Running With Jack

When I got home from work yesterday I was beat, a combination of being mentally exhausted from an extremely busy week at work and having trouble sleeping for the last two nights. My wife was at night school and I had about 25 minutes until I had to leave to run with my running club, so I invested in a 10 minute nap on the couch.

I woke up from my catnap feeling better and rushed to get ready to run. I made it out the door in just enough time to run the 4K/2.5M to the trailhead where the group met. As most of the people that I normally run with had just finished a marathon or half-marathon on Sunday, I was hoping for a nice easy-paced 11K/7M run with the group.

As we headed out it was apparent that these people have different ideas about taking it easy after a major race, as they were quickly up to their normal pace (e.g. fast) within a few hundred meters. After 4 or 5 kilometers I decided I had enough speed training and let the group pull ahead, as I dropped back to about a 5:30/K (8:51/M) pace. Shortly after this one of the runners (Walter), that had run the marathon in 4:10:00 on Sunday, dropped back and joined me. A couple minutes later the remaining 4-5 runners turned and took a shortcut back to the trailhead, I guess they burned themselves out. Walter and I continued on at our comfortable pace and finished the 11K in 59 minutes.

After chatting with some of the group for a few minutes after the run, I started feeling cold so bid my farewells and ran the 4K/2.5 back to the house. Altogether I ran about 19K/12M for the night, mission accomplished.

This morning I feel good, my legs are a little sore, but I have had two faster pace runs this week so this is to be expected. I slept much better last night, probably too tired to let thoughts about work and life keep me up.

Tonight I want to run about an hour at a recovery pace and on Saturday morning for about 2-2 ½ hours on my hilly route. My last long run before my 50K (Oct. 21) will be next Tuesday, a holiday in Germany.

Posted by Jack at 6:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I got off work a little later last night, so was a bit rushed when I stopped at the pool on the way home. The problem was that I also needed to stop at the store on the way home and they close at 6:30 p.m. So I knocked out 600 meters of laps before I ran out of time. Somehow this was enough anyway, it has been awhile since I went swimming and I was out of the groove.

I hope I get off work in time tonight to run with my running club at 6 p.m. - if not then I'll just do it solo. It has been getting dark before 8 p.m. so I may need my flashlight if it gets too late, also not a problem. Happy running!

Posted by Jack at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This morning my legs are a bit sore and tired, but in a good way, my reward for a good workout. Tonight if I can get off work early enough I want to stop at the swimming pool for some laps, its been entirely too long since I have done anything for my upper body.

The next 3 ½ weeks until my 50K race are going to go by fast and furious. I have been thinking and rethinking how to best use my limited training time. I plan on tapering for about two weeks before the race, mostly just to give my body a rest before the big day. I am basically going to be approaching the race at my current fitness level, there is no time for improvements and rest is probably more important than pushing at this point. It is better when I show up rested and ready to fight, than to show up overtrained and ready for a nap.

But I won’t be sleeping in the next 1 ½ weeks before my taper begins. Tomorrow night I want to run with my running club and on Thursday I want to run my 14K/8.7M route again. On Saturday I want to run about 2 ½ hours on my hilly route in Weingarten. My last long run will be next Tuesday (Oct. 3 – a holiday in Germany), a 4-5 hour run at marathon pace.

Isn't training exciting, I can't wait!

Posted by Jack at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

As I was sitting on the training riding home I was thinking why I seem to fallen in a “runner’s slump” of sorts. Ever since I got back from vacation in Italy a week ago I seem to have lost my normal enthusiasm. Why?

Then I thought about my post that I wrote earlier today..”The End of the Race Season?” Good excuse, but that’s not it, it’s not the end of the race season, I have a fantastic 50K race coming up that I have been looking forward to for months!

So what’s up?? That’s what I found myself asking as I sat on the train. Why am I so “running depressed” I pondered. Then it hit me, post-marathon depression. I’ve experienced this before right after an event, hitting a low valley right after peaking out during a major race. It’s kind of an anti-climatic experience that appears after the adrenaline wears off.

