Marine Corps Marathon: Week Zero

Priorities

On October 27, I will run my seventh marathon since running my first in January 2010.  At first, I wanted to see if I could do it.  Then I wanted to see if I could qualify for Boston.  Then I wanted to run in New York and take the family on a fun vacation. Then I wanted to see family.  Then I wanted to get back to Boston again.

Me, me, me, me, me…

There is a natural self-centeredness to being a runner, especially a distance runner.  There has to be.  We are required to constantly evaluate ourselves to make sure we feel okay, the we are eating right, that we are paying a penance for when we don’t take care of ourselves. The behavior is a survival technique.

Unfortunately, it isn’t much of a life skill outside of the running world.  Other people tend to be less interested in us than us when we think the world revolves around….us!  It is a hard transition to make, and I suspect the elite and super competitive endurance athletes often struggle to degrees I cannot even imagine. While acknowledging that I have sometimes been guilty of this even before I started running, I would like to think that I am more aware of it and better about it because of running.  The “judge and jury” that I live with will have to be the ones to report whether I am pulling that off.

By the way – runners supporting runners in blogs or on Twitter, etc. is important – but it is not the same as selflessness.  We all know that behavior is about supporting others to do well and run strong. We want to hear about how they are doing and encourage them because we are hoping they will do the same for us.

To try to combat the “me factor” over the next several months, I decided a while back to do something that a small portion of runners  do but that is important to many others out there.  While I will have the goal of breaking 3:10, I decided to run for someone else – to turn my effort into something that benefits someone other that me.  I chose to register with the Wounded Warrior Project and ask my friends and family to support the organization by donating through a special page set up for my Marine Corps Marathon run.

The Wounded Warrior Project has long been one of the charities that I admire the most.  Our Nation’s Wounded Warriors should never have to go a day without knowing their country they served and fought for will be there for them.  It seemed fitting to run for WWP at the Marine Corps Marathon, and I hope people will consider going to
https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/bommer
and kick in a couple bucks.

Training

Aside from all of that, the beginning of the Runners Edge summer session is the official kickoff to summer training, and I am starting this year almost exactly where I wanted to be.  I remained uninjured after Chicago last October and maintained a reasonable level of fitness through the winter and spring.  I have a much better base going into this summer than I did  last summer, and that turned out alright.

I also have two more weeks this summer/fall than I did last year.  Chicago was at the beginning of October, and the Marine Corps Marathon is at the end of the month.  Hopefully, there won’t be any fall hurricanes this year!

Yesterday was the first group run of the session, and it was a perfect morning.  I ran 14 miles to cap off a good 24 mile week that also saw me getting back into my morning running groove again, as well.  That will be immediately challenged by being out of town the next two weeks – one for work and one for vacation – but I will get my miles in somehow.

I am also going to step up to a slightly more aggressive training plan this summer.  Last year, I followed the “Level 3″ (out of 5) plan, since I was coming into the summer off an injury and a with a pretty weak base.  This summer, I don’t have either of those factors so Level 4 it is.  Like last year, I will have a half marathon in August to gauge where I am at in my training.

I am excited about this summer, and I am looking forward to my August and October races.  Of course, it’s not all about me… 

Colfax Half Marathon – Running for Life

Yeah, I know this race report is two weeks late.  I wanted to make sure I wrote this one the way I wanted to because the race report is not the most important part of the race.

Early in the year, I had been looking forward to this race with the goal of trying to beat my PR from last fall.  That whole work/life balance thing didn’t allow me to put in the proper training, and as I have previously admitted, my heart wasn’t in it 100% of the time anyway.  I did want to continue to keep up a base and run a respectable but smart half marathon.

I also wanted to make sure that I properly respected the main reason I chose to run the Colfax Half Marathon.

InVINCEable

One of the members of my running group had just returned last November from running the Richmond Marathon in 3:03:39.  The same year he turned 50, he set a PR by 6 minutes!  When word spread through the group, he responded to every congratulations with the same “aw shucks” demeanor he has always had.  That same demeanor was also masking some other news he had learned shortly upon his return.

