You're Too Old To Run...

... but Joy Johnson is not:

Race Report - Hamptons Marathon

For those who may be interested, below is a report of my first marathon.

Last night, on the way to the place I was staying for the weekend, stuck in traffic, I received a call from my father:

Me: Hello
Dad: Hi, Nader. Where are you going?
Me: Long Island.
Dad: Why?
Me: A race.
Dad: Oh, oh. How long?
Me: It’s a marathon.
Dad: Yes, yes, I know. But how long? 4 miles? 6 miles?
Me: 26
Dad: What-what-what? Ohmygoodness. Nader, listen. If you feel tired, don’t be afraid to stop. Don’t be a hero! You remember what happened in high school, when they had to call the ambulance?
Me: Yes, dad. Thanks.
Dad: Ok, here’s your mother…

I woke up this morning freezing, and checked the weather, only to find out that it was 44 degrees. I looked at the super-thin sleeveless shirt I had laid out. Fabulous.

I started out the race feeling a little tight and sluggish, having consumed a bagel and coffee less than an hour before the start (a logistical mistake, but - long story short - I felt I had to choose between that and not eating breakfast at all. In retrospect, a banana might have been a better option at that point). Having not run for the previous three days, running at that point felt like a new thing I was deciding whether I liked. It felt like having dinner with a friend I hadn't talked to for some time.

The first few miles were a bit awkward. Getting and staying under 9:09 at that stage was tougher than I thought, especially because of the fear of the unknown (i.e. not knowing how much I needed to save for post mile 20) I was experiencing.

3 miles: 28:10

As I got into the meat of the race, I started to feel better and stronger. I stopped at every single aid station and this coupled with the two bathroom breaks, I think contributed to late-race tightening of my quads (something I cannot remember ever experiencing during training).

10K time: 58:56

At the half point, I looked at my watch 2:02.02! Dang.

At that point I started pushing myself, realizing that in all my previous races (and I think also this one, to an extent) my downfall was saving too much for the end. I said to myself, "Not this time. You can rest after the race. Leave nothing here."

From that point on, I decided I was going to do everything I could to keep myself under 9:00, but over 8:40.

At mile 20 I didn’t feel winded at all, but my quads were becoming increasingly tight.

At mile 22, it was all heart. "No wheels are coming off nothing. Go."

It was heart that helped me disregard the pain from pounding ("push the pain to the sides of your mind" -Mikey) and giving up and walking. It was the tightening of my legs, especially the quads that kept me, despite my best efforts, from getting under 9:15. I am only now realizing that, after mile 20, holding such a pace was totally out of the question.

Overall, I'd say the course was much hillier than I anticipated.

Final time: 4:05:06

Place: 113/294 overall; 10/20 age group; 69/157 gender

Do What You've Got To Do

THREE DAYS OUT from the race and I forget to take my work shoes to the gym. At this point, I had to go to Kohl's (the only place open at 8:30 a.m.) and get a new pair. Not surprisingly, these shoes are thoroughly messed up and my feet are sloshing and slamming all over in there.

Result: Tendonitis in my right leg. I think it will go away by game day, but I am taking no chances. I did what I could with what I could find around the office:

Respecting the Heat

ON MY WEDDING DAY, Steve "I-Rod" Ibrahim gave the best man speech. One of the things he pointed out is my total insensibility to weather conditions. I rarely notice when the weather is "nice" or "bad."

But today, I had no choice but to respect an important weather variable: humidity. My steps felt slow and labored. I was probably about 30 seconds per mile slower than I would have been at that effort level.

As others consider running during the summer months, have a look at a helpful article by running coach Hal Higdon, entitled, "Hot and Bothered: Coping with Heat and Humidity."

Preventing Running Injuries

As the nice weather breaks, runners will want to hit the streets.

Great.

Here are some tips for avoiding overuse injuries:

1. Get in the frame of mind where you want to improve your physical limitations without exceeding them.

2. Observe proper running form (more on this, hopefully, in a future post).

3. Get the right shoes with the right amount of cushioning and support.

4. Avoid running on tough surfaces. Concrete is tough and so are cambered (slanted) roads. Dirt paths are softest, but watch out for rocks and other little devils.

5. Slow down. This is not as easy as you may think, especially if you are running with music. The faster you run the harder and more frequently you hit the ground.

6. Increase gradually. Try not to up your miles more than 10% per week. Also, try not to increase your intensity to much from one week to the next.
__________________
Reference: Overuse Injury Is Preventable

Former Olympic Marathon Runner Retires at Age 81

KEIZO YAMADA, who competed in the 1952 Olympics and won the Boston Marathon has decided to "scale back" a bit: he will continue with his daily 20km jogs but will no longer compete at 26.2.

