A little distance from the run

Tomorrow will be two weeks post run and oddly, I feel the need to blog. Almost as much as I still feel the need to run (more on that later). Blogging about my training and my run has become an interesting combination of tracking my progress, communicating with my lurking friends, and keeping my head on straight. It's also kept me from becoming a complete bore (I hope) as I've discovered that there are few topics people talk more incessantly about than training for a marathon. One of those topics of course would be their kids and since I had fodder for discussion in both areas, I would guess there was little else I would talk about, were it not for the fact that my blog gave me one outlet for at least one of the topics.

Some thoughts two weeks out:

 The things I remember from the race seem random to me:

• All the kids at the beginning of the race. I must have done about 100 high fives in the first five miles. 
• Of course, the Wellesley girls. Yes it was loud. Yes they were funny. We were laughing through that whole section. But I remember very clearly is the sound after we passed them and how the roar of them reverberated for a good stretch afterwards. 
• Heartbreak Hill. I remember the last stretch of it and looking up and not being able to see where it crested because all I could see was people. I remember this family on the left side of the street  and running slowly by them; it felt like I was just out for a Sunday run.
•  Oranges. Lots of people giving them out and even though I had decided not to eat anything that people were giving out (Twizzlers, candy, oranges), I had four or five and they were great.
• Feeling great at mile 16 (where I hit the wall at my last marathon in 2003.  
• Feeling great at mile 21 after Heartbreak Hill when I had run longer than any training run.
• Feeling tired at mile 25 going through Kenmore Square.
• Feeling great turning onto Hereford (the block before Boylston).

The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team is incredible -- both the small staff and the legions of volunteers. Upbeat. Encouraging. Helpful. Friendly. From the moment I signed up to the Marathon and beyond, they helped make the marathon not just an event in which I participated, but an experience that I'll remember. They're reason enough to run Boston for Dana-Farber -- of course, the ability to raise money for critical cancer research is reason enough, too. 

In two weeks since the marathon, I've run five times. Mostly 4 milers with two 6 milers thrown in. I'm slowly getting back to my goal of 15-20 miles a week. My body feels better than ever now and I'm constantly looking forward to the next run. As I've said to many people, this is the first time I've finished a marathon and wanted to do it again. It may take a few years before I do that, and I might not ever do it -- the time commitment to training is a huge burden on family time, and the idea of doing 10ks and half-marathons might make more sense. Regardless, the fact that I've felt this strong (mentally and physically)  from about day one post race on is a testament to the DFMC program and the Boston Marathon itself. 

Happy running all,

MB

A Marathon Day to Remember

I’m sitting here in my 2010 Boston Marathon long-sleeve technical shirt and it feels pretty damn good. Yesterday was a great day (more on that later) and today, as the afterglow of running the marathon begins to slowly fade, I have the unavoidable feeling that a big chunk of my life is missing. For six months, training has been a gradually increasing part of my daily existence – of my daily thinking – that I find myself still thinking about my next training run; about whether what I’m eating for dinner will carry me through my run tomorrow; whether I’m hydrating enough; what the weather’s going to be like; what time I have to get up to get my run in; when I’m going to have time to post to this blog.

But that’s all gone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that it’s gone. It’s a lot off my mind, but at the same time, it’s a bit sad that it’s gone. Sort of like the marathon itself.

But what a day it was yesterday.  Some thoughts and observations.

10.  4:13 was the official time, but 4:11 was my true time when you factor in the 2 minute break as I waited to hit the port-a-potty around mile 5. Was I happy with that? Consider that it’s 14 minutes faster than my previous PR (personal record) and 16 minutes faster than what I ran when I was 22. Yeah, I’m happy with it.

9.  Wall? What wall? Marathoners talk about hitting the wall – that imaginable force that makes it hard for you to pick up your feet one more step. During training, I hit the wall at mile 13 of one of my 20 mile runs and at mile 19 of the other. I hit it at mile 13 of a 16 miler and not at all during an 18 miler. On my first marathon, I hit the wall somewhere around 15 or 16. On my second, I hit it around 17 miles on First Avenue in Manhattan. Yesterday, I hit it briefly just past the 25-mile mark and before long I was turning onto Boylston Street and I had climbed over it.

8. Weather, weather, weather. What a difference it makes. It was cool at the start and stayed comfortable throughout. In the 50s, with cloud cover and no wind to worry about it. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful running conditions.