Yes, I think this is the problem – it hit me harder then normal because I was worn out from the long bus ride back from Italy, was hit right away with a lot of stress at work, plus a few other things going on. Add a little frustration from a few pounds that I put on post-marathon and during my vacation, well you get the idea.

So, I did the best thing that I could do to beat the post-marathon blues – I laced up and hit the trails! I had planned on a nice easy run to meditate life and the world, but now I knew what I really needed – to RUN! So I dusted off my MP3 player, put in fresh batteries and headed out into the rain. The MP3 player acts like a turbo-switch for me, I always end up running too fast…just what I was looking for.

So I headed out over my 14K/8.7M route, the rain came down in a steady stream, and I lost my thoughts as I turned up the volume on my favorite music, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith,…

Here are some of my splits, based on my memory:

1K: 5:45 (9:15/M)
2K: 5:25 (8:43/M)
3K: 5:00 (8:03/M)
4K: 4:55 (7:55/M)

I passed the 10K point in 50:35 (average 5:03/K or 8:08/M)

11K: 5:25 (8:43/M)
12K: 5:00 (8:03/M)
13K: 4:55 (7:55/M)
14K: 4:50 (7:47/M)

I finished the 14K in 1:10:31 (average 5:02/K or 8:06/M)

As the adrenaline continues to pump through my veins I can only appreciate that I can run and I am a runner! I can’t wait until Wednesday when I get my next adrenaline “fix”. Happy running!

Posted by Jack at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I think I feel the end of the race season coming on. With me this is not really a calendar date, it’s more a feeling, like it’s time to slow down for awhile and regroup. I’m also getting a lot of pressure from work, home and other things that I should take care of.

I’m kind of worried that the baggage I am carrying around is going to have a big influence on my 50K in October. I only have 3 ½ weeks to clear the head and today the picture is kind of cloudy.

On the other side my wife starts her evening classes again tonight, so I can take a nice leisurely run and try to clear the picture.

Posted by Jack at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday morning I headed out for my first long run since my marathon on Sept. 10th. My goal was a 2 ½ hour run on my hilly route in Weingarten (a neighboring town 12KM from us). I arrived at my trailhead and realized I had forgotten my stop watch, so would have to leave the length of my run up to my instincts.

I set out at a comfortable pace over my normal route, which includes three hill climbs of 4- 8 minutes. Usually I need about 1 ½ hours for a loop, so completed the first loop, then about ¾ of the second. Based on the clock in my car I was gone for 3 hours and 5 minutes, not bad.

This upcoming week is going to be really busy at work, so I may have to be a bit more creative in getting all my runs in, we'll see. Have a good week!

Posted by Jack at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last night was a rest night due to my wife’s birthday. I met my wife at her work at the end of the day with the intention of treating her to a romantic dinner, maybe at our favourite Greek restaurant. But it our tradition that the birthday baby has choice, so we went to my wife’s choice, Pizza Hut! After a tasty meal of pizza, salad and garlic bread we walked around the market area of Karlsruhe for an hour window-shopping before taking the streetcar (Tram) home. My wife seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening, which made my day as well.

The only negative point is that my diet is in chaos, ugh!

This evening I am accompanying my wife to her eye exam, then will go for a run whenever we get home.

Tomorrow my company is going on their annual outing, where they pack the employees on buses and visit something worthwhile in the area. This year we are going to the Unimog museum and a few other attractions in Gaggenau and Bad Herrenalb in the foothills of the Black Forest. In the afternoon the ambitious ones will hike up one of the mountains overlooking Bad Herrenalb for one of the better views of the area. Of course the high point is always the company-sponsored picnic lunch and dinner at an area beer garden. I will try to get some good pictures to post.

On Saturday morning at O-dark-early is my first long run since my marathon, probably about 2 ½ hours on my hilly route. I’m really looking forward to it!

Posted by Jack at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

After a hectic first day back to work after vacation I decided to go for a shorter run last night to work off some of the stress. Normally I run Wednesday night with my running club, but tonight is my wife’s birthday and I’m taking her out for dinner – so no training.

