Postlog

Well, my training for TNT is done... at least for this year. Though I don't plan to update this site again, if I do run for TNT again I'll start up a new weblog. I do plan to continue running and will start back up after this post-marathon recovery period is through. I've started publishing my training log on a new site called We Endure. I've even imported my TNT mileage since January. You can see a "fun" dip in my weekly mileage while I was recovering from my fractured collarbone by visiting reports page.

Thanks for your support over the months. I'll see you on the road.

The big day!

Well, I did it. I ran my first marathon on Saturday morning up in Traverse City, MI. It was a definite challenge, and though I did have to walk a few times in the last 6 miles, the training through Team in Training was undeniably helpful. Thank you all for the support and donations to the cause you have given throughout my training. It would have been much more difficult and less enjoyable without it.

The day began around 5:20 AM to the sound of my alarm clock. I hadn't sleep very well. I'm not sure if it was anxiousness, the bed (too soft for me to be comfortable) or the air conditioning fan that sounded like a jet engine. All I know is that 5:20 AM came way too soon for going to bed around 10 PM. I jumped in the shower, threw on my clothes that I had laid out the night before, and met the rest of the TNT team in the hotel lobby at 5:45 AM. I ate two hard-boiled eggs and some bread (I usually have fried eggs on toast) while we waited for everyone to arrive.

Jennifer drove me to the starting line at the Northwestern Michigan College campus, picking up her sister Robin and Robin's husband Andy from their hotel along the way. The temperature was a nice 52 F at the 7 AM starting time and gradually warmed up during the morning (reaching about 67 F when I finished). There were few clouds in the sky and the humidity wasn't too bad.

I realized once I got to the event that I had forgotten my bandages back in the hotel room. Fortunately I bumped into Coach Ken when I got there. While he went to track some down, I took a slow lap or two around the track near the starting line to warm up my muscles before I stretched.

My friends Matt and Kelly also decided to participate in the event, though Matt chose to do the half marathon and Kelly decided to do the 10 K. The half marathon participants were bussed to their starting line at the marathon half-way point so I didn't see Matt before the race, but Kelly was able to track me down and wished me luck.

I started and ran the majority of the race with the 3 people I did most of my training with: Kim, Susan and Julie. Coach Ken also stuck with us for the first mile or two, taking a few pictures of us along the way. Jennifer, Robin and Andy had found a spot along the sidelines near the start. They took a few photographs and video taped me running by.

There were water/Gatorade stops every 2 miles or so. I took at least some water at each one, more so near the end. For fuel, I had 2 Organic Food Bars with me. I ate 1/3 of one every 4 miles. I wasn't a big fan of the Omega 3/Flax bar, but the Active Greens with Chocolate one was pretty good.

For the first portion of the race, we keep a pretty good pace. We started out relatively slow for the first mile or so but soon picked up the pace. Jennifer, Robin and Andy were able to get to the spectator spot between miles 6 and 7 to cheer me on some more.

Between mile 8-9 Matt and I passed each other going in opposite directions and cheered each other on.

Sue dropped behind a little before the half way point. For Kim, Julie and I, our time at the half way point (13.1 miles) was 2:00:02 (9:10 min/mile).

By mile 16 or so, we were starting to feel tired, though I think I felt it more than Kim and Julie. They had brought their mp3 players with them and chose to put them to use around then. I had decided to forgo the mp3 player, heeding the threat of disqualification by the event coordinators. Apparently because the roads along the course were not closed, the event's insurance wouldn't cover the use of headphones. Regardless, quite a few people still used them, counting on the likelihood that the would not be confronted about it. In hindsight, I think I really could have benefitted from having my iPod to get me through the last few miles.

At this point, Kim and Julie pulled ahead while I started to lag behind. By mile 19 I was doing all I could to convince myself to keep running. Kaija and my parents had joined Jennifer, Robin and Andy cheered me on as I passed by. At that point I was in rough shape and needed to take a leak. I made a pit stop to use a nearby port-a-potty. It was very difficult to start running again.

I ran to the 20 mile marker and decided I had to walk a little if I was going to finish. For the next 6 miles I would walk a minute or two then run to the next mile marker and repeat.

