Week 15 - "Long (hard) Run"

“Anyone who has a continuous smile on his face conceals a toughness that is almost frightening.”
Greta Garbo

Black ice. Here in the south snow is not the issue on the roads. It is was happens after the snow. We tend to get mixtures of snow and rain that leaves a layer of ice on the roads, sidewalks, cars and lawns.

After last night’s, “storm” that was what was left in its aftermath. When I say, “storm” I do not mean a “Nor Easter” that has dumped a pile of snow on Georgia. A storm in the south is when snow is involved and a single flake of crystallized rain floats to the ground. The media takes cold air and rain combined and throws out a media blitz on the dangers of the weather. This fuels concern in people and makes a situation that is bad even worse.

This morning was not good, not terrible, just not good. I woke at 4:15AM for two reasons. 1. A decision needed to be made on the office I work in to either close or delay. It was delayed 2 hours. 2. I had a long run of 15 miles that needed to be done.

I planned to run the 15 outside in the 2-degree weather (wind chill temp) in Alpharetta, but as I drove the roads of Suwanee and Alpharetta with going off the road twice due to black ice, the decision was made. It would be an indoor run. I made up my mind as I drove through intersections and noticing the amount of ice on the roads. I figured with the amount of streets I had to cross that even if a car did see me I was not guaranteed that the car would be able stop.

Arriving at LTF there was only one car in the lot with no ice covering the entire body of the car. It happened to be Calvin’s truck. I was in the Jeep arranging with the Emergency Line with work to send out a broadcast delaying work until 9:30AM. After I completed this task, I was ready for #2 on my list.

I have spoken a number of times about the “dread mill” and how it zaps your mind, energy and spirit while you trot along on the belts. Since I was not going to put my life in the hands of Southern Drivers on icy roads, I had to prepare myself for 15 miles of running on the belt to nowhere. But I figured, what better way to increase mental toughness if I will not run outside than to run my long run on the treadmill in a deserted gym?

I brought two water bottles filled with Gatorade and 1 GU for the 1 hour and 57 minute test of my mental facilities. The first few miles where not bad given where I was. Calvin was running two mills away and we exchanged a few remarks on the effort and heat in the building. After he left, I fell into a zone and listen to music as I focused on my form. I felt the form was good and efficient as I ran. With the pace constant, I kept creeping up to the treadmill's front hand bar without increasing effort. I was able to maintain the form until around mile 10. That is when the abominable snowman emerged from between two weight machines and hopped on the mill next to mine. It was Bob. Bob and Jay braved the ice, cold and southern drivers and ran a 10K outdoors. He still had some frozen sweat on his cap as we chatted about the run. Both were cautious as they ran the established 10K from LTF and came in 18 seconds faster than plan at about 46:05.

After a few more words, Bob jumped off to go stretch and head off to Cracker Barrel for a well deserved breakfast. About 2 miles later both Bob & Jay appeared on each side of me. Jay stated, “anyone who runs 15 miles on the treadmill is good in my book.” Which I replied back, “anyone who runs in 2 degree weather on a sheet of ice is also good in my book.” There is a general admiration between the three of us for our dedication to the “get er’ done” attitude.

I asked Bob a moment later if he wouldn’t mind filling up my water bottle since I had drained one bottle and was more than half way done on the second. He shot off and filled it up for me, which proved to be significant in the last 1.5 miles of the run. Thank you Bob for the supply of much needed hydration.

We said our good-byes as they took off for Cracker Barrel, which at this point made me hungry. Maine Blueberry Pancakes, two eggs, sausage and coffee…I need to get off this rotation leading nowhere!

As I made it mile 13 the run got increasingly harder. The tenths clicked by slower than molasses dripping out of a bottle. I kept saying to myself, “don’t look at the mileage counter”, but every time those words came out the eyes diverted to the mileage counter: 13.5….13.6…13.7…13.7…13.7…I think the counter is stuck?

