It's coming back (whew!)

Achieving my goal of running the half-marathon early last month was fantastic. But I never expected that to be the end of it. Instead, I wanted to keep exercising, probably keep running, and continue to make improvements in my health & fitness. Trouble was, after the half-marathon I didn't feel as compelled to run regularly.

Well, I'm happy to report that there's been an improvement. As I mentioned before, I really do think I pushed myself too hard in that last month to achieve my half-marathon goal. I was only doing the weekend long runs in my training program, because I was just too wiped out to do the midweek stuff. And I'd dropped the off-day cross-training a long time ago. However, I also wrote earlier that I'm experiencing many things about running for the first time, and one of those was the post-race letdown. I think that, combined with the overtraining, is what led to a (natural?) drop in my running afterward.

Which is why I'm so pleased now to report that I seem to be back on the upswing. There was that 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, and some more irregular running in the month of December. With a big upheaval in our main program at work, the hours were long and stressful. Combined with the holidays I found it difficult to run during the week. Still, I did so a few times, and I also got in one run most weekends, and usually a little longer. A treat was a midweek run on a cold night where I listened to the Charlie Brown Christmas Special soundtrack while running up Copper Hill to the incredible Wakefield Court neighborhood that sets out record-setting, award-winning Christmas light decorations every year.

A week ago I came down with a 24-hour flu, which interrupted some running, but when I got out there again I ran probably 4+ miles. (Lately I haven't been measuring my mileage, sometimes not even timing myself--just running to run.) Then last night I ran down to Saugus High School to use their track and attempt my first track workout. Following the helpful advice for intimidating newbies in John Bingham's book, The Courage to Start, I ran five 1/4-mile laps with resting in-between to establish a track baseline. My times were 2:07, 2:12, 2:10, 2:05, and 2:06, which looks consistent enough to me. When I got home I wrote that down in my new running journal, a gift from Molly.

We've got two 5K's already planned for early next year, the Firecracker 5K through LA's Chinatown district, and a 5K through the LA Arboretum in early spring. Maybe I'll even run one of those as a 10K, if that's an option. I'm taking my running gear to Hawaii next week, and am really looking forward to some runs in a new setting, one that happens to be paradise.

The fact that my running is picking up steam again--and that I'm looking forward to it--is very encouraging!

Just as exciting is the fact that I'm on-track for my weight-loss goal for 2009 already. I wanted to get down two more pounds in December to start the new year at 220, then try to get down to 200 by the end of that year. I don't know if I can do it or not, but that's my goal. My cheapo digital scale at home is always suspect in my mind because it only seems to report increments of 3 lbs. I was at 222 lbs for most of this month, but then just before Christmas it dropped (3 lbs--hmmm) to 219! Very encouraging, and though I ate well enough during the holidays, I still ate notably less dessert and treats than in previous years. It may well be that 24-hour flu that helped me drop the little bit more I needed to trigger my scale, but I'll take it! Now I just need to avoid losing lots of ground while on vacation in Hawaii. My plan is to cut back a little, but still enjoy myself on vacation, trusting that the extra exercise I'm getting will keep me on track.

Half-Marathon prep notes

Here are my notes in a memo on my PDA before the Half-Marathon. I'd learned the hard way in my long run training that hydrating the day before is important. Even though this race was my ultimate goal, I didn't sign up early enough to use the online system. There is no race-day registration for this event, so I needed to do all of that the day before. (Fortunately it is local to me, just a quick drive across town.)

The smileys are for things I was too embarassed to write, even in my own notes. The first one refers to what happens after coffee & breakfast, the second one what happens after several miles into the race. My low-profile running socks started being a problem, maybe more due to my slipping insole than the socks themselves.

!!! Hydrate on Saturday !!!
!!! Sign up on Saturday !!!

Buy choc gel packs
Take ibuprofen before (have some on me?)
Wake up early enough for breakfast, etc. :-)
Wear tech t
Tape up :-)
Make sure socks are pulled up tight
Update playlists--have a few
Gloves?

