Marathon Challenge on PBS Tonight

You may have seen this reviewed in Runner's World or the RunTex site - tonight, "Marathon Challenge" airs on NOVA:

What does it take for the average person to run one of the world's toughest races? NOVA finds out in a program that's both a human story and an intriguing scientific exploration of the way our bodies respond to intense exercise demands. Filmed in cooperation with the Boston Athletic Association, NOVA has been granted unprecedented access to the Boston Marathon course and will take viewers on a unique adventure inside the human body. Every year thousands of athletes from across the globe flock to Boston to run the city's marathon, known worldwide as the ultimate test of stamina and endurance. In the summer of 2006, NOVA began following 13 novices as they took the first step toward completing the 26.2-mile race in April 2007. The group of participants includes a variety of people from diverse backgrounds - a young woman running in memory of her mother, who died in a tragic car accident; a working single mom; even a former NFL linebacker - the unifying element is that not one of them is currently a runner. Over the nine-month training period, exercise and nutrition scientists and doctors at Tufts University use sophisticated technology to monitor the physical transformations that the participants undergo. Intimate interviews reveal the highs and lows along the way. The experience will demand a transformation of mind and body; NOVA cameras will be there, following every step.

It's showing at 7pm, then again at midnight (and in HD, which I'll be DVR'ing, if'n you miss it)
http://www.klru.org/Schedule/ViewProgram.asp?VsnID=173259

The interestingly controversial bits, at least for runner geeks (which you now all qualify as - I know you've been using BodyGlide and developing opinions about socks), are that they're coached by a woman that won Boston twice. RunTex's writer calls her "a drug cheat who was suspended for two years for failing out-of-competition testing", but, to be fair, that's not exactly true. From Wikipedia (verifiable):

In 1998, an out-of-competition drug test found Pippig had an elevated ratio
of testosterone to epitestosterone, and the German Athletics Federation attempted to ban her for two years. Pippig contested the finding on the grounds that her testosterone levels were normal, and that the elevated ratio was due to a low level of epitestosterone from a long battle with chronic bowel disease and other factors. This claim was supported by a variety of independent medical experts, and a German arbitration court ultimately dismissed the case.

The other thing is that the people profiled didn't have to qualify for Boston, which kinda stinks. Fact is, Boston does extend invitations to certain people - the editor of Runners World got one last year, felt guilty, and was determined to run it in a qualifying time. Don't recall if he pulled it off or not.

Anyway, it should be worth checking out, from a number of angles.

The Race Calendar Update

OK, so originally, I had posted a list of races I recommended you run during your training. I kind of want to revise and revisit that.

Mandy and I are still waffling (I think? I think we're waffling on waffling...) on running the Distance Challenge, which consists of these races:

1. Oct. 21 - IBM Uptown Classic K (sort of...)
2. Nov. 11 - EAS 10 Miler Run For the Water
3. Dec. 2 - Decker Challenge 20K
4. Jan. 6 - ARA 30 K Run of Death (OK, I edited the name - check out the course)
5. Jan. 27 - 3M Half Marathon
6. Feb. 18 - AT&T Marathon

Some of you ran the 10K, so, if you're willing to pay for your own chip (about $35), you can still run the whole series, if you're running the full marathon in February. You just have to get your chip and register by November 11, the day of the 10 miler.

Cost is one consideration - the 10 miler is $50, though RunTex has extended us a $5 discount (email me for the discount code). The money goes to an excellent cause - to help bring money to Gilbert Tuhabonye's village in Burundi.

The Decker Challenge is only $30 through October 31, then it goes up to $40. I'm checking on a similar discount there.

The 30K should be interesting, from the looks of the course. The 20 milers in the past couple of years have been epic, toughening experiences themselves. They seem to really strengthen bonds in running groups, and make for good stories. If you can get through this race, you're looking good for the marathon. I'd recommend it.

The 3M and Austin Marathon, are, of course, no-brainers.

For me, I may choose to run the White Rock full or half instead of the Decker Challenge, extending my half-unintentional Decker-avoiding streak. And, honestly, I'm still waiting to see what the Distance Challenge finisher's premium will be. I've heard rumors, and they have me less than excited. The cachet of running the series of races isn't quite enough of a pull for me, personally. Throw the jacket or even the goody-laden backpack from past years into the mix, and we'll talk.

For half marathoners, you're not going to want to run any of the races until 3M, because the mileage isn't really right for you. Many of you could run the 10 miler, but it would be a jump in mileage I'm not entirely comfortable with, and you certainly wouldn't be ready to push the pace for that distance, so you'd really just be running a route we run anyway, but paying to do it... But, you could say you finished a 10-mile race. Up to you.

Still, you should definitely try to pick some races up along the way. RunTex has a good calendar of upcoming events. If you want to know how to fit them into your schedule, talk to me. I do strongly recommend running both the 3M and the Austin Half Marathon, but you need to choose one of them to be your true goal race. Racing both of them all-out, with only three weeks in between, is tough.

Choosing which to make your goal is also a tough choice, because while 3M is faster, for many of you, it will be your first half marathon. It's pretty common for people to run the Austin Half, which is a more difficult course, faster than they ran the 3M, just because they have that first one under their belt. We can talk about all that later, though.

Again, running races is good experience - it gets you used to the logistics of a race, from what you eat the night before, to creating and solidifying you pre-race routine. And whether you think you're competitive or not, you need to be put into that race-day situation, to get a feel for the excitement and stress of running a race, and pushing yourself. For all the work you put into training, it would be silly to go into your goal race cold. Finally, it helps break up this long training period.

So, figure out what you want to do, talk to me about it, and start taking advantage of those early-bird discounts...

Dick Beardsley Recap, Thanks, and Thoughts

Thanks, everyone, for coming out last night to meet and hear Dick Beardsley. It was a great night for me, to be able to meet and talk to such an amazing guy - amazing not only because of his accomplishments and personal triumphs, but because of his persistent and obvious genuineness and care he shows for others.

I was also really proud for him to see and meet the folks I get to run with - thanks. He gave us a really nice shout-out on his blog.

