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Quest for 3:15 – It will be chilly, but otherwise a good-looking forecast for the Rocket City Marathon on Saturday.

My training log posts for the Rocket City Marathon (December 10) have been few and far between, and my training in general has been less than ideal. There are several reasons for this:

1. In October and November I have competed in 5 races…

   *Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15k – Oct 2
   *Bank of American Chicago Marathon – Oct 10
   *Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon – Oct 16
   *196-Mile Ragnar Relay – Nov 4-5
   *Boulevard Bolt 5-Miler – Nov 24

   While all of these races have gone pretty well, they have left me tired, and not allowed for a normal training schedule for Rocket City

2. I missed 5 days of training due to being sick, and it took another 5 days to get my energy back once I was able to run again. Due to fatigue from racing, and from getting sick, I was not able to get in a 20-mile run until last Saturday which is only 2-weeks from race day (That 20-miler felt pretty good though). I had originally planned on doing one 20-miler and one 22-miler before Rocket City. I have also been very limited in my ability to get in good tempo or track workouts.
3. Just as I was getting over being sick I hurt my back (re-aggravated an old injury). This did not prevent me from running, but did impact the quality of my runs for several days.

So….all of this has added up to me not feeling like 3:15 is going to be a realistic goal for Rocket City. On our 9-mile tempo run today, 7:30 pace felt pretty fast. I’m not really expecting that between now and next Saturday 7:26 is magically going to feel great again.

Even though I think it is a long shot, I’m not going to make my final decision about whether or not to go for it until closer to game time. This race does have a 3:15 pace group, so that does have me thinking about going for it anyway. Is this crazy?

Another 5-mile @BoulevardBolt in the books. 32:35 finish, 6:31 avg pace. Pretty pleased considering I’ve been sick. Happy Thanksgiving! #fb

Just because:: Run, Drive, Sleep? Repeat: Ragnar Relay Tennessee 2011

Waiting For A Sub-2-Hour Marathon? Don’t Hold Your Breath

My thoughts on the 2nd annual Ragnar Relay Tennessee

November 4-5, 2011
Chattanooga to Nashville
www.ragnarrelay.com/race/tennessee

The Experience:

This was undoubtedly one of the most difficult yet AWESOME things I’ve ever done. I had never participated in anything remotely like this before, and had an absolute blast going through this experience with my teammates. The Ragnar Relay Tennessee is a 196.1-mile relay from Chattanooga to Nashville. A standard team was comprised of 12 runners, with each runner completing 3 legs of 2 to 9 miles each. The first 6 runners were in Van #1 and the last 6 in Van #2.

Meagan leading Team Isabel to the finish line…

I am not somebody who just likes to run. I am a runner. This is the difference between a pastime and a passion. I like to play golf, but I am not a golfer. I like to cook, but I am not a chef. I don’t just like to run. I am a runner. It is a passion. It is part of who I am and is woven into the fabric of my personality, character, and psyche.

Tuesday (Nov 1)

Running: (FAIL) My schedule called for 10-miles this morning, but I overslept and missed my opportunity. I am SO MAD at myself, and have felt out-of-sorts all day long. I don’t ever recall being this upset before about a missed run. I’ve got to remember this feeling so that the next time I reach for the snooze button I’ll have a little extra motivation to get out on my feet.

Princess Passenger Completes First-Ever Marathon at Sea to Honor Friend

Saturday (Oct 29)

Running: (18-Mile Long Run) Our group had planned to run the 11.2-mile main drive in Percy Warner Park at 6am, but my schedule called for an 18-mile long run. To get in the extra miles, I started just after 5am with some easy miles around Belle Meade. This was by far the coldest morning since last winter with a starting temp of 28 degrees.

My goal today was to maximize the amount of time spent running in the aerobic zone as I work toward at least a 3 hour 15 minute run in preparation for Rocket City. With this in mind I kept the pace very easy all day (9:00min average)

Nathan and Paxton joined me around 5:25am, and then we joined the larger group in the park at 6:00am. One loop in the park has over 1,200’ of elevation gain so this was also a run that helped to build leg strength. I was surprised at how well I felt on the hills, and even pushed the pace up most of the more significant inclines. The group decided to take an alternate route during mile 4 down “Shell Road,” which is a beautiful but difficult section. This also reduced the total distance in the park slightly.