New goals (TBD)

My running started when I made a commitment to myself to run the Santa Clarita Half-Marathon. I made that commitment about seven months before the race, on my 42nd birthday. I didn't really know what I was jumping off into, but I knew I wanted to take better care of my body, mostly so I didn't abandon my family suddenly. You know what I mean. And although any of us could go at any time, I didn't want to be negligent in the part relating to my own health. Not quite knowing what else to do, I opted for the half-marathon.

That was great. In fact, it's been one of the most personally satisfying experiences of my life! Not only that I made my goal, but that I made it through a (mostly) slow & sure training program, I stuck with it, and I saw myself improve. It is now a metaphor for many other things in my life, things that seem too difficult or distant, now I can imagine making slow & steady progress toward them.

Ok, now what?

Apparently some people can keep running just for its own sake. I'm not that way. At least, not now. I need a goal to focus on. It could be running the half-marathon again next year. It could be doing that with a better time, or even a target time. Heck, it could even be running the full marathon in Santa Clarita next November. But I don't think any of those are the right goals. I'm not sure what is, and that's not doing my any favors. Because without that goal my running is slipping. Fewer days, fewer miles. I haven't stopped, but I've slowed way down.

I've decided on a weight loss goal, that's something. I was just over 235 lbs back on that birthday, and now I'm around 222. Still no lightweight--still overweight--but an improvement. (And Candy points out that I've both gained muscle and lost weight, which is doubly good.) At one point I dipped under 220 near the peak of my training, but now I'm back around 222. I've kept very irregular records of my weight since 2002, and I've never been lower than this. Most of the time I was up around 230. My goal is to get back to 220 by the end of the year (this month), then get down to 200 by the end of the following year. That's averaging about 2 lbs to lose each month (plus a little margin for setbacks). Can I do it? Of course I can. Will I? We'll see.

However, weight loss goals are very indirect. You lose weight by eating better and exercising more. Those are the actions you take. Weight loss is what happens. You can't do much with a "what happens" goal. You need a goal that relates to actions. That's what's still missing for me. I'm not going to figure it out today, either, but writing this all down helps.

Stockton 5K Turkey Trot

My first race after the Half-Marathon was last weekend's Turkey Trot in Stockton. We'd driven up to my folks' place in nearby Lodi for the holiday. It had been Jessie's idea to run a Turkey Trot, and I jumped at the chance. Jessie has been my virtual running coach for the past six months, and this was my first chance to run with her.

Well, not with her. There were 5K and 10K distances at this race, and though I originally thought about the longer distance I decided to stick with the 5K. Jessie still did the 10K. (Even if I'd done the same distance, she runs quite a bit faster than I do, at under 8 minutes per mile.) Candy & Molly again signed up with me to run/walk the 5K, as well. I was really happy about that. (Sam opted to sleep in at the hotel!)

I did ok, coming in somewhere around 30:04. I've run a few 5K's by now, but only have a couple reliable times (the race through CBS in Studio City wasn't accurate enough). The first 5K since I started training saw me complete it in less than a half-hour, at 29:47. Of course I wanted to do at least that well this time, but it didn't work out. I know some time was lost on a really slow start to the race: there were 3,000 people all run/walking together and it took some time to first reach the starting line and then separate yourself from the mob. I think with a cleaner start I would've finished in under 30, perhaps as good as my earlier time.

More important, I enjoyed myself. I forgot my headphones but Candy lent me her iPod which happened to have the same run music I planned to listen to. It was cool enough to make a longsleeve race shirt comfortable, not hot. I didn't walk at any time, and didn't stop for water at the halfway point, either. In previous races I haven't really pushed at the end, but this time I did. I think I pushed too early, though, because I kind of ran out of gas near the end (still running, but not as fast).

Everything is still new!

I've been running for more than half a year, completed two 5K's, a 10K, and my goal--the Santa Clarita Half-Marathon. And yet I'm still discovering new things about running. In fact, I'm discovering them all the time.

The most important discovery I've made recently is the post-race letdown. After training for half a year to do the Half Marathon earlier this month, I've struggled a bit afterward to continue my running. While a lack of motivation wasn't too surprising--after all, I just finished a goal and hadn't set another one--what did catch me off-guard was the physical difficulty in shorter runs. I guess I subconsciously thought that after running a 13.1 mile race, twice-weekly 2.5 mile runs would be easy. Even a weekend 5-miler should be a welcome relief after previous weekends of 8, 9, and 10 miles.

