Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club: Blog Posts

Cold weather running: is it slower? Advice from Pete Colaizzo.

Deborah Schwartz

I asked Pete Colaizzo why I felt so sluggish on my morning winter runs. His reply made lots of sense to me and I thought others in the club might be interested:

To answer your running question: Yes, it is tougher to maintain pace in cold weather. There are several reasons:

1. You are wearing more clothes. Clothes weigh pounds. Imagine running with 5 excess pounds. It will slow you down.

2. In cold weather, your muscles take far longer to warm up and they are far less elastic. The result is a slower pace.

3. This might seem hokey, but the ground is harder in the cold and you don't get "bounce back" that you would in warmer weather. Asphalt is actually a relatively soft and bouncy running surface in warm weather. Cement is the worst. It is hard in the cold, and hard in the warm.

4. Lastly, it's a fact (I know this first-hand) that early-morning running is slower than midday or afternoon. Again, it's a flexibility issue. You are far less flexible early. On the rare occasions when I run in the afternoon, my pace is at least 1:00 faster per mile. I feel turbocharged (and no, not from coffee!). But that is very rare. I run every day between 5-6 a.m., and it is very slow. It is what it is; it's the only time I can do it.

Marathon Advice from friend of Krys Wasielewski

Deborah Schwartz

New MHRRC member and frequent marathoner Krys Wasielewski received this advice from a friend about his upcoming marathon:

If you follow your emotions, Krys, in the early part of the marathon, you will be "up-the-creek." This is what I have learned from 100 or so of them. You MUST be patient. If you do it right, the first 10km feels uncomfortably slow. This is good in the long run. It took me years to figure this out: YEARS!

I see emotional running very frequently, even in shorter races.

I tell my friends: "Run the first half of the race with your head, the second half of the race with your heart. If you do it the other way around, it will break your heart and send your head spinning."

Good luck, Krys!

Boston Marathon Training (1)

Conni Grace

Boston Marathon: April 21, 2008. 4 1/2 weeks to go !!!

(I have been encouraged to start blogging about my Boston Marathon training. Being that this blog is about my preparation for Boston, it is going to be very self centered. I do not necessary believe that anybody will find my training to be riveting and exciting reading. If you are curious about what it takes for me to run the way I do, go ahead and read this. If you are looking for intellectual and insightful information I suggest you look elsewhere) !

Wayne and I have been training for Boston since December 31st. When we decided to run Boston we also decided that I should train harder for this marathon than I have ever trained before. Past marathon training has averaged around 55-59 miles per week for 12 weeks, with the longest weeks being around 70 miles per week. This Boston training program is averaging 70 miles per week over 16 weeks of training with the highest weekly mileage being 83. (The weekly mileage refers to the Monday –Sunday schedule. There is a segment coming up where we will run 95 miles from Thursday – Wednesday).

So far training is going according to the schedule. There have been several minor injuries, sicknesses and bad weather that have popped up. (All of which are standard operating procedure for marathoners during their training). I have, however, been able to train through it all of it. Monday I had a bit of a scare ...... during the run my knee started to hurt. It was a 6 mile easy run but toward the end I was in excruciating pain. If it wasn't so cold I would have stopped and walked. The pain was under the kneecap (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome). Tuesday morning was spent treating the knee really aggressively: Icing and doing quad exercises. I was anxious about the lunch time run, not sure how it would turn out. But the knee kept getting better as the run progressed. Wednesday it was an easy but hilly 12.5 miles on the schedule. I got through that one too with just a few minor aches in the knee. I am still treating the knee with ice, Advil and Glucosamine cream and doing lots of quad exercises. The cause of this knee injury is one (or both) of two reasons: my feet or my thighs. The increase in training has caused my hamstrings to be stronger than my quads and this is why my knee cap is getting pulled out of alignment. Another thing I need to focus on is what doing so much running on banked road is doing to my stride. I will change my shoes to ones that offer more stability even if it means sacrificing some of the cushioning. The rest of the week is 6-6-6.5. All easy…. no speed until Sunday. Hopefully I will be all set for Sunday's 14 mile run with 3 x 3 mi at marathon goal pace imbedded in the run.

Boston Marathon Training (2)

Conni Grace

When we decided to try this harder training program I had two thoughts : 1) If this training doesn’t kill me it will make me strong and 2) With this high mileage I will be able to eat without having to worry about my weight. #1 still holds true but I was very wrong about #2. What I didn’t realize was that the increase in mileage would cause an increase my appetite. How unfair is that? As much as I am running I have to watch what I eat even more than during regular training L

The Boston training program has brought about a completely unexpected challenge: Many of our weekly runs have been doubles. We will run at lunch time and then again in the late afternoon. Two people running every day generate quite a bit of laundry. Two people running twice a day will generate even more laundry. Two people running twice a day wearing extra layers due to the cold weather this time of year will generate an astonishing amount of laundry. Hence, my “Long Road to Boston” has not been limited to the many miles covered on the roads. My “Long Road to Boston” has been marked just as much by the wearing down a path to and from the washer and dryer.

Boston Marathon Training (3)

Conni Grace

To Run, or Not to Run …. ?

My marathon training program is structured as follows: Each week has a key workout on Wednesdays and Sundays. The rest of the runs are easy “junk” mileage runs except for Friday’s easy runs which includes a series of striders. The reason for the easy day runs is to allow the body optimum opportunity to heal and recover from each key workout while covering the high amount of mileage needed for marathon-ing.

When faced with a running injury the obvious answer is to take time off from running and let the injury heal. When an injury strikes during goal specific training it becomes just another marathon training challenge to overcome. My strategy is to treat the injury aggressively and continue running as long as healing is occurring. Each run is likely to cause a setback. As long as the recovery in-between each run is at a greater rate than the setback cause by the run, the end result will be full recovery. Sort of like taking two steps forward between runs and one step backward during the run. (Wayne totally disagrees with this as I’m sure many other sensible coaches will).

Wayne and I decided to give my knee a break from all the pounding on the roads and do Saturday’s run on the trails. Due to marathon training we have not done any trail running since last fall. It wasn’t until we got to the trails that I realized how much I have missed this type of running. It did present a bit of a dilemma: The knee injury was giving me difficulties lifting that leg high enough to clear roots and rocks. I caught my toe a couple of times which caused me to pay closer attention than usual to the footing. Except for this one time…. end result being body-to-ground contact with a direct hit to the bad knee. Talk about adding insult to injury !!

This past Sunday was an important key-run: 14 miles with 3 x 3 miles at goal marathon pace imbedded into it. Despite focused efforts to get the knee ready for the run it was not showing the improvement that I wanted. My last hope was that the increase in the pace would allow me to run without pain. It sounds crazy: Why would I even consider running fast if I can’t run slow? Because I know from experience that it is possible. Running at a faster pace utilizes muscles in different ways than slow pace running. The danger with attempting this is that it is quite possible that the increase in speed will stress the injured area even further. The 2 mile warm-up did not go well. I had to stop several times to stretch out the hamstring in an attempt to relieve the tightness in the knee. During the early part of the marathon goal pace (which was about 2 min/mile faster than warm-up) I felt a little tightness but no pain. As the run progressed I was running without any discomfort at all. The remainder of the up-tempo was completed as well, without any discomfort. During each recovery and during the cool down the tightness would return. (Anne Gullickson very encouragingly offered: No worries – As you know, you won't need the easy pace during Boston) !! I was so relieved that I had completed the work-out. I told Wayne it felt like I had dodged a bullet. He told me not to get too excited, that it wasn’t over yet. “You still have three “guns” pointing at you in the shape of three more key-workouts”.

