Public Service Announcement

Hey y'all. I got an email yesterday (edited version, below) after my post about training for the 2008 Chicago Marathon. Dana found my site kind of out of the blue, and reached out to me to spread the word. I normally wouldn't promote a fund raiser (unless, of course, I was a participant!), but this one was different. Since it benefits our servicemen and women who protect and defend our country, I thought this was worth passing on. You'll have to evaluate this for yourself: I don't know Dana and make no endorsements of her or of the team she's running for--but it's worth checking out.

My name is Dana Anello White, and I am a military spouse...My husband, MAJ
Paul White, has served two tours in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On October 26th, 2008, I will run 26.2 miles across the streets of Washington,
DC as part of Team Fisher House in the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon. As
part of this mission, I will raise money and awareness for The Fisher House
Foundation, a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military
in a time of need (often times following combat-related injuries in the war
zone).

Here's a great You Tube Video about The Fisher House Foundation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xe5RE6krms

As you can imagine, a long-term stay in a military hospital, sometimes
thousands of miles from home, could mean expensive lodging and long separations
from loved ones. The Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes" in various
places across the country so that our military families can be together during
extended treatment for serious injury or lengthy physical and/or occupation
therapy...Currently, there are 38 Fisher Houses operating at 18 military bases
and nine Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers throughout the nation
and overseas in Germany.

My website can be found here: http://www.active.com/donate/FisherHouse2008MCM/danawhite

I thank you in advance for your support and feel free to pass this
information along to others who might want to support this worthy cause...If you
have any questions, I can be reached via email at: bflonative@hotmail.com.

So, check it out--and you runners, consider helping a fellow runner!

More later...

Sorta recycling, again--Boston Marathon

This is kinda sorta swiped from my running blog--just slightly modified for a different audience. Not only because it's a cool topic, but...er...I have nothing interesting to say today (like that's ever stopped me!)

Anyway-- it's 6 days until the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Not that I'm running it, mind you. Still, it's a banner day for the sport of running.

I'm willing to bet that most people, even those who don't know what a marathon is all about, have some familiarity with Boston. It's a true classic, and has a long and storied history (read more about it here). Not too long ago I finished reading one of those stories--John Brant's excellent story of the 1982 Boston Marathon entitled Duel In The Sun. If you haven't read it, I recommend it highly. Even if you're a non-runner, you'll still appreciate the back-and-forth battle that stretched for the entire race.

Boston is different from most marathons, in that runners have to qualify (with a few limited exceptions) by finishing another marathon within a specific time goal determined by age. I know what it takes to qualify, and I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for those who do. I just don't see myself ever getting the hallowed qualifying time of 3:20, based on my current age. In fact, when I'm 80 the qualifying time will be 5:00--heck, I'd feel happy to run a 5:00 marathon now! Unless something changes radically, my participation is going to be limited to watching it on TV.

There's going to be tons of coverage through all kinds of media outlets. The Versus network is going to be showing live coverage. There will also be streaming coverage on the World Championship Sports Network at WCSN.com. Steve Runner, runner and podcaster extraordinaire, is recording a podcast during the race, and you'll be able to monitor his progress via his website.

Even if you don't watch the whole thing, or can't catch it live, you should at least take a look. There's truly nothing like it--especially the finish.

Who knows--if it's super-exciting, I may even post a race wrap up. We'll see.

More later...

Cross posting--I'm becoming an expert...

I just posted this on my running blog a few minutes ago, and I thought it was maybe worthy of a cross-posting here, too...

I'm rapidly becoming an expert in an area that I never thought I'd have experience with, and definitely did NOT want to get any better at.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen...I am becoming an expert at not running marathons...

The week of my 20 mile run I had the flu, so I only got in about 5 miles. I figured I'd be strong enough based on the rest of my training to do at least a run/walk.

Flip forward to last Tuesday. Hm, chest feels a little congested and I'm coughing. Almost like an asthma attack.

OH NO.

So I went to the doctor Saturday, and again today, and the short story is I have pneumonia. That pretty much means I can kiss goodbye both this weekend's Shamrock Shuffle 8K downtown in Chicago, but also next weekend's St. Louis Marathon looks to be almost an impossibility.

Turns out the STL Marathon organizers will allow you to switch from the full to the half marathon, so there's a chance there--but that depends on me getting a LOT better in between now and then. Right now that's the only hope, but it's very slim indeed.

