Rolling With the Punches When Training for the Marathon

It is Memorial Day weekend, a 3 day weekend for many of us.  Today is also the 24th running of the Los Angeles Marathon!  So I thought this would be an outstanding weekend of running, training and motivation!

Zzzzzz...but I'm TIRED!

Ah well, I tried to get my long run up to 1 hour, 15 minutes yesterday, but just didn't have it in me! :<

LIFE kind of gets in the way.  I've got 3 and 6 year old boys and they are quite a handful.  We've had a great weekend, full of fun activities.  But I've been tired.  They seem to have this sixth sense...wake up at 6 a.m. on weekends but on school days sleep like a rock.  And make sure to wake up 2 or 3 times during the night for various reasons.

So as a full-time dad, full-time provider for the family and part-time marathon runner, I roll with the punches, step back and realize that I ain't gonna feel perky, peppy an energetic all the time.

I can set training goals but I'm not going to meet them all the time.  In fact, these days, I don't meet my goals more often than not!

It is frustrating.  But I do have the hindsight of running 24 previous marathons to know that, you can't force your body to do something it isn't willing to do.

So what else can you do about these training impediments?  PLAN for them!  Yes, place enough time in your schedule for the unforeseen to occur.  Plan for the unplannable and you will succeed in meeting your marathon goals.

Miles or Minutes? How Should You Measure Your Training Efforts?

The quick answer:  Who cares!?  For most of us it really doesn't matter how you measure and how precise you are.  JUST GET OUT THERE AND RUN!

But let me digress and ramble a bit.

I began running in May 1994.  Feeling happy and bubbly with 5 beers in my belly (and I did have a belly back then), the discussion with my fit coworker in her mid 50s turned towards her marathon training.

Lori (you know your real name) had (and has) a passion for running that kept her going, day in, day out, regardless of how she felt.  I admired her for mental and physical toughness that got her out there training up to 60 miles a week.

I was 28 and had never run much, other than away from bees and dogs foaming at the mouth.  But that beer was messing with my brain and in a sudden rush of drunken stupidity I told Lori that I would run the Los Angeles Marathon next year.

So starting the next day, I stuck with my commitment and got out there and ran.  At first, only a block or two before my knees and ankles gave out.  But I walked back home and tried it again the next day until I could run without stopping.

Long story short. I soon found myself not only running each night, but driving my car along the paths that I ran, jotting down the mileage to the nearest tenth of a mile.  I had several pages of courses and their distance written down.  Boy was I anal-retentive about it, to the point I would drive courses several times "just to make sure" they were correct.

But, at the time, I felt a need for precision because I was really getting into it and enjoyed tracking and analyzing my "statistics."

Here we are now in 2009, 15 years of running later, and my life and attitude have changed.  I don't have the time, energy or desire to track my mileage down to the tenth of a mile.  I still log my mileage, but generally round to the nearest half mile.

But it has been years and years since I drove a course just to measure the distance.  I've developed a decent feel for the "pace" of a run, be it 6, 7 or 8 minutes per mile.  So I simply measure the time run in minutes and quantify the mileage based on my estimated pace.

That said, there are some outstanding products out there now that can precisely measure your mileage for you.  One of them is the Nike Plus gadget that syncs to an iPod Nano and lets you upload your mileage and pacing to a website.  Click here for a decent write-up. I have a Nike Plus and think it is cool, but I prefer to just get out there and RUN.  But if you're looking for data, this is a great, simple, useful and unobtrusive to use product!

I digress again. This talk about data and the Nike Plus is making me think about that cool NikePlus.com website again. Hmm.

My Advice, Ice is Nice, Don't Think Twice

First off, I'm pleased to report my mileage increased last week from 36 to 46 miles, mostly driven by several one hour runs this weekend (including this trail run in Sycamore Canyon).

Yesterday two body parts were nagging me with pain.  My left big toe must have been jammed up against my shoe too much on the downhills as it was pretty painful to walk on yesterday.  On that same leg I've had a knee problem...not due to running...my 3 year old has knocked into it a few too many times of late.  It hurts more when I kneel and walk than when I run though.

So while I felt pretty happy with the past week's training, it ended on a bit of a note of irritation.  It is never enjoyable walking around with pain.