Next key workout is Wednesday: 18 miles at 110% of goal marathon pace. This run is done at slightly slower pace than marathon pace to reduce the stress on joints and muscles but at a pace fast enough to encourage development of running efficiency. Hopefully the pace will be fast enough that the knee won’t give me any problems.

When I got accepted into the Elite Women’s Start (EWS) for Boston Marathon I knew very little about it. I knew that the EWS is about 25 min before the rest of the approximately 25000 runners start. I pictured a group of about 150-200 women dashing away with me rounding up the field, desperately trying to hang on while pretending to belong in that field. I also knew that it is necessary to be in this field to be eligible to receive prize money. Females running in the main field will not be considered for the overall placing of the Open or Master’s runners. They will however, be considered for age group awards. So I was quite surprised when I received an email from Boston informing me that they had reserved a spot for me in the EWS because I was a contender to be in the top five Master finishers. How exciting is that? Not only am I going to run Boston Marathon (to me, the most prestigious marathon in the world), but I will start alongside the elite women with a chance at winning money. Last week I received another email from Boston Marathon informing me that the final selection for the EWS has been determined. The field will consist of 30 Open females and 15 Master females. How ironic is that? My “biggest” race will also be the “smallest”.

Boston Marathon Training (4)

Conni Grace

Training for a marathon requires some kind of a plan. Everybody has their own opinion on how to prepare for a marathon but most will agree that certain key elements are important. A well thought out schedule will map out the ideal progression of how to get you to the start of your marathon as fit as you can possibly be. This is why a Marathon Training Schedule is so important. Having a training schedule keeps me motivated. There are days when it is cold and wet, when it would be so nice to snuggle up on the couch and watch a good movie, instead of going out for a miserable run. The schedule reminds me that I made a commitment to a certain goal. The workouts on the schedule are what it is going to take to give me the best shot at achieving this goal. The down side of a schedule is that I tend to become a slave to it. When Wayne told me that it was time to take two days off from running and let my knee rest and recover, my first reaction was: Panic! By not following the schedule I will not be able to run Boston as well as “The Schedule” would have allowed. Then he informed me that we are taking out the 95 mile week and switching key workouts around. My reaction to this was: Failure! I wasn’t a good enough runner to handle the schedule. After mulling it over for a while with Wayne, I realized that modifying the schedule does not mean giving up on a good effort in Boston. There are three weeks of training left of which the last two weeks are for tapering. During the taper, the large reduction in duration and intensity of runs allows the body to rest up and recharge as much as possible for the race. The one week early start to the tapering phase just means, that I can run a little harder and longer than scheduled, during the last two weeks. Changing the schedule does not mean that I am giving up. The key word to keep in mind is “modifying”. We are not abandoning marathon training. We are just modifying it.

Wednesday’s run was supposed to be 18 miles at 110% of goal marathon pace. (10% slower than marathon goal pace). It became an unscheduled day off. Thursday was a scheduled day off. Today’s schedule calls for 6 easy miles with “striders” during lunch break and 6 easy miles tonight. We will run the lunch run. If it goes well, we will decide if we should run again tonight. With the lousy weather, we might just have to snuggle up on the couch and watch a good movie instead of running, regardless of how the knee feels
Saturday was supposed to be 14 miles with 2 x 4 miles at marathon goal pace. Sunday had 20 miles done at easy slow endurance pace, on the schedule.

So what are we running this weekend: I have no clue! Years ago when I asked Wayne to help me with my running he was very apprehensive about it. His reluctance was due to my stubbornness. He told me because of it I was “un-coachable”. After much pleading and many promises that I would listen to and follow his advice, he finally agreed. I know that he will advice me to run a lot shorter and easier than I would have liked to this weekend. I do see his points. I have done 12 weeks of great training. Being only 3 weeks away from the marathon I won’t lose any of that, but I could very well do damage that would prevent me from going to Boston. So, whatever he suggests I will follow his advice. I am NOT “un-coachable”! (But I would really like to run 12 easy miles Saturday and 18 miles at 110% of goal marathon pace on Sunday ! )

Boston Marathon Training (5)

Conni Grace

Monday I finally saw the improvement in the knee that I have so desperately been looking for the past two weeks. Monday’s improvement came after a weekend of fairly hard training. Saturday we ran for 1 ½ hour on the Appalachian Trail. For Sunday’s run I was given a choice. I could either do 18 miles at 110 % of goal marathon pace (GMP) or 14 miles with 2 x 4 miles at marathon goal pace embedded into it. Whichever run we did not do, would become Wednesday’s workout. I picked 14 mi w/2 x 4 @ GMP. I figured the shorter distance and the changes in pace would be less stress on my knee than a longer run at a continuous pace.

The schedule for this week calls for a total of 75.5 miles with two key workouts: Wednesday’s 18 miles at 110 % of GMP and 12 miles on Sunday with 2 x 3 miles threshold pace (15k – 10 mile race pace). Sunday’s workout we will do at Van’s Race around Briggs. Some of the key-workouts can very well be substituted by a race. Usually this means that the race cannot be run at full race effort. This can be a valuable lesson in how to stay disciplined and run a specific effort even though you feel like running faster.

Back in the 80’s and 90’s I would happily run for hours upon hours, day after day, as long as all I needed to do, was shuffle along. For years this is how I trained. Every run was pretty much the same pace, the only variation being the distance I covered. Surprisingly, this was also how I raced. I just came across some of my race results from 1988. That year I ran two 5K races. In between the two races I ran the Dutchess ½. I ran all three races at the same pace ! Training for my first eight marathons was always the same: 40-50 mile weeks, all done at the same pace. For years Wayne kept telling me that I could run a lot better if I tried a structured training regime. I argued that I WAS training as hard as I could, running lots of miles every day. Slowly he would open my eyes to how real training is done. Some of the runs would need to get done outside the comfort zone but just as important were the easy days that followed the hard days. It took him years to explain to me that it would make a difference to train with quality in mind as opposed to quantity.

So has following a training regime as opposed to shuffling along made a difference? I’d say so! The results speak for themselves. During 10 years of running in the 80’s, I was a consistent 23min 5K runner. Now I typically get under 20. The first time I ran Kingston Classic 10K back in the 80’s I ran it in 47 min. Last year I ran it in 38:03. The first time I ran Steamtown Marathon in 1999 I ran it in 3:22. Last year it took me 2:56. It wasn’t until I started quality training instead of quantity running that I all of a sudden saw the improvement in my race times that I had hoped for. When I ran Copenhagen Marathon (1993) in 3.35 I wore my favorite shirt. It was a plain cotton t-shirt. Printed across the top of the shirt was the time 3:05. Somebody at that marathon asked me if that was my goal marathon time. Obviously it was not, and I used to joke that I wished it was my goal marathon time. I wore that shirt for years thinking how cool it would be if against all odds I’d be able to run that time one day. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision even a remote possibility of it ever happening. Now that it has happened it sort of makes me feel like Cindarella. As the “Big Day in Boston” approaches I find myself hoping that my Favorite-Fairy-Coach will perform his magic one more time! (Hmm… that didn’t come out right)!!

