16 Miles (+2 Miles of Humble Pie Walking)

This by far was the most humbling run I have ever been on.  Not only was I going as slow as molasses towards the end, I had to cut it short for multiple reasons.  I was behind on my schedule for the day because Church ran 44 MINUTES LATE!!!  Arghhh!  And my legs locked up at Mile 16 causing me to walk the last 2 miles back to my car.  This has really been a disappointing setback and puts me further behind on my training.  ARGGGHHHH!!!

7 miles (I'll stop counting the days)

Day 23 (6 miles)

It must be Memorial Day because when I went to the park in Woodinville late this morning every couple and their 2.5 kids were outside, mostly on bikes cruising up and down the Sammamish River Trail.  There were also some hardcore extended-weekend-warriors who just can't get enough.  Maybe after all of this training is over with I'll give in and ride my hybrid road bike up Burke-Gilman from Gas Works park, then over to Woodinville for lunch then onwards to Issaquah.  That sounds pretty cool.  Right?

Though the day wasn't perfect, weather wise, I appreciated the fact that I was able to be running, even though my speed is more of an extremely labored waddle.  On this 6.0 mile run I started to take note of the blessings in my life and I began to smile.  What I noticed was that other people smiled back at me like they were infectiously jolted out of the seriousness of physical exertion.  So I kept up the smiling and what happened?  I began to run faster.  My form straightened up.  My kick went from scuffing the ground to almost a proud prance.  It wasn't exactly a runner's high, I've felt those before and this wasn't it.  But still, in some sense, it felt good.

So.  Happy Memorial Day!  Get out there and bike, run, jog, trot, walk, or waddle.  And smile while you're doing it!  : )

Day 22 (14 miles)

This run went light years beyond kicking my ass.  The longest I ever ran before this was 8 miles and that was twice, once in college and once in seminary.  Figured if I went out slow and steady then I could run indefinitely.  WRONG!!!  First off, I became impatient after 0.30 miles and disregarded my Heart-Rate Zone alarm once it flew past 150.  I normally do 150 bpm of 20 minutes worth of cardio in the gym on weight days and 40 minutes worth on my off days.  But I guess this was my off day though I couldn't imagine going into to do weights tomorrow.  Come on!  It's Sunday; the laziest day of the week.  I broke down the run mentally in half and broke it down from there into halves as well to get 3.5 mile quarters.  Make sense?  Sure.  Well from there I broke down into miles with an additional 0.50 mile add-on extra which I told myself was hardly anything.  That's like 5 blocks.  I initially drank my cherry-flavored electrolyte water at the quarter marks (3.5 miles) with the GU energy gel (this stuff once saved my life, but that's another story) at miles 7.0 and 10.5.  I needed them both and decided that at my potty break point (Mile 10.0) I should refill my two 10 oz. water bottles on my running belt, sans electrolyte tabs.  I was doing alright until about mile 11.0 with 3.0 miles left.  The last leg is always the hardest.  But it was at this point that I saw my friend BeckyJo from SPU and her husband Darrick, cruising back to Seattle.  I shouted out, "BeckyJo!"  She turned and looked and Darrick randomly shouted out, "You know that guy!?!"  I would have made a shout out to Darrick but they were going by fast enough for me to only get in two syllables.  Sorry Darrick.  Next time.  At mile 12.0 a group of 4 girls with signs were sitting on the side of the trail next to their house cheering everyone on that passed by.  I got a huge long cheer because at this point I was really poking along compared to the majority who were zipping by on their bikes.  This long run gave me a new found sense of pride compared to bicyclists.  Speed does not equal effort or guts.  Especially when you're on a man made contraption and you're hardly doing any work.  So don't look at us runners like we're merely a obstructionist nuisance for you to slow down for.  I like biking too.  Don't get me wrong.  But you, my friend, with your spandex & faux-sponsor bike shirt, are in the little leagues.  When you feel like you want to grow up and challenge yourself the way God intended, then slip on a pair of running shoes and go at it.  But until then, stop your complaining.

Day 21 (7 miles)

With some embarrassment I write this latest blog entry with sincere honesty.  Back sliding happens.  It happens to the best of well-intentioned practitioners, in whatever that might be, and it happens to the worst of us (finger pointing to self).  My father reminds me that it takes me almost an entire year to get acclimated to any one place.  This was true for Pasadena, and as I have recently moved to Kenmore, Washington in February, it holds true in that I am still acclimating myself to my new environment.  I am a creature of habit and nothing is should be more habitual than exercise, adequate sleep, and proper nutrition.  Thus far I've maintained one of three of these standards.