I also have to give much love to Stacey and John at Conley Sports. These guys put on such a great marathon - I'm still very much a new runner, but I've hit a number of events, and studied others, and we're really lucky to have the Conleys and Christina Conklin in charge. They all care a lot about what the runners' experience, and it shows. Speaking is something he's clearly passionate about, but it's Dick's business, too. He wanted to do something for us at low cost, and Stacey and John stepped in and picked it up for us. In return, I hope we can roust some of you volunteers for the marathon - it's a great experience, and really rewarding to be on that side of the event.

For those of you that weren't able to make it - we missed ya, and you really missed some great stories and insights. We'll fill you in on what we can, and hopefully, you'll have a chance to meet him down the line.

I will say that I was struck (as I tried to say in my horrid and rambling introduction) by how unpretentious he was. I got the sense from his stories that he approaches running in the same way. He was clearly serious and competitive, but it sounds like he didn't overcomplicate things, and he had fun with it. I can get a bit over-serious about What It All Means. Dick was a good reminder to all of us to just frikkin' run, and the meanings will make themselves evident.

So, it's also interesting how Dick's experiences caused him to refocus his energies into helping others, whether it's runners, or people who find themselves in the cycle of addiction that he was in. I knew about his foundation before, but I don't think I had a very good sense of it until I heard him talk about his own experience with chemical dependency. Jim and I are now sporting Beardsley Foundation wristbands, and if anyone else is interested, let me know, or hit the Foundation website. At some point, we'll be making a contribution to the foundation, and perhaps we can help find volunteers to staff their waterstop at the marathon, as part of the 26 Miles for 26 Charities program (.pdf link).

This is also a good time to finally talk about adding another dimension to the pursuit of your running goal, and finding ways to have it benefit the community. One good way coming up is the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure. If you haven't done this race before, you should. For one thing, the course is fast. Far more importantly, it's an experience - everywhere, there's evidence of the impact of breast cancer, from survivors running the race, to people running in memory of people who have died. Thanks to Michele Streetman, we have the opportunity to run with the Freescale team for half price - $18, I think. There's just really not a reason not to run it. Email me if you're interested, and I'll get you the discount code and instructions.

The half marathon and marathon are also excellent opportunities for fundraising. A couple of years ago, we were able to raise over a thousand dollars in just five days for the daughter of a friend of mine who had died of a brain aneurysm a few weeks earlier. In that case, a bank account had been set up, and people just made their contributions directly to it. Some charities probably offer the infrastructure to take pledged donations. I urge you to seek out the causes that resonate with you, and start figuring out how you can make your run work for them. Share that with us on the Run, Drink, Repeat blog, and maybe you'll encourage some others to join you, just as Christina has already done...

As the training goes on, we'll try to give you more concrete ways to go about this sort of thing. Start thinking about it, and let's do what we can to make a difference. When you hit that wall in the marathon, or the point in the half where you want to slow down or stop, having that extra reason to go on might mean a lot. Because there might not be a kid to run over to make you feel better...

Wonderful, Wacky, Week 7

So, in the creation and juggling of training schedules, which would be much easier if I, you know, just stole them, this week is a weird sort of harmonic convergence of events. So, I'm sort of looking at this whole week as a sort of reset for us, and for me, too.

We've gone through seven weeks of training. A few of you ran with me during the summer, and some of you had actually trained with me for weeks before training began. A few people are handling injuries and life obligations, but are still with us in spirit, and some will even be making a comeback. The rest of you have all been training hard through this first period, which sort of lays the foundation for the next phases of training.

So, think about where you've come from, celebrate where you are, and let's think about where you're going. This week ends up being perfect for that:

Tonight, Dick Beardsley gives us The Big Picture. I suppose you can ask him why you get the funny blister on the third toe of your left foot when the moon is full, but he's got a lot more to share than that, about running, and about running as it might relate to our lives.

Tomorrow night, we have the RDR Intervals, or the Running-Drinking Repeats. I was hesitant to do this one officially. Pub runs can be a lot of fun, or they can quickly degrade into stupidity. I know, I've done it both ways. Pub runs, I mean. Tonight is not about drinking, but about us having some fun.

Saturday is a weird nexus between the half marathon and marathon training schedules. I originally had the marathoners running 12, and the half marathoners having a recovery week with 4-5 miles. But, the marathoners really have a recovery due, and the half marathoners can go up for one more week. So, everyone's running eight together.

The route runs through East Austin, and Carmen has offered up her house as a starting and ending and breakfasting point for the run. I think we'll do an Evite for it later, but the deal is, she and Kellie and maybe some other volunteers (Jacala should, as much as she talks up Tennessee and all) will be cooking up a post-run spread. Be ready to bring five bucks to contribute to the expense - pretty cheap for lots of good-quality home-cookin'.

There ya go. It's a good week. Enjoy it.

Dick Beardsley, Wednesday!

Note the 'stache...

This Wednesday, at 6:30pm, Dick Beardsley is coming to speak to Team Spee, at Little Mexico, a nice little Mexican food place on South 1st. Weather permitting, we'll start with a short, easy, 30-minute run at 6:30, then come back to eat, listen, and ask questions.

I urge you to check out Dick's story beforehand. It's an amazing one in so many ways, from his start in running (chicks dig letter jackets), to tying for first in the first-ever London Marathon in 1981, to the legendary Duel In the Sun at the 1982 Boston Marathon, with a time of 2:08:54, to his rising above a string of personal tragedies and chemical dependency.

We're incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity, so please do come out, and feel free to bring your significant others or kids. His fiancee, Jill, will be there, as well. She's a force of nature, herself, and they'll have copies of Dick's book, Staying The Course. Please also check out the Dick Beardsley Foundation, which provides education about and financial assistance for people to get treatment for chemical dependency.

Bring a dry shirt, and please park directly across South 1st - not in their lot (it's small), and not in the neighborhood. See you there!

Spiridon Goes Uptown

If we looked a little thin yesterday at the long run, it's because a good chunk of Team Spee (we'll see if that catches on) were running the IBM Uptown Classic 10K this morning.