Boston Marathon Training (6)

Conni Grace

Wednesday’s key-workout was supposed to be 18 miles with 16 miles at 110% of goal marathon pace. I said the run was SUPPOSED to be 18 miles because there was a small misunderstand as far as the route we were running. We worked out a plan with a 2 mile warm-up that brought us to a very familiar training area for us. From this point we have an out and back route that we call “The DeadEnd”. This DeadEnd run is just a little more than 5 miles, is comparable terrain (slightly hilly) to the Boston Marathon and mostly importantly has familiar Mile Markers that we regularly do “2 mile Repeats” on. This part of the run allowed us to closely calibrate our pace and effort. Also from the point where the DeadEnd runs starts, is a loop we call “The Mountain”. This loop is a bit over 4 miles, and climbs a pretty good size hill (an Over Achieving preparation for the notorious “Heartbreak Hill” in Newton at Mile 21 of the Boston Marathon). So the plan was (actual mileage may vary): 2 mile warm up; 5 mile DeadEnd; 4 mile Mountain; another 5 mile Deadend then finally a 2 mile return trip straight back home for the 18 miles. Do you follow this? Exactly!! I couldn’t keep that all straight either! Well.... somehow I translated “straight back home” to: “One more time around The Mountain". At one point I did get a bit discouraged that the run felt so long and hard. I attributed it to the windy conditions. I thought it strange that this run was starting to feel a lot like the last six miles of a marathon. (At that point I had covered 21 miles). About 1/2 a mile from our house, all of a sudden Wayne appeared in his car yelling out the window, asking “what happened? “. Thinking that he was worried about my knee I gave him thumbs up and continued on. I thought he was overreacting a bit. I didn’t think I was THAT slow. After he got the car turned around and caught back up with me, he discovered that I had gone over the mountain a SECOND time. He ordered me to “get into the car right now”. I was almost home, but he wasn’t HAVING another step from me! I got into the car and stopped my watch. He glanced at it and said: “2 hrs 50 minutes!!” (Maybe it was more like yelling). “Didn't you realize something was wrong?” I had been focusing on maintaining the proper pace and effort, I’d never bothered to pay attention to the elapsed running time. He then asked me at what point I had slowed down. I never did. So, I ended up running 22 miles, 20 at 110% marathon goal pace. Ooops !!!! Poor Wayne had been soo worried about me. He thought that somebody had dragged me into a car and driven off with me. It did cross his mind that I could have mistakenly gone over the Mountain again but dismissed that thought. He didn't think I could have been that stupid :(

The good news is that the knee held up. I only experienced minor intermittent discomfort during the down hills. The bad news is that during those late miles the effort for that run was much higher than planned for. The one thing I have going for me is that last week was supposed to be 83 miles. I only ran 48 because of the knee problem. I was a lot fresher going into Wednesday’s run than if I had run the 83 mile week and will therefore be able to recover faster. Hopefully my little “detour” won’t be too damaging to the end result.

So what was I thinking? What possessed me to go over that mountain a second time? Wayne had me suspect of doing it intentionally to get more mileage in. It didn’t seem possible to him that I did not know how many miles I had covered at any given time. Simple math, he told me! You either subtract 1 mile from the total (18) for each mile covered, or if you lose track of the mileage count, you know the approximate pace you are running. Divide your pace per mile into the amount of time you’ve been running. My detour started after 17.5 miles of running or approximately 2 hrs and 15 minutes into the run. I should have realized that there were only a few minutes left of the run. A few minutes would not be enough time for me to cover the 4.5 miles that I had left before I would have gotten back home. (Actually his recap was A LOT more detailed than this).

When I run, I don’t think in miles or minutes. Unless we run the 2 mile stretch that we run our “Repeats” on, I have no clue how far a mile is. The time it takes to run a mile at a specific effort varies greatly according to the terrain. To me this doesn’t seem a very accurate way to keep track of time. It certainly does not seem worth the effort that it would take for me to do these highly involved math calculations, for such an inaccurate end result. When I run a training run where the miles are not marked I break up the run into familiar sections. Firehouse to end of measured 2 mile plus a little extra into dead end, twice. Around the mountain loop. Etc. I just made the “little” mistake by adding “twice” in front of “The mountain loop”. Not that I was looking forward to the 2nd loop. As a matter of fact I was a bit concerned because the run felt so hard. It did cross my mind to cop-out and just run straight home. As creative as I was at the time, I could not come up with a good enough excuse though. My knee wasn’t hurting so I couldn’t use that excuse. It came down to, if I did go straight home I would be whimp-ing out. No chance that I could let that happen.

So what do I think about when I run? It depends on the effort that I run at. During races and up-tempo workouts there is not much energy left to think about much more than the task at hand. During easier effort runs I think about lots of “stuff”. Somehow running allows the less used area of my brain to get utilized, resulting in this very uncharacteristic creativity. I have solved all sorts of world crises during my runs: World hunger, pollution, the education crisis, just to name a few. An easy 18 mile run even produced the solution to all the problems that our running club is experiencing. When I got to the point during Wednesday’s run, where I took the turn to finish the extra 4 mile loop over the mountain, when what should have been only a few more minutes left of the run, I was very busy developing plans to ensure world peace. With such great challenges on my mind, can you really blame me for losing track of time? I supposed this argument would stand a bit stronger if there was a way that I could retain all these creative thoughts. Unfortunately, as soon as the run is done all my great ideas evaporate and are lost forever.

I hope to see a lot of you at The Race around Briggs on Sunday. To all of you going down to NYC for The More Marathon and 1/2: Good Luck !! I wish I was going with you.

Boston Marathon Training (7)

Conni Grace

I was really looking forward to Sunday’s “Race around Briggs”. It had seemed so long since the last time we’d run a race.   I was curious about what kind of shape I am in right now. We have trained harder for this Marathon than any other before. So by all rights, I SHOULD be in good shape. I was worried because during our training, the fastest pace that we have run is threshold pace (10 mi race pace) for 3 x 2 miles.   Each of those workouts felt so challenging that I didn’t think it would be possible for me to run a faster pace than that. It seemed impossible to me, to hold that pace for a longer distance than 2 miles at a time.   Another concern of mine is how well the knee will be able to handle the down hill pounding. The Boston course is a net down hill with most of it early in the race. Several severe down hills on the Briggs course, would be a very good test to see how well prepared my knee is for Boston.

Friday night I was unusually tired. I thought that perhaps it was “the little Wednesday mishap” (see blog 6) that had caught up with me. For the better part of Saturday I just “moped” around without much energy or motivation to do anything. Saturday night I started to come around and figured I’d be fine for the race the following morning. Sunday morning I was still a little “off”, but after breakfast and a strong cup of coffee to jumpstart me, I was all set to go.

The Briggs race was very encouraging. I held back during the early part of the race out of concern for my recent knee problems. After the first 4 miles I was 25 seconds behind pace compared to last years run. To my great surprise I was able to make up 35 seconds during the last 3.2 miles, most of it being a severe uphill. I finished 10 seconds faster than last year’s time! I am not by any means a strong up-hill runner (that’s Wayne’s claim to fame). With this weakness in mind, and to get me ready for the infamous “Boston Hills”, Wayne chose training runs for me that included as many mountains as possible.   Even our repeat workouts have been done on the road instead of on the track so we could practice running up-tempo on hills. During 14 weeks of running lots and lots of hills, there were times that I wished we were training for Amsterdam, Kansas or some other flat marathon instead. There were even times that I was cursing (not out loud) the seemingly never ending mountains.   I take it ALL back. What a huge difference the “mountain training regime” has made. I am able to run the up hills so much stronger than ever before.   In fact, my overall pace for the 7+ Miles on this very hilly and challenging Briggs course was very near the pace of my 2 Mile Threshold Intervals, with what seemed no more effort than those workouts.

Monday’s easy run (the day after Briggs) went quite nicely. I did have slight stiffness in the knee but it was much less than what I was expecting after the test I had put it through by running the race the previous day. By Monday afternoon I started to feel sick again. It probably was a relapse of what I had experienced Saturday morning. When I got home from work and it was time for the second run of the day, I decided to take a nap instead. I was not concerned about missing this run. With two weeks left before the Boston Marathon it is more important to recover and recharge. Wayne’s favorite saying is: “During the taper phase, it’s much easier do too much, than too little”.

