What a week

I was in the park by the running path with my daughters the other day and took some pictures of people running by.  What a beautiful early fall day, and great running weather.  It is nice to see great weather with the big day coming up.  Then came the baseball games that night.  One week to the marathon, and everything in my pre-marathon week just got thrown for a loop.  I can thank the Cubs!  It is a bit ironic that, as a lifelong Cubs fan, my excitement over their making the playoffs is muted by the fact that the first games fall during the week of the race I've been focusing on for months.

I am a Cubs season ticket holder.  I have been a fan since birth.  And I love doing fan related stories on the team when they do well.  It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, you have to make the most of it.  Normally this would be a really fun time.  But the week before the marathon is usually a time reserved for rest, hydration, and nervousness.

Instead this week will now be filled with travel, long hours of Cubs coverage, and trying to get sleep in hotel rooms.  At this point, as I write, I don't even know who the Cubs will play or where they will travel to, but I will have to find some short running loops in whatever city that is.

I am a bit philosophical about it.  I realize it could negatively affect my marathon.  I will almost certainly be working late the night before the race at a Cubs game at Wrigley. But I keep reminding myself that I promised myself to simply enjoy this marathon from the training through the race.  I have tried not to put pressure to run a certain time, because I did that last year, and accomplished my goal of running Boston.  I don't feel like I have anything to prove to myself this year, other than to try to run as well as I can on the given day.  It's hard though, because I have been running pretty well, and training on the track at a good pace.

I considered the possibility of skipping Chicago and waiting until New York a month later.  But my training is peaking at this point for Chicago, so after talking to a couple of my friends I have decided that's what I'm gonna do.  The advice I got from my friends is true for all runners as well.  Saturday night before the marathon is normally not a great night for sleep for runners anyway.  Your goal is to get a good night's sleep two nights before the race, knowing you probably won't get it the next evening.  And, as far as the travel during the week, it may serve as a distraction from the nerves that build up leading up to Sunday morning.

I realize this sounds like a nice problem to have.  And I suppose it is.  In reality, I'm probably as nervous about the Cubs as I am about the marathon.  But both are going to be exciting.

I was talking to another friend in the media the other day about the race, and he and I agreed that we are anxious to just get it done.  We're tired of training.  That's probably a good feeling to have.  My former coach tells me that means physically you are ready for the race.

So I will go with that.  I'm physically ready, and come 8am on October 4th, I intend to be among 45,000 friends at the starting line on Columbus Drive.  Now the other other problem is that unless there is a sweep in the first series, I will have to be back at work an hour or two after finishing the race.  I guess I'll cross that bridge when it comes...

Happy running.....

Taper

So you have put in lots of work in the last few months, leading up to a run of 20 or more miles in the last week or so.  You have been pounding the path, the road, the trail, for miles on end and you are ready for a break.  If you are running a fall marathon, like Chicago, the good news is that you have earned a break.  You are ready for the big day, and you have entered the part of your training known as the taper.

I used to joke that the taper was my favorite part of marathon training.  After all the beating my legs have taken over the last few weeks, I'm ready to ease up and take some time off.  But what I have learned through experience is that the taper period can be a delicate balancing act.  You definitely want to rest your body a little, so you are feeling fresh on race day.  But if you take it too easy, you risk feeling sluggish and out of shape by the time the marathon starts in a couple weeks.

There are a lot of different schools of thought.  Some of my friends running the CARA program or others really ease up on the miles.  Most of them are running no more than 12 miles this weekend (two weeks before the race) and no more than 8 miles the next weekend (one week out).  I know other people who really don't ease up much at all until the week before.  My running partner and one-time coach, Rick is a believer in doing a 20 miler two weeks before the race.

I think you should listen to your body, and try to do what you feel best about.  The reality is that physically you are ready for the race at this point.  You really can't do anything to improve your performance in the next couple weeks.  But you can hurt your chances by over training.  I think you also want to get your head in the right place.  That means you should feel confident, a bit nervous, and excited.  It's natural to have a little self-doubt, but you just have to remind yourself that you are ready.

