Marathon: Lessons Learned

Finishing a marathon was finishing a long journey that began more than four months before I crossed the starting line. I began with a training plan that put me on the road five times a week: one long run, two speed training sessions, two recovery runs (oh, and one day of cross training). Within a couple months, I pushed my body farther in my long runs than I ever had before. The speed sessions reminded me of what it felt like to run in high school. While I felt great about my accomplishments along the way, I was often sore and trying to figure out what was normal and what was one step away from an injury. I still don't have all the answers, but along the way, I learned a few things...

Listen to Your Body

An risk averse doctor might tell me to take it easy for a week see if the unusual pain goes away. The problem is that marathon training will likely bring a lot of unusual pains--it's part of the progressive increase in mileage. Separating the nuisance pains from the ones that could keep me from the big day was a real challenge. I ended up with a couple general rules:
If the pain warms away during the run, don't worry.
If the pain gets worse during the run, think twice about what's going on.
Soreness following any run is okay, but anything that causes painful limping is not.

These rules worked well for me and I only hit one serious injury related obstacle. More to come on that. Outside of these general rules, I noticed at one point that I was starting to feel tired in the hours following my runs rather than energized. I wasn't sleeping as well, which isn't normally a problem for me. I lacked enthusiasm. I realized that I was suffering the effects of overtraining and adjusted my schedule accordingly. A week or so later, I got back on the good foot and felt better during and after my runs.

Same is Good, Change is Bad

Early on, I had shoes I loved...and they loved me. I was lucky enough to have two pairs. I had the same good fortune with a pair of socks. After a few months of training, I decided to treat myself to a new pair of shoes and socks. They were fancy and utterly too expensive. But you only run your first marathon first, right? Well, for me, almost not. I thought I was smart in working these shoes into my plan by lacing them up only for shorter runs and keeping my trusty shoes for the longer runs. On one of the shorter runs, I noticed a pain on the outside of my right foot. The pain went away, but came back with avengence on my long run. The pain didn't go away and left me with a painful limp. Danger! This pain I took seriously. After I recovered, I resumed running with my trusty shoes only and all was well. Lesson: If you have shoes that work, STICK WITH THEM.

That said, I lost three weeks of my hardest training (I did manage to compensate somewhat by crosstraining), which I think really hurt me in keeping up my pace during the final miles of the marathon. I had then endurance, but not the stamina.

Lay the Groundwork

My official training plan started a little over four months before marathon day. I was running before that, but not all that regularly and without much focus. If I had a better base, I'm sure that my legs would have better handled the upswing in the mileage and intensity once training began in earnest. I'd need to do some research as to what a pre-training plan would look like, but I think 15-20 miles per week (at least) with some, but not too much, speed training would probably do the trick. A healthy dose of some fun cross training (biking, hiking, and backpacking) wouldn't hurt.

Thank You!

I'd like to thank everyone for all their comments and support throughout my training and for the congratulations after I completed the Richmond Marathon. The Running Blog Family has always been a great source of support, reflection, perspective, and that good ole fashioned kind of love only runners can give.

I'll post the pictures as soon as I collect them from my family. I'll also post my lessons learned soon so others can succeed where I failed...that and so I'm not doomed to make the same mistakes!

Post-Marathon Running

On Thanksgiving, I ventured out the door for my first run since the marathon. I hit one of my favorite local routes, 5.7 mile loop on gravel roads with great views and old homes and farms. My legs were a little creaky at first, but soon warmed up and gave me a smooth and enjoyable run for a few miles. With about a mile to go, my legs definitely felt worn--perhaps a sign I should have kept the run a little shorter.

I enjoyed the holiday with family and didn't lace up my shoes again until Sunday, when I took the Maggie (my dog) out for a half-hour run. This run felt a lot better, so much better that I took Maggie out for a hike on the Appalachian Trail, too. I sat down for some quiet repose at a stream near Bear's Den, where I let her off leash and snapped a few pictures of her crossing over the stream. You can find more of those photos here.

Race Report: Richmond Marathon

5:40am: I woke up twenty minutes before my alarm, not so much out of anxiety as from a good night's sleep. I was ready to run. I stayed the night in my brother's apartment, he graciously allowed me to take his bed while he slept on the couch. Breakfast was simple: melon, cantaloupe, grapes, half a bagel, a Clif bar, and some Powerade.

7:15am: I arrived at the starting line and spent the next 45 minutes dividing my time evenly between sipping Powerade, standing in line for the bathroom, worrying about a calf still stiff from my 20-miler, and trying to decide between following the 4:15 pace group or keeping to my planned 4:22 pace. The foot injury that threw off three weeks of training left me indecisive about what I was capable. With the temperatures rising to a starting gun 64 degrees and promising to reach the upper 70s by the finish line, I decided to stop thinking and line up with the 4:15 group and see how long I could hang on. Since it was my first marathon, I figured I would learn a few lessons anyway, and one of them may as well be why those critical weeks of training mattered so much for the final 10k.

8:00am: The race started and I ran a little behind the pace group leader in a rainbow wig.

Miles 1-7: The pace felt comfortable and slow enough. I felt good about my decision to push things a little. The pace group was a little crowded, so I was often a little ahead or a little behind the crowd depending on what I did at the water stops. My average pace through the first seven miles was 9:42. This stretch took me past some beautiful homes and autumn foliage on Broad Street, Monument Avenue, and Grove Avenue.

