1 DAY TO MARATHON

Monday, August 16th 2010: 5 miles @ 9:13 per mile pace. Ugh. That is too fast for my current fitness level. Didn't feel too good.

Tuesday, August 17th 2010: Rest.

Wednesday, August 18th 2010: 4 miles @ 9:32 per mile pace.

Thursday, August 19th 2010: Rest.

Friday, August 20th 2010: We will be leaving for Park City in a few hours. I will be honest with you, one of the things I'm most excited about with going to northern Utah is finding the closest 7-11 and satisfying my craving for an enormous Slurpee.


My preparation for the Park City Marathon has felt different from my previous two marathons. I'm doing this race with Mel so we're just going to take it easy and have fun. (Well, "have fun" doesn't quite seem to be an appropriate phrase.) Whereas on my previous races, I was really focused on going fast and achieving a certain time. I was nervous and scared during the race.

But I haven't felt too anxious or nervous with this one. I'm sure that's partly because I know we'll be doing it slower, and partly because I know I'll have someone there to keep me company the whole time. I think for us, this marathon will feel more like an experience than a race.

I'm taking my camera during the race so you'll see the good, the bad, and the ugly. Please keep your fingers crossed that Pina Colada will be in the Slurpee machine today. That would most certainly be a good omen.

Tips For Running A Marathon

In less than one week my wife will be running her first marathon, the Park City Marathon. I am excited that I will be running the race with her. And my brother is running his first marathon in one month. I am far from being an expert on the art of marathon running, but based on my limited experience, allow me to provide a few tips for people preparing for their first marathon:

• Just know: THIS IS GOING TO HURT. Really bad. I experienced pain like I have never felt before. Your legs will HATE you. Every cell of your body will probably revolt. But I think it's helpful to know it's going to hurt really bad so when it hits, you won't be surprised. Then you can just accept it and keep going. You'll be okay. Odds are that you probably won't die.
  

• Never, EVER eat anything from McDonalds any closer than one week before the race.

• Especially for a first marathon, don't be too overly ambitious. I recommend doing it for the experience, and having your goal be to finish instead of going for a certain time. I know, if your brain is anything like mine, "just finishing" isn't as much of a challenge. Um, yea. You won't be thinking that "just finishing" is so bad around mile 22.
  

• You know the old adage that the first 20 miles is the first half of the race and the last 6 miles are the second half of the race? If you ask me, that is completely true. I believe the last 6 miles are as hard as the first 20. So plan accordingly. Make a conscious effort to conserve some of your effort and energy for those last 6.

• Get a drink at EVERY aid station, even if you don't feel thirsty. When you're running that far it's hard to stay hydrated. You need all the help you can get.
  

• Don't be afraid to walk. I'm a firm believer in Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk method. I recommend that every runner check out Jeff's website (you can Click Here) to get training tips. My running, recovery, and amount of injuries has changed significantly since I started using his method.

• Make a sincere effort to not throw up on somebody's shoes. At my first marathon I saw a lady launching bright orange Gatorade everywhere. Gross. It's okay if I stain my shoes orange, but I don't want anyone else doing it for me.
  

• Be prepared for that moment when you realize that running is the WORST hobby ever and you just want to give up. Remember to think about your family, and the people you love, and how incredibly awesome it is that you are running a marathon (!!!!) and that you CAN do this.
  

• Give a high five to every spectator you see. Granted, this expends a little energy, but the boost of moral support more than makes up for the little bit of effort it takes to raise your hand (which becomes progressively more challenging toward the end of the race).

• Crossing that finish line for the first time is an unforgettable experience. You will feel exhaustion greater than ever before. But the pride will immediately erase the pain you had been feeling for 26.2 miles. You have just accomplished something that nobody can take away from you. As you cross that finish line, you will realize that there is NOTHING you can't do. Nothing.

One Week To Marathon

Monday, August 9th 2010: I simply could not drag my carcass out of bed to run. I'd imagine this is what a severe hangover feels like.

Tuesday, August 10th 2010: 5 miles @ 9:42 per mile pace. Fellow runners will understand the fact that it is completely possible to go on a run early in the morning and still be asleep. It's like your eyes are opened and your legs are moving, but your brain is still asleep. This was one of those mornings.

Wednesday, August 11th 2010: 5 miles @ 9:46 per mile pace.

Thursday, August 12th 2010: Rest.

Friday, August 13th 2010: 4 miles @ 9:34 per mile pace. I don't know why I've been feeling so tired lately. But I realized the true extreme of my tiredness after one mile into this run. My right foot felt a little weird. Then I looked down and realized that my left foot had a Saucony brand shoe and my right foot had a Mizuno brand shoe. Sleep? Who needs sleep.


Saturday, August 14th 2010: 8 miles @ 9:46 per mile pace. I felt surprisingly good the second half of the run which was encouraging. But before I did my 8 miles I had an awesome experience. My son Jackson signed up for the Washington County Fair race coordinated by the awesome Shelly Thomas. There was a 5k race and a mile race. Jackson did the mile.

As we were driving to the race Jackson said "I just want to go out there and run as fast as a jet." The race started and I waited at the finish line for him. Pretty soon I saw a black shirt coming in the distance but it was too far away to see who it was. They were in first place. After a minute I realized it was Jackson!

He ended up winning the mile race with a time of 8 minutes and 55 seconds! I felt so proud of him.


Mel has been sick all week and hasn't been able to run so she is nervous about her first marathon coming up in a week. I told her to look on the bright side because at least she got in a good taper. We received some great news that my sister will be volunteering at the race! Seeing her will be a welcome relief when we are in the midst of wanting to die. Stay tuned for my Tips For Running A Marathon.