Sue caught up to me while I was walking with about 1.5 miles left to go. She offered to help get me through to the end. I started running again but was still feeling a little lightheaded and ended up walking a bit more, letting her continue on. With about 1.2 miles to go, I decided I was going to try to run the rest of the way. My mom and Kaija met up with me once more and cheered me on. Jennifer and my dad were waiting for me in a park just around the corner to cheer me on as well. Robin and Andy had gone back to the finish line to catch me there.

Coach Ken met up with me just as I was entering the NMC campus once again. He definitely helped me tremendously through that last mile. The last 200 yards to the finish were on the track. Coach Ken let me go on my own and ran back to help out the next TNT member to come by. At this point it was all I could do to keep my feet moving one in front of the other. I heard my name and cheers from various TNT members as I rounded the bend on the track.

I finished the second half with a time of 2:23:41.5 (10:58 min/mile), for a final time of 4:23:43.85 (10:04 min/mile). I was expecting to finish with a time around 4:20, and I was pretty darn close. I was a little disappointed that I ended up walking for a portion of the event and that I hadn't beat that 4:20 time, but am nonetheless happy that I just finished the event. The complete results for the Bayshore Marathon have been posted on the event's web site.

After crossing the finish line, I was given a finisher's medal and had the timing chip on my shoe removed. I headed to the TNT tent in the middle of the field and immediately started downing water, orange slices, bananas and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I met up with Kim, Sue, Julie and my family and just took it easy in the shade of the tent for a while. Matt and Kelly came back to say hello after getting a chance to shower after their events. I stuck around a little longer to cheer on a few more TNT team mates and then went back to the hotel to shower and nap.

Recovery was pretty quick. My knees, lower back, and muscles around my hips were a bit sore for the rest of the day. Most of that discomfort was gone by the next day. I still don't plan to run for the next week but will probably gradually get back into it sometime next week. I will enjoy the time off from running. The training was understandably tiring and I'll be looking forward to having more energy at the end of the day.

Several people have asked me whether I would run another marathon. Though those last 6 miles were one of the most gruelling physical challenges I've put myself through, I think I'd like to do it again, if only to see how much I can improve (and run the whole race). I've gotten to the point that I actually enjoy running and don't merely do it to stay in shape. In the future I'd like to see what I can do about improving my pace, maybe running a few half marathons and other shorter races that don't require so much recovery time. My fellow TNT team mates have also talked about doing the Detroit Free Press Marathon 5 person relay.

Week 20 Summary: Tapering

Mileage

Scheduled: 14 miles
Ran: 14 miles

Cross training

Push-ups: 150 (35, 35, 40, 40)
Crunches: 320 (80, 80, 80, 80)
Rock climbing: 5.7, 5.10+, 5.10a, 5.11a

Week notes

The last route I did while rock climbing was very toe-intense and left the large toe on my left foot numb for a few days. Not a cool thing to do a few days before the marathon. I've been able to bump up the push-ups to 40.

The miles were easier this week than last. Mentally, it was hard to run so few miles but I knew it was for the best in preparing for the event.

Group training

No group training this week... the marathon was on Saturday! Look for another entry on the blog for notes.

Week 19 Summary: Only 8 miles

Mileage

Scheduled: 26 miles
Ran: 27.2 miles

Cross training

Push-ups: 175
Crunches: 400
Rock climbing

Week notes

Matt and I were finally able to get to the climbing gym after having to skip 2 weeks due to conflicting schedules. I only did push-ups and crunches 5 of 7 days this week, though I was able to consistently do 35 and 80 (40/20/20) every time, respectively.

The first three runs this week (Monday-Wednesday: 3, 6, 3 miles) were quite tough this week, even though the mileage was relatively short. The 20 mile run last Saturday took a noticable toll on my body. Thursday's run (6 miles) was easier, though the wind that morning made it challenging in a different way.

The group run on Saturday was the last one before the marathon next weekend. A quick tally from the weekly summaries on this training log show that I've run approximately 502.4 miles since the TNT training began. If I hadn't fractured my collar bone in February I would have run at least another 155 more in that month off. One more week of short runs and the 26.2 miles next Saturday will make it about 542.6 miles. Wow.

Team in Training group run

About 60 minutes before the run:
Ate 2 eggs and 1.5 slices of wheat toast. Drank 1 cup water.