Quite frankly, I've hated this race for the past couple of years. It's tended to be in early October, and it seemed to be in the mid- to high- seventies, with near 100% humidity. The course used to feature the damned, damned, Great Northern (of The Damned). No sir, I didn't like it. Last year, it became the only race I ever quit. It was not for good cause, and I won't ever do it again, but it was not surprising that it happened in the Uptown Classic. Shame, because it was one of the better shirts ever.

But I, um, get off topic. This year, ironically, it essentially switched time slots with the Chicago Marathon, which luckily resulted in a cooler, slightly less humid morning. And, of course, we know how the switch worked out for Chicago...

There was also a new course, which was a bit odd: a narrow first mile for 1,860 runners; a run through the weird Domain Shopping Compound (Mandy's text yesterday from the Domain: "I feel like I'm in the Truman Show"); more grades and hills than you might expect up north, including a fairly challenging fifth mile; and, the kicker - 28 frickin' turns. Yes, 28 turns in a six mile race. With the narrow streets and variety of runners out there, the first mile was less than ideal to set or approach a personal record, with the crowds pinching and slowing at every turn, but the course gave back as much as it took, and we were well prepared.

Christina led us in at 53:55, setting, if I remember correctly, a personal record. In fact, let's get this out there - a "PR" is "personal record." You'll be hearing that a lot, I think...

After being 39 seconds too slow in the first mile, and seriously thinking about ducking into Borders or California Pizza Kitchen, or the Barney's that Kellie says is way unchic, I was able to PR by 25 seconds.

Eve's consistent work ethic continues to pay off, as she knocked three minutes off of her previous best, even though she missed her goal of coming in under an hour by just 24.8 seconds.

Mirsa followed up her strong, steady, and unrecommended seven-mile run yesterday with a 1:04:44.

Jean came roaring down the final stretch, smiling and looking strong at 1:08:37, a new PR for her. I think she's still finding her comfort zone, and I think there's "more fast" in there... I have to say, too, that it was an impressive finish considering this conversation, at 6:56am:

(Her husband, Bill answers her cell phone): "Hello?"
"Yeah, oh, hi, Bill. This is Rob, uh, Jean's running coach." (for some reason, saying this seemed weird)
"Oh, yeah, hi."
"Uh, so, I guess, are you guys on your way and stuff?"
Brief silence.
"Does Jean need to get up?"

Mandy was seconds behind Jean, getting in her 10K action before having to run off to work. I'm sure she said something funny today, but nothing leaps to mind. I'm further sure, however, that she'll have something to say about my saying that. I will say that she embiggened the spirit with her cromulent performance.

I have to say, Jacala was the surprise of the day. Don't get me wrong, she's been as dedicated and hard-working as anyone, but I did not expect to see her running in, looking comfortable and with solid form, just under the 1:10 mark. But I looked at my watch, and it was true. Official time: 1:09:55, in what I believe is her first 10K. Another runner that was just waiting to happen.

Paul came in at 1:12:49, which he has to be OK with, considering he's coming off an injury that still bugs him a bit, and that once again, contrary to my nagging, he did the seven miles yesterday.

And, finally, Christine. I hope no one minds the play-by-play, here, with the posting of times and all that. I don't want people to get hung up on comparisons and speed. Running is all relative - for everyone but the elites, no matter how fast you are, someone's faster. That can drive you, keep you always pushing for that next landmark in the collision of time and distance. That can be a demon if you judge the worth of your running on the fact that some people are faster. The fact that almost 2,000 people ran today is a testament to the fact that the relative nature of running is the beauty of it - finish times are, at best, just a crude meter of effort, and will, and perseverance, on the course that day, in training, and in the heart of the runner.

So, just a little before one hour, forty-one minutes and fifty-one seconds after we all started the race together, we all saw Christine round the 28th turn to come down the final straight to the finish. I love that we all get that her experience is no less what we're about than the time of our fastest runner. She's put the effort and commitment into her training, which shows in her physique as well as her running, and she put the effort in to finish the race today. She's come a long way, and she'll go further, and she'll get faster. Prediction for a spring 10K: 1:20 or better.

I was very proud of everyone that raced today, and continue to be really proud to be associated with every single one of you. You do the work, you make this group. It was the first race of this new season, and I was once reminded of how different my friends and my place in the running community are from what they were a year ago. Still, I would not trade this shirt or anything that comes with it for any of the others I saw today.

Geez, I'm a freakin' sap. Maybe I'm dehydrated...

Oh and, sorry for the lame title, but consider all the jokes I missed using:

1. For a post anticipating the race: "Eminent Domain"
2. "Uptown Cl-Asskicked"
3. Had something gone wrong with the race: "D'oh!main"

It just gets worse after that.

Got a race report? Let's hear it...

Jim Defeats Ten of Terror

Says... "Meh."

So, FYI for you marathoners, Jim ran the ten-mile course that is currently titled the "Ten of Terror", and survived... happily. What am I going to have to do to make you people suffer?

He reports:

"No way I was bailing on the evil bump (left of Barton Skyway) - I wanted the whole package. Cassarine Pass is Wilke's sister. She was mean and harsh, but I got over (two grades up, turn a corner and still more to climb). Barton Hills had a couple of nice bumps. I had hidden some orange water just before Wilke (drove by and dropped it off at 6:45 am on my way to whole foods just in case). Wilke felt like it was straight up. This was the only hill I had to partially walk. After Wilke, as you said, the reward was lots of downhill to the trail.

The Ten of Terror was an excellent challenge. I liked the middle harshness followed by the soft finish. I felt good through the end thanks to a crisp cool morning."

Hmph. I'm trying to arrange for temperatures in the 90's, with 134% humidity for tomorrow morning. And, like, Verne Troyer-sized hail, but the stupid meatierologists are projecting 54 degrees at 7am, 88% humidity. Phooey.

Well, I'll see you tomorrow, 7am, Whole Foods! (Unless you're running the 10K on Sunday, in which case you should only run 3-4 easy miles.)

Proof

Finally...

So, with the handing out of our new shirts this morning, our logo was officially unveiled. Though it was wonderfully rendered by a good friend's dad, from a design found by Eve, I know it's not incredibly creative. But the heart, the fire, and the wings are all images that are meaningful to what we are and what we do. Plus, it looks both pretty, and slightly gangsta.

