The Leelanau Trail

One of the great things about northern Michigan is the natural, scenic beauty every where you go. Going to the store? Grand Traverse Bay just happens to be on the way. Going to the beach? Look at that, a bunch of sail boats and a beautiful sunset. I love being in the Traverse area during summer and fall. Winter and spring on the other hand? No thanks. I hate the snow - especially piles of it - and dripping, melting slush in the spring. I still prefer to visit the area rather than live there. But it is a terrific place to visit as a "fudgie".

I spent the last week at my folks place on a lake in Traverse City. The kids and I went swimming three different times in West Bay. Surprisingly, it was warm on 2 of the 3 trips. We did some boating, golfing, water skiing, and went down to the Traverse City Film Festival (more on this in a later post). It was a good week all in all except the wife had to stay back home and work during the week. That was a bummer.

I knew it would be a challenge to keep my running schedule this week but, somehow, I managed. I'm surprised really. There were so many more appealing attractions. I'm giving myself a pat on the back for keeping to my weekly goals. Of course, both weekends, my wife gave me a big assist. Never more so than this past Sunday.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I planned to hit 16 laps around the Civic Center track. I've done 20 laps before (each lap is almost exactly 1 mile) so I figured 16 would be no problem. So, on July 29th I dutifully started running circles. About 6 miles in, wanderlust struck and I started feeling trapped in a cage. Why am I running laps? There is so much to see just outside the gates. So, I veered right instead of left off the track and out the gates. I ran past 2 of my previous childhood homes. I ran for awhile on the Bayshore marathon course along the bay. I circled back and finished my last few miles on the track again to bookend the experience. Being that my Garmin quit on me again, I had to guess I went roughly 16.5 miles @ 7:18 pace.

Yesterday, my planned 17 miler, I decided not even to attempt the track again. Traverse City has a variety of running/biking trails. Why not try one of those? Sure enough, there's a 17 mile trail from the (former) Clinch Park Zoo on West Bay to downtown Suttons Bay. It's called The Leelanau Trail . This is where the wife came in. She needed to drive me downtown after getting up at 7 AM - on a Sunday, sleep in day - and then drive out to Suttons Bay just over 2 hours later to pick me back up. What a game wifey I have!

Start: West Bay in Traverse City

The Leelanau Trail: Off Road

Finish: Suttons Bay

This is a beautiful, serene stretch to run. Quiet countryside. Only a few road crossings. I was amused by the number of "tractor crossing" signs posted along the route. Much of the trail cut through farmers' fields. I kept my eye out for a John Deere haulin' a** across the trail.

The first 8 miles are paved, then 6 miles off road, and then 3 more paved miles into downtown Suttons Bay and the sweetness of an ice cream shop. Except none of them were open yet. Bummer. I recommend it as a nice run/bike if you are in the area. Bring water, however, as there are no water stations past mile 3. I took it a bit easier on this trail as I've been going hard - too hard - lately. I wanted this just to be a pleasant run through the countryside. And it was. (17 miles / 7:32 pace).

Happy trails.

Need for Speed Returns!

After last week's near gut spewing incident on the high school track, I was a bit leery at first with my second post-Bayshore attempt at speed work. The conditions were basically the same. Hot. Muggy. Except there was a slight cooling breeze this time.

Again, I managed only 2 miles worth of repeats proceeded and followed by a 1.5 mile jog. this time, the total mile time for my repeats was closer to 6:24. I didn't feel like puking, so, thumbs up. I'd love to get my mile times closer to 6:00 by the end of the year if possible. I am thinking I may make a return to some 5k racing next year and would love to get under the 19 minute mark. We'll see. That's on the back burner for now.

I'm still experiencing a pain in my left heel that is very sharp at first but recedes after about a mile to the point were I barely notice it. My right hamstring is a little sore also. I remember that it was at about this point in the spring while training for Bayshore when I started experiencing various aches and pains. I'm starting to increase the mileage while mixing in some maxed out repeats. I'm sure these annoyances are just part of the joy of running.

I'll be getting some miles in at a one mile circular track in Traverse City over the next week. I'll try not to get dizzy and fall down on my planned 16 miler.

Happy trails.

Wicked and Headless Horsemen

The wife and I went to Wicked last Friday night. This is the big draw in town this week at MSU's Wharton Center. It's a nearly 3 hour performance. The first hour or so, I must admit, I was looking at my watch a bit. There was a lot of set-up to build to the second half of the performance. After the intermission (Toblerone's = delicious), it was outstanding. I've heard better songs and better vocal performances come through Wharton but, as a spectacle, very entertaining! It's worth a look for any live theater fans out there.