Weather: Cool. ~45-55 F. Sunny.

Attire: Yellow & white Supernova Classics, short synth running socks, cotton boxer briefs, black Nike synth shorts, white synth t-shirt, green GoLite synth wind shirt, blue bandana, orange sunglasses, bandages.

Actually left on time, got to the park 5 minutes early. Stretched during group announcments. Only Bayshore (~8) and Alaska (3) participants were there. Kim and Sue were not there. Ran with Julie the whole way.

Mile 0: Warmed up slowly for the first mile with Coach Ken, Sarah, Ken, Dave, Julie and myself.

Mile 1: Coach Ken and Dave took off. Julie and I got ahead of Ken and Sarah to run our pace.

Mile 2: Coach Ken waited for us, then stuck with us for a mile, encouraging us to run a faster pace (9 min/mile) since it's a shorter distance.

Mile 4: Left shin and calf muscle started really getting tired. I'm not sure I've recovered from the run last weekend.

Mile 6: Took off my jacket and tied it around my waist. Continued a mile past the TNT picnic table and then turned back.

Mile 8: Finished after ~70 minutes (8:45 min/mile). Did not take any water/food breaks due to the relative shortness of the run.

Cooled down by walking in the parking lot and stretching by the picnic table. Drank a few cups of water. Ate a bagel. Stood around and spoke to the Bayshore people for a little while before heading home (and stopping for some coffee on the way). One of the things we got a laugh about was how at the beginning of the training in January we were all scared of the first 7-and 8-mile group runs. Now, after we've done considerably more than that (including the 20 last Saturday), we were all thinking thinking of today's run as "only" 8 miles. It's amazing how one's perspective can change.

My left shoulder was a little sore during the run. I especially noticed it when taking off my wind shirt. I think I will need to take some time off from running after the marathon to let it heal more.

Week 18 Summary: 20 mile peak o' training

Mileage

Scheduled: 39 miles
Ran: 41

Cross training

Push-ups: 190
Crunches: 480

Week notes

Once again I did not go rock climbing since Matt has been flying out of town quite a bit recently and his limited schedule hasn't matched up with mine. Once again I was able to make myself stick with the 6/7 days of push-ups and crunches routine. In fact, a few of those days I did 35 push-ups instead of 30. I've heard that it's good to give your muscles a day to recover after working out. I'm wondering if I should take another day or two off. I think I'd rather stick with the habit that I've fallen into; I usually do the exercises just before I jump in the shower. And if I'm not feeling particularly up to it at that time, I tell myself that at the very least I should do 10 push-ups. That's usually enough to overcome the resistance of getting started and I complete the rest of the reps in no time.

The weather conditions were miserable Thursday morning (torrential rain, wind, cold temps) so I ran inside on the treadmill. I had 6 miles scheduled, so I planned to break it into 2 miles at a 10 min/mile pace, 2 miles @ 9 min/mile, 2 miles @ 8 min/mile. After the 9 minute miles (and 36 minutes of running plus 3 during warm-up) I decided to see how long I could maintain a 7:30 min/mile. It didn't last long. I was able to stick with it for about 5 minutes before I really started to struggle. At this point the heart rate monitor showed 97% of my max heart rate. Not good. I stopped for 2 minutes to let my body recover, then ran a little over a mile at a 9 min/mile pace to complete the 6 miles. It was an interesting experiment, though I think I'll avoid running that fast until after the marathon.

Team in Training group notes

About 60 minutes before the run:
Ate 2 eggs and 1.5 slices of wheat toast. Drank 1/2 cup water.

Weather: Cool. ~42-47 F. Overcast/misty/sprinkles/rain.

Attire: Yellow & white Supernova Classics, short synth running socks, cotton boxer briefs, black Nike synth shorts, white synth t-shirt, green GoLite synth wind shirt, blue bandana.

Jennifer informed me that my sunglasses were in the Subaru glove compartment, but she took that car out of town so I ran without them.

I was running late and in a hustle to get out the door. I planned on it taking 1 hour to get to the park, but it only took 45 minutes including a detour due to the Telegraph/I-696 ramp being closed. Arrived with some time to spare. Put my running shoes on and contact lenses in while sitting in the car. I had brought various pieces of clothing with me so I could play it by ear but settled on the shorts, TNT synth shirt and wind shirt.