Turns out it isn't like that. Or it wasn't for me, at least. Instead, I'm finding that the 2.5 mile runs are still a lot of work. Just work for a shorter duration. But they still take a lot of motivation to get out the door, they still tax my body, and I'm still looking forward to them being over before I'm halfway through them!

Lucky for me, I picked up a subscription to Runners World. I did this earlier through my kid's fundraising magazine drive for school. This month, there's an article by Kelly Bastone called The Next Step, and it discusses the very situation I'm facing. It's a big help for me to know that what I'm going through is normal, and that if I keep plugging away (and being patient with myself) that I won't revert back to my pre-running lifestyle.

10 miles per week

I ran (mostly) 5 miles this morning, like I did last Sunday. My "sustaining" plan is to run 5 miles on the weekend, and 2.5 miles twice during the week, making 10 miles per week. After finishing that half-marathon, I foolishly thought 5 miles would be easy for me. It's weird--it's been pretty tough! Tougher than I remember the 10K race last month was. I think I was pumped up for that, with a healthy respect for the distance, but this Sunday 5 miler I've been underestimating.

Run, rookie, run!

Here's how I looked running the 5k in an earlier part of my training schedule, back in early September. A few things to note...

1. I hadn't learned to smile at the camera. You'll see that I didn't learn that lesson until the half-marathon. It's pretty easy, really, since you see the photographer set up in front of you, and other runners may cheer or gesture for their own photos. Now that I've seen how these things turn out, I'm always going to smile for the camera!

2. I'm running with a water bottle in my hand. Rookie. Of course the race had water stations along the way. No need to do that unless you're on a long training run.

3. I've holding my phone/mp3 player in my other hand. Actually, it's in the neoprene armband holder I still use, but back then I had that around my wrist so I could hold the phone itself, too. I guess I was worried about it slipping out somehow. Now I use a girl's flat ponytail band to make sure it won't pop out, and wear it on my arm as intended.

The rest looks pretty much ok to me. I'm still using the same sort of shorts, the same shoes & socks, same watch, same hat. (Now that I finished the half-marathon, I also have a white 13.1 running hat.)

My running girls

Candy & Sam came with me to the first 5K of my training program. After that Candy run/walked with me. Now for the Santa Clarita run, both Candy and Molly ran the 5K. (We let Sam sleep in after a long band review the night before.)

It's great to accomplish my own goals, but it makes me feel even better as a husband and father to see these two do it, too.

I did it!

On Sunday I ran the Half Marathon in Santa Clarita, finishing with a time of 2:27:20. This was a goal I set out for myself on my 42nd birthday back in April . . . when I couldn't run around the block without stopping. And as great as it was to achieve this goal, I think it was just as amazing to know I was going to make it. I've been on a training program (from Hal Higdon) ever since I started around May 1st, and it was steady progress all the time.

There were times in the middle where I would be happy about my accomplishments, moving from a run/walk beginner's program to a 5K, then a 10K . . . but I would still worry about my ability to run more than twice that distance, the 13.1 miles of a half-marathon. My first 5-mile run was cut short by a minor injury, and when the long runs grew to 8-9-10 miles I had to cut back my midweek shorter runs to give me knees a chance to recover. In fact, two weeks before the half-marathon I really struggled to complete my 9.5-mile training run.

But the following week was notably better, helped by rest during the week, better preparation the night before, and the pressure of the nearing deadline! When I ran 10.5 miles the next weekend and felt good about it, I knew I could finish the half-marathon.

My only complication was one faced by many male runners, the dreaded bloody nipples. Ouch! Actually, they didn't hurt so much as embarrass me. When I saw a photographer or onlookers I tried to hide it with my arms, like you see above. Band-aids didn't work on my training runs, and medical tape didn't work on this final run. Next time I'll have to get even more serious with duct tape, like I read about online... This little problem cropped up even before the halfway point of the race, and I lost 2-3 minutes making a portapotty stop to try to tape up again, without success.

Now the question is: what next? I plan to keep running, but to dial back down the distance so that I don't need to take so much time off to rest. Probably something like 5 miles for my long runs on the weekend, and a couple 2-mile runs during the week.

