Still going..

Ran the Sycamore Pumpkin festival 10K on Sunday, against Hal's recommendations. Set a new PR of 45:54 in excellent weather. This is about 10 minutes faster than I ran it 3 years ago. Not too sore in spite of having run the marathon a week before.

Post race was fun. I waited in line for a few minutes to get a nice roller massage, drank a few beers (Blue Moon Pumpkin, Rolling Rock, served up in Cornelius kegs). Sat in the warm sun and enjoyed my fastest 10K ever. I am coming dangerously close to reaching my 45 minute goal for the year -- I think the hills slowed me down some and this time should be possible either in Westchester or Lincolnwood. Just need to do some reasonable training and not eat stupid things.

After the free beer ran out, I wandered to the armory and got some snacks. Dried out bagels, bananas, cookies, Gatorade, and some goos. Then I inquired about a group hanging around outside, and was invited to join. More Rolling Rock, sushi, smoked salmon, and home made "pretzel fingers" - soft doughy sticks with a dyed red almond on the end resembling a fingernail. Fun group. One guy that ran the race had surgery 3 months earlier and was happy to finish in about an hour. Pretty amazing! Wandered out of there around 12:30 and prepared myself mentally for the hour drive home.

Why I run

I've been asked by several people why I've been running, and not sure I've explained it here. This blog has been more or less just a notepad to keep times, and some record of my first year of running. But here's the story:

In 2001, my dad was diagnosed with CLL during a routine blood test.

In late 2003 and pushing 40, I decided I would try to get myself in some kind of shape. I ran four 10Ks that year with not a lot of training. I had started running a bit earlier that summer. My first 10K in September, my goal was to run in under an hour. I finished with a heartbeat of 210 (displayed on my newly acquired Polar heart monitor) and with a time of 59:59.6. The next three 10Ks went successively better, with the last one of that year in 54:10, a decent improvement.

The running season over, I proceeded to pack on a large amount of weight, nearing a ludicrous and embarrassing 200 pounds. In ealy 2004, my buddy from Canada suggested we go ice skate during our work lunch hour, at a nearby rink. Having never skated before, I could barely stand up on the skates. On my 39th birthday, April 7th 2004, I purchased an annual pass to the ice rink and started dedicating myself to learning how to skate so I could maybe play hockey one day. I did a little running during the summer to keep me in shape for hockey. But nothing over 4 miles. By late 2004, I was itching to buy hockey gear and "get in the game".

By Feb 2005 I had purchased the gear and started drilling on some skills, eventually playing pickup games. Even scored some goals. At one point I was playing 8 games a week. Hockey was good, it got me off my ass and the competitive spirit kept me sharp.

I ran the Shamrock Shuffle in April 2005, in 41:39, just before turning 40. I enjoyed the smashed rat in the middle of the course.

Later that year, I opened a checking account and got to pick my charity associated debit card, so I chose the red LLS card. When I received a mailer from Team in Training (coincidence?), I thought I would go to one of the meetings, with my dad in mind. As luck would have it, I changed jobs in Jan 2006 and the meeting was right by work (in Barrington IL). By then I had to give up hockey due to the rink no longer being accessible. I started running on the treadmill in the fitness center at work in Feb 2006. On Feb 14, I saw a presentation given by Barb Friedman about her son Kevin and I was hooked. I immediately signed up for 3 events for 2006 (even though I was advised against it). I've been running and fundraising for LLS, while keeping an eye on my dad's progress (he's doing fine so far).

Since then, I have been sticking to a combined TNT/Hal Higdon Beginner training plan to train for both the Sunburst marathon in June (4:08:45) and the Chicago in October (3:47:25), my first and second ever marathons.

Before these marathons, I ran the Shuffle again (37:20), Indy Mini for TNT (1:54:53) and Chicago Distance Classic (1:48:21).

I plan to run at least two marathons in 2007, and will continue to raise money for this great cause. I hope to return to the ice this winter.

I beat Ferrell!

Yep, Will's time is toast. You could argue his time in Boston was more difficult due to the course - but I don't care. He can come to Chicago if he wants to. My total was 3:47:25 (unofficial time), or 21 minutes faster than the Sunburst marathon I ran in June. And this time there was no diarrhea or vomiting! I ran the entire race, did not even walk the water stops, and even though I lost the pace team several times, I ran a nice consistent race that I'm very happy with. More details to come...


Ok, here begins the story of my second marathon.