When I finished in the part, I had completed around 15.25-miles, so Paxton and I ran another 2.75 miles through Belle Meade to finish. I felt really good throughout most of this run, but began to feel some fatigue after mile 16. Paxton pushed the pace a bit for the final 1.5-miles, but I held back and just tried to finish smoothly.

Overall I’m very pleased with this run, especially considering the difficulty of the route and the cold temperatures. My total time spent running was just over 2 hours 42 minutes which is right around what I was looking for today.

Sunday (Oct 30)

Today was my normally scheduled rest day, which is good because it was a busy day. We had morning worship service, followed by Sunday School where I teach the “Young Married’s” class on the book of Philippians. After brunch, I then had 4-hours of practice for a drama production of Joshua and the Wall of Jericho for evening service and Trunk or Treat. After completing the drama and evening service, we then had Trunk or Treat in the parking lot with almost 1,000 kids from the community.

Monday (Oct 31)

Running: (7-Mile Recovery Run) This morning I did a solo recovery run using a modified version of our normal “Nature Center” loop in Edwin Warner Park. My legs felt very lethargic for most of the run, and I kept the pace pretty easy for the first 5-miles (9:00 min). For the last 2-miles, I tried to pickup the pace and finish on a positive note. Mile 6 was 8:15, followed by mile 7 at 7:39.

I hope that my legs come back before the Ragnar Relay this coming weekend. I had a dream last night that I blew my segments of the relay and couldn’t push the pace any faster than 9:00 min miles (my goal is to do them all below 7:00 min pace).

“Mountain Biker Gets CLOCKED By A Big African Buck!” – Reason number 5,342 why I run and don’t bike….OUCH! (Thanks to @taylorezell)

Thursday (Oct 27)

Running: (7.5-Mile Track Workout) Tonight I finally felt some jump come back into my legs, and felt good throughout the workout. After a 1.5-mile warmup and 6 x 100m stride-outs, we did:

• 3 x 200m f (100) [400]
• 600m f+ (300)
• 3 x 200m f (100) [400]
• 800m Straights & Curves (300)
• 600m f+ (300)
• 800m Straights & Curves (300)
• 1000m f (400)

With an additional .75 mile warmdown, the total mileage came out to 7.5-miles. Paxton looked especially strong tonight, and even though I felt good he clearly had an extra gear. I’m really pleased with the workout, and am getting my confidence back.

Cross-Training: Tonight Olivia and I did P90X: Ab-Ripper X, and I followed that with a couple of sets of chest exercises.

Friday (Oct 28)

Running: (4-Mile “Barefoot” Recovery Run) Paxton, Nathan and I did an easy recovery run through Bellevue this AM in the pouring rain. Even though it was cold and rainy, the run was still a lot of fun, and it was good to have the Bellevue Trio together on a Friday morning. While the Hattoris offer no protection from water, they do drain extremely well which was good today.

My log posts are waaaay behind due to our family vacation to Disney World, and getting engrossed in the new “Steve Jobs” biography by Walter Isaacson. So this will be a long catch-up post.

Wednesday (Oct 19)

Running: (5.4-Mile Easy Run) Paxton and I met at the Edwin Warner Nature Center for an easy run on our standard “Nature Center” loop. This was a very easy run with every mile over 9:00 pace. My legs are still toast from 3 consecutive races, and I’m also having a little trouble with my right ankle.  I’m thinking about running tomorrow and then shutting it down while we are at Disney World Fri to Mon.

Thursday (Oct 20)

Running: (4.5-Mile Trail Run) Paxton, Nathan and I met for an easy run on the red trail this AM in PW Park. The run was enjoyable, but my legs just had no jump at all. Also, my ankle turned out to be a big problem with the uneven surface, so I’m glad we kept it to 4.5 miles. Since we are leaving at noon today for Disney World, I’m firmly decided that I’m not running at all while we are gone. Not even taken my shoes. I’ve got to work on getting the jump back in my legs and healing this ankle.