There was, however, a noticeable dearth of comments or questions about the tagline on the back: "I will be proof."

Months ago, when just a few of you were running with me, and really, keeping me running and from crawling into a hole well-stocked with various beers and Tex-Mex entrees, it was hard to separate the act of running from recent events, and the loss of a community that I had made so much a part of my life.

There was sadness, and some runs were fueled by mixes of anger and a desire to leave everything behind me, and over the music in my iPod, I could hear Eddie Vedder screaming "saw things so much clearer, once you were in my rearview mirror."

Thinking about what was began to shift into thinking about what could have been, and that into what could be. I had an initial idea to call the group Mettle, and I envisioned posters advertising us, saying, "Prove Yourself." Mettle just didn't sound right, even though it captured what I think is important about what we do as runners.

But the idea of this as a vehicle for us to prove ourselves stuck. It's hardly a novel idea, but I think people lose sight of what makes running a noble endeavor that can resonate throughout our lives - the fact that no matter what level we're at, we are testing ourselves, and putting ourselves in situations that will require us to answer some very fundamental questions about who we are, and whether our belief in our better selves is stronger than pain and inconvenience.

Every time you make the choice to get out and run, you have proven something about yourself. Any time you choose the harder path, because it has a heart, you're proving something about yourself. If we can make these choices when we're running, then hopefully, we'll see it's not about a race, or being tough or macho or athletic - it's about our willingness to do the hard things because they have a real value, and because they say something about who we are. If we realize that, then hopefully, we do the same things in the rest of our lives. If we're willing to run the literal extra miles, maybe we'll be willing to go the figurative extra miles to help someone out, or do the right thing for others or ourselves, even though it's not easy or comfortable or the most profitable, because on any given day, over and over, we are faced with the chances to be proof, of ourselves, and of what we claim to believe in.

That kind of proof is first and foremost for ourselves, not for the judgement of everyone around us. But insofar as we live among people who will question and judge our character, then yes, we want our actions to be proof for them, as well.

Recently, I had a meeting with someone who had been a very prominent figure in my previous incarnation as a coach and as a runner, someone who first hired me to coach, and who taught me a good deal about how to be an effective coach, something I remain thankful for. He questioned a lot about what I'm doing, as a person, and as a coach, but he kept repeating, "Well, the proof will be in the pudding," which almost made me laugh, because in one stroke, it referenced my personal blog, and my focus on proof.

I do worry a little that people will see our shirts and think that this is all about proving a point to him, and to some other people. Whatever. I'm quickly re-learning that people are going to think what they want, and it just doesn't matter.

The truth is all that matters, and one way or the other, we will shape the truth of who we are, individually, and as a team. I promise you I'll continue working hard to do that as a coach. Today, and tomorrow, and for the next five months, and on race day, and the days and years after that, you will be proof, I will be proof, and Team Spiridon will be proof, of ourselves, and of the things that are important. That's what I want us all to commit to, and that's all that really matters.

Sorry to be preachy. But this is important. So, let's hear it in the comments - what do you want to be proof of?

Gu Gu Blah Blah

Once you start getting into runs longer than 8-10 miles, it's time to consider taking nutrition during your run.

Even though you ate before your long run (right?), you're going to burn through the most easily accessible energy stores in your body, in the form of complex carbs and simple sugars. Solid food doesn't sit well for most people when they're running, and there's a premium on getting the necessary ingredients into your bloodstream as quickly and efficiently as possible.

There are different ways to approach this. The most common is to use energy gels like Gu, Hammer Gel, Power Gel, etc. They come in little foil packets, like little gu grenades. They have around 100-150 calories, 25 grams or so of carbs. They tend to have an 80/20 complex carb to simple sugar ratio, and they might also contain electrolytes, antioxidants, specific amino acids, and maybe even caffeine.

Lots of people have a hard time with gels - the consistency and taste. You kind of have to experiment with different brands and different flavors, because there really is a good deal of variation. Some people also just have a hard time with all that sugar and stuff hitting their stomach. Again, trial and error, which is why it's good to start figuring it out now. Personally, I like Gu. It's not grainy, and doesn't have too much of a funky aftertaste. The Vanilla Bean, the Chocolate Outrage, and usually for my last one in a race, the Espresso Love for that little kick of caffeine.

Clif also makes Shot Bloks, which are little chewable blocks with a gummi bear-like consistency. People vary, but some find them difficult to dispense (they come in a gummi bear-like bag), and difficult to chew. But a lot of people really like them, especially if they dislike the consistency and taste of gels.

Jelly Belly started marketing "Sport Beans", which are actually pretty yummy. Problem is, they're hard to chew while you're trying to breathe, and the package is again problematic - you have to try not to spill the beans, so to speak, and then roll up the remainder and save them for the next intake. I like them for training runs, when I might lolligag a little at a water stop and eat some, but to me personally, they're hardly even worth the trouble for that.

Some people will take bags of salted, mushed-up potatoes. Ask Phillip about that one, though I think he eventually abandoned it.

Then there was my friend Tom, who after trying everything else, started to simply stuff his pockets with Snickers bars. Granted, this was a 6'10", 310 pound guy that would burn 7,000-8,000 calories over the course of a marathon. The tricky part with candy is that the ratios of complex carbs to simple sugars may be less than ideal, so you end up with mainly sugar, which will give you a spike of energy, and a massive dropoff in energy soon thereafter.

The When and How Often Bit
Now, the instructions on your little gu grenade are going to tell you to take one before your run, and every 30-45 minutes thereafter. Then another one after your run. It cracks me up to see runners in a 10K, even a 5K, cracking out the energy gels. They're at the extreme end of the good argument that some runners overuse them. On the other hand, they may know their bodies well enough to find it helps them, or at least, doesn't hurt them. Still, I know I don't want the extra calories unless I need them, and in general, I'd suggest you start out using them conservatively.