First a bit about my newly discovered marathon routine. Diet, the day before: Morning - no eat, slept late until noon or so
Afternoon - B100 vitamin, oatmeal, wheat germ, banana, gatorade, water, pancakes made from atta flour , syrup. strawberries
Evening - Sweet potato, shrimp, broccoli, whole wheat spaghetti, yellow squash, gatorade, about 5 pm

midnight snack - more sweet potato and wheat pancakes


Morning, 3 hours before start: 3/4 cup oats cooked in 1 cup water. 3/4 cup oat O's. 1/2 banana. Some cocoa. Toss in the blender with a bit more water and puree into a disgusting mess. Choke it down, it's good for you!

Drink 16 ounces of water 2 hours before the race (1 hour after the goop above).

Now here's the day's events:

I actually planned on leaving the house around 5 am (right after breakfast) but it took me until about 6 to get out. I had my 3 bucks for the parking thingie and everything else - iPod (wrapped in a sandwich bag and rubber band), headphones, tiny clothespin, black long sleeved "Hopper" shirt with bib number on front and 3:55 pace sign on back, two goos safety pinned to shorts (so they don't flop around), bottle of water.

When I get to the parking thingie, I realize I'm a couple of quarters short, and frantically start feeding the machine dimes, which it spits out like errant pistachios. I realize the brute wants nickels instead, and get the ticket printed, 6:08. Jog to the train and get on. Train doesn't leave until 6:22. I'm nervous.

I get to a few blocks from Michigan avenue and spot some porta potties, so I decide to go now, just in case. Lots of interesting characters in line. I'm done around 7:15, and march down to the start, where I have to check my gear. There's a huge mass of people that I have to fight through to get to the gear check. I decide to ditch both my sweatpants and sweatshirt, even though it's about 38 degrees.

I start pushing my way through the massive crowd, and try to find the right spot in the corral. Once I get near the front (around the 3:55 pace group) I find a nearby tree and try to do some stretches. About 5 minutes before the start, I hop the fence and set my sights on the pace group again. I'll see if I can keep them ahead of me for the whole race to make my goal of 3:58:12 (Will Ferrel's time). The gun goes off and ..nothing. I hear a commotion, cheering, etc. but it's a full 8 minutes before I actually reach the start. I was pretty focused on the race the whole time, so I only remember a few distinct moments. I remember the light rain around North Avenue, and taking a full mile to choke down a chocolate Power Gel (between 7 and 8). I also remember the friendly people along Lincoln avenue, and all the dogs along that stretch (I reached down and patted one on the head). I also remember all the yells of "Come on, Hopper!" and "Go Hopper!" and slapping people's outstretched hands. I watched for my parents around mile 13, in the New Balance tent. Nowhere to be found. At mile 14, I tried to eat another energy gel, but after one bite, it slipped out of my hands, not to be retrieved. I looked for my friend Rich, who I told to wait for me outside our favorite Mexican spot with a bowl of menudo. No such luck. I passed there and started worrying about the bridge to Archer Avenue around mile 20 and the entry to Chinatown. The bridge was not as tough as I expected. All this time, I was running through the water stops in spite of advice from others to walk through them. But I managed to keep a fairly consistent pace throughout. I actually only stopped for water every 3 miles or so. With the turn into Bronzeville, about mile 23, I started feeling a bit tight in the hamstring area. But I shrugged it off and kept running. Some nice TNT folks were there at mile 25, where I felt a twinge of a cramp in my right quad. But it did not last long. All the training over the last 18 weeks must have taken over. The final hill over to Columbus was tough, but I just kept running, knowing that if I walked I could get into trouble. The last few hundred yards, I tried my hardest to sprint, but it was probably not too impressive. I looked for the finish line and collapsed into a folding chair just beyond it.

Once I cooled off a bit, I got out of the chair (ouch, it hurts!) and got some freebie snacks, then headed to the meeting point that I carefully laid out to my parents. Well, they showed up a couple of hours late, but I was still happy to see them, and was glad my sister finished as well (in 4:45, her first marathon!) It started getting chilly, so mom and I headed to the L while my dad and sis headed to her house by car, all to meet up later. A great day!

First half - 1:53:10
Second half - 1:54:15

18 - One week left!

Ok, the course looks really daunting. I'm worried about the wall at mile 20 - there is a bridge to navigate going from Greektown to Chinatown that will not be pleasant. The last bridge at Columbus and Roosevelt also looks deadly. The rest should be fairly flat.. For a look at the course, click here --> Course Map.

