A little nervous

The half-marathon is less than a week away.

This is the same half-marathon I made a goal for myself last year, the one that started me running in the first place. I made it, and it was a great accomplishment for me. After, I thought how the half-marathon was probably a little too much to set out for myself. The amount of recovery time off I needed after each of my longer weekend training runs told me I was maybe pushing myself too hard. I'm not after a particular finishing time, I just want to keep running. At my age (and weight), injury to my knees or something else is the greatest risk to that longterm goal.

And yet, here I am running it again. That's the plan, anyway. It wasn't my plan at the start of the year, but my late summer I felt pretty good, and in a brave moment I clicked the registration link to sign up for the Santa Clarita Half Marathon once again. This time my training was following Jeff Galloway's run/walk method, rather than Hal Higdon's training schedule like last year. Doing the run/walk on a 4:1 minute ratio has meant I felt I could run farther . . . maybe even faster. I'll settle for farther, though.

A high point in the training came a few weeks ago (more?) when I set out on an 8-mile route . . . figured I might run 9 . . . and ended up going 10! I was invincible! The following weekend I ran the Worldwide Festival of Races, the Zen Run 10k all by myself. The fact that I was doing lots of traveling was a training complication, and the 10k fit into my schedule better than another big run. So far, so good.

The week after that I screwed it up. I had new insoles, new body glide, new fuel belt, and slept in to run mid-day when I thought it wouldn't be too hot. About half of those decisions proved to be a mistake, and I conked out after 6 miles of my intended 10-12 miler. No problem, I thought, I still have time in my training schedule. The first midweek shorter run went great, back with some new Spenco crosstrainer insoles like I've used for years, and I felt strong. But the similar run a couple days later yielded pain in my right knee. Uh-oh.

I cut that run short, took some NSAIDs, and rested it. I skipped my long run on the weekend. I skipped the short runs during the week. All the while I was nervous about this lack of training, and the fast-approaching half-marathon. Last weekend the knee felt better, so I took it out for a 6-miler. It felt ok, a little tight after the run, but the stretching at the first walk break really helped, I think. At the end I'm sure I could've gone farther than 6 miles, but I wanted to save the knee, and I'm supposed to be in my taper anyway.

The half-marathon is six days away. Two short runs, if I can squeeze them in on this east coast business trip. (Or maybe I'll just do the treadmill tomorrow.) I may not make it. Or I may have to push through some knee pain. Or who knows? I may do fine, even beating my time last year with a run/walking strategy. No matter what, I'm still a runner, so as long as I don't really screw up my knees, anything that keeps me moving is a victory of some kind.

Running in Switzerland

We've had the opportunity to travel to Europe four times now, but only this last trip was after the time when I'd started running. Like my other travels since taking it up, I was looking forward to running in a new, exciting place. That was how I felt about San Francisco, of course, but even to Long Island and Alabama. Just being in a new place is fun, and there's something about the act of running that lets me take in my surroundings in a special way (even when I'm listening to something in my earphones). Running through a historic town in central Switzerland was a real thrill, made even better by the BBC podcast in my ears about European history!

Our hotel was in a great location right in Luzern near the historic Kapellebrücke. I'd hoped to get in two runs during our week, but business and vacation took priority and I only had the chance once. It was early in the morning, still cool outside, and I went from the hotel down along the river Reuss, past several bridges in the nice part of town into the more modern, working part of the city. Then I crossed over and came back toward the remnants of the city wall & tower. For that part I had to walk since it was a steep hill & stairs. Once I'd regained my breath at the top I started up again along the wall, then down into the old town across to the lakeshore. From there I ran a little ways down, but then turned around and headed back to the hotel, finishing up across the famous wooden bridge! (3.5 miles)

Two more 5K's

After that last post I realize I'd neglected to describe two more 5K's I ran earlier in the year. The first was the Revlon Run/Walk for Women on May 9. The appeal of this event was that it was run all around USC, starting at Exposition Park and ending inside the Coliseum. Sweet! Not only that, but the finish was actually through the tunnel near the end zone that the USC Trojans football team enters through before each half of a game! Wow! Running around our old college apartments and whatnot was a lot of fun, too.