What I have learned over the years is that the simple placement of ice on these types of problems often seems to fix the problem.  I'm no doctor but I guess it helps to reduce the swelling and pain.  Sometimes I also take an Advil or Aleve.

So last night as I was typing away on my laptop on the couch with beer on one side, TV on in front of me and Sunday newspaper and phone to my left, and the rest of the family asleep, I sat there and placed ice packs on my toe and my knee for 30 minutes.

Today I woke up and while both problematic body parts still hurt, I was able to get out there and start slowly running.  Within 10 minutes the pain seemed to go away.  Tonight I feel about 80% better.  Some lingering soreness but I think the ice did its duty again.  I should probably be icing it more right now.

So my advice it to grab that ice and don't think twice.  Ice is your friend.  Ice is nice!

But on that note, ice can also be hard to balance on your toe, knee, hamstring, etc.  Well, a bag of frozen peas is equally good.  Plus it can mold to your body shape.  If you do plan to use a bag of peas (or carrots if you prefer), might wanna place it in a separate space in the freezer so your family doesn't have to eat a bag of peas that has been nestled up against your derriere.

Ran Up to the Old Danielson Cabin Site and Monument Today

Danielson Monument

At 10 a.m. today, I ran from the trailhead at Wendy and Potrero in Newbury Park up to the Danielson Monument and old cabin site.  Generally I prefer to run early in the morning but my wife needed some extra sleep today so I ran later.  It is definitely getting warmer out there but there was some light ocean breezes in the trails.

Danielson Monument Sign

This is roughly a 7 mile round-trip trek and it took me an about an hour, 32 minutes up and 28 minutes back.  Some of the trails are a little overgrown but overall it wasn't too bad.  Butterflies and lizards were out in force today.  In fact a baby lizard ran with me for about 20 steps as he decided to veer off the trail.  There were only about 2 dozen people total on the trail today so it was nice and quiet.

I run at a decent clip.  For many of you, assuming you run the whole way, this would be about an hour and a half run.  If you hike the trail, it is more like 3 hours. Details at THIS LINK.

I was out of gas at the end of the run today. This is a challenging run because it involves a lot of hills.  The net elevation climb is 1200 feet but I suspect the total climb, factoring in downhills is a lot more. Courses like this are great for building endurance, strength (uphills) and speed (downhills).  Lots of rocks and turns though so be careful!

Danielson's Old Deer Cabin - Only the chimney remains

There was shade along a decent section of the trail today but overall it was pretty warm.  There are some areas, particularly near the stream crossing, with poison oak to watch out for.  I didn't carry water with me as I knew it would only be an hour, but I'd recommend bringing some.

Now go on, stop reading this blog, get out there and start RUNNING!

Reduce the Hurt...Run on Dirt!

Let's face it.  The human body was not built to run 30, 40, 50+ miles per week solely on pavement.

Buy the best pair of shoes, stretch, rest a lot, get massages, but you are putting your joints and ligaments at risk by pounding out all of your mileage on streets and sidewalks.

That's not to say it isn't a good idea to do some significant training on the roads.  In fact, if you are training for a road race, particularly a marathon, it behooves you to train quite a bit on that surface.  If you don't, your body will not be fully prepared for 26.2 miles of pounding on the roads.

But try to get out there in the trails and more "giving" surfaces as much as you can.  If you live here in sunny Southern California, surrounded by mountains and beaches, you've got it made.  Here in the Conejo Valley, we are surrounded by hundreds of miles of open space and trails.  Some of my local favorites are Sycamore Canyon, Cheseboro Canyon and the Los Robles Trail.  But there are so many to choose from.

Now for the pros and cons of trail running.  The pros are: easier on the body, scenic, gets you back to nature, great for improving foot/eye coordination, gets you away from car fumes, etc.  The main drawbacks are higher chance of twisting your ankle on rocks (gotta be careful!) and possible wildlife encounters.  On that note, I do have a few friends that refuse to run trails because they are afraid of snakes.  I agree that you need to be aware...I run trails 5 days a week and see a snake probably once every few months...mostly in the summer. 

Of course on the trails you have to deal with creepy crawlies, gnats (I've run through some nasty swarms at times...usually in the late spring), bees (got stung on the back of my head once, but I survived), etc.  I see coyotes all the time but they are scrawny and stay away from me, even though I am scrawnier.  Of course, you also need to be aware of poison oak..."leaves of three...let it be."