Stretched during group announcments. Only Bayshore participants were there at that time.

Kensington's loop is approximately 8 miles long. The coaches recommended going 2 miles out then back to get 4 miles complete, then doing two 8-mile laps.

Mile 0: Started and ran the whole distance with Sue and Kim. Also warmed up for the first half mile with Dave, the lawyer whom I met during an earlier training run. His knee was bothering him (enough to cause a noticable limp) but apparently it's fairly common when he's starting out and wasn't enough to keep him from finishing before us.

Mile 2: Took a brief break to let Kim use the bathrooms. Also turned back around to complete the first 4 miles.

Mile 4: Stopped for water and ate 1/3 of an Organic Food Bar. As I mentioned in my last group training run, I've decided I want to avoid the highly processed "energy" products that contain maltodextrin, soy proteins, etc. I came across these at last week's trip to Whole Foods. I actually know exactly what all of the ingredients are, and they're organic and cold processed (proteins aren't damaged). Additionally, it's pretty high in calories and at least 30% of them are from fat (wish it was more but it would probably affect shelf life). At 300 calories, it's about 3 times the amout as the PowerBar PowerGel that I had previously used (110 calories), so I figured 1/3 of the bar at a time would be appropriate. I decided to forego the chocolate covered espresso beans this time. I'm reading a book on running called "Lore of Running". It mentions that while caffeine does help endurance, there's a chemical in coffee that negates the effect!

Additionally, Julie joined us and ran the rest of the distance with us.

Mile 8: Coach Ken distributed water which we drank on the run.

Mile 12: Stopped again for water and another 1/3 of the Organic Food Bar. Took off my wind shirt for the last 8 miles.

Mile 14: Air started to become misty with sprinkles.

Mile 16: Stopped for a quick water break at the water drop. Finished the last 1/3 of the Organic Food Bar.

Mile 17: Started to feel a little slugish but able to keep the pace. Sue has decided she can't keep it so she tells us to go on ahead. We all started to listen to our mp3 players around here.

Mile 18: The sprinkles developed into full on rain shower. Kim had a song on her mp3 player called "Black Betty" that she want us to listen to since she found it a great motivational song to run to, so Julie, Kim and I took turns listening to the song while Kim held the mp3 player. A guy passed us on a bike saying we were maintaining a 9 minute mile. Not bad for mile 18.

Mile 18.5: With the rain coming down in buckets and we're pressing on, I feel like I'm in a Nike or Adidas commercial.

Mile 19.75: I'm tired but want to finish strong so I pick up the pace for the last half mile. Kim and Julie picked up the pace, too, and we finished together at the tent.

Mile 20: Approximate time to complete was 3:20 (10:00 min/mile), or approximately 3:10 (9:30 min/mile) not including the pit stops.

Cooled down by walking in the parking lot and stretching by the picnic table. Drank a lot of water. Ate quite a few orange slices, a banana and a rice crispy-type homemade bar. The rain cleared up shortly after we finished. I changed into dry clothes relatively quickly as I started to get cold.

People met:
Julie - Approximately 35. Has 5 kids, lives around Rochester (not sure where exactly). I remember seeing her at the info meeting back in January but we never ran together in any previous group training. She had been running with two other people but they dropped out for various health reasons. She had been running slower when running with them, but I remember seeing her pass us running solo last week or the week before. It was fairly evident that she could keep up with us when she joined us at mile 4, though she was feeling a bit out of it having gone to the Kid Rock concert last night.

Post run:
I was a little sore after the run and iced my knees when I got home. My left shoulder was not as sore during or after the run as last time. Overall I feel better than last week. I also feel like my appetite and overall energy levels recovered better this time around. I think the Organic Food Bar worked pretty well, and the orange slices were a nice addition to the post-run offerings.

Additionally, I've decided that I need to wear the bandages over my nipples for the long distance runs when it's as cold as it was today. I've not needed them in the past when wearing the TNT synthetic t-shirt for the long distances. I had attributed this to how smooth the material is. But the cold weather caused a bit of "pointiness" which resulted with raw nipples once again. Ahh... it's the little things in life...