What it wasn't as great for was running fast. This is a huge fundraising event, and there were 10 times more people than I'd ever seen at a run. (The picture doesn't come close to giving you an idea of the crowds.) It didn't start on time, and for the first mile or so it was hard to keep running due to the crowds. Weaving in & out kind of worked, but I was also concerned about twisting an ankle on the roads/curbs/drains/planter boxes that we were navigating. Not such a big deal to take it slower, except that I'd committed to a goal of a 5K PR sometime this year. I know now that this wasn't going to be the race for that, but I didn't understand it then.

Just the same, it was a fun race. I had some good music in my ears to enjoy while reminiscing about the location. As I thought, running into the Coliseum at the end was a real thrill, and worth the price of admission right there. They had some sort of automated camera taking pictures of the crowds as they crossed the finish line, but I couldn't find myself in them later. My 33:08 time (10:40 pace) reflected the issue of the crowds, that's all. At the end I got to go up into the stands while waiting for Candy & Molly to finish. A great band was playing at the big party. The only weird thing was the skimpiness with snacks at the end. Quartered bagels were only for some private group?! We got corn chips instead?! As I said, weird.

I'd convinced my buddy Shawn at work to run this, too. He's a much better (faster & farther) runner than I am, but he hadn't been to any organized races before. As he's almost anti-social, that's not surprising. I'd convinced him to run a different 5K with me earlier in the spring, but then our vacation to Washington DC interfered with those plans. This was to be our make-up event. It's kind of too bad I picked this one, as I don't know if it was a good experience for him. As someone that's not fond of crowds, this could've been the worst. Nonetheless, he struggled through the traffic to get here & park. Then he did what I should've done--positioned himself near the start of the race as one of the few that cared about their time. As a result, he didn't encounter the same crowds I did while running. He finished fast, got his goodies and immediately left. Figures. We could've talked in the stands at the end, but instead we never saw each other.

The following week I ran another 5K. This was one right here in Santa Clarita for a local cancer charity, the Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund Fight It! 5K. Instead of getting up early and driving 40 minutes I would be able to almost sleep in and just drive 5 minutes to our Central Park. I wouldn't normally opt for two races on successive weekends, but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up (and it was too late to cancel the previous race). Since this was kind of a "bonus" race for me, I didn't take it super-seriously--I stayed up late the night before.

The race started at 8:30 or so, and unlike other races in cooler locations it was already hot & dusty at that time. I finished in 30:28, a 9:48 pace. There's nothing wrong with that but at the time I was disappointed with how overheated I was, how I needed to walk more than I wanted, and how I couldn't managed to finish within 30 minutes. With the benefit of hindsight, though, I think I did ok and I'm definitely glad I tried it.

Just keep running

I haven't written here for a LONG time. The main reason is not a great one--I got a little more busy at work (it's always busy, this was just a bit more), and things like blogging/journaling took a nose dive. Fortunately, running did NOT. As I'd already learned about myself, I do best when I have a specific training schedule. This time it was from Jeff Galloway instead of Hal Higdon, and building up to a 10K in mid-September instead of a half-marthon in November. Which means some of the time & distances required are similar to what I was doing last summer.

A goal I'd set for myself was to run a PR in a 5K this year, and I did that on August 2nd! It was at the Free To Breathe 5K in Playa del Rey. This was the same 5K I ran at the start of my training last year, which was my previous PR! (Not the first 5K I'd ever done, but the first since I became a runner.) It's a clichéd "flat, fast course" that even has a downhill near the end without having an uphill part! That's because you walk the uphill to get to the start, then during the race you get to run down at the end. Maybe that's why my times are best there. Certainly the ocean breeze & view helps, too. Or maybe they don't mark the distance correctly. :-) Whatever it is, I'll take it.