In 2004, Vince Dicroce ran the Chicago Marathon at 42 years old not too long after an unpleasant divorce, and he was highly motivated and set his sights on Boston. Within weeks, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and told he had 3-5 years to live.  Vince chose something different for himself.  He fought. He vowed to be stronger than he was before and to live. Even though he was receiving chemotherapy treatments, he continued to run and continued to set PR’s – a half marathon PR while going through chemo and a marathon PR a couple months afterwards.  He underwent brain surgery and told his doctor he’d be qualifying for Boston soon.  In April 2008, he ran the Boston Marathon.

That wasn’t enough and soon he started competing in triathlons…Ironman distance and did his first in September of 2008. Following that, Vince completed almost 30 marathons and 7 Ironman triathlons. He had beaten his cancer into remission.

The news Vince learned a couple of days after his Richmond Marathon PR was that his brain cancer had returned.  Vince started fighting again…if he had ever really stopped.  To his credit, he started writing about it in his own blog. I highly recommend reading it. Radiation, chemo…and Vince kept running.  He said he was going to run Colfax on May 19, and the Denver Post did a nice story about him shortly before the race.

Vince ran Colfax.  The whole thing…the marathon…in 3:57:40.  Who does that??  He had been contemplating only running the half but had to skip a round of chemo because his blood count was too low.  His blood count was too low for chemo so he went ahead and ran the full marathon!

This is why I chose to run the half.  About 200 people, many from within my running group and many other friends of Vince, ran with Vince on May 19 to support his fight.  A couple weeks beforehand, a bunch of the guys in the running group shaved our heads for Vince.  He loved it…and I think we all did, too.

The whole gang with Vince (in orange). We went through some sunscreen that day. More pictures are on my Facebook page.

Bottom line – this race was about something other than a time, a PR, or anything about me.  This was about celebrating a truly heroic and inspirational effort by someone who has had multiple reasons and opportunities to give up.  The response was just the opposite, and he beat cancer once because of it.  We all ran because he says he’s going to beat it again and be even stronger.  He doesn’t care about his times – PR’s or otherwise.  He wants to live each day and be better for it.  Who can’t get support and celebrate that?

The actual race

The race itself was enjoyable! With a freshly shaved head, I certainly felt faster, and even though I labored a bit through miles 2-6, I felt like I got into a groove after that.

After winding through City Park in the first couple of miles, we entered the Denver Zoo – a fun, new thing that was added for this year’s race.  Although it was a bit windy and slow, it was pretty cool.  There were a few of the critters out watching the runners.  Some of the monkeys seemed the most interested.  After exiting the zoo around Mile 3, it was east for about 5 miles, eventually going through a fire station at the easternmost point of the course, and then finally coming out onto Colfax Avenue around Mile 9.

The funny thing about the Colfax Half Marathon is that you actually only run about 1.5 miles on Colfax Avenue.  Someone later said they should call it the “Near  Colfax Half Marathon.”

After passing Mile 10, I bumped up my pace coming back in for the last 5k.  My legs felt good, but I was starting to get tired.  Not doing any speedwork was catching up to me.  Still, I ran the last couple of miles sub-7:00 pace and finished with a 1:33:58, which is pretty damn amazing to me considering the poor training.  I am actually motivated by that alone.

After the finish, I met up with some of the group and we went out to the marathon finish area to wait for Vince and cheer him on.  When he came in under 4 hours, the group went nuts.  I am in awe of his will, his resolve, and that he is as humble as ever.  I am glad to know him.

InVINCEable.

Vince finishing the Colfax Marathon, flanked by InVINCEables.

Hanging out at Vince’s house after the race.

 

Goals

I can’t believe it has been over a month since I last posted an entry, but there certainly was a lot going on the last few weeks of the legislative session with very little personal time.  I figure if I am having a hard time getting in time to get in some runs, I probably don’t have any extra time to write.  Plus, it always seems that anything good I might have to say goes away before I can ever open up a new page to start writing something.

With the end of the legislative session on May 8, life has begun to return to something resembling “normal.”  I certainly have been able to start to get some time back for myself, but I used a lot of that playing catch up.

