Born to Run, A Book Review

I recently read the book, "Born to Run" by Christopher Mcdougall.  This was recommended by a guest speaker at an Omaha Running Club meeting back at the end of the summer.  It's a book about a somewhat-hidden tribe of Mexican Indians that live in the remote mountains of central Mexico, and the author's quest to eventually find them.  The Tarahumara Indians are supposedly elite athletes that are amazing runners that can run what seems like forever, and the author wanted to learn more about them and the races they run.  The book chronicles the journey deep into the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in central Mexico, spans a couple of years and provides some storied adventures for the author and his companions. I can't decide if this is a running book, or an adventure novel, but perhaps it's a mixture of both. It's a quick read, and I did learn a few things that I didn't know before (about barefoot running for example, about the history of how man was born to run, etc), but otherwise, it's also a book that I wouldn't want or need to own.  For what it was, it is an interesting read nonetheless!

Scary Event, Low Blood Sugar

I was scheduled for a 3 mile run today, but woke up to very windy conditions outside.  The wind was blowing around 30 mph, from the south, and it was a cold wind with spits of drizzle.  I've learned to not worry so much about the weather for my runs, but the one thing that can truly make a run miserable is the wind.  The wind is the one weather element that can make any other weather element downright nasty.  So, I opted to head to the gym instead.

I did get up early this morning with my wife, around 530 am, to help her with her pain meds.  She had foot surgery yesterday, and she needed some help early this morning. At that point, I ate 1/2 of cinnamon swirl bagel and went back to bed.  Then, I got my daughter up for school, and then headed to the gas station to get a cup of coffee.  And, I grabbed a chocolate cake doughnut, something I haven't had in a very long time.  I took my daughter to school, then headed to the gym since the wind was so strong.

About 1.5 miles into my run on the treadmill, I had a bad sugar crash, or what is known medically as hypoglycemia.  Now I do get these episodes occasionally, a couple times a year, but this was the worst one I've had in a long, long time.  Lights started to flash in my eyes, I got dizzy, I immediately broke out into a cold sweat, my heart was racing, it was bad, I felt light-headed, etc. I stopped and went to the gym cafe to get a snack, and within 5 minutes, I was OK again. I'm curious what would have happened if I had not had quick access to food.  I may have fainted (this happened once back in college).

Anyhow, lesson learned, the doughnut probably spiked my blood sugar, and my pancreas likely created a surge of insulin to compensate.  Then, the exercise used up my available blood sugar very quickly, and I promptly crashed. This could also be known as "Reactive Hypoglycemia."  I may want to consider carrying a snack (sugar packet, or GU, or hard candy) with me on future runs just in case this happens again.

Marathon Recovery Week 1

I managed about 6 miles on the treadmill at the gym yesterday, and did 9 miles today on a neighborhood loop with a 9:32 pace so my legs are definitely feeling good.  That's 24.2 miles total for the week, which had a blend of walking and running, so I'm happy with that.  However, I'm having a lack of motivation about the next race that I signed up for in December, and am now having regrets about doing so.  I guess it's still just part of the recovery process, I hope.  The Las Vegas marathon is a Rock n Roll event, so that should make it fun, and I'm even toying with the idea of running it for fun instead of trying to PR, and also thinking about joining the Running Elvi.  They are trying to set a record, and it sounds like a lot of fun.  It's Vegas, and to run as Elvis seems like such a goofy idea, I just might do it! Ha.

OMG, What Have I Done?

After some serious thought, and debating back and forth, I decided to do another marathon yet this year. I checked at work to see if I could get the time off, and also found a cheap plane ticket, so decided to do the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon on December 6th.  I just have this nagging feeling that I could have done better in my first marathon attempt.  This is 6 1/2 weeks away, and should give me enough time to recover, then train hard for about 3 weeks, and do another taper.  I think I'm officially nuts, and perhaps should have let this go, but I just can't.  I'm not sure why, but it's something I've just got to give one more try.

I did manage a very easy 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym yesterday, and did 2.5 easy miles before work this morning, and I'm definitely getting my legs back.  Will close out the week with some additional easy recovery miles, then get back into it full swing next week.