Here's the deal - you need to take them as a preparatory or preventative measure, not as a curative one. Just like hydration and electrolyte levels, though, if you wait until you feel the effects of depletion, you're probably a little too late. It takes a while to get the effect, for that added fuel to get into your bloodstream and to the points where it can be burned. For me, a packet of Gu seems to hit in about 5-10 minutes, I think, and I'll burn through it in 20-30 minutes. Therefore, I like to take them about every 40-45 minutes, which comes out to roughly every 4 miles or so.

So, what you want to start doing is finding sort of your fuel-burning rhythm, so that you can take in nutrition at the right times, staying ahead of the curve to keep your levels ideal. For me, if I'm running a marathon, I'll take my Gu at either 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 miles, or 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 miles. For shorter distances, I'll work backwards - for a half marathon, I want my last Gu about three or four miles from the finish, and there are usually water stops at every even-numbered mile. I like to get them every four miles or so, which turns out to be 30-40 minutes. So, I might take one at 10, and one at 6 miles.

I got cocky and tried to run Chicago last year with less... not so good. Thank god for spectators with bananas. I've missed gels on long runs and even in a marathon, and I regretted it.

So, I'd recommend going down to RunTex, REI, Jack and Adams, or Academy, and picking up a few different varieties to experiment with. This weekend's ten miler is a good time to start - plan on taking one at six miles, so you can get a feel for the effect.

For more info, I used this article as a source - it goes into a bit more detail. The same site also has a pretty good review of different gels.

"Dark. No Light."

I'm intending, as previously threatened, to move our workouts up to 6:00pm, to try to get us a little more daylight, what with the apparent shortening of the days by means of some black magic that liberals and conservatives can blame each other for, the falling-back clock action on October 28, and the gradual, evil lengthening of workouts.

Still, you're going to find yourself running in the dark. Unless we're all able to quit our jobs simultaneously (I'm in - anyone? Anyone?), it's just going to be a reality of running. So, let's be smart about it, by means of my beloved bullet points:

• Turn on your heartlight - Well, no, and I can hear Daniel and Matt singing that right now. Must crank up the new Radiohead album... Better. OK, so quite simply, get you some light, so you can see and be seen. Bettysport, RunTex, Academy, REI, all have varieties of lightweight blinky lights . The blinky LED's that go on the shoes are incredibly disconcerting to watch, but that noticeability is exactly what you want, and they even end up casting a little light in your path. REI even has some super-bright halogen headlamps that you can wear on your head, or maybe clip to your arm or waistband.
• Black is the new way to get your butt run over - Yes, you look cool, and you get to play Ninja Runner Person. But you'll never get to use your nunchuks if you get smacked by the car that you were stealthily invisible to. Wear light colors, with reflective stuff. Reflective vests are cheap, if you'll take alive and stupid-looking over dead and cool.
• Be actively visible - Run on the left, unless circumstances make this clearly the worst option. When you have cars coming at you, make eye contact, even wave at them. Make sure they see you.
• Take a buddy, or at least someone you can almost stand - Don't run alone. Simple enough. You're more visible, you have a spotter, you're less likely to get messed with, and if you see the other person fall into a gaping hole, you can go around the hole and continue your run.
• Step light - When you're running through a dark patch, don't assume that it's not the only patch of sidewalk in five miles that isn't clear. Confused by the double negative? Me, too. Point is, find the most lit path through the darkness, slow a little, pick up your feet, and step lightly, as if you're running across a rocky stream. If there is something, you'll have a better chance of recovering from it.
• Pick your route carefully - There are lots of considerations here. Stay out of deserted and/or dark areas, and clear of pothole infestations. Vehicle traffic can provide you a bit of light and security, but you need to steer clear of narrow roads, blind hills and corners, or high speed limits. Portions of the trail are OK, but it gets awfully dark. If you're close to the trail, you might be better off running downtown, or on South Congress.
• Run tough, act tough - One night last week, across the street from Whole Foods, one of our runners was accosted by someone who thought she looked good in shorts, but then wanted to see if she felt good, too. She tried to edge away and be polite. That's understandable, but if it's not going to work with a frat boy in a bar, why would it work with a possibly loony predator? If a comment gets made that's over the line, ignore it. Don't give them anything. If they persist or approach you, say, "Hey. Leave me alone, I'm running." Ignore him when he calls you whatever he calls you, as long as he walks off. Keep anything you say short, but be assertive and make the point that you're not going to be messed with. In the situation our runner was in, she could cross the other street, approach some other people, or even go up to one of the cars in the intersection, and start communicating with them - make sure he sees that people see you and him, and he'll probably move off. If you get in serious trouble, yell, and flag down a car.

Above all, use yer head. Be alert. I'd consider ditching the iPod for night runs in some areas, but if you choose to run with tunes, day or night, you have to take extra steps to be alert, period. But whatever, just be alert, be thinking, be aware of your surroundings. It's a good skill to have anyway, and if that's something you learn from running, then that's great.

OK. There you go. Please, take this stuff seriously.

Incidentally, the title is from... anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Dragon's Back - What All That Was About

I was really happy at the turnout and the results this morning - good job, everyone. Jim ran the eight mile course yesterday, Kellie has tonsilitis, which she thought was very 80's, but then, she's young - I didn't know tonsilitis actually existed outside of fifties TV shows.

Anyway, every Saturday morning, I say a bunch of stuff, you take off, and I realize all the things I didn't say. I kind of mentioned it this morning, but when I wrote a race plan for my runners for this year's AT&T Half Marathon, I used the analogy of a dragon, and it really sort of works for the marathon course, too. The course is challenging, but it's all about managing your race properly.

The hill on South Congress, which was in the first mile this year, but will be in about the second mile in 2008, is the mouth and head of the dragon. People will get all excited and charge crazily at that hill, and, like an overzealous knight, get immediately burned to a crisp/bitten in half.

Where we started this morning was at about mile seven of the 2007 course, and probably about mile eight of the proposed 2008 course. Marathoners are settling in for the long haul, half marathoners are over halfway done.

Then, you hit the dragon's back at Enfield. It bucks and undulates, and essentially, you just stay relaxed, and hold on through the hills.

That's what you all covered today. The 2008 course, as currently proposed, is a little easier on the half marathoners than the 2007 version, because you'll keep going straight on Enfield, like you did today, rather than turning on Exposition and hitting another long, grinding uphill to Windsor.