Let's review my training/not running marathoning history:

- 2006: Trained for the Chicago marathon, but dropped out after week 11 because of plantar fasciitis.
- 2007: Trained for and started the Chicago marathon, but couldn't finish because of the course being closed after 4 hours.
- 2008: See above.

Am I disappointed? Yes, absolutely. But I know that skipping it is the right thing to do...there's no point in causing more damage to myself, taking longer to recover, etc.

I'm signed up for Chicago this fall, and training should start around the June timeframe, so we'll see how this goes.

I'm trying to look on the bright side, though--not running marathons opens up a whole new world of possibilities! I thought that someday I could run the world majors (Chicago, Boston, New York, London, and Berlin)...then, I looked at the qualifying times for Boston and New York. Yeesh! But with little to no effort at all, I can not run all of those marathons! Think of the money and time I'll save!

I kid, I joke. Laughter has always been a defense mechanism for me, and I'm deflecting the upset and the negative emotions I feel. The good news--I ran 90% of the miles in my original plan, I ran faster than I ever have (in fact, completed 5 miles just last Monday at a 9:15 pace), and after a little rest and recouperation there's nothing that says I can't try again.

So Sara, from the excellent Running From The Law blog, I know you're running St. Louis--do well, finish strong, and make me proud! (C:

Run strong, y'all...

Training - Week 3

Today ended week 3 of training for the St. Louis Marathon. This means I'm 1/6th, or 12.5%, of the way through the training. I use milestones like 1/6th, 1/3rd, etc., to break up my longer runs and make them seem not so far--it's one of my many mental tricks.

Anyway, it was a good week. Did all my running at the local community center track, and I really enjoy this over the monotonoy of a treadmill.

This week's training:
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles
Saturday - 3 miles
Sunday - 5 miles

Which gives me a 15 mile week--again, perfect!

I ran this morning with my long-run pal Mark. The last two laps (which is about 1/3rd a mile), I said "So, you wanna just crank these out?" We kicked up the pace and had a really strong and fast finish (felt fast to me, anyway). After we stopped, he said "Man, what got into you today?"

Turns out he was letting me set the pace, and I guess I was...uh...a little speedier than normal today. Sorry, Mark...I'll be better next time.

Mark and I are both looking forward to getting outside for longer runs, he especially so he can use his new toy--the Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS watch. He's like a kid with a new toy. Heck...he IS a kid with a new toy. Just can't use it inside, hence the strong desire to get outside and be able to use it.

Anyway, it was a good week. And now, two more sleeps and it's Christmas morning! YAY...

More later...

Training - Week 2

Two weeks down, and now only 16 to go. HA! Only 16 weeks? The fun is just beginning...

This was another good training week. I've discovered the joys of an indoor track--our local community center has one. 6.5 laps is a mile and it gets a tad monotonous, but hey...it's better than a treadmill, and it's only $2 per session. So I strap on the iPod, listen to my music mix or a podcast, and before you know it I'm done!

My training week is usually Tue/Wed/Thu and either Saturday or Sunday, but this week was a bit different. I started the week on Sunday the 9th with the Reindeer Run, sponsored a national chain of workout facilities. With as much as they charge for membership (I'm not a member but have friends who are) I hesitate to call this place a "gym!"

Anyway, this week I ran:

Sunday: 3 miles - Reindeer Run
Wednesday: 3 miles - indoor track
Saturday: 3 miles - indoor track
Sunday: 7 miles - indoor track

For a grand total of 16 miles. I'd decided that my goal in December and for next year was to run at least 15 miles a week, so it's good that my training keeps me at or above that minimum.

Next week, more indoor running and a "drop back" week. Every third week, the mileage goes down to give my body a rest. If you're ever interested in taking a look at the program I use, here it is.

More later...

Training - Week 1 + quick kitty story

One week of marathon training down, 17 weeks to go...

This was a good training week. I ran the following:

Tuesday - 3 miles on the treadmill
Wednesday - 3 miles on the treadmill
Thursday - 3 miles on the treadmill
Saturday - 6 miles at local indoor track

I'm right on schedule. When I trained for the Chicago Marathon last year I missed some of my mid-week runs, but I'm trying to make sure I don't miss anything this time out...so, that meant my Wednesday and Thursday runs were at around 10PM each night, but I got them in.

I also ran today--a local race called the Reindeer Run. Just a 5K, no biggie--except we had ice/freezing rain last night, and there was just enough left on the streets today to make it slick.

Since I'm going to be traveling this week I'm giving myself "credit" for today's run (it'll count as my Tuesday run) meaning I only have to run Wed., Thu., and Sunday of this week. Looking forward to week 2 of training, though.

