Running Alone

I expected to be beaten by a 16-year-old at this year's EYS 5k. My prediction was not technically accurate: as I was beaten by two 16-year-olds. No respect.

Still, I went in confident I had a shot at personal best, never mind that the temperature was 88F. We lined up, I took a deep one, and we were off. As expected, about 25 people jumped in front of me at "Go." I waded through the mass of runners (1), and within 3 minutes, I was by myself. And that's how I remained: alone.

We were an earnest bunch, if nothing else.

It was my slowest time this Spring, and a lesson in running alone, which, in racing, is the kiss of death. You want to be in a pack, taking turns pushing the pace, sharing the pain. If you get lost in no man's land (what runners call "getting gapped"), you're more or less outta luck.

Jeff Edmonds contrasts track and road racing:

In track, you don't get to do what you want to do. You have to race the pace that is set. More than that: you have to make yourself a part of this barely formed organism that is tightly hurtling itself around this little track...

In a road race, you make adjustments off the pace, especially in a podunk road race where there is no such thing as a pack, just a few scattered skinny guys you know and train with all the time...You aren't a part of a loosely-bound organism skittering tightly around a 280 meter oval. You are a normal human being, and you think like one (2)

The Christian Church has emphasized the unity of the organism, the Body since her beginning (4). Kallistos Ware states, "The Church is not an organization, company or corporation, but rather an organism, a body, a divine-human...body.”

Hard as it is for me, if I want to live within this organism, the Body, to share fully in its life, I don't always "get to do what I want to do." Edmonds continues:

Thinking, in the middle of a track race, is a HUGE mistake. It only separates you from the organism. [Side note, don't be confused: Thinking is awesome at the end of the race, if you can still muster it, because that's when the organism must be separated--and better that you do the separating.].

So, there is that tension, between thinking and non-thinking, between individualism and herdism. Too much of one, and you separate yourself and are lost, too much of the other and you're fused, swallowed, and you disappear. And so, Oliver Clement, notes:

Christian spirituality...is of its very nature something that ‘we’ share, our self-awareness being awakened by our sense of being in communion with others. Never forget that this ‘we’ is not an undifferentiated mass, that it has nothing to do with collective hysteria. It exists always by personal encounter; it is my neighbour’s face, innumerable certainly, but every time a face. The Christian ‘we’ reflects the Trinity...the Eastern liturgies...remind us that the Christian ‘we’, like the Trinity, is not a fusion, but a unity of unique persons (6).

This might also be the long answer to the kid who asks a reasonable question: "Do I have to go to church?" Man, you don't have to do anything (7). But when you get together with like-minded people, it makes a difference in a way that's hard to articulate. Life is best lived, it seems, in community, with family, among like-hearted sisters and brothers. Troubles are best faced with a little help from our friends.

But, so are the good times, you know? Not surprisingly, my best and most enjoyable races have been those I spent in the thick of the pack, a paradoxical herd of wild, yet focused stallions, simultaneously exuberant children and grown-ups taking ourselves way too seriously.

The pros know it well. When Dathan Ritzenhein crossed the finish line last week, earning a spot on the US Olympic team, he crossed himself, as well, perhaps thanking God, for Galen Rupp, who pushed and pulled him along.

 

Ritz, an Olympian, with a little help from his friend.

Of course, sometimes it's better to run alone. Mike Girouard's Cape Ann 25k race report describes it well:

Everything was going fine and I was okay with the low 6:30's pace...when around mile 5 or so a guy...caught up to us and broke up the party. He was working awfully hard for 5 miles into a 25k and between his feet slapping the ground and his breathing like a freight train I just for some reason decided I needed to leave. And so I did--out the front door. I dropped a 6:26, then a 6:18 and a 6:17 and suddenly I was all alone...

It's true. We're better off alone than with downers, heart breakers and the like (8).

Not to over parse, but notice there was a process of thinking. He considered the options and decided that it was better to wade into that human-less asphalt void, The Gap, which reveals no pace and has no heart.