Marathon Recovery Day 2

Today is better than yesterday, for sure. While I'm still stiff today, the legs seem to be doing better. I woke up this morning and did manage to get another hot tub soak in.  The hot water sure does help loosen things up.  While an ice bath is the best thing for immediate post-race recovery, nothing beats a nice soak in a whirlpool tub.  I also scheduled a massage early this afternoon.  I went to the Omaha Massage School and got a full hour-long massage for $35, not bad.  While the massage on the legs was uncomfortable at times, it really did help, and is something I'll probably do in the future after big races. And tonight, I did manage to do a 2.8 mile 1:4 walk/run combination.  Basically, I'm just trying to do a reverse taper recovery plan, to ease back into it.

On an unrelated note, I also had time to do a full post-race evaluation today.  While I'm very happy to finally have the first marathon in the books, I now wonder if I couldn't have done better.  I suppose these feelings are common for everyone, asking ourselves what we could have done differently.  In the end, my first marathon ended up like an extra-long long run.  My last long run of 22 miles 3 weeks before the race was at a 10:15 pace.  My 26.2 mile marathon averaged out at a 10:14 pace.  Given that I seem to be recovering well, I'm starting to question whether I might give this another shot in the not too distant future.  It's a personal struggle, questioning whether I could have pushed myself harder, and did I somehow subconsciously sandbag my own race by not giving it my all?  I did bonk during the race and cramped pretty badly near the end.  If I had run harder, would I have bonked sooner?  Or should I be happy with what I've done, take a break, and begin anew next year?  It's a real dilemma for me.

Marathon Recovery Day 1

While I am very sore today, it's not necessarily pain, just that my leg muscles are extremely stiff.  That's normal, although, it's becoming apparent that I probably didn't run the marathon yesterday as hard as I could have. I can walk up and down stairs OK, just very slowly, so that's a good thing.  I did arrange with my boss a few weeks ago to day a day of sick leave today, and he had no problem with that.

So, I've just been at home, taking it easy, and I did manage to go for a very slow walk around the block, which was about 3/4 of a mile.  Slow at first, but once I get moving, it's much better.  I've also used the Stick every once in awhile to roll my muscles, which also helps to keep extra blood flowing. I also plan to hit the gym later tonight to get a hot tub soak in, which will help too.

2009 Des Moines, IA Marathon

Short Version: I completed the marathon in Des Moines this morning, my first. I'm super happy, and it gives me a nice benchmark to improve upon for next time. My A) goal was just to finish and have fun, my B) goal was 4:22, and my C) finish time was 4:27:56.

Very Long Version (sorry):

The Expo: I attended a full day of the race expo the day before, and had a super fun time and learned so much. I attended the Jeff Galloway running school from 10am to 1pm, and really learned a lot. Definitely worth my time and money. He's a very interesting guy.  I sat in on the course overview with the race director and got some inside tips for the course. I watched the Running of the Sahara movie (running 4600 miles across the desert, see review), got a signed copy of the DVD, and then had the pleasure of having Charlie Engel (the main runner in the movie) sit right beside me at the pasta dinner. Wow, super awesome inspiration! And, I won a Fuel Belt handheld water bottle, and new pair of Adidas shoes! Neat!

The Race: Got up at 4 am, had a breakfast of bagel and peanut butter, a banana, and coffee, and packed and headed down to the race area very early. I literally parked 1/2 block from the starting line, that was nice! Sat in my car and mentally rehearsed the race since it was pretty chilly outside with temperatures in the lower 30s.

Met up with my Omaha running group to get a group picture, and before I knew it, we were off and running. What a glorious, beautiful day! Sunny blue skies, start temp around 32 degrees, but very windy toward the end of the run (running into a 20 mph headwind is not fun). The porta potty lines were long at the start line, but they were all empty when the gun went off. And, there weren't any lines any most of the porta pottys I passed, so I did take a restroom break around mile 10.

I wanted to start very conservatively to have enough in the tank to push through the wall that I knew I'd eventually reach. I had a 4:22 pace band for my goal, with a semi slow start, and a maximum fade at the end (based on my training runs).

