The Biggest Liar

There are two T.V. shows that I watch religiously: House and The Biggest Loser. (I've been off the Heroes kick for about a month now). Part of the draw to The Biggest Loser is watching the inspirational transformations of the people trying to change their lives around for the better. It also gives me extra motivation when I'm running, especially when I'm in a rut and thinking about quitting on a run early. The way the episodes work, the contestants with the lowest percentage of weight loss are in danger of getting voted off the show. When a contestant does get voted off, the show then fast forwards to current day (I think the show was taped a few months ago). They talk about what the contestant has been up to and how he/she looks today. Well, last week's contestant, Dane, who weighed 420 pounds at the start, got voted off. So at the end of the show, it showed how he was doing. One of the things that he did with his wife was run a marathon! They showed segments of them running the race and the joy of crossing the finish line together. It was quite a feel-good moment. Then they showed the time that he finished in:

3:53

I yelled out, "3:53?!?!" in disbelief, which I said loud enough for Lisa to hear upstairs. 'There is no way he ran that in 3:53!' I thought. Lisa came downstairs and said nonchalantly, "They train all day long, it's possible." I thought, it could be possible, but considering that this guy ran a sub-4 hour marathon in his first attempt, supposedly out of shape just 2 months prior at 300+ pounds is mind-boggling and a little disheartening to someone like me, that had a 4:40 first marathon time! It bugged me for the rest of the night and then I forgot about it until tonight when I was browsing the Runner's World Discussion Boards. It turns out that the show fabricated the achievment. He was actually running closer to a 6 hour time and got picked up by a van and driven for 3 of the closing miles! The time when he crossed was supposed to show 5:53, but the first 5 was doctored to show a 3. Here's a link from the L.A. Times with the apology from NBC. Here's the other link to the Runner's World Discussion.

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It's disappointing that they tried to sensationalize his accomplishment (to his credit, he did run 23 miles), but they should have at least consulted a runner before putting that time up. I'm sure many vocal marathoners questioned the time and called them out on their mistake. As for the show, I'm still hooked. Dane is off the show, NBC apologized, all is forgiven!

Breakthrough Run

This week is a step-down week for me where my mileage drops from 46 to 37. I have been looking forward to this week as a chance for my legs to rest up for the next progression to 54 miles/week. The week didn't start out well as Tuesday's run was a GA run scheduled for 8 miles + 8/100m strideouts. I ran them at the gym on the treadmill where the plan was to run at 8:34/mile pace. As soon as I started running, I didn't have a good feeling and doubted whether this would be the first workout that I would quit on. By mile 2, I was feeling light-headed and knew I should have fueled up before the run. I had to pause after mile 3 to take a water break (I hit the pause button, giving me 45 seconds to walk to the water fountain and back and then continue), which gave me enough energy to go 2 more miles before having to take another water break. After that, I had to slow it down to 9:09/mile pace for the rest of the run. When I was done, I was pretty dejected and surprised that I couldn't hold that pace for the entire 8 miles. It was one of those feelings where you think about quitting and wondering if all of this is worth it.

After sleeping on it, I ran my recovery run the next day, listening to my music, and just trying to enjoy the blessing of being able to run. I felt much better, knowing that yesterday's feelings were not how I truly felt, but just captured the disappointment of the run. As I've heard from other runners, I should have just chalked it up as a bad day, moved on, and forgot about it.

Today, I had scheduled another GA run of 8 miles. I decided to run this one around the neighborhood trails and the park nearby at an 8:30/mile pace. As I started out, my shins were tight and killing me. This lasted for about 2 miles, before they loosened up. Then everything kind of fell into place. My rhythm was smooth, my legs were firing at a good turnover pace, and my breathing was at a steady cadence. The first few miles were at an 8:20 pace and then each mile got progessively quicker. The last three miles were run at 7:50 pace. When I was done, I was elated because I felt that I had made a huge breakthrough towards increasing my overall speed/endurance. From a pacing standpoint, this was one of my best runs thus far. It left me with a feeling that I can accomplish my goal of breaking 4 hours in the marathon come May 31st. Here are the numbers for the run:

8.0 miles/ 1:04:54/8:07 pace

Getting Lapped and Long Run Sunday

Yesterday, I went to the park with my girls to ride their bikes. It turns out that only the oldest one, Katie, age 7, wanted to ride. She's been looking for challenges lately and decided that she wanted to ride 10 times around the park. It's quite a large park as there were 2 adult flag football games going on. I brought my Garmin so I could run my 5 mile recovery run there. In the beginning Katie and I ran/biked together. Then she started to speed up. I tried to stay with her, but would have to maintain an 8:00/mile pace. Knowing that my 17 miler was the next day, I decided that it would be better to run slowly. Eventually she lapped me and then ran my last lap with me. She is really turning out to be quite the athlete. She may become the first triathlete in the family.