I had almost ended the track of “running songs” on my iPod and decided to find a few songs to push me through the last 2 miles. Queens, Bohemia Rhapsody was the first. It is long, I know all the words and it would push me into mile 14.5 at the pace I was running at. I focused on singing the song as the mileage counter turned to 14 and at this point, I decided to increase the pace. The faster the pace, the quicker this 15 miler would be done with. I notched up the pace to 7:03 pace and cruised into mile 15 singing, “Bad,Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman.

Done. 15 miles at an average pace of 7:45/mile. The goal pace was 7:51’s but, 1. The treadmill does not have a 7:51 pace, only 7:53 or 7:47. I settled on 7:47…of course. 2. I increased the pace in the last mile to finish this.

During the whole 15 miles I kept thinking about what Jerry (Ironman Kona Dude) said. “If you cannot run at least 20 miles on the treadmill how are you expected to have the metal toughness to complete an Ironman?” Those words have stuck with me as I smiled in the mirror this morning which helped me persevere over this challenge. Not sure if I want to endure 20 miles on the mill, but 15 miles is in the books.

Week 15 - "Sleep"

Not much to report on this day. Yesterday was a day to be reckoned with. GI issues and a stomach bug took me out for the count (the reason for this colored font).

Was in bed about 7:15PM last night after a BRAT dinner. Skipped swim. The thought of water was not pleasing at all last night.

Today, I woke at 6:45AM and I feel a whole heck of a lot better than I did at any point yesterday after the track workout on Wednesday. Hit the weights at lunch for an 1 hour or so focusing on legs and core. Lifted 3,345 total pounds on the legs.

Running 15 miles in the morning. Switching the long run from Sunday to Friday in order to work around the house and prep for Pro Football playoffs on Sunday.

Week 15 - A Cold, Very Cold Track Workout

The mere difficulty of running when the temperature dips below freezing makes us tougher.

Peter Snell, a pupil of the famed New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard and the 800 and 1,500 gold medalist in the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games, claimed he enjoyed running outdoors in bad weather, because he figured all his rivals were indoors doing nothing, pampering themselves.

Cold, cold, cold. That what was on my mind as I tried to figure out the layers I needed to be wearing for the “outdoor” track workout in the morning. Too many layers would impede the speed, too few layers would freeze all my extremities and sweat. After pulling out the entire wardrobe of winter running apparel, I decided on my ensemble for the 5:45AM track workout. 3 layers on the top, 2 layers on the legs, gloves, a winter babushka and a water resistant shell.

Of all the track workouts I have done, this was by far going to be coldest one. I woke at 4:55AM and started to layer up for the morning. I was to meet the Wonder Twins in the lobby at LTF at our regular scheduled track time. All the other runners where to meet us out at the track, yeah right! It was the three of us, since Jeff was not feeling well and we knew he was going to be a “no show”. I arrived at LTF early enough to hit the treadmill with full garb on (minus the shell). I was going to run 14-16 minutes to warm up prior to heading down the dark alley of the Arctic streets of Alpharetta toward the AHS track.

After the treadmill warm up I met Bob & Jay in the lobby, took a quick shot:

18 Degrees out. The Wonder Twins are activated!

The frigid air almost immediately froze the layer of sweat that had formed from running on the mill. I picked up the pace on the short run to warm up, but Bob, yes Bob, told me to slow down since they had not warmed up prior. I slowed to keep in step with the Wonder Twins as we navigated the “black ice” in the parking lots towards our frozen destination.

After the 400M scouting around the rink, we started our speed workout. The Twins were running 8 X 400M at 1:31’s and I was hitting 4 X 800M at 2:47’s. The first round was as normally fast for both. The cold air immediately was felt on the second 100M’s as you rounded the oval and came in contact with a direct head wind. The snot froze, the lungs burned and the face stung as you increased speed to maintain the pace. The head wind was substantial enough that the 3 of us had to compensate our paces on the back portion of the track to ensure the times we needed to achieve.

