2012 Racing Recap

Each year I think it is important to reflect on your accomplishments not only to remind yourself of success you have had but to find lessons learned so that you can enter the new year with renewed hungry and goals.  As a full year’s body of work, 2012 turned out pretty well.  I was over 3700 miles for the year, healthy most of the year, had lots of fun on runs, met new folks and raced respectably.

Huntersville Half Marathon 12/8/12 3 6:11 1:21:11 – Despite my slow time, I competed hard and really enjoyed this race. Learned that running a half out of shape and for “fun” is a heck of a lot harder than I thought J

Charlotte Southpark Turkey Trot NC 11/22/12 10 27:10 -Yes! I still have some gears!  Got double chicked but by 2 nationally recognized talents.  For a race that I had no expectations and had not trained for, I was very pleased with the outcome.  Validated that of the two shitty options at TR, the DNF was lesser of the evils.

Thunder Road Marathon - DNF at mile 18.5 – The notorious double back after a bad marathon.  ALWAYS a terrible idea as proved yet again.  Could I have finished and suffered like MCM?  Maybe but while I hate for a DNF to be an option, it saved my legs with about 2-3 weeks recovery.

Marine Corps Marathon DC 10/28/12 7:20 3:12:09 – End of a torturous training cycle that netted me nothing other than a grueling last 14 miles.  I am proud of this race because I had to suffer and gut it out to finish.  I learned about about training reflecting back on this cycle.

Wipro San Francisco Marathon CA 7/29/12 5 41 6:34 2:52:23 – was supposed to be a “fun” marathon. It was and gorgeous course which is why I ran it but learned that running a marathon is painful the last 10K no matter what.

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim - 6/17/2012 – not a race but an 8 hour adventure I will never forget.  Huge thanks to Mr. Jaskot for helping make it out of the Canyon.

June Track Series NC (Myers Park) - Ran 4.34 mile which keeps my streak alive of running faster than my age (4.39 was my target).  Also ran a sub 10 min (9.58) 3200m on a separate Tues during the track series.

King Tiger 5K NC 6/2/12 9 5.21 16:38   - Ran this one as I had never done it before.  Got smoked.  Just never had any mojo in this one.

Brooklyn Half-Marathon NY 5/19/12 3 38 5:40 1:14:15 - life time PR!  Felt great

Bulldog 5K NC 4/28/12 1 5:32 17:12 – got a win less than 24 hours since win the night before.

Waxhaw Town & Country 5K NC 4/27/12 1 5:29 17:05  - Did just enough to win as I was planning another 5k the next morning.

Elizabeth 8K NC 4/21/12 1 5:28 27:1   - wonderful race.  Pushed but not to the edge.  Got the W!

Charlotte RaceFest Half NC 4/14/12 2  5:25 33:43 – Life time 10k PR on a tough course!

Get Your Rear In Gear 5K 3/10/2012 1 5.20 16.34 – Ran under the alias Art Monk.  Was a last minute decision.  Felt great and ran well.

Charlotte 10 Miler NC 2/25/12 3 5:43 57:18 – Ughh. Got my tail kicked in this one.  Was 3^rd but I was not happy with my performance.

Frosty 50K NC 1/7/12 1 6:57 3:36:07 – Got lucky Went thru marathon around 2.58 and as a slow year for winning time.  The last few years fellas have gone thru the marathon in the mid to low 2.40s but a win is a win!

2012 - Figuring It Out

There are a lot of Charlotte running topics I could have selected to end the year on but the one that stuck out to me as a theme for 2012 is Figuring It Out.  What exactly do I mean by that?  The phrases takes on a few forms for me.

1) Our Charlotte Running Club board in 2012 started to click in year 3 with business as usual.  We were able to get additional technology in place, assign some rotating responsibilities to better share the workload and we started to look towards bigger objectives.  We brought on 4 new members to the board who appear like they will be active leaders.  We added new officers to the club. We figured out how to make the club sustainable and find a balance that supports the board members in leading but still leaving time for their day jobs, family and their running.

2) Several male and female runners discovered just how good they can be.  The ones I know of consistently trained with a group and then saw the results in races.  They realized they were just as good and in some cases better than the folks they training with which provided them with the confidence to push the boundaries even further.  I look forward to a couple of these folks having a phenomenal 2013.  The Figured out they can run and compete with the big dogs.

3) Another set of runners in Charlotte experienced injury set backs or family changes that altered their running routine.  It forced several of them to re-evaluate priorities and work thru a better model of running/family/job balance.  As a result, most all of them have a template that is much more sustainable for ongoing enjoyment of the sport and will be able to share in the challenges and fun of running in the upcoming years because they figured out how to make time for running in their life.