Week 17 Summary: 18 all over again

Mileage

Scheduled: 38-39 miles
Ran: 40.9 miles

Cross training

Push-ups: 180
Crunches: 400

Week notes

Matt was out of town so I didn't make it to the climbing gym this week. However, I did start to really pick up crunches and push-ups again and did them 6 out of 7 days this week (skipped Saturday). I did 30 push-ups each day. I started with 20 straight-on crunches and 15 biased to each side (50 total) but by Friday was at 40/20/20 (80 total).

I continue to use Google Earth to come up with new routes based on the scheduled miles for the day. This week I took the Clinton River Trail out to Adams Rd for a 7.4 mile round trip on Tuesday and then in the other direction into downtown Rochester for a 6 mile route. The CRT is not the best for running on, as it can be a bit uneven at times and therefore could result in a twisted ankle if not paying attention. The scenery, however, is a nice change from the endless houses on the routes through the neighborhoods.

Team in Training group run

About 45 minutes before the run:
Ate 2 eggs and a few slices of raisin pecan bread w/butter.
Drank 1 cup water.

Weather: Cool. ~42-47 F. Sunny but fairly windy in spots.

Attire: Yellow & white Supernova Classics, short synth running socks, cotton boxer briefs, black mesh synth shorts, white synth t-shirt, green GoLite synth wind shirt, blue bandana.

Still couldn't find my sunglasses so I ran without them.

Arrived on time. Stretched a little during group announcments. Started and ran the whole distance with Sue today. Kim had a wedding to go to on the other side of the state so she got there early and did a loop before we even began.

Ran the extension road to the nature center, which added 3 miles to the loop.

Water break at 3.5 miles (beginning of extension) provided by Coach Ken. Took another break at 6.5 miles (end of extension) and ate a Lara energy bar. I've decided to avoid the PowerGel if at all possible, as it and most of the "sport" products I've come across contain maltodextrin as a major ingredient. After doing a bit of research, I've discovered it's a variation of MSG, which in addition to being a cheap ingredient that is commonly added to food to enhance flavor, is also a neurotoxin. No brain lesions for me, thankyouverymuch. So while I still have some long runs to go, I've decided to experiment with other energy bars with unprocessed ingredients closer to their natural source.

Stopped for another break at mile 9 for water, another Lara bar, and a potty break. Also ate some dark chocolate covered espresso beans (caffeine is proven to reduce muscle fatigue). Grabbed my iPod but didn't use it.

Started another loop. Kim just did 3 miles and had to leave. Sue and I continued on. We started to do the extention to the nature center again but decided against it since it would make it a long time between water stations. Turned around after about 1/4 mile, so added 1/2 mile to the 6 mile loop. We were really parched at this point, so stopped for water at a bench with a water drop for a Cure for Stroke training group. Hope they didn't mind!

Got back to the TNT table. Sue had to make another trip to the restroom. I ate more espresso beans and drank more water. I stretched a bit but my muscles still got stiff while waiting for Sue. It was difficult starting back up again.

We ran another 1.25 miles out and back to complete the remaining 2.5 miles. Ran 18 miles total.

Approximate time to complete was 3:00 (10:00 min/mile), or approximately 2:45 (9:10 min/mile) not including the pit stops.

Cooled down by walking in the parking lot and stretching by the picnic table. Drank a lot of water. Didn't eat a bagel.

Stopped for an iced coffee on the way home.

I wasn't very sore after the run, and though I probably should have iced my knees after the run, I didn't. My left shoulder was a bit sore during the run and continued for a while after during the day. I really need to be better about icing the sore parts after the runs.

Post week note: I was very tired and physically exhausted on Sunday... quite a bit more than after previous long runs. I don't know if it was the fact that I didn't take the PowerGels during the run, that I did quite a bit of yard work later in the day, that I didn't take a nap Saturday after the run, or that I didn't really eat much food after the run (the energy bars and iced coffee kept me satiated for most of the day) until dinner around 7:30 PM. Unfortunately there is not enough time to experiment with those variables before the race. I guess I'll just have to address them each the best I can.

Week 16 Summary: 16 miles at week 16

Mileage

Scheduled: 38-39 miles
Ran: 40 miles

Cross training

Push-ups: 140
Crunches: 150
Rock climbing

Week notes

I tweaked my back doing yardwork last Saturday afternoon. The pain was strong enough still on Sunday so I decided to postpone the short run that day until Monday. The pain lingered all week, though it dulled enough to the point were it wasn't a problem. It actually felt better during the runs than before or after.