So as it relates to this blog, which was supposed to be a journal of some sorts about my first marathon, I have to say that I have been far behind on my running schedule and am now completely freaked about about it!  I paid the $129 entrance fee and am signed up, believing that this would keep my feet to the flame.  But in reality, there's a lot more than goes into motivation than just simple economics.  Looking back I should have joined some sort of running club that met on Saturdays to encourage one another.  I still wish I had a running club.  Maybe I'll start my own.  Who knows?

Finding a good routine is like finding that perfect tempo run when you're not doing speedwork but you're also not doing a slow run.  You're in a groove and you're feeling that runner's high, the sort of thing that comes when you lose track of pain and discomfort and everything is effortless.  That's what it's like to get into a good exercise routine, whether you're a morning person and you want to rev up your metabolism for the rest of the day or you exercise at the end of the day to relieve all the stress that built up from work just so you can get a good night's sleep.  Whatever your own personal groove maybe, run with it, then strap on those shoes, get out the house, and run.

I have decided that although I'm super far behind on my running schedule and I have less than a month left of training, I'm still planning on running the marathon.  I could be blissfully ignorant of how hard this is going to be, but oh well.  There you have it.  It is better, in my ignorant opinion, to try something hard and to fail spectacularly than to simply put it off for fear of failure.  I am not a proud person (and I say that with the utmost pride) and I could care less about what I think about myself, though I do care what others think about me.  To fail at this, come race day, would be to admit defeat and have to say to friends that I'm not as cool of a dude as I had hoped everyone had thought I were.  I'm not as much of an inspiration as everyone believed me to be.  I'd like to be that shining beacon of an example for others.  But let's face it, I'm lazy.

So where do I go from here?  Well.  I admit that this isn't going to be pretty.  It's going to be embarrassing.  It's going to be humiliating.  But if I can admit that, maybe I can push it aside and get on with my original goal of actually running this thing.

I ran seven miles at a slow pace then did 90 minutes of hot yoga.  I was exhausted yesterday and my heart when trying to fall asleep, didn't drop below 80 bpm.  I was beat.  I can't imagine what a marathon will do.  My next long run I'm going to bring a water bottle belt and maybe some GU, just like all the yuppie 40-something weekend warriors!  Yeah!

Day 20, (4.81 miles)

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Today's Run, 4.81 miles

Pace, 10:20 min/mile

58.63 miles total

Day 19 (4.96 miles)

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Today's Run, 4.96 miles

Pace, 10:24 min/mile

53.82 miles total

Day 18 (5.11 Miles)

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Today's Run, 5.11 miles

Pace, 10:17 min/mile

48.86 miles total

Day 17 - 4.87 miles

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Today's Run, 4.87 miles

Pace, 10:14 min/mile

43.75 miles total

Day 16, (Rest)

We drove back down stateside to eat lunch with Grammy and the relatives.  Mexican, of course.  It's good to see everyone together.  This next week is my interview for the Naturopathic Medicine program.  I'm feeling very unprepared for it.  But God willing, I will do a good enough job.  My morning runs will help calm the nerves.

Day 15, (rest)

Spent a great day across the border in Canada with the folks and my sister.  My legs enjoyed the rest.

Day 14, Crazy Loop

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Today's Run, 4.41 miles

Pace, 10:39 min/mile

38.89 miles total

So I worked off of a mapped conceived in my head, a combination of routes that I thought might add up to the perfect 4.0 mile fun run, +/- a few strides.  *sigh*

On the upside, I did get in some trail running on mile 2, which is always enjoyable because your pace tends to speed up as you're only looking so far ahead of you.  A Zen-like example of living in the moment.

Day 13, (untitled)

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Today's Run, 4.20 miles

Pace, 9:52 min/mile

34.48 miles total

Day 12, getting ahead of myself

Ahhh!!!  Kept working through the entire day and missed my run.  Not happy about it, but I guess that's spilt milk.