Now that Memorial Day weekend has passed, it signals the beginning of summer and a two-week break from Runner’s Edge until the summer session begins on June 15. I am looking forward to focusing on my target races and the attention I am going to place on improving my strength and fitness.  Unlike last year, I am going into this summer session with a base from the spring session.  Last year’s IT band troubles are a memory, although I occasionally get a reminder from my muscles if they are not being stretched properly. This year, the spring session ended up being more like an extended maintenance plan with an average weekly mileage of about 25 miles, compared with 13 miles/week in the same time period in 2012 – most of that coming from mid-March on.

The race goals for this year are simple.  A sub-1:30 half marathon at Georgetown to Idaho Springs in August and a sub-3:10 marathon at Marine Corps in October.  In order to have a shot at those, I have to make significant progress on the more important personal fitness goals over the 152 days ahead.  Better diet, better fitness, better cross-training/strengthening, achieving ideal racing weight. Unlike the spring session, where a multitude of avoidable and unavoidable factors caused missed training days and no speedwork, I am looking forward to the summer and the focus on getting better, faster, and stronger.

I don’t think I’ll grow all my hair back, though.  Sorry wife, mom, dad, etc.!

Shaved head for one of my running group members battling and beating brain cancer.

Stronger

We must run again

I am very troubled.

For reasons which I cannot completely comprehend, I am having difficulty processing what happened on Boylston Street, where I experienced my own personal victory just two short years ago.

And I am also struck by the reality that, in the big scheme of things, my troubles are inconsequential and infinitesimal, compared to the death, loss, and tragedy that those that were there experienced and continue to experience. I almost feel guilty for feeling bad…

There has to be a better way to deal with it. And then, thanks to a friend, I was clued into something Amby Burfoot (winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon) wrote in retrospect – after he was stopped at Mile 25.5 on the 45th anniversary of his win.

“We have used our public roadways for annual parades, protest marches, presidential inaugurations, marathons, and all manner of other events. The roads belong to us, and their use represents an important part of our free and democratic tradition. I trust and believe that will not change in the future–not in Boston, not at the Boston Marathon, and not at other important public events. Yes, we must be ever-vigilant. We can not cover our eyes and ears, and pretend violent acts don’t threaten our great institutions.

But our institutions did not become great by following a path of timidity and cowardice. And we can only hope that, when pummeled, as the Boston Marathon was today, they will rise again, stronger than ever.”

And there it is. There is no way to make it go away or pretend it didn’t happen.  To do so would be to disrespect the sacrifice made by good people who just wanted to enjoy a fine Boston day and cheer on runners celebrating their own personal achievements.

We must run again.

Resolve

In just over 190 days, I will toe the line in Washington, DC for the Marine Corps Marathon. I have a personal goal that I want to reach, which now seems completely trivial to what the entire day will mean.

There will be marathons run between now and then, and runners and spectators will take part and prove that they will rise above evil in their own way. My first crack at it will be in Washington on October 27.  There will certainly be no shortage of motivation to train over the months ahead, and it will be my personal pleasure to follow a path – not of  “timidity and cowardice” – but rather one of strength and resolve.

With all due respect to what, I think, is going to be an amazing, memorable and emotional run in October, my eyes are also looking forward to April 2014.

Last year, in Chicago, I ran nearly two minutes faster than the minimum qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. I could have tried to get into this year’s marathon, but I decided to wait until 2014.  I’m glad I did…not because of what happened yesterday but because of the chance to go to Boston next year and be part of and contribute to a Boston that will rise and be stronger than before.

I remember the amazing feeling in 2011 of making it 26 miles to Hereford and Boylston Street, and turning the corner for the finish line ahead. At that moment, I was soaking in the crowd, the energy, and the moment.  My spent legs found a way to find a 6:37 pace down Boylston to the finish, passing other runners as I waved to people I didn’t know, don’t remember, and will never see again – people that were standing right where the carnage of Monday occurred. I crossed the finish line, knowing the satisfaction of achieving a goal on one of the marathon world’s most challenging courses. In that moment, it was about me.

Trying to superimpose that moment on the horror of April 15 is impossible, and I can’t ever hope to repeat it.  So as long as I am able to get in when I enter the drawing later this year, I will not even try.  If I am lucky enough to be picked for Boston 2014, I will turn that corner and think about those that lost their lives, those that were injured, runners that have their achievement clouded by tragedy, and those (like Amby) that never made it to the finish line. However, it will also be about something much more than that…something for which the words to describe it currently elude me.