I guess running might not be so bad for the knees, after all.

Source: The BBC, via The Cassidy Feed.

Sara Hall's Workout Mix

Runner's World recently published a feature on middle-distance standout Sara Hall, wife of elite U.S. Marathoner Ryan Hall. Sara discusses her workout mix, which includes songs that remind her of her faith. When asked what music she'd want if stranded on a desert island, she says

"I'd want U2, Coldplay, and Kim Walker.

"U2 is timeless, and their lyrics would give me food for thought – which I'd need, since I'd be bored.

"Coldplay is one of my favorites. I could listen to some of their more whiney songs when I was feeling sorry for myself.

"And then I'd listen to Kim Walker, whose music would lead me to worshipping God and focusing on his goodness - instead of feeling sorry for myself."

You may find the full article here.

Justin Young on the Treadmill

Just a quick not to those of you who have asked me about treadmill training. I responded on the blog with some ramblings of my own, but Justin Young, an elite American runner kindly sent me a link yesterday to his article In Defense of the Treadmill.

You can find a link to his new and improved blog on the sidebar to the right.

Thanks Justin!

Kara Goucher Interview

Justin Young has posted an interesting interview given by Kara Goucher, who holds the U.S. record for an American woman’s debut marathon, with a time of 2:25:53. She has some helpful comments on running one's first marathon.

Cheap Sneaks Work

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY expensive shoes to take up running. A new article reports research that indicates that expensive running shoes may actually increase the chances of injury.

Thanks to Jeremy Gayed for sending the article.

Advice for Beginning Runners

I am getting more and more questions from friends interested in running. Most beginner mistakes relate to doing too much mileage too quickly, improper pacing, and not recognizing the need for proper equipment.

Below are some tips I found through research and my own experiences as a beginner (which I still am):

1.Train, don't strain: "A major mistake is that beginners try to run too fast!" says Budd Coates, Health Promotions Manager at Rodale, Inc., and four-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. "They get completely out of breath, their leg muscles scream, and, naturally, running isn't fun under those circumstances. So they get discouraged and quit. Instead, they need to begin at a pace that is about the same as a fast walk."

2. Walk/Run: Unless you are coming from a strong (and recent) background in another physically demanding sport (cycling, martial arts, tennis, basketball, soccer, cross-country skiing), don't jump right into a running program. Instead, begin with a walk/run program.

3. Run for time not miles at the beginning: Typical training goals for a walk/run program would be four times per week, 20 to 30 minutes of exercise per session. "The biggest mistake that beginning runners make is they tend to think in mile increments--1 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles," says Coates. "Most of them aren't ready for that; they need to think in minutes of running, not miles.
At first keep your runs short and slow to avoid injury and soreness so you do not quit.

4. Slow Down: If you are breathing too hard slow down or walk a bit until you feel comfortable again. The "talk test" is a simple way to judge your pace. If you are running at a pace that is comfortable enough to allow you to talk with a training partner (but not so easy that you could hit the high notes in an Italian opera), then your speed is just fine for the early stages of a running program.

5. Pick a Convenient Route: Pick your route close to home (out your front door)—the more convenient it is the better chance you will have sticking with it.

6. Find a beginner training plan for your first race.

7. Keep a training diary.

8. Pick up a book or two or three on running.

9. Vary your training routes: This will prevent boredom and prevent your body from getting acclimated.

10. Run fast after you develop an endurance base.

11. Build rest into your schedule: Rest is just as important of an element as exercise in your fitness plan.

12. Forgive yourself: Over-ambitious goals usually lead to frustration and giving up on your fitness plan. If you miss a goal or milestone let it go and focus on the next opportunity to get it.

References:
The Mgt. 100 Beginner Running Tips
Will-Weber, Mark. "First Steps"

Burnout

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED that I haven't posted in quite some time. I also have not run a single step in over a week.

I got sick. I burned out. I broke me.

In the section on "Burnout" in The Principles of Running, Amby Burfoot writes,

"First, when your body is rebelling, listen to it. Leg soreness means something. So do other aches, pains and fever. Listen to them."

I didn't.

"You feel great, you're running fast, and every workout seems easy."

Yup.

"No wonder you're tempted to run a little father and harder every day. You sense you are on the verge of a breakthrough."

Uh huh...

"This is often when the breakdown occurs instead. One morning you wake up feeling sluggish and feverish..."

I did.

