My wife is awesome.

If you don't know, this is my wife Jennifer. Jennifer is the love of my life, and indeed is really responsible for getting me into my running in the first place when she got me to do the first Bisbee 1000 with her, and then bought me "Born to Run." She chose a goal a while ago" she was going to march in the Bataan Memorial Death March.

Each year, the original Bataan is commemorated at White Sands Missile Base, New Mexico by a marathon length (26.2 mile) march through horrid terrain. There's a couple of categories; whether you want to just go for it, or if you want to do it in the heavy category you put 35 pounds on.

That looks like this.

You then go walk through the desert: sand, hills, wildlife, temperatures from 40 in the morning to 80 by the afternoon, and this year, 40 mile an hour winds. Jennifer trained, Jennifer set out, and Jennifer succeeded. She finished in 9 1/2 hours, which actually brought her in before a large number of military males in the Light category. In short, my darling wife is frakking incredible. I am so proud of her.



She says she has no intention of doing this again, but likes the idea of these distances. Next up? We're going to split the difference, and together we are doing Warrior Dash. She's so cool!

For Better and For Worse

So, it is finished! My second marathon, the Lost Dutchman 2011 is now behind me, and as you will see below, I have my second finishers' medal! So, how did I do?

Well, better and worse. Let me tell you up front, I did about a minute slower than I did last year. I can tell you this though: I did much better this year. How can this all be true?

Last year, the weather was simply wonderful: clear, still, just perfect. Go back and read last year though, and you will see those last six miles were hell. I stopped to walk every water point, and crossed that finish line by pure will alone. I expected the same this time.

Instead, I learned how to properly fuel, and felt really good at the end. Took down one GU gel an hour, and drove on. In fact, I skipped the water point at the 20, and after 22, didn't stop at all. I hit 22 at 3:52, and was moving at a 9:30 pace. It was awesome! I slugged down my 22 mile water and drove on. At mile 23, then there's a turn...

Into a 10-15 MPH head wind. I mean, it was rough. Most people around me walked instead, I kept running. Slow but steady, I kept moving. Three miles into the wind, and the last mile in the rain. It slowed me down, and so I came in 4:42:53, a minute slower than last year, but so much stronger. I didn't have that post race starvation either, because I was properly fueled. Initially I intended to make this my last one for a while. Now though, I need to see how that weather will be next year... I can do better!

Now the sad news. The lovely Jennifer was going to come do the half-marathon this year, but the flu got her. She is still all set up to do the Bataan memorial ruck march next month though, I bet she's going to knock it out of the park!

Now, enjoy some pics! (Thanks to Action Sport Images for the two of me)

So Dan, how's the running going?

Oh, I hear it in your voice- “I bet Dan's all done with running now that he did that marathon. The dream is over, the goal is reached, he's kicked back on the couch eating Cheetos...”

No.

Actually, the running is going great. I did take about a week and a half to slow down and recover, but then, and believe me I am surprised as well, I was right back out there. Still doing about twenty miles a week actually, though I am a lot more laid back about it. Which is great.

I've run in Vibrams: Here's the first report- did you know sidewalk is harder than pavement? Did about a mile in the Vibrams with Eightball, and was sore for days! Felt like I had worked my calves hard at the gym, and the feet felt a lot of impact. However, later on (and more on that story soon) I ran on an asphalt path in them, and nowhere near the impact pain. Now I know why runners will run on the shoulder instead of the sidewalk. I suppose it's simple density. So you know; if I referred to Vibrams as a transitional shoe before, I WAS WRONG! They are barefoot running with slightly less stickers. Keep that in mind. If you are working towards proper mid-foot strike or even barefoot running, get used to your Nike Frees first, and do some field barefoot running first. Then, look for asphalt!

I've run with the dog: Doing a lot more running with Eightball, which is a lot of fun. It helps him calm down during the day as well, which is good for Jen, but it's neat to watch him trot along as well. He's even learned he can only poop on dirt and not on the path.

I've run with Jennifer: I am VERY excited to report that Jennifer, who was an avid walker and step aerobic adherent, has decided to try out a little running herself. New Nike Frees and away she goes. This last week, we went out together and it's perfect- I run in my Vibrams. So, as she's learning to run, I am too because when I am barefoot, we're at about the same level. We do a good run-walk. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did, and I am looking forward to more in the future.

So, true believers, there you have it. I am not off the path yet, and indeed still really enjoying it. Looking at a 10K at the end of this month, trying to find a half marathon later this year, and probably gonna try the Lost Dutchman again next year. If you've been thinking about running more, do it. Remember:

-The first step is the hardest.
-Run at your own pace and distance.
-If you're not enjoying it, you're doing it wrong.
-Run for no one but yourself.

Hopefully you will hear from me again soon, and we'll see what other shenanigans running has delivered unto me!

Week 16- The Lost Dutchman Marathon

Here I am in the day after my attempt to run the Lost Dutchman Marathon. Long story short? Success! But like the run, the story isn't short at all...

I didn't finish as quickly as I was hoping to, but I think I learned a lot about racing doing my first marathon. It's vastly different getting out and doing a race than it is doing even equivalent distances on your own. Here's some of the things I learned this race:

1) Keep at your own pace- I spent a good chunk of the run alongside a Bureau of Land Management lawyer from Alaska. Forty degrees was warm to him, so he ran shirtless. I dubbed him “Steve the Alaskan Human Beacon” because this cat was whiter than Liquid Paper. This was his fourth marathon, but the first after a knee surgery he went through last year. He was not a lot faster than me, but meeting his pace made me burn more energy sooner than I anticipated. I knew I should have stayed between 10:00 and 10:30 per mile- but with Steve (later Greasy Stevie when he had to slather on some vaseline because his arms were chaffing his iridescent bare torso) I was running mile seven to about mile fourteen closer to 9:30 or better. Not significant in the short term, but a thirty minute difference across a race. This really came into play at mile 23 when I hit the wall...