As far as my own plans for tapering, I have been considering a number of different options in the last couple weeks.  My original plan was to run 16 miles this weekend, and 10 to 12 next weekend.  My training partner Tom likes to do a 13.1 mile 'time trial' two weeks before the marathon.  He promises me that means about a 7:30 pace.  That sounds good to me, so I think I'll try that. 

The next issue is when to do my final track workout.  I have one more in my series of 'Yasso 800's' that I wrote about in an earlier entry.  The final workout is supposed to be ten 800's, and they suggest doing them anywhere from 10 to 17 days out from race day.  That means I could do them this week or next.  This week, however, I'm still moving a little slowly from the 20 miler over the weekend.  So I am opting for an easy 8 mile long run mid-week, and planning to hit the track next week.  That should still give be enough recovery time, I believe.  Again, you have to listen to your body, and that's what mine is telling me.

But after that, I'm really planning on resting!  Of course the week leading up to the marathon could involve Cubs playoff games, and that might make resting a little difficult!  I don't want to jinx them, but it could happen.

Anyway, there are a couple of good seminars coming up, hosted by my friend Mark Buciak, offering some good final tips before the race.  The first is at 4pm on Sunday, September 23rd at the Kiehl's skin-care store at 907 West Armitage.  It's free, but call to RSVP at (773) 665-2515.  The second is at the Garmin store at 663 North Michigan Avenue on Saturday, September 29th. It starts at 8:30 with an 8 mile run that includes the final two miles of the marathon course, and a light breakfast before the seminar.  It's also free, but RSVP at (312)787-3221.  Mark has run 51 marathons, including 28 straight Boston marathons.  He runs a training program and also writes a column for Chicago Athlete magazine.

So, check it out, and I'll see you on the roads....

Ready to Run

What a great week for running.  It seems as soon as the temperature started to act like early fall, my running and mood improved dramatically!  It was incredible to run a track workout earlier in the week, and not be dripping with sweat when it was over.  And today's 20 miler?  Well, I don't think I can recall another one I have enjoyed as much.  It was called the 'Ready to run 20 miler' organized by CARA. 

I mentioned the other day that I was looking forward to it, and my hopes were answered this morning.  First, the weather was great.  But they also organized it in a way that was very similar to a race.  They had a starting line, and emcees, including my colleague Ben Bradley, making announcements at the beginning.  Ben did a great job. 

They also had many of the high profile people in the Chicago running community, as you might expect from an event like this put together by the Chicago Area Runners Association.  I saw Chicago marathon director Carey Pinkowski and CARA President Dan Daley at the starting line.  Carey had some words or encouragement for the runners at the start, and Dan was on his bike riding the course to make sure it was clear for the runners.

CARA already sponsors the highly successful marathon training program that has helped thousands of runners get not only to the starting line, but the finish line of the marathon.  This was the first year they carried the training to the point of a big organized long run as part of the training.  This was open to everyone, not just CARA training program runners.  They closed registration at 3000 runners.  A sellout in their first year.  Impressive.

As far as the run, it just seemed to roll along.  They had all the miles marked along the path.  I have run the path along the lakefront in almost every variation imaginable, but I have never run point-to-point from the north to the south.  We started at Foster, and finished at the South Shore Cultural Center.  That seems like a long way, and I guess it is 20 miles, but it seemed really pretty manageable.  I remember being at the 7 mile mark and feeling like I was barely warmed up.  That was the case at nearly every mile marker.  We were at 16 and I kept expecting to start feeling bad, and I never did.

I'm sure the aid stations, sponsored by Fleet Feet, had a lot to do with that.  The conversation with my friend Greg also helped a lot.  Greg has been training with CARA, while I have been on my own training program, and we haven't had a chance to run together in a while, but we had two and a half hours to catch up today! 

