5.5-Mile Twinterval Run

Interval run + twins = twintervals! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out for an evening run with the boys given the 80 degree temps. Headed over to the Black River Reservation, which offers a nice 3 mile all purpose path wide enough for the double jogging stroller (officially nicknamed the "Twinnebago"). I was excited to finally be out with the little guys and pushed the pace early. The thing about running with them is that they're always beating me : ) Hit the turnaround in 19:10, grabbed some water and headed back into an unexpected headwind. It wasn't until I hit the 5 mile mark that I heard Cole voice his displeasure/boredom. I ran the last 1/2 mile hard, despite the wind and finished the return trip in 19:15 for a total run time of 38:25. This was in addition to a 3-mile push-up run this AM.

My Landscaping Project

I started to prep what will soon be the flowerbeds at the foundation of our house. This is a project I hope to have complete by the end of next weekend. I was contemplating having a professional landscape outfit do the work but this past weekend changed my thinking. First, I met a guy who owns a landscaping company on the east side of Cleveland who offered to let me use one of those long flat pull-behind trailers in the event I want to load up a bunch of shrubs, trees, etc. from one of the many nurseries in northern Ohio. That same day, I visited a friend who happened to be in the middle of a project similar to the one I'm now planning.

Loaded with all this information, I feel a lot more confident that I can do the job myself (with a little help of course). My first step was to mark the beds using some 6" nails and household twine. Teresa and I decided on a curved pattern similar to the shape of the sidewalk leading to our front door. The engineer/nerd in me drew up the design in AutoCAD in order to get exact coordinates to use when placing the nails in the ground. The nails were probably enough for me to visualize the curvature of the bed but the twine wrapped around and between each nail takes the guesswork out of it. I then mowed down the grass/weeds that fell within the newly marked off area and sprayed it with RoundUp. The grass should be dead/browned in 7-10 days, at which time I can rake it all up. In the meantime, Teresa and I are going to steal some ideas from our many neighbors whose beds are already planted. I'm also planning to have approximately 12 cubic yards of topsoil and 6 cubic yards of mulch delivered next Friday. Still have to work out the details around getting the shrubs, trees, etc.

Cleveland Marathon Pictures

Making sure I didn't forget anything Lined up and ready to run Just past mile 11 - overcast and rainy
Feeling cruddy but looking decent at the finishHappy to see the twins at the finish

2008 Cleveland Marathon

Woke up Sunday morning at 3:00, then again at 4:00 with my alarm. Showered, gathered all my gear and was out the door by 5:00 to catch a 5:15 carpool to the race start. Part of what woke me up throughout the night was the constant rainfall outside the window. I kept thinking that it's better now than in a few hours. After parking in a nearby lot, we headed to The Galleria for shelter as the rain was showing no sign of letting up. I can think of a handful of changes I'd like to see on the marathon course, but the start location is definitely not one of them. For those that know about it, and it seemed like plenty of people did, The Galleria is a blessing. Having somewhere to stay dry and warm with plenty of room to stretch, relax or even run laps (the second floor) is a great thing. With about 15 minutes to spare, I ditched my sweats, threw a garbage bag over my head (still amazed I remembered to pack one) and headed to the start line. Once there, I warmed up a little with some 50 meter strides, made sure my watch was in chrono mode and surveyed the field, taking note of the local running talent. Still raining, the horn sounded and we were off.

Mile 1 (6:06) was either short or I went out way too fast. I know 6-minute pace and it felt way too easy for that so I assumed it was short and kept the pace steady. The rain was steady as well. Passed through mile 2 in 6:18, which seemed right given the downhill section on E. 9th heading towards the Rock Hall. The climb up W. 3rd came in mile 3 and I was fortunate enough to fall in behind one of the most consistent sub-3 marathoners I know of, Steve Godale. He backed the pace way off and I made sure to hold back as well (mile 3 - 6:50). For the next 4 miles I paced off him and another guy and averaged 6:33's, each mile within a few seconds of each other. Mile 7 may have been slightly faster than the rest as I was anticipating seeing my family and friends for the first time. Took my first gel at the mile 7 water stop (Vanilla PowerBar). It was there that I lost Godale, but this was a good thing as he went on to run a 2:49. The rain had let up a little by mile 6 but was coming down again at mile 11 or so. I was well ahead of sub-3 pace at this point but wasn't feeling too confident. Someting about the weather and the occasional headwinds caused my mood to be off. Plus, as usual, I found myself in no-mans-land, having no one to pace with and/or keep me going. This is where the mental toughness built up during long training runs comes into play. If I was lacking one thing heading into this race, it was this.