Anyway I went for an easy 9K/5.6M run last night at an average 5:40/K (9:08/M) pace. My legs felt much better than Monday nights run, I think they are starting to loosen up.

So I have 4 ½ weeks to train before my 50K race on October 21.

This week I am going to keep the pace down, do some shorter runs and finish with about a 2 ½ hour long run on my hilly course. I’ll probably end up with about 58K/36M for the week.

Next week I am going to pick up the pace slightly and increase my mileage to about 77K/48M for the week. I will try for a 3 1/4 hour long run on my hilly route.

During the first week of October I want keep about the same weekly mileage, but will do a longer long run, probably a training marathon (flat course) on Oct. 3 (a holiday in Germany).

After that I will taper off a week or two before the 50K. So that’s the plan anyway, we’ll see how it goes.

My goal for the 50K is to finish strong, my finishing time is irrelevant. It’s a hilly course, so I’m just going take one step at a time and concentrate on not burning myself out during the first half of the race.

Posted by Jack at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Last night I dusted off my running shoes and went for a run, the first in 6 days. Normally after such a long break I am full of energy and ready for an intensive run, but last night this was not the case. I don’t know whether it was the 12½ hour bus ride on Sunday, or the fact that I ran a marathon a week ago, but my legs were really tight and I only managed an easy pace of 5:49/K (9:22/M) for the 14K/8.7M. Actually this is a good thing because I should hold off on any tempo runs for another week anyway.

The next big event on my calendar is a challenging 50K race on October 21 in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany. With only 5½ weeks until the event I have to decide rather quickly how to best use this time to maintain my fitness. I definitely need to get some hill training in, as the race has some of the worst (best) hill climbs in any race that I have run to date.

Here is the elevation profile (elevation in meters, distance in kilometers):

Posted by Jack at 6:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sunday, October 17, 2006 – Heading back to Germany

On Sunday morning we regrettable packed our bags, had our last breakfast in Italy and boarded the bus for the long trip back to Germany. There were mixed emotions among the group, some were sad to be leaving so soon, others couldn’t wait to be home – me I just missed my running shoes ;-)

As we backtracked to Switzerland I snapped a picture of the beautiful Lugano lake shortly after we crossed the border.

For most of the rest of the trip through Switzerland and Germany it rained, as it had for most of our trip. But we saw many impressive sites and will always savor these in our heart. Ciao Italia!

Posted by Jack at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Saturday, October 16, 2006 – Siena and San Gimignano

On Saturday we set off at 8 a.m. for Siena (Sienne), the City of the Virgin. The road to Siena passed rich, green fields of olive-trees, vineyards and cypresses. Siena has many monuments to the history of the region, the most renowned being the “Piazza del Campo”, the historic center of the city. This square is also the site of “The Siena Palio”, an annual festival and horse race. For the latter the outside of the square is covered with dirt and the horses race around the square three times. If you look at the following picture of the square it is really hard to imagine a horse race being held in such a small space.

We had lunch at a café to the right of where I took the pictures above. The streets of Siena were very steep and narrow so my wife preferred to limit our excursion through the city.

After lunch our group met in this square and we walked back to the bus. From there we made our way to San Gimignano, a Middle Ages town located on a hill near Siena. The surrounding country side was breathtaking, despite the almost constant rain that we experienced.

San Gimignano, famous for Vernaccia and for it’s towers, stands on top of a pass that dominates the Valley of Elsa. It is the center of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenic period. Its history began around the 10th century when it took the name of the Saint Bishop of Modena. In the year 1348 a terrible plague almost wiped out the town and as a consequence the small town had to surrender itself to the power of Florence. However, as a result much of the original town remain intact, unlike other towns that were destroyed due to wars.

Just as we entered the old city, there began a drenching downpour of rain. We retreated to a café with another couple from our group for some coffee and cake until the rain let up.

So this was our last excursion in Italy. After breakfast on Sunday we had to bide our newfound love Adieu!