To that I want to add some upper body strength training, something like the Hundred Pushup Challenge, just spread over 6 months instead of 6 weeks. I haven't looked ahead to other races yet, but Candy has started to enjoy the 5k runs, which I'd gladly do again. I'd also like to try another 10k, which is a good distance for me. It's a definitely challenge, but not one that requires its own training program & schedule, now that I've built up my "endurance base."

The goal in sight

The half-marathon I committed to running more than six months ago (on my 42nd birthday) is three days away. That's kind of scary, but not as much as it was earlier. During the beginning parts of my training, even when I moved from run/walking to finishing 5K and 10K races, I kept thinking that I hadn't even run half of the distance of my goal.

I had struggled at the 5-mile mark, but made it past. Same for six and seven miles. Something good happened during my first 8-mile run, when I swear I made it easier than the previous week's seven. Plus, now I was over the halfway point to my goal. The attached email below describes how that mostly continued as my mileage increased, with one tough week in between.

Just like the running books say, I'm beginning to know my body and what it's ready to do...or not. When I was running 4,5,6 miles, I still was feeling good about midweek runs of 2-3 miles. My crosstraining on the offdays dropped to nil (possibly a mistake) because I needed the rest. When I've built up to 9-10 miles on my long runs, my knees ache for days after and I'm pretty tired every evening. So much so that I took the whole week off after that big run. And while that helps me make the next big run (like my goal this weekend), I think a better routine for my body would be something more like 5 miles on the weekend, and a couple 2-3 mile runs during the week.

The 5Ks are fun, and the 10k was a great challenge. One that I knew I could make, but was still work. That seems like a good distance for me, one to keep working on, improving my times.

But this close to my goal, I'm not about to change now! No, I'm going to push through this half-marathon the way I said I would. At least now I'm pretty confident I can do it.

-Mark

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Johnson
Date: Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Subject: Re: How was your marathon?
To: Jessie Hunt


Yeah, my race is on Sunday. I feel a lot better about it this week
than I did the previous one. My last three Sundays have been 9.5, 10,
and 10.5 miles, but after the second one I was concerned. My right
knee has always been a little tweaky, but even my left was hurting
after the 10 miles. I also was really tired, walked some, and went
through all of my water.

But I figured I did a few things wrong, namely starting when it was
too warm and not having enough water (and any fuel) with me. I didn't
run at all for several days. Then I hydrated like mad the night
before, got an earlier (cooler) start, had better stuff to listen to
on my MP3 player, and even tried out some of those carb/electrolyte
fuels along the way. Figured I'd experiment on a trial run rather than
the real deal.

It went much better! I ran for time, not distance, going for just over
2 hours, then later mapping it online to find it was 10.5 miles. I
know I could've gone farther, too, so I'm crossing my fingers that
I'll be ok on Sunday. Best of all, although my legs are sore, I don't
feel the same knee pain. I think I'm ready!

-Mark

Channel Islands Harbor 10K

[I'm writing this months after the date of this post, but realize I'd missed an entry for my first 10K.]

The training program called for a 10K at some point, and this run in Oxnard fit the schedule. My previous runs had been largely fundraisers for some good cause, but this was was strictly a run. The website for the event gave the impression that it was just about running. And it was a pretty straightforward event, without a lot of fanfare. But it was still pretty good, especially the made-to-order crepes by Whole Foods after the race. (I'm sure the line became unbearably long, but we were some of the first.)

Candy did the 5K, too!


Despite it being a running club sort of event, with chip timers and everything, the official times for Candy & I were way off. I think it's possible that our start & finish times were transposed, since mine were about 20 minutes too fast, and hers about 20 minutes too slow. Jessie told me to write the race director to see if that could still be cleared up.

Another 5K

The Sunday before last was my second 5K since I started running. The Hal Higdon training schedule I'm using calls for those at the end of certain weeks, and this was just one of those. I'm lucky that there are enough organized event runs on EVERY weekend around here (SoCal).