Meanwhile, I have pulled the trigger on another race registration. I will be doing my first trail run on August 11th. It's a 10 miler promising rolling hills. How different is a trail run? I don't know but I'm gonna find out. I'll do some reshuffling to my long run schedule as the weekend of this race I was scheduled for a 19 miler but will instead do this 10 miler. No problem. I'm looking forward to it.

Running Update:

Sunday's long run was a little tough. It was the farthest I've gone since Bayshore. After about 11 miles, I noticed the hamstrings started getting real tight, real quick. I managed to finish my planned distance.

14 miles

7:18 pace

Happy trails.

Disastrous Speed Work. Almost.

So, I wandered up to the local high school track to run some 1/4 mile repeats Wednesday night. I didn't really have a plan in place when I left. It's about a 1.25 mile jog to the track so, on the way, I formulated my plan of attack. I decided to go 1/4 mile hard (one lap), 1/4 easy, 1/4 hard, 1/4 easy. Rest. Repeat.

Sounded good.

Except it was 88 degrees and incredibly muggy. The air was thick and hot.

I figured a couple of miles of hard work would be doable though, right?

I managed to complete both miles worth of repeats but only at a total average 6:30/mile clip. I was hoping for closer to 6:10/mile. At the end of the second mile, I had to suppress the growing urge to puke all over the track. I haven't done any speed work in awhile and on that hot track, that day, it was not a good idea. A couple of deep breaths kept my afternoon snack from creeping up my esophagus. I made my light jog home and peeled the sweat saturated clothing off me.

Next time, I'll be more selective on my speed work days.

I did come to the realization that I have become too content with my training pace and need to push a bit harder periodically if I don't want to plateau. Despite the heat, the repeats were harder than it should have been.

Upcoming Events:

There are two races I'm eyeballing before the big 2007 Chicago Marathon. Both are 10 milers. I would love to do the Crim in Flint, MI on August 25th but I may be out of town that day. If not, count me in.

I may soon sign up for The Legend at Sleepy Hollow Park on August 11th. It's a 10 mile trail race with some hills and other natural obstacles. I'm thinking I may take a stab at the 50k Dances with Dirt adventure race next September so this might be a good introduction to this style of running (at 1/3 the distance and probably 1/3 the intensity).

Streak Ends:

I did not run the Traverse City Cherry Festival race this year breaking my streak of seven years that started with my first official race in 2000. My heart just wasn't in it and I had a 'been there, done that' attitude to the whole thing. Plus, while it's a scenically nice race, I don't think it is particularly well organized when compared to the Bayshore Marathon run in the same city but by different organizers. I'm sure our paths will cross again though.

Happy trails.

Exhale

This has been one of the busiest past few weeks in recent memory. Between work, travel, running, yard work, etc. it has been non-stop GO. Consequently, all of the hilariously irreverent anecdotes I had saved up for various blog entries have washed from memory and you're left with just a run-of-the-mill update. Time to exhale for a bit.

Recently, I completed The Road by Cormac McCarthy. My first from this author. It's your standard apocalyptic tale of lost hope and vanished dreams in a barren landscape. However, the two main characters - a nameless man and his child - and their relationship while existing in this bleak world is wonderfully crafted. His prose is simple and direct with short Hemingwayesque sentences. I really enjoyed the way the author conveyed the strong emotions between the two with very little description or effort. I'd give it a B+ if you are scoring at home (which I am).

Secondly, I finished Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killers by James L. Swanson. I really enjoyed this book. It's history on the fly told in a fast pace, energetic style. History is typically among the least favorite classes for any student but this was a heart pounding read even though you know the outcome in advance. Like most, I was familiar with the general details of the Lincoln assassination. To step right into an hour-by-hour, day-by-day account of the hunt put you right at the scene. It was fascinating. A wrong turn here and there cost Booth his escape and living glory in the South. It almost happened. You'll learn more than you would think. Did you know the Lincoln assassination was part of a plot to topple the Union government in one evening with Grant, V.P. Johnson, and Sec of State Seward all targeted that fateful evening? Grade: A

Running Update:

I'm a bit behind my ambitious Higdon Intermediate II schedule but still in a good shape. I've been putting in about 3-4 less miles per week than he would like. I am not concerned. I feel like I'm right where I want to be. No goal yet for Chicago. I may have one shortly though. I'd like to see how Mike is doing so we can work together towards his BQ.

Tonight I'm going out for my first true "speed work" effort. I usually do that fartlek style but I'm actually going to the local high school track this time to give it a try.