7. Thanks Mom and Dad for giving me a common name. If you’ve ever run or watched a marathon, you know that runners put their names on their shirt so people can cheer them on by name. From the first step to the finish line, I heard people shouting Go Mike or some variation constantly. And I mean constantly. Whether it was for me or another Mike on the other side of the course, I don’t know. I do know that I gave more high-fives (particularly to the young kids with their hands out) than I can remember, although not nearly as many in the last five miles and not one going up Heartbreak Hill.

6. What a great cause. When I wasn’t hearing “Go Mike,” I was hearing “Go Dana-Farber” or more often, “Go Dana Fah-bah” thanks to my colorful Dana-Farber race singlet. Lots of Dana-Farber signs throughout the course and lots of Dana-Farber runners.

5. Speaking of Dana-Farber, the support and organization of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team is unbelievable. From the minute you sign up to the moment you leave the post-race recovery zone, you feel special and supported at all times. The small staff and the super-friendly volunteers are just fantastic. Thanks DFMC.

4. And speaking of Dana-Farber runners, special thanks to fellow DFMC runner Bethany. We started running together somewhere after mile 5 or 6, discovered we were planning on running the same pace, and stayed pretty much together until the end. It was a huge help to have the company and we both pushed each other when we were fighting through a tough stretch.

3. One more runner worth special mention: Valerie Bertinelli. The actress and former star of One Day at a Time in the 1970s ran for Dana-Farber days before she turned 50. (That's me with her, her trainer Chris, and fellow DFMC runners Missy, Laura and Micaela.) She had a goal of running a marathon before she hit 50 and she did finish. Good for her.

2. You know how they say the Wellesley girls are unbelievably loud and crazy. It’s true. Except they’re louder and crazier than I expected. 

1.  And finally, one last shout out to my generous friends, family and colleagues. On race day, I had 102 online and offline donations for nearly $6,400 raised. I’m hoping to get to $7,000 by the end of the month. There’s still time to donate at www.rundfmc.org/2010/michaelb.

I hope to post some more pictures and video here soon. Thanks to everyone for all their support, encouragement, good jokes – and to those around me the most, particularly my family, their patience and understanding.  It’s been a great run.  

--michael

Running Naked

I knew that would catch your attention.  But don’t be alarmed: I’m not running the marathon naked. The goal is to raise money for Dana-Farber, not to scare away the crowds lining the streets of Boston. But Sunday was the last day of running with my Fuel Belt.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, a Fuel Belt is a relatively lightweight belt with a small pouch and four plastic water refillable water bottles. On a long run, I’ll fill them all up, put some Gu packs in the pouch, strap it around my waist and take off. But the problem is: I never felt like I’m taking off. The combination of the belt strap, the weight of the water, and the water sloshing around – always felt like I was weighed down. Come Marathon Day, the Fuel Belt will stay at home, the Gu packs will go in my shorts pockets, and I’ll rely on the water stops for water.

And Marathon Day will come soon enough, just a week to go. That makes this likely my last post before the race. So, my final top 10 observations and comments for the week...

10. For those who have yet to contribute, there's still time to do so. Please visit my fundraising page at: www.rundfmc.org/2010/michaelb to make a donation.

9.      After the most comfortable 10 miles I’ve ever run, I took a 2-3 minute break, took off my Fuel Belt, and went out for 2.5 more. It felt like I was sprinting. That’s how I hope to feel on Marathon Day.

8.   Cool weather would help. I’m just saying…

7.   Not to sound too fatalistic, but it always seems to work this way: whenever I mentally need a good long run, I have one. After my bad 20 miler? A great 20 miler? After a week worrying if I was ready for the marathon, I have a 12-miler where I feel like I can run forever.

6.      If you string together all my training runs, I’ve covered the distance from New York to Savannah, Ga. 

5.  Savannah’s a real nice city but next time, I think I’ll fly there.

4.       There were 1.48 million new cancer cases in the US in 2009, and 12 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. I’d bet a large number would love to be training for a marathon. That’s why I run.

3.      And actually, some of those survivors ARE running a marathon. Now that’s impressive.

2. I’m glad I’ve kept this blog. It’ll serve as a good journal to reread after the race. But now, after six             months of running; six months and 24 posts worth of blogging, I think I’ve finally run out of things to say, except for this:

1.  Thanks for reading and for all of you who have offered up your support – financial and moral. It’s all very much appreciated. My bib # is 22564. To track me during the race on April 19th, go to http://registration.baa.org/2010/cf/RegAthleteAlert/pg_AthleteAlert.cfm?mode=preentry&snap=51214658&  You can get text or email of my progress.

