Goin' to Alaska

Heard this brief "audio postcard" about one person's first marathon on the radio this morning -- NPR : Commentary: Running the Redwoods Marathon.

The Team in Training program was prominently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle: Hope runs strong / Marathon brings together cancer survivors and those willing to take on a challenge one step at a time. TNT is wonderful in many ways. Not only does it raise a great deal of money for cancer research, but participants undergo great personal growth and achieve goals they thought impossible just a few months earlier.

Speaking of preventing injuries, there was a classic article in Runner's World reviewing the pros and cons of 10 running surfaces and giving them a rating from best to worst. I wanted to write this down before I misplace the article.

From this you can see why I run in the street rather than on the sidewalk!

Rating 10=Best, 1=Worst.

Rating	Surface
9.5	Grass
9	Wood Chips
8	Dirt
7.5	Cinders
7	Track
6.5	Treadmill
6	Asphalt
4	Sand
2.5	Snow
1	Concrete

From the article Judging A Path By Its Cover, Runner's World Magazine, March 1997.

In the seven days around last weekend's Lover's Point run, I ran a total of 38 miles. That's a lot for me! One of the factors that correlate to injuries is the number of miles run per week, especially if there's an increase of more than 10% from week to week.

I've gotten a little ahead of that pace, and am feeling a bit run down. Being the hypersensitive hypochondriac that I become while preparing for a marathon, I've detected some signs of weakness in each knee. The right one feels slightly funny going down stairs sometimes, and the left one feels slightly funny on the outside, kind of like the dreaded IT Band Syndrome (ITBS).

To cope with this, I'll try to reduce my mileage and also do some special stretching and strengthening exercises for the knees. I need them to hold together!

Pilates = Abominal Torture

Sorry, I mean that Pilates, the hottest fitness craze today, is abdominal torture! The focus is on your "powerhouse", which means lots of crunches, situps, and endless variations thereof. It hurt more than a long run, though fortunately it was over in 20 minutes! I was working through this Pilates DVD at home with the kids wondering around.

Tony's reaction

Gabi's reaction

The healing waters of Monterey Bay

Last Saturday we had a "dress rehearsal" for the big event. Not only was it the longest distance we will run in training (20 miles!), but it was far enough from home that we could practice packing and getting ready for a distant event.

We ran from the town of Pacific Grove, which is next to Monterey. There's a beautiful park overlooking the beach and coast at Lover's Point. We ran along the coast, eventually making our way through the golf courses at world-famous 17-Mile Drive. As you can imagine, the scenery was fantastic! The course was a mix of roads and trails, and the softer trail surfaces really helped.

The run went very well for me. I started out at a conservative pace. Sometimes I ran alone, and sometimes I hooked up with a pack of guys who ran about my speed. It was fun running with this pack, as we formed a sort of "centipede" and ran closely together. Not only did this help break the wind, but it helped us to run at a good pace, as we wanted to stay in formation. For the last seven miles, I picked up the pace and averaged a little over 8 minutes/mile. I finished strong and actually felt better than at our 18-miler in Santa Cruz.

Afterwards, I partook of the TNT ritual of going down to the beach and wading into the cold waters of Monterey Bay. This is "nature's own ice bath", and very therapeutic after a grueling run. I soaked for 20 minutes. Coincidence or not, I wasn't sore after this run!

Speaking of dress rehearsals, one of my teammates had quite a surprise the morning of the run. As he was getting dressed he found that the shoes he packed wouldn't fit his feet! Well, it turns out it was because he had packed his wife's running shoes! I would have freaked out to find that I didn't have my shoes the morning of a big run. But, displaying calmness and presence of mind, my friend went to the starting point and found that he could borrow a pair of Coach John's shoes! They were a little big (better that than too small) but he bravely wore them and successfully complete the run. He can really say that he's run in someone else's shoes!

Ups and Downs

Tonight at track we had a good workout. Thirty minutes of warmup jogging, then "pyramid" intervals at 10K pace (I ran @ 7:00 pace). It was good practice to get us the feel of running fast without going all-out. We need to conserve energy for our big 20-mile run this Saturday.

At the track announcements, I was recognized as one of the top fundraisers on the team and got some nice tokens, including a TNT license plate frame. Thanks to my generous friends and sponsors for supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Unfortunately, we learned some bad news as well. One of our honorees, "J.P.", passed away this week. He had been undergoing intensive chemotherapy, but didn't make it. I didn't get a chance to meet J.P. Probably he was too sick to come out to the track and cheer us on. However, I admire that he tried to make something positive out of his illness by supporting TNT. Hopefully our fundraising will continue to improve treatments and even find a cure for cancers. R.I.P., J.P.

How to Run Long

During our last 18-mile run, I was thinking about the psychology of enduring and even enjoying a run of almost three hours. Here are some of the "secrets" I've found through experience.

Recipe for a Good Run

1. Run with a friend. Or, make a new friend. Conversation is a great way to pass the miles. I remember running 20 miles with Emily my first season. By the end of the run, we knew a lot about each other, college, families, spouse and each others' weddings, ... ! Last weekend, I ran with Jerald for about 7 miles and we had a good chat, talking about our running history and goals, and meeting other runners along the way.
2. Break the run into pieces. Our course was nine miles out and nine miles back. Rather than dwelling on an 18-mile run, I focused on the nine miles to the turnaround point. Now, nine miles isn't too bad and I knew I could do it. So, that was a nice trick.

Recipe for a Bad Run

1. After a couple of miles, start to dwell on some discomfort and start to panic because you're only 10% into the run.
2. At the end of a long run, calculate how much longer you would have had to run to complete a marathon, and get disillusioned. For example, my first 12-mile run was pretty tough. It was drizzling and I ran the whole thing alone. At the end, I was beat. Then I though, "I haven't even finished half a marathon. I need to run twice this distance! Now that's discouraging!

A Four Minute Mile

No, I haven't run it, but Roger Bannister did it for the first time 50 years ago this week! It was considered an amazing human achievement in its day. See the original article in the London Times.

Now, the record is 3min 40-something seconds, and I read an interesting projection that the time could be around 3:30 in 20 years.

Strategy Article

This weekend is an "off" week -- 8 miles maximum. I'm planning to check out Alum Rock Park, to experience some different trails and hills.