For my 17 mile long run this week, I decided to run it early on Sunday morning. I got up at 4:45 a.m. and had some coffee and a bagel. As Burger mentioned in his post earlier this week about his early morning runs, I then spent the next hour waiting for the digestive system to go to work. After feeling cleansed, I set out for my run. The plan was to run 3 out and backs in different directions, using my home as a base to fuel and get more water. The first loop was 5.5 miles total. I ran north from my home and ran through the neighborhoods of the kids that I teach. I wanted to run a little farther, but my digestive system, unfortunately, didn't cooperate, so I had to head home to tend to business. The first loop was run around 9:45 pace as it took some time for my legs to wake up.

After fueling up with a Chocolate Expresso GU and water, I set out for my next 5.5 mile loop. This time I ran west from my home on a route that I usually run. Nothing unusual on this loop, although I was amazed at how many runners were already out at this time (7 a.m.). I picked up the pace a little bit and averaged around 9:20 pace. I once again fueled up and then put on a water belt for the last 6 miles.

My last loop was due east and headed for the start of the Tour of California. The final leg of the bicycle race, won for the 3rd time by Levi Leipheimer of the Astana team that Lance Armstrong rode with, started off in the town next to where I live. The race didn't start until 12:00 p.m. so when I arrived around 8:15 a.m., no bikers were there. The start of the race was a little farther than I expected, so I ended up running almost a mile more than I planned. My legs were definitely feeling it on this loop, but the adrenaline kicked in after passing by the Tour of California starting area. The last 3 miles were run at around an 8:50 pace. Here are the numbers for the run (including pit stops and walking around the Tour of California area):

17.74 miles/2:51:20/9:40 mile pace

Taking the advice of Aron, I soaked my legs in cold water in my bathtub after my run. I didn't use ice, but it sure felt like there was ice in the tub. My legs went numb within the first minute, so I was able to sit in the tub for about 10 minutes. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and if my legs are less sore. If not, the good news is that next week is a step-down week. After 46 miles this week, next week's plan is only 37 =)

Random Running Ruminations

It's been awhile since I last posted even though I've had the week off for Winter Recess (one of the many perks of being a teacher). Lisa's been sick all week with the flu, so I've been relegated to being Mr. Mom for the week. She's finally feeling better, so I thought that while I have the chance to blog, I should take it. Here's some of the things that have been going on:

* I ran my long run at L.A. Fitness last Saturday. I didn't feel like running outside so I ran 15 miles on the treadmill. Thankfully, ESPN was showing an indoor track and field meet, so the time passed quickly.

15 miles/2:25:00/9:40 pace

* I followed up the 15 miles on the treadmill with another 9 on Tuesday. It was an LT run, and I wanted to run the 4 miles at 8:00 pace so I decided to use the treadmill to make sure I was right on.

9 miles/1:18:10/8:42 pace

* The next day I ran a recovery run of 5 miles. I ran this one outside and I ran it slow and didn't bring my garmin. My legs were pretty shot from the last two runs.

* Thursday, it was beautiful out and I decided to run at Lake Miramar. It's a nice 5 mile loop so I ran it twice. My pacing was a little quicker than I was planning and it turned into an LT run at the end. The last 3 miles were run at 7:5x pace

10 miles/1:22:44/8:17 pace

* My times are getting quicker and I feel my endurance improving. Last year, I remember running my long runs and not being able to walk naturally the next day. Now, I'm able to recover quicker and my legs are used to the longer distances. I'm also developing a blister on the big toe on my right foot. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it, besides NOT popping it.

* I got my 2 pairs of Saucony Rides in the mail this week. I labeled them with a sharpie so I don't mix them up. I'm not sure what the best way is to rotate them. I'm thinking about primarily training with 2 of the pairs and seldom using the third pair, saving them for my marathon race in May.