Friday (Oct 21) to Monday (Oct 24)

I took four days off from running and cross training while my family and I were in Disney World. Of course these were not truly “days off” since we did a TON of walking, and my feet HURT!!

Tuesday (Oct 25)

Running: (9.3-Mile Tempo Run) Nathan, Paxton & I met at the Percy Warner main gates for a 9-mile tempo run through Belle Meade. I did not know how I would feel coming off of a vacation with lots of walking, but my goal was to do the last 4 miles at marathon pace. We started off with a pretty easy 8:45 mile before dropping the speed down to 8:00 pace and below. My legs felt pretty dead, and my feet hurt worse than I was expecting. Anything below 8:00 felt fairly fast.

By the time we got to the last 4 miles, I knew there was no way I could maintain marathon pace, so I just did the best that I could. With 2 miles to go, Nathan absolutely took off, dropping the pace well below 7:00. I picked it up as well, but nothing compared to what Nathan did. My last two miles were 7:41 and 7:01, and it felt good to finish strong.

Cross-Training: Tonight Olivia and I did P90X: Legs and Back. Hoping I’m not as sore tomorrow and Thursday as I was after doing this workout last Tuesday.

Wednesday (Oct 26)

Running: (5-Mile Recovery Run) Paxton and I met at the Edwin Warner Nature Center for an easy run on our standard “Nature Center” loop. The weather was absolutely perfect, the conversation was fantastic, and it was a very enjoyable run. We kept it pretty easy the whole way, but did each mile faster than the previous. Our first was at 9:41 and our last was 8:33. Great recovery run.

On a side note, 18-years ago today was my first date with Olivia. We went to a little restaurant in the Green Hills Mall called the “Silver Spoon Cafe.” Today that location is a Brooks Brothers, and we often joke about taking a picnic dinner and eating in the bow-tie section (I’m partial to bow ties).

Monday (Oct 17)

Running: Today was supposed to be the kickoff of my training for Rocket City with a 6 to 7-mile trail run on the schedule. However, I woke up this morning with a weird catch in my upper back, and overall just felt really tired. I guess that doing 3 races in 3 consecutive weekends has finally caught up with me.

Since I didn’t feel great, I decided to skip the morning trail run, and instead did a 2-mile “barefoot” run with my daughter Kate after work in Edwin Warner Park. Even though she is only 6, she really wants to train to be able to run a 5K. So far we have worked up to 1.5 continuous miles. Today we did the first mile continuous, and then for the second mile I would let her run way out in front of me, and then I would run to catch up. We did this over and over again until we had returned back to our starting place. Very fun run with my daughter.

Cross-Training: Tonight my wife and I did P90X: Ab-Ripper X, and then I did a set of P90X: Shoulders and Arms.

Tuesday (Oct 18)

Running: I met Nathan this morning at the entrance to Percy Warner Park for a planned 8-mile run through Belle Mead + the 5.8 loop in Percy Warner. Tuesdays are normally a tempo day for me, but with 3 races on the last 3 weekends, I’m fresh out of tempo right now.

We kept our pace very easy this morning with an overall average between 9:15 & 9:20. It had been a while since I’d run on hills, so it was good to get back in the park. However, during this run I could really tell that my energy levels were down and my legs are shot. I’m starting to really think about just shutting it down completely for our family vacation Thursday to Monday and give my body a rest. I’ve also got the Ragnar Relay coming up 2-weeks from Friday and I want to make sure I’m fresh for that race.

In spite of this, the run this morning was still very enjoyable. This was the first time since Chicago that Nathan and I had run together, so it was fun to talk through our race experiences after having a week to reflect. 

Cross-Training: My wife and I did P90X: Legs & Back tonight. I’m trying to get back into a strengthening phase for my legs which will include resistance training, trail runs, barefoot runs, etc.