Here is one more view of Cinquale:

Posted by Jack at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday, October 15, 2006 – Florence

On Friday morning after breakfast our bus set out for Florence, about 2 ½ hours from our hotel. Florence, or Firenze as they say in Italian, is a city of about half a million inhabitants, situated on the banks of the Arno River, between the Triennia and the Adriatic sea’s. As we rode to Florence we noticed that the landscape changed from contrasting coast line/alpine to rolling hillsides and vineyards that many tourists associate with Toscana.

Florence was home to many famous artists, sculptures and architects, including Cimabue, Giotto, Pisano, Brunelleschi, Masaccio, and so many more. The city seems to be filled with museums, galleries and monuments. The few hours that we spent in Florence were entirely inadequate, there is just so much to see.

One of the larger squares that we visited was the Piazza della Signoria, which one flyer referred to as being the political symbol of Florence for the past 600 years. Many fine sculptures, museums and galleries can be accessed from this square.

Another landmark that we visited was the fascinating cathedral St. Maria del Flore, located in the Piazza del Duomo (Dome Plaza), which was built during 1296 and 1461. One can only stand in awe before this magnificent structure.

I think that which will leave the most lasting impression from Florence is not the sculptures, cathedrals, etc., but the drivers! Yes you read that right, the Florence drivers have got to be the best in the world. I mean the way they weave in and out of traffic is scary, I saw time and time again three cars driving in two lanes. Worse yet is the scooter and motorcycle drivers, they whiz between cars and buses with only a hair’s breath on each side – I had to close my eyes, I thought I was going to see blood and gore. I have decided that I will never, ever drive in Florence, no way!

We returned a little early to the hotel from Florence. My wife wanted to take a nap, so I went for an hour walk, speed-walking along private beaches in Cinquale. There are very few open beaches in Cinquale, tourists must pay up to $60 a day for the privilege of using one of the dozens of private beach fronts.

Posted by Jack at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thursday, October 14, 2006 – Lucca and Pisa

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 a.m. and the bus picked our group up at 8:30 for an excursion to Lucca and Pisa. Lucca is about 40 minutes southeast of Cinquale. Along the way we had a nice view of the lake “Lage di Massaciuccoli”. As you can visualize from the picture below this is a really beautiful area.

Lucca, the city of Ilaria, the unfortunate bride. The historical center of the city is enclosed by a massive wall.

Some of the highlights of the city include the St. Martin Cathedral, St. Michael (San Michele) Church and the St. Frediano Church. There is also a Roman amphitheatre which holds 10,000 spectators and is still used for outdoor shows.

We walked through the old historic section of the town, with its narrow streets and small shops. We enjoyed watching people roam the market at the Piazza S. Michele (St. Michael Plaza) as we had a cup of coffee at a small café.

We walked back to the bus along the walkway on top of the wall. The approx. three kilometer long walkway is very popular among the local runners, I only regretted not having my running shoes, as dozens of runners passed us as we made our way along the wall.

After regrouping at the bus, our travel group continued on to Pisa, about 20 minutes west of Lucca. Pisa is situated on the banks of the river Arno, and has been one of the important sea ports in the history of the area. Of course Pisa is best known for its “Leaning Tower”, the bell tower of the Cathedral the Baptistery located in Miracles Square.

The part of Pisa that we saw is a “typical” tourist area like many throughout the world. You are met at every corner by people try to sell you something, the streets are full of people regardless of the weather, and you always have to walk around with one hand on your wallet. After taking a few pictures and roaming the square around the cathedral we again retreated to a street café for lunch as the rain intensified.

After awhile the rain let up and we made our way back to the bus and the trip back to the hotel. As dinner at the hotel was included in our travel package we enjoyed a three course meal of pasta, meat with potatoes, and dessert. Of course a meal is not complete in Italy without fresh bread and olive oil on the table.

Posted by Jack at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wednesday, October 14, 2006

Our bus arrived an hour late at the bus stop behind the main train station in Karlsruhe, much to the displeasure of the 20 or so people waiting to begin their journey to Toscana, Italy. While waiting, we tried to make the best of it by introducing ourselves to a few of the other travelers.