We must run again. And we will. And no amount of evil in the world can stop us.

Target race – Marine Corps Marathon

This just got real

Target acquired.  The Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC on October 27 will be my one marathon this year.  After a small battle with Active.com’s registration servers, thanks to overwhelming volume, I was able to get registered about 20 minutes after registration opened.  30,000 slots were gone in two hours and twenty-seven minutes.

The goal is to try to beat my PR in Chicago last October (3:13:05) and go sub-3:10.  If I can pull it off, that may be the last significant time hurdle I can beat.  Sub-3:00 feels like it might as well be sub-2:30, at this point.  Whether or not MCM is the best possible course to try to run over three minutes faster remains to be seen, and a lot of that will depend on training, weather, etc.

A shot in the arm

The last three months really have not gone how I would have planned, as far as making the Colfax Half Marathon a target race and being able to put in the proper training to try to get a new PR.  At first, it was really ticking me off.  Before daylight savings time started, it was pretty much dark when I left the house and dark when I got home. I would pack my gear bag, with every intention of carving out time during the workday to get in the miles I had planned so I could run in the daylight.  Work/life come first, but it did not make it any less irritating every time I would pick up the bag at the end of a very long day and throw it in the back seat of the car.

In 2011, I found a way to train for Boston.  The “way,” usually meant weekday training runs in the dark before work.  Yes – I could have done that again, but I was not mentally prepared to take on that kind of training this spring.  With apologies, the Colfax Marathon/Half Marathon is not Boston.  Lord knows I’m going to have to repeat my 2011 effort in 2014, assuming I get into Boston when registration rolls around this fall.  I’ll be ready for that – but I was not prepared to do that for Colfax in May.

Getting into the MCM was like a shot of adrenaline to the system – and warmer weather didn’t hurt either.  Last year, I was struggling a bit coming off an IT band injury and entered May in mediocre shape with no base.  This year, maintaining around 25 miles a week gives me a base going into summer training that I completely lacked.  The goal is to be a machine by the time October rolls around, and that means making some deliberate choices on training, diet, and sleep to name a few.  Getting faster means better speedwork this summer and fall.  Last summer went well.  This summer will hopefully go great.

The last two weekend runs with Runner’s Edge have also helped with totally turning my attitude around toward the rest of the spring training session – and they could not have been more different.  Nine days ago, we were set for a 14-mile run not too far from my house.  Snow was predicted, and it came in with a vengeance on Friday night and Saturday morning.  As I trudged out through the snow, I found the trail and eventually got to parts where it was plowed in places.  I decided I was going the whole way, and with the snow blowing hard and freezing against my glasses, I broke through drifts to get to the 14-mile turnaround and captured the flag.

This past Saturday, we were in shorts and t-shirts as the sun was out and the temps reached into the 60′s later in the day.  The route was hilly, but the group went up and down them almost effortlessly.  The cool breeze was a welcome to spring, and one of my group nailed it when he said it smelled like a fresh start.  A perfect day.

Blizzard? What blizzard?

Elemental

After getting through a maintenance plan over the winter months, I started the year with a new training plan and a goal to try to set a PR at the Colfax Half Marathon. That is still the goal.  However, as I have previously written, the realities of my day job – which is at its peak during the Colorado legislative session (January – May) – have not done wonders for keeping up my weekly mileage. I essentially just continued on my maintenance plan.  With over  two months to the half marathon, all is not lost – but I have some work to do.

 

Earth

Earth…as in hills…as in, I have a lot to climb figuratively and literally.  I went out on a tempo run yesterday to test my lungs.  I felt great, but it didn’t take long before I started to feel it and backed off my pace.  My VO2 is nowhere near where it was when I was in marathon shape…how could it be?  I know from past training that there are two things that help bring back that ability to run fast without burning up all my energy.  Hills and speedwork.  I missed some hill training over the past few weeks, but I’ll have to try to get some in over the next few weeks.