Completely unrelated topic--we put up the tree (no lights, no ornaments...just the tree itself) last weekend in order to let the cats get used to it. Of course, Bella had to explore and climb up the inside pole. I captured her at the top just kinda hanging out...makes a cute pic on my photoblog.

More tomorrow...

Catching my breath...

Today is one of those "I don't have anything to write about but I can write something..." kind of days. Work has been very busy this week--I had out of town people come in for a 2-day meeting. To prep for it, I was up at 5:00A and out the door by 6:00ish Monday-Wednesday, in the office before (or just after) 7:00AM. Hey, at least I made up for it by working late...but not past 9:30PM. (C: But it was cool--good meeting, good to see everyone, etc., etc.

Today is catching up--finishing notes/actions from the meeting, doing the stuff I ignored for a few days (including blogging!).

I started my marathon training this week, but it's all been on the treadmill--it's WAY cold outside (about 10 degrees Fahrenheit at 10AM...), plus there's a lot of snow/ice which would make the running hazardous. Saturday I'm meeting a good friend at a local fitness center, we're doing the indoor track. 6.5 laps equals 1 mile, and I've got to do 6 miles on Saturday, so 39 laps...ugh. Still, better than outside...

Life is good right now. We've got a lot of holiday party stuff coming up, but the next day or so we can kind of have quiet time before all the hubbub. So I'm enjoying today while I can.

More later...

I did it!

I seem to be on this "the return of..." theme this week. Yesterday was the return of the meme, today it's the return of the marathon.

Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all the ships at sea...I mentioned in a post earlier this week that I was thinking about signing up for the St Louis Marathon. I discussed it with the Mrs last night...she doesn't understand my obsession with finishing my first marathon (and wasn't happy that I may not stop after this one!), but she's OK with me signing up and us heading down there for the weekend. So...just minutes ago, I officially registered.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. The course has some hills (see the elevation map)--more so than Chicago--but hey, I figure I can walk parts of it. The main goal is just finishing!

The race will have a small field: they cap it at 3000 marathoners, 10,000 half-marathoners, and 500 4-person teams (or 2000 people total) for the marathon relay. This means if it's capped out, it'll be just over 1/3rd the size of Chicago.

Oddly enough I timed this right, because the 18-week training schedule I've followed in the past (thank you, Hal Higdon!) will start at the beginning of next week. My runs outside will be pretty danged cold, and I'll have to do most of the weekday runs on the treadmill because it stays dark so long in the mornings...but having said that, I've been through all this before and feel like I've learned a ton since June of this year, which is when I started training for Chicago.

So...there it is. Now I know what I'm doing for the next 18 weeks. (C:

More later...

Olympic Marathon trials

Yesterday, November 3rd, the USATF held trials in New York City's Central Park to determine who would represent the US Olympic Team for the marathon in 2008. Unfortunately, a 28 year old runner, Ryan Shay (click here for latest news) collapsed 5 miles into the event and died.

This is obviously a huge tragedy on a day that should have been filled with joy and excitement. An autopsy is being conducted today (Sunday November 4th) to determine the cause of death--most likely an undiagnosed heart problem.

Shay was a 2002 Notre Dame grad, and his wife was a collegiate distance runner for Stanford.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family, and I hope you all would send some good thoughts and prayers their way also.

More later...

I shaved my head for this????

So Saturday I went to my barber shop, got all my hair cut off, then shaved it down to the scalp. I figured it'd make me more aerodynamic (HA!), that it might help me stay cool, and...well, I've always wanted to shave my head at least once in my life.

The race yesterday started off well. It was warm at the starting line, and (of course) crowded, but seemed like it'd be a good day. I was overcome with emotion a few times--at the singing of the National Anthem, crossing under Columbus street bridge, etc.

The first two miles were good, and I got to the water stop in decent condition--good pace, feeling OK, etc. Unfortunately things started to go downhill from there. At the second water stop (approx. mile 4), there was no water, no Gatorade, no nothing except for empty cups and a whole bunch of thirsty (and upset!) runners.

From there, the aid stations were spotty--some had nothing, some had only water, etc. We had to rely on the kindness of strangers--the schools, restaurants, businesses, and people who lived along the route. Some brought water, some brought ice, and some sprinkled us with water from their garden hoses.