For the marathoners, you get that hill, then the super steep one you saw up to Randall's and Casis Elementary, then another one up to 35th, then another over Mopac - then the course changes dramatically, and you're just a couple of miles from the start of the Northern 7 run that we did a couple of weeks ago.

Today, you rode the Dragon's back, and got some flat and downhill for a while, then had another beast of a hill coming back up Windsor - you won't see that or really a hill like it past mile 10 or 11 of the marathon. It was a tough run today, but you've seen the worst the course will throw at you in terms of a stretch of hills.

We'll be running that portion several more times, as well as other parts of the course. Again, nothing flattens hills like familiarity. Get to know the neighborhoods, the hills, the street itself over the next few months, and on race day, the dragon will be a lot less intimidating.

Good job today, everyone! I'll be populating the rest of the calendar soon, but we'll be doing some moderate speedwork this week, either on the track or on the road. This coming weekend, full marathoners will hit double digits - 10 miles, the half marathoners will go six, and the upstarts will go five or six, all on a relatively flat course. Rest tomorrow, and get your other runs in this week - DON'T SLACK.

Hitting the Long Runs

So, this week, the marathoners hit a new landmark distance on the long run, while the half marathoners have a recovery week. Up to this point, you've all been building a solid foundation on which to build the rest of the training. Now, we start getting into some harder workouts, and some even more demanding mileage. You're up to the training, but now you really have to take responsibility to do all the things that only you can do to keep yourself working and healthy.

Hydrate Days Early (if not perpetually)
Once you start a run or a race, your intake of water and electrolytes are pretty much just to try to keep up. On a hot day, that might not happen. So, if you don't start off well-hydrated, and as or more importantly, with sufficient electrolyte levels, you're already, um, well, screwed. Sorry about the language, but speaking as someone who's taken that fun ambulance ride after a race, "screwed" is a really apt word.

Really, you should be getting 2-3 liters of water a day anyway, but at least make sure you're doing it for a couple of days before a long run.

But here's a twist for you - more runners die from hyponatremia, having abnormally low blood sodium levels, than dehydration. So, drink, but don't guzzle water during the run, and use some electrolyte supplements.

The USA Track and Field Federation published an advisory concerning proper hydration. It's a little dense, but we all need to be well-informed on this. Here's an important bit:

To ensure proper pre-exercise hydration, the athlete should consume
approximately 500 to 600 ml (17 to 20 fl oz) of water or a sports drink 2 to 3
hours before exercise and 300 to 360 ml (10 to 12 fl oz) of water or a sports
drink 0 to 10 minutes before exercise.

Nutrition
Like hydration, nutrition should be an ongoing, consistent thing, but let's be serious - I ate fried pickles, steak fries, and beer for dinner last night. Some days are like that. As the mileage gets longer, you'll start to find some benefit from regulating what you eat in the day or two before your long run. Really, the ideal time to get some carbs in you is a couple of days before a race or long run (not, as Michael Scott might instruct, minutes before the run). The night before, having a moderate amount of pasta is a good thing. Avoid overeating (why I don't cook for myself the night before a race or run anymore), and I'd suggest avoiding eating a lot of grease, or using a cream sauce, etc.

Eating a big salad the night before a run not only will fail to give you the stuff you need, but is likely to cause other problems... You know what I'm talking about. And, there's nothing wrong with having a beer or glass of wine, but too much of it will jack with your stomach in the morning, too.

On the morning of your run or race, ya gotta eat. Lots of you say you don't want to eat in the morning. Well, your body sure as hell wants you to, if you're about to make it run eight or more miles. Some of us may get by not eating much for a shorter run, but I know for me, and most people I know, you start running seven or eight miles, you need some fuel.

What people eat is highly individual, but you want carbs that you're going to be able to access fairly easily, but that won't burn up immediately. Most people go with a bagel with a littel peanut butter or cream cheese (if your stomach is OK with oil or fat that early), toast, or oatmeal. The timing of this is important... we'll get to that later...

At some point, you're going to want to take in more nutrition during your runs, but I don't think you need energy gels or anything for distances less than 10 miles, unless you're my 310 pound friend Tom, who probably burns through a stack of pancakes getting to his car to go to the run. If you want to bring a light snack for during the run, you might experiment with that. One friend brings "fruit leather", which sounded disgusting until I was starving on a run one morning.

Pooping and Peeing: Everybody Does It, and It's All About Timing
Here ya go, the promised (and apparently highly anticipated) bit about doing what you do when you do what you do.

#1. As in, Number One. Not as much of a problem, clearly. Most of you have figured this out by now, but here's a few points. Don't drink too much too late at night, or you'll have to keep getting up. For races, plan time to hit the long lines at the porta potties right before the race. When you're running a half marathon or marathon, try to use the facilities, but the fact is, the first mile or two of every marathon or half marathon I've seen has been lined with, uhh... urinators. Do what you gotta do. If you're chasing a time, and you gotta go... well, let's just say that people won't stop to... go. Then, they'll throw water on themselves when they can. If you do this, I don't want a post-race hug, and I jsut don't want to know about it. You better be qualifying for Boston or the Olympics to justify that, and if that's the case, you need a better coach, anyway.

#2. Here's where you get into issues. The night before a long run, you need to eat early, so the whole process can get moving. Before a 7am start time, I'll ideally eat a good dinner at 5:30 or 6:00, or at least no later than 7:30 or 8:00. Getting enough water helps, too. Then, in the morning, as soon as I'm up, I eat, to get what are hopefully the final stages of that process going. I plan my run morning schedule so I can have an hour between eating and, uhh, hopefully, delivery of the ordinance over the intended target (which is your toilet, and not a nasty porta-potty).

If you're on a long run and gotta go, just do it as soon as possible. Waiting will just make things worse, and mess up your run. I have more detail here, but just, please take my word for it.

Pace
Many of you keep talking about wanting to get faster. That's understandable and admirable, but dangerous and quite possibly counterproductive. The majority of you are still beginners, at least in terms of running distances over three to five miles. When you start running eight, ten, or more miles, it's a whole different ballgame.