Sunday's LR:

10 miles
7:07 pace

Until next time...

Ode to the Crushed Chipmunk

Your indecisiveness this morning cost you your life. Sorry 'bout that. I took no pleasure in the sound of the crunch under my tire. If it means anything to you, I closed my eyes and cringed. There was no room to swerve and you changed direction suddenly. I'll pay my respects when I run by your flattened carcass later today.

Running Update:

I have been extremely busy lately but things are starting to slow up again. Major projects are being delivered! I have some vacation time! I'm glad to see everyone has been keeping up with their training.

I have also been able to get most of my runs in. My left heel pain has dramatically reduced. I found that if I stretch better after my run, it doesn't tighten up and get real sore anymore.

Rather unwisely, I choose to go for an impromptu Saturday evening run under the blazing sun and 90 degree weather. It was a bit of a struggle. I think people in passing cars thought I was insane.

Saturday's LR:

12.0 miles
7:22 pace

Next week, I'm going to start getting back into some formal speed training at my local high school track. It's been awhile since I did any at all.

Duty Bound

Oops. I forgot all about my jury duty summons until, oh, about 9 PM on Sunday. Called the hotline and, sure enough, I needed to be at the courthouse bright and early Monday morning. Sorry work, forgot to give you the heads up on this. I've received a summons each of the last 3 years and, the prior two, I simply called the hotline and was told not to show. I guess I was expecting the same thing. You know what happens when you ASS-U-ME. In this case, it's all on me.

After sitting around for 3 hours and listening to jury selection (of which I was literally the last potential juror on the list with no hope of being called), I was dismissed to return to work - which was not pleased with my last minute absence right smack in the middle of one of my busiest work weeks.

Watching the legal system work though is fascinating. I did enjoy observing the questioning of the potential jurors and guessing at the reasons for their dismissals. It was also interesting watching two jurors say anything they could in an obvious attempt to be dismissed. One woman in particular kept hinting in a very embarrassing way that she didn't think she could be impartial for one reason after another. When that didn't work, she then suddenly remembered - an hour and a half into the process - that she did, in fact, remember the accused as visiting her place of work and that she didn't have a good opinion of her. Wow. Amazing how she forgot that for so long and then pulled that out at the last minute. They put her out of her misery and dismissed her.

I think she should have been forced to be an alternate juror...not really part of it but still having to sit there the whole time. Kind of like a hockey penalty box.

Running Update:

Sunday's LR

9.7 miles
7:20 pace

I'm dealing with a sharp pain in my left heel right where it turns north. After about 1.5 miles, it loosens up but those first 10 minutes or so are miserable. Right now, I'm proceeding without changing my training plan but keeping an eye on this. I may cut short some long runs if it doesn't show signs of improvement over the next week or so.

Somehow or another I'm already at week 4 of my Chicago plan. Where does the time go?

In Process...

Postings may be sporadic over the next few weeks.

Job is in the busy season. We have some family mini vacations on the horizon.

As you can see, I've started repainting a bit. Still going with the boring standard templates offered by Blogger though. I've tried to lighten the colors a bit. I love the color blue but recognize it is a bit difficult to read white text on a blue background so I dumped my previous layout. I'd like to juice up the header but still investigating the best way to do that. In the meantime, mind the dust and nails, reconstruction will be complete soon (whenever time permits).

I'm back into my regular running mode (i.e. obsessing about not missing a run). Starting slowly into my training plan but will pick up steam over the next few weeks. Did over 4 miles at 6:51 pace earlier in the week and 6.25 miles at 7:08 pace last night. I have a 9+ miler scheduled for Sunday.

We were gone on a quick family mini trip to Chicago and Six Flags last weekend. I'll see if I can dig up some exciting news from that trip in the next post.

Happy running.

Slow Motion

Okay, so I'm not moving so fast on repainting this blog. Lots of things going on...finishing a backyard project that involved never ending shoveling, son's baseball, the Michigan Mile held in downtown Lansing which both kids finished in fine form. Work is very busy right now. All in all, just no time. I'll get to a redesign soon.

As for running, I'm still taking it easy. Logged a paltry 13 miles last week. Did over 4 miles @ 6:57 pace last night. I'll probably only due another 10 or so miles the rest of the week. Then, I'll start concentrating again on my training plan. I'm taking a mental and physical break between Bayshore and Chicago. After Chicago, Disney and Boston will come quick with almost no chance for a break so I'll enjoy this for a few weeks.

Happy running.