But don't let those minor matters scare you away!  You've gotta try it and you'll be hooked!  And your body will thank you for it.

And consider running an upcoming local trail race!  Great stuff.  You'll meet a lot of fun people.

Looking Out For #1...and #2

So last week I ran about 36 miles.  Wasn't quite what I wanted to do but my right hamstring started bothering me after an 8 mile run on Thursday morning and the smoke from the Santa Barbara fire played some havoc with my lungs.  But that's o.k.  Felt good this morning.

So you get up at 5:30 a.m. one morning for an hour long run.  You roll out of bed, splash some water on your face, gear up, lace up, drink some water, force a piece of toast or banana down, and take off.  You don't really have a lot of time to lounge around, have a cup of coffee, read the paper.  You just wanna take off and get your run in.

The plan is to run for half an hour in one direction, then turn back around, an "out and back" course. You generally start out slow to work into the run, so your plan is actually to run more like 32 minutes on the way out, figuring you will speed up a bit on the way back.

Twelve minutes into the run you pass a public park with restrooms.  You kind of feel like you need to stop but decide you can "hold it" for now.  At the 25 minute mark you realize maybe you should have stopped at the park, for not just #1 but #2 reasons.  But you are determined to run the full 32 minutes so you keep going.

At 26 minutes your internal organs feel like a can of Coke shaken hard.  You realize that a decisive action must take place, either beeline back to that park, roughly 13 minutes, or almost 2 miles away, find somewhere else, or explode.

At this point you could care less how far you run.  You just want relief.  So you veer left as you recall a construction site a few blocks over.  Briefly you ponder ducking behind the dumpster by Vons down the road but quickly decide the it wouldn't be worth the risk of getting caught, aheming, in public.

So your steps become noticable shorter as you do your best to restrain the contents of your innards, running ballerina style, and yes, there's the construction site!  But NOOOO... the gate is locked!!!  Arrggghhhh!!!  Thankfully though, you see an opening on the other side and with your lean runner physique manage to squeeze into the gap and manage your way to the porta-john.

Without any more thought you find the relief you were looking for.  Then look over and realize there is no T.P. in the porta-john. 

So as you jog back home, with socks missing, you think, I gotta plan this out better.

Paula Radcliffe, the current women's marathon record holder, had this problem in the 2008 Olympics.  She made a beeline for the porta-potty and finished 23rd.

Used to happen to me all the time too.  Funny, but no laughing matter when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, or worse yet...SOMEWHERE...and you are unprepared!

So here is my list of things to prepare yourself for when nature calls:

1. Try to time things such that you don't need to "go" in the middle of a run.  Yes, easier said than done I know.  But if you are able to take care of business before you run, that is the best solution.

2. Be careful what you eat.  No doubt in my mind that runners are more "regular" than non-runners because of the jarring motion of running.  In general that means that thing will go through you faster and sometimes unexpectedly.  So before you down that extra lump of wasabi, cup of salsa or bowl of 100% Bran Flakes, ponder the impact on your innards the next day.

3. Plan your runs such that you will have pit stops along the way if needed.  Or if you REALLY have some problems, consider running a loop near your house so you can make a pit stop there.  I have found the most success with this approach. Approximately 10 to 12 minutes into my run, I've resolved my issues and am ready to really start running.

4. Bring items that will enable you to complete your uh, little mission, in an appropriate way.  In other words, consider stuffing some T.P. in your pocket.

5. Wear Depends on your run.  (OK, I'M JUST JOKING!)

OK, now that I've given you all this wonderful information, get on out there and start running!!

Running When There is Smoke in the Air

It is Sunday afternoon, Mother's Day and I haven't felt very good all weekend.  I ran for 50 minutes yesterday morning and another 40 minutes this morning, but my chest hurts when I breathe in deeply and my eyes kind of hurt.

The Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara has burned nearly 9,000 acres over the last 5 days and is now about 55% contained.  I've been concerned for residents of Santa Barbara but I didn't really think about the impact of smoke from the fire on us here in Ventura County.  But there has been an air quality advisory for all of Ventura County all weekend on the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District website at www.vcapcd.org.  The advisory says "Persons sensitive to smoke and particulates should limit time spent outdoors and minimize physical exertion while smoke is in the air." That be me.