Monday and Tuesday were cold and/or rainy, so I ran on the treadmill for those two days.

I've started doing push-ups and crunches on a regular basis now. I usually do about 30 push-ups followed by 20 crunches straight on and 15 biased on each side for a total of 50.

Team in Training group run

About 30 minutes before the run:
Ate 2 eggs on a whole wheat bagel.
Drank 1 cup black tea w/sugar, 1 cup ice water.

Weather: Cool. ~43-50 F. Sunny.

Attire: Yellow & white Supernova Classics, short synth running socks, cotton boxer briefs, black Nike running shorts, yellow synth t-shirt, green GoLite synth wind shirt, black bandana.

Didn't wear the bandages to see if I really needed them with this shirt (didn't). Couldn't find my sunglasses so I ran without them.

Arrived on time. Stretched during group announcments. No coach today (mentor led), so just started whenever. Arrived around the same time Kim did.

Sue wanted to get started so she ran by herself. Warmed up the first mile at a slower pace with Sarah. Then Kim and I ran together for the rest of the run.

Ran the extension road to the nature center, which added 3 miles to the loop.

Coach Ken wasn't there, so we didn't have a water break at mile 5.75. However, one of the mentors had dropped of a water cooler at about mile 6.75 on a bench. We stopped to take a PowerGel and some water.

Stopped again to refuel and a potty break at mile 9 (full loop). Grabbed my iPod from the car but didn't use it because Kim's mp3 player wasn't working so I decided being social was the right thing to do (plus I listen to music for all of my other runs during the week).

Ran another loop without the extention to the nature center (6 miles).

Kim decided to get some more water at mile 13.5 (a cooler was set up for a TNT walk event). I decided to stretch out my left calf since it was starting to feel a little tight.

Jennifer and Kaija surprised me by calling out to me from the car about a mile from the end of the loop. Jennifer had told Kaija that Daddy was running. So Kaija went out to the treadmill to see if I was there, then to the window to see if I was running outside. Jennifer then decided it would be good to bring Kaija to the park to see Daddy running.

Once we got back to the end of the loop, Kaija and Jennifer raced to the walking path from the car in the parking lot. Kaija tried following a little bit. Kim and I still had a mile to go, so we ran 0.5 miles out and back for a total of 16 miles.

In that last 0.5 mile, a random guy met up with us who asked us which event we were training for. We told him the Bayshore marathon and he said he was too. He also ran it two years ago and the Cincinnati Marathon last year.

When we got to about 100 feet from the end of the loop, Kaija and Jennifer were waiting. Kaija ran the rest of the way with us.

Approximate time to complete was 2:35 (9:40 min/mile), or approximately 2:20 (8:45 min/mile) not including the 3 pit stops.

Cooled down by walking in the parking lot and stretching by the picnic table. Ate a banana and the remainder of a bagel that Kaija didn't finish. Drank a bit of water.

Stopped for an iced coffee on the way home.

Though I wasn't very sore after the run, I decided to ice my knees anyway as a preventative measure. Both shoulders were very sore during the run but were fine after.

People met:
Mike - One of the team mentors hosting the training run. Didn't speak to him much but found out he's running the Bayshore Marathon as well.

Week 15 Summary: 18 miles, baby!

Mileage

Scheduled: 40-41 miles
Ran: 41.4 miles

Cross training

Push-ups: 80
Crunches: 100
Rock climbing
Bike ride around the neighborhood pulling Kaija in the pram.

Week notes

I've been running outdoors almost exclusively now since the weather has warmed up. I discovered that my estimations for distance based on a 10 min/mile have been a little off, most likely because I haven't been taking into account the 5 minute break to stretch after warming up for 5 minutes. I've since started using Google Earth to plot out my routes for more accurate mileage.

I've also decided that the first 4 miles or so are the hardest to get past. I'm the most sore during this time... usually ankles and shins... and am likely to run slowest then. After that, however, I get my second wind, feel fine, and can pick up the pace a bit.

Team in Training group run

About 45 minutes before the run:
Ate 2 eggs and ham on a whole wheat bagel.
Drank 1 cup water.