* I got the DVD, Running for My Father, in the mail this past weekend. I watched it with my family and they all loved it. I'll be writing up a review soon to share with everyone. It came with high expectations and certainly lived up to it!

* My family and I almost went on a cruise last second with Carnival Cruise Lines. Because everyone was feeling better, we decided to check the cruise lines to see if there were any last second cruises available leaving from San Diego. There was one today, but they were booked solid and put us on the waiting list. This afternoon (4 hours prior to sailing), a cabin opened up, but it was the Penthouse Suite. It was a more than what we were expecting to pay so we passed it up. If only a cheaper cabin had been available, we might have been sailing on the Pacific Ocean tonight. I thought about running a long run on the deck of the ship. The decks laps are usually 1/3 of a mile long, so for my 17 miler this weekend I would have run 51 times around the deck! That would have made a great story.

Sleeping In and Amazon.com

So much for getting up early today so I could spend some more time with my girls. I was tired from yesterday afternoon's 5 miler, even though it was a recovery run. I ran it at a 9:30 pace, but my legs were feeling it last night so I decided to scrap the early morning run. Turns out, my girls had a play date this afternoon, so I didn't end up missing too much time with them.

The plan was to run the 10 miles outside and try to pick up the speed a little. The general aerobic run was the one run that was most confusing to me in terms of speed. The long run is 10 to 20% slower than marathon pace. The lactate threshold run is run at about 15K pace. The recovery runs are around long run pace. But the general aerobic runs are not explained in detail. I've been running them at between long run pace and marathon pace, but have been thinking that maybe I should be running them a little quicker since it is a shorter distance. So today, my plan was to run them under 9:00 pace. The beginning of the run started slowly as my legs took a while to warm up to the chilly temps (50 degrees - I know, boo hoo, spoiled Californian). I wore shorts and a t-shirt for the run. But once they warmed up I got honed into an 8:30 pace. It was a hilly run and I decided to run the hills hard and run the downhills and flat portions at a smooth, relaxed pace. Overall, the run was great and I ran the fastest 10 miles to date! Here are the numbers:

10 miles/1:24:34/8:28/mile

On another note, I found my shoe online at Amazon.com for only $39. So I picked up two more pairs. They're the Saucony Trigon Ride and the color is alright, but hey, I'm on a teacher's salary so I'll take what I can get. The only question is whether I should pick up more than that. Have you ever purchased more than 3 pairs of the same shoes before?

The Best 2 Laps of the Day

This morning the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. and I got up to get ready for my run. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have been going to the gym early to get my run in so I have the afternoons free to spend with my three girls. As I arrived at the gym at 5:30, I saw my three running companions who each run at least 6 miles every time they are there. In some ways it's like running with someone except that they run at their own pace. Today's run was for 8 miles + 10/100m strideouts.

The strideouts today went well and I have figured out an easy way to run them on the treadmill. I started off at 5.0 mph and increased the speed to 9.0 mph and ran that for .05 miles (80 meters). Then I slowed it back to 5.0 mph and jogged that until .1 miles. Then I increased the speed again, this time to 9.1 mph until .15 miles. Again, I decreased the speed to 5.0 mph and jogged until .2 miles. I continued in this pattern every 1/10 of a mile until I finished 10 sets of 100m strideouts with a short jogging/rest period in between. For the last 100m strideout, I ran it at 10mph. As I thought about the last strideout, I looked on the monitor and saw that I was running at a 6:00 mile pace. I was physcially pushing the pace and struggling to hold on, and all I could think was, "elite marathoners run more than 1 minute per mile faster than this pace for 26 MILES?!? " Unbelievable!

Here are the numbers for the run:

8.0 miles/1:13:30/9:11 pace

At school today, my 5th grade students had P.E. at the end of the day. We're currently working on physical fitness testing and one of the areas tested is the one-mile run. As you can imagine, 5th grade students don't like to run AT ALL! I've been trying to preach to them the virtues of running, but to little avail. So, I tried a different approach today. We only had 15 minutes for P.E. today, so I decided to run with them. I ran with some of the slower runners and encouraged them to breath from their stomachs, relax their arms and shoulders, and run at a slower pace so they could complete the 2 laps without stopping to rest. It was fun running with them and I think they enjoyed seeing their teacher run with them.

