A Year of Running Dangerously

Steamtown Marathon October 2015

2016 started with such great promise. I was coming off the last quarter of 2015 where I had PR’d a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon (twice) and a Marathon. I was likely in the best shape of my life and in consultation with my Dr. was no longer taking any medications. I was running fast, enjoying myself and felt unstoppable. I set lofty goals for 2016 – a marathon in May to continue my improvement and then one in August to qualify for the 2017 Boston Marathon. This would mean dropping my marathon time by around 34 minutes – more than a minute a mile but my trainer, Eric Eisenhart, and I believed it was possible.

January was supposed to be downtime and for the most part it was. No races – just running with my peeps for BC*AC. In late January, NJ was hit with a blizzard that dumped 30” of snow. Of course, I ran during the blizzard and in the fresh snow afterward – why not?

'Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember

No retreat, baby, no surrender - No Surrender, Bruce Springsteen

February was when training for the NJ Marathon on May 1 was to begin in earnest. Unfortunately, I had an IT band issue possibly caused by running in the snow and ice. This was my first “maybe I shouldn’t have done that” moment of the year. After some PT at Pro-Activity, training started about 2 weeks late with the goal of biting off about half the time I needed and a stretch goal of getting close to a BQ. Since I was already in shape, the miles ramped up pretty fast, along with speed training and going to Eric’s 6 AM strength and conditioning class twice a week. It was intense, but I was enjoying myself and seeing improvement.

Run O' The Mill 5k March 2016

March and April brought continued hard training with the occasional local race thrown in. Since the Run O’ the Mill 5k goes right past my house in Clinton, I hosted an after party. Beer and green bagels at 9 in the morning! Fun events like that and the support and friendship in the club helped make the intense training easier. By mid-April I really started to feel the effects though. I was feeling worn down and my quads were not happy. Eric cut back my miles and added some stationary bike training. I also pretty much ran on flat routes (as flat as Hunterdon County offers) since the NJ Marathon is down the shore and flat. I thought the pain was all physical, but in hindsight there may have been some mental element as well.

About 3 weeks before NJ, I ran the Rutgers Half Marathon. It was a BC*AC Race Series event, we had a private pre-port-o-potty and seemed like a good idea to see where I was. I decided to go out an 8 min/mile pace which was what I needed in NJ to qualify for Boston. It may not have been the best strategy – I lasted about 5 miles at that pace and wore out my quads pretty good. On a positive note, it help refine my goals for NJ.

On race day for NJ, I knew I had put in the work but still had some lingering doubts due to my aches and pains. The predicted weather, cold and rainy, didn’t really help either. My stated goal was “leave everything on the road”. It may sound strange that I never had that goal before, but I guess I was always running for a PR or to finish, in the case of my first Half or Full. Yes, I had been spent after races but never had the experience I saw other runners have of being completely and utterly wiped out at the end of a race.

NJ Marathon May 2016

As the race started, the weather was actually better than predicted. Since I wasn’t feeling completely confident, I did something I had never done in any race before – I jumped in with a pace group. I found the 3:45 group and figured I’d see what happened. By mile 5, the weather fell in line with the prediction, and the rest of the race was high 40’s and steady rain. I felt good running with the pace group – there was conversation, but best of all I didn’t have to think – I just followed the guy with the 3:45 sign. I hung with them through about mile 20 when I started to have quad pain. I got a boost as I ran thru Asbury Park and Springsteen came on my playlist and then a little later when I saw Dave McCaffrety, a fellow BC*AC’er in the crowd. The last mile was up the boardwalk into Long Branch. I ran as hard as I could, ignoring the pain, and finished in 3:48. Yes, a PR by 13 minutes, but more importantly I felt I had left everything on the road. My legs were jelly, and I barely made it to the changing tent. It was a good feeling.