Wind

I have none.  I’m not sure I could run a full 5k at my Chicago Marathon pace right now.  After the tempo run yesterday, I was sucking wind.  And the cure for that is speedwork and goal pace running.  It’s going to hurt, but it is the only way to get my wind back.

Fire

That’s what my lungs felt like.  It is also what I hope to light under my a** to get back my speed in time for May.  I’m under no illusion that it will be difficult, and I accept the fact that there are sometimes circumstances beyond my control that affect my training.  However, the longer evening hours starting Sunday will help.

Water

I’ve felt underwater since January – wanting badly to get back to where I was at, but continuously frustrated by work/life balance issues.  Also, I don’t drink enough water…so if you see me, remind me to drink more.

Work comes first

(but not always by choice)

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to write anything.  I figure if I am having a tough time getting in all my miles during the week, then I probably don’t have time to write about it.  Sitting here this morning after having run a tough 18 yesterday, I finally have a chance to do it.

Extraordinary circumstances

In any year, my job gets much busier when the Colorado General Assembly starts in January and generally stays that way through May. However, the first one-third of this session has been extraordinary in the amount of time I have actually had to spend at work instead of being able to be out on the trail.

I decided not to throw my hat in for Boston 2013 because I was concerned about having a lack of time to train properly. It turns out that was a very good decision.  I hope that it next year is a little less hectic because I am going to register for Boston 2014.

Each Sunday night, I map out what I think my week my will look like and try to plan my runs accordingly.  For the past 6 weeks, those plans have largely been blown up by dealing with things popping up like some never-ending game of legislative whack-a-mole. My only salvation has been my Saturday group runs with Runner’s Edge where I’ve probably been guilty of trying to “make up” lost miles during the week.

Not quite “on track,” but at least somewhere near it

After this week, things will hopefully be a bit more manageable, and perhaps I can make progress toward my goal of a sub-1:30 half marathon in May.  I have not had any reason yet to reevaluate my goals, and I wouldn’t consider it until I got into my pre-race taper period.  Things do need to improve, but my speedwork and goal pace runs don’t start for a few more weeks.

At this point, my focus is improve diet and sleep.  I have about 8-10 pounds of “winter weight” to lose  to get to my optimum racing weight, but that may take a couple of months to achieve.  More importantly, continuing to build my base will set me up to be a in a much stronger position going into summer training than I was last year.

The ultimate goal is to break under 3:10:00 in the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  I’ll know in a few weeks if I am “in.”  (March 27 is registration day)  For now, I am trying to figure out how many times I’ll be able to get out on the trail this week.

The Grind

If I could just spend my time figuring out when and where to run, my life would be so much more bearable.  Unfortunately, the need to have a paycheck always seems to get in the way.

Public policy…meh

I love my job.  Let me just say that first before it sounds like I don’t.  I have one of the greatest jobs that any guy could ever trip and fall into.  It is my privilege to represent Colorado’s cities and towns before the Colorado General ASsembly, which is currently in session until May.  (If anyone is interested in what I do and why, please message me and I’ll go into more detail) 

My “home” from January to May.

As of this moment, I am neck deep in one of the tougher sessions I have had to deal with. And it is killing my running mojo.  While all choices belong to me, it doesn’t do anything for my overall health and diet, either.

Bottom line…stress sucks.  And it is intoxicating at the same time.

Goals (aka “moving targets”)

My goals for the year remain unchanged. 

1. Sub-1:30 half marathon
2. PR marathon

If I can get on track in time, the sub-1:30 half will be attempted in May and the PR will be at the Marine Corps Marathon on October 27.  However, the early months of the year are replete with long days, missed training, mediocre diet, and competing interests. It goes with the territory, and it seems like I should be used to it.  But this is only the second or third year it has actually been an issue. Before 2010, I just knuckled under to the stress and ate and drank.  Before 2007, I did that and did NOT do anything that burned any calories…not exactly a recipe for success.

While I know THAT will ever happen again, I just want to have enough time (soon) to be able to get back into a rhythym and not feel like I am playing catch up!

In the meantime, you pretty much know where to find me.  Either in the capitol or lumbering around on a trail somewhere…or sleeping on the couch.