My half-marathon split was 1:27:08 (2:54 pace). I mentioned a handful of changes I'd like to see on the marathon course and the stretch down Chester Ave. is one of them. The half marathoner's peeled off at mile 12, leaving a very desolate field. Not too spoil the ending of this entry, but placing in the top 50 in a race as small as Cleveland means a lot of running solo. Running alone in the rain down what was essentially an abandoned street got to me a little and caused for a slow miles 14 and 15 (6:58 and 7:09). Teresa was waiting for me at mile 16 with the babies, which was enough of a pick-me-up to get me back on pace (mile 16 - 6:39). My plan to clock a few fast miles leading up to mile 20 didn't exactly play out but I managed to average 6:53 over miles 17-20 and was still on 2:56 pace heading into the final 10K.

In the back of my head, I didn't feel I was prepared to run a sub-3 marathon. I just kept thinking to myself, there's no way 25-30 miles per week over the previous 4 months would cut it. My fast start allowed for a few slower miles on the back half, but I couldn't afford any more than one or two miles over 7:10-7:15. Mile 21, 7:27. I knew then to refocus on finishing consistently and as strong as possible. My focus showed up in the form of my good buddy Lou who helped pace me through to the finish. Lou kept me upbeat and helped supress the negative thoughts that wanted so desparately to do me in. Given how I was feeling at the time, I'm surprised to see that I averaged 7:47's from mile 22-26. Even managed consecutively faster miles 24-26. In hindsight, this was a small victory. So too was the finishing kick I laid down the last 385 yards (0.2 miles for those keeping score at home). Official time: 3:02:22, good enough for a top 50 finish at Cleveland for the 2nd consecutive year.

I'm very grateful for my family and friends who came out to support me. Teresa especially as she made it to three spots on the course (not easy with twins in tow). The finish line of a marathon is one of my favorite places in the world. Finally being able to hug and kiss and talk to everyone makes it all worthwhile. This year was especially amazing as my twin baby boys were there to greet me. Caden was awake and smiling at the sight of me. Cole must not be a big fan of distance running as he was passed out. I can't wait until they're big enough to cross a finish line with me!

Chomping at the Bit

Six days until race day. I learned back in 2004 that consuming oneself with a race too far in advance can lead to burnout/letdown. Not that I have time to be consumed with anything other than all things baby related, I've made a concsious effort not to look at the marathon web page or check the weather forecast until just recently. Logging on to clevelandmarathon.com I discovered a change to the course that's major in that 3 miles are affected (10-12), but minor in that it does not dramatically affect the elevation. I was hoping they yanked the climb up W. 3rd between mile 23 and 24. No such luck.

Patience

A good week of taper runs. 5 miles at pace on Thursday, 4 miles of treadmill hills this morning. Plan to run an easy 8 on Sunday and then wrap it all up with some 400 meter intervals on Tuesday followed by an easy 3-4 miles on Wednesday.

I've got a gameplan for the marathon. No idea what the weather is going to be like on race morning. It's been pretty rainy of late. If not rainy, overcast and dreary. I'll take dreary so long as the temps and winds are mild at the start.

Some new pics of the twins are below! Can't say enough about these little guys! They're amazing in every way!

Cole - May 1st

Caden - May 1st

Ready or not, it's taper time

Monday morning - 13 more mornings until race day. It's taper time and I'm comfortable with the training I've put in. I've got a gameplan for the marathon and will spend a lot of time visualizing how I expect it to play out (the final 10 miles more so than the first 16). For instance, there's a nice 3-4 mile gradual downhill just after mile 16 that I used to back off the pace a little last year when I'm thinking I should have done the opposite. This year I'll use that bit to stretch out my legs and bank a few seconds. Can't say I had a bad race last year but there's always room for improvement.

I squeezed in two great workouts over the weekend. Saturday night after the babies were asleep and Teresa was home from work, I did 8x800 meters (the culmination of the Yasso 800 buildup) with each 800 < 2:55. Send-offs ended up being closer to 4:00 because I was running from one end of my development to the other which, surprisingly, is pretty darn close to 800 meters on the nose. Final 800 in 2:49.

My long run this morning wasn't quite as long as I was hoping. I started 15 minutes late and had to take a couple pit stops (hope that issue resolves itself in the next two weeks!). In all, I did 17 miles at 7:25 pace with a 6:36 final mile. Strangely enough, my final mile felt as easy, if not easier, than the rest and it was then that I felt "warmed up". I wonder if holding back from my natural pace is causing me to work harder. Hmm, something else to ponder over the next 13 days.