Wednesday is the very last “key” workout: 15 miles with 8-10 miles at goal marathon pace. If there is the slightest sign of fatigue, this run will get modified and made easier.

The last key workout……. I can’t believe that we are almost at the end of this 16 week journey. There were so many times when it seemed near impossible to continue on. The largest challenge with the high mileage training has been getting enough sleep. During the early phase of training there were several times that I would come home from work, run the second run of the day, take a nap, eat dinner and take a nap until it was time for bed. In an email to Steve Spence, I complained about needing so much sleep. He replied: “having trouble getting enough sleep and don’t seem to be able to get enough to eat? Sounds like you are in marathon training!"    Once again my “coach” was there providing all the support and assistance that I needed. On the nights when he would find me sound asleep on the couch, he would make sure that he woke me up in time for me to brush my teeth and go to bed!!

Boston Marathon Training (8)

Conni Grace

The last two weeks before a marathon is the tapering phase of training. During tapering the weekly mileage is reduced significantly. Ideally, after the long hard marathon training, you want to sit back, relax and feel yourself get stronger and “fresher”. My taper is going completely opposite. Lately I am feeling as if I am trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. Every few days I get hit with a virus. So far, my immune system has been able to fight off each of these attacks while they were in their early stages. The repeated attacks are starting to take their toll on me. My energy levels have dropped drastically. Instead of feeling strong and energetic I am tired and struggling to get through my work day.

All my set-backs could be valid reasons for panic. So why am I not panicking? Because getting sick during tapering seems like a regular occurrence for me! During the last week prior to my two fastest marathons I was fighting upper respiratory infections up until the day of the race. I was able to “take a break” from being sick, just long enough to run the marathons. The day after the marathons I resumed the final course of the viral attacks. Currently I am feeling a lot better than I was during the two aforementioned Marathon tapers. So, as far as I am concerned, I am ahead of the game. No reasons for panic, yet!
A new respiratory virus is making its way through the office where I work. So far it has claimed two of my co-workers. Unfortunately, taking off from work for the rest of the week, is NOT an option. Wayne told me to stay out of all common areas and wash my hands as often as possible. Taking a full hit by a virus this close to the marathon would be devastating. This situation is a good reason to panic!

The last week before a marathon is such a mental game. The low mileage done at easy effort equates to more time on my hands which is spent thinking and worrying about the upcoming Race. One strategy is to try and block out the upcoming race. I tried that once. The entire week prior to the Tampa Marathon, I didn’t allow myself to think about the race. It wasn’t until I was picking up my bib number that all of a sudden it hit me. Wayne noticed the panic on my face and asked what was wrong. I explained to him that I just realized why we were in Tampa. I was totally overwhelmed with the thought of having to run a marathon the following day and I didn’t feel ready at all. I didn’t think I would be able to complete 26.2 miles. Wayne told me I’d better hurry up and get mentally ready, because physically, I was perfectly capable. He was right. (As annoying as it is, he is ALWAYS right)!

To me, one of the great mysteries of running a marathon is that there is no “dress rehearsal”. The marathon is 26.2 miles. During training, my longest scheduled run was 22 miles and it was done at a much slower pace than Goal Marathon Pace (GMP). The furthest that I ran at GMP during training was close to 9 miles. It doesn’t make sense to me that I will be able to race a longer distance at a faster pace than what I have done in training. (The reason why I do not do the full distance during training is because it is counter productive. Running that far would be too stressful on the body and would take too long to recover from). Every single time I have lined up for a marathon it has been with this doubt. Every single time I have run a marathon I have surprised myself by what I was able to accomplish. This marathon is no different from the previous ones. Once again I harbor that same doubt whether I can run faster for longer than I have done in training. Wayne tells me not to worry. It is not how far I have run during training that matters. It is HOW I have trained that makes the difference. 16 weeks of carefully scheduled workouts based either on distance or effort will come together on race day. I sure hope I will be able to surprise myself one more time, this time, in Boston.

Boston (9)

Conni Grace

I am a little disappointed with my race. I did run the first 18 miles at my goal pace. After mile 18 I ran out of "steam". It had been awhile since this happened to me so I was very unprepared for how to deal with it. The last 2 miles were pretty much a death march. All I could think about was how nice it would be to stop and take a little break. I did make it to the finish without stopping ... barely.
Funny to think about, that two years ago I would have killed for the time that I ran. Instead, it is killing me that I wasn’t able to run as fast as I had trained for. Oh well... you win some - you lose some! Even though I didn't have a great race I had a GREAT experience.

The whole "elite start" experience was awesome. The elite women’s field consisted of 53 women. 10 min before the start we were escorted out to the start area. It was quite unnerving. I was not prepared for all the spectators and the many TV cameras everywhere. It was very strange being in such a small field receiving so much attention. It would have been a very different experience if I had started with the 25000 people that the main field consisted of. When I saw Joan Benoit holding the starting gun, it all of a sudden struck me that I was running THE Boston Marathon. It was such a charge!

Around mile 16-17 the lead men caught up to me. They had started along with the main field, 25 minutes after the elite women’s start. The first indicator that they were approaching was 8-10 police cars with flashing lights. Two camera trucks followed, loaded with people and cameras facing back. When the lead men finally passed me, I was so charged up by the hoopla that I got pulled along and ran a much too fast mile. What a sight they were: A group of 10-12 men just floating along, seemingly effortlessly – passing me so fast it seemed like I was standing still.

At the finish I was identified as an elite runner (Had a little silver dot with a "V" in it, on my bib number). Two guys more or less carried me into the VIP tent, sat me down and got me all kinds of refreshments. Once I recovered a bit, I changed into dry clothes and got a massage. I was about ready to leave the tent when 6-8 race officials entered the tent and asked the runners to make room for "Lance". The runners parted like the Red Sea as Lance Armstrong made his way through the tent. Several times he stopped to give "high fives" and have his picture taken with runners that asked him for it. Despite being exhausted from just finishing his marathon he was very accommodating. I was tempted to stretch my arm out and touch "The Lance". I didn't think I would appreciate being groped like that right after having finished a marathon so I didn’t' do it. The whole experience was such a thrill.

Patients Commonly Receive Misinformation on Osteoporosis Treatments

Deborah Schwartz

Many of you have read my previous articles about nutrition (The Protein Myth and The Nutrient Myth) on this site. One of my favorite sources is John McDougall, MD. His most recent newsletter (May 2008) has a concise article about osteoporosis and the treatments for this terrible condition. Read it if this is a concern to you.

Link to article.

My mother suffers from osteoporosis in her spine and is always in pain - so I am sensitive to this disease and wish there was some magic bullet. All of the research I have ever read confirms what McDougall says in his article:

Drugs used to treat osteoporosis have not been shown to prevent fractures (although they may make bone density readings look better)
Side effects from these drugs can be dangerous
Fear of this condition results in much money to medical equipment manufacturers, pharmaceuticals, and medical doctors for testing (note: I dutifully get tested every two years, despite my misgivings).
Exercise and eating well (no to minimal animal foods) are the best protection against this condition. I will someday write another article about Dairy Myths, but meanwhile, know that animal foods require your body to produce acid to digest them; your body wants to stay at a constant PH level and uses your bones as a source of chemicals to neutralize this excess acid. As a result, studies have shown that women who drink two glasses of milk per day have more fractures than women consuming no dairy. Epidemiologically, there is a high correlation between bone fractures and dairy consumption in different societies.

Someday, in my spare time, I will write the dairy article - meanwhile, dear running friends - please check out McDougall.