My time was 27:52, a 9:00 pace. My notes say I had 8:52/9:50/9:00ish for my splits. Too fast at the beginning, too slow in the middle, but at least I finished faster at the end. I feel very good about this run. It's fun to compare this run to last year's. Back then I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I ran holding a small water bottle and my phone/MP3 player in a holder in my other hand. Though my time was pretty good, I didn't look like it in the photo. I've since learned to beam for the camera, but there wasn't one at this race. So I took my own photo at the end. I didn't bring my own water, and I didn't stop for any on this shorter distance. I didn't do any run-walk-run for this distance, either, but I definitely am on my training runs. I'd read about leaning into a downhill and taking advantage of it, something I'm sure I didn't do last year. I proudly took home the race t-shirt, but I ran in my own gear.

What's also incredible is how I see some of the same people in these races. Maybe they see me, too. These events are drawing me from 45 minutes away, and I run at pretty much the same pace, so perhaps it should be no surprise that we see each other. It's just that LA is so big, I'm always surprised when I see someone I recognize.

On the road again

Sure enough, after the month of March I started running again. I worried the time off to rest my knee would mean a setback in my ability to run. I guess that was true, too. Not long ago I ran a 10K and felt good about it--now running only 2K feels like work. But it's a good kind of work. Meaning, I feel good about running again, even if my performance has decreased somewhat. I can build that back up.

I ran once the first week in April, once the second (while on vacation in Washington DC), twice the following week (while on a business trip to Long Island), and three times back at home. Sounds pretty good to me, especially since I could tell it was getting easier. Also, I think I'm starting to lose a little of the weight I put back on in March. Best of all, Sam ran with me once, and plans to do so again at our next 5K.

Take it easy

I haven't been driven to write anything here because I haven't been running. Haven't really been exercising at all. Towards the end of February my right knee started to hurt. It's often hurt a little bit, especially when going down stairs (not up). I understand that to be a kneecap tracking problem, most likely caused by imbalance in the muscle groups that surround and guide the kneecap. I'd mentioned that little tweak in my right knee to my doctor a year ago when I started running, and he confirmed it with some push & pull tests he did. I've been taking glucosamine basically the entire time on his instruction for that knee, and at one time I wore one of those knee brace things with a hole it it. Supposed to help guide the kneecap, but I didn't notice any improvement, so I stopped.Probably what I should've always been doing are the leg exercises (esp. for the quads) that are supposed to help this condition.

Well, it was seemingly ok until that Saturday night in February, when my knee hurt during the night no matter how I positioned it. Since my greatest concern about injury is for my knees, I was finally spurred into action. Or rather, spurred into inaction, since the first thing they say to do is stop running. I decided to take the month of March off. I also did some icing and lots of ibuprofen for the first week, and a few of those leg exercises (but really I should make that a permanent part of my regimen).

Sad to say, I also started eating worse. There's something ridiculous about that, but I understand the human weakness. When I'm running, I'm more motivated to eat better so I lose more weight and all that running (which is still work!) isn't for nothing. Trouble is, the converse is also true--when I'm not running I don't feel as compelled to eat better.

At least March is just about over, and I'm about to start running again. My knee is back to feeling at least as good as it did before last month, perhaps a little better. I hope that means I've staved off an injury, and if I get those hamstring & quad exercises going I can hope for even more.

Firecracker 10K

Last week I chipped away by one of my running goals for 2009 by running a 10K. This was the Firecracker 10K in LA's Chinatown. Actually it starts & ends in Chinatown, but covers most of its distance circling Dodger Stadium and Elysian Park. Normally LA seems like--and is--a big, sprawling place, with no real downtown. However, this event showed how close lots of the cities landmarks and neighborhoods are to each other. That was a nice side benefit of the race, getting a feel for the old downtown.