Weather: Warm. ~55 F. Sunny.

Attire: Yellow & white Supernova Classics, short synth running socks, cotton boxer briefs, black mesh shorts, white TNT synth short sleeve t-shirt, green GoLite synth wind shirt, blue bandana, bandages, orange mirrored sunglasses.

Arrived on time. Stretched during group announcments. Stood in circle, announced name, event, planned mileage for the day, current pace.

Met up with Kim and Sue since we've determined we run approximately the same pace two weeks ago. Warmed up by running a slow pace the first mile.

Ran the extension road to the nature center, which added 3 miles to the loop.

Stopped for water and PowerBar Gel at mile 5.75. Took off the green wind shirt and gave it to Coach Ken to take back to the start of the loop. Stopped again to refuel and a potty break at mile 9 (full loop). Ran another loop without the extention to the nature center (6 miles). Refueled again, then ran 1.5 miles out and back (3 miles) for a total of 18 miles.

Approximate time to complete was 2:55 (9:45 min/mile), or approximately 2:40 (8:55 min/mile) not including the 3 pit stops. Sue had a stop watch and noticed we were doing a sub 9 min/mile pace quite often.

Cooled down by walking in the parking lot and stretching by the picnic table. Drank a lot of water. Ate just one bagel. Tried a PowerBar Recovery drink mix after the run. I didn't get very sore afterward, so it may have worked, though I was a little reluctant of the formulation. Need to investigate the ingredients.

People met:
Didn't meet anybody new, though some faces looked new, likely because they were no longer bundled up!

While running, discovered Kim's brother is good friends with a guy I went to high school and played in the band with. Also, one of the TNT staff members passed along a message from one of his co-workers who recognized my name and was one of my trip leaders for Alternative Spring Break back in college.

Week 14 Summary: Purple Peep Eater Run

Scheduled: 36-37 miles
Ran: 40.5 miles

Cross training:
Rock climbing
5 push-ups (shoulder is still recovering)
20 crunches (gradually getting back into it)

Long run notes:

The Purple Peep Eater Run

We spent Easter weekend on the west side of Michigan visiting Jennifer's grandparents and extended family. I needed to get a long run in (14 miles) as part of my marathon training. I had considered doing part of the Hart-Montague trail (a former railroad bed), but then got the idea to see how far it was to run from Jennifer's grandparents' place in Pentwater down to her grandfather's place almost due south, west of Shelby. Using Google Earth I came up with a route that was approximately 15 miles long, certainly within reason of the 14 miles on my schedule. On our way to Jennifer's grandparents' place Friday night, we decided to do a sanity check of the route starting from the end. I'm glad we did. A number of the roads along the route didn't even exist! Since it was late and Kaija had woken up we decided to abandon the route check and take the expressway to Pentwater. When we got there, we consulted with Jennifer's mom to see if she knew a good route since she had grown up in the area but even she was not able to tell us for sure which roads were actually there.

I stayed up until about 1:30 AM looking at web sites with satellite photography and topo maps to determine whether two sections of the route actually had roads where the various online map services and Google Earth showed roads. I was able to determine that some sort of paths existed in places that weren't too out of the way. Whether they were drivable or not was another question, but I figured they would not be a problem to run. The route's length was approximately 15.36 miles... still within reason.

Saturday morning I woke up around 7:30 AM. I got dressed for the run, ate breakfast (two eggs, bagel, water), checked the weather and stretched.

Attire: Yellow Supernova Classic shoes, Superfeet custom insoles, Brooks running socks, Hanes cotton boxer briefs, Nike running shorts, TNT synth t-shirt, Bandaids, green GoLite wind shirt, blue bandana, fanny pack.

Weather: ~47-55 F, sunny, almost no wind.

I made 2 photocopies of a county map and highlighted my route, marking which sections were likely not drivable by car and an alternative route for cars for those sections. I carried a copy with me and left one with Jennifer.

Jennifer was able to find a fanny pack and compass at her grandparents' place. In the fanny pack I carried a 16 oz. Nalgene bottle full of water, a package of purple Peeps in a resealable bag to replenish my sugar supply along the way (I've used the GU or PowerGels handed out at the group events previously but didn't have any of that on hand for this run), the compass and my cell phone. I also carried my driver's license, a credit card and $20 cash in case I needed to buy anything (like water) from a grocery/convenience store along the way. I carried my iPod in my hand.