I think my 3-year old iPod shuffle played it's last tune this morning... hopefully it's just the headphones.

38%

This morning I ran 10 miles at what I'm guessing will be my planned marathon pace (PMP) and although it was relatively easy, I started to feel the slight discomfort that eventually turns into a pain that makes me want to quit running and/or question why I ever started running in the first place. I fear the marathon distance more than I lead on, which is a good thing. I learned my lesson the hard way 5 years ago when I set out at a pace I had no business attempting. I'm afraid I'm going to do the same at Cleveland, which is why I'm desperate to gauge my level of fitness. I've got 3-4 more opportunities to do just that in the next 5-6 days before taper time. I'm thinking 18-20 miles at PMP +60-75 sec, 8 x 800 meters (2:55 800's, 3:00 send-offs) and possibly some treadmill hills. I probably wouldn't be worrying so much if all I wanted to do was have fun out on the course. I just can't shake the competitive bug.

3, 2, 1... Failure to Launch

With less than 3 weeks until the Cleveland Marathon, I'm feeling the need to work in some high-intensity workouts so as to gauge my overall level of fitness. I need a measuring stick in order to plan my race day strategy. Last year, I used a half marathon 2 weeks before Cleveland as a gauge and I may have the opportunity to do the same this year, dependent on the weather on Saturday. Just in case, I planned a full 3-2-1 run this morning, which works out to 12 miles total, 6 of them done at 6 min/mile pace (3 slow, 3 fast, 2 slow, 2 fast, 1 slow, 1 fast). I was nervous and actually carb loaded last night thinking that might help. I also brought along a vanilla Power Gel.

The heart of the workout is without question the first 3 miles done at 6 minute pace following an easy 3 mile warm-up. I hit all 3 miles in 5:59 but felt completely drained afterward. I walked for a few minutes feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous. I slowly took down the gel with water and eventually started running again. By the end of my 8th mile I was feeling slightly better but had a side stitch that wouldn't go away. I started into a fast miles 9 and 10 and bailed about half way through, succumbing to the side stitch. I normally would fight through something like this, but not during a Tuesday morning traning run. I was happy to have done what worked out to an intense 9-mile tempo run. Plus I had a few extra minutes to strength train.

Step 2: Reserve Hotel

The gears are in motion for my return to Boston in 2009. Today I sent out a deposit for a room at the Marriott Copley, which is 0.15 miles from the finish area and within walking distance to both Copley Square (bus loading) and Hynes Convention Center (Expo). As of today, I will use my 3:01 from Akron this past fall as my qualifier, which should land me a good starting chute ahead of the traffic jam that starts to build at chutes 4-5. I'll aim to better my Boston PR of 3:05 back in 2006. It's such a tough course but I've analyzed a number of strategies employed by recent sub-3-hour Boston finishers and think I have it down to a science.

Congratulations to everyone who ran this past Monday!

22 Long and Slow Ones

Having twin newborns turn into twin infants with the thought of twin toddlers has done a number on my mental state when it comes to running. I ran 22 miles yesterday not even thinking about the distance. I was conscious of the time but the miles flew by and I took no notice of any discomfort. Helping keep my mind occupied was the company I ran with, three others (all parents) who were happy to listen to my stories and share their experiences in return. Runnnig took a backseat to the conversations at hand. It was as if we were in a coffee shop chatting away for hours, except we weren't in a coffee shop. We were running 8 minute 30 second miles in a light, yet comfortable rain. Ultimately what this means is that my training runs will be a lot less mentally gruelling. I'm curious as to how marathon day will play out from a mental standpoint. The thought of seeing Teresa and the boys on the course may bring me to a new level of comfort that I've yet to experience.

With faces like these, who wouldn't be inspired?

Talkin' Tempo

I stole a tempo workout from Runner's World in an effort to add a little spice to the monotony of running around an indoor track. This one called for 9-minutes easy x 1-minute hard, 8x2, 7x3, 8x2, and 9x1, for a total of 50-minutes. Turned out to be a pretty good workout, probably 7 miles total with 1.5 done at sub 6-minute pace.

I ran for the first time in my new Saucony Grid Fastwitch 3's that I picked up over the weekend along with a pair of triathlon specific shoes from Zoot.

The Bottles Are Ready

I couldn't pass on taking this picture...