Day 11, Klahanie Boulevard

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Today's Run, 3.97 miles

Pace, 9:45 min/mile

30.28 miles total

Day 10, (untitled)

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Today's Run, 3.87 miles

Pace, 10:14 min/mile

26.31 miles total

Day 9, The B.B. Gun Bandit

Ever since I can remember, I have always admired people who run.  It was an immediate connection that I felt with them when I either saw them running past me down the neighborhood street, or later in conversations when I would learn of their athletic exploits.  In particular there was a kid from my childhood town who in a sense became immortalized as legend as his exploits grew with every person that heard his story, passing it down to the next generation.

Childhood infamy described him as the B.B. Gun Bandit (I'll leave you guessing on that one), but to everyone else in the county he was the King of the Track, the actual High School Prom King, and a demi-god of mythological proportions.  A man among men.

"Did you hear about the one time, after school got out, he ran to Hillsboro all by himself?"  One kid might say.

"Well how'd he get back home?"  Another kid would ask in disbelief.

"He ran back home again... Was there before dinner."  The first kid replied.

"Yeah right!  That'd take the entire day!"

"I swear.  Johnny's dad saw him coming and going, both ways."


After his high school career where he smashed every track & field record imaginable, the B.B. Gun Bandit went on to college and continued his legacy of record breaking.  As a child I only heard about him through the conversations of adults and older kids.  I never met him before.

One day I saw a figure running, way out on some country road, as my dad and I were literally out for a Sunday drive.  It took us longer than I thought it should take to catch up, but eventually we pulled alongside this solitary runner.  Sweat was pouring down from his blond hair and down his bronzed frame.  He had on a thin pair of yellow running shorts and a pair of beat-up sneakers, and that was it.  He looked wild and noble all at the same time; a mix between the sun-god Apollo soaring across the sky, and Hermes, the messenger-god with winged feet.

"Who is that?"  I asked my dad as we pulled passed the runner.  My dad looked back in the rearview mirror.

"Oh hey!  That's Mark Theiss."  He said nonchalantly as if they were good buddies.

"Really!?"  I said with amazement, turning around to see the runner one last time.  He was barely behind our car, it seemed.  A smile broadened across his face as he waved.  We both eagerly waved back at him, but as we crossed the train tracks, he turned in and followed the tracks back towards town.  I remained in my car seat, turned around on my knees as I watched the solitary figure on the horizon run along the tracks.  I was in awe.  The stories were all true.

There is power in myth.  Though perhaps they can be at times exaggerated, the lessons we learn from them help to shape and mold us for the rest of our lives.  More importantly, and maybe this is what myth does, there is the power of suggestion.  And there is no greater suggestion than that of example.  Nowadays, I can't run without remembering Mark Theiss that day.  His example continues to be an inspiration every time I put on my running shoes in the morning.  As I write this I'm resisting the urge to do so right now.  The ease with which he ran made running seem so effortless; an art form like a ballet with Debussy playing from the orchestra pit.

So it is that when I run, I hope that others may be so inspired.  But then again, they may look at the expression on my face and say to themselves, "I'm glad that's not me."  The other day as I was ending my run, I was climbing a hill, pumping my arms back and forth at full steam, with a face that silently shouted my pain.  Two elementary school kids were walking down the hill, and they began to mimic my gait, arms and all, not to mock me, but to make sense out of what I was doing; which was to them an adult form of play.  Instead of giving them a snarl, which some runners are unfortunately prone to do as if to say, "Leave me alone.  I know I look ridiculous," I recalled the influence that a certain runner had on my life.  So I smiled and I waved.  And they waved back with an eager childhood glee.

Day 8, Klahanie Boulevard

Today was an afternoon run, which I always dread because in the morning I don't feel like doing anything, so running is just as bad as anything else I could be doing in the morning.  But usually within the first half mile of my morning jogs I feel awake.  Morning runs energize me.  Afternoon runs make me feel warm and lethargic for the rest of the evening, and really hungry.  Plus if I make a routine of running in the afternoon I know I'm that much closer to taking a day off, which would be that much closer to quitting on my goal.  So why even start down that path?  It may work differently for others,  but for me that's how I am.  Thankfully my low expectations in this endeavor allow me to not get too hard on myself if I do take a day off.  On another note, my pace is gradually picking up speed.  Gotta love testosterone!  Sorry ladies.