After a fruitless search for my misplaced sunglasses (which I found later that day), I was on the road by 9:25 AM.

My route took me from Jennifer's grandparents' neighborhood to an unmarked seasonal road (60th Ave) almost immediately. It was a 2.75 mile stretch through the Pere Marquette State Forest. I had run/hiked along Pentwater Pathway trails to the west of the seasonal road in previous years so I was somewhat familiar with the area. Within the first mile of the seasonal road I came across a blockade in the road. Several large piles of dirt had been dug out (with resulting deep pits behind them). POSTED (No Trespassing) signs were nailed to several trees. Apparently that section of the state forest were actually private property. There was a sign to the west indicating public hunting access. So I went that way a little bit but then started going cross country along what appeared to be the boundary of the private property (from the POSTED signs). After a minute or two I could see one of the trails a few hundred feet to the west. I figured that as long as I was running south it was going to be easier to run along the trail than through the underbrush so I started running along the trail. I took it as far south as it went before crossing the seasonal road again (fortunately there were trail maps at a few junctures along the way so I knew where to go). I was able to take 60th Ave the rest of the way without a problem.

After 60th Ave, much of the route was paved. I called Jennifer from my cell phone at the 1 hour mark just to let her know I was okay. The route took me through farm country, the little town of Mears ("Gateway to the Dunes"), along a short section of the Hart-Montague trail (note to self: and a nearby bike rental shop), and then to a number of dense pine tree lined dirt roads. I stopped and walked for a minute once or twice to refuel with a Peep and a drink of water.

Along the way I saw a number of people outside taking advantage of the beautiful weather to do yard work. I would wave as I would run by and most would wave back. As I passed them and cars drove past me, I wondered how common it was for people to run along the road for recreation in the area. Probably not very.

When I reached the second seasonal road of the route, I was definitely in farm country. The "road" ran along the side of a farmer's orchard which the farmer himself was driving a tractor through as I ran by. After I passed the orchard, the "road" started going through a wooded area. The smaller trees along the side of the road had not been trimmed in quite some time and would have made traveling by vehicle difficult. Soon the road all but disappeared. It seemed to fork in several directions, none being very distinct other than for the lack of trees. I was able to determine which direction was south, though, due to the eastern morning sun, so I continued to forge ahead. The path I was on climbed a hill and soon became a gully near the top. I scrambled up the embankment and found the paved section of the road. As if I wasn't tired enough from the climb up the hill, there was another long uphill portion along the paved section as well. I was quite tired by this point and had to walk for the last 80-100 ft or so of the hill.

The rest of the run was fairly uneventful. I did pass a section along the top of the hill that had a beautiful view of the rolling countryside to the north. Jennifer and Kaija were able to track me down in our car about two miles from the end. Shortly after, I ate my last Peeps, finished off my water and made the push to the end.

It took 2 hours, 43 minutes to reach Jennifer's grandfather's house. The route was probably about 15.5 miles after the few detours that I had to make. That's about a 10:30 min/mile pace... a bit slower than I had anticipated. It was likely a combination of running on my own (not having another person to help maintain a faster pace), the relatively substantial elevation changes that I am not used to, and having only gotten about 5 1/2 hours of sleep the night before.

One thing I hadn't anticipated was the amount of sun I was going to be exposed to. All of my longer runs so far have been under overcast winter skies. I have run on sunny days before, but not long enough to be of concern. I had not put any sunblock on for this run, so by the end of it, I had a nice line across my forehead where the bandana had been. It was more noticable on my left side since the sun had primarily been to the east as I was running south the whole morning. I hope I will not need to wear sunblock on many future long runs. Sunblock and sweat dripping into my eyes for several hours does not sound like a good time to me.

Another thing that surprised me was my vision did not get as blurry near the end as it has for the past two long runs. I'm not sure what to attribute that to.

I didn't have any major pains throughout the run, though the inside surface of the large toe on my right foot developed a hotspot. It wasn't enough to become a blister, though it is sore. I have a feeling I will develop a callous there in the next few weeks. My knees were sore later, too, but that has been happening for the past few long runs and usually goes away after a day or so.