There were several things I didn't like about this race, and many more that I did. First of all, I had already figured out that the 10K training program (which I had to accelerate to finish in time for this race) wasn't something I wanted to do. Last year's half-marathon was a personal goal I'm so glad I accomplished, though in the process I learned that I pushed myself beyond what was smart. I'm most worried about injuring something (most likely my right knee), and also worried about making running unfun. The 10K is less than half that distance, but I still found these same issues. In fact, I wish I'd only signed up for the 5K, since I was starting to enjoy training for that distance.

But no, I had already registered for the 10K distance. And since running a couple 10K's is a goal for 2009, at least I would knock one out early. Now I can delay the second until much later in the year, and get back to more fun running again.

The other downside of this race was how unprepared the organizers were. Which is weird, because this is the 31st annual running of it! I guess they had many more people turning out (which is a good thing). They actually ran out of cups at almost all of the water stations, which would've been dangerous had it been hot. Instead, it was drizzly and very cool.

On the upside, the shirts are great! Best race shirt yet. Also good was how I felt during the race--pretty much fine despite a lot of hills. For once I even turned on the gas toward the end (it helped that some good music was starting on my MP3 player), and felt strong through the finish. In fact, I wished I'd started pushing toward that finish earlier. So that was good. Finally, I love how my entire family did this race, with Candy, Molly, and now Sam running in the 5K. Sam even ran ahead on his own, and said he had a good time!

I finished the 10K in 1:08:24, which was right at a 11 minute mile pace. I'll take it!

2009 Goals

Here are my running goals for the coming year. I have lots of other goals, and I'm a fan of New Year's Resolutions as a motivator. These are the ones that relate to running & fitness.

1. Run a half-dozen races this year, two of them 10K's, the rest 5K's.
2. Run a PR at one of the 5K's.
3. Do cross-training of some time (5BX, cycling, swimming, something more than walking) 80% of the days.
4. Strengthen my right knee to reduce pain.

It's now pretty clear to me that going from no-running to a half-marathon in seven months, and at an overweight age 42 was a little too ambitious. I made it--something I'm still so happy about--but a more gradual pace is probably better for my body. Improved health & fitness is my goal, after all.

That's why I'm not planning any longer races in 2009. The 10K's are long enough, thank you. They still require some dedicated training schedules with a taper before the actual race. That's what I've read, anyway.

As for the 5K personal record, I doubt a PR is achievable every year, but it's still so early in my "running history" that I have to believe it's achievable.

I don't have an overall or monthly mileage goal, or a target pace time. If I do these things, I'll be very pleased with my continued running in 2009, ready to try more in 2010. Earlier I set a weight loss goal for myself, too, but I'm hopeful that that will just "come along for the ride" if I keep at this running and keep eating a little better. (No set goal for that, either, just keep improving.)

Accomplishments in 2008

I need goals. While I suppose I could just do things just because they're a good idea, I know my own mind, and I know that I do more when I set goals for myself. It's been that way forever, and in all aspects of my life. Naturally, I'm a big fan of New Year's Resolutions, even while I know they aren't for everybody. They help me.

Since my running started partway through 2008, I hadn't set any New Year's Resolutions for running. Nonetheless, I can look back on the year for some accomplishments, even without the formality of a January 1st commitment.

1. Started (and have kept) running. Although #2 was actually my primary goal, along the way I learned that this was more important.
2. Ran the Santa Clarita Half-Marathon, which was the one written goal I set out for myself regarding fitness (I set plenty of other goals for work, being a dad & husband, and even for my other hobbies).
3. Ate better. Though I still have much improvement to make here, I can take credit for eating smarter (and sometimes less) than I was doing a year ago. The improvement showed in my blood test (annual physical) already, and I'm looking forward to my next results.
   