I signed up to run 7:30 pace miles with the expectation of running a little slower than that.  I had a really disappointing long run last weekend, so I was looking for a confidence builder during this run.  And that's exactly what I got.  We ran a pretty easy 7:40 or so pace and finished feeling good.  We crossed the finish line they set up and it felt like finishing a race.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay and hear the band (Underwater People) at the post-run party, but I hear it was a great time.  This was just the first event of a marathon day for me.  I went straight from the run to the Mexican Independence Day Parade, then to the Bears game.  But it was a great day.  The parade offered my two daughters a chance to ride on their first float, and wave to the huge crowd.  Then, the Bears had a great game.  To top that off, the Cubs won and maintained their first place standing.  All in all, I would say it was a great day.

Most importantly however, it was a great run.  Congratulations to CARA, and to everyone who ran it.  It really is all downhill from here!  And the best part of marathon training is now upon us.  Taper!  Yes, it's time to starting cutting back and resting up a bit for the big day.  I'll write more about that in the next few days, but for now, enjoy.

See you on the roads....

Run through a wall

We are now inside of a month to go before the Chicago marathon, and most of us who are training for it are starting to feel like, physically, we are going be ready.  We should be feeling pretty confident after all the miles recently.  But there is another area of the run that deserves every bit as much focus as your legs and lungs.  The area above the neck is key to running a good race.

I was thinking about this the other day, not in terms of setting my race strategy or time goals.  This is more about 'frame of mind'.  You hear the phrase 'run through a wall' in military terms sometimes.  I've also heard it in football occasionally.  But the idea also works in marathon running.  I want to develop 'the eye of the tiger'.  You may not hear much talk about that in some of the marathon training groups.  Most of them are focused on getting you physically prepared, and providing the tips and advice to ensure you can finish the distance as comfortably as possible.  Many of them have the warm and fuzzy inspirational fundraising goals as well.  It so happens that I am running for charity this marathon as well, but what I'm about to write is my own philosophy dating back to collegiate track and cross country running.

I thought about this as I was out on a basically meaningless run the other day.  An easy four miler just to keep my legs loose before the weekend long run.  When I left the house it was overcast.  A half mile into the run and it was a downpour.   I don't mind running in that, but I knew it would likely mean bad news for my IPOD.  It burned out (or got soaked) within another mile.  I did discover a miracle cure for it I'll explain later, but the point is this.  It was a meaningless run.  I could have very easily turned around and gone back home to save my IPOD.  But it never even occurred to me.  I set my mind to doing an easy 4 miler that day, and I was going to do it come heck or heavy rain!

That's a minor example, but there are many other stories I've heard over the years.  My college coaches used to talk aobut how you get your mindset to the point where nothing can get in your way.  If some obstacle were to come out on the course during the race, you would be so focused that you would run right through it.  That's the 'run through a wall' analogy.

My running partner and former high school coach, Rick, is fond of a story from back in his racing prime.  He was on a fartlek run, with specific time goals.  And in his prime, those goals were fast.  In any case, he tripped over a bad spot on the trail and was about to go down hard.  It was the kind of fall that might have caused an injury that could put you on the shelf for a few weeks.  But as he was falling, rather than worry about bracing himself for a soft landing, he made sure to stop his watch!  Don't want to interrupt your workout as you potentially break you ankle! 

He was fortunate.  Nothing was broken and he was able to continue the workout.  But the story is instructive because it gives you a glimpse of the mindset he had during a training run.  It was that mindset that helped him race at a highly competitive level on the local scene for many years.

I certainly wouldn't advise risking injury over a lack of common sense, but the way thinking can be helpful.  Running a marathon is tough.  There are going to be parts that are very difficult, and  you really need to work your way through them.  You may not have to run through a wall, but you will likely have to get through your own imaginary boundaries. 

By the way, the miracle cure for the soaked IPOD?  I read this in the Tribune the other day, and I was desparate enough to try it.  I put th IPOD in a bag full of rice and sealed it.  The theory is that the rice absorbs the water out of the tiny electrical parts.  I left it in there for a couple days and just tried it, and it worked!