Bill Clinton and open heart surgery

Deborah Schwartz

No matter what your political leanings, we have all been wondering at the missteps of Bill Clinton during Hillary's campaign. We are not used to seeing the volatility and mistakes of such an experienced politician.

John McDougall has been suspecting this behavior may be the result of Bill Clinton's open heart surgery and the known loss of cognitive function that occurs in up to 50% of patients after coronary bypass surgery. There was a recent story about this in the Wall Street Journal and you can also read more about it on McDougall's web site.

I think it is unfortunate that patients are not informed of this very real consequence of coronary by-pass surgery - and that there are safe alternatives (diet and exercise) - and patients are not told that if lifestyle habits are maintained after surgery, the same result is inevitable.

Revenue to doctors and hospitals is a big motivator. As McDougall says, over 80% of some hospitals' revenue comes from coronary by-pass surgery. It is also telling to me that heart surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic (most renowned hospital in the nation for this) disageed with Caldwell Esselstyn's research on the benefits of a plant-based diet until they were personally affected by coronary heart disease. Then, they went to Dr. Esselstyn for help with lifestyle changes (this story is told in Esselstyn's book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and in Campbell's The China Study).

People tell me all the time that a plant-based diet seems to radical to them. However, for me, the concept of having my ribs broken, by chest opened, a vein taken from my leg and attached to my heart with the very real risk of cognitive disfunction is the real radical solution. Eliminating animal food is simple and cheap with no bad side effects. In the process, I am, in my own small way, decreasing the amount of cruely to animals at factory farms and helping the environments (2007 UN study that methane from factory farm animals has bigger environmental effect than oil).

Plus, I am probably feeling especially feisty today because I walked out of a physician's office after waiting for more than 45 minutes for my annual physical (yes, he was there, yes, other patients went in ahead of me, no, there was no medical emergency). I've just read Our Daily Meds by Melody Peterson and continue to be aghast at the lack of science and propaganda used to push drugs that are financial boons to all involved except for us patients, who suffer the known, negative consequences.

Atkins Diet and Fish Oil

Deborah Schwartz

In the past few weeks, I have been thinking about fish oil and the Atkins diet because:

Our former family physician recommends fish oil to all his patients, no matter what their cholesterol levels are. Seems like some physicians have gone to conferences to learn about the advantages of fish oil.
The news has shown stories with a comparison of the Atkins diet, Mediterranean diet, and a "low fat" 30% fat diet and shown that there was little long term difference in weight loss.
One of my running buddies is convinced that fish oil is terrific because of its Omega-3s.

Naysayer that I am, here is some food for thought:

The Atkins, low carbohydrate, high protein diet (and it's cousin, the South Beach diet) claim that although Americans have been following a low fat diet for years, Americans are fatter and sicker than ever - so low fat diets don't work. In reality, we have lowered our consumption of fat because of the miracles of food technology, but have substituted high-sugar junk food and high-protein animal foods. We are not on low fat diets!

The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine (in one of their few published studies, not peer reviewed) put 51 obese people on their diet; the 41 people who maintained the diet for six months did lose 20 pounds - through severe calorie restriction - and the media reported a slight decrease in blood cholesterol. What was not reported about the Atkins study was:

68% experienced constipation
63% reported bad breath
10% noted hair loss
51% reported headaches
They also stated other adverse effects, such as calcium oxalyate and urate kidney stones, vomiting, amenorrhea, vitamin deficiencies, and a 53% increase in excreted calcium (weakening bones).

Another study in Australia found that on the Atkins diet "Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity, and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet."

As a side requirement of the Atkins diet, Dr. Atkins recommends that many of his patients take nutritional supplements, up to 30 pills a day! While buying all these supplements helps Atkins' bottom line, it does little for health. (All this from The China Study, Colin Campbell). And remember, when Atkins died of heart failure after claiming to have been on his diet for 36 years, he was obese. (Beware of unhealthy experts with financial incentives to promote something).

In the recent news stories, the Atkins diet showed the biggest weight loss, but no mention was made of the health consequences. Then, on the news one night, I heard that the thought-leader pushing the fish oil took payment from the Atkins Institute!

Here is the scoop on fish oil (link to McDougall site for entire discussion):

"Fish oils contain large amounts of cholesterol and will raise the blood cholesterol of people. Even when the fish oil is purified of cholesterol, the omega-3 fat itself will cause the LDL-bad cholesterol to rise ... fish oil treatment for 2 years does not promote favorable changes in the diameter atherosclerotic coronary arteries."

"...fish oils suppress the immune system, which can promote cancer and increase susceptibility to viral infections; and can cause severe bleeding. Fish fat also inhibits the action of insulin, thus increasing a person's tendency to suffer from diabetes."

Here is the link to McDougall about the comparison of the three diets.

The best diet: whole food, plant-based, complex carbohydrate, no added oils diet. No adverse side effects, demonstrated weight loss, reduced cholesterol, reduced blood pressure, and a whole host of other benefits.

Star McDougaller - Standing up to the osteoporosis hype

Web Master

Several MHRRC members have asked me for more information on osteoporosis after my previous blog.

Here is a link to the McDougall site about a 53 year old woman diagnosed with osteopenia and her journey to better bone health. Be sure to read Dr. McDougall's comments on the left side of the page.

We need some new bloggers!

Web Master

Anyone interested in contributing to our blogs? It's easy and I have run out of steam on the blogs.

To blog:

You must have blogging privileges on this site. If you are interested, email webmaster@mhrrc.org and you will be given blogging privileges (and please keep your comments positive or we'll have to revoke blogging privileges).

To Add Blog:

Log in (with blogging privileges)
Scroll to the bottom of the home page and click "View blog posts"
On the next page (Blogs/default.aspx), click "New Post" (upper left box - you only see this if you have blogging privileges)
Enter a title for your blog and then enter your blog text. Note: you can copy/paste from a Word document. When you try to paste in the text box, you will get a dialogue box asking "access clipboard?" Click "yes." Then, another dialogue box, "It looks like this was copied from Word. Do you want to clean it up?" Click "yes" and then paste (control V) from your clipboard into the text box. Check the "clear styles" box and click "okay.")
Click "Add Blog Post" at the bottom of the page.

You are done! It is much easier to do than to explain.

Note: If you have added a picture of yourself (My Accounts >>My Picture), your picture will display on your blog postings when users leave the home page. Proof read your blog carefully before you click "Add Blog Post" (step 5 above) because, as of right now, you can't go back and edit a blog (it is way down on my list of To Do's). If you have an error in your blog, you have to copy, delete, add new blog post again, paste in old blog and correct it.

Comments

Note you can leave comments on blog postings if you have blogging privileges. It is easy - just click on the blog you want to make comment about then click "Add comment."

Organic Food: plant vs. animal food

Web Master

This months McDougall newsletter has an interesting article on organic food. McDougall doesn't talk about organic food in his books/seminars, but he buys organic food for himself. This is because the biggest health benefit is from switching to a plant-based diet and insisting on organic could be discouraging to some people. However, buying organic animal foods is NOT health-promoting. Link to the entire story.

New Research on Stretching: Coach is Right

Web Master

Anyone who has been to the training group track workouts has followed Coach Perks advice to do "Active Stretching." There is more about this technique in the training section of the MHRRC web site.

New York Times has an article that discusses the new research into stretching techniques and pans the old, static stretching methods.

Cornell Dawson's Report on NYC Marathon

Web Master

It was a good day for running a marathon, once you got over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on Sunday morning. On the bridge it was 41 degrees and a heavy breeze. Being outside the tents, lying on the ground, with a hefty wind made it very hard to stay warm for the hours before the race in the holding areas. This was the case even if you came prepared with extra clothing as I did. The sky was crystal clear and the view of Manhattan was fantastic.