So it is at our schools and jobs and in our spirituals lives. We have to make that studied decision sometimes. It seems to me that this is one of life's big tasks: knowing when to be part of the organism and when to pull away, when to roll along with a little un-thinking, and when to stand apart, when you just "need to leave."

Mike had many years of experience on the road and on the track, and so his decision was probably almost instantaneous. Developing that instinct in spiritual life is very hard. It takes time, experience, mistakes, and reflection. In other words, lots of living. But it's important to at least know that the issue is there. It seems to me that we each need someone to whom we're answerable, a spouse, a coach, a spiritual guide, someone from whom we permit ourselves to hide nothing.

Clubber Lang: Alone to the bitter end.

   

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(1) many of whom, I am confident, set 400 meter personal bests. Congrats!
(2) Race Recap: My first college track meet in 13 years
(3) "in real life," for the not-so-savvy; lessons for all!
(4) Acts 2:40-46
(5) divine-human
(6) On Human Being:  A Spiritual Anthropology
(7) Unless you're my daughter, in which case, yes, you have to. You'll either thank me or, perhaps, write a wildly popular rock song about me. Either way, a great outcome is nearly assured! 
(8) cf. 1 Cor 15:33

The Half at Philadelphia

The night before was nearly as memorable as the day of. The plan was to responsibly take in a movie and be in bed by 8 or 9; in other words 2-3 hours earlier than normal.

Restlessness was exacerbated by what sounded like *quite* a party in the lobby. Totally unable to sleep from the jitters, inexplicable hunger, and periodic howling (in the strictest definition; actual howling) coming from the lobby, I did what any normal super-tweaker would do: I pulled on my jeans and shoes (no socks) and headed down to the gift shop for pretzels and water. I sat there, scarfing, first two pretzels at once, then six or seven, listening to Like a Virgin booming from the nearby bar. "OMG, I'm in the land of the world's loudest, most inconsiderate people in America: Philadelphia. Screwed. Got back to bed, only to be awoken an hour later by a piercing ring (Maybe I'm dead? I hope so.) and a voice "Evacuate the building. There is an emergency in the building. Do not use the elevator. You must evacuate the building." Some kid had pulled the fire alarm.

Got up around 4 and went out for a light jog. This is my day. I once passed a really tough exam on 2 hours sleep. Been there. Came back and heated up two packets of oatmeal. No spoon, so I used the coffee cup lid. Lots of it ended up on my face. This is my day.

The way they organized the corrals was weird. Half and full marathon peeps are all together, which was fine. But, right behind elite and sub-elite are “up to 3:10" and “up to 1:35.” Hmm? Anyways, by the time I got to the start from the portajohn line, it was like 5 minutes to the gun (of course). The only way to get into my corral was to jump over a chest-high metal barricade. Up and over and who do I find? Bryan McDonnell, who lives one town over and regularly wins local races. I was flattered that he recognized me. He told Mike he was going for two 1:24's. Yeah, see you back in Jersey. They started playing Lose Yourself and, embarrassed to say, I lost myself a little. But, some dude behind me was tearing. Come on, man; I hope it was from something other than Eminem.

Go! I was through the first half mile in like 3:15. The sub-3 pacer was cruising along, chatting with the guy next to him, and holding up his balloon stick like it was nothing. I was mesmerized by that for a bit. Forcing myself down, I came through mile 1 in 7:13.

Around mile 4-5ish, I noticed I had been running most of the way with one runner, Amanda, and asked her what she was going for.
“1:30.”
“Me, too.”
“Good.”

Running with Amanda was the best part of the race. Even though we exchanged surges, I wasn't trying to beat her and I could tell she wasn’t trying to beat me. At some point, she came up with another woman: “I found another one.” Ha.

Through 10k in 43:01.

At this point, we hit the hills. I hadn’t looked at a course elevation profile or anything before the race, so these took me by surprise. At some point I lost Amanda, and the other women lost me.