            I’ll post again after the race!

And then there were three...

weeks, that is. Three weeks from today, I’ll be at the starting line at Hopkinton, with many miles behind me and 26.2 more to go. After my 20-miler yesterday, my long runs are pretty much behind me as I taper the training down over the next few weeks.

Some highlights from the last two weeks.

10. The past three Sunday runs have been 20 miles in the rain and wind; 15 miles of Newton Hills that started from heartbreak hill, ran back to mile 14.5 and then back and up heartbreak hill; and 20 miles yesterday. I’m tired just writing that.

9. Did running the Newton Hills help? Consider this: On a weekday run, I turned up Mt. Vernon street, a long and steep Beacon Hill incline, then ran down to the Common and proceeded to do a couple reps of running up and down the stairs.

8. No Gu. No energy. It’s as easy as that. About a mile from the end of my Newton Hills run, a group had set up a water and Gu station. Picked a disgusting flavor but it was just what the doctor ordered. Thanks to whoever manned the table that day!

7. Speaking of the doctor, the once problematic left foot remains fine even with the addition of some new weekday running. Tired, but fine.

6. Highlight of the 20 miler yesterday was the 10-mile mark.  I was doing an out and back route and so I stopped at 10, took some water and turned around. As I did this, I walked past a policeman on detail and two volunteers who were setting up a course for a 5k race. One of the volunteers, an older man in his 70s, asked me why I wasn’t running the road race. I told him I did one the day before and I had to do 20 miles today. He asked if I was training for a marathon? Yes, I told him. I’m running Boston in three weeks.

“Ah, great race. Great race. I ran it 7 times!” He still remembers the cheering past Wellesley and finishing the race with a tear in his eye. We shook hands; he wished me luck in the race and I was off.

5. One of these days I’m going to be smart and NOT run a 23-minute 5k the day before I run 20 miles.

4. Then again, outside the marathon, I think there might be few days when I’m going to run 20 miles in the near future.

3. Still, even waking up with tired legs yesterday, and stopping to talk for 90 seconds with my new friend at mile 10, and taking a couple other walking Gu/water breaks, I came in at 3:04 for 20 miles. My running pace was actually under 9:00.Could I do the remaining 6.2 in 70 minutes? Even if I take a minute break at every mile, I would just need to keep it under 10:20 running pace. It’s good to have a goal.

2. Any ideas for good pre-race meals? I know what you’re supposed to eat – complex carbs, protein, low fat --  but I’m trying to translate that into real food. So far, I’ve been relying on either scrambled eggs, wheat toast and a banana; or pb on wheat toast and a banana. Any other ideas that is NOT oatmeal. Can’t stand oatmeal.

1. Would have liked to have done a 21 or 22 miler before the big day, but an almost 19, and two 20s will have to do. It’s taper time.

Happy running all!

Why I run, take two

This week, a more serious note, about why I'm running for Dana-Farber and raising money for cancer research. (We'll get back to the running update next week)

My 5-year-old was sick earlier this week. Nothing serious, nothing to be alarmed about -- just a stomach bug that's going around.  He was sleeping restlessly on the couch downstairs when I wrote this and my wife was downstairs with him doing what moms do, making sure he's okay.  The next morning, he was back to his energetic, talkative, happy self. But at the time, there was little we can do but try to comfort him.

Those are the times that really try parents. It's not when your kids are acting up, or fighting over who sits where in the car, or who gets which color plate, or leaving their baseball mitt out in the rain No, those times are a pain to be sure, but they're part of the parenting experience. But when your child is sick and not himself, and there's little you can do but hold a bucket for him, or wipe his forehead, or give him a hug; those are the times that are hardest for a parent.

But for my son, this was only a bout of the stomach bug. A 24 ordeal that passed before he returned to his normal self. The fact that we knew it would be over soon gave us some solace, but it didn't do much to ease his pain or discomfort. And at times like that I think about how we, as parents struggle with this helplessness, and then, I think of what real struggle is -- of what parents of pediatric cancer patients must go through; what the kids themselves must go through. When nausea and vomiting aren't the illness, but part of the cure -- the side effects of powerful drugs designed to destroy the cancer.

We're making great progress in our understanding of cancer, and in the development of better treatments with less side effects and improved outcomes. But kids (and adults) are still getting sick, and parents are still struggling to ease their pain.

Can you imagine a time when that's no longer the case? I can. 

We're not there yet, but that's why I run.  That's why I'm raising funds for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. With every dollar raised, we're one baby step closer to that day. To help support this cause, please consider a donation.