I avoided many mistakes I made last year, based on good advice I have received from coaches. I finished this year in 4:23:09, an improvement of 34 minutes over last year's time. This time put me in the top quarter of my age group. I still have improvements that I need to make since my quads were cramping during the last six miles.

This year I tried to keep up a steady pace by joining a pace group. I ran at the 4:15:00 pace or 9:43 per mile for the first 20 miles. After that I couldn't keep up with the group because of the cramping problem.

It was a very good race and weekend in the city.

Cornell Dawson

November 10 Crestor News: Advertising Passed Off as Researh Confused Public Again

Web Master

In the news yesterday was multiple reports that Crestor ( a powerful statin) should be used more widely to cut the risk of heart attacks, stokes, and cardiovascular disease in half. Of course, the study was funded by AstrZeneca (maker of Crestor) and lead author is listed as coinventor of patent for the HS-CRP test recommended.

Read Dr. McDougall's take on this "breaking news." No surprise, he writes about the limitations of this study.

Beware of Road Runner Sports "Deals"

Web Master

Yes, I bought the five pair of running shoes required to get the free pair in the family plan. Yes, I tried to redeem last year and was told, "you have to wait until the return period ends." Yes, I recently tried to get my free pair and was told, "That offer has ended and we no longer honor the free pair - you can have a coupon for 15% off instead." $15 coupon vs. $100 free pair of shoes that I earned?!!?

Do I feel mislead, lied to, cheated, etc.? Yes. After a year of enduring "purchase your 5 pair of shoes quickly to get your fee pair" emails from Road Runner Sports, filling my part of the bargain, I am dismayed that I got no notice that this deal was over. Moral of the story: Be careful when dealing with Road Runner Sports. They are less than straight-forward.

Got the Free Pair!

Web Master

I wrote to the president of Road Runner Sports and got back a very nice email that they would honor the Family Plan. I have an order confirmation email. So ... if this happened to you, write to the president. The $.37 stamp was worth the $100 towards a new pair of shoes. My faith is restored.

More RRS from Nancy Swanson

Web Master

I signed up for the VIP program one time after I caluculated that I would save enough on my order to make the cost of the VIP worth it. A year later I found a charge on my credit card bill for renewing the VIP. I never authorized the renewal, nor had RRS asked. Since I had originally signed up for it over the phone there wasn't any "fine print" to say that it would be renewed automatically, and I don't remember the sales rep informing me that it would be. To RRS' credit after I called to complain they did credit my credit card. I wonder how many people have not noticed the charge on their bills to RRS' benefit.

Perks' Posse: in search of a marathon finish

Web Master

We are an unlikely group of middle-aged women (one of us not quite middle-aged) to set a goal of finishing a marathon in the Fall. Steve says if we train properly, we will finish, but 26.2 miles seems quite daunting (especially remembering how tired I am after the Classic Half - the thought of going around that loop again seems quite impossible). But, we finished week 4 of our training schedule, supplied by Steve.

We are:

Polly: fearless leader, knows every bathroom/portapotty on every running route in Dutchess County, keeps us organized and inspired and started this whole adventure.
Karen: focused, disciplined, just trained for More, but it was cancelled as a race because of the heat. Fits in running between her family, her house, and her job.
Margaret: the amazing mulit-tasker with young daughter, husband, lawn to mow, TWO jobs, and time to take on this adventure.
Me, Deborah, the original zen runner (doing what I feel like that day, not usually any goals).

So, wish us luck. We plan to post our thoughts here as they occur. Of course, we get all this inspiration while on our runs that somehow disappears when we get to our computers. If you want to join the blogging, contact webmaster@mhrrc.org for blogging privileges on this site.

Lessons Learned: skin care

Web Master

First few weeks of training has gone well, except the usual string of self-induced injuries. Usually, I get sore someplace when I boost up my running, but this time, it seemed like I got a series of skin problems (annoying, sometimes painful, but at least I can keep up with my training).

Poison ivy: got it on the New Paltz Rail Trail, going north after a rain storm. Went around a huge puddle to keep my shoes dry by going through the woods. Looked down and saw the PI! Lessons Learned: as Conni Grace says, there are worse things than wet sneakers on a trail. Stay on the trail! Nurse Polly swears by baking soda and water soaks and fresh air; that seems to work.
Black toenail: usually a sign of shoes too small. The "black" is fine, it's the pain when it first occurs that is, well, painful. My shoes are big enough - I need them wide for my neuroma. Lesson Learned from Polly: string the shoelaces through the top holes of the shoes to keep food back in the shoe where it belongs. Works well.
Abradded arms: don't know why I got this after all these years of running, but there are scrapes at the top of my arms, also painful, I guess from swinging my arms back and forth. Lesson Learned: from Kevin Dollard and Polly, slather up with vaseline before a run where there is rubbing. Now, I have a big jar on vaseline.

As I read this, I see I owe lots of advice to our fearless leader Polly: thanks, Polly!

Perks's Posse makes major discovery

Polly Sparling

News flash: New evidence was uncovered yesterday that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God does exist.

A brand-new, large, relatively clean and well-maintained port-a-potty has appeared along the New Paltz Rail Trail, just north of the Wallkill Bridge in New Paltz. The turquoise and white cube – which magically popped up in the last two weeks – was found by a group of female runners known locally as “Perks's Posse,” who welcomed its arrival with tears of joy. This, along with the recent discovery of a likeness of Jesus found in a bag of Cheetos (http://www.manolith.com/2009/05/18/cheesus-jesus-likeness-found-in-cheetos-bag/) seems to confirm that the Almighty is, indeed, in our midst. Hallelujah!

Women runners, especially those of a “certain age” (basically, anyone over 17), are subject to a host of indignities in pursuit of the sport. Ironically, it starts before we even head out the door. Donning form-fitting shorts and singlets made of flimsy nylon – or, even worse, spandex -- is not a process that inspires confidence and power in most women. (Given the choice, I’d guess that the majority of us would rather go hide in a closet than appear in public in these duds, but there is no choice, so we soldier on.)

Out on the road or trail, the problems mount. The question arises: what to do with all these unwanted body secretions, such as excess sweat and (to put it delicately) mucus? Spitting and using one’s clothes as a handkerchief is just gross; and while my son has tried in vain to teach me the complicated technique behind producing a “snot rocket,” it’s too unladylike to contemplate. Members of our group have solved this particular dilemma by carrying a bandanna, which – I’m proud to admit – is referred to among us as a “Polly rag.” (My race times will never be anything to write home about, but it’s nice to know that I’ve been immortalized by my peers for using a hanky.)

But the most difficult issue for women runners is the chronic lack of “facilities” on the run. Whether heading out for a quick three-miler or a Sunday long run, elaborate plans must be laid in advance to deal with every exigency. Water consumption, for instance. Drink some before you run, yes; but drink too much, and you’ll soon be scouting around for the nearest (big) tree. And while answering the call of nature while out in nature is nothing new for many of us, finding the perfect spot – a relatively private place free of thorns, bugs, and (gasp!) poison ivy – is a never-ending quest.

The ecstatic reaction of our group to the unexpected appearance of the New Paltz trail potty is, I think, quite understandable. (I seem to recall a similar howl of happiness from the female contingent when the port-a-john showed up at the Union Vale track. Has anyone besides me noticed how many more ladies started coming to the Tuesday workouts after that?)

So keep the faith, female runners. With any luck – and a little help from above --a toilet may magically appear along your favorite running route one day.

