The Adventure of a Marathon!

As you may recall, I had yet to complete a 20 mile long run since my first marathon in April. This was important to ensure I was both physically and mentally ready to “Rock It” in Seattle. On the first Saturday in June, I was able to get a slow, but steady 20 miles run despite the 80 degree heat. I did slow down to about a 14 Minute mile, but that’s just the smart thing to do in this warm weather!

With the 20 mile run behind me, I was able to relax a bit and start tapering before Seattle. The next weekend though; I had the opportunity to run with my friend Stephanie, who was planning to run Grandma’s Marathon on the 18th. I don’t run with anyone, but my iPhone, so having a fellow runner to help pass the miles was awesome! Although there were points were I didn’t feel my best, mostly due to the warm temps, we got through 14 miles in about 3 hours and time certainly passed very quickly!

With all the running done and logging about 170 miles since my first marathon;, it was time to spend the week packing my bags and fly to Seattle on Thursday June 16th. Packing is the easy & fun part because it does not involve heat, humidity and helps me think through what I’ll need and make sure I’m totally prepared, not only for the trip, but the race itself.

I arrived in Seattle on time Thursday morning, with no issues, but it did take a bit to find/figure out where to get Uber in the airport. The airport had a designated area in the parking garage that I was able to find, but it’s definitely not as straightforward as KC.

I ended up using UberPOOL, which allows you to share the cost of the trip with someone else who is going to a nearby destination. This worked our really well, because my fellow rider had arrived for the half marathon. We passed the time talking about running, which is always good! I continue to be amazed at how open and friendly the running community is. We all enjoy learning and sharing about the joys, challenges and hardships that running brings.

After getting checked into my hotel I headed to CenturyLink Field where the expo was held. This was only about a half mile away so it was an easy walk. However, it is very frustrating to navigate downtown Seattle, because half the streets are straight and the other half follow the river so that means your GPS App goes crazy!

The Rock & Roll marathon does an excellent job in setting up their expo and Race in general. There are three main areas. First you get your Bib/timing chip, then go to the next station to get your shirt/goodies and then head in to the Expo to “shop”.

I spent a lot of time at the expo, just cruising the booths and seeing what was there. I always find this kind of fun, just to see what’s on the market. Thursday seems to be a great time to go just because things were a lot more calm. I went back Friday, to meet a friend and the expo was much busier and I was very glad I already had my race gear!

After getting my marathon bib etc. I headed back to my hotel to lay everything out and make sure I was totally ready to run on Saturday. This was pretty straightforward as I had already prepared most everything. So I filled my hydration bladder with water, bottles with NUUN, flipbelt with gels/protein bars and attached the timing chip to my shoe.

With the race prep behind me, it was time to enjoy Seattle a little. I ate pretty well and got to see Pioneer Squire and Pike’s Market, get some coffee (Starbucks of course) and just relax; although I ended up walking about 7 miles on Friday. This is normally not a problem for me, but with a marathon the next day I hoped I hadn’t overextended myself.

My “quick peek” at Seattle was great, but I’d like to go back someday and get a better view. Friday night I had a great pasta dinner at the hotel and then headed back to my room to get some rest before my 4:30 AM alarm.

I slept pretty well and awoke promptly at about 4:30 feeling good and my legs didn’t mind their extended use on Friday. It took me about 45 minutes to get ready by 5:15 to walk the roughly 1.5 miles to the Space Needle where the race would start. My original plan was to walk to the start on Friday, just to make sure I knew where I was going, but I had no trouble getting to the start by 6.

I walked around Seattle Center, used the Porta-John and was also able to visit with a gentleman, who had lost count as to how many marathons he had run! He thought it was in the hundreds, but I could definitely tell he still loved running and wanted to help people in the process. I certainly want to help and encourage others as I continue to run as far and as long as my Lord and my body will let me (Hebrews 12:2)!

Seattle Space Needle

As the start time got close, I had to find my way into the corral; I ended up in corral 18 instead of my assigned corral of 29. My marathon adventure finally started at 7:45. The weather was perfect for a run! Overcast in the mid-60s and a slight mist. No overheating on this 26.2!

Go Time!

I’m running instead of riding the Ferris Wheel:-)

Downtown

Seward Park

On the bridge

Almost There!

The course was absolutely beautiful and I was able to take pictures throughout my run and enjoy the scenery. The other thing was, I felt great and was able to keep my R/W/R ratio of 1Min/30Sec throughout the race! There were times of course that I thought I’d walk more, but I really felt good and was able to stay consistent overall. The only trouble I had was the hard concrete on the bridge; which made my feet sore, but now I know Hokas next time! Although I did not chat with anyone on the run; the amount of people, bands and good aid stations kept me motivated. It was also great to run through the blue mile at 6 & 18, where they had folks with American flags and posters of veterans.

