Mike's Marathon Blog

I can only echo Weylin & Matt’s comments about the quality of people we encountered on the big day–runners, volunteers and fans were just unbelievable in their shared spirit for everyone’s success.  I wasn’t counting on it, but came to depend on the drunken inspiration of the BC student body around Heartbreak Hill…and the thrill of finishing on crowd-lined Boston streets that were open only to us runners.

Considering my early aspirations of a 3.5 hour marathon–and assuredness that 4hours was well within my grasp…I am oddly content  that I completed it in 4:07.  I enjoyed the experience as much as possible…I gave it my absolute best shot and every ounce of strength in my legs…and I found a way to finish the last 7-8 miles with nothing in the tank.  An amazing experience–it is as hard and as wonderful as it was built up to be.

Thanks to EVERYONE who helped me along this journey–My family, friends, wonderful donors, the Stoneham Theatre…and especially to my teammates Lee, Landers, Weylin & Matt–>you all made it fun!

OK–worst part about the injury is that I seem to have missed ALL the good weather in which to run.  Hit the treadmill while it rained and snowed this am.

Plan a biathalon (no weapons) on Sunday morning…6-mile run then 1+ hour on the bike to bring the calf along slowly, but keep the cardio up.  If all continues to improve next week, heading for my final long-run Easter Sunday…perhaps a 16 mile repeat of the mountain run at Sunday river.

After taking most of the last 2+ weeks to nurse a nagging calf, I finally got out today for a modest 2.7 miles with no discernable pain…just a little tightness as the strain repairs itself.  My Chiro/therapist advised a gentle return…2-3 miles for a few runs…then gradually increase so that I may run up-to, but not through the burning in the calf that stopped me 2+ weeks ago.

The rest has made all other issues go away and given a feeling of very fresh legs at least for short distances…I am sure I have given up a little strength & stamina, but will go out every other day with this slow-increase approach in hopes of getting at least 1 more long run in before easing off 10 days before the race.

Since I injured myself on a short/easy run (after 2 days rest following a 16 miler)…seems the injury was a cumulative result of not giving myself enough rest between runs (especially long runs) to that point.  Therefor, I will really try to listen to my body more acutely and NOT run when the legs feel generally sore/tired.  My criteria previously had been to go out as long as I was neither sick nor injured.

Funny with all the effort I have put in to this point…the last 2 weeks off have been the hardest of the whole experience.

So during my 16 mile run with Lee, I commented how good I was feeling and how smoothly training had been going to this point.  And I guess being irreverant (euphamism for Stupid) commented that I would actually like to get a cold or injury now so that I could ‘get it out of the way’ while there was still time to recover and pick-up training.

My NEXT run this past Tusday (a 5-mile ‘easy’ run about which I commented to Aricia the night before was ‘hardly worth my effort’) introduced a small but progressively limiting left calf strain that had me stop at 4.5 miles and walk home.  I’ve had the same issue a couple times before via tennis, and typically take a week off and get back at it.  I will therefor eschew the long run this weekend, and give it a 3-4 mile test on Sunday.

The good news is that this will allow for other nagging ‘owies’ to heal and hopefully recharge me for the second half of training.  I am just over the half-way mile mark of the 500 total miles that my 16-week program calls for, and still excited about the whole thing.  I have to say that taking a week off feels pretty good too!

Before this marathon insanity…which pretty much requires training in rain, sleet, snow, through hangovers, on big meeting days and when you really don’t want to…I considered myself a fair-weather runner…and really enjoyed it!

I was lucky to have a fair-weather experience yesterday as we are on vacation in Beautiful Sanibel FL.  I had all morning to complete a 20 mile run (my first!), beautiful conditions and great scenery.  I went the length of the island…from the Southern lighthouse to Captiva…via the wildlife refuge, Ding Darling.  Great run…finished in 3:00:42 and experienced ebbs and flows for the first time.  This was encouraging because to this point…if I felt bad at any point in a run…that is how I finished that run.  I had great legs through 9 miles…average legs through 13…deadish legs by 14…then my second ‘gu’ combined with first application of Wesley’s iPod with a bizzare but uplifting collection of music gave me an absolute boost for the next 3.5 miles–I couldn’t run fast enough or feel any better.  I hit a pretty hard wall at 18.7 miles…ran .75 on soft sand into the wind and had trouble putting one leg in front of the other.  Turned around and finished strong in full stride with wind at my back.  Favorite lyric in the mix I finished with was Jon Bon Jovi claiming he’s ‘been walking in the footsteps of society’s lies’.