"An alarm goes off in your head...So you push yourself really hard for the next several days. You succeed to a point, but it takes tremendous effort. In fact, it increases your overall burnout, and soon the downward spiral continues."

Bingo!

"When this happens, the only way out is to take several weeks, sometimes more, of rest and very easy running."

Ugh.

"It's far better to avoid burnout in the first place."

Oh.

Lesson:

"The only way to maintain optimal fitness and energy is to give yourself appropriate breaks when you need them."*
___
*pp. 88, 89

The Ten Percent Rule

Some of you have come to me in the last few months expressing an interest in running. I refuse to take the credit/blame for this.

In any event, I’m darn excited about it and want to help make sure you keeprunning. So, I beg you to follow what is know as the Ten Percent Rule, know in running circles simply as 10PR. Simply stated, the 10PR provides that a runner should not increase her running speed or distance more than 10%/week.

Below, please find articles discussing the 10PR by two of running’s most well-know teachers

Amby Burfoot; and

Hal Higdon.

I’m sure it probably applies to weight lifting too, but you’ll have to ask one of those muscle-heads. Harvey? Thoughts?

Trouble Fitting Exercise into Your Daily Schedule?

David Goggins has a suggestion.

Mailbag Friday! (Winter Running)

FM asks

sup nads. question, do you run in these cold and dark months? what do you do?
any advice? I'd like to continue as I am working towards the 10k mark now. I've passed the 5k mark but I know if i stop for the winter months its going to put me back considerably. i was just wondering what you do.

10k! Thats awesome, man! I would definitely not stop during the winter. Yes it will set you back if you quit running during the winter. But, some people say that some time off has it's benefits.

Do you have access to a gym? You could run on a treadmill (the picture to the right depicts how cool you'd look) when the weather is just way too cold. I use a treadmill because "senior management" says no running outside in the cold weather.

The treadmill is sometimes referred to by runners as the "dreadmill" because treadmill running can be boring. I personally like it because
1) you can really track your progress;

2) it's easier on your legs (make sure you set the incline to 1.0 to make it better on your joints); and

3) you can watch interesting programs if there's a TV screen in front of you. The one pitfall is that there's also a lot of lascivious junk on TV that you've got to scroll through. Besides one of the guys from the youth group works at the gym I belong to and I'm always a bit paranoid that he is going to walk by at the very second that Christina Aguilera ("Ain't No Other Man!") video is on the screen...but I digress!

If you can't join a gym, I'd think about getting the right gear for winter running, which usually includes a basal layer (super-tight stuff; Target has good deals) and then another layer on top of that. Use your judgment, though, because some days are just too cold!

Mailbag Friday!

My friend FB writes,

I miss the hairy man. What is up brother? I have to confess that I am a long time reader of sneakersandbooks...I have a question (on the sneakers side of your life). I've been exercising quite a bit more these days (few months now). Weight training and cardio. Mostly cycling however i've just starting running periodically. I gotta say i'm pretty pathetic as I only run about a 1.5 miles or so. My question; is it normal that after only .3 miles or so I want to give up and die but then once I pass it I feel i can keep going for miles longer? Its wierd.

Yeah i'm sure I sound like an idiot. I actually run b/c it takes so much longer for a good cardio via cycling and when i come home I find it more time efficient to run for 20 or so minutes then cycling for 45 minutes! Thats the world we live in huh? Yeah, I try to maximize time with the family as I feel guilty every minute away from them esp. to work out."

Hey, man, thanks for the question!

No, you don't sound like that much of an "idiot", except that I know how you sound when you speak, so in my head you sounded like an -

Anyway, while I wish to mock you to death, everything you said was spot-on. Dr. Edward Coyle, fitness expert at the University of Texas in Austin, found that a 155-pound man burns 110 calories/mile (regardless of speed) and that the same man burns 31 calories/mile going at about 15 mph. So, a 5.63 mile run is about the equivalent to a 20-mile bike ride. It's good to mix it up a little though.

So, I prefer running to cycling for the same reason as you (time), and also because most cyclists feel the need to dress up like superheroes. Bunch of batty boys.

And, yes, a lot of the time when time I run, the beginning is the big sucks. Keep running man!

From Your Couch to a 5K Race!

Most of you laugh at me when I even suggest that that you take up running. Wait. Are you laughing at my hairy arms? What do you want me to do? Wax them? Do you know what my dad would say? He'd crinkle his face and look away. I just can't bear that. Ehem. What was my original - oh yeah:

So, what would you say if I told you there was a plan out there that could get you off your couch and, in nine short weeks, ease you into a 5K race? "Show me! Show me!" Ok, all yours!

Who's game?