Since this blog has seen a number of new followers recently, I thought I would re-post one of my original entries entitled “Why I Run.” In addition to this blog, this article was also printed in a local magazine for the Nashville Strider’s running club. The numbers related to races completed have been updated, otherwise this is the same post from the spring of 2010.

By far the most common reaction I get from non-runners when they find out I’m a long distance runner and marathoner is some type of obligatory comment like “that’s great!” or “wow!” but their body language is saying “I don’t get it” or “You’re Nuts!”  Some people are even more direct in voicing their bewilderment.  My favorite comments include:

• Running a marathon is more dangerous than smoking
• You know that you’re destroying your body
• Well, I only run when being chased

While these reactions are frustrating, it is something I understand.  For the first 30 years of my life, I hated running with a flaming passion. Running was punishment. Something you had to do when you made a mistake in practice.  I always looked at marathoners with a sense of amazement, but also with a feeling that they were some type of freak of nature (like an alien).

I tried numerous times to become a runner, but I never seemed to be able to go farther than 3 miles without feeling like I would (a) collapse or (b) die of boredom.

When I reached my 30s, I started a new job, and began working with a lady named Mary Anne who had run over 30 marathons.  I told her over and over again about my hatred of running, and she continued to encourage me to try it again. Eventually I did try it again, and again I seemed to get stuck on my 3 mile limit.

On one particular Saturday, I decided that I was just going to push past mile 3 no matter how tired I was, and right on schedule I thought that mile 3 was going to be the end of me.  Then somewhere in the middle of mile 4, something clicked.  I fell into this trance-like rhythm, and was able to complete 6 miles.  I was ecstatic. From that moment in the middle of mile 4, I have been hooked.  How could this be?  I hated running?  Yet, the next weekend I ran 7 miles, and then next weekend 8 miles, and so on.

So what is it that “clicked” on that particular Saturday?  How did this moment transform me from someone that hated running into a hopeless addict.  How did I become a person that has completed 9 half and 9 full marathons?  I guess on some level I agree with the one who says they only run when being chased.  However, the things that are chasing me are not wild animals or bad guys.  They are the things that drive me, that push me to run, and run, and run.

So What is Chasing Me?

A High Stress Life – While I love my life, I have to admit that it is extremely high stress.  From my job, to frequent speaking/teaching engagements, to family and church responsibilities, I can’t seem to slow down.  Running has become my outlet, and my solace.   Nothing can drown out the noise of the world like the rhythm of running long distances.  I used to think that activities like golf and tennis were good outlets for stress, but they bring their own stress, especially golf.  The only thing stressful about running is finding the time to do it.  Otherwise, running is like the greatest drug in the world to me.

An Inferiority Complex / Scars from High School – To say that I was not very popular in high school would be a big understatement.  I was shy.  I was a nerd.  I didn’t date a lot.  I didn’t “party” with the cool kids.  I did not play football.  I was the last one that got selected for teams in PE and recess.  I got picked on constantly.  Now, I often wonder to myself how many of those that tormented me through those years can do what I can do.  All of this just adds fuel to my addiction.

Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy – Approximately 6 months after the moment when running “clicked” for me, and 1 month before I was supposed to run my first half marathon, I began experiencing some bizarre neurological symptoms that started in my legs, and quickly moved throughout my entire body.  Running only intensified these symptoms (including numbness in my feet, arms, and face), and I was forced to stop.  It took 7 months, and a trip to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to discover that I have a rare neurological disorder called Small Fiber Sensory Neuropathy.  This is an auto-imune condition that destroys the small nerve fibers in the skin, leading to intense feelings of burning and numbness.  The good news that I received at Hopkins was that this condition would not affect my motor skills, and the symptoms could be controlled by medication.  Even though I lost a year of running due to the disorder, the medication allowed me to return to training, and complete my first 1/2 marathon 8 months after being diagnosed.  When I started running again after my diagnosis, I was even more driven than before to run, no longer taking this ability for granted.  It continues to be a major motivation for me.