I’m Done & lived to tell about it!

Post Race meal in the Airport! Shrimp Mac & Cheese!

Even though the last miles were harder, I was able to finish in 5:39:51, about 2 minutes faster than my first marathon! I had hoped for 5:30, but I’ll do that this fall at the KC Marathon. All in all, my adventure to Seattle is one I hope to repeat! With two marathons under my belt, I have learned marathons are hard no matter how hard you train, but the rewards are greater than the pain & the personal satisfaction can help improve other aspects of life! So peek running to finish!

Until next time!

Phil

 

 

Fighting to Run Another Day!

As runners, we learn, that sometimes the events of life, health or even the weather can keep us from getting in the training we need, but we also know that determination is vital to ensure we are ready for race day. After completing the Running with the Cows half marathon, my focus turned to getting in a 20 mile run the following week and keep up my Seattle marathon training. However, I came down with a cold and tried my best to fight it off, not only to feel better, but to keep on running! Still with a cold, I thought I’d give 20 miles a shot, but after struggling through 10, I knew I’d better try again later.

After taking a few days off, my cold was gone and I was able to get a couple 2 mile runs in, but the 75-80 degree heat made them no fun at all! So if anybody wants to know, I’ll take a 20 degree cold run over 80+ any day 🙂 My logic is that I can “insolate” myself from the cold to an extent, but cooling towels or not, the sun is still HOT!

My third short run of the week presented another challenge…RAIN! After work, with a storm on the way, I quickly changed and got about 1.7 miles. Then the wind really picked up and the sky got even darker, so I headed home as fast as I could! Needless to say, I did not beat the rain; but I arrived home safe and soaked, This run in the rain, will not be one I will soon forget!

Saturday rolled around and with all the rain this last week I knew my normal long run route would not be in the best shape, so my plan was to run around the neighborhood and then try to do what I could on the trail. As I started to head out I knew there was a slick spot on the sidewalk, but planned to walk it and just keep moving. Well, as you might guess, a few steps in and I went down hard on my left hip…NOT FUN! So I collected my wet and muddy self and turned around and kept going. My hip hurt, but I could still run and went about 3.5 miles and thought I’d better call it a day so as not to make things worse! Later that day and Sunday I iced my hip and figured I’d try the long run again on Memorial Day.

The slick sidewalk:-)

Instead of sleeping in on Memorial Day, I knew I needed to get up early to try and beat the heat if I wanted to get in a 20 mile run. So I got up at 5:30 and left the house at 7. Not as early as I wanted, but hey, I was up and moving and my hip felt pretty good. My route plan was to avoid the wet section I’d fallen on Saturday, loop the neighborhood a couple times and hit the trail.

My long run was mostly successful, I got in 9 miles around the area then I headed toward the trail. I felt pretty good and my sore hip did not bother me, but it was getting warmer and I was drinking water and Nuun and using my cooling towel as much as I could! This of course did not give me a new lease on life, but it helped a little! After about 12-13 miles, I decided to switch my Run/Walk/Run from 1M/30S to 30S/1M. This helped a bit more, but finally after about 15 miles I decided to throw in the towel and get Uber to take me home! This proved to be a wise decision as I was running pretty low on water and I was starting to get a headache, which I knew was from the heat. Although I did not get in my full 20 miles, I think I could have had the heat not gotten the better of me. I’ll give it another shot this weekend and then start tapering for my Seattle marathon on June 18^th. With all these challenges, I’m learning determination is crucial and I must keep fighting to run another day!

Keep on Running!

Phil

 

Post Garmin and Running with the Cows!

The afternoon after I ran the Garmin marathon I was beat, but mentally I was on cloud 9. I had just completed a goal I had worked toward for six months and previous to that I was trying to wrap my head around the idea of running for 5+ hours! I took some wise advice and just chilled out for the next week. I stretched and rolled and got a massage Sunday afternoon. I was still sore and stairs were my enemy, but after a week of taking it easy, I was back to “normal”.

It is important to note that normal is a relative term when it comes to runners. When I tell people I’m training for a marathon or going to do a long run of pretty much any length, I get a wide range of responses, but in their mind I’m sure they think I’m crazy! Well guess what? I’m perfectly ok with that and the fact of the matter is, you have to be a little nuts to put your body through hundreds of miles and countless hours of preparation and effort; to say nothing of the “Ultra-Crazy” athletes that break the boundary of 26.2 and head out on dangerous trails for hundreds of miles; when I grow up as a runner I want to run an Ultra (My goal for 2017).