Miles 8-17: This was my favorite stretch. I crossed the James River on the Huguenot Memorial Bridge and wound down a ramp to Riverside Drive, which offered a great run along the riverbank and through the gorgeous leaves of the trees crowding either side of the road. I wasn't even aware of running for most of this stretch. All that began to change when I came off the concrete Robert E Lee Bridge, which brought directed me back into downtown Richmond on Belvidere Street. I managed to keep up with the pace group until mile 17, when my legs began to give out on me. I felt the 20-miler from two weeks prior and the lack or running on hard surfaces catching up with me. Just past the mile 17 sign, I watched the rainbow wig move farther and farther ahead of me.

Miles 18-21: I was heading toward the notorious "wall," I suppose. My legs experienced diminishing returns with each step, though my mind still felt strong and I was still enjoying myself immensely. My average pace through this stretch slowed to 11:02 pace. I felt a surge of energy, though, just before mile 21 when I passed my mom, dad, and brother all holding signs. They were at a party and everyone else joined in cheering me along.

Miles 22-26.2: My body still felt fueled (the gels and "shot blocks" helped) and hydrated (thanks to the countless volunteers at the water stands), but my legs simply weren't trained for these miles. My average pace slowed still further to 12:13. At this point, I was determined only to finish, never mind the final time. Time slowed to a crawl and I watched the runners around me push with the same fortitude. This is what I was really looking forward to...the point of no return where I simply had to push through it all. Time took on a new dimension. It was neither passing by fast as it did in the early miles or slow as it would if I really hated what I was doing. It was more meaningful than that. It had simply slowed to a point where I could actually appreciate all that was going on around me and within me. Life came down to one essential thing--moving one step at a time...true mindfulness.

When I saw the finish line on Cary Street I found energy I didn't think was there and picked up my pace considerably. When I was done, I was done. I didn't feel relieved or happy or any of the emotions I expected to feel. I simply felt at piece. When my family came to meet me, it felt strange to have to talk, to have to explain all that happened in the last six or so miles.

And so, I know I will be doing this again.

(My final time was 4:34:01.)

Marathon Training: Taper

I unfortunately had to reduce my taper from three weeks to two weeks (see previous post). Here is what it I ended up with:



I'm as ready as I'm going to be at this point. I'd be happy with just finishing the distance, though it would be great if I could break 4:22 (down from my original goal of 4:00). The weather looks like it will be a bit on the warm side, which I prefer to bundling up at the start. Overall my legs feel great except for my right calf--a little sore, but improving all week.

I'm feeling pretty relaxed depsite the fact that we have contractors in this week mending drywall throughout the entire house before repainting. This displaced us and our pets and we are living the week out at my in-laws' house. Ideally, all this wouldn't happen the week before the marathon, but then again it will be worth it when I get back from the race to see a great looking house.

Running Saves Lives

Dean Karanzes was running his 46th marathon (of 50) in Baltimore with a group of police officers when duty called. It's an amazing story.

They say that running saves lives. Today it did, quite literally. We began the Baltimore Marathon this morning with a Police escort eleven strong. Our group was proceeding down a street just past the two mile mark when someone noticed smoke coming out of the window of a second story building up ahead. By the time we reached that building, flames were erupting out of the window and the heat from the fire reached us all the way in the street. We were told to dash ahead quickly and wait at the next intersection. The officers circled back and broke down the door. Rushing inside, they pulled three people out of the building, including a baby. It all happened so quickly, it was hard to make sense of what was going on.

After regrouping, we started off again, a bit shaken, but still intact. In talking with one of the officers, had they not been driving down that very street at that very time, there was likely no way they could have responded quickly enough to get those folks out of the building in time. By mere coincidence, our run had put them in the right place at the right time. Amazing start to the day.

We ran past some incredible places during the marathon, including Fort McHenry, the birthplace of our national anthem. You actually see the cannons and the place where the harbor was bombed. As we ran by, I could just envision Francis Scott Key watching, “…the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air…,” and it gave me goose bumps as we passed by.

If you haven't checked out Dean's Endurance Is blog, I highly recommend it. You can also catch other accounts of this rescue and Dean's quest at E50 Coach and E50 Crowd.

Today's Inspiration

Track & Field, originally uploaded by Netzki.

Undoubtedly the best time of year for everything that matters to me, especially running. There's something about the deep green grass, the smell of leaves, the inspiring colors of the Appalachians not far from my house. It's seems a crime to not go out for a run.

Marathon Training: Weeks 15, 16

Life seems to be back on track. I kept nearly all of my running over the last two weeks on the treadmill because running outside seemed to aggravate my foot. Now I'm back to decent form and am ready to hit the roads again and hopefully regain some of the toughness I lost on the treadmill.

Week 15, as described in the previous post, was about getting back on my feet and testing out a long run. I managed the shorter runs, but chickened out on the long run, feeling that is just wasn't time yet.

Week 16 built on Week 15. I put in three hour-long runs and felt great everyday. I didn't feel any soreness at all really. The big day was Saturday--a 20-miler on the treadmill. Treadmill?! Yes, the treadmill. I weighed this option long and hard. I decided that I wanted to give myself the best shot of finishing the run without doing damage to my foot. My foot held up remarkably and seems race ready. The real bonus from the treadmill run, though, is the mental toughness I think I developed. Three hours and twenty minutes on a treadmill is one of the most psychologically punishing things I've done in a long time. It's just what I needed to build my confidence in being able to get it done on Nov. 11. (Oh, I ran the 20 miles at 6.0 mph, or 10:00 pace, with a 2% incline.)

Looking ahead, I'm now in taper mode. The 20-miler came a week later than I wanted, but it was essential to believe I could make the leap to 26. The next two weeks will be pretty light. I plan on taking all my runs outside and get my legs ready for the asphalt.