Women's running

Now for something completely different, I thought I would write a little about a race I didn't get to run.  That's because I'm the wrong gender!  I have done plenty of races over the years, from high school, through college to the hundreds of road races since then.  I remember back to the days when I was a little faster, when it was rare that I would see many women in the races, and really rare that any would finish ahead of me.  Suffice to say that's a pretty common occurrence these days!

That's because women are running in greater numbers than ever before.  The current running boom is really fueled by women runners, more than men.  So it was really great this morning for the women to rule the lake front running path, with the Fleet Feet women's 10k and 5k.  They had about 3400 runners, a sellout, for the races.  It's a tribute to women's running that an event like this is so popular.

I was unable to be there to watch, though in the past I have cheered my wife on in this race.  This morning, however, I was filling in as an anchor on the ABC-7 Sunday morning news.  We did get to interview one of the race organizers live on the air though.  Samantha Morales works for Fleet Feet, and is quite a runner herself.  She and I both ran track at Drake University, although I ran quite about a decade before she did.  Much to my disappointment, we did not get to interview Suzy Favor Hamilton on the air, but she was also at the race, courtesy of Nike.  As you may detect, I am a big fan of hers!

Hamilton is an incredible middle distance runner from Wisconsin.  She has been an Olympic finalist, and has run well for quite a long time.  She's 39 years old and brought her two year old daughter to the race.  She told my wife that she is looking forward to adding to her family.  Good luck to her.

Congratulations to all the finishers, including, my wife's cousin Alex Lock, who is 16 years old.  She ran under 22 minutes for the 5k, and was one of the top finishers in her age group.  You can check out this link for all the results.  http://www.fleetfeetchicago.com/htm/events_races_womens.asp

As for my own running, it's moving along.  The weather forecast for the coming week should make it a bit challenging.  There's plenty of heat and humidity on the way.  I found myself struggling a little going about 15 miles in the muggy conditions on Friday.  Somehow, though, we always seem to get through it!  It's funny, the commitment to run for the Respiratory Health Association does play a role in keeping me going through those tough miles.  If you are interested in helping out, here is the link to my fund raising page: http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

Have a great week of running!

I guess it's really time

My wife and I went out of town over the weekend to celebrate her  birthday in Nashville.  In honor of her birthday, I am posting this picture of her running along the river in Nashville's Centennial Park.   It was a nice place to run and she enjoyed it as much as I did.  The trip, however, meant I had to fit my long run before we left, on Friday morning.  She encourages my running, but not necessarily a two hour run on a short vacation to celebrate her birthday.  You get the idea.  So I went long on Friday, about 14 miles.  Anyway, the point I am getting to is that this was the first time this summer that I felt like I was starting marathon training. 

I know most everyone else has already jumped in, and many are on longer runs than 14 at this point.  Many are doing much higher mileage than my 35 or so a week right now.  But I had to take a bit of a break from the training and racing in the spring.  So I did.  But that's over now.  It's the last week of July, and it's really time to get going!

Fortunately, my training partner, Tom, is on the same page.  For the first time in several years, we are training for the same marathon at the same time.  And the bonus is that we have the same mindset about it this time around.  We figure we have about 6 weeks left before we have to get in a 20 miler.  That means there is still plenty of time to work up to that distance, and still get a couple of them in before October 7th, the date of the Chicago Marathon. 

The second 20 miler should be the one CARA is planning along the lake front three weeks out from the race.  I'll write more about that when it gets closer, but it should be a great event, starting on the north end of the path and heading to the south end with plenty of support along the way.

So, in keeping with my newly regained focus on marathon training, I want to share the content of an e-mail I got from the folks at Power Bar.  I don't remember how I got on their e-mail list, but the advice is good, and relatively original.  So take it for what it's worth, and enjoy the great running weather we've been having for the last stretch!