"I think there is too much emphasis placed on the distinction between the people in the front and the people in the back. I happen to feel that the sensations are exactly the same for all of us."
~ Kenny Moore, marathoner and writer

Two Weeks To Park City Marathon

Monday, August 2nd 2010: 5 miles total. I ran the first 2.5 miles @ 13:47 per mile with Jackson, then did another 2.5 mile loop at 10:04 per mile.

Tuesday, August 3rd 2010: 5 miles @ 11:02 per mile pace with Mel in the morning. Then 4 miles @ 9:39 per mile pace by myself in the evening.

It was dark when I ran in the evening, but still hot outside. I stopped at the Main Street park to get a drink from the drinking fountain. It tasted like drinking warm bath water. Ugh. I got a mouth full of water, then bent down to touch my toes and stretch. Apparently this was NOT a good idea to be breathing heavy, and bend over with a mouth full of water. Immediately the warm bath water came out of my nose. Gross. And ouch. It felt like I had been huffing battery acid.

Wednesday, August 4th 2010: 5 miles @ 10:14 per mile pace. I went to the Desert Reserve for my weekly jaunt through the hills. When I left for the early morning run, there were some cool clouds in the sky that I figured might make for a cool sunrise so I went back inside to grab my camera for the run. This is what I got:


Thursday, August 5th 2010: 5 miles @ 10:37 per mile pace. I stayed up too late the night before and woke up too early. My legs felt like Laffy Taffy. In retrospect, maybe I should have filled up my water bottle with Red Bull.

Friday, August 6th 2010: Rest

Saturday, August 7th 2010: 20 miles @ 10:36 per mile pace! We went to do our first training run of the year on the St. George Marathon course. FYI: you never, EVER want to see this on the alarm clock when you wake up to run:


A group of 11 friends piled in the SUV like clowns at a circus and headed to the start of the course. Mel and I took a little bit slower pace which allowed me to take a bunch of pictures along the way (Mel is running in the distance):


About mile 7 we reached the Veyo Hill. I was not tremendously thrilled.


The weather during the whole run was absolutely perfect. You couldn't have asked for better. It was overcast, a little cooler, and we even had a few sprinkles toward the end.


I had been a little concerned about how Mel would do on the run. This was the farthest she had ever gone. But I figured she must be doing fine when she still had the energy to dance to Beyonce at mile 14.

Another glorious thing happened at mile 14. Right on our path we came across a baggie of bite-size candy bars! It wasn't on the side of the road where other runners leave their water and supplies. It was right on the road. To me it reaffirmed the fact that God answers prayers. With the Divine placement of candy bars right on our path, I thought it would be disrespectful to pass by the gracious offering without partaking. So I had one bite-size Butterfinger. It was possibly the most delicious candy bar that has ever crossed my lips.

We planned to do 17 miles and ended feeling pretty good. Well, as good as you can feel after running 17 miles. We were still in good enough shape for the traditional self-portrait.


When I got home I was still feeling okay so I did a 3 mile loop to bring my total to 20 miles for the day. But I'm even more proud of my weekly total: 44 miles! That is by far the most I have ever run in a week. I love the sense of accomplishment I get from running. I also appreciate the justification to eat Butterfingers.

Of all the races, there is no better stage for heroism than a marathon.
Dr. George Sheehan

3 Weeks To Park City Marathon

Monday, July 26th 2010: 5 miles @ 12:11 minutes per mile pace. Mel and I went out early in the morning. Maybe it was too early and we were still half asleep. Or maybe it was just too hot outside, but we ended up walking the last mile.

Tuesday, July 27th 2010: 5 miles @ 10:39 minutes per mile pace. I couldn't bring myself to wake up early and figured it wouldn't be too bad to run in the evening. Boy was that a dumb decision. When I got a chance to leave, it was still 97 degrees outside and the run wasn't very fun. Actually, the heat made this 5 mile run harder than a 15 miler a few days later.

Wednesday, July 28th 2010: Rest

Thursday, July 29th 2010: 15 miles @ 11:47 minutes per mile pace. When Mel and I walked out the door at 5:00am it felt like walking into a sauna. The storm clouds trapped the heat so it was warm and muggy. A few miles down the road we reached this sign which caused Mel to scowl in disgust:


A little while after the half-way point, we saw a glimmer of the sun. It turned out that this would be the last time we'd see the sun. Right after this picture it started to pour rain which continued for the rest of the run.


I appreciated the rain even more than the Hostess donuts I left as treats along the route. The dramatic drop in temperature was a welcome relief. We didn't push the pace and did a 5/1 run/walk ratio and both of us ended up feeling great at the end of the run. I never felt tired or exhausted. Hopefully this was a good trial run of what we will do at the Park City Marathon in three weeks.

Friday, July 30th 2010: 4 miles @ 10:00 minutes per mile pace. We went up to the Uinta Mountains for a family reunion and the tree-lined dirt roads made me anxious to strap on the running shoes.


I was having a grand old time until I came across a big, angry-looking black cow. He looked like the kind of cow that was just waiting to retaliate against a human being for all the injustices his species has been a victim of. He looked like he was preparing to avenge all his friends who have become part of a meal at McDonalds. He didn't take his glaring eyes off me. I prayed for safety and nearly wet my pants.


I decided I better take a picture of the angry bovine just in case I ended up dead on the road, smushed flat as a pancake. Then at least my family would have evidence of who the murderer was. I'm happy to report that he kept his distance, and I didn't end up as road kill.

Saturday, July 31st 2010: Hike to Grandaddy Lake in the Uintas. We were fortunate to avoid any encounters with moose. Or bears. Or cows.