Family History of Hypertension – Almost every member of my immediate family is on some type of high blood pressure medication, and I began to see signs of this in my own life very soon after I graduated from college (1996).  However, since I began running in 2007, my Systolic pressure has consistently been less than 125, and my Diastolic less than 75.

A “Type A” Personality – Mary Anne often tells me that she knew I had a personality that was perfectly suited to long distance running, and that is why she talked to me about it so frequently.  I am a “Type A” perfectionist, to the extreme.  I think this is ultimately why running “clicked” on that Saturday in 2007.  Once I pushed past that 3-mile barrier, it was something I knew I could do, and I wanted to do it really well.  For the first time in my life I saw the possibility of completing a half, or possibly a full marathon, and I wanted to go for it.  This insatiable drive to get better continues to push me through every training run, every track workout, every cross-training exercise.

Fear of Failure – I set lots of running goals, though I rarely share them with others. However, part of my motivation to continue running is a fear of not meeting these goals.  This fear is exponentially intensified if I do share a goal with someone.

Well, there it is….the reasons why I run (at least many of them).  Why do you run?  What is chasing you?

Well….since I didn’t break 3:15 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the Quest for 3:15 continues. So, what’s next in the search for this elusive goal?

My next registered marathon is the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville Alabama on December 10, and my training program will begin on Monday. As long as I remain injury free, and the weather cooperates, I’m gonna give 3:15 another shot at this race. Being that it is in December, seems like there are better odds for cool weather. Also, it is supposed to be a relatively flat and fast course, with only two hills of any significance.

The next few weeks of training will be difficult as our family is going on vacation late next week, and then I’m part of a 12-person, 196-mile relay race in three weeks. Otherwise all systems are go for Rocket City!!

Need to vent! Of my 25+ races completed, today’s Murfreesboro “Middle” Half Marathon was by far the most frustrating.

I’ve made a big deal the past few months about my quest to break 3:15 in a full marathon. However, there has also been a sub-quest to break 1:30 in a half marathon (my current PR is 1:31).

Well today I think I ran fast enough to break 1:30 (6:52 avg pace), BUT the police officers who were leading the race took a wrong turn during mile 2 that added .4 miles to the course. This meant that I actually ran 13.5 miles and had an official time of 1:32:40.

I’m frustrated because I not only lost the chance to break 1:30 but also to set my full marathon and half marathon PR in the same week.

I realize this is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but I’m still disappointed.

David….I know!! It sold out in 11 DAYS! I’m friends with the Race Director, and he gave me a heads up that it was not going to last long this year. I really wanted to run it for the 5th anniversary. It was my first long distance race in 2008 and the site of my half marathon PR last year.

Last Updated: March 24, 2013

Marathon

1. 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Oct 11, 2009 – 3:53:05
2. 2009 St. Jude Memphis Marathon – Dec 5, 2009 – 3:42:22
3. 2010 Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon – Mar 28, 2010 – 3:39:12
4. 2011 Country Music Marathon – Apr 24, 2010 – 3:52:55
5. 2011 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon – Oct 3, 2010 – 3:25:38
6. 2011 Rock n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon – Nov 14, 2010 – 3:24:13
7. 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon – Jan 9, 2011 – 3:43:08
8. 2011 Mercedes Marathon – Feb 13, 2011 – 3:39:46
9. 2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Oct 9, 2011 – 3:22:28
10. 2011 Rocket City Marathon – Dec 10, 2011 – 3:18:44
11. 2012 Rock n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon – Mar 4, 2012 – 3:12:28 (PR)
12. 2012 St Jude Country Music Marathon – Apr 28, 2012 – 3:59:11*
13. 2013 Rock n’ Roll New Orleans Marathon – Febr 24, 2013 – 3:18:28 
    