Ogden UT May 2016

The rest of May and beginning of June were supposed to be downtime. However, I ended up running a bunch of local races and a Half in Ogden, UT. In Ogden, I met up with my running friends from San Diego. We had a great time and Ogden is strikingly beautiful. It is also in the Wasatch Mountains, so race day was cold and rainy – an apparent theme for me. The difference was, I let myself just enjoy the scenery, as the race would down through a canyon and even let myself enjoy the absurdity of being soaking wet and running a Half marathon. For all the fun I had racing during this time, especially in Ogden, it was another “maybe I shouldn’t have done that” moment. I wasn’t training per se, but I was running hard when I went out on group runs.  And my personality wasn’t going to let me not run hard in races.

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, Or is it something worse? - The River, Bruce Springsteen

As the time came to start really training for the Via Marathon on September 11, Eric warned me that it would be more intense and harder if I wanted to BQ. Not that it wasn’t an attainable goal; it would just be a lot of work. I truly believed I was ready and up to the task. So, Eric devised a training plan with high mileage from the start and hill and speed work, as well as 2 days a week in the gym. In the beginning, it was great – I imagined this was what it felt to be a “real” athlete. Unfortunately, after about a month of training, I was physically sore, but worse, I was mentally burned out. The breaking point came on what was supposed to be a 16-mile run. The group stopped at Camp Carr for water, and if I could have called a cab, I would have. I just didn’t want to run another step. I knew my dream of BQ’ing for 2017 was done.

Could I have rested and recovered physically and still run a great race at Via? Maybe. But, I was also mentally spent. I felt like my entire life was work-run-sleep, repeat. There wasn’t any downtime, and it was like a crushing weight. I think if I had continued, I could have lost my love of running and the joy I get from it. I had been training hard for a year straight. First for Steamtown, then NJ and now Via.

Eric suggested just running with the group on Wednesdays at the track and Saturdays from Basecamp31 since the social aspect was important to me. This did help some; but I still had Via sitting out there like the proverbial white whale. I decided that I would run the Half at Via rather than the Full. When I went to the Expo for Via, I felt…nothing. Then on race day, it was the same – I felt none of the usual pre-race excitement. I started out fast on a warm humid day, but by mile 5, I was spent. I realized that I really didn’t want to be there. I ran and walked to one of the worst Halfs of my (albeit short) career. If I had seen a BCAC spectator along the course, I would have gotten in their car and DNF’d. In retrospect, I never should have run even the Half at Via. It was just too emblematic of my failure to achieve my 2016 goals.

At the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe -         

                   Reason to Believe, Bruce Springsteen

Ken Lockwood Gorge September 2016

I actually can tell you when running became fun again…I went for a run on a Sunday in late September on the Columbia Trail and decided to run the 5 miles out to Califon on the Trail but back through the Ken Lockwood Gorge, which I had never done. The Columbia Trail is one of my favorite places to run, and the beauty and quiet of the Gorge just spoke to me. I think I finally let go of the disappointment of what the year had become and could just run again.

I was lucky enough to “win” the lottery for entry to the NYC Marathon, so now I had a couple months to be ready to run 26.2 miles. I had originally thought NY would be a topper to an awesome year, but with my renewed mindset, I just decided to run and enjoy the experience. Of course, anyone who knows me knows I had a goal in mind. I hoped for 4 hours but didn’t obsess over it. I put my miles in with my longest run being around 18 miles.  Completely opposite of how I felt mid-year, I knew I could complete NY and, more importantly, enjoy it. 

NYC Marathon November 2016

Race day was warm for November but great running weather. I just took in the experience – from the bus ride to the corrals to the 26.2-mile party that is the NYC Marathon. The crowds in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Central Park were awesome, as was seeing my friend and fellow runner Louan Minzner at about Mile 14. I knew NY was a bucket list experience, and it lived up to the hype. I finished in 4:14 and couldn’t have been happier. (OK – breaking 4 hours would have made me happier, but I was happy, and that’s what was important.)

So I had my mojo back; I was back in the groove; choose a cliché – running was fun again. Heck, I ran the Turkey Trot within 30 seconds of my PR in a Santa Hat! So a happy ending to the story of Mark attempting to crush his own spirit and rise like a phoenix from the ashes, right? Well…maybe….