It Wasn’t Pretty Folks, But 20 Miles Is In the Books

Boston Marathon here I come. Five weeks to go. 20 miles in the bag. Nearly $6,000 raised for Dana-Farber. Two plus really hard weeks of training; two plus weeks of tapering down. And then see you at Hopkinton. As always, thanks to everyone for all their support! Been a great couple weeks of fundraising. 

My top 10 comments from the week (okay, they are all from today.)

10. It was a miserable run. No euphemisms, no, “It wasn’t that bad.” This morning’s run was a long, wet, windy, painful, miserable run. There, I said it. 

9. It was a very, very, very wet ride. The weather started off at about 42 degrees with a steady 15 mph wind and light vertical rain. By the time I was done, I have no idea what the temperature was but the wind was 20-25 mph with gusts and driving horizontal rain. Somewhere around mile 12, it stopped being fun.

8. And I ran this morning instead of Sunday because today was the GOOD day for weather. I can not be serious? Oh yes, I’m serious.

7. Still, I finished it. 20 miles. 3 hours and 12 minutes, with about 5 minutes of that for walking through water breaks/Gu-ing up/resting legs. That’s about 10 minutes off my ideal pace, but I was fading fast the last few miles and if I had six more to go, I would guess that I would have run/shuffled them in about 66-72 minutes which would put me at Boylston Street (the finish line) at about 4:20, which would still be a PR for me.

6. I do get perverse pleasure from running in really crappy weather. Rain, snow, cold, heat? Bring it on. It’s what separates those who are training from the fair-weather sunshine seekers.

5. I’m looking forward to when I can be just a fair-weather sunshine seeker if I want.

4. Notice in my list of crappy weather that I didn’t say wind. I Hate the wind, and yes, I said “Hate” even though we don’t use that word in this house. Deal with it.

3. What I’m trying to get my arms around is how just 3 weeks ago, I could run 18.6 miles without hitting a wall and feel fresh throughout. And yet today, I hit a wall, at um, mile 2. Okay, not mile two, but really around mile 12-13 as I was doing my three miles around the track in an effort to prevent my left foot from hurting.  As I think about it, I did just about everything wrong to prepare for the run, stemming mostly from my decision mid-day yesterday to do my long run today and not Sunday.

·         I didn’t eat nearly enough for dinner last night. When I ate my last Gu at mile 17, I downed it like it was a steak. I was starving. But by then, it was too late and my legs had so little energy in them.

·         I didn’t hydrate enough either. Normally, the day before I do a big run, I’m pounding water like a frat boy pounds beer. But because I only decided to run at 3 pm, I never caught up on my water intake.

·         I didn’t sleep enough. The difference between 8+ hours and just under 7 is huge for me on big run days.

·         I ran with my iPhone. I like working out with my iPhone but I no longer like running with it. It may cut down the boredom to have three hours of Pandora streaming in my ear, but it distracts me from concentrating on how I’m running.

·         Too many laps on the track. It's a psychic drain to know that you've got 13 laps to do on the track. It was a good idea originally but its time has past. 20 miles with not an ounce of pain in my left foot -- plenty of pounds of pain elsewhere, but that's another story.

2. And then there was the wind. See above. There were times in the last mile when I’d turn into the wind and it would gust for 15-20 seconds and I felt I was doing everything I could to not go backwards.

1. The good news is that I can correct all of the above…. except the wind. Next week, it’s up to Newton for a taste of the Newton Hills and 14 miles with my friend and Boston qualifier (which is unfathomable to me) John. Then back to Barrington for a 20 plus the following week. I hope the wind dies down by then.

Happy running.

Confidence

With six weeks to go from tomorrow, I finally found something I've been missing for the last four weeks. Confidence.
I didn't realize how important it was to have a completely solid long run until I had one. On the heels of a successful 18.6 mile run a week and a half ago, I find myself thinking about my running differently. It's not about can I finish 16 or 18; it's about what should I run and how should I pace it. It's not about being nervous about an upcoming 20; it's about whether I'll be able to do some strides in the last mile of that run. It's all about confidence.

That said, the last few weeks haven't been without challenges. Some observations from the training (and fundraising) trail.

10. What a day for fundraising! On the heels of my latest email update, I raised about $800 in the last 24 hours. Wow! Just when I thought I couldn't be more amazed at my friends and family's generosity, I have a day like today. Thanks all!