I pulled up to the to 10-mile clock and saw 1:09: 50, 51. Good *grief,* not again. Not again. At this point I started negotiating with my legs. “No more races this year. This is it. This is it. Come on.” I knew I had to run in the low 6's for the rest of the race. Plowing, plowing, plowing. “Full marathoners to the left, half to the right!” At this point, there was only one half marathoner in front of me. As I passed him, he grunted, “Yeah, finish strong.” Seeing no one else and completely delirious, I sincerely thought, for about a mile, “Am I winning? Am I going to win? Omg. I’m winning the half at Philly...No.” Later, others would comment that the course finished along “the river.” I did not know that at the time, since I was in a tunnel. The clock came into view: 1:59:40, 41. Oh no, not again. Not again. Dig, dig - Why is the guy in front of me stopping to jump and touch the clock? - 1:29:57, 58. In! Right? I later found out that my gun time was 1:29:59. Good grief is right.

Racing and Selective Attention

This year's Ramsey 10k was best race of my life, so far, and not just because of the time on the clock.

I lined up near, but not at, the front. By the end of the first mile, two packs had emerged; top 12(?) and then maybe 4 of us in the next pack. I found myself in the front, with the leaders way ahead of us.

After about the second mile marker a guy jumped in front of me. He lead for a bit, then at about mile 4 1/2, he started to flake. I was thinking he'd race with me, but, as I found out later, his tendonitis got him (big bummer).

A little into the last mile, I passed a kid in a T-shirt. There's something about the competitive cotton-clad that I respect.

About 1k to go and I was *right* up on Hector of Clifton RR. I was giving everything I thought I had, and figured if this guy doesn't relent I'm just not going to beat him. Then, he looked back at me and I found something that surprised me and took off. 7:22 over the last 2k.

When I saw the time on the clock, I was very surprised. I was so consumed with the race, that I had forgotten what my time goal was. It was one of those races where I had to force my eyes open to find the finish mat.

I was so happy. I thank God for such an experience.

On a related noted, Jeff at the Logic of Long Distance blog has posted some very good thoughts on Toughness as an Act of Imagination. He writes,

The attention is the greatest tool of the human mind because it allows us to select from the world the stimuli to which we would like to respond. Intelligence, it seems to me, is a matter of selection; more about tuning things out than opening the mind. The great geniuses of history created a world that made some sense through acts of attention--selecting a single problem so that progress could be made, setting up the world as intelligible when apprehended along very particular lines. Great thinkers help us frame our vision--by telling us what to see or how to see, they also tell us what not to see.

Winning Yourself

Haile Gebrselassie, known as "The Emperor," is considered by many to be the greatest runner of all time. On Sunday, he announced his retirement from the sport.

Here is a nice clip, in which he discusses "winning yourself."

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

He once told CNN,

When you believe in something, you believe in yourself as well. I believe in God. I go to a church and pray, not just to pray to God, but at the same time to pray for yourself. Your body is always ready to do what you recommend what you ask it. That's why believing is very important. I am a religious person. I am an orthodox Christian. My family taught me how to pray.(*)

Here he is announcing his retirement, after the 2010 New York City Marathon

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

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*Q & A with Haile Gebrselassie

The Baystate Marathon

LAST WEEK I took a second crack at the marathon. After a little time to reflect, I am o.k. with how it went.

I went out hoping to hit sub-3:30. The night before, I thought: "All I have to do is start a bit carefully and then try to stay in the 7:50s." This did not exactly pan out. Like my training, there were brief good moments, some bad ones, and some really bad ones.

I crossed the 10k mark in 50:42, feeling fine, but realizing that I was running with the sub-3:40 crowd. This is more or less where I remained.

Near the end of the first half, I could not tell whether I had more than enough to finish "evenly," or if did not have nearly enough. Such is novice marathoning.

When I crossed mile 20 in 2:42 and change, I thought, "A 48-minute 10k? I can do that." Miles 21 and 22 reflected that belief. But, for whatever reason, during the 23-26.2 stretch, either became cautious or lost some zip, finishing in 3:36.