Where the way is dark and the night is cold, One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know

And I'll meet you further on up the road - Further On (Up the Road), Bruce Springsteen

Pushup Challenge, Clinton, NJ September 2016

In September, I was doing a 25 pushups for 25 days challenge and felt a pain on my left side near my hip bone. Like a typical running knucklehead, I continued to run and train in the gym. Core workouts and long runs made it hurt, but nothing was stopping me from running NY or risk losing my re-found love of running. After Turkey Trot though I knew I needed to do something. Luckily, it turned out not to be a hernia but instead a sports hernia which essentially a muscle strain or tear where the abdominal (in my case) muscle attaches to the pelvic bone.  The treatment is rest, ibuprofen and beer (OK – I added that last one). So, I finally get back in love with running, and now I can’t run? What kind of messed up world is that?

Now I rest. I’ve been able to run a little but know that right now I cannot train for a race. 2017 is a mystery – I have plans and goals, but they are on hold until I either heal or figure out what’s wrong.

A Year of Running

"The only way to define your limits is by going beyond them." -- Arthur Clarke

Today is almost exactly a year since I started running again. And was also my first Half Marathon. It's hard to believe how much I have done in just a year. What started as a way to help lose weight became enjoyable and then competitive. This isn't the end - until and/or if my body lets me down, I will keep running.

Me in 8th Grade :)

When I started running a year ago, I hadn't done any running since my sophomore year in college when I was trying to make the hockey team at Villanova. The last time I had done any competitive running was in the 8th grade when I ran the 800 in Jr. High (yes, I am old enough that we didn't call it Middle School). To be honest, I never really like running before. I much preferred skating and bike riding. 

Me at 180 lbs.

Flash forward to last year and something just clicked with running this time. Yes, part of it was the weight dropping off (from 180+ in June 2011 to 140 in Feb. 2012) but it was more than that - I was enjoying the movement and how it made me feel.

So how did I get to a Half Marathon? I could say miles, miles, miles (which is true) but it really was my need to measure myself. I like to downplay my competitiveness but I'm competitive, especially with myself. I score every golf round and keep a Handicap (currently a 25) so I can see improvement or lack thereof. Same with running - all my runs are logged on RunKeeper. It was also seeing my ex-sister-in-law Paula running half and full marathons. Not that I was competing with her - she just seemed to be enjoying it so much I figured, why not? Paula was running the Ocean City Half Marathon and said it was a great race, so on Feb. 29, 2012, I signed up for the OC Half and had my goal for the next 9 months.

My race career started on my birthday with the Polar Bear 5K in Sea Isle, NJ and was followed by the Lehigh Valley 5K (still my PR at 25 min), more 5K's, the Rugged Maniac Mud Run, the Lehigh Valley Zoo 10K and then finally, today's OC Half Marathon. Despite the forecasts all week, today was clear and cool (55 deg) at the race start. As expected, I started out a bit too fast, doing the 1st mile in around 9 minutes. Luckily, the Longport Bridge slowed me a bit, though it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was back up on the boards for a while (not sure I actually like running on the Boardwalk - I like the crowd, not the feel underfoot). By about mile 8, I was feeling aches and pains but knew I had run longer, though maybe not as fast, before. Even when I passed 11.3 miles (my previous longest), I knew I would finish, it was just a matter of how fast I would be going. Hearing one of the volunteers said "2 tenths to go" was awesome. I crossed the finish, saw my sister Steph, Paula's husband Dave and my time (2:06:09) - all of which made me very happy. I tried very hard to enjoy the race and the atmosphere and the view since I only get one first Half. I think I accomplished that and will have great memories.

Some thanks are in order......

• To my friends (both digital and physical and some who are both) and family for putting up with my prattling on about running, training, miles and times. It's not going to end but hopefully I won't be as obsessed - no promise though.