9. Strangely, as resistant as I was to switch from shorts to runners tights (or whatever you call them) when the temps started dropping last fall, I find myself bizarrely reluctant to make the switch back to shorts now that spring is near.

8. Colds suck. Luckily, mine hit hardest on my first scheduled off day in a week. Unfortunately, that became three days off as the cold knocked me out.

7. Still, better to get the cold now, then a week before the marathon.

6. After an easy 10 mile run today, I was feeling a bit guilty for not running more -- so I jumped on the exercise bike for six miles at the end. It was like a biathlon -- except without the cross country skiing and the shooting.

5. And now for the hard stuff. Next three weeks will include two 20-mile runs sandwiching a 14-miler with my friend John on the Newton Hills. After that, it will be April and time to taper down and get the body rested and ready for the 19th.

4. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge singlets arrived. They are, in a word: Bright. And in another word: Cool.

3. I still think four hours may be a bit beyond my reach, but I'm not ruling it out.

2.  So my plan has been to keep the left foot rested by running only on the weekends, with the weekday workouts being restricted to arc strider workouts. Is it working? Well, I was a bit annoyed the other night when I was about 10 minutes into my arc strider workout and my foot started hurting. Damn, I thought. Until I realized... it was my RIGHT foot that hurt.  Nothing serious at all.

1. Oh, and the left foot? Fine, thank you.

Happy running!

18 in the books!

If it wasn't for Dana-Farber and the Marathon Challenge, I'm not sure I would have gotten this far. With my struggles in the past 4-6 weeks, I've had plenty of opportunities to say, "I don't think I should keep going."
But since October, as you know, I haven't just been training, I've also been trying to raise money for cancer research at Dana-Farber. So when I hit a training dead end -- usually because of my left foot -- I've simply looked for another path to the start (and finish) line.

My new formula of weekend long runs and weekday cardio work on arc trainers and bikes paid off today. 18.6 miles at a solid 9 minute pace with a new pair of Brooks running shoes, custom fit at my fave running store, Rhode Runner. They've got some new software that records you as you run on the treadmill. So I tried on a couple different brands -- and compared my running stride in my current New Balances side by side with my stride in a pair of Sauconys; and then did the same with the Brooks. And not only did the Brooks feel better; they also helped keep my stride straight. It's the first time I've ever run in Brooks but the proof was on this morning's run. My left foot had only the slightest issue now and again, but for the most part, it was a non issue. With seven weeks left, I'm feeling confident that my it will hold out.

One thing I discovered watching the tape of my stride is that I have a little glitch in my right foot where the points out and heel turns in for a second, just before it straightens out and lands.

The net result is that I occasionally kick the inside of my left ankle, which over 18 miles makes for a nice imitation of Curt Schilling's bloody sock. It's a little cut and not quite a stitched together tendon, but there you have it.

Happy running!

The Way 10 Oughta Feel

Maybe it was that I was wearing my Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge running shirt. Maybe it was the fact that it was in the mid twenties with only a light wind. Maybe it was the fact that the Boston Marathon is only two months away. But Saturday's 10 miler was the way a 10-miler should feel this far into my run. Not bad considering my last run was on Tuesday. The reason for the gap? Once again, my left foot. I had a good 16 miler last Sunday -- right on target at about 2:20 (even if the last 1.5-2.0 were definitely slow) but my left foot started acting up toward the end. Then, on a decent 6-mile run, same problem. 

So I spent much of the second half of the week wondering how to deal with it? It's a fine line, as I've said before, between pushing through an ache, and pushing an ache into a run-stopping injury. Do I push through with my regular schedule? Do I cut back on the long runs? Hit the gym for the arc trainer? The only answer I knew for sure is that I wasn't going to throw in the towel. I decided, in the end, to adopt a schedule where I make sure I do my weekend long run, and then use the weekdays for whatever cardio work my foot can deal with -- even if that's primarily arc trainers. With this plan, I'll still get an 18 miler, and two 20-milers in before Marathon Day. Will it work? We'll see on April 19th. 

So, some observations from the last week.

10. There's a reason why they call it hitting the wall. When you hit it, it's like hitting a, um, well, a wall. And it showed up at mile 14.5 as I turned into the wind for my last 1.5.

9.  How strong was my 10-miler today? Somewhere around mile 8, I said to my running partner, "I feel like we're running downhill."

8.  Let's see, left foot has two bad toenails, two large blisters, and one nagging aching tendon. My right foot? fine, thank you.

7.  Got an email from the Boston Marathon suggesting I consult my physician before beginning on a training program. A little late for that, don't you think?