I think in many ways the race was microcosm of the training that preceded it. I ran more than I ever have, but my training was erratic and I do not think I "learned" my body well, how different paces felt, and what the different signals from my body meant. The fact that, throughout the race, I could not tell whether I had a ton of reserves left or very little is, itself, indicative.

I read Pete Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning and followed (more or less) his 18/70 plan, but wish I had fully-digested it well before I started training or, at the very least eight weeks before the race.
I attempted a number of workouts, but did give myself the time or rest to execute them properly. In some cases, I executed them more aggressively than I should have.

If, God willing, I run a marathon this Spring, I hope to get to bed consistently earlier so that I can get up early and do the workouts properly and after proper rest. Doing workouts properly entails not pushing harder than is called-for. I also need to take my easier days a bit easier so as to soak up the benefits from the hard days. I also split most of the weekday medium-long runs into doubles, which does not produce good results for me.

Overall, I am thankful to God and my wife for supporting me in this beautiful thing. Thirty minutes faster than last year is a lot to be grateful for. Time to take it easy for a bit.

How Champions Finish

HERE'S the amazing men's finish at last Sunday's the Chicago Marathon:

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

Western States 100

THE WESTERN STATES 100 has been described as the "de facto national championship" of ultra-racing. Most runner's will not run it. Most know that they cannot ever run it. This is not a never-say-never issue. There is wisdom in never.

For an in depth look at the race experience itself - its pain and beauty - check out the reports of super-elites Anton Krupicka and Geoff Roes.

Hey, maybe one day I'll race it. You never know.
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Photo by Luis Escobar

You're Too Old To Run...

... but Joy Johnson is not:

Meb Wins New York!

AMERICAN MARATHONER Meb Keflezihi (center) capped an impressive comeback year by winning today's New York City Marathon. This makes him the first American to win the race since Alberto Salazar won in 1982.

What makes this win all the more special was a very disappointing 2008, which had many saying that the 2004 Olympic silver-medalist's best days were behind him.

I have been following Meb's career from about the time I started running and was excited (and, frankly a bit surprised) to find him among the leaders as the race reached its final stages.

American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall (right) - winner of the U.S. Olympic trials in 2008 - who many thought had a fighting chance of winning the race, finished fourth.

Meb came to the U.S. at the age of 10, fleeing with his parents from his native war-torn Eritrea(1)

Earlier this year, Meb wrote:

After a big struggle for the whole 2008 year, I committed to getting myself healthy. If I couldn't get healthy, I was ready to retire if it was God's will. I decided to go to Colorado Springs to get healthy. I spent two months there dedicating from 7am to 8 pm to rehabbing and getting stronger. As a professional runner, running is not the only part of the job. Getting healthy and maintaining your health is actually a full-time job that involves the right training, drills, nutrition, rest and education.

I would like to thank God for allowing me to see the bright moment after a dark 2008. I spent a lot time in physical therapy and doctors' offices. These are a runner's least favorite places, but I was able to make great progress and friends. Although there were many moments of frustration, I was okay with all of the rehabilitation because my faith and desire to be obedient on God's will. We all need to realize God loves us 24/7, not only when we are in the best of circumstances. God has been there to support me through the bad times and the good times. God cared for me and did not give up on me, unlike other people... but we'll leave it at that(2).

______________________
(1) Cazeneuve, Brian "Out Of Africa: Meb Keflezighi, formerly of Eritrea, heads into the U.S. nationals as America's best at 10,000 meters."
(2) www.runmeb.com

No Formula

You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you're dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, 'Believe, have faith,' in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you." If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me.' If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.

-Eric Liddel, Chariots of Fire

Congrats to my friend Paul Kist, who completed his first half marathon yesterday.

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:

Weird Things I've Seen on the Road (Vol. 1)

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.
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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.

Running to Josh's Tunes

JOSH COX is the American record holder for the 50K. Runner's World recently published articles featuring his playlists for relaxed runs (which includes music that reminds him of his spirituality and his dad) and for harder workouts.

You have to have to hand it to a man who can appreciate both "King of Glory" by Third Day and "You & Me" by Dave Matthews.

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.