Saturday, January 22nd, 2011

Today's Run, 4.05 miles

Pace, 10:03 min/mile

22.44 miles total

Day 7, Challenger Elementary

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Today's Run, 2.98 miles

Pace, 10:27 min/mile

18.39 miles total

Day 6, Klahanie Creeper

After a fun night officially getting to know a new friend, I had a hard time getting motivated for this morning's run.  Even though I have a Garmin GPS watch I still like to track out my routes ahead of time so that I have a general idea of where I'm heading without getting completely lost.  So I Google-mapped my route and selected the walking option which offers routes that aren't available on car routes.  But boy can Google get it wrong some times.  A back woods trail, which I've often taken part way, showed up on the map as letting out onto the main road.  But what the map didn't say was that the trail ended at the back of a Day Care Center.  I weighed my options and concluded that since I wouldn't be taking this route again, I might as well make a dash through the day care center's back yard, hooded sweatshirt, beanie and all, while school was in session and kids were playing on the jungle gyms.  Suspicious mothers looked at me from the window with weary eyes.  This got me thinking if somewhere on Googlemaps there's a disclaimer that says Google is not legally responsible for my trespassing, even though there was a trail on the map!  Currently running to  Bruno Mars - Wops & Hooligans.

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Today's Run, 3.3 miles

Pace, 10:09 min/mile

15.40 miles total

Day 5, Faith United Methodist

Someone once told me after I finished playing a coffee shop concert, "You're such an inspiration!  If you can do that, anyone can!"

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Today's Run, 2.8 miles

Pace, 10:14 min/mile

12.11 miles total

Day 4 - Klahanie Powerlines

Besides trail running around the lake, this has been my go-to route for several years.  It's an 3.25 miler with hills, in particular a major hill along that straight line, which follow the only powerlines that run through the Plateau.  Everything else in Klahanie runs underground, which is nice during windstorms.  But I'm starting to feel that I'm again pushing myself too hard too soon, which is what my heart rate monitor is for, to keep me humble and to prevent injury.  Tomorrow I plan on going as pathetically slow as possible.  Right now I haven't started an training plan, I'm just trying to build up mileage.

Day 3 - Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Today was a great, but tough, run.  I always push myself harder than I should pace-wise because my stride-memory, the rate at which your leg is comfortable turning over to the next stride, remains about what it was in college, which was then a comfortable 8:00 min/mile Easy pace.  But now that pace feels like an all out sprint.  So whenever a person gets back into something which they've already done, it's extremely tempting to do so at the same intensity as before.  This almost always leads to some sort of injury, which likely put them out in the first place.  So tomorrow, even if I'll be poking along at a 12:00 min/mile pace while scrambling up a hill, I will keep my intensity at a certain level.  How do I do this?  Easy.

I was introduced to Polar heart rate monitors my junior year of high school while a student at Fort Richmond Collegiate in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  These are great for educators, especially PE teachers, because it records the heart rate, and HR averages, of an individual over a certain time.  Therefore you know that even though that nerdy marching band player is poking along at the back of the pack, her heart rate is beating faster than anyone else on the track.  Therefore, that nerdy wimp should get an A+ in PE for the first time in her life.  (Good job Mom!)

Often times when training, we're training too hard.  Inversely, when we need to be training hard, about twice a week, we're not training hard enough.  Through the bio-feedback of a heart rate monitor we come to understand the correlation between our muscles, our lung capacity, and our hearts; what I call aerobic intelligence.  A friend in college, grizzly Nate, had a pace like you could set your watch to, a human metronome.  He knew his pace and consequently rarely, if ever, got injured.


These days I've graduate from a polar heart rate monitor to a Garmin 405 GPS/HR monitor.  Costing roughly about the price of an annual membership to 24 Hr Fitness, I'm now in the middle of my second year with this device and it has proven to be phenomenal in helping me monitor not only my heart rate, but also my pace,  distance, and calories burned.  It keeps track of me wherever I go, if I have it on.  Nowadays they have programs for your iPhone which do the same thing GPS-wise, but until you can strap an iPhone on your wrist without it looking like the old Garmin watches from the 90's, I'll stick with this one.  On top of all this, you can program different runs into your Garmin device that simulate fartleks (look it up), or any other type of workout, speedplay, that you would want.