Not only did I run for 50 minutes yesterday, but I was at the Conejo Valley Days Carnival for about 5 hours.  So, as a person who is impacted by smoke in the air, I haven't been doing my body much good over the past few days.  I ran like a slug thi s morning.

So be careful out there, especially when the fires are close to home.  Run indoors on a treadmill if possible and minimize your time outdoors if you are sensitive to smoke.

You Won't Regret Taking a Break

While this is advice is for all marathon runners, it is particularly geared towards the obsessive ones that feel guilty when taking a day off.  I place myself into this category.

Thursday night I was really tired and could barely drag myself out of bed on Friday morning.  Not to mention, I had run for an hour on Thursday morning and had a bit of a sore knee.  So I took Friday off.

All better today!  My knee problem is gone. My energy is back.  I ran this morning with a spring in my step.

Take a day off when you need it, even if you had planned to run that day.  Your body is trying to tell you something.  Don't feel guilty about it.

Celebrate the Small Milestones

Today I managed to wake up earlier than usual and ran for 56 minutes.  This is GREAT for me because I wasn't able to run this long last weekend.  I'll reward myself tonight with a couple beers and I'll sleep a bit more (and run less) tomorrow morning.

The Santa Barbara Marathon is still 7 months away and I just started my training, but my goal is to accomplish something each week that I feel good about.  Then share it with someone.

Training for a goal 7, 9, 12 months away isn't easy.  There will be peaks and valleys, bad days and good days, perky days and sick days, feeling great days and feeling injured days.  So each week, pick something to cheer about what you've accomplished.

Keep a log of your daily/weekly mileage.  Your goal should be to gradually increase your mileage each week, say by 10%.   Every 3rd or 4th week though, if you're tired, back off the mileage and give your body some rest.

By tracking your mileage and what you've , you will be able to find things to cheer, be it your longest run to date or reaching a weekly mileage goal.

Set some intermediate goals other than training and mileage while training for a marathon.  Throw some 5K, 10K and half marathon races into your schedule every now and then.  If your first 10K is 55 minutes, then find another 10K to try to break your "PR" (personal record). Create some goals to motivate yourself.

Find other runners to share your goals with.  You'll find some local clubs and groups here.  Better yet, sign up for some local races and you'll be sure to meet other runners and walkers.

1st Time Marathoner? Check Out Another Marathon!

First off, I hate to say this but my training is still mediocre this week.  It's my own fault.  Not getting to bed on time.  Six hours sleep a night just doesn't cut it.  I'm dragging my grumpy self out of bed to run, but it doesn't feel good.  Maybe I'll take my own advice and start getting to bed earlier so I feel more perky in the morning.

So if you're training for a marathon, especially your first marathon, consider watching another marathon in person, or better yet, volunteer for the event.  This will help get you motivated and prepared for your own race.

There are two upcoming Southern California marathons in May - the Los Angeles Marathon on May 25th and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego on May 31st.  Visit www.lamarathon.com and www.rnrmarathon.com for more information about these events.

The Los Angeles Marathon is only 45 minutes from Ventura County and thus is a great choice.  They always are in need of volunteers...how about handing out water cups at the event so you get a close up view of runners in action. 

The L.A. Marathon Expo is another great and FREE (except parking) opportunity to meet other runners, buy stuff and sample goodies.  This expo is held at the L.A. Convention Center on May 23rd and 24th.  Visit the L.A. Marathon website for more information.

Later in the year, there are marathons in Long Beach on October 11th (www.runlongbeach.com) and Santa Clarita on November 8th (www.scmarathon.org).  Each of these two event also have half marathons.  If you are running the Santa Barbara Marathon like me, then consider signing up for the half marathon at one of these events to test yourself.

I have run each of these marathons.  The L.A. Marathon course has changed more times than I can remember over the years, but is still the biggest event in the area.  While it may not be particularly scenic, this course offers you the opportunity to share the energy of a diverse multi-ethnic community.  rock 'n' Roll is like a big party, with live music dispersed along the course. Very popular with the Team-in-Training crowd. 

Santa Clarita is a lower key race that is a nicely done community event, with a marathon, half marathon, 5K and kids fun run.  Long Beach is one of my favorites and I've done the full marathon and half marathon several times down there.  A nice crowd close to the beach.

So strongly consider attending and/or participating in one or more of these great local events!  It will motivate you!