4. Learned a lot about running. Even with something as physical as running, I find a way to make it a little research project, too. I read running blogs and other info on the web, copied my training program from Hal Higdon (learned who that is!), subscribed to Runner's World, am reading The Courage to Start (with another John Bingham book on the way), and "geared up" with shoes/shorts/tech-tee/etc.
5. Lost 18 lbs! I was up to 237 when I started all of this, close to my heaviest ever, and by the end of the year I just squeezed down to 219. Yeah, I gained a couple back during our New Year's vacation to Hawaii, but I'm still happy about this. Also happy that I keep having to buy pants with a smaller waist. :-)
   

The main thing I didn't do was stretching & cross-training. My doctor discovered some issue with my right kneecap (patella tracking) during an exam prior to starting my training, and gave me some exercises to help with it. I read more online about that, too. I never really did those, however, and the cross-training I began during the half-marathon training fell by the wayside as the mileage increased. Candy was after me to do more stretching, and even demonstrated some good ones for me, but I gave those short shrift, too.

Next I'll post my 2009 running/fitness goals.

Reflections on 2008

It goes without saying that 2008 was a landmark year for my running & fitness. That's because this was the year I started running seriously. After college, before our first house I remember working out sometimes at my employer's small gym. That was almost 20 years ago, and it didn't stick more than a month or two. Same deal when I joined a gym in Livermore, probably before the kids were born (I almost forgot about that). I did try running a little bit back in those days, too. That didn't stick, either, but I can remember some runs of decent length along the streets or creek trail of Livermore, or along the causeways in the south bay above Sunnyvale. Three years ago, an imminent 40th birthday motivated me to start running some mornings, and Sam even ran with me. It was more like run/walking, but it led up to the Santa Clarita 5K in November 2006.

That was all beneficial, and when my 2006 runs were combined with some better eating I even lost some weight and was on a better path for fitness. But I didn't stick with it. This year, 2008, has been different. I'm pretty sure I've already run for a longer period of time than ever before. I've certainly run substantially more distance. The single 5K I ran in all the years prior to this one was topped by three 5K's, a 10K, and a half-marathon, all within not much more than half of 2008. My eating could still show some improvement, but I can still claim a better diet than I've had in many years, possibly my entire adult life.

That's why 2008 is a watershed year for me. The running has even helped me in other ways, showing me the power of steady, methodical dedication to improvement, serving as a metaphor for other aspects of my life. I'm finally setting a good example for my family and that makes a dad feel very good!

Here now are many notable moments from my past year:

• The act of committing to run the half-marathon as I wrote in my journal on my 42nd birthday
• My great fortune to just searching the Internet for "half marathon training," not knowing I'd find anything at all, then coming up with lots of resources & landing on Hal Higdon's program
• Using my running goals as an opportunity to connect with my sister-in-law, an avid runner
• Being too nervous & self-conscious to go to a running store, I instead got my running shoes, socks, and "runderwear" from Kohl's and Sports Chalet
• Listening to an audiobook about the Panama Canal and the podcasts Garrett's Games & Geekiness, Filmspotting, and 4 Feet Running on many runs.
• Using MapMyRun.com to plan & measure my routes.
• Looking forward to running in new places when traveling. I ran through historic Huntsville, San Francisco (first the Embarcadero and later across the GG Bridge), and in The Dalles. (In Denver and Long Island I had to settle for the hotel treadmill.) Right now I'm looking forward to running in Hawaii next week.
• Downloading new running music mixes for each race. I went with Stevie Wonder for the first 5K, followed by Guns n Roses, Van Halen, and finally Saturday Night Fever for the half-marathon.
  
• The back spasm that completely derailed my first 5 mile training run, then the exhilaration of making the very next run a few days later without mishap.
• The confidence and joy of making it through my last training run before the half-marathon in good form. The previous long run a week earlier had been a struggle, but this time I did a better job hydrating the night before and had some energy gels & more water with me.
• Learning to take a good mid-run photo by spotting the photographer and smiling. :-)

Of course, the top moment of the year was achieving my goal of finishing that half-marathon. The last mile was perhaps more fun than crossing the finish line, as I had time to savor it, knowing I was going to be successful.