Changes Coming

I've lived with this basic blog look since it's inception. Mainly out of pure laziness to develop it further. At the very least, it's due for a new coat of paint. And with Chicago approaching, maybe I'll try to match the color pattern to the next marathons official colors? I think they are black and gold for the 30th anniversary.

I've been taking it easy on the running front lately. I reward myself with two easy weeks following a marathon before diving back in to regular running mode. I've done just two lazy 3 mile runs since Bayshore. Next week, I'll get back on my regular schedule. I've printed and modified Hal Higdon's Intermediate II plan to follow for Chicago. Once again, I'll attempt to hit his weekly LR target but the rest of the week, that's all my creation. Basically, I took his 18 week template and deleted out the Mon-Sat runs and entered my own. I think at this point I have a decent idea of what works for me. No need to even pretend I'm going to follow someone else's for the weekday runs.

Randumbness:

A) Did anyone notice the article on page 96-97 of the latest Runner's World? He was wearing a Traverse City Running Fit shirt.


B) The Tigers were decent hitting but superb pitching team in 2006. This year, they are a superb hitting but only decent pitching team. A complete flip-flop. I think the pitching will improve though as the year goes on.

C) I think the Pistons deserved their fate.

D) I don't think the Red Wings deserved theirs those. One tipped puck from controlling the series against Anaheim. Painful to see the Ducks skating around with the Cup last night. Tsk, tsk.

E) Reefer Madness: Interesting read. Basically, the author assembled and expanded on 3 article's he had written previously for a magazine. The subjects: marijuana, illegal migrant workers, and the porn industry and the impact on our economy through the black market. Each of these markets are examined in the context of what "we", society, consider moral and how our views on morality shift over time.

F) We were lured into each of the big Hollywood blockbuster Part 3's recently: Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Shrek 3. I think all three were the worst of their respective trilogy. I left each thinking 'if they don't make another one, that's fine with me'. None of the films were terrible. They just couldn't live up to the hype or quality of the preceding films in my opinion.

G) We finished viewing season 1 of Weeds. Hilarious. I love TV series' featuring foul mouthed 4th graders and pot dealing mothers.








H) We are now renting season 3 of Rescue Me. Good show. Check it out.











Now that you're all caught up, have a good weekend.

Bayshore Wrap-Up

Final thoughts on Bayshore...

A terrific race. Plain and simple. I have two marathon experiences...the large, crowded, high adrenalin of the Chicago Marathon and the small, scenic Bayshore Marathon. They are both special in their own way.

Bayshore was great because...

It was less crowded.

The course was beautiful...like a long, slow scenic drive along some of the best bay front views in Northern Michigan.

The technical race shirt is very usable and appealing.

The finisher's medal is solid and, frankly, better than Chicago's.

The volunteers were tremendously motivated to make this a great experience and deserve a round of applause.

My hometown...

...and I qualified for Boston!!


Final Numbers:

88th of 1292 finisher's overall.
14th of 111 finisher's in my age group.
1:33 first half marathon/ 1:39 second half. Both better than expected.

Mike and I pre-race:

Finishing (above)....barely able to stand still to have my timing chip removed (below)...

Smiles with the kids in the stands afterwards. My wife is taking the picture and I wish I had one loaded on my PC right now that included her. Next update perhaps.

I have a hotel reserved in downtown Boston....just waiting for the registration to open in September. Hope to see other familiar faces there! (hint, hint)

2007 Bayshore Marathon Race Report

Okay, so I already spoiled the conclusion to this story with my brief report the other day. So, I'll start at the end before going back to the beginning.

Miles: 26.2
Finish time: 3:12:19
Pace: 7:20 per mile

I qualified to run the Boston Marathon and couldn't be happier! Now I just need to get registered (when registration opens) and make it official. This was really the best time I could have hoped for on this day. Really, I thought there was a decent chance I'd get under 3:16 but I expected to just brush under the wire like Dolly Parton at a limbo hoping the room is warm.

It was a struggle though. I didn't follow my own advice and paid for it in the end. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

FORECAST & REGISTRATION

I don't normally believe in "omens" or "signs" but I have to say that a few of them were present if I was bothering to look. All week, the forecast for Saturday morning called for "thunderstorms". Not rain. Thunderstorms. On Friday, the forecast suddenly changed to "partly sunny and 50 degrees". Could that be more perfect? Then, at registration, I'm presented with a Bib # of 100. A nice round number. 100...as in 100 percent...or perfect...or all the way...or can not do any better...get it? Omens!

PRE-RACE

My wife and I stayed at my folks place on Silver Lake in Traverse City the night before the race. Woke up just after 5 AM. I managed 5 hours of sleep which I was pretty happy to get. I took a meal of two slices of toast with peanut butter and honey, yogurt, and Gatorade. Then, on the drive down to the Start line at the local community college (NMC), I ate a Powerbar and more Gatorade.

