Farts, Burps, Chaffing, Snots and Blisters.

What a combination?  Nobody said that distance running was a glorious sport.  It is mentally/physically challenging and comes along with the aforementioned "things".  But you know what?  I love it.  I love it because it also gives such a sense of accomplishment and allows me to push and challenge myself all the while becoming a better and more skilled athlete.  Oh yeah, if you're lucky, you get the infamous "runner's high" too.  All these positives completely out way the negatives and helps to fuel my desire to run.  What's a blister here or chaffing there anyway?  Well, I guess it depends on where the chaffing occurs right?  Nah. 

Our longest team training run of 21 miles from the starting line in Hopkinton to the top of Heartbreak Hill took place yesterday.  The bus ride out to Hopkinton along the Mass Pike kind of put everything into perspective.  How?  Well, as the miles kept passing by and we were getting farther and farther away from our meeting place at Boston College, I realized how far we had to run.  A lot different than the out and back runs that we typically do on Saturday mornings.

OK, yes, I'll admit it.  I farted, burped, had a bit of chaffing, blew snots and got a blister or two throughout the run yesterday.  I'm human, and I'm a runner so who cares in the end?  But, even with all of that, it was an absolutely amazing and awesome run.  Nothing about it was glorious.  Nothing at all.  It was snowing, sleeting, cold, windy and wet.  A gritty run to say the least.  To be honest, that was all perfectly fine with me.  I think that this was one of my best runs at that distance.  It kept me on my toes and helped to keep my mind in the game.  Making slight adjustments to my overall plan as I the miles increased along the rolling hills on the course.  It was a great opportunity to, as our coaches put it, make this run a "dress rehearsal".  Which it truly was. 

I have tweaked and finalized my running plan based on yesterday's run.  I think that biggest thing that I'm going to do differently than in previous runs is to ditch the music.  Yes, I cannot believe that I am even saying that but I am.  The second thing is to not look at my GPS watch that often during the run.  Both of these changes are going to allow me to just enjoy and take in everything that is the Boston Marathon.  I have nothing to prove to anyone and everything to gain from the experience.  I want to take it all in and not be caught zoning out in la la land with my music.  Did I just say "la la land"?  Crap, I guess that I did.  I'm going to let my body and how it is feeling dictate my pace.  Not some arbitrary number that I just came up with when someone asked "What time are you shooting for?" or some number that I want to beat myself up to obtain.  Just enjoy all 26.2 glorious fart, burp, chaffed, snotty and blistered filled mile.

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

18 And Life.

Ricky was a young boy
He had a heart of stone
Lived 9 to 5 and worked his
Fingers to the bone

Thank you Skid Row for that 1989 classic "18 and life"!  But, what the heck does this have to do with running?  Absolutely nothing at all except for the number "18". It is the only song that I could think of that referenced the number "18".

 

This past Sunday concluded lucky week 13 which included a team long run of 18 miles on Saturday.  It has been great to train on the marathon course every week as it becomes more and more comfortable and relaxing every time. It has afforded me the opportunity to make slight tweaks to my strategy every week. A fine tuning of sorts. Back off on my pace on this hill but take that one a bit faster. Really concentrate on breathing through this this section.  Begin fueling at that point. The course has become second nature with all of its twists and turns. Heartbreak Hill is becoming like a good friend now. Something that I truly look forward to each week. It is no longer what was an insurmountable "thing" in the way of getting to the finish line. It has helped me become a much more disciplined runner by forcing me to stay focused on the fundamentals during these long runs.

18 and life you got it
18 and life you know
Your crime is time and it's
18 and life to go 

Wow, did that song really come out in 1989?  26 years ago?!  Running by all accounts is looked at by most as just a physical sport. However, as most runners will tell you, it is just as much mental as it is physical.  You're mind can really challenge you especially on long runs with a lot of miles.  There is plenty of time for your head to really start playing games.  That is why I focus on both the physical and mental aspects on the long runs.

This week's long run tomorrow is going to be 19 sloshy and drenched, but glorious miles in the rain.  I guess that I should start thinking of songs to sing during the run.  Maybe "Singing in the Rain"?  or "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"? or how about "Purple Rain"?

Until next time, keep on runnin'!

Monkey Business.