Training Surprises

Web Master

Pete Sanfillipo says that running a marathon is just the public acknowledgement of your training. My training surprises include:

During my normal running, I think of of my runs in three categories (and, I never know which category will occur until I am on the road). Great: I skim across the road, feeling strong and fast. Good: feels good to be alive and everything is working well. OK: something is off, I am sluggish, injured, hot, cold, wet, etc. But even an okay run is better than none.
With Steve's schedule, the first few weeks I felt that I always went out to beat myself up, barely recover, and am out there again, beating myself up (with the track work, long runs, threshold runs, hill running).
Then, the miracle: I can't wait to get out there. When I am not running, I am thinking about the next time I can go. I wake up eager to hit the road. Even the long runs are something to look forward to with good company, new routes, that wonder feeling of tiredness at the end, and, in New Paltz, bagels!

Who knew?

Racing Surprise at Solstice Run

Web Master

Heresy: I don't really like racing. I get nervous at the start, don't know how to pace myself, give myself too much pressure for something that doesn't matter ...

Imagine my surprise when I had such a blast at the Solstice Run at Lake Minnewaska on Monday. Yes, it was a long drive over there (and I kept wondering why everyone drives so far for a run). Yes, it poured rain about 10 minutes before the start, a real soaker, so us runners and the trails was filled with water. Yes, the first three miles are just uphill.

But oh, the views! This is billed as the most spectacular run in the area and that is an understatement. Take-my-breath-away beautiful, at the top of the ridge, for miles and miles over the Hudson Valley. The views of the lakes (or two). All the companions on the trail and evesdropping in on conversations. Meeting and running with a woman runner who turned 60 on Thursday (that's you, Elaine). The last five miles, all a gentle downhill so it feels like flying along the trail. The peerless company of Perks' Posse.

And, now, I am looking forward to the After the Leaves Have Fallen 20K in the fall for a repeat.

Conni Grace said, "Now you understand why I love the Escarpment Trail Run so much!" No offense to Conni, but the stories from that race are intimidating ...

Track Connoiseur

Web Master

Track work is hard; I always ask myself, "Can I really do this?" but then leave the track feeling invigorated and glad I tried. With this marathon training, I have been spending quite a bit of time on different tracks. Here is my critique:

John Jay High School: close and convenient, but usually littered with trash (which I often pick up as I run my laps and deposit in the usually-full trash containers). Surface is black and hot and a little depressing.
Arlington High School: nice to be there when the band is practicing and I get to run to music. There is usually someone else on the track, so never lonely. It is usually clean and pleasant.
Roy C. Ketcham: a little old and worn, but comfortable, like an old shoe. Does the Wappingers School district spend less money on their tracks? It shows.
Binghamton University track: I got to run this while taking my son to his college orientation. The grass around it is very green and well-maintained. The track itself is more round than oval, so it was a little disconcerting at first to see how gentle the curves were. A high school wrestling team was at the track, running up and down the stadium steps while Kelsey and I were there (painful looking!); they switched to climbing the steps with their arms while a team member held their feet. Even more painful looking! Great track! Do colleges spend more money than high schools?
Union Vale. Feels like my home track and even when there with only a Posse buddy, I seem to hear the echos of all my fellow MHRRC runners at track practices. Nice surface (but I wish they would keep the grass clippings off the track). Location can't be beat - good and wide views - but I never run there alone, it can be a little creepy. My favorite so far, I guess because I like all the comaraderie of track practices and the views.

What is your favorites? MHRRC runners must have some exotic track experiences to share.

MHRRC Track Series Week 2

Patrick DeHaven

While thunderstorms moved through the Hudson Valley Friday night, there was enough of a break to allow all of the events in week two of the summer track series to be run. Given the unsettled nature of the weather in July, this leads to the question as to when and under what conditions the track series might be cancelled. The answer is that the race will only be cancelled in the event of a thunderstorm. The actual decision whether or not to cancel won't be made until about a half hour before the 1st event, and will be made out at the track. It turnd out to be a close call this past Friday, as a thunderstorm rolled through the area around 4:30 PM. And while the weather looked somewhat threatening ar 5:30 PM, we decided to go ahead with the meet, which proved to be a judicious decision.

Also, we are in very shot supply for volunteers to help during the final event on July 31. If you can possibly help that evening, please contact the race director (me) at pwdehaven@msn.com or by phone at 845-473-3204. Thanks.

Pat DeHaven

Why Coach is Great

Web Master

I was feeling overwhelmed with training and emailed this to Steve:

Is it normal to have moments of discouragements in the marathon training? Perhaps because all my posse buddies were off yesterday and I had to run alone, perhaps because it was/is so humid out, perhaps because I chose to stay close to home and run my 6 mile hilly route twice (did I mention hilly?) to get the miles in … yesterday and today felt sort of discouraging where up to now I have been so enthusiastic about this training. Plus, watching the movie Guardian about coast guard training and how tough that is, I am here thinking, “who am I fooling?” I have new and even more respect for true athletes and what they put themselves through. Plus, how difficult this would be to do it alone! There is whole other worlds of athleticism out there that I can barely imagine. And, we have some of them in MHRRC. It looks so easy in movies and on TV, but I see (and now feel) how hard it is.

And he wrote back, showing why he is such a great coach:

Training for a marathon is a tough, arduous task and there are always days (sometimes even a few days together) that you will ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?" Fortunately there are lots of long stretches that are just the opposite. The runs feel easy, you can't wait to get back out on the next run and you have the urge to go longer on many of the runs. Running the marathon itself is very similar. There are going to be times during the race when you will feel like there is no way you can do it, then a mile or two later you will realize that you are running along smoothly, feeling much better and you know you will finish strong.

It seems like the marathon is a long way off right now, but Aug. and Sept. will go quickly. Before you know it those last three taper weeks will be here, the hard work will be done and you'll be ready for your first marathon.

We're all "true" athletes. It's not what level we perform at that makes us athletes. It's the dedication, passion and hard work that defines us.

Thanks for the encouragement!

MHRRC Track Series Finale: Weatherman Cheated Again

Patrick DeHaven

Given the dire predictions all day of thunderstorms from 6-8 PM, I was convinced that we would have to cancel week 4 of the Twilight Track Series. But come 5:30 PM, I arrived at the Union Vale track to find no thuderstorms and no rain. Only Charlie Sprauer out on the track, sweeping the water away from the finish line. In the end 40-50 hardy souls showed up to run the events. Only rain arrived, and that did not dampen anyone's spirits (except Linda Stow, who had to struggle with the scoring). At the end, we we treated to a beautiful sunset, which signaled the end of a successful 2009 track series.

Of course the series would not have happened without the dedicated corps of volunteers who came week after week. So here is the honor roll.

Steve and Marlene Perks: Registration and Finish Line Coordination, no to mention a lot of guidance to a first year director
Rich and Marissa Hanson: Starting Line
Sue O'Neil: T-shirts, registration, finish line
Polly Sparling: registration
Charlie Sprauer: timing
Matt Regan: finish line, timing
Bob Kopac: finish line, scoring, timing
Jessica Lazar: finish line
Mary Ann Cereillo: start and finish line
Linda Stow: recorder
Fred Policastri: finish line
Steve Mura: finish line
Bob Dinsmore: finish line
Tom Storey: finish line and timing
Nicole Beauvais: finish line
Kevin and Denise Dollard: finish line
Jeff Nero: finish line
Angie (friend of Sue O'Neil's): finish line

If I have missed anyone, my sincere apologies.

Pat DeHaven

Wayne McDaniel on Summer Marathon Training

Web Master

I got these words of encouragement from Wayne and it was great advice. Thanks, Wayne.