After the loading our bags on the double-decker tour bus and finding seats, the Croatian driver pointed the bus south and we were on our way. We made our way down Autobahn 5 (A5) to Basel, Switzerland (CH), then switched to A2 to Luzern (CH). Luzern is basically the doorway to the Swiss Alps.

There are two possibilities of traversing the alpine region you can take the St. Gotthard tunnel or ride over the St. Gotthard Pass. As traffic was backed up for miles at the tunnel, the driver elected to take the winding St. Gotthard Pass. Now, I have been on some winding roads before, but when you add a couple thousand feet of elevation change to this, it quickly becomes an adventure, especially in a large double-decker bus!

As we wound our way up the pass we quickly learned how good our driver was, I could not imagine driving a large bus on these winding, narrow roads, can you?

After traversing the pass we again rejoined A2 and continued our way south past Bellinzona and Lugano, eventually crossing the border into Italy around Como. Highway A2 became A9, which joined A8 and eventually A1 around Milano (Milan). We continued on through northern Toscana passing Piacenza, turning southwest onto A15 shortly before Parma, then onto A12 around La Spezia.

Finally after nearly 12 hours we arrived in Cinquale, situated in Versilia, between Marina di Massa and Forte dei Marmi on the Riviera Della Versilia (part of Toscana Riviera).

According to our travel flyer, Cinquale has “…a spacious beach to one side and to the other, picturesque villages and valleys of the majestic Apuan Alps which overlook the awe inspiring spectacle of the marble quarries.”

Here is our first picture of the city, with the alps in the background.

There are reportedly over 800 hotels along the Riviera Della Versilia, ours was the 3-star Hotel Storyville. About a third of our travel group stayed at this hotel, the rest were split up into two other hotels depending on which travel package they purchased. After checking in we had a late night dinner (10:30 p.m.) and fell exhausted into our bed.

Posted by Jack at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I enjoy woodworking and furniture refinishing. Yesterday I finished up refinishing a 3-drawer dresser that I have been working on for my wife. Hard to believe that my neighbor threw it out, it’s solid oak! Of course it looks totally different from the way it did before, I spent hours and hours sanding, smoothing and finishing. Here is a picture for the curious.

Posted by Jack at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Today we are packing for a tour bus trip to Toscana, Italy. We will be staying four nights in the Viareggio area and will be making daily excursions to the surrounding cities, including Florenz, Siena, San Gimignano, Chiantital, Pisa and Lucca.

So in any case I will be out of the net until next Monday, I wish all of you a good week and happy running!

Posted by Jack at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My wife snapped a picture as I plodded over the finish line on Sunday:

Posted by Jack at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The short version is that I flew through the first 30K/18.6/M of my marathon, was reduced to a pedestrian on the last major hill climb, but still fought my way over to the finish line for a new personal record.

My wife and I arrived at Pirmasens, in Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany on Saturday afternoon around 3:00. After picking up my start package we found our hotel a mile from the start, checked in and went to look for some dinner. Returning to the hotel room around 8 p.m. we spent a quiet night watching some T.V. and trying to relax.

After a slightly restless sleep I woke up before the alarm went off at 7 a.m., showered and got ready for breakfast. As breakfast was first at 8 a.m. at the hotel, so we had to hurry as the marathon started at 10 a.m. We wanted to try to be at the start before 9:00 in order to find a place to park.

We found a parking place a couple blocks from the race and made our way to the start. I made my pilgrimage to the toilet and my wife found a cup of coffee. About 20 minutes before the start I warmed up a little and lined up with the other 900 runners. The race was offering a half-marathon, marathon and a marathon-relay.

After the usual opening comments from the organizers the start pistol went off and we were on our way. The first 5 kilometers were downhill and I quickly picked up the pace. I didn’t worry too much about a faster pace at the beginning because I figured I would slow down when I hit the first hill - this would prove to be my first mistake.