After the 4 X 800’s the Wonder Twins still had 3 more 400M’s to go. I decided to run the outside of the track while they finished, but after 1 400M the fingers burned from the cold and I decided to head back to the gym solo. Both Jay & Bob were good with this, as I knew they would. Mild temperatures they would have given me a rash of stuff, but the current outdoor environment warranted a quick return to the comforts of heat.

Arriving back at LTF, I started to receive a lot of comments like, “is it cold outside?”, “I bet your cold?”, “did you run?” The jaws were still a little frozen and I politely nodded and said, “yes” to all the questions.

Though the weather was not ideal for track workout, change is good. Come race day you cannot control the weather so the more you can prepare the better you will be prepared. At least that is what I have to say to myself since I have about 7 more weeks of winter workouts before the temperatures start to change.

Week 15 -"More Cross Training"

“Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”

Every season I am reminded how the first couple weeks of a new training regiment taxes the body. Even though I decided this year to go through the “off season” in base mode and not drop off entirely by maintaining my fitness level, this week of marathon training has taken its toll.

Is it age? It is the cold weather? It is coming off 2 weeks of holiday? Who really knows but at the end of the first week, I am exhausted.

Last night I was milling around the house while Ellie read and Sarah and Grace brought the cat, Digory, up to the vet’s to get the cat’s paw taped again. The cat has had an infection that would not heal for two weeks, so a small fortune later we are pumping antibiotics into the cat along with dressing the wound.

"The Cat In The Cone"

After prepping for Tuesday, it was around 8:15PM and I was ready to call it quits for the night. Ellie had 15 more minutes of reading so I decided to ice the inflammation, heat the back, and read a few articles in Runner’s World. Ellie came in to the bedroom around 8:30PM as Sarah and Grace were making their way upstairs from their trip to the vet. Both Sarah and I put Ellie to bed and I crawled back into the bed ready for lights out.

I glanced at the clock and figured that 8:40PM was too early to sleep. I would be wide awake at 3AM and there was no way I wanted to be awake at 3AM. I read a little more, talked to Sarah and watched a little tube. By 9:30PM I was ready. Turned over and I was out.

4:50AM came quick. I hesitated, once the alarm went off, on just hitting the off button and rolling over in the warmth of the bed for another hour of slumber. But…then I realized that I had paid for a full months of Master’s Swim and had to get up and go. Money is still a motivator for me even at 5AM in the morning.

I shuffled my stiff body over to the closet and I as I opened the door a rush of cold air bellowed out from the dark. The coldness felt as if I was walking into a freezer as I fumbled for the light switch. The air was still and frigid atmosphere snapped me out of my groggy state as I put on ice-cold clothing that had been piled up on the floor.

The rest of the events leading to the pool were mundane. Coffee was brewing, car warming up and 8 out of 16 traffic lights stopped me. At traffic light number 15 as I waited for the crimson dot to award me with the green tint of go, I saw a white sedan coming the other way on Windward. Before I could register, “I think that is Ann Marie” the white sedan flashed me with its halogens signifying it was Ann Marie. I chuckled to myself (of course being in the Jeep alone at 5:15AM) as I thought she was bright eye and bushy tailed for so early in the morning on a cold, early morning. Then I realized this is the first day of her new job as the Pool Manager. Ann Marie has volunteered to take over the administrative duties of making sure everyone pays “their dues” to swim on Tuesday & Thursday mornings. I need to come up with a good nickname for Ann Marie on her newfound duty, but I am thankful for her taking the time to organize a bunch of Alpha athletes so early in the AM.