No need to go into all the nitty gritty mile by mile (heck, I can't even remember some of it now), but the running was so much fun, the crowds were awesome, and the highlight was running around the Drake University track at mile 12, and seeing myself on their jumbotron TV screen was a kick. Everything was working with me, I was right on pace, all the way up to Mile 22. Unbelievable! And no knee pain at all! Another highlight was the table of mixed drinks at mile 15, screwdrivers, white russions, rum and cokes, whiskey and water, you name it, they had it. I politely passed it up, otherwise I may have thrown up, LOL. I got leighed around mile 21, since this was my virgin race (a group handing out Hawaiian leis), and that was fun. The water stops were phenomenal, great bunch of volunteers. Overall, no complaints about the race. It's a hidden gem.

The wheels really started coming off the bus at mile 23 though. I had reached that point known as hell, and I was definitely there. Mentally, it was very hard. Physically, my pace just really slowed but I kept moving. I hadn't hit my real wall yet, it was still coming. Right at mile 24, there was a water stop. I slowed to grab a Gatorade and a water (what I did at all of the last few water stops), and immediately, my left hamstring seized up without notice. I mean, I went from a 7 or 8 on the comfort scale, to 1 in the snap of a finger. Holy carp, I've never felt so much pain in my life! WTF? I literally could not make my left leg move, it hurt so much. I limped/hopped along on one leg (cursing, sorry about that to anyone that was within earshot), and the volunteers wanted to call someone for me, but I said, "NO." In about 1/2 mile, the severe cramp worked itself out and I was running again. Odd. I was back at level 8, cruising on all cylinders at mile 25, grinning from ear to ear. At mile 25.6, the same thing happened to my right hamstring, it seized immediately without notice. Bam, from a 7 or 8, to a 1, and I could barely walk. I was so damn close, and I was pi$ed. I did not want to hobble across the finish line. I had to turn a corner, and it was 5 blocks to the end. I turned the corner hobbling, and again, within a couple of blocks, I was running again as if nothing had ever happened. So, I was able to shuffle across the finish line, in an upright position, running, with a huge smile. I was done. I had just hit my wall (sort of), not once, but twice, for each leg, and managed to climb back out of it and finish strong (well, sort of).

I had 2 BBQ sandwich sliders at the end, a container of chocolate milk, a banana, and a bag of Jalapeno chips. Solid food never tasted so good. I immediately called my wife, and just had this overwhelming sense of satisfaction. I did it, I'm a marathoner.

What would I do differently: 1) Run my longer runs slower. 2) Go out even slower at the beginning of the race. 3) Do a training run longer than 21.6 miles. 4) Train harder.

Overall rating: 10/10 Even though I hit my wall, I battled back, and finished. I'm proud of that fact. It was my first race, and I'll take it. Now I have something to work on in the future for the next one. Yes, I think there will be more marathon races. I had a super fun time, I learned a ton, won some free prizes, met some running celebrities, and enjoyed every freakin' minute! And, I didn't die. Yes, I definitely rushed this, since I was not a runner on January 1 of this year. But, I pushed myself to a 4:28 marathon in 10 months. I know, nothing amazing about the time, but otherwise, to me, that's amazing.

Well, that's it sportsfans. I'm a marathoner. And damn proud of it.

Running the Sahara - DVD Review

Today at the Des Moines Marathon Expo, I had the privilege of watching the movie, "Running the Sahara", which is a documentary of the journey of 3 men running across the Sahara Desert.  I really had no idea who these guys were, but Charlie, Ray, and Kevin ran for 111 days straight, which included nearly 4300 miles, across the entire Sahara Desert.  Initially, it was just an ultra expedition, but evolved into a non profit group to help raise money for African well projects, otherwise known as H20 Africa.  Overall, it was a very interesting and unique movie, and it was a privilege to meet the lead runner, Charlie Engle.  As part of the showing, I received a DVD copy of the movie, which Charlie also signed.  As an interesting side note, Charlie also sat at my table a the pasta dinner later that night, so it was very intriguing to get to know him a little better and to learn why he chooses the projects he's involved in.  If you have a chance to see this, I'd totally recommend it, if for nothing more than the scenery, which is visually stunning, but also to learn one of the most important lessons of all, never giving up!