The bottles are ready

Hump Day

I woke up at 3:30 this morning, not to cries of hunger from one of the babies, but to complete silence. It took me a minute to realize that yes, I was actually awake and no, I was not in a time warp. Some quick math and I realized the babies had been asleep for 7.5 hours! Caden woke up shortly thereafter followed a minute or two later by Cole (you'd think they were twins or something ; ). My workout this morning consisted of two warmup miles at 7:30 pace, one mile at 5:55, two miles at 7:30 and a final 5:51 mile. I should be getting my new shoes soon. Saucony Grid Fastwitch 3. I loved the 1's and the 2's, and am dying to get my hands on the latest and greatest.

Make It Right

Teresa has decided to walk the Towpath Half-Marathon on October 12th in support of the Make It Right Project. She hopes to raise awareness and is asking for the financial support of our friends and family. Unlike most marathon fundraisers, there's really no way for her to track how much money she's raised nor is she required to raise a minimum amount of money. This is simply a case of her wanting to help a cause that's close to her heart in whatever way she can, all the while getting in shape. In short, the MIR Project will build 150 houses in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, one of the hardest hit areas of Hurricane Katrina. To date, 81 of 150 homes have been sponsored/built. Click on the link below to be directed to the Project's web page and learn more about the cause and how you can help.

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/

I'm going to head up her cheering section on that day, which is also her birthday. If you're in the Cleveland area on that day, come out and celebrate with us!

5 Months Old

I gladly took St. Patrick's Day off of work to watch the boys while Teresa went to the parade with her friends. I've been telling her for months that she needs to get out and do a few things that don't involve burpies, binkies or bouncies! Before she took off for the day, I hit the gym for a swim/run brick. Swam about 750 yards, mostly laps with a few drills worked in. Ran 4 miles at roughly 6:43 pace and then did about 30 minutes of strength training. It always surprises me how odd it feels to run after having been in the pool!


Yesterday while trying to kill some time and keep the twinfants occupied, I strapped them in our jogging stroller and did some laps around the house. They really seem to like it and would start fussing every time I stopped, even if just for a moment to make sure they were doing OK. I told them all about how I came to run my first marathon. It's nice having an audience who isn't bored with my running stories : )

Little Men

Caden and Cole are thriving, which I now understand is an actual medical term. When a child is consistently underweight or who does not gain weight for unclear reasons, he/she is considered to have "failure to thrive". And here I thought our doctor was dishin' some slang when describing their development!

Caden

Cole

The Last Battle

I've been reading The Chronicles of Narnia books to the boys every night before bed and came upon a great passage at the end of the seventh and final book 'The Last Battle'. At that point in the book, after the last battle, the characters were instructed by Aslan (the almighty Lion) to "Come further up, come further in!" to a new world they have just found themselves in. The group begins to run...

"The air flew in their faces as if they were driving fast in a car without a windscreen. The country flew past as if they were seeing it from the windows of an express train. Faster and faster they raced, but no one got hot or tired or out of breath. If one cold run without getting tired, I don’t think one would often want to do anything else."

Having read all of the Narnia books, I know this passage speaks directly to a tireless devotion to a faith-based life, which I think is a great analogy (especially for children who read the stories). However, I can't help but pull from it what every longtime runner has already experienced and what new runners strive for, that moment when running is no longer a struggle and you actually feel like you could run forever and do nothing else with your life.

It's important to maintain perspective as a runner. I didn't start out as a sub-3 hour marathoner, nor will I remain one. I know where I came from and where I've been and can fully appreciate each in the same way I will continue to appreciate the endless possibilities of a lifelong runner.

New Pics

Took these pictures yesterday for a scrapbook I'm keeping showing the boys growth from month to month. They're getting pudgy and have Teresa's hair line (thank the lord!). I was holding them upright in my lap allowing them practice holding their head up. They seem to like the "strength" training!

Caden

Cole

Another Year Older

Well, my 31st birthday quietly came and went (as I like it) and I feel as youthful as ever. Last year I intended on running a marathon on my 30th birthday but the weather was brutal and I got out of work late anyway. This year I simply went to the gym in the morning for a quick 3-miler and some strength training. A new year hasn't broken me of my bad habit of pushing myself each and every run. I start off with the intention of running an "easy" 3-miles and end up running at near 5k pace. Oh well, there could be worse problems to have.

Had a great 8-mile run on Sunday. Again, thought to myself prior to starting that I'd go at it easy, but hit my first mile in 6:38 so I figured what the hell... I'll make this a tempo run. Mile 2 - 6:19, 3 - 6:22, 4 - 6:32, 5 - 6:57, 6 - 6:28, 7 - 7:00, 8 - 5:57. Was a little too tired afterwards to do much weights so I settled on about 30-minutes of core work.

Congratulations to those who ran in either the full or half marathon of yesterdays P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll Arizona. Frank and Kelly did great as did my TNT crew!