Al, Barbara, Aricia and boys were kind enough to meet me and get me to a restaurant (outside seating) for a nice recovery lunch.  Great run all in all, and I will remember that some degree of recovery is possible during a long run.

Running 18-miles is HARD!

Cold and windy run through the city with Lee yesterday morning.  I struggled to maintain 9ish minute miles while Lee seemed to have plenty of energy and was even indifferent to getting food/water on the way.   Was thinking his ankle might be bionic…but he reported some soreness after.

Highlights were:  The opportunity to see the city of Boston from the North, South, East & West…the realization that, We Are Not Alone as there are TONS of dedicated runners in the city on a cold Feb morning…the convenience of using Starbucks for mid-run food, espresso & toilette (I will have to scope out one on the Marathon course)….and agreeing to finish at a bar for a pint of Guiness.  We made it to the bar, but inane Mass laws required that they serve only ‘breakfast alcohol’ before noon.  Bloody Mary’s won out over mimosa’s and were positively theraputic.

Sore and bordering on queasy/sleepy for 2-3 hours after….but perked up for Superbowl and don’t feel as though I was in a car crash yesterday as I wake up this morning.  Putting off the next long run (2o miles) until we are safely in Sanibel, FL for school vacation next week.  Can’t wait to run in shorts & t-shirt!

A good friend of mine told me at the outset of this escapade that ‘Training for a Marathon is the most selfish thing you can do’ relative to the time-away it takes from family to run…and from the ‘honey do’ list as you recover from training runs.  It’s true.  I am honestly too gassed most weekends/nights to paint, install, move boxes etc.

To minimize time away from family I’ve been doing weekly runs EARLY and weekend long runs as early as possible.  Also, I’ve tried not to substantially change any family plans…rather fit my running in around them.  10 miles before the Symes ‘Yankee Swap’ with Lanny & Weylin, 14 miles in VT around a cross-country ski weekend with friends…and yesterday, 16 miles at Sunday river as we spent a wonderful weekend with Lanny, Jen & their family. 

Aricia, Nathan & I skied cross-country on Saturday as the other boys learned to snowboard.  Yesterday I managed 16 cold and hilly miles as the boys boarded again.  Lanny, thank God, joined me for the first 6 as he’s doing long runs mid-week.  We went from base lodge to base lodge (6.8mi) at Sunday river, featuring a 3.5 mile climb.  We agreed that there should be no circumstance during the marathon that we will run that much uphill, with so much gear in so much cold!

We parked Lanny’s car there…so he missed the downhill, but that was a trip.  25 +/- minutes of flying & leg pounding…featuring me screaming-out Jane’s addiction’s ‘Coming Down the Mountain’ (I know that song well since it’s on Rock Band).  After the radical up & down…my legs felt like over-worked clay, so finished with an unimpressive 6-miles to complete the 16. 

Playing Tennis tonight to complete the ski/run/tennis triathlon…gentle running this week until next Sunday, then looking for a FLAT 18-miles Superbowl Sunday Morning…anybody want to join?

Over the last two weeks I’ve reached a few important milestones including:

A 12-mile run in 9-18 degree weather on the seacoast 2 weeks ago.  A personal distance record.  The run was less painful than watching the Patriots playoff game that afternoon.

A 14-mile run this past Saturday in our former town of Pittsford, VT.  Pittsford is beautiful…but it is ONLY hills.  This jaunt included another personal distance record, an URGENT pit-stop in the woods at 4.5 miles (which is frustrating because 1.  I tease Lee about not ‘taking care of business’ before his runs and 2.  I ‘took care of business’ twice before this run) and sore nipples (which I hope is related to the running).  I followed that up with overeating, overdrinking, sledding, cross country skiing and shoveling.  

Needless to say my legs are today like cement.  Fortunately the schedule gives me a break from long runs this coming weekend and will crank it up again for 16 miles on the 30th.

Among the many ‘Firsts’ of this new year that I will experience (Training for a Marathon, running a marathon, outpacing the rest of the Stoneham Theatre running team, recovering from a Marathon) this is my first-ever blog.

12-mile run planned for this morning with Matt & Weylin…but the snow is collecting steadily. May be 5 miles on the treadmill today and try for 12 outdoors tomorrow.