I found Mike already present and ready to go waiting amongst the crowd. We chatted a bit and proceeded to the starting area after my wife gamely volunteered to transport our newly emptied GU packages to the nearest garbage.

At the start, I was excited but not overly nervous or worried. The weather was perfect...around 55 degrees, sunny with a light breeze. No rain in the forecast. I thought we had positioned ourselves reasonably close to the front - I could see the start line about 50 feet ahead of me - but when the horn sounded, I realized I was once again having to wade through a large group of runners just like in Chicago.

MILES 1-10

Okay, so maybe not just like in Chicago. There was only 1700 marathon runners here. But I got that nervous "oh, crap" feeling that I was going to be trapped in a slower pace than I wanted right off the bat. I started scurrying up open lanes and jumped outside of the street onto the grass a few times to pass as many people as I could. I think I might have accidentally cut someone off as I heard an angry comment behind me. It was unintentional. As it turned out, I shouldn't have worried. I turned in a first mile of 7:01 which was quicker than I wanted. And I had emerged from the crowd by the half mile mark and was able to run the race at my pace.

My plan was to stick to 7:15 miles through the first half marathon to save something for the 20+ miles where I knew I would need this energy. I didn't listen. I felt great and got in with a group of 6 or 7 runners that were pacing out at about 7:05 miles. I stuck with them. There was a slight headwind going out the peninsula and I positioned myself right behind them to try and draft a bit. I've heard that real runners do this so I thought I'd give it a try.

The miles were smooth and easy here. Garmin was consistently recording miles between 6:57 and 7:10. I had hoped to "bank" 2 minutes over my goal Boston time by the half marathon mark to use at the 20 + mile range. By the end of ten miles, I was already over 3 minutes in the bank.

Highlight: My local running store Playmakers was blasting music and cheering on their runners around the 4th mile mark. Very cool that they came up just to cheer on their team. I'll have to look into joining their running group.

MILES 11-19.31

I started to feel the effects of my 7:05 pace as I approached the half marathon mark. I knew I was going to be in for a rough second half and was already adopting a "one mile at a time" mental approach by the time I circled the half marker and started on the road back. Overall, I was still feeling good at this point and pretty optimistic. I was 3.5 minutes under my planned half time. There was extra seconds banked now if things got rough.

Shortly after the half marathon point, I spotted Mike coming the opposite direction (just past his 12 miles/just before my 14 mile mark). I knew he was moving. I thought I'd pass him when I was at 14.5 miles and that was when I thought I would do 7:15 miles. I was going quick...he was going even quicker. We were both way ahead of our planned paces.

After mile 16, my pace suddenly dropped. I managed to hold the 7:05 - 7:10's through 16 miles but miles 17 and 18 were at 7:30. This was okay though. For Boston, I needed to average 7:28 so I consoled myself with the fact that I hadn't actually used any of my banked seconds for these two miles...I just hadn't made a deposit either. Mile 16 was also the point where a runner I had been jockeying back and forth with since about mile 9 finally moved ahead of me by about 60 feet and threatened to leave me behind. He looked strong and I wanted to stay with him.

At mile 19.31, my Garmin ran into signal interference and I was without it for the rest of the race. Fortunately, I had planned for this occasion and had my trusty Timex running on my other wrist. I could still monitor my pace! I had run without taking a walking break to this point. I had passed many people and only passed by a handful. This was the point at which the race started to go downhill for me. I began paying for my lack of early race conservative pacing....

MILES 19.31 to FINISH!!

By mile 20, I felt dog tired. I was mentally kicking myself for going too fast through the first half marathon. I knew this would happen. Why didn't I listen? I consoled myself with the fact that I had banked over 5.5 minutes by this point. Boston was well within reach if I could just avoid a complete breakdown or injury. Keep the legs moving. Ignore the pain. No, what did Karnazes say? Embrace the pain. I actually had these mental conversations with myself. Keep moving. You only need 8:15 miles to safely make it under Boston. 8:15? I think. I was having trouble doing the math with my Timex. Crap, why did my Garmin fail?!

Miles 22 and 23 were tough. I had no idea what I did those miles without Garmin or the ability to do mathematics at this point in the race. Looking back, I could have simply started hitting the Lap button on my Timex but that was the farthest thing from my thoughts. I started taking walking breaks through the water stations. My body felt okay - no muscle pulls or strains - just an overwhelming feeling of being drained and wanting to stop running.