Around kilometer 5 we finally left the asphalt bike trail we had been following and started climbing. I was still feeling fresh so didn’t slow down as much as I should have and by the time we rounded the top of the hill and started down again, I again picked up the pace crossing the 10K point in 53:07, about 5 minutes ahead of my planned time.

It was getting warmer outside by this time, around 22C/72F according to what I heard at an aid station. I made sure I was drinking each time I passed the aid stations (approx. every 5K).

I continued on over some rolling hills then down hill, passing the 21K/13M in 1:52:17. I was still feeling really good at this point, but knew I was going way too fast – I had planned on finishing the 20K/12.4M in two hours! I decided to keep running the pace and hope that I don’t fall apart too badly before I finish (mistake number two).

Around kilometer 23 (14.3 miles) the trail started climbing again and this time rather steeply. This climb continued on for about 3K/2M and by the time I reached the top I had slowed down considerably. But I was saved by a steep downhill shortly after and somehow managed to pick up the pace again, passing the 30K/18.6M point in around 2:47:00. I knew that I was having the marathon race of my life up to this point, but I also knew that I had the biggest hill in front of me and that I was fading fast. Shortly after the 30K point we began climbing, first a couple short hills, then the one I had been waiting for.

As I started up the longest, steepest climb at around the kilometer 34 (21 miles), my legs (or will to lift them) gave out. I joined the dozens of runners who walked to the top. Three kilometers later when I finally got to the top I tried to pick up the pace, but by this time my legs were stiff and I could only wobble forward. With 5K left I was moving very slowly forward and was paying dearly for my fast start. My only goal at this point was to keep moving. As I started up the last little hill at around kilometer 40 (25 miles) I experienced some cramping in my legs, but after stopping and doing some quick stretching, I was able to plod on. As I entered the grounds to the conference center where the finish line was my legs felt like pillars of concrete. I struggled to try to get the feet to move faster, the seconds seemed like minutes, until I finally rounded a building and saw the finish line.

I had told my wife that I would need around 4 ½ hours for the race and she was at the finish waiting for me as I made my way over the line and received my finishers medallion. As I walked towards her I suddenly was overcome with dizziness and had to sit down for a minute. A doctor rushed over, took my pulse and asked if I was okay. I said I only need some water and salt. The doctor was amazed that my pulse was so low and as my wife arrived with some water (and pretzels) she turned me over to her and said if I still have problems to come over to the aid station. I stood up and started moving, drinking more water, then eating a sports bar. I knew that I hadn’t drank enough the last 10K.

I felt fine after that so went to collect my change of clothes from the car and headed for the showers. After some hot food and a victory beer, I let my wife drive me home.

The official result are still not published, but based on my watch I finished in about 4:30:00, about 4-5 minutes faster than my best time. My previous record of 4:34:14 was a flat city race.

This morning I have sore legs, but feel fine otherwise. Although I savor my new PR, the victory is somewhat bittersweet because I know I would have done even better if I had not started out so fast yesterday. I know that it would have been a little smarter to maintain a more even pace throughout the race, but I got the job done anyway.

Posted by Jack at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

The official results are not in yet, but I definetely beat my old personal record of 4:34:12. Not by much, but a PR nevertheless. The three major hill climbs on the marathon route were much harder than I had anticipated, mostly due to my overly agressive pace. Tune in tomorrow for my full report.

Posted by Jack at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement. I am really looking forward to my marathon on Sunday and you will all be in my heart when I need to reach deep to scale “the wall”. Although I have run a couple ultramarthons already, I still have a healthy respect for the marathon distance and know that if I run foolishly during the first half that I will pay dearly over the last 10K. I will do my best to find the proper groove for race conditions at the onset and have an enjoyable race. Have a nice weekend!

Posted by Jack at 6:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night I decided not to run with my running group, as I always see to get sucked into a speed workout. Instead I headed out for an easy 9K//5.6M run. Well it was supposed to be an easy run, I ended up running at a 5:33/K (8:56/M) pace, which is around my intended marathon pace for Sunday (at least downhill).