4) On a personal note I figured out two things in 2012:
a) I did more self experimenting as a runner on my own training to understand first hand how the body will reacted.  While each runner handles physical and mental demands slightly different, I think going thru the training myself ultimately makes me a better coach which is part of my running transition plan from chasing personal in races to helping others achieve their racing goals.
b)  I realized over  the last half of 2012 that father time is finally setting in.  Even as recent as this Spring I was running some life time PRs however, quickly my body is changing.  I need to be aware and monitor my training closer.  The training I did years ago is probably not realistic for me.  PRs are probably just about out of touch and as a result, I need to strive for ways to stay motivated to compete.  I love to compete so it really is just a matter of re-adjusting my expectations about what I can accomplish these days.  So I have figured out my body is slipping but I have some more exploring to get the formula right in 2013.

Thank you to all of you I ran with in 2012 and supported not only the club by me personally in my running adventures.  It was another memorable year and I look forward to a wonderful 2013.

57 Percent

Got lots of thoughts about the waste land that was my racing the 2nd half of 2012.  I will commit thoughts to paper once I collect what I want to share.  Lots of lessons learned just not a lot to show.

Here is a quick recap of my marathon history.

14 attempts, 2 DNFs.  Not counting my two 50k races.  Batting a little over 57% success rate.

Year	Race	Time
2012	Thunder Road	DNF
2012	MCM	3.12.09
2012	SFO	2.52.23	little slower than plan but was fun
2011	Kiawah	2.47.37	fell way off pace but hung on for decent time
2011	Toronto	2.42.15	good marathon
2011	Grandmas	2.41	PR
2010	Richmond	2.41.32	PR
2010	Boston	2.42.41	PR
2009	MCM	2.45.52	PR
2009	Thunder Road	DNF
2008	MCM	3.02.58
2008	Greensboro	2.52.37	PR and win
2007	Thunder Road	3.03.19
1997	MCM	3.16.24

Training on Faith

It's been awhile since I last blogged.  Blogging in not real high on my to-do list.  Occasionally though I feel like writing if for no other reason than I have an hour to kill before I pick Ella up from school.  Today is the first day of yearbook committee for her.

My last blog was titled "Running Alot".  I have kept that theme throughout 2012.  This summer I put in good miles and included a run across the Grand Canyon in June and the San Francisco marathon in late July.  I recommend both if you have the opportunity.

After a few light weeks post San Fran, I cranked the training back up the week of August 20th with 78 miles.  From 8/27 til present, I have had a 6 week stretch of 80+ weeks (89, 89, 100, 83, 104, 83).  In September I logged 404 miles.  I fought thru some painful runs with back and knee issues, but I have been able to manage the injuries with special thanks to Mark Kane who takes awesome care of me as my PT guy.

My running log is always available at:  http://www.runningahead.com/logs/996382c6d2194ae091a0a3b4addd049e
Quick plug for RunningAhead.com as it is a terrific online running log.

As a coach, I preach consistency and building strength week in and week.  I practice what I preach.  Fortunately, I have been able to find a good work/family/running balance that has allowed me to post these big numbers and still find time to recover.  Really for most of 2011 and all of 2012, I have been building, building, building each week and month.  No big breakthrough events, key workouts or races.  Just solid and consistent training over and over and over. I have taken good care of my body with proper nutrition and rest which has helped me keep this training regimen going.

So why the heck am I blogging?  Because I find myself in new territory for the first time in my 28 years of running.  I have limited idea of what kind of shape I am in.  I made a decision this training cycle to not repeat what I have done for 11 previous marathons. I have a history of working very hard in intervals and not doing enough tempos.  It really is a function of what I enjoy and am good at.  I LOVE getting on the track and cranking out 400s or doing mile repeats.  I just feel fast with any type of shorter intervals.  Longer tempos are boring to me and frankly, I suck at them!

I usually do a few races during a marathon cycle to sharpen my racing skills and to get some satisfaction and return on investment for all the training I have done.  I recommend this and build it into the schedules of the athletes I coach.

This training block, I put all my emphasis into marathon specific training.  I have done this by keeping my mileage consistently high, implementing more doubles, and entering the majority of my workouts tired.  I have also completed more tempos and intervals of longer distances. I have not raced this cycle.  As a result, I have no good measures to past performance. No races to measure against.  No comparable workouts to compare against.  It kind of sucks because I love to race and challenge myself yet I have kept to my training plan which is focused exclusively on preparing me for a good marathon.

I have had days where I can barely hold an 8 min pace on a recovery run and workouts where I have been fighting to even stay at my marathon pace.  With 2.5 weeks until my target marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, all I have is faith that what all the miles and training my body to run well when I am tired is will have me prepared to run well at the marathon distance.