Past mile 23, it was only a 5k to go right? I'm pretty sure I still have a few minutes banked for Boston. Keep movin...

Mile 24, is that the runner I'd been envious of a few miles back when he put some distance between us? He's walking through the water station and doesn't appear to be ready to start again anytime soon. I took a shorter walk break and passed him on the run....I won't lie, that felt great.

Mile 25. When will the damn race end? For the first time through either marathon I have done, I took a walking break for no other reason than to rest. I had been walking only while taking water at an aid station previously. This time, as soon as I passed mile 25, I stopped and walked. I knew I still had a few minutes banked for Boston at this point. I wanted to finish strong at the track in front of my family and friends. I walked for 35 seconds. Amazingly, the mystery runner I guess I had been unknowingly competing against, did not pass me. I coaxed the legs into a running stride again....

Mile 26. After winding back through the college campus, marker 26 was at the beginning of the high school track. I could see and hear the crowd as I approached. I knew my wife and kids were there. My parents and in-laws were somewhere inside. I knew Mike's family and friends, Animal and Tess and others, were there. I looked forward to finishing in front of them. I was pretty sure Boston was in the bag at this point. However, I was so mentally and physically exhausted I did not know for sure if my Timex was right...how much course was left (duh!)...just KEEP MOVING...

Mile 26.2. I missed the encouraging words from Mike's friends though I appreciate the effort. I couldn't hear anything (partly due to the MP3 in my ears but mainly due to the concentration I had just to run each step). I pumped my fists as I crossed the finish. Even accounting for the variation between my start time and the gun time, the official clock showed me well below what I needed. I did it and was ecstatic! I saw my family right at the finish line snapping photos and cheering me on. That was a moment I won't forget.

In the end, I finished with 3.5 minutes still in my Boston bank. I could have relaxed more over those last 6 miles but I didn't want to take anything for granted. I am thrilled with a 3:12:19. This exceeds even my most optimistic expectations.

After waiting for Mike to come in, we headed out for some food and refreshments (and ice packs) back at my folks house.

This was a long post. So, I'll break here. For the next one, some thoughts on the Bayshore Marathon...how it was organized, the course, the swag and, hopefully, some pictures.

3:12:19

My legs are sore. My body still feels drained. But it's all worth it.

BOSTON QUALIFIED!!

The weather was perfect. If you haven't done Bayshore, you should put it on your list. It is outstanding.

Race report to come when I return home.

Coming Soon: Bayshore Race Report

I will return next week with the very exciting report from the Bayshore Marathon.

Good Luck to my fellow runners!

In the meantime, I received my first newsletter from the Disney folks. They aren't gonna let me get Bayshore done - or Chicago for that matter - before their email bombardment begins.


I'm already looking forward to the Goofy Challenge.

Until next week.....

The Homestretch

This taper has been weird. During my taper period for the Chicago Marathon last fall, I was nursing a foot injury every day and filled with anxiety. I was nervous about my prospects for finishing. Could I run 26 miles? Would my foot flare up on me? Would I hit the legendary "wall" at some point? Physically and mentally, I really needed that taper though to get ready for my first marathon.

This time? I'm not so sure. Physically, I feel great. I've had some issue with my right hamstring and glute and left ankle during this spring training. All of that seems to have healed and gone away now. Mentally, though, I actually feel like I've lost the edge a bit I had a few weeks ago before the taper. I'm not as focused and tuned in. The marathon almost seems like an afterthought now even though it is 5 DAYS AWAY!! Maybe this will turn out to be a good mental break from obsessing about the race every day.

The experts say to taper so I'm trusting the plan. In Plan We Trust. Ole Hal hasn't let me down yet.

Once again, I'd like to thank the Wife for putting up with my running hobby. She has to deal with not one, not two, but 3 marathons over the next 8 months and all the training time it will take to complete them. I also know she doesn't quite understand why I want to do it...or blog about it...or read about it...but goes along with it anyway. Thanks again for all the support. One day, I promise, I'll get my fill of running. I just don't have any idea when that will be just yet.

If only I worked this hard at my career....but that's a topic for another day...

I receive support from many different places (including a hilariously odd conversation with a complete stranger in Target one day) so, for fear of leaving someone out, I will not list folks here. Anyone that has given me encouragement, I remember and appreciate. I especially appreciate the few folks who stop by my blog and offer encouragement. It's nice to read thoughts from others going through the same process.

However, I would like acknowledge Mike. In my family, I'm a first generation runner so it's nice to have a friend whom I've known for years to exchange thoughts with as we go through the rigors of training. I look forward to tracking your continued improvements. I think you'll make a huge leap this summer if you are able to keep after it!