Last night was a humid 30C/86F, I was dripping buckets of sweat by the time I finished my little run. Today the temperature is supposed to reach 33C/91F and we are expecting thunder showers by the early evening. Luckily, the latest weather report for marathon day Sunday is 24C/75F, much more bearable, especially in the forest where I will be running.

Marathon Strategy

The plan for Sunday is to try to beat my personal record of 4:34:14. Despite the 3 major hill climbs along the route, I think I have a good chance at doing it this time around. After the initial kilometer or two, I am going to try to maintain a 5:30/K (8:51/M) pace on all the flat and downhill sections, and about a 7:00/K (11:16/M) pace on the hill climbs. This should get me to the finish in 4:00:00-4:15:00 if I don’t hit the wall too badly.

I don’t plan on taking any walk breaks on the hills as I did with my ultra’s. I am hoping that they are not severe enough to require this.

When I can maintain a fairly consistent pace throughout the event I should be able to reach my goal without any problem. I need to be especially conscious that I don’t start out too fast or try to climb the hills too fast. I know from experience that both of these will do me in and leave me shuffling the last 10K to the finish line. I also need to make sure I am drinking and eating properly.

If I figure out that it is not my day on race day, then Plan B is to enjoy the beautiful forest that I will be running through, and encourage any other runners that I meet on the way! Oh, and to keep moving!!

Posted by Jack at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

After almost a month of cooler weather and rain, this week started out with warmer temperatures and sunshine. On Monday night, when I headed out for an easier 9K/5.5M run (5:30/K or 8:51/M pace), the temperature was approaching 29C/85F.

On Tuesday (yesterday) it was up to 31C/88F when I got home, so I decided to go for a bike ride to get used to the heat. I was cycling along at a good clip for about 20 minutes when the arm that holds the pedal to the bike started loosening up. I stopped to tighten it, but not having any tools with me, could only tighten the screw by hand. A couple minute more of riding ended up with the same result, so I took a shortcut home and called it a day. I rode about 13K/8M, better than nothing.

I have been watching the weather closely and am a bit concerned about temperatures on Sunday when I run my marathon. It has rarely been over 27C/80F for the past 4-5 weeks, now it is fast approaching 32C/90F and could go higher. The initial weather prediction for Sunday is rain, which would make it pretty humid as well. Hopefully it will rain enough that it will lower the temperature down to a more reasonable level by then.

Tonight I plan on running for about an hour, again at a moderate pace. On Friday I may go for a 20 minute jog to loosen up. I may also go for a swim on Thursday - I need to burn some calories. My marathon starts on Sunday at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EST).

Posted by Jack at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I know for a lot of runners the 2-3 week tapering period before a longer event, such as a marathon, can be more stressful than the training itself. I know I tend to be the type that enjoys the training more than the event, at least with sub-ultra events. As my training peaks, so does my energy and enthusiasm, particularly on the days that I have my long run. Okay, I admit that physically I am usually ready for a break, and usually don’t have too much problem with cutting back during the first week. But somehow not doing a 20+ mile long run on the weekend seems to leave me feeling unfulfilled at the end of the week. And the sudden drop in mileage to half, then a third, of what I was running at my peak does not help.

I know this is just mental and that my body needs the rest before the big event. I also know that I won’t lose any fitness during the tapering period. But somehow it is still hard to convince myself of this as I suddenly find myself with so much more time on my hands.

What makes it especially hard for me is that I was a sedentary couch potato before I started running. It was a long drawn out fight to lose the 60+ pounds and I am still not done with the war. So when the first couple pounds start creeping back due to decreased activity I start freaking out. Again, this is mostly a mental thing, although I do end up having to adjust my diet accordingly – no more cake and cookies for awhile. I usually start noticing a little weight gain the second week of tapering, or somewhere around 5-6 days of reduced mileage. From there it takes a couple days to adjust the diet and at least stabilize the weight.