Practical Tips for Marathon Training

A good training program is an essential part of preparing for a marathon, and fortunately there are a plethora of sound and effective programs available to runners of all ability levels. But preparing for a successful 26.2-mile run takes more than a schedule of workouts, and the coaches at CTS got together to provide three tips to help you have a great experience at your next marathon:

1. Constantly rotate through two pairs of shoes. A lot of people know that running shoes wear out and need to be replaced every few months (4-6, depending on your weight and how much you run), but many make the mistake of wearing one pair thin before suddenly switching to a brand new pair. To make the transition easier on your feet, start alternating between your old pair and a new pair when the old pair is halfway through its lifespan. Then as the old pair wears out, you’ll be halfway through the new pair’s lifespan and you can keep the cycle going. Remember to mark the shoes with the date you started wearing them, however, because it’s easy to get them mixed up. And mark them in several places because some marks will inevitably rub off.
2. Start training earlier to stay healthier. From what we’ve seen, most aspiring marathoners get injured because they do too much too soon (either volume or intensity). If your training program is four months long or longer, you can take more time between your really long runs, which in turn gives you more time to recover from those long days and reduces your chance for injury.
3. Practice something related to your race every week. Whether you’re a marathon newbie or a veteran runner, fitness is only part of having a fun and successful race day. Perfecting your techniques around eating, drinking, stretching, and pacing is important for avoiding race-day mistakes that can keep you from reaching your goals. Practice grabbing a water bottle off a fence post while running at race pace so you can do it without thinking during the event. If you’re traveling to your event, look up restaurant chains near your hotel and eat at the same restaurant near your home the night before or morning of a long training run; see how the food affects your run so you know where to eat before your race. And if you’re planning on using the aid stations during your race for food and hydration, then space your eating and drinking during training at similar time or distance intervals. In other words, if you’re going to grab water every two miles during your marathon, drink every two miles during training runs to make sure that strategy allows you to maintain the pace you want to hold.

Hope the advice is useful.  I'll see  you on the roads....

Sox Rule

The Nike Rock n Run 5k Saturday was a blast.  It was a nice was to try to run fast, and have fun at the end.  I have lots of thoughts on it, but first I have to tell the most embarrassing part about myself.

I'll be honest.  I'm a Cubs fan.  I grew up a Cubs fan, and have part of a season ticket package for the Cubs currently.  But I go to Sox games, because I love baseball, and Chicago.  It doesn't mean quite as much to me when the Sox win or lose as it does with the Cubs, but I'm never rooting against them.  And one of the best assignments of my professional life was covering the Sox World Series Championship games and the aftermath.  In any case, with apologies, that's a long way of saying that I'm a North-sider.  You are what you are.

So before last year's marathon, Nike asked me to be the honorary captain of their Northside team.  They competed against a team of runners from the Southside.  Before the race Saturday, sponsored by Nike, I figured I should wear a Nike singlet to race in.  Well, the one I wore was from the Northside team, and I forgot about where I was running until I got there!  Fortunately, noone threw anything at me, but there were a few sneers!  That's ok, I deserved them.

The race itself was great.  There were some organizational issues that someone commented on in this space.  I agree with everything they mentioned, but none of that deterred from my experience.  The only problem I had was that I didn't run quite as fast as I wanted.  The course was nice.  It ran straight down several Bridgeport streets, with few turns.  The finish was spectacular, inside the park through the center field gates. 

Unlike the Soldier Field run, we then were able to hang out in the park for the post-race awards and concert.  They even had the concession stands open, and offered a free beer to all the runners.  It was a little too early for me to take advantage of that, but I enjoyed the concert.

The Fleet Feet racing team seemed to have a big day, taking most of the top finishing medals.  There were about 4,000 runners, so it was a nice, manageable sized race.  As for my own race, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Despite the advice in a previous blog entry, I failed to prepare myself to run fast.  So I was hoping to run under 20 minutes, which is much slower than my p.r., but realistic, I thought.  I went out in 6:30 pace for the first two miles, but then fell off it in the last mile to finish in closer to 20:30.

I started the race with two friends, Tom and Dan.  We all finished within a minute of each other, but when Dan eased into another gear after the first mile, I failed to go with him, and that was that.  I suppose that means I'll have to hit the track pretty soon and work on that speed as part of the marathon training.

And speaking of marathon training, Tom and I were talking about the calendar a little today during our long run and realized it might be about time to start ramping up the mileage.  Fun and games are about over I suppose.  There are really only about two and a half months left before the race, and while that seems like a long time, it really isn't.  Our standard long run over the last month or so has been 10 to 12 miles.  It's time to kick that up to 14-16 pretty quickly.