This past Sunday marked the end of week 8 of training.  Outdoor training has been a bit of a challenge the past two weeks with all the snow and frigid temperatures that we have had here in Boston. Yes, I have had to revert to using the old dreadmill again.  Ugh.  Not to be confused with Ugg.  You know, the Australian company with the fashion boots that everyone has to have (not the sparkly glittery ones though- sorry if you are wearing a pair as you are reading this- no offense intended).  I guess this year though, the fashion must have is the LL Bean duck boot. Sorry, "bean boot".  Not that I would know though. Just saying. OK, back to the "expression of disgust or horror" (thanks for the succinct definition Google)-Ugh.  I guess what I dislike most about running on a treadmill is the lack of freedom to get out and explore, the overall atmosphere of the gym and having the treadmill do part of the work for me. Darn it, I want the entire effort to be mine. Not a machine forcing me to move my feet by driving the belt below me. Nope!  On the flip side though, I do know that it is a love hate relationship with the old RunMaster Xtreme Turbo Propulsion Tread Tracker Max 5580 (I just made that name up if you couldn't tell. Had to have something dramatic).  There will be times that, for safety's sake, I will just have to buck up and pound the treadmill deck instead of the pavement.  Oh, that didn't come out sounding quite right.

There was a plus side this week.  It was the week's team long run where we were finally able to run up, and then back down, Heartbreak Hill.  I had drove it before. Oh, that one didn't come out sounding quite right either.  I road in a car down the hill once (that sounds better). That was my only experience with it before Saturday.  It is a pretty gradual hill so it wasn't too bad to run. I say that after having only run 7 miles before encountering it. Much different than running 20 miles and then encountering it like it will be on race day.  The highlight of running the hill was seeing the Boston skyline just past the peak. Highlight indeed. Well, then there was also the photo op at the bottom of the hill with Bill the gorilla who is the Heartbreak Hill Running Company mascot (the store is located at the base of Heartbreak Hill- very clever name that they came up with. The store that is). 

It turned out to be a fantastic and energizing 15.5 mile long run even though it was 10 degrees with a wind chill of -7.  I guess that is winter in New England though.  Once you get going and are a couple of miles in, you do end up warming up.  So much so that you end up having to unzip the layers to cool down and then zip back up to get warm again.  Zip, unzip, zip unzip.  Enough to make you go bananas!

Until next time, keep on runnin'!
 

Back In The Saddle Again.

Sunday, May 4th.  Two short weeks after the Boston Marathon. The day that I took the reins back and got back on that horse.  That full marathon horse that is. Neigh!

I was beating myself up ( figuratively of course as I didn't want to get charged with assault and battery on myself- how embarrassing would that have been?) in the days after Boston. In hindsight, I knew what went wrong and what I needed to do if I were to try another marathon. 

It was the Thursday after the Boston Marathon when I woke up and entered the second phase of the grieving process.  The "stop feeling sorry for yourself man and do something about it" phase.  The "get back in the saddle and ride this puppy like there is no tomorrow" phase. I wanted to run another marathon so that I could finish and have closure to the emotional scar that I inflicted on myself. I was in shape from the months of training and didn't want it to all go to waste. I knew the Cox Marathon in Providence, RI was fast approaching so I checked to see if registration was still open.  Hoping that it was but figured it would be closed due to the proximity of the date of the race. Luck would have it. The registration was still open. I talked it over with my wife and son and got their blessing (thank you Jen and Simon very much for supporting me in that decision).  I signed up that night. 

Race day. It started out rather on the cool side but then became warm very quickly.  The sun was out in all its blazing glory. It reminded me very much of that morning on April 21st. It didn't matter because I had a new game plan and was going to stick with it this time. There was a very different vibe for this race. I was much more relaxed and focused. 

The national anthem was sung.  A stirring pre-recorded version by Beyoncé. Well, maybe not stirring but it did invoke a lot of emotions. The pop of the runner's pistol.  I took off out of the gate, sorry coral, like a thoroughbred chasing victory. 

The course wound it's way through downtown, neighborhoods, semi-industrial areas, along the Ocean and down a rail trail. It even featured a "heartbreak hill" (elevation is the same) which had to be completed twice as it was an out and back course.  There was a lot of great spectator support along the way to give cheer and provide needed breaks from the task at hand. A special thanks to the couple blaring the Rocky theme at the end of their driveway out in the middle of nowhere!  

This race turned out to be much more of a mentally challenging race than a physical one. I found myself second guessing every single thing that I was doing. Every decision went before a judge and jury. Afraid that I was going to make that one mistake that would keep me from finishing again.  There were two points in the race that I let my head momentarily get the best of me. However, I knew that I had to make that short lived and dug deep to regain my composure and focus. That second time was not an easy task at all but I knew that I could, make that "had to", do it.

I finished the race in 4 hours 30 minutes. Did I want a faster time?  Absolutely. But in the end what was more important to me?  Finishing.  I had nothing to prove to anyone else except myself. I didn't have to try and best anyone else's time.  No PR to achieve.  This was my race to complete. Complete and bring closure.  Neigh, neigh. 

Until next time, keep on runnin'!