I was reading your website blog about your Marathon training that Steve gave you feedback on. My Two Cents: There's a plus and minus to this Fall Marathon prep. Doing your long training runs in the heat and humidity can be soooo overwhelming sometimes! I hate it ! I love Spring Marathons because I so much prefer to train in the cold weather. Conni is just the opposite though. Anyway, those long runs in the heat and humidity are the minus. The PLUS is that once September and October roll around and those mornings start to cool off you're likely to feel so much better on these runs (as long as you didn't totally exhaust yourself in the training). So stay positive. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids before and during this summer training and wait for the cool temps to return. Good Luck!

Posse Update from Polly Sparling

Web Master

Perks's Posse is now eight weeks away from Marathon Day, and so far I've only written one measly blog post. There is a good reason for this: it's hard to find the time to do anything at all when you're always running!

Our training started in late April with 10 weeks of logging progressively more miles, taking us (or me, at least) from an average of 20 to 40 miles a week. In early July, we added a weekly tempo run to go along with the speedwork and Sunday long run we'd been doing from the start. Tomorrow we'll cover 18 miles, making this our longest week so far -- 45 total.

Most of my miles are run by myself, which leaves lots of time for the mind to wander. Here are a few of my thoughts about this whole experience, in no particular order:

Marathon training is sort of counterintuitive. We're told to run the short distances fast, but urged to go very slow on the longer ones. Seems illogical -- but what do I know?
Before we began the training, I was convinced that, once we reached the 40-mile weeks, I would be spending non-running time in a constant state of mental and physical exhaustion. Surprisingly, that's not the case at all -- I feel just as energetic as I usually do (although the odd Sunday afternoon nap is less rare than it used to be). And I was equally sure that I'd begin to hate running, and dread having to log all those miles. In fact, the opposite is true -- I look forward to my runs, and feel a little peculiar on the rest days.
My bathroom scale and I are on speaking terms again.
One toenail has already fallen off, and three others are brilliant shades of red/purple/black. This is the sum total of my "injuries" to this point (knock wood).
I approached this marathon thinking that it would be my one and only "serious" attempt at the distance. I'm already beginning to wonder, though, what life will be like after it's over. Will I go back to being a casual, 20-mile-a-week person? From this vantage point, that seems unlikely; I'm enjoying the challenge, and -- yes, I'll say it -- having fun training. Does this mean there could be other marathons in my future? I'll let you know after race day.

Running and Ribs

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So, we were happily beginning our run in Millbrook, a short 10 miler with Kelsey, Sue, Karen, Polly, Barbara and me, feeling strong and doing our favorite chatting thing. One minute, I am upright and in an instant my face is in the dirt. Ouch! Bruised knees, scraped wrist, wind taken out of me. So, as is usually done, I get up and finish the 10 miles, joking that it is typically Kelsey or Polly who fall on our runs.

At about mile 7, wrist really hurts. Small pain in ribs. By Sunday night, wrist is really bad so it is off to the doctor for x-rays. No breaks, rest is recommended (and still, 2 weeks later, wrist is tender and hurts to use). Fast forward to Thursday night, after a week of packing kids for college, cleaning, unloading, long car trips: ribs hurt so much I can't get comfortable - even a deep breath hurts. Off to the doctor again, more x-rays, no breaks, more recommendations for rest, pain pills that put me to sleep but finally provide some relief. Marathon dreams shattered. Missed the great 20 mile run that everyone did great on and felt terrific at the end (cool weather was a help, but good training was the key).

Surprisingly, I find out that it is not uncommon for runners to fall and hurt their ribs. It has happened to some of our best: Pete, Steve, Irv. They no longer bind ribs (too many bad side effects), but Irv claims taking a deep, slow breath helps the pain.

I've started up with some easy 6 mile runs and may try the short (12 mile) long run with the Posse on Sunday. But, I've missed 2 weeks of speed work. I'm hoping my marathon dreams can come alive again, but I am playing it day-by-day. And last night, I stubbed my toe on our coffee table. Do I run because I don't have to be too coordinated? Am I accident prone? And rib pain from running?

The Marathon Day Mystery

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The buzz on the Posse trail: how on earth, if our longest run is 20 miles, will we ever finish the actual 26.2 miles at a faster pace?

Here is the response from Coach Steve:

As far as getting through 26.2 miles - remember you are doing all these runs in the middle of serious training. You will have a nice couple of weeks of tapering down to get ready for the marathon. A lot of it is mind set. Going into the race you will have mentally set yourself to be out there for over 4 hours. Being mentally ready for that ahead of time makes a big difference. Of course the last miles are going to be tough. On the other hand you guys have done awesome training so if it's a decent day to run and you run smart races (which I know you all will) they may not be as tough as you think.

And here is the response from Wayne McDaniel:

Excitement of race day, being more rested, hydrated and carbo loaded then you would/should (theoretically) be in your training phase - that's what you hope will get you through..

You never know though. That's the difference between good and bad marathons. Sorry to say there's NEVER a guarantee that things come together as you plan. That's what makes marathoning so different then shorter races. Most of those things above are things you need to consciously be aware of in your days leading up to race day (and guessing what you think is right for you).

This may sound weird but I consciously ensure that I drink at LEAST a gallon of fluids the day before a marathon! I sweat a lot. If I'm not hydrated to the max it will affect me getting through that distance at the pace that I want.

There are other things that will happen on race day - some you CAN control and some you CAN'T control. The weather being a biggy that you can't control - but it may affect your race day decisions on things that you can control. In the excitement of the race you can make right or wrong decisions during the race itself. Things like: did you pick the right pace? Did you take in enough water, gatorade, GU's (or whatever) along the way? That puzzle is unique for everyone. To make it even more challenging, the pieces of the puzzle will be different for each individual each time they run one! I don't mean to get you nervous - it's all part of the complexities of the marathon.

The good news is you don't have to get them ALL right! I've run over 30 marathons and I don't think I've ever gotten them all perfect on any given race. What keeps you coming back is having the runs where you get most of them right and the result was good enough to motivate you to try again with a little different recipe the next time.

So there it is: be prepared but expect the unexpected. For now, 3-1/2 weeks before our marathon, we are all just trying to avoid injury. We have a training challenge at the Classic Half (run the last 10 miles at marathon pace) and then we are looking forward to the fabled taper. And, on the plus side, we are all really enjoying feeling strong and in shape and having so much energy. Stay tuned.

Perks' Posse: in search of a marathon finish

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Our group has grown since the start of these blogs. Last night, we all met for a social hour and lots of running talk.

We are (from left to right): Margaret, Karen O., Barbara, Denise, Deborah, Karen T. and the famous Polly. Right now, two of us are injured so they can't run - but the injured will be cheering us on.

Wish us luck on October 11 at the Mohawk Hudson Marathon.

Perks' Posse DID IT!

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We finished! We all did the 26.2 - and we are still smiling from the accomplishment.

It was a blast: the training, the changes on our bodies, the weekend in Albany, Coach's face along the route, the pain of the last 4-6 miles, the triumph at the finish, the ending at Kevin's Mom's house for spaghetti! Pictures are on the website in Race Results>>Race Photo albums, but here is a teaser:

Awards go to:

RUN-TUFF: to Barbara, for running the last 17 miles with a terrible blister, skin pain in addition to muscle pain.

RUN-SMART: to Polly and Karen O for their negative splits

RUN-ZUCCHINI: to Karen T. for her award, handed to her by Margaret at the finish line (I never really got the story of why)

RUN-BELIEVE: to Deborah, who thought she could never run 26.2 miles but proved that good coaching, hard work, and a great Posse can make miracles happen.

Many thanks to everyone who encouraged us along this path, especially to Steve, Margaret and Denise.