6.  Got a different email which discussed pace and time goals. Based on the numbers, assuming I can run a 5k at 8:00/mile, and a 10k at 8:30/mile -- both well within my limits -- then I should be able to run the marathon at about 9:15 - 9:20 pace, which should keep it within 4 and 4:15. Interesting theory.

5. At this point, I'm pretty convinced that it's not a question of whether my foot will hurt during the marathon; it's a question of when it starts and how bad it is.

4. That makes for an important 18-miler this Sunday. Think positive thoughts for me and here's hoping that keeping the pounding to a minimum makes for a strong foot this weekend.

3. Between that inspiration and Just over the $4,500 mark for fundraising. Thanks to all those who've supported me so far! Two months and more than $5k left to go.

2. I'm a far, far, FAR cry from an Olympian, but it is inspiring to see the athletes push themselves through injuries.

1.  Slowly, but surely, the temperatures are creeping up. I'm hoping the 10 degree days are gone, but also hoping that the 60 and 70 degree days stay away until after April 19th.

Happy running all.

Sleep, eat, run

I got a scary email from the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team earlier this week. It said: 10+ weeks to Marathon Day. Um, that's pretty damn soon. Luckily, it was a good week, but it didn't start this way. I struggled through 8 miles on a Sunday run that should have been a 14 or 16 miler, had a six miler on Tuesday that felt like I was running in sand. But then kicked it the second half of the week as my body got used to running again, with a fast 7 miler and a good speed work. Now I'm ready to tackle the big run on Super Bowl Sunday. 15 or 16's on the docket and I'm up for it.

Some quick thoughts from the week.

5. Food matters. Part of the problem with the run on Tuesday was a poor breakfast (without a particularly big dinner the night before). I was light headed when I started and that went away around mile 2 but I never felt a great groove.

4. Sleep matters. Part of the problem with the run on Sunday (and on Tuesday) was not enough sleep. Less than 7 hours makes for a tired run the next morning.

3. Food + Sleep = good run. Lots of carbs on Wednesday night, nearly 8 hours of sleep, and good breakfast (protein and carbs, and of course, COFFEE) on Thursday am made for a 7 mile run at 8:30/mile. Sure beats my 8:59 pace on Tuesday.

2. Did my first speed run. 8 440s between 1:36 and 1:39 per, with one at 1:35 and one at 1:40. I was really looking forward to the run and it was good to mix it up. I'm going to try to work that in weekly now, instead of my easy 4-miler.

1. Just when I thought my left foot had seen everything, a nice new blister appears out of the blue. This is manageable. Nothing a band-aid can't fix. And the rest of the foot feels fine. I'll take that.

That's it. Only top five this week. Let's hope for a good 16 this Sunday somewhere around the 2:20 mark.
Happy running.

"It feels like zero degrees"

Finally back out on the road to the Boston Marathon. My training for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge resumed this week, after a week and a half of no running (but lots of exercise bike workouts) only to be greeted by a stomach bug and sub-zero wind chills. When my weather app on my phone told me that it "feels like 0 degrees," I thought, "Oh, that's not bad. Let's go." That's just not right.

Top ten thoughts from the road this week.

10.  If you think you're running too fast, you are  running too fast. I couldn't figure why my 5 miler seemed so tough until I realized I was running at a pace that was 30 seconds faster than I typically run.

9.  I think running is an addiction. When I'm in full training mode, I can't wait to get back out there (usually) and if two days go by, I'm missing it. . .  bad. But in the nearly two weeks that I didn't run at all, I missed it terribly at first but then found it tough to get back out there, as if I'd forgotten how much I loved the running/ Now I'm addicted again. Looking forward to 6 am on the Charles tomorrow.

8.  Then again, there are a lot worse things to be addicted to.

7.  I was going to use this week's blog post to just run through an injury checklist; I think I could take up all ten items on the list. But then, that would be as much fun as when people start telling all the gory details of their latest visit to the doctor. So let's leave it at this: my toes, feet, knees? Just fine, thank you.

6.  Anybody have any ideas of how to keep water in your fuel belt from freezing? 

5.  There's a huge difference between running a marathon and being a marathon runner, at least in my mind. For the record, I'm running a marathon and not a marathon runner.

4.  I caved. There, I admit it. Friday morning, six miles on the schedule, temperature in the low, low teens. Wind whipping at about 20-25 mph. Treadmill.