Just. Be. Patient. Every single coach I've had, best to worst, has hammered that into me. Focus on running the distances, running them at the right effort level, keep making it to the weekday group workouts, and you will, eventually, get faster. If I'm doing my job, and you're doing yours, the speed will come. If you try to force it, if you run all your runs obsessing on your watch, you're missing the objective of the run, and you aren't even necessarily as likely to get faster. If you want to understand why this is so, check out this article by Greg McMillan.

When you come out on Tuesday or Wednesday, those are often your days to drop the hammer, but even then, you have to trust the workout, and run the proper paces. Then, I do expect to see you working hard. But otherwise, be patient. What good is a minimal increase in speed if you burn out or get injured and can't use it?

After the run
Again, now that we're getting into longer mileage, and even more demanding quality workouts, you have to take the responsibility of doing the little things after your runs, and really, every day, to take care of yourself. These things may be small, but they will make a tremendous difference in your recovery, and therefore, your ability to run again and stay injury-free.

• Stretch - When you're done with the run, just go ahead and stretch immediately. Stretch while you chat and drink water. I always forget or do the "I'll stretch at home" thing, which virtually never happens.
• Eat - Getting the right mix of protein and carbs in your body within the 35 or 40 minutes following your run will dramatically impact your recovery. Here's another great article by Greg McMillan, about post-run nutrition. Again, a lot of people don't feel like eating right after a run. Chocolate milk is supposed to be a good option for those people, or, believe it or not, a Slimfast shake.
• Take an ice bath - Unpleasant? Hell, yes. Effective? Hell, yes. Ask Jean or Matt - I think they'll both attest to how much better their recoveries have been lately when they took an ice bath. And if it's good enough for Paula Radcliffe, it's good enough for me (mmm... Paula...). Anyway, dump enough ice in the tub to really drop the temp into the 40's or 50's, and get in for 10-15 minutes. Wear a sweatshirt so your top half doesn't suffer. Drink some hot chocolate or coffee or whatever. In the winter, when I know the pool is cold enough, I'll just go get up to my waist in it, hang on the edge, and make phone calls. Lots of people like Barton Springs - it's better than nothing, but not really cold enough. Yes, there are some disbelievers out there. That's all I'm going to say about them, though. I will also point out that I found a disturbing number of people post videos of their post-run ice baths on You Tube. I did not watch any of them.
• Stretch again - Most of us run, stretch a little, maybe sit around and eat and talk, then get into our cars and sit with our legs bent up to get home. Within that first hour or two, we usually are doing everything possible to let our legs get tight. So, if I can remember to do it, I like to stretch again once, even twice, over the next few hours.

You should all be at the point, incidentally, where you call yourselves runners. You've earned that by virtue of your work, commitment, and sacrifices. Every single one of you are out there working hard for hours and hours every week. You've all made alterations in your routine, and very real sacrifices, to train. Don't let it all get derailed because you don't take a few minutes to stretch, or do footdrills, or throw down a breakfast taco after a run. Build these things into your routine, and be a student of running, learning the how and why of these things when you can. It's what runners do.

Hill's Hills, or "The Quagmire (of Appeasement)"

Great job on the hill workout this week. Phillip suggests calling it the Clarksville Wanderlust, Jean's calling it "Hill's Hills", and I'm thinking of it as the Quagmire. Vietnam and Iraq kinda ruined that word for us all, but "Family Guy" has redeemed it somewhat. A couple of definitions: "A soft, boggy or marshy area that gives way under foot..." "a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position: predicament."

It is just as hard a predicament as you make it, and everyone seemed to really work to get the most out of the workout.

For those of you wanting to make it up the route and workout are below. For those of you who did it, skip down and remind yourself what was important about this workout...

Here's the workout:

Warmup from Whole Foods - take Sixth Street west to the corner of Sixth and Highland. I'd take some water and drop it here.
Basically, you're going to alternate running pretty hard, then recovering.
Hard from the corner of Highland and Sixth, up Highland to the top of the hill, even with the beige brick house to your right, 701 Highland.
Easy to 9th street, turn right
Hard up 9th Street to Pressler, turn right
Easy down the hill to 701 Pressler
Hard to 6th, turn right
Easy back to the start

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1366716
Ignore the mileage - I didn't route all the loops on the map. It was a half mile warm-up, and half a mile cooldown. Four laps is about 2.2 miles, three laps is 1.65.

Half marathoners and upstarts run three full laps, marathoners four, then an easy cooldown back to the store -

back up Highland to 9th
Right on 9th
Left on Blanco
Right on 12th
Right on Lamar

Be careful with traffic, and get started as soon as you can - it's getting dark earlier now. Be particularly careful on 9th street - I'd actually stay on the right, and make sure people can see you. You will want to take some water and leave it on the corner of Highland and 6th.

Running the stretch on 9th Street has an added bonus. You're going to crest the hill before you get to the turn for the next recovery leg. Your brain and body are probably going to automatically slack when you hit the top of the hill - be conscious of this, and maintain your pace to Pressler.

I like this, because I want everyone to be thinking about not letting up too much at the top of hills. Think about it - you're using more effort to maintain a speed going uphill. When most people get to the top of a hill, they tend to let off the gas so much that they slow down. Why? If you were running the hill at the right pace, it was taking the normal amount of energy, plus some extra. When you get to the top, the energy required to maintain your pace is going to dip down naturally - there's no need to compound that by actually slowing down. Be patient, relax, but hold your pace. It's going to get easier, and you will get your breath back, unless you just ran it way too hard.

Now, on this workout, you are supposed to be cranking fairly hard, but that little stretch on 9th Street is a good way to train yourself not to let up too much at the top.

When you're running hard down Pressler, make sure you are doing it with fast turnover, and keeping the impact to a minimum like we've talked about before. Again, the maximum amount of force isn't actually simultaneous with your footstrike - it's a split second later, as your weight moves more fully over the foot, and your shoe and joints compress. Experiment with keeping your form correct, and pulling through and up out of the stride to minimize that.

On the hard parts of Highland and 9th Streets, you should be at a good, hard pace - you should be breathing hard at the end, but you shouldn't have to stop and totally suck wind. Don't stop and walk, just slow down, relax, and learn to trust that your breathing will catch back up before you have to do your next one.

