mental on me, it's time for the big reveal.  On March 16th, I signed up for the Pikes Peak Ascent, a 13.32 mile run/jog/hike/baby steps up the side of a mountain. I'm not sure why I haven't blogged about it before now, maybe so I could have a big build up for today's press release.  I have had my eye set on this race for several years now, but I kept telling myself I wanted to get a little faster before I did it.  Well, I'm a little faster, so it's time to put up or shut up and run.  I logged in and signed up the minute online registration was available, since this race has sold out quickly before, and we all know how fast Boston sold out this year.  Turns out, the ascent hasn't sold out yet even though they are over their stated capacity.

As long as I get to the top I will set a PR since I am a Pikes Peak virgin.  The race isn't until August 20th, so I've got some time to worry train.  Anyone know how to simulate altitude sickness in Kansas?  Although it's only about the distance of a half marathon, Pikes Peak takes about the same amount of time (or longer) than a full marathon.  That's due in part to the average elevation gain of 11%, and the last part of the race being above the tree line (oxygen is so overrated).  I might not be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon yet, but this race is a different story.  By running a sub 3:45:00 marathon, I was able to get into the first wave, which means I shouldn't get stuck behind the slowest runners in the field while going up the mountain single file.  Maybe I'll be the bottleneck instead.

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This last week, I signed up for a local 2 miler on the 23rd, and a half marathon the weekend after.  Although I consider myself a marathoner first, I do enjoy the shorter distances.  By enjoying shorter distances, I mean there's more pain, but it's over quicker and you still get food at the end.  However, how does a marathoner train for a 2 mile and a 13.1 mile race one week apart?  This brings me to my awesome workout.  Thursday, I planned to run a 2 mile interval at just slower than 2M race pace (6:24 pace), kinda like a dress rehearsal.  It was tough, but I did it.  After recovering a few minutes, I decided to do it again, only a little slower.  By a little slower, I mean I was still running a 6:54 mile which is around a minute faster than my marathon pace and about equal to my 5k race pace.  After completing that one, I had to recover, but I felt good enough to do another.  By the time I finished my workout, I had done 10 miles total, and 4 - two mile repeats @ 6:54 pace or faster.  Honestly, I didn't know I had that combination of speed and endurance in me.  I'm still pretty psyched and knew I had to post the details.  I also figure that was a great workout for both my 2 and 13.1 mile races.

2 Week Mileage
4/2	17	8:30 pace
4/3	0	rest day
4/4	6	interval 8 x .5 mi @ 6:18
4/5	8	7:24 pace
4/6	10	8:36 pace
4/7	6	9:00 pace
4/8	8	10:00 pace
4/9	14	8:15 pace
4/10	0	rest day
4/11	6	treadmill incline 1 - 4%  @ 8:30 pace
4/12	8	8:45 pace
4/13	3	9:00 pace
4/14	10	intervals 4 x 2M @ 6:24 - 6:54 pace
4/15	5	9:25 pace
TOTAL	101

Something else noteworthy, I had a nice change of pace a week ago Friday.  Fair Weather Runner and I met up for a recovery run, which turned into an 8 miler after we ran the last 6 together.  I do a lot of my training without a running partner, mp3 player excluded, so to run in a different locale with a fresh face was invigorating and made the time/miles pass by quickly.  Our conversation evolved into what I can only assume all chicks talk about when they run:  shoes, spouses, kids, and last but not least, menstrual cycles.  Go with the flow FWR!

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I leave you with some wedding photos:

  Just so there is no confusion "Wifey" is airbrushed right on your ass.    Can I vote all of them off the island?  And the Duck decoys are for?  This would be less creepy if a veil was involved...  Try our new Rainbow Bridge Collection. Flip Flops not included.  Silver tube top wedding dress minus 2 teeth =  Queen for a day  Alice in Pimpland?  Jerome's grand idea.   Professing his eternal love for Tamika by stabbing a life size cake replica of her.  I guess eating the 4 Chalupas was a bad idea the night before our wedding  The moment you realize your mother-in-law is moving to your town  Camo tux. Nuff said.    I now pronounce you Jedi & Paduan    Kegstands...not just for frat parties anymore      Sadly, the Elvis Preacher is the least disturbing part of the picture  Seriously?  Who needs a limo. We've got a whole damned front end loader just for us!  Gravity 101, pay attention kids.  Was he liberated or captured? (Does anyone else hear the Dueling Banjos????)