For everyone else, keep running. Most of the battle is just getting the shoes laced up and heading out the door.

Bayshore is going to be great. Besides, what else would we be doing from 7-11 am Saturday morning?

Counting Down

8 days to go.

The weather forecast flipped again and now ominously predicts "showers" for the 26th. This is Michigan after all so no doubt the forecast will flip-flop several more times until race day.

Our refrigerator stopped working earlier this week and my partially healthy diet has been replaced with eating out almost every meal while we wait to get the thing fixed. It is fixed now. I tried to minimize the fat content of the meals by doing lots of Jared style Subway meals.

Meanwhile, my daughter is kickin' ass in her 5 year old soccer league! She plows through the mob of kids and comes out the other end with the ball and marches right down to the goal several times a game. She's a competitive little bugger.

I completed my 5 miler and 7 miler this week at paces of 6:58 and 7:02 respectively. Three more runs to go: 9, 5 and 4 miles until race day!

Did I Mention...

...I'm anxious to get this race over? Not so much just because of the race itself...or the training for it to be over...or I'm tired of running or anything. Basically, the race marks the conclusion of a tremendously busy May for us and the start of a more leisurely summer schedule.

With two kids and their respective spring sports and end-of-the-year school events combined with the homestretch of my marathon training program, add in Mother's Day and a birthday and a suddenly busy work schedule....ugh...I'm looking forward to the "finish line" on May 26th.

My son has soccer practice twice a week. He also has baseball practice twice a week. One would think the community would schedule one season to complete before the other begins but, no, there is a three week overlap. He also takes guitar lessons each week.

My daughter has soccer twice a week.

Not to mention homework every night for my 3rd grader. Homework in third grade? I don't think I really ever had homework until high school. They make these small kids do at least a half hour of homework every night. Egad, I feel lucky to have missed this era. On top of that, they assign homework that the teacher hasn't taught yet. I've been teaching my son long division and double digit multiplication - which is part of his nightly homework - that the teacher hasn't covered in class. Now, I'm happy to help my own child with their homework BUT is it too much to ask that the teacher be the first to introduce a NEW concept to the child? I don't remember all the little rules and tricks to help a child learn. I can get the right answer but, most times, my son is looking at me like what are you doing? When I asked the teacher about this at a conference, she simply replied "well, just have him come in and ask me and I'll help". Okay, great, but meanwhile the kid feels like a loser because he has no idea how to even start his homework!!! When I suggested that maybe the kids should be shown the little tricks/rules/rhymes to solve problems in class first, she countered with "as long as they get the right answer, I don't really care how they solve it". What!?

Sorry, had to go on a diatribe there. This has been a constant thorn in our side all school year. Hopefully, things get better in fourth grade.

Anyway, after May 26th, my training schedule will lighten and will feel comfortable skipping runs again. School (and homework!) will be almost over. Soccer for both kids will be done for the spring. Only baseball will remain and those will be games only. No boring practices.

Yes, the marathon can't come soon enough. It's a symbolic ending to a long, busy month of May.

I was reminded that it ain't over yet, despite the reprieve of the taper, when my work pager started going off at midnight yesterday. Another kick-in-the-gut reminder that I still have a job that needs attention too.

Did I mention my refrigerator stopped working and all our food is piled in coolers in the middle of my kitchen floor?

How long til the 26th?

As for running, I completed 26 miles last week down from 37 the week before. Saturday's LR was about 12 2/3 miles at a 7:16 pace.

This week, runs of 5,7, and 9 miles.

Taper on!

2007 Bayshore Marathon Goals - Revised

Here they are. I've reconsidered my original goals published in December after a stronger than expected training period due, mainly, to a mild winter.

Initially, I was planning to use Bayshore as a springboard for a good summer of training and a planned BQ in Chicago. That plan may still come to pass. However, I'm going to go ahead and put Boston Qualifier at the top of my goal list. Why not? I think the odds of actually hitting this goal is 50/50. Everything will have to fall right....from the weather to injury avoidance etc etc...but why put this goal off? The worst that can happen is I don't hit it. So what? Then it will just be the goal for the next one.

One of my favorite movie lines of all time comes from The Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'" . That sounds a little severe in the context of a hobby (however passionate) like running but the sentiment behind it holds true. I want the BQ so let's get busy going for it.

Officially, my stretch goal for Bayshore is:

Goal 1: 3:15:59 or less!