3. 20 miles, my last long run in February seemed almost insurmountable until I thought, I ran 14. I know I can do that, and so I know I can do 16. And if I know I can do 16, I'm sure I can do two more miles. So 18 is doable. And if 18 is doable, I'll somehow make it through 20.

2. Don't talk to me about the other 6.2 miles quite yet.

1. It's amazing, people's generosity. Even as people were opening up their hearts and wallets to help devastated Haiti, they still donated to my run. Thank you everyone.

Happy Running.

Back in Business

I'm happy to report that my training for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge is back on!  Well, it was never really off, but for the last 10 days, I haven't run, which when you're training for a marathon, is a bit of a hindrance. It's been 10 days (well, actually 9 as I took a day off) of stationary bike riding.

But today, after an early visit to my orthopedic/sports medicine physician's assistant, he confirmed what I hoped he would confirm: the problem with my left foot was most likely not a stress fracture. Could be a variety of minor issues (key word "minor") and with regular ice, stretching, I can get back to the road, and with 86 days left to Marathon Day, that's a huge relief.  So here's what I've learned from a week off the road.

10. It only took me about 2 or 3 sessions on the bike to realize why I'm running a marathon and not riding in the Pan Mass Challenge. Bike riders will say that it's a lot harder to run 26.2 miles than it is to ride 190 miles in two days. I'm not sure about that. I can't even imagine riding 90-100 miles a day, for two days back to back.

9. Then again, I didn't think I could ride a bike for nearly two hours straight, but I did. Not saying it was fun but I did it.

8. One thing the stationary bike has over a treadmill? You can tweet from your iPhone on a stationary bike. Who knew?

7. 15 minutes, 1.7 miles on the treadmill. Best run ever? Maybe not, but after nine days of not running, tonight's tentative tiptoe on the treadmill sure felt like my best run. Ever since I left the doctor's office this morning, I had been looking forward to the treadmill tonight.

6. So the plan is 50% running this week leading up to an 8-miler next Sunday and if no problems, I'm back full tilt the following week, which means 16-18 miles two weeks from now. Bring it on.

5. Figures it's been relatively mild out this past week. Oh well, if it stays above 10 and the road's passable, I'll be out there.

4. The bike may be easy on the feet and knees, but it's a pain in the butt. Literally.

3. The running went on hiatus for a week, but the fundraising kept going. I officially went over the $4k mark this last week - 3 months to train, $6k left to raise.

2.  I always knew that running was a part of me, but this week proved that to me. The toughest thing about not running for the last week and a half wasn't doing the bike, or taking the week plus off running, it was the thought of possibly not running for 6-8 weeks.

1. My many thanks to everyone for their well wishes as I moped through this last week and a half. All those crossed fingers must've worked.

Happy running everyone.

My Toughest Week

As my training for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge continues, this week the focus of my Sunday ramblings is, well, my left foot. I haven't run since Tuesday, a very comfortable 6+ mile run at about an 8:30/8:35 pace and that afternoon, my left foot starting hurting a bit. By the end of the evening, it was hurting a bit more and by Wednesday morning, I knew I wasn't going to be running for a little bit.

At this point, I'm still not sure whether it's a stress fracture or just a sprain but judging how well it's responded to rest (as in no running) and ibuprofen (by Thursday, I barely remembered that my foot was hurt), I'm hoping that it's just a sprain. A stress fracture would have me off the road until the end of February, which would still give me 7-8 weeks to get ready. If it's just a sprain, I'm hoping to be running in another week. Not ideal, but either way, with bike and elliptical work, I'll  just do my best to keep progressing until I can run again. We'll see an orthopedist on Friday and see where to go from there.

Needless to say, it's been a tough week. Some thoughts.

10.  I'm constantly reminded at how simultaneously fragile and resilient the body is; it didn't take much to shut me down, but then again, it didn't take long for my body to bounce back.

9. Let's here it for Vitamin I, as in ibuprofen. (Thanks Chris, I stole that from you.)

8.  Man, it's boring riding a stationary bike.

7. Thank you NPR for entertainment -- Car Talk and Wait Wait back to back cuts the boredom. . .  a little

6.  The trickiest part about riding the bike is trying to find out what the equivalent workout is. I have no idea how to translate xx miles at xx pace into minutes and levels on a bike. If anyone has a clue, let me know.

5.  Go donors! Officially over the $4k mark now, almost half way to the fundraising goal. That was an important milestone to pass this week. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Definitely brought it into perspective about why I'm doing this. Not to be too cliche here, but there are cancer patients out there who'd be thrilled to be able to ride a bike. If I can't run for six weeks, I'll figure it out.