• To my Pacer Team teammates for all the encouragement before races and for the Saturday Fun Runs where I did many of my long training runs. The company and conversation during those runs really made them go by faster.

• To the PhillyFitters for accepting me as an honorary member and letting me run with them and hang out with them at events.

• To Tom McGovern, who is even crazier than me and went from zero to triathalon. We did the Rugged Maniac together and his craziness inspired me to going towards the OC Half.

• To Dr. Pollack at Hunterdon Orthopedics for the Euflexxa and cortisone injections that got me to the LV 5K but for also balancing treatment with my desire to run.

• To Amy Weller at Pro-Activity for not only being the best PT I have ever had but for showing me how to stretch and run better. Amy's a runner so she got me to the LV Zoo 10K and today's race. There is still work to be done but she understood how important the races were.

• And to Paula Tansey....words cannot say how thankful I am for everything you did for me these past 10 months. You were my inspiration for doing all of this in the first place but you ended up being my "running sensei". You talked me down off ledge for than a few times and weren't afraid to tell me when I was being stupid. Mostly though it was just the constant encouragement that kept me going. I would not have made it to today's race without you.

So what's next? In the short-term, the Runner's World Half in 3 weeks and then the Turkey Trot 5k in Flemington. Long-term, I have more Halfs in my site but also am contemplating the Philly Marathon next November. So be ready for more training talk next year..... 

My first real running shoes and the hat that made it to every race.

 

My First "Real" 5K

Back in December, I signed up for the St. Luke's 5K in April, thinking it would be my first real race. But after running in San Diego over New Year's with Nate, I knew I couldn't wait that long. I started looking for a race in February and found the Polar Bear Run in Sea Isle City, NJ, which happend to also be on my birthday. Since I was only running between 2 and 2.5 miles, I knew I would have to pick up my training a bit. By a week before the race, I was up to 3.2 miles and was averaging under 9 min/miles on the hills of Clinton, despite a minor setup back on Super Bowl Sunday with a calf pull. Taking a week off, two weeks before the race, was almost as hard as avoiding sick people for the last 2 weeks. I did shorter, more intense runs last week and by Friday was as ready as I could be.

Last night, I had a good dinner (whole wheat pasta, chicken sausage, mushroom & broccoli) and tried to get to bed early, knowing I wouldn't sleep well. As I expected, I was up at 6:30, even though the alarm was set for 7. I had my yogurt, got dressed, packed some cereal, a quick stop at Citispot, and I was off for Sea Isle. I took the route that followed the Garden State most of the way and the musical choice was Sirius/XM's Springsteen channel. They were featuring acoustic/stripped down versions of his songs, which fit my mood and probably kept me from driving 85 mph.

As it was, I arrived two hours early for the race. This would be no surprise to my former hockey teammates - I was always the first one in the locker room for games. I'm not generally early - just for competing. To say I had nervous energy today would be an understatement. After collecting my bib (#16) and my souvenir t-shirt - I tried to chill in the car with my iPad. What I ended up doing was taking a jog, endlessly stretching, walking the Promenade (Sea Isle's boardwalk), going the bathroom twice and generally just nervously bouncing.

At Noon, we finally lined up for the race and unfortunately, they did not have people grouped by pace. When the horn sounded, I didn't really have to worry about starting too fast, it took a bit to get everyone moving. I was using RunKeeper on my phone and clicked Start as I passed the start/finish line. The phone was a blessing and (maybe) a curse. At the 0.5 mile mark, my pace was 9:30, so I decided to push it a bit. I may have over compensated for the slow start, but luckily didn't do it too much. The race heads down the Promenade, then into the streets. At the half way point, it turns and follows the same course back. The course out was dead downwind which meant coming back was tough. The last part on the Promenade was particularly bad. When I was on the Promenade, I tried to run on the rail so I could watch the Ocean. As I was running, I passed people and got passed, but it's hard to know whether someone is really faster or slower than you given the start and people's different styles of running. I took the advice of a friend, "your pace, your race", and just tried to be comfortable. At the end of the race, they filed us into cattle chutes and collected a tag off our bibs. They stopped us so quickly, I actually ran into the person in front of me. Not really sure how they timed us, but the phone said 27:58 (See it on RunKeeper). That's better than I expected but not as good as I wished for. I guess that defines racing.