My legs and body are exhausted however, that is about where a marathoner should be with 3 weeks to go.  From here on out, I have a few more hard efforts but mainly, it is time to rest and start feeling like I am fresh again.  This is a period of the training I can't stand as I am supposed to do less.  I get very anxious waiting for my body to feel good to go.  But, because I put in so much volume, it is critical to the plan that I get the spring back in my legs.

Have I prepared well enough?  MCM will tell me that for sure.  I am satisfied that I did not repeat the same marathon training cycle that has gotten me far but seemed to peek me out around the low 2.40s. The marathon has so many variables that add up to whether you have a successful day so I can't guarantee anything.  More to follow Sunday Oct 28th.

Running A Lot

Within the last two years, I have been fortunate to have been relatively healthy, have had a good work/life balance and have been motivated.  As a result, I have been able to build my running mileage up and experiment with new territory that I have not known previously in my 28+ years of competitive running.  I was recently asked what is the most I have every run in a week. and I was not entirely sure so I went back to my running logs (I have logged every run I have ever done since 1984).  

While I competed in high school and college, I rarely crossed into 70 mile weeks while in college.  In fact, I have joked with a few folks that I used to think I was a stud for an 80 min long run and would come home exhausted for the rest of the day.  To think that is not even a short mid-week long run now is pretty amazing progress!  High mileage is a process.  What I experienced is it is achievable if you can meet a couple key requirements.

1) Consistency - I have been blessed to have had only minor injury and sickness setbacks the last 4 years.  If you look at my history the last 4 years, each year I have moved the # of 70+ runs up a bit more, my monthly mileage has climbed, and my yearly mileage has risen.  I have a terrific support network of friends that I have the opportunity to run with. Virtually every day I look forward to running with friends which makes the runs enjoyable and helps keep me motivated.

2) Rest/Recovery - I have repeatedly shared that 80s is about the max I think most folks can maintain with a 40+ hour job and a family. Professional runners have the time and resources to sleep 10+ hours in the night, take naps, get massages, stretch, get medical and ice treatment, and basically prepare for their next run.  It is their job and therefore, they can do all of these things to keep healthy and allow their body to be fresh.  When I climb into the 80+ space, I have carefully planned out my week and committed to making time to run.  It typically means, I too am sleeping a lot and spending most of my spare time recovering.  Do-able but not sustainable when family and work commitments pickup during particular stretches of the year.

Mileage is an interesting creature and journey. I can write and talk about the topic for hours to debate the benefits and risks.  However, that is not really why I wrote this blog.  Instead, I was personally curious what my mileage has actually been and figured since I did the homework, I might as well share it out.

Stats
-106.8 miles in one week to date is my highest mileage week
-8 -100 mile weeks,  7 the past 2 years and 1 in 2010
-10 90 mile weeks,  5 the past two years and 5 in 2010
-23 80 mile weeks,  12  past two years and 11in 2010

A few other stats while I am sharing:
- My longest run to date in the Frosty 50k which I have done twice (2010 and 2012)
-The most consecutive days in a row I have run is 32
-The highest monthly mileage I have ever had was 413.2 (March 2012)

2012 to-date and 2011 #s below where I was over 80 miles for the week.

11/14/2011 106.8 mi
10/31/2011 105 mi
3/12/2012 104.1 mi
4/30/2012 103.3 mi
11/7/2011 103 mi
1/30/2012 102.6 mi
9/19/2011 101.2 mi
3/19/2012 98.9 mi
2/13/2012 97.5 mi
8/29/2011 97.1 mi
7/2/2012         96.2 mi
8/15/2011 91.8 mi
7/25/2011 88.0 mi
1/16/2012 87.9 mi
8/22/2011 86.9 mi
4/16/2012 86.3 mi
6/4/2012         86.2 mi
9/12/2011 85.9 mi
2/20/2012 84.7 mi
5/28/2012 84.6 mi
7/9/2012         84.4 mi
4/23/2012 83.7 mi
3/26/2012 82.1 mi
3/5/2012        81.1 mi

7 100+
5 90s
12 80s
24 in 2011 and 2012


Richmond block (fall 2010)
102 max
5 – 90+ weeks
8 – 80+ weeks

Boston block (spring 2010)
81.5 max
3 – 80+ weeks

Monthly Mileage Highs

Mar-12 413.2 mi
Nov-11 407.2 mi
Aug-11 378.0 mi
Sep-11 353.7 mi
Feb-12 342.8 mi
May-12 335.9 mi
Apr-12 333.0 mi
Jan-12 315.5 mi

Happy Running!