The Right Call

Boston 2013 2014

When I crossed the finish line at Chicago last October, I knew:

1. I had a new PR
2. My legs hurt
3. I could probably still get into Boston 2013

Sure enough, when I checked that evening the 2013 Boston Marathon field had not yet been filled, and I had a qualifying time.  I was faced with a decision that I had thought about, but I didn’t want to give any brain space to unless/until I finished Chicago under 3:15:00.  All of a sudden, I was forced to contemplate whether or not I wanted to make a commitment to Boston in 6 short months.

The part of my life that pays for the recreational activity in my life also precludes me from having much of a life from January to May.  (If you ever want to know more about my life as a lobbyist in Colorado, please ask…I would never presume you want to know!)  Since Colorado’s legislature meets from January to May, scheduling a marathon and the prerequisite training during the legislative session is a significant commitment.  I did it once in 2011….and it wasn’t easy.   That made my Boston PR that much more special.

I was not prepared to make that kind of commitment again.  Not in 2013.  And based on what I have had to deal with thus far, I most DEFINITELY made the right call.  As it turns out, I have been lucky enough to have some nagging tendonitis in my foot at the same time as I have been completely unable to get away from the office and the capitol. I ended up taking about 10 days off from running.

Spring training has started now, and so far so good on the foot. It isn’t really 100%, but it isn’t getting any worse either.  It was just nice to get back out and run yesterday morning.

Resolve

2012

While I consider myself nostalgic for things past, I do not consider myself as one who lingers too much on past events.  I like to remember things that were good, fun, life-changing, etc. – but not try to relive every moment of the past.  It is too much.  Rather, there are key moments that define what was, and they are worth noting.  As 2012 disappears into the rear-view mirror, I am pretty pleased with the way it is wrapping up versus the way it started.

At this time last year, I had just gotten back from a run that began with a continuation of some nagging knee pain and ended with me limping a mile home after a painful mile out.  I had gone for a few years without any kind of injury, and I had very nonchalantly ignored strengthening and stretching exercises.  As a result, my 2012 began with MRI’s and rehab for a piano wire IT band that was very, very angry.  I wanted to run Chicago, and. I wanted to run it fast enough to go back to Boston.  That meant shaving over two and a half minutes off my PR.

I put in my time in the gym and rehabilitated enough to get back out on the trail again in the spring.  The decision to join Runners Edge, though, was probably the single biggest key to everything that followed.  While I didn’t necessarily mind the shorter runs during the week, I had begun to dread the Sunday long run by myself.  In retrospect, that had as much to do with not finding new places to run but I also didn’t like spending all that time alone in my own head.

From there, it all worked out.  I put in the time. I put in the miles.  I ate…better, but not great.  The rewards were a half-marathon PR in August, a marathon PR in October, and remaining injury free the rest of the year.  I did let myself go somewhat after October.  My diet went from okay to marginal, and the result was packing on a few pounds that I get to shed in 2013.

2013

Going into this new year, there are a lot of things that I want to do – beyond just personal running achievements.  Those are for another blog another time – but as far as personal health and achievement, I am resolved to:

1. Eat better: I need to get back to a training diet that helps me not only run better, but also helps me survive the long days (professionally) during the first few months of the year.
2. Stretch and strengthen: Even though I remained injury-free for the last part of 2012, Chicago definitely beat me up a little.  I was not as good about stretching and strengthening during the last part of the year, and I always felt like I was on the cusp of injuring the IT band again.
3. Nail new PR’s: Colfax Half Marathon – May.  BolderBoulder – May.  Marine Corps Marathon – October.  These are my target races, and I want to train right to set new PR’s in all of them.
4. Balance: If am just a little bit better at organizing my time, I will have a better chance of not feeling like I am always trying to play catch-up.

Of course, life and people are just as important – particularly family and career – so part of the key to success is making sure that there is balance in everything. This is the hardest thing for me to do because it often means adjusting goals while convincing myself that I am not doing it to rationalize “time wasted” somewhere else.  It ties directly back to #4 above, particularly when events occur that are not predicted (i.e. illness, accident, winning the lottery)

The bottom line is to resolve to stay in motion and then actually do it.  I do, and I will.

Happy New Year to all!!