Also, just so you know I'm not completely psycho as a runner, I mentioned I am running for charity.  I'm hoping to raise money for the Respiratory Heart Association of Metropolitan Chicago.  If you would like to help, here's a link to my fundraising page:  http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

Thanks!

Bear down

I feel like singing the Bears fight song when I write the title to this entry.  But it seems appropriate.  This is really the time in fall marathon training when you need to bear down and put in the hard work.  If you are running the Chicago marathon, it is about five weeks out from the race, and you should be putting in the hardest training in your program right about now.  This is probably the period that will determine how well you are able to run the big race. And if you fail to get in the good work now, you will know why you probably won't run the time you are hoping for. 

Marathon training is interesting.  I have now been running marathons longer that I ran track and cross country in High school and College, but my training mindset was established during those long ago days.  So much of what we were focused on in those days was about running fast and being able to do it for maybe a half mile, or up to a 10k.  I seemed to be able to understand that better than the marathon, which has so many variables.  In marathon training, you don't really worry too much about running fast, just long and hard.  You want to build up your strength and endurance.  The speed is secondary at the level most of us run marathons.

That said, the build-up is coming to a head right now.  I've been reading a few other marathon authors recently, and noticing that some have you build to distances further than 20 miles.  Some go 22, or even 26 in training.  I do see the merit in that, but being a middle distance guy, I think 20 is about fine for me.  In fact, if I thought I could get away with 16, I would probably try that.  So 20 it is.  I have done one already, and I think I'll do one more. 

I am planning my second 20 miler around the CARA schedule.  They have planned an exciting training run along the lakefront on September 16th.  It's an organized 20 mile run set for three weeks out from Chicago, with several thousand of your fellow marathon hopefuls.  The plan to start out at Foster up north and run south along the lakefront path to the South Shore Cultural Center.  They will have support/aid stations along the way, and a band, Underwater People, playing at the finish.  Kind of like a race, but it's only for training, not for time.  When the Executive Director of CARA, Betsy Armstrong, was describing it to me she kept inadvertently referring to is as a race.  And except for the fact it won't matter how you finish, it will be similar to a race.  They are even providing technical t-shirts to everyone who signs up.  It's a great idea, and one I'm surprised CARA hasn't done before now.  This is the perfect kind of event for them, and I'm glad they are doing it.  I think it will make the 20 miler a little easier to get through.  If you are interested, they are filling up, but they still have room.  You can find information at www.cararuns.org .

Meantime, I'm actually trying to chill a little this week.  I'm cutting way back on the mileage and trying to get as much rest as possible.  Thinking about maybe doing the half marathon in Hyde Park this weekend for a long run before the 20 miler in two weeks.   As I mentioned at the beginning of this entry, this is the time to bear down, and, believe me, I have been for the last few weeks.  It's also a time when it's easy to forget the important principal of getting rest and allowing your body to recover and get ready for more hard work.  I am trying not to forget that, so I will get some work in, but keep the mileage down a bit this week, and then gear up for the final push.   

By the way, one thought about the half marathon I should share.  This would not be the time to go out and race a half marathon.  It would be a good time to get in a solid, steady effort, and perhaps work on pace.  But if you are training for the marathon, you don't want to put too much into the half a month before, and ruin your big race.  It is a good time to work on pace, and get the feel of race conditions, but not a good time to race.

Anyway, as I was doing an easy run this afternoon, I was thinking about how now is a good time to start psyching myself up for specific time goals for the marathon.  I want to start thinking about where I would like to be at 13 miles, and at 20 miles, and how I want to finish.  I have had an idea where I want to finish for a while, but I haven't really thought too much about how to get there.  Now is a good time to begin to get that clear in my head.  I'll keep you posted as I figure it out.  I'm sure you'll be on the edge of your seat.

Meantime, maybe I'll see you in Hyde Park, or just out on the roads....