It happened to be another charity run, this one to raise money & awareness in the fight against ovarian cancer. It was held at CBS Studios in (where else?) Studio City. Candy came with me, and beyond that she run/walked the 5K, too! It wasn't organized very well, with confusion around parking, start times, and even the race route! They had volunteers trying to direct how the 10K, 5K, and 3K routes differed, but they didn't all appear well-informed themselves. I heard someone complain after the race that it was longer than 5K. I'm pretty sure that's right, since I know my pace very well by now. I should've come in at 30:00, and I finished after 36:00. No problem.

The cool part was how the route ended, sending us through the CBS studio lot, running down "New York Street" which had facade storefronts to look like a location in NYC for tv shoots (maybe movies). It had a deli, brownstones, an independent bookstore... cool! At other parts of the route we ran along internal company streets named Gunsmoke, Newhart, and Mary Tyler Moore. We saw the bungaloes where writers and producers for today's shows work during the week.

6 miles! But it wasn't easy...

The good news--the great news--is that I made my runs the rest of the week, including the increase to six miles for my big run on Sunday (this morning). In fact, even the midweek runs made a big jump to 4 miles on two workdays. So far, so good, but I'm starting to encounter some problems. Maybe not big problems, but I'm concerned.

First, there was that back spasm last week. Nothing like that has happened again, so hopefully that's behind me.

Those midweek runs are becoming much more time-consuming, which got me into work later than I'd like two days. Of course I could just get up earlier, but I'm already up at 5:30 or so. It's still too hot around here to run in the evening. I guess I just need to go to bed earlier and set that alarm.

I needed to walk during some of the 6-miler today, especially between 4-5 miles. I was just wiped out. At least I eventually recovered enough to run the last mile and a half. Since this was a weekend, I didn't get up super early, which meant by the time I was out there it was already getting hot. I had my little 8 oz water bottle which I drained during the run. Perhaps I need more? I doubt a powerbar would make a difference, though I guess that's possible. I think it's just that my training program is ramping up, and it's a struggle for me.

I bet the best thing for me to do is get back on the wagon to do my cross-training on the off days, and eat better. I've gotten pretty bad about both of these lately. A month ago I was still running greater distances all the time, but I was keeping up with the rest of the program, too (eating right & cross-training). Gotta get back to that.

-Mark

Made it!

Last night I tried the 5-miler again, and this time I made it. Same route (with the hills), just after about 36 hours of rest. I took some ibuprofen (NSAID), Candy rubbed my back, and on Sunday I spent some time in the spa with the jet working on that sore spot. Whew!

First setback

Rats, I was trying another 5-mile run this morning, when I was stopped by a back spasm before I made it to 2 miles! I never had one of those before, running or otherwise, and it ended my run on the spot. I tried walking it out for a while, stretching, whatever, then running again, but it was no-go. Ugh, it was still a 2-mile walk around the loop back
to the car. This is an upper back spasm, while most of what I read about online was lower back. When I got home I took some vitamin I, Candy rubbed it, we put on bengay, and now I'm taking it easy. I can still feel it, but later today I'll get in the hot tub which should help. I'm really hoping I can retry that 5-miler tomorrow morning after more bengay and ibuprofen tonight.

I did all my runs this week, but had flaked out on the cross-training that I'm supposed to do on the off days. This was the first week I let that slip so much, and I wonder if there's any connection.

5 miles

On Sunday I ran 5 miles. I was away for the weekend, so considered just running on the hotel's fitness room treadmill. Candy says it's better on my knees, and I'm sure she's right. However, there's a lot to be said for interesting (or at least new) scenery when I'm running. MapMyRun.com makes it so easy to chart out a new route, with Google Map's street, photo, and hybrid views. It even has an elevation plot so I can avoid big hills.

It was tough, but not horribly so. I finished in 52:30, which is a 10:30 pace on the button. I felt great for having finished it. Now I have some shorter runs during the week, before another 5-miler on Sunday.

I have two trips for work during this time, right now to San Francisco, and next week to Houston. The SF trip gives me the chance to run across the GG Bridge, while Houston has nothing but humidity! I don't know, maybe it's better than that.

My weight stays the same, no doubt because I'm exercising well but eating poorly. For the moment, I'm ok with that. The next 5k is about three weeks away, but it's the 10k beyond that looks like the challenge. Of course, I'm still concerned about the huge increase to 13.1 miles for that half-marathon in just 2.5 months...