Report from the (Ultra) Marathon Relay

OK, I've delayed reporting on Sunday's Silicon Labs Marathon Relay because... we're not entirely sure how it went. Take me, for example - I either permformed miserably, with my slowest 10K in two years, or I did OK, or I blew away my personal record and finally broke through a wall I've been working on for a while.

Mandy, Jean, Jacala, and Staci E. were on one team with me. Phillip and Kelly ran with my old marathon buddies, the P'Dipps, and Mirsa ran with her sister and some other friends. Hopefully, they'll all add their individual stories and observations to this (hint).

Going through my usual race morning ritual, I got up, immediately made breakfast, and turned on News 8, the quality of which I only find acceptable when I need to know the weather at 5:48 am. The first words out of the weatherman's mouth: "It is really uncomfortable out there right now." He went on to talk about all the places around Austin with 100% humidity. Swweeeet.

Auditorium Shores was sporting a very festival atmosphere, with brightly colored canopies everywhere, live music from some surprisingly good kid bands, and moonwalks that I was dying to go jump around on.

Mandy ran the first leg, a 12K leg that measured around 7.5 miles, and came through in 1:23:49, averaging a nice 11:11 per mile.

Staci hopped in for the next leg, which was allegedly 10K, or 6.2 miles. She came in at 1:07:43. In April, she and Rosemary had run the Texas Roundup 10K in 1:00:04, so she was disappointed. ironically, had she come in at her previous best time, she would have come in with the last runner from the RunTex team, which won with a 2:25:04 overall time. Their time was four minutes shy of the record... or was it?

Staci handed off to me, and I took off. I was not up for this race, for some reason. The legs felt weak. But I knew Jacala would be waiting to run the next leg, so I couldn't slink off and run back to my car. Plus, my keys were back at our base camp. I wanted to do no worse than my PR (personal record), but I really wanted to finally break through and run less than 9 minute miles.

First rule of racing? Don't go out too fast. At the first, and only, mile marker for the 10K, I checked the watch... 7:52. Oops. To put this into perspective, I averaged 8:01 per mile in my time trial. Clearly, this was a very bad thing.

I decided I would slow down, use the cushion I had just stupidly built, and try to average 9:10 or so for the rest of the race, even knowing the reality of the exponentially detrimental effect of going out too fast. But let's be optimistic, and check our time at mile two... except there were no other mile markers for the 10K or 5K courses. There was also the issue that the maps for the course didn't show which direction we would be running in, so the race plan I had in mind and sent to the team was almost completely useless. At the topside of the loop around the Capitol, there were no course monitors or signs, just some cones. I turned around to the people behind me, and we all shrugged at each other, and turned.

I ran the stupid, stupid stretch on Cesar Chavez. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I believe we're in this for the challenge, and we shouldn't complain about the topography of the course. But do 2/3 of all the races in Austin have to run up Cesar Chavez? I mean, really?

So, I got in at 1:00:09 by my watch, and was annoyed. Jacala took off. Staci and I wandered around, talked to Jean, and avoided the table full of free hamburgers by the Lean Beef Council or whatever. Staci got a free electronic jumprope, which has to be one of the most absurd things I've ever seen.

Jacala came in at 40:09, according to official timing, and she looked smooth and strong at the finish. We missed Jean going out, because at noon, they made everyone still waiting to start the last leg go ahead and go, so they could make the 1:00pm course closure time. As much as they tried to appeal to beginner runners, and as many as took them up on that appeal and were out there working hard, the course needs to be open longer. We were really not all that slow, but by the time Jean was running, one station had long run out of water cups, and was just splashing people with water instead, and the great folks from RaceWorks (who have to work in the time constraints dictated by the race director) were having to start to tear down while people were still coming across. This doesn't really do a lot to inspire beginning runners.

We caught Jean coming back in, and she, too, looked really strong at the end, and she was working hard, pushing a nice pace. Because she had to start before Jacala came in, she has no official timing (as much as she'd love to claim the posted 28:21), but I believe she said she was out there for 40-45 minutes.

So, with the exception of Mandy, we were all a bit confused and disappointed in our times. Then we started hearing rumors that the 10K course was 6.6 miles, not 6.2. We started wondering if the 5K was long, as well. Of course, we all thought of the line from last week's "The Office" - "5K is not 5,000 miles, Michael...

Phillip ran the "10K" in 59:25.3, Kellie in 1:05:23, and Mirsa ran the 12K in a great 1:15:05, averaging 10:01 per mile.

So, here's the thing. The RunTex race report said, "the course was nearly a mile long. Apparently, the 5K course was the culprit, measuring about 3.5 miles, and while the 10K leg was supposed to make up for that with a 5.9 mile short course, that did not happen." Huh? Wha?

Meanwhile, the official timing by RunFar claims a total distance of 28.1 miles, showing the 10K course as 6.8 miles long, rather than 6.2. People are claiming their GPS devices reported everything from 6.6 to 6.8. We're still waiting on RunTex to respond to the questions on their forum, or issue some sort of clarification.

Regardless of whether that happens and what it reveals, here's what we can learn from this. First, plan and visualize your race. Then, be prepared for it to quite probably all go wrong. People work hard on these races, but they make mistakes. You work hard, but you'll be making plenty of mistakes (7:52? What the hell was that?). Once you're out there, though, you either give up, or you adapt and make the best of your day. Clearly, there's only one option, especially if you don't have your car keys with you.

And then there's the issue of how you judge yourself. In this case, we may have done great, or we may have done OK, and initially, we thought we had done badly. Time will always be a source of joy or disappointment for us, but we have to keep it in perspective. If it was a true 10K course, and I ran my worst time in two years, or if I set a new personal record, the only thing that matters either way, that really says something about who I am, is whether I pushed myself enough on that day, in those conditions. Again, times are rarely adequate or accurate measures of the human heart, will, or character.

And finally, in the end, I had a good day with some great runners and friends, in the first race where Team Spiridon showed up and represented. I'm really proud of how we all did, and I can't wait for the 10K on October 21...