Because of this, I like to get lost.  That is, I'm not tied down to a certain route, though I do like to fall into comfortable patterns where I know the route will end in a nice round number of miles.  But with this I can track my weekly mileage to a greater degree without always guessing on how long it took and my perceived pace, which is almost always faster than what it actually is.  For example I ran for 30 minutes and it felt like I was running around a 10:00 min/mile pace, but in reality I didn't get that much sleep last night and what felt like a 10:00 min pace was really an 11:00 minute pace.  So I didn't actually run 3 miles.  Again, having a GPS/Heart Rate Monitor, keeps you honest, humble, and in perspective.  It gives you knowledge, and of course, knowledge is power and will help you train more efficiently and accurately.

So here's to getting lost!  Here's to running around and discovering new trails.  Here's to going down dead ends only to discover that you found a new and interesting running route/ trail tucked away between two houses.  Here's to doubling back, going the wrong way, but not worrying about it.  Here's to the great adventure of suburban exploration, discovering neighbors that you never knew you had.
______________________________

Today's Run

Day 2 - Sabbath Rest

As usual, Sunday is a rest from running. But that doesn't mean I can't do other activities. Saturday's were always my long runs. On Sundays I typically enjoy a bike ride, swimming, or more likely a long walk.

The sabbath was mad for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath. - Mark 2:27

The Seattle Seahawks are playing today in Chicago against the Bears at 1 PM (EST). Their currently in the run to the Super Bowl. No team in NFL History has ever won a Division Title with a losing record. No team with a losing record has ever defeated last year's Super Bowl champions. Until now. Until the Seahawks. I'm waiting to pleasantly be surprised today as they've already defeated the Bears once this season, even with a losing record.

Day 1 - Reaching into the Past

That's me in the middle; the barefoot red head. This picture was taken during the last 10 yards, or so, of a 200 yard dash in 1st grade. No. I didn't win that race, inching past my competitor by a hair. I came in second. Now that I think of it, I've never won a race in my life; at least not an official one. This race was an all-island conference race, or something like that, where each public school sent a representative from each grade, K-12, to race. Like the picture you see here, there were many kids running, like they played, in bare feet. In fact, I can't remember wearing shoes unless it was either to church or an establishment which involved food. The reason I'm in this photograph, captured mid-stride, is because I qualified as being the fastest kid in my grade... in my school.

I remember the day I beat out the fastest kid in order to qualify. I will never forget how it felt. During our PE hour the entire class had to sprint from one side of the playground, down to the other side, and back again, after which we were allowed to shoot hoops or jumprope. The fastest kid in our grade always finished by about 10 or more yards before everyone else. But that day was a great day, as usual in Hawaii, and something within me knew I could beat him. The first length of the schoolyard we were neck and neck, but he was quick off his turn around and was a good four strides ahead of me with a quarter of the race left. By all accounts it looked like he would again be first. My breath hurt, my legs flailed, and I couldn't catch him. Somewhat counterintuitively, however, I bent my chin down to my chest, held my breath, closed my eyes, and pumped my fists up and down at a faster pace. I reached a point, almost in an instant, when the pain in my six year old legs vanished, for that matter the sound around me had vanished as well. The next thing I knew the soft green Hawaiian grass beneath my feet had given way to hard green asphalt. I won.

But that was week before, and the kids that lined up with me along the start line were all the fastest boys in my grade on the entire island, which must have been a lot of six year olds because we were three six-year-olds deep at the line. Most of them ran barefoot. The whistle (not a gun) blew (not fired) and we were off. I was quickly overtaken by the swarm of runners behind me. "Start off slow." My dad advised me. "Pace yourself, then book it at the end." Forget that! I thought to myself! You're going to lose. By the time I decided I needed to pick up the pace, I was near the back of the pack. Not knowing the rules of track running, I needed to get around, but I couldn't squeeze through, it was so tight. So I ran on the strip of grass between the track and the inside fence that surrounded the football field. As we turned the corner I was in fifth, then fourth, then third. With about 30 yards left to go I remembered what my mother told me. "Run Big A. Run like the Devil's chasing after you!" So I ran. I ran until the burning in my legs faded away to a quiet hummm...

But I didn't win. I got a 2nd Place Ribbon, which may or may not be somewhere in a box in the garage in my parents house. But I have the picture and more importantly I have the memory. From that unofficial race, I learned how to run, and how to win. From that first official race, I learned how to lose, but more importantly, I learned how to love running even when you lose.

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Friday, January 14th, 2011 - 2.25 miles

Saturday, January 15th, 2011 - 3.0 miles