The swim. What can I say about the swim today…Difficult comes to mind. My head was not into it. With the focus on running and training for the marathon, swimming is starting to take a back seat. In addition, with the shoulder injury I have not been hitting 100% on my workouts for fear of further damage. At this point, I am thinking about reducing the distance and speed to stay focus on the task at hand with running and nurse the shoulder. This may prove to be futile for the moment since this morning there were on average 5-6 swimmers per lane. To move to the “B” lane I may throw a kink into the B swimmers workouts which I do not want to do. It is not fair to them to disrupt their flow. I will finish the month of January and decide if another avenue for swimming maybe more conducive to my goals.

Coach Mike’s Workout: (might be a little off)
400M EZ
150M Drills
200M Non Free
3 X 100M Kicks no fins
5 X 100M @ 1:50
200M EZ
1000M Time Trial
100M Fist
100M One Arm
100M Catch-up
200M EZ
200M Kick
50M EZ

The decision as stated above, on the swim came during the 1000M swim. I had no mojo and could barely propel myself forward in the water. I will not quit on the swim, but maybe just dial it down for a while. I need to give up a little to be better on the run. Cycling indefinitely tabled; swim may need to take a back seat in order for me to achieve my own personal greatness.

Tomorrow is Track. The temperature was 18 degrees this morning. Tomorrow morning it will be a balmy 24 degrees. A proper warm-up is in order for me to be great on the track and hit my times.

Week 15 - "Cross Training"

Yesterday was spent doing a whole lot of nothing and enjoying it. The weather outside was frightfully cold so we opted to stay in most of the day. My oldest daughter, Grace took off to her friend's house for the afternoon and Sarah spent most of the day working on the computer. This left Ellie and me to fend for ourselves.

There was Wii to be played. We measured our BMI and found out that both of us are underweight. But, the Wii Fit also stated that Ellie was 33 years old and I was 50 years old. So there is not much substantial evidence to believe that the Wii is accurate. We did have fun ski jumping and taking the body tests. After Wii Fit we jumped into Rock Band and jammed a number of tunes to the Beatles. That passed the time while there were lame football games on the T.V.

Pretty much all day Ellie and I hung out and did things together except when I was watching football. She would disappear for a while and reappear when summoned.

This morning was bitterly cold again. Even the closet was frigid as I changed at 4:55AM to head off to Brian's Spin Class. I needed to get the legs moving after yesterday's "too fast" run. The legs were sore and cramped and Spin Class (light) was the right thing to loosen them up.

The class for the first of the year was not as crowded as expected. There were a number of bikes open. I saw Ann Marie, Stacy and Amy at the front of the class. We talked for a couple of minutes and I told them I was heading to the back. Being in the back where no one can see you allows you to "do your own thing".

I saw Calvin spinning away and grabbed a bike next to him. Now, Brian's class is popular and a lot of people enjoy his class even me, but after being away from indoor spin for almost 8 months, I must admit it is mind numbing. Being out on the road with other cyclist is far more superior than any spin class. 60 minutes is about 20 minutes longer than I can take with any Spin Class. It is good cross training for the marathon and I have set my sights on every Monday until at least the weather is conducive to outdoor riding. (That is if I ever get back on a bike)

Lunchtime was upper body weights and core. Being away from weights for over 2 weeks and basically no sit-ups during this time the body is feeling the effects. I am back in the routine and will be consistent again to build the strength I need at my age.

End of Week 16 - "Long Run"

Starting off the New Year with a few excellent pictures courtesy of Ann Marie. We all had a great time on New Year's Eve.

Sarah, Ann Marie, Susan A & Susan L

The Group

Sarah & Susan L @ Cinco's

A few party crashers

Hiding the drink I just ordered from the Paparazzi

The Kids

The Gang @ Dinner

Yesterday was spent on the mud room. Time and patients is what I need to continue to tell myself with this process. Time and patients.

This morning the air temperature was around 18 degrees. With the wind chill it was in the single digits. I was scheduled for a 13 mile run this morning. We woke around 7AM and got ready for church. The main emphasis of the service was that "life is not fair". Read Matthew 20:1:1 about the land owner to get the whole understanding. But what I took from the service is that "life is not fair, so just deal with it".