After the race, I jogged to my car, switched into some warmer clothes and headed to the tent to get a bagel and juice. I didn't stay for the awards and raffle and speeches, not because Autism isn't a great cause (it is), I was just ready to head home. A 2.5 hour ride home maybe isn't the best idea after a run (even with a stop for coffee) - I was pretty stiff when I got home. A long shower, some Advil and a beer seemed to help though.

Thanks to everyone for putting up with me prattling on about this race for the past 2 weeks. It was the culmination of the past 8 months of going from overweight slug to reasonably fit runner.

Special thanks to Paula for being my Sensei, Yoda, and inspiration on this journey. She talked me down when I had the calf pull two weeks before the race and gave me great tips for the last week of training and running the race. I'm still on pace for the OC Half this year.

Things I've Learned Running

About 5 months ago, I started trying to lose weight with diet and exercise. The diet (Weightwatchers for Men) has worked well with 25 lbs. lost - I'll post about that another time. I knew I needed to exercise, too or I wouldn't stick with it. I started walking daily at a pace of 2 miles in 45 minutes, got that down to under 25 minutes and decided to start running. Today for the first time I averaged under 10 min per mile for the 2.5 miles I ran. I've been thinking about what I've learned along the way so it seemed a good milestone to post. So, in no particular order....

• The first five minutes of a run are the hardest.
• "Runner's high" exists - once I get 10 minutes in, I feel I can run all day.
• I'm too old to run every day - or maybe my knees are.
• The Arc Trainer is good exercise on the days I don't run.
  
• If 2 "in love" teens are walking towards you on the sidewalk, no way they are letting go of each other to let you pass - you are going in the street.
• Despite the heavy breathing and pounding shoes, people cannot hear you when you come up behind them - or maybe they are just in their own world.
• Steroids are real - I had an injection in my hip and recorded my best run and Arc Trainer 2 days later.
• My sweat stinks!
• There are lots of cool clothes and toys for running.
• RunKeeper on my phone is a cool app.
• Most runners are nice people - they wave as they pass, share tips on-line and are generally helpful.
• To paraphrase Yogi Berra, 90% of running is half mental. I had never run as much as I did in the Turkey Trot, so the next time out, I "knew" I could run most of the way, rather than splitting running and walking.
• More running = more beer. :) In WeightWatchers, 25 minutes of running gets you 1 beer.
• Having a resting pulse of 40 is pretty cool. It's fun to freak out Doctors/nurses and gets you mad props when they find out you exercise.
  

I'm sure there's more but at least for now, to quote Paula, I'm going to Keep Smiling, Keep Moving.

An Accidental Quasi 5K

Today I ran/walked in the Flemington Turkey Trot. The plan was to do the 2 mile Fun Run/Walk but it didn't quite turn out that way. This was my first Turkey Trot and first event of any kind where I had a number on my shirt. I arrived early and found a parking spot at the Court House and found the rest of Team Pro-Activity for a picture on the court house steps. Pro-Activity had over 150 runners in the event! After a potty stop and finding the alley for the 2 milers, we waited for all the 5K runners to head out and then it was (a slow) start to the run. I worked my way past the slow walkers and started running. I saw the first turn off for the 2 mile (which unfortunately some of the 5K'ers got sent down as well). After merging back in with the runners at about the 1 mile mark, somehow I completely missed the second turn off for the 2 mile run. After realizing that, I figured I'd just keep going since a) I felt pretty good and b) I'd feel pretty silly running backward thru the race. I managed to run about 2/3 of the race with fast walking in between. I figure the course I ran was about 3 miles and I did it in somewhere around 40 minutes. Here's the course map - I was supposed to take those pink lines - oh well - I made it and feel great.