4.  And then there's Haiti. Talk about perspective.

3.  One benefit about riding a bike? It's a lot easier to eat Gu on a stationary bike than it is when you're running.

2.  Even still, I'll take running -- on the streets, on a track, on a treadmill -- over a stationary bike ANY DAY.

1.  Think positive thoughts for next Friday. Here's hoping the orthopedist says, "Nah, not a stress fracture. Go ahead and run."

Happy Running!
-michael

Now we wait. It seems like i have a possible stress fracture or sprain of my left foot. If it's a stress fracture, then it's no running for six weeks. Not much I can do about that except hit the bike hard and get back out there when the foot heals.
I'll take it as a positive sign from the universe that both my nurse practioner and rad tech were marathon runners. I'm not going to let this setback stop me!

Let's keep that wind chill above zero, okay?

Another post. Another week of training for my Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge, and a very good one on both the running and the fundraising fronts. As the countdown to the 2010 Boston Marathon continues, here's this week's worth of thoughts and training updates.

• 14 miles in 15 degree weather on Sunday. Luckily, no serious wind. to speak of. The first 5 or so were at about 8:35-8:40 but slowed down for the last couple and ended at a respectable 2:02 which is about an 8:46 pace. Even if I ran the last 12 at 9 minutes, I'd still be under 4 hours. Next week will be a big test to see if I can hold the pace for 16 miles!
   
• Have to admit my most used iPhone app is The Weather Channel app. One click and I know what to wear on my morning run. If you know of any other good running-based apps, let me know.
  
• Speaking of which, 22 degrees is the forecast for tomorrow am and I'm thinking, "Good. It'll be warm." So, tell me, when did 22 degrees become warm??
  
• It's addictive, this running thing. Sunday night I was thinking, "ugh, do I have to run again on Tuesday?" By lunch time on Monday, I'm thinking: "Can't wait to my run tomorrow morning." By dinner time, I'm thinking about doing a tempo run.
   
• Thanks to all my donors for a fantastic week for fundraising. You've gotten me real close to the $4k mark!  Almost half way to my goal of raising $10k.  My fundraising page is here.
   
• Found out I'll have good company on race day. Valerie Bertinelli's running for Dana-Farber, too. No word on what her projected time is but I hope she's planning on running my pace. It'll be entertaining to be running along side her. Then again, I'm two years younger than her, so I'm hope I'm running faster than she is.

 

It's all about Time and Distance... and Weather

This week as my training for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge continues, I'm thinking about time and distance... and weather.

1.  Most people would say that having run one marathon is an advantage when training for another one. I'm not so sure. On the one hand, I know that I can do it. On the other hand, I know how hard it was.... and I'm hoping to shave at least 15 minutes off my time of 6 1/2 years ago when I was a sprite 40 years old.

2. When I lace em up on Marathon Day in April, it will be 15 years of running on my surgically repaired right knee (ACL reconstruction). So why is it that my left knee is the problem knee?

3. Finished my longest run to date the day after Christmas. A 12 miler in under 1:45. I did the math and projected a finish time of just over 3:45. For a moment, I had the delusional thought that I could push for a qualifying time of 3:30 (for my age bracket). For a moment.... then I reminded myself that it's not what you run the first 12-13 in, it's what you run the back 13 in.

4. Still shooting for 4 - 4:15 total but would be thrilled to see a 3 at the beginning of my time.

5. My donors ROCK. Thank you everyone for putting me over the 1/3 mark. With more than $3,300 raised, I'm more than a third of the way to my $10k goal! Your generosity and support means the world to me.

6. My father raised an interesting question: When is it too cold to run outside?  Doesn't look like there's any magical answer to that, but I'm going to try to stay out there as long as the wind chill doesn't get near or below zero. For now, just happy that it's going to be in the thirties tomorrow. If you want to be freaked out about the dangers of running in cold weather, read this.  Or for a less scary bit of outdoor running,  here's some advice from New Balance.

7. Fellow DFMC runner and blogger, Courtney writes: "How come shorter distance and slower time can feel harder than longer distance and faster time?"   Beats me, but it's so true. My 12-miler was easier, and faster (in pace) than my six-miler last week. 


8. When six miles seems too hard, it's time for a day off. Done.

9. Umm, when did we move to Fargo? 17 degrees and snowing this morning. Been snowing all weekend. That means one fast run on the treadmill and one slippery run on a couple inches of snow.

10. Happy New Year everyone. Hope 2010 is off to a good start for you.