After church I headed over to Johns Creek LTF to start my 13 mile run. I figured I would hit Route 141 South since there is a wide lane for bikers which would keep me off the concrete sidewalks as much as possible.

I dressed for the weather. The amount of extra clothing on me weighed me down with about an extra 10 pounds, but at least I was warm. The start of the run was cold. Actually, the whole run was bitterly cold. I never did warm my core up at anytime.

I had the wind at my back on the way out that gave me a split at the 6.5 mile turn of 0:45:24. I knew the 6.5 miles back where going to be hard with the hills and the head wind.

When I turned at the half way point it was just that. The Arctic blast cut through the layers down to my core as I made my way north on 141. A head wind with hills I knew the back half was going to be a positive split but I was good with that since I made the time on the way out.

As I ran north my nose that was running profusely had stopped. I thought the wind had dried my nose out until I started to rub it. This is when I found out that the snot had frozen solid in my nose! This was an unpleasant feeling at the time. I had to breath out of my mouth until I could dislodge the frozen drainage from my nostrils. This process was continuous all the way back to the gym. With the wind, hills, frozen snot, cold core and just all around freaking cold day, I finished the 13 miles as I have said to all my friends, "too fast"!

But, even with all what life had thrown at me during this Arctic run, I did not complain once. I took it for what it was and proceeded forward with my goal. I ended the 13 miles at 1:34:14 or 0:07:14/mile. This was 22 seconds too fast per mile.

The next run will be at goal pace, I promise Ann Marie, Jay & Bob...

Week 16 - "Run into the New Year"

The best athletes address that training has a mental, physical, emotional & spiritual component. To get the most out of your training, consider each of those factors.

Thursday was a busy day. I finished the bead board in the mud room along with purchasing the tile for the floor. I have decided to custom build the shoe bench for the room. Once the cabinets are in this will be the final touches. I will paint the ceiling today but most of the day will be hanging out with the girls.

New Year's Eve for Sarah, Ellie and I was perfect. Ann Marie invited us over to her and Dan's home for a few cocktails and then we headed to Cinco's for an early dinner. It was a very nice evening with Ann Marie, Dan and their son, Kyler and his friend Joey; Susan and Mike Lipscomb and Randy and Susan Allen. We also invited Maddie along to balance out the boy to girl ratio.

The dinner was very good but the company was outstanding. These couples are great people and are becoming great friends as well. It was a fitting end to 2009 spending time with friends and family.

When we arrived home Sarah, Ellie and I had a piece of Ellie's Cupcake cake. This cupcake is designed to be the size of a large cake taking a full box of cake mix and frosting. The Cupcake was decorated by Ellie and we all enjoyed a slice with a cup of tea.

With the working on the mud room, good food, excellent company, awesome dessert and a few beers by 10:30PM Sarah and I were wiped out. Sarah was asleep by 10:45PM and I by 11:00PM. Ellie was determined to see the ball drop in Time Square and by 12:02AM, she has accomplished her goal and the T.V. was off and she was asleep between the two of us.

Again, a perfect New Year's Eve. I would not have had it any other way.

This morning brought a tempo run. I left about 8:30AM and headed over to Johns Creek LTF to knock out:

2 miles EZ @ 8:00/miles

2 miles - Short Tempo @ 6:24/mile

2 miles EZ @ 8:00/miles

Completed this workout and hit the mark on all paces. The gym started to fill up while I stretched and I noticed a lot of New Year's Resolution people hitting it hard at weights and the workout classes. I thought to myself, that this is one way to burn yourself out fast, hit it hard and be totally sore tomorrow and drop it by the end of the month.

Sarah headed down to the Columns this morning to run with Wren. Wren is going to run the Disney Marathon next weekend. She is going to hook up with a pace group and get her well deserved BQ.

The next month will be crazy at the gym with all the newbies. I welcome the change and may meet some new interesting people in the process.