Schedule of first and last runners to pass each area:

Start to Mile 2 8:00 a.m. - 8:57 a.m. Grant Park - Streeterville
Mile 2 to Mile 4 8:09 a.m. - 9:24 a.m. Loop - River North
Mile 4 to Mile 6 8:19 a.m. - 9:52 a.m. Old Town - Lincoln Park
Mile 6 to Mile 8 8:28 a.m. - 10:19 a.m. Lakeview
Mile 8 to Mile 10 8:38 a.m. - 10:47 a.m. Lincoln Park
Mile 10 to Mile 12 8:47 a.m. - 11:14 a.m. Old Town - River North
Mile 12 to Mile 14 8:57 a.m. - 11:42 a.m. West Loop - Greektown
Mile 14 to Mile 16 9:06 a.m. - 12:09 p.m. Near West Side - United Center
Mile 16 to Mile 18 9:16 a.m. - 12:37 p.m. Little Italy - UIC
Mile 18 to Mile 20 9:25 a.m. - 1:04 p.m. Pilsen
Mile 20 to Mile 22 9:35 a.m. - 1:32 p.m. Chinatown
Mile 22 to Mile 24 9:44 a.m. - 1:59 p.m. Bridgeport - U.S. Cellular Field
Mile 24 to Mile 26 9:54 a.m. - 2:27 p.m. South Loop

Schedule for the last week of training:

Mon 10/16 - Rest - Walked 30 minutes in the morning, more than one hour in the evening. Eating well (too well).
Tue 10/17 - 3 miles - Had 90 minute massage (masseuse recommended by A. Agassi) followed by 30 minutes of swimming, and some grueling jacuzzi work. PRS, PCK
Wed 10/18 - 4 miles - Rest (did a lot of walking during the day though). CHC,EME
Thu 10/19 - 2 miles - Ran, first time this week. A little over 5 miles in the late morning (this was a delayed Wednesday run) around a nice rubberized 3/8 mile track.) Walked a lot during the day and evening. CAF,STP
Fri 10/20 - rest - Walked briskly for about 35 minutes in the early morning (oops). Did some other walking during the day, but mostly rested. Napped in the late morning to afternoon. Swam about 20 minutes. Took a nice hot bath too.
Sat 10/21 - rest. (done)
Sun 10/22 - RACE!

I'm pretty nervous about the race. I have been stuffing myself with desserts all week and not eating that healthy. But I've done lots of walking. My mid-week long run did not feel that great, I felt a little tired and out of shape. I had 3:08 to 3:12 lap times on the 3/8 loop. I have a lovely new Ironman Triathlon watch/chronometer that tells me my split times, so I can keep track of my performance during the race and make any necessary adjustments. Race day is scheduled to be in the 30s in the morning, warming up to the 40s. As long as there is no rain, I think I can live with this. I wonder if I can make fuel gels out of spray dried malt..

17 - Two more weeks of taper

Easy plan for this week: Rest, 4, 6, 3, rest, 8, cross. Here's the results:

Mon 10/9 - Rest. Ok.
Tue 10/10 - 4 miles in 31:00
Wed 10/11 - 6 miles in 46:41
Thu 10/12 - 3.3 miles in 25:40
Fri 10/13 - Rest
Sat 10/14 - Long run of 8 miles done. Time: 1:10:17 (mile=8:47)
Sun 10/15 - Cross trained by travelling to Milwaukee.

Glad that I stayed pretty much on target this week, and it wasn't easy.

16 - Around the corner

I can't believe the marathon is a couple of short weeks away. Plan for week 16:

10/2 - Rest. No problem here.
10/3 - 5 miles (Did 4 miles instead)
10/4 - 8 miles (Ran 8.5 miles on treadmill)
10/5 - 4 miles (Yes, did 4 miles in 31:40 - Two 2-mile loops)
10/6 - Rest. Well, did some stretching instead, and did a 7:30 mile the hard way. A 5:40 mile for 1/2 mile, walking recovery, then 5:40 miles for 1/4 mile (5:40 mile is 10.6 mph on the treadmill)
10/7 - 12 mile run. Rested instead, planning on running the 12 on Sunday.
10/8 - Ran 11.5 miles at Waterfall Glenn. Hilly! But I fared better than last time and was able to maintain a 9 minute per mile pace in spite of the hills. Started slow, managed a negative split. First couple of miles were 9:30 or slower. I feel ok stopping short of the goal.