At least I'm starting to see some improvement. This morning I noticed some better definition in my legs.

-Mark

Am I a runner now?

I'm a runner right now in the sense that I'm running regularly. But am I a runner? I'm not sure. I ordered John Bingham's book, the Courage to Start, about the "penguin chronicles." That sounded like me, until I read the intro of the actual book, and Bingham talks about always feeling the joy of running, from when he was a young kid.

That's not me. I was never a runner. I was slow, and never had good form. Then for years I had problems with my feet. Though I dabbled in running throughout my adult life (i.e. taking it up & dropping again once every five years), it was always something I did to try to get in shape, lose weight, etc.

That's my motivation now, too. I'd wanted to run the 5k in my own town before I turned 40. Then that shifted into running it when I was 40. Which I did! That was in 2006, and despite the pride of the accomplishment, I stopped running after that. This year I turned 42, and have been growing increasingly concerned about my health. In particular, my cholesterol was hovering in the border zone, and I knew I was overweight. Particularly as the sole wage-earner, I want to take responsibility for my own well-being for my own sake and that of my family.

So with a gulp I decided on my birthday to run the half-marathon this year. And I started running. Does that make me a runner?

It definitely helps to have a defined training plan. I didn't have that when I did the 5k, but now I've got one. I don't think that makes me a runner by itself, but it gives me focus and measured progress that I didn't have before. It also pushed me to sign up for two more 5k's and a 10k on the way to the half-marathon.

I still don't feel a joy to get out there and run, but I do feel a drive to keep progressing along my training plan. I can even feel a little restless after a couple days of not running, anxious to attempt the next increment. It's also been fun to look forward to new runs in new cities, like when I'm on some sort of trip.

Yesterday I picked up Runner's World magazine, and today I discovered running podcasts. In all of my hobbies, I've enjoyed studying up on it. It happens all the time with games, it happened with model rockets, with travel... It's a good sign that I want to "study" running. Maybe if this keeps up I will really be a runner!

4 miles!

This morning I ran 4 miles, farther than I've ever run before. I made it, but beyond that I made it pretty easily. It wasn't EASY, but I thought I could've gone even farther if I would've had to. These four miles felt a little easier than the 3.1 miles (5K) I ran last week.

This morning I got up early, starting my run by 6am when it was still cool and not yet bright. That must've helped.

-Mark

The start of half-marathon training

I'm now a couple days into the 12 weeks of half-marathon training. Mondays are now Strengthen & Stretch, which I did. Partway through I started to feel like I had a clue what I was doing. It'll get more productive with repetition.

Then tonite was a 3 mile run, something that will ramp up on Tuesdays. I tried using the Freestyle MP3 player on an armband instead of the Treo. Between that & no water bottle I was running with nothing in my hands. Which was good.

It's still pretty hot in the evenings, but at least I made it.

-Mark

My first 5K

Today I ran my first 5K, and that's a good a note as any to start my personal training blog on. Almost two years ago I ran/walked the Santa Clarita 5K, but this one (the Free To Breathe run in Los Angeles) was the first time I ran the whole way. That's an accomplishment I can be proud of.

Even better it what it means: I'm progressing on my plan to run a half-marathon in Santa Clarita this November. That was a commitment I made to myself on my 42nd birthday this year. With some trepidation, I could add. Not knowing much of anything about it, I just typed "half marathon training" into a Google search a few days after that commitment, and was lucky to find a lot of good material. I had no idea! I ended up following what Hal Higdon had to say about novice runners training for various distances, including a half-marathon.

That was pretty fortunate, because I learned later that Hal Higdon isn't just some hack, but instead he's one of the leading authorities on the subject. I just put his intro, 5K, and half-marathon training schedules back-to-back-to-back, and ended up with something that had me run this Free To Breathe 5K this morning. Although the goal of that half-marathon is VERY intimidating, I'm trying to maintain confidence in the training program, which I've been successfully following since the end of April. If it's got me this far, I can go the rest of the way, right?

Still, looking at the final 12 weeks of my training gives me the impression of jumping off a cliff. I think it takes a significant step up in intensity, and I just hope I can make it.