At about 14 miles, race officials told us they were closing the course because of the heat, humidity, and the fact that they'd run out of supplies at the aid stations. Several hundred were taken to hospitals and, unfortunately, a policeman from Michigan died on the course (coverage from the Chicago Tribune is here). I ended up jumping on a cooling bus at about the 16.5 mile mark. Traffic was so bad that, after about 20 minutes, I got off the bus and walked back to Grant Park (probably another couple miles). According to the official timing, I finished the half in 3:07 and was on pace for a 6:15 finish. That's well off of what I'd originally targeted, but again with the heat, humidity, and lack of hydration I did as well as could be expected.

Calling the race off was the right thing to do, but I believe a lot of the fault rests with the organizers of the marathon. They knew very early last week that the temps would be high, which means runners need more hydration. The fact that the aid stations ran out of supplies is, to me, inexcusable.

Now, on the up side...

• I was blown away by the number of people who came out. There were people on every block of the race--sometimes standing 4 deep. Their shouts, cheers, and encouragement for people they didn't even know was a great morale boost.
• I had encounters with several angels on the course--from the 3 people who loaned me their cell phones so I could keep in contact with Lisa, to the fellow runners with words of encouragement, to those people who spent their own time and money to bring refreshment to the runners.
• I ran far. Not a full marathon, mind you, but farther than I've ever run in any competitive race in my life. Farther than I ever thought possible a few years ago.
• I survived. I am tired and sore, but that'll pass with time, Advil, and some water.

So, that was it for my first marathon. I'm disappointed it didn't turn out like I expected but I'm trying to look for the good in it, and learn what I can for future races--whether they're full or half marathons, or just 5Ks. For now, though, running takes a bit of a back seat. I'll take some time off to recover, then start back slowly. I think I've earned the break.

More later...

13 hours until race time...

I just got back from the health and sports expo and packet pickup for the Chicago Marathon. I'm pumped, excited, nervous, and scared to death all at the same time. The forecast for tomorrow is upper 80's--WBBM-AM (the local news radio station) says that this will be the warmest Marathon weather in its 30 year history, and we're set to break the high temp record that's stood since 1947. Great, just great...

Of course, what would the night before a marathon be without carbo-loading? We went to Maggiano's Little Italy in Oakbrook for a pasta- and bread-laden lunch. It's one of my favorite Italian places, and I have the same thing (angel hair with pomodoro, and a side of meatballs) just about every time I go. It did not disappoint today.

I still have to upload my pix from Munich, including some from Oktoberfest. I've also got a couple pix from the expo today, I'll get those up soon (probably sometime tomorrow). And you can pretty much bank on a post-race report tomorrow.

To all my friends, family, and fellow bloggers who are sending prayers/wishes/good thoughts my way, thank you. Your support and encouragement has meant more than any of you will ever know. I know I'm making a big deal out of the marathon--and I'm sure I've bored everyone with all the stories and anecdotes I have about it. I can't really tell you why this is such a big deal to me--I know why it is, but I can't really explain. You'll just have to trust me that it's a Super Big Deal for me, and please bear with me through the obsession, the self-centeredness, and the endless repetition of boring stories. I promise it'll mostly go away in another day or two. At least until my next marathon, if there is one. (C:

More later...

It's race week!

As I write this from my PDA phone, I'm as 35,000 feet over the English Channel with about an hour left until we land in Munich. It's been a long (8 hours 30 minutes) flight but an uneventful one so far. It's hitting me that in one week and a couple hours I'll be rolling out of bed to get ready for The Big Day.

It's like waitng for Christmas, my birthday, and oral surgery all at the same time. You know it's going to leave you out of commission for a few days but you're also really looking forward to it.

I'll get a couple short runs in this week, just to burn off some energy...but I'm not pushing it. At this point I've done all I can do, and my mantra this week is "go to bed early, eat lots of carbs, don't drink alcohol..."

Friday (our annivsrsary) ended up being a great day. The Arboretum was really pretty, and we had a great dinner out. Doesn't sound like much, but it was just what we both needed.

Today, after landing, I'm headed into Munich for sightseeing. I'm sure there will be pictures and a trip report in the near future.

More later...

Happy Anniversary, darlin'...

Today is our 16th wedding anniversary. I can't even begin to tell you what the past 16 years have been like, other than to say they've been filled with more joy, more pain, more good times, more bad times, more moments of tenderness, and more sheer frustration, than I thought any two people could ever experience in a lifetime. Fortunately the good has been WAAAAAY more than the not so good. There are times when I don't know what either of us would have done without the other--major surgeries, death of family members, times of self-doubt, job changes, etc. But through it all, we've always been there for each other.