A full week after my marathon, I was ready to test my legs and ran an easy 5k (3.1 miles). It felt good. I spent the following week running several “short and easy” 2-5 mile runs totaling 15 miles. I then went on a nice 15 mile run. It felt pretty good, but I was kinda worn out and had to “wade” through some waterlogged parts of the trail:-)

My feet got a little wet:-)

Nearly 3 weeks after Garmin and almost 6 weeks until Seattle, I was pretty much back into “training mode”. My schedule that week was a little off given that I needed to be out of town on the weekend and would not have time for any running, so I ventured out on a Thursday night for what I hoped would be 20 miles. It was a beautiful evening and I felt great for pretty much the entire run. About 16 miles in, it was getting pretty late and I stopped at a sub shop that was just off the trail. This “pit-stop” allowed me to talk myself out of the last 4 miles, so I ordered a sandwich and called Uber to take me home:-)

Now a full month after my marathon, I realized that I needed to address an issue I was having with my shoes. The HOKA Bondi 4’s that had just shy of 200 miles were not supporting my left foot and I was supinating pretty bad. Fortunately, this did not cause an injury, but I knew it was not gonna work for Seattle or any other long runs. So, after talking to my chiropractor I went to the local running store and the only shoes they had in my size were Saucony Kinvara 6s. They were on sale and felt pretty good so I thought this was a great solution! I will of course replace the Bondi’s wth a different HOKA shoe and wll report on that later on.

After testing my new shoes on a couple short runs it was time to really prove them out at the Running with the Cows half marathon. This is really a great race, with rolling hills a couple thousand runners, great aid stations and even better food at the end! Prior to the race on Saturday, I decided to get my packet on Thursday night and go home to get everything ready. I really like to get my packet on early just to make sure I have everything and all my stuff is pretty much ready with time to “relax” and focus on the race itself.

Yea I was early:-)

I got up at 4:30 on Saturday and got ready and called Uber around 5:15 and arrived at the race around 5:45, which was a little early, but I wanted to avoid the construction that could have delayed my arrival:-) I was able to “hang out” and visit with a fellow runner who had also arrived early, which helped pass the time. The race started promptly at 7:30 and we were off! It was pretty chilly and windy, but overall I have no complaints. I ended up finishing in 2:27:51. A couple minutes slower than last year, but this race is just a “tune-up” for Rock n’ Roll Seattle Marathon on June 18th.

Post Race photo:-)

Almost to the end!

In the coming weeks, I plan to work in a few more 20+ mile runs that I will try and report on as Seattle gets closer.

Keep on Running until next time!

 

Phil

 

Intro & BioSkin Review

Over the last year or so I have discovered the joy that the challenge of running can bring to anyone who wants to embrace it! If you would have asked me, a few years ago, if I would become a runner; I would have said, “No Way!” I would have been able to provide you with a whole host of excuses, which are sometimes so easy when we face the tests of life! However, after starting with training for a 5k in 2013, a 10k and my first Half Marathon in 2014, I’ve now made running a part of my life with 5 Half Marathons and a 10k in 2015! This is not just for the fitness aspects, but also to compete against myself and see how far I can go in this wonderful adventure of running! Next stop….a Full Marathon in 2016!

I’ll continue to share what I learn from running in future posts, but wanted to start with a review of the BioSkin Calf Compression Sleeves. About a month ago they contacted me and asked if I would review their product, having not done a product review before or used a compression product so I thought I’d give it a shot! In testing the sleeves, I used them during short, (3mile-5mile), long (10mile-15mile) and recovery/post run. At first they made my legs feel a bit “heavy”, but I soon got used to them. I will continue to wear them during runs, but found that they helped my legs feel much better wearing them after a long run! Here are a few details that may help you if you decide to give them a try:

• Sizing: The sleeves are not one size fits all, which is great because my left leg is smaller than my right. You will notice that the sizing is based on your calf, so for me I got a Large (14”-16”) for my left leg and an XL (16”-18”) for my right. Be sure and measure before you order them.
• Fit: I found that putting the sleeves on was pretty easy and they do not seem to get stretched out with the pulling that’s required to get them on. Make sure your legs are dry before you put them on as this will make putting them on much easier. They can sometimes be a little hard to remove, but removing them inside out helps.
• Using: I found that the sleeves stayed tight to my legs and didn’t really curl up as I ran, it’s nice that once they are on they stay on. They do wrinkle a bit, but that has more to do with movement than anything, but it does not cause any discomfort!

• Summary: I would definitely recommend these sleeves and suggest that you give them a try! I didn’t know what to expect from compression sleeves, but have found it is a help mostly in recovery and I’m glad I now have another tool to help me embrace the job of running!

 

Keep up the sMiles!

Phil