40 Mile Week

I made it through my first 40 mile week! My legs are pretty tired and I will definitely benefit from a rest day tomorrow. Today's 14 mile run started off slowly as my legs were still sore from the running during the week. However, as the run progressed, my legs loosened up and my muscles got warm, ready for the challenge ahead. At first, my plan was to run around the neighborhood and avoid the hills, but after the initial 3 miles, I was feeling good, so I decided to run the hills nearby. There's an 11 mile loop near where I live that includes an incline of 600 feet in the first mile of loop. I remember the first time I ran it, and I was left huffing and puffing the whole way. Today, being a long run day, I was running at a slower pace, which made it easier to climb. I was still winded at the top, but ready for the decline over the next few miles. The view was spectacular and helped me make it through the run. Here are the numbers for the run.

14 miles/2:13:02/9:30/mile

Have a great week everyone!

WARNING! Running on a treadmill can be dangerous!

This morning I woke up early to head over to the gym for a 10 mile run. I found my usual treadmill, halfway between the CNN news and Fox news TVs. It's always interesting to see two opposing views covering the news. It makes up for the boredom of running on a treadmill. Halfway through, I hear a loud THUD! Turning around, I see a man flying off the treadmill onto the floor. Turns out that the person before him left the treadmill on at a 6.7 mph speed. So when he took his first step to get on the treadmill, he fell on his face (which was the THUD!) and then the treadmill took him right off and onto the floor! A bunch of us stopped our workouts to see if he was okay. Luckily, he was alright, but his ego was definitely bruised as he quickly walked down the stairs and out of the gym!

The rest of the workout was without incident and I finished the run: Here are the numbers for the 3 runs this week thus far:

Tuesday LT run 8 miles/1:11:00/8:53/mile
Wed Recovery 4 miles/slow pace/didn't bring my garmin
Thursday 10 miles/1:33:00/9:18/mile

This morning was definitely the closest I've come to skipping a workout. My legs were feeling pretty heavy and sore from the upped mileage. This morning as I was heading out the door, I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I doing this? It's not like I'm getting paid to do this. I'm not anywhere close to winning anything for my times. I should be home sleeping in my comfortable bed." But in the end, I realized I'm doing this because I can. I have the ability to run and I'm should be thankful for that. Also, by pushing myself, setting challenging goals, and accomplishing them, I'm able to apply that to the adversity that life presents everyday. So for now, I'm still on track. But who knows, it may be soon that I'll need more inspiration to keep pushing on towards my goal to break 4:00:00.

Week 2: Getting harder

I successfully completed week 2 of the Pfitz 18/55 program. Now when I say successfully, I mean injury-free. It definitely is getting harder and these weeks are by far the easiest as I am only running 4 days a week. This week I start running 5 days a week and I am definitely getting sorer each day. I am wondering how my body will respond this week when I run a total of 22 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. For now, I am just hoping for the best and hoping that my body will adjust accordingly, having never put my body through this kind of mileage.

For the week here are the numbers for the runs:

Tuesday 8 miles/1:15:00/9:23 pace + 10/100m strideouts
Thursday 10 miles/1:33:45/9:23 pace
Saturday 4 miles/38:06/9:32 pace
Sunday 13.1 miles/2:02:53/9:23 pace

Tuesday and Thursday were run on a treadmill in the early morning. On Tuesday I had a banana before I ran, and it went through my body in about 3.3 miles as my run continued off the treadmill and into the men's locker room. 2 minutes later and 1/2 pound lighter, I finished the run without any further issues. THAT is why I like to run indoors early in the morning. On Thursday, I skipped the banana and was able to run unincumbered.

Wednesday night, I went to RoadRunner Sports to spend my $125 gift certificate from my 5th grade class. Since I already bought a pair of shoes from Amazon.com, I spent it on accessories. Some of the things I purchased was an energy belt, gloves, gels, and a pull-over.

On Sunday I ran with the energy belt and it was somewhat freeing not having to hold a water bottle while running. It felt tight around the waist, however. I tried loosening it a little, but that just caused the water containers to bounce up and down more. I'm sure I'll figure out a way to use it properly.

Well, it's off to bed now as I'll be up again at 4:45 a.m. to do my 8 mile run. I'm excited because it's a lactate threshold run, so I'll have a chance to run at a faster pace. The plan will be to run 2 miles at an easy pace, the next 4 at a much faster pace (8:00 - 8:20/mile) and then finishing with 2 more miles at an easy pace.

Have a great week everyone!