Usually the last week of tapering is the hardest - you know, those last 5-7 days before the race where you start questioning every facet of your training, lifestyle, sanity and reasons for getting up in the morning. The more I race the easier it gets, but I still have moments where I wonder if my training is adequate, question my strategy, and speculate how fast I should run the race. The latter intensifies as friends, blogger friends, and anyone else with an opinion offer their opinion on my goal for the race. Encouragement is great, I love it, I need it, I can’t get enough of it. But on the other side during the peak of tapering this can wreck havoc on an already high-strung tapering madman.

To help prevent this self-imposed tapering madness it is always a good idea to increase other activities. It is a great time to catch up things at work, around the house, and with friends. Cross-training is also a great way to keep the nerves in check, but moderation is the rule, especially the last week before the race. One should also try to avoid any form of emotional confrontation the week prior to a race. Bringing too much mental baggage with you to the start will almost always throw off your race. I think this is more of an issue with runners who are married or have a friend – you suddenly taper off, totally changing your schedule, which creates tremendous waves with your soul mate or spouse’s routine. During your training they could hardly get your attention, now they can’t figure out how to get rid of you so they can have a moment of peace. The solution is to warn them ahead of time and come up with some constructive suggestions for getting through this difficult time together ;-)

The most important thing that I have learned is to have plan for the race and to stick with it, no matter what goes through your mind during the tapering period. If you plan to run a marathon in a certain amount of time, e.g. 4 hours, don’t decide the week before the race to run it in 3:30 unless you have the training to back it up. If you have several fantastic long runs at this race pace, then knock yourself out, otherwise stick to the plan.

Posted by Jack at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

This morning I worked for a few hours in my woodworking shop refinishing a three drawer dresser for my wife. Typically I do my long run on Saturday mornings, but since I’m tapering for my marathon next weekend I have time to do something different. I finishing putting the first coat of finish on the dresser with time to spare before lunch, so I decided to get my run in.

It was a mild 24C/75F and cloudy as I headed out over my 14K/8.7M loop. I really didn’t have any time special pace in mind, I just ran how I felt, which turned out to be an average 5:21/K (8:36/M) pace for the run. A good intensive pace, but without overdoing it.

Steph over at http://stephruns.blogspot.com asked me if my marathon is a trail marathon. I may have said this before sometime, but the marathon is what is referred to as a forest marathon. In a sense it is a trail marathon as it follows the trails that weave in and out of the national forest around Pirmasens, Germany in the Rhineland-Pfalz.

The reason that I hesitate calling it a real “trail” marathon is that the trails are much more civilized then most runners would encounter, e.g. in North America. The most are improved gravel or packed earth trails used for logging and recreational purposes. There are rarely any single-path trails, mud, roots, brush or other obstacles that need to be overcome. On the other side, only the first and last kilometer are asphalt, the rest is through the forest, hence the name “forest” marathon. Hopefully I can take some pictures of the area while I’m there.

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by Jack at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I had a nice day of rest yesterday, no training. This morning my legs feel fully recovered, but in good tapering form I am going to take today off too. Tomorrow I want to run for 1½ hours or so at marathon pace, whatever that is these days. I guess I’ll see when I get out there.

The homepage for the Pfalz Forest Marathon that I am running in Pirmasens (Germany) on September 10th has revised the elevation profile for the race. It is slightly more aggressive as what they previously had posted. I wonder a little bit about it’s accuracy, because if you look closely at the kilometers at the bottom it shows that the race is almost 44 kilometers long, which means either it is a longer race (doubtful) or inaccurate (probably).

Note: Elevation (left) is in meters, mileage (bottom) in kilometers.

In any case it doesn’t affect my strategy one way or another. As always I have multiple goals depending on how I feel during the race:

Race of my life goal: Finish under 4:15:00.
Good day: Set a new PR (old PR = 4:34:23).
Bad day: Finish the race.

My old PR was set on a flat, asphalt road race, so breaking my record will require a great deal of effort on this comparatively hilly, unpaved course. In any case I’ll give it my best effort. Nine days to go!

Posted by Jack at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)