I hope your training/running is going well.  I'll see you on the roads, as I start to up the mileage!

Oh, and if you have any interest in helping out my fundraising effort for the marathon, here is the link: http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

summer vacation

It's been a while since I was able to sit down and share some thoughts on running, because my family insisted I not spend all my time on the computer while we were on vacation.  That's probably good, because I was happy to avoid anything that reminded me of work!

I was, however, able to get some good runs in during the last week or so.  The biggest obstacle to that was not family responsibilities, but the extreme heat!  I want to talk a little about running in the heat, but first want to tell you about running in Wisconsin.

We usually try to take the week of July 4th off, and my wife and I tend to run ourselves crazy taking advantage of all the great music in the area.  Summerfest in Milwaukee is always one of our stops, as is the Taste of Chicago, and a great concert/fireworks show that my friend Rick puts on in Itasca on July 4th.  It's always a fun week, but this time around we thought it might be more fun to stay put, sort of.  We rented a house in Delavan, Wisconsin and enjoyed lots of the small town activities there.  They had a nice parade downtown on the 4th, and a great little fireworks show.  Our kids had a blast making our daily treks to the ice cream shop downtown, and, of course, the swimming pool.

The added advantage to this location was the great running!  I really didn't know the area very well before we settled in to the house, but I quickly discovered quiet, private, shaded country roads heading in most every direction.  There were also corn fields all over the place as you can see in the picture. The course I ran most often went by beautiful lake homes and offered glimpses of the lake.  On my long run Saturday, I was able to run along the lake at Lake Lawn Lodge, where we got married a few years ago. 

The running reminded my of the roads we run on in Barrington.  We go out there for the quiet, private roads also, but especially for the hills.  It is some of the best hill training you will find in the area.  Delavan was pretty similar.  I found some rolling hills, and a couple of longer inclines that hopefully will help when it comes to improving my speed and strength.

I have not yet gotten the bug to do some speed work this summer.  I've been lazy.   But hills can offer some of the benefits of speed work, if you work hard going up.  And that is easier to do in the shade than in the burning sun!

How's that for a transition?  Really though, it has been HOT.  95 degrees over the weekend I believe.  I have never been one to offer a lot of advice about running in the heat, because I tend to break all the rules myself.  But common sense is obviously a good idea.  If you are going to go out during the heat of the day (like I do all too often), don't go really hard, and make sure there are fluids along the route.  Experts would probably go on with much more advice than that, and I would refer you to this month's edition of Runner's World for really good tips on running in the heat.  The bottom line for me though, is to listen closely to your body. 

One advantage I had over the last week was that my kids were getting up pretty early, and I was not working late, so I was able to get up with them, and get out of the door for a run well before the mid-day heat.

So good luck keeping cool, and keeping up the running during your own summer vacations.  I'll be seeing you on the roads!

Also, thanks again to all who have contributed to my marathon fundraising effort for the Respiratory Health Association!  Here is a link if you have not and are interested: http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

Late breaking information for you!  My friend Mark Buciak is hosting a great event this weekend.  Yoga can be a great addition to your cross training program.  Here is the info:

YOGA FOR RUNNERS IN THE WOODS

Join THE ROAD TO

BOSTON

Training Program at the Morton Arboretum for their weekly run followed by:

Yoga For Runners in the Woods.

DATE: Saturday…. July 12^th

LOCATION: The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Il.

I-88….exit at Route 53, North. www.mortonarb.org

Admission Fee: $9 per person. Plenty of free parking.

TIME: 7:30AM check in at the parking lot near the visitor’s center. Clean restrooms are available.

7:40AM……run begins….distances 7.5 to 15 miles.

Pace range: 6:30 to 9:30 per mile.

10:30AM to 12 noon: Yoga for Runners in the Woods.

Cost: $10 per person.

This class is taught by Patti, a certificated yoga instructor.

Please RSVP by July 12^th by calling  Coach Mark at:

773-307-0033 to reserve your space. Spots are limited to a maximum of 15 people to keep a high quality class.

Bring a yoga mat or a large towel, a 2nd t-shirt & water bottle.

Breakfast & lunch are available at the Ginkgo café.

Please join us for a run and yoga in nature’s fresh air.

Questions, please call or E-mail Coach Mark at:  theroadtoboston@rcn.com