Summer Running in the HOT HOT HOT

It has been a bit warm in Charlotte the last few weeks. Unfortunately, this is sort of what happens every summer in Charlotte. Hot is one thing but when you double it up with humidity, it can be fairly unpleasant. There are alot of articles/blogs out there that you can find about hydrating during the hot conditions so that is really not what I am sharing today.  I encourage you to read up on those and be safe.

I am going to share a bit different approach to running in the summer especially if you have goal races in the fall.

With the exception of the very few elite who participate in summer track over in Europe and/or are heading to the Olympics, summer training is about having fun but still getting in miles and a good base.  College and high school coaches may prescribe a few workouts to get you fit but typically the interest is getting strong. Spring and early summer is used for some speed work by a lot of coaches but again, as the summer drags into the exceptionally hot weeks of July and August most distance runners turn their attention to miles.

So how do you get those miles in, stay motivated, fresh, and ready to really hit it hard in the fall when your specific training starts?  I have a few recommendations.  These are my opinions and are working for me.  They may help you but since it will only take me 10 min to write this post, what the heck.

1) Think of your weekly runs in terms of minutes and not miles.  Especially with the surge in GPS watches, so many runners have become overly focused on mileage and pace.  You can not run fast in 90+ heat and humidity.  In fact, you are going to run alot, lot slower.  Deal with it!  More importantly, don't think about it.  Instead, set a daily goal of how many minutes you want to run.  In  my case, this past week I wanted to run at least 90 minutes every day.  I then gave myself the flexibility as to whether that meant 70 min in the am, 20 in the PM, 90 min in one shot, etc.  My PM run sometimes is a simple 20-30 min on the treadmill while I watch a movie.  That run does more to loosen me up after a day sitting at my desk. It is less about my fitness and more about getting ready for the next run.  I try to not dwell on my pace per mile as it is going to be slow in the summer so why frustrate yourself with it?  The nice aspect of targeting minutes instead of pace/miles is the miles will follow.  If you set a reasonable daily or weekly minutes goal, the miles will by default follow.  And even if they didn't you are still putting in the work.

2) Go EARLY!!! I can not stress this enough.  I have been looking at the temperatures in the afternoon there has rarely been any relief until almost 10pm in the night!  Trying to run at 4-5pm right now is absolutely brutal.  You do not like getting up early?  A couple tricks to consider.  a) naps - get up early, knock out your run and then catch a 30 min nap before work or longer if it's the weekend. b) find a group.  When you know folks are expecting you in the morning, it is a heck of alot easier to get up and go than if you are running all by yourself.

Once the sun starts to peek over the clouds it is heating up very quickly.  Running early can be very peaceful and often you can run right up the middle of a road (however, please, please be careful!..wear a headlamp, reflective gear and if u do run with an ipod, a volume that still allows you to be aware).

3) Start slow and stay slow if you need to.  There are going to be days where your schedule doesn't allow you to beat the heat or it just never cools off.  Start slow and work into these runs.  What you may have already experienced at some point is that when you get tired in heat and humidity, your body tends to shut down much faster and it can be a quick and unforgiving crash and burn.  Especially if you are going fairly long, stay conservative on your run until you feel confident you have reached a point that you can battle to the end successfully.  It is a terrible feeling to lose your mojo 30-40 minutes into a run when you were planning to run for 90-120 minutes.

4) Reward yourself.  Running should always be fun but I stress to athletes I coach to smile lots and really enjoy summer running.  You should be out there because you enjoy what you are doing.  Sure the exercise is a terrific benefit too and if you are fortunate enough to be good at the sport, competing and having some success at winning overall and age groups is rewarding too. We all have days where we don't feel as good as we want or the run becomes more of a chore than something we enjoy.  Summer is the time to give yourself a bit more flexibility as most coaching training plans start to get fairly specific in the fall.  If you are focused on meeting your goals, there is less room in the fall to deviate. In the summer,  go a bit longer with some friends if you feel up to it.  Make a mini road trip to somewhere fun to run.  Jump in a race of a distance or terrain.  Give the tri stuff a go (although don't convert over to the dark-side of the tri world).  Take a day off.  Eat well and treat yourself to ice cream or a donut as a reward for an early long run or hard run.

I want to be clear that summer is not all about running slow and easy runs.    There is a place for pushing yourself.  With the right training plan, your coach will sprinkle workouts accordingly.  The point is adapt for the harsh training conditions of hot and humid summers here in the south by getting in runs but staying safe.  To further support the summer training cycle, an athlete can not effectively push year round with the same high level of intensity and hard core training.  That is how runners become burned out and injured.  I encourage all runners to build in downtime into their training year and rest physically and mentally.  It will make you appreciate the sport even more.


Happy Running!