Half Marathon

1. 2008 Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon – Oct 11, 2008 – 1:58:29
2. 2009 Country Music Half Marathon – Apr 25, 2009 – 2:19:41
3. 2009 One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon – May 7, 2009 – 2:12:22
4. 2009 Clarksville Half Marathon – Nov 7, 2009 – 1:44:37
5. 2010 One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon – May 8, 2010 – 1:42:46
6. 2010 Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon – Oct 16, 2010 – 1:31:00
7. 2011 Oak Barrel Half Marathon – Apr 2, 2011 – 1:34:46
8. 2011 One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon – May 7, 2011 – 1:32:00
9. 2011 Murfreesboro Middle Half Marathon – Oct 15, 2011 – 1:29:49 (PR**)
10. 2012 Cedars Frostbite Half Marathon – Feb, 11, 2012 – 1:32:41
11. 2012 Oak Barrel Half Marathon – Apr 7, 2012 – 1:29:52 (PR*)
12. 2012 One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon – May 5, 2012 – 1:31:28
13. 2013 Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon – Nov 10, 2012 – 1:39:06
    

*Official PR

**Unofficial PR – Course was .4-miles too long in mile-2 due to misdirection. This time was calculated by using the average pace for the first 10K (official time – 6.6 miles), and then reapplying to correct distance (6.2 miles). Final 6.9 was unaffected.

15K

1. 2009 Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15K – September 26, 2009 – 1:21:21
2. 2011 Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15K – October 2, 2011 – 1:03:39 (PR)
   

10K

1. 2011 Purity Moosic City 10K – April 16, 2011 – 44:59 (PR)*
   

*Race started 10 minutes after I finished the Purity Moosic City 5k

5-Miler

1. 2009 Boulevard Bolt – Nov 26, 2009 – 35:31
2. 2010 Boulevard Bolt – Nov 26, 2010 – 32:22 (PR)
3. 2011 Boulevard Bolt – Nov 24, 2011 – 32:35
4. 2012 Boulevard Bolt – Nov 22, 2012 – 33:07
   

5K

1. 2007 Sherry’s Run – September 8, 2007 – 24:24
2. 2008 Franklin Classic 5K – September 1, 2008 – 23:01
3. 2008 Chick-Fil-A 5K – September 20, 2008 – 23:11
4. 2011 Purity Moosic City 5K – April 16, 2011 – 19:43 (PR)

Other

1. 2011 Tupelo 14.2-Miler – September 4, 2011 – 1:48:06
   
2. 2011 Ragnar Relay -Tennessee – 196.2-Miles – 24 Hours 19 Minutes

My thoughts on the 34th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon…

Bank of America Chicago Marathon
October 9, 2011
www.chicagomarathon.com

My Run:  Overall, the 2011 Bank of American Chicago Marathon was my ninth full marathon. Chicago was also the site of my first marathon back in 2009. There was no secret that my goal coming into this race was to break 3:15 for the first time. I had set my current PR of 3:24 at the Rock n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon in November 2011. Just before this I tried to break 3:15 at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in October, and was able to hold that pace for 22-miles before hitting the wall hard and finishing with a 3:25.

Everything in my training program, which started on July 4th, was aimed at this goal. I reduced the amount of time I spent doing cardio-based cross training, and spent that time instead on putting in extra miles on the road or trails. I added trail running and barefoot running to my schedule to improve strength, and was diligent about doing tempo runs and marathon pace workouts around this goal pace. My training throughout the summer went extremely well, and I felt ready to break 3:15.

The one thing that I could not control was the weather. When I ran Chicago back in 2009, the temps were in the 30s and 40s during the race, but this year it was 65 at the start and nearing 80 when I finished (with full sun). While this is not oppressive heat when compared to what we run through in Tennessee during the summer, it is way higher than what is ideal for a race of this distance. Also, Middle Tennessee had seen morning temps in the 40s and 50s for the past two weeks, so this made it even more difficult to adapt.

We all knew what the temps were expected to be going into race day, but I decided I was still going to give 3:15 a shot. My plan was to run a slightly conservative pace for the first 15 to 18 miles, and then take inventory and see if I could push it the rest of the way.

On race morning, everything went according to plan. This included my pre-race meal, hydration, warmup, etc. My legs felt really good with no soreness or pains. I ran easy for just over a mile with Nathan and Paxton, and then did a few short bursts in the corral to get my heart ready for race pace.