Now, will I be disappointed if I don't get that? Only a tad. Frankly, I'm surprised I'm in a position to even consider it at this point. So I'll hardly be overly disappointed if I don't get it. Basically, I think I'll get there eventually so why stress about it over one race in which my margin for error is so small?

So, what would I be HAPPY with?

Goal 2: 3:23 or less!

The bottom line is that I expect to finish under 3:23. Anything over that would be a disappointment. That's my line in the sand.

But I also have other plans for Memorial weekend. The wife and I are spending a few nights in a hotel, family, friends. With the race being Saturday morning, that leaves the rest of the weekend for rest and relaxation.

Goal 3: Fun time with the wife and family.

Tomorrow is my wife's birthday. Happy Birthday to her (though I'm sure she won't check into this blog for several more days!) and Happy Mother's Day to wife and my mother. Dealin' with me ain't easy. You should be commended.

Ready, Set....TAPER!

What a big mental hurdle it is to knock out that last 20 miler and know that you are officially in taper mode! I can now look forward to a 25 mile week this week and 20 miles next week with the LR no more than 12 miles. That'll seem like a skip in the park at this point.

So I'm getting my race plans together...when to take GU...whether or not to carry water for the first 6 or 7 miles to avoid the water station congestion...how to pace out my miles, etc etc. I don't like to think about any of these kinds of things by the time I show up at the start line. Of course, this sounds all well and good, but I know it doesn't quite work out as planned. In Chicago, I had my race all planned out - even accounting for a congestion slow down in the beginning - only find myself completely thrown off plan within the first 3 miles by the massive amounts of people and struggling to emerge from the congestion, finally, at mile 14. I felt like I was swimming up stream. With only 1600 marathon runners at Bayshore, I'm hoping this won't be an issue.

I attacked my 21 miler on Sunday. I was a little wary of this run because this was the point at which I strained an ankle/foot muscle that tormented me up until the Chicago Marathon last fall. I gave it no more than a passing reference in that blog posting but I was icing my ankle every night for the next 3 weeks. I believe the problem was new, thicker socks and shoes that were too tight which pinched the muscle that goes along my arch up through my ankle. I did not want a repeat of this issue so I triple checked my laces and left them a little loose to allow the natural foot swelling that occurs during a run of this distance room to grow.

The goal Sunday was to chew up the 21 miles at a relaxed pace. However, I've been running all of my training runs - no matter the distance - at pretty much the same pace so I find that I naturally lapse into this pace without thinking. It actually takes effort to move to a different pace. The best I could do was slow up a bit at the start and then, after loosening up, just go with the flow.

So, I finished faster than I wanted or expected. No apparent injury or problems so I'm happy and ready to move into taper and start mentally preparing. My last mile of the 21 miles was my fastest - again, unplanned and unwanted - as I hit taper euphoria knowing I was almost done!!

21.0 miles
2:35:51
7:25 pace

Last mile: 7:14

Next post: My official 2007 Bayshore goals.

Happy Taper everyone!

"26 Miles to Traverse City...Just Imagine It"

This is funny. I was thinking the other day about running my upcoming marathon in Traverse City...26.2 miles...my first in my hometown. That number and name, 26 and Traverse City, was stuck in my head. Why was there something so familiar about that? I grew up in "TC". I've run several 5k and 15k's there before but never a marathon. So, why this feeling of deja vu?

It finally struck me this morning. I have two older brothers. When we were kids, being the youngest of three, I liked to pester my older brothers. Probably some sort of youngest-child-need-for-attention psychological thing. There is a sign on M-37 heading the back route into TC announcing "Traverse City 26". One day- I'm probably about 8 or 9 years old - I pounced on this and decided to use it to drive my oldest brother crazy. My grandparents were driving us home and my oldest brother and I were sitting in the back seat. For the duration....and I mean the full 26 miles....I steadily repeated:

"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."

Over and over again. I don't know why I started saying it but my brother got mad. Real mad. Of course, this egged me on. Neither angry words, complaints to the grandparents, nor blows to my head or arms could prevent me from repeating this phrase steadily for the next 26 miles.

"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."
"26 miles to Traverse City....just imagine it."

This seems really funny now considering the Bayshore Marathon will start in Traverse City and, basically, leave and head out to Old Mission along the peninsula before returning. It truly will be 26 miles to Traverse City and I will - and have been - imagining it over the last several months.

No doubt, at some point, this phrase will pop into my head as I progress through the marathon. I just hope it doesn't get stuck there and repeat itself monotonously like one of those cheesy Jenny 867-5309 style pop songs (your welcome!) for the duration.

Though that would be fitting karma.

"26 miles to Traverse City...just imagine it."

I can.