I took today off--we're planning on heading over to the Morton Arboretum to check out the fall colors, enjoy nature, and of course take a few pictures. Tonight will be a nice fancy dinner out and a relaxing evening. It might sound bland to some folks, but I'm really looking forward to the day.

Of course, I have to say something about running...and let that just be that I'm really, really tapering. I'm supposed to get in an 8-miler this week...probably won't happen unless I go out early tomorrow morning. But tomorrow afternoon I have to get on a plane to head to Germany, so I don't fancy running all that way ahead of a 9-hr flight, but we'll see what happens.

I posted a question on Hal Higdon's forums about the trip, and any good advice people might have about ensuring I'm ready for race day. I got lots of good advice, all of which I plan to follow next week. A friend asked me this week..."Are you ready???" My response--"Yes, I am!" Now, just waiting for the 9 days or so to pass until The Big Day comes...

More later...

My 20 miler report

Yesterday was a cool, crisp, clear day--beautiful, with just a few clouds. I woke up at 5AM, drank some water, ate a Kashi bar, and generally got my blood going. I was out the door at 6AM and ran two out and backs from the house--the first one was 6 miles to our church and back, and the second was 4 on a running/walking trail behind the house. I hit 10 miles at 2 hours (12 min/mi pace...EXCELLENT!) and picked up my friend Mark. We did another quick out and back of 3 miles, then ran laps around the walking/running trail in our neighborhood until I hit the magic number of TWENTY MILES...and my Garmin proves it. I think doing the laps helped--it was "OK, 6 more miles..." "5 more miles..." "a 5K + a warmup run...". Being able to breal this down into digestible chunks helped a lot.

You'll note that I finished in 4:03 and change...that gave me an average pace of 12:10, and I'd been shooting for a 12:00 pace, so I feel really good about that! If I can stick with this pace, I'll have a pretty good marathon--12:30 would give me a 5:27, which I'd be estatic with!

Friday night I finished reading Hal Higdon's book "Marathon" (which he signed for me at last year's expo before the Chicago Marathon). One thing really stuck with me--he talked about training plans and long runs, and essentially said that after your 20-mile run, your training is over until the marathon. The rest between now and then is just your taper.

So I approached this run with an attitude of "if I can get through this, I've got the marathon in the bag!" I didn't crash like I did in my 18-mile run--I had a big bowl of pasta Saturday for lunch, plus I consumed about 5 Clif Shot packages on the way. I think the Clif Shots really helped keep my energy and my glycogen levels up. As you can see I was tired and sweaty, but apart from some soreness (and difficulty walking up the stairs afterwards!) I was really no worse for the wear.

I've got to give a big shout-out to my pit crew (a.k.a. my wife) who was kind enough to put water and Gatorade bottles out on the front stoop for me, keep me loaded up with Clif Shots, and generally give me words of encouragement. That helped a lot, too. I've also got to say "thanks" to my running partner Mark. He's had some nagging injuries but really pushed himself to do the last 10 with me yesterday--having him there really helped a lot.

Now, I just taper and wait. But I've got a good feeling going into the Marathon, and I made a few tweaks and tunes (especially with the Clif Shots) that I'll definitely carry into the race. To paraphrase the great Yogi Berra, "90% of running is half mental." But a great run yesterday really helped alleviate a lot of butterflies and now I'm really looking forward to Race Day.

More later...

23 days left

According to the countdown clock I have on my laptop, we're now 23 days and about 17 hours away from the start of the Chicago Marathon. The closer it gets the more my excitement, and my anxiety, build. I'm not worried about a finish time--I haven't set a time goal for myself, which goes against my nature--but I worry about just finishing. I'm sure I'll feel better after my 20 miler this weekend (hey, did I mention I have one of those coming up? "Yes, Jim, only about a thousand times..."), but the fear is always there...what happens if I collide with someone, or if I have an asthma attack, or if I get dehydrated, or...

This is normal for me--I've had the same type of fear for every new distance. I got comfortable with 5Ks after running one or two, but facing my first 8K was terrifying. So was my first 10K, 10 miler, HM...you get the idea. I'll just have to keep reminding myself that I've trained, that I'm ready, and that I'll finish just fine.

I most likely won't get my shorter run in today--too much work stuff to do--but that's OK, as it's really the long runs that count in my book. I could use the stress relief, but no worries...I'll just do some stretching and deep breathing or something.

More later...