2) Everybody runs marathons- Besides Greasy Stevie, I also met a 16 year old boy in Vibram Five Fingers, ready to do his first full marathon after several halves over the last three years. I met a 38 year old mother of two running her second marathon, and she was no petite flower (though super friendly). I met and conversed with a man from Moscow who must have been pushing 80, along with his wife. Yeah, they were going to jog/walk, but they came from Moscow, and they were 80! There were the real runners out there, like you would see in Runner's World magazine, but then there were lots of everyday people who just enjoy running, and wanted the challenge. We all had an instant rapport because we were going to share in this madness, and we weren't athletes, we were just runners. My thought is this; if I can get passed by 50 year old women, while I'm passing 20 year old men, ANYONE can run a marathon. It's just doing it for the love of the run, and doing it for yourself and no one else.


3) Doing a race is significantly different than your training runs- Even when you're not competing with anyone else, there are so many other factors in the race. First of all, on long runs, I like to zone out. The pain fades away, the mind wanders, and I'll find myself suddenly coming back into consciousness several miles later. Not in the marathon. There are too many other runners around you. Too many spectators. Water points every couple of miles. There's no zone. I was completely present for every moment of my race, from the delightful six mile downhill start, through the middle section with Greasy Stevie, to when at mile 23 I hit the wall. Kept going, but it was a hell of a challenge, and I would love to have just taken a little mental vacation for a few!


4) The Bonk wears clown shoes- Having hit the wall at mile 23, I kept plugging along, slowly, wishing for the energy I expended back between miles seven and fourteen. It was then, while I was slowing in my hunt for 26.2 the Bonk came out to play. I could hear it behind me, and I swear it was chasing me in big floppy shoes, slapping the ground behind me and getting closer. I learned from Orpheus and Calliope though- don't look back. Keep moving on. He came close, close enough to whisper in my ear that I'd already gone further than ever before, why not just walk the rest? And indeed, that may have been what truly brought me to the wall in the first place...


5) Pee early- I had the slight urge starting about mile six, but it wasn't a big deal, because at that point I'm using fluid at a faster rate than I'm putting it in, so the pressure is not becoming more urgent. For some reason though, about mile 21 I decided (likely precipitated by actually seeing an open porta-jon!) I needed to relive my bladder. Now, I walk any water point I go through. It helps with the water drinking, and give your muscles a slight reprieve for a minute or so. To urinate however, I had to stop. When I did, I started getting post run ache. When I did start again, it was tough to convince the body to keep going. Those next two miles led me right to the wall.


6) I want to do it again- Not unlike childbirth (or so I am told) as much pain as you know you are in as it is going on, for some reason within a relatively short time afterwards, you start planning your next one. Perhaps it's just to apply these lessons I have learned to see if I can do better. Suddenly I am competing- I have my own score to beat.

So, in the end I didn't get the time I was hoping for (I wanted around 4:30, but instead chip timed at 4:41:43) but finished 319 out of 600 entrants, in a race where only 471 finished. However, I ran a marathon, and the day after I am not crippled and lame, but rather looking forward to doing it again in the future.

I also want to point out the Lovely Jennifer, in order to kill time while waiting for me to drag myself across the finish line, entered the 8K trail run, and scored a 1:11 without training up. Then she came home and bought new running shoes... maybe soon I will be running with more than just Eightball?

This site may not get weekly updates, though I assure you I am going to keep running. I will keep you posted on my Vibram experiences as I start training with those, and looking around for other races to do. I want to at least knock out a half marathon this year, if not another full. Always have the Bisbee 1000 too. Look for me out there, because from now on, I'm the Running Dan.

Care to join me?

(Here's some pictures from the races...)



This one and the next one were of the trail Jennifer did- it was lovely up there, but warm as the day got on. Over 70 degrees by the time I rolled in.




This is me, visible on the horizon. Note shirtless Greasy Stevie on the left, cheering me on. He came in about 4:30.



Sporting Starfleet Blue, I hit the finish line- a victory for out of shape Trekkies everywhere...

PS- in a strange twist of fate, I ran my marathon on February 14th: Simon Pegg's Birthday. You may remember him as the star of "Run Fatboy Run" discussed previously in this blog. I could hear him in my head occasionally from Star Trek too... "I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain!"

One week to go...

Well folks, not a whole heck of a lot to report this week- except that I am now a week from the race! That's right, True Believers, it all comes down to next Sunday up in Apache Junction (the pic above is from last year's Lost Dutchman Marathon) where we find out of all this training has truly turned me into a Marathon Man.

My biggest fight right now is with my body wanting to run more. I had gotten pretty used to doing between 30 and 40 miles a week, and in these last two weeks of scaling back I am bouncing between running much faster than I should because it is so many less miles, or occasionally tagging on an extra mile when I shouldn't. I will tell you this though- training since October, and getting as high as 20 miles in a run, the first three are still the hardest. My body still looks at me like I am an idiot for three miles, and then finally hits pace and lets me go. Then I feel great. Why? Maybe it takes me that long to warm up at a 9:30 to 10:00 pace, maybe it's the last vestiges of the non-running Dan; regardless, those first three suck and then 3-15 are just fine. I start to ache around the 16-18 mark, but it's a good ache, not injury. So long as I can keep hydrated and fueled (hello icky vanilla bean flavored gel packs!) I should be just fine.

In other quick news, I finally got my Vibram Five Fingers, so perhaps there will be a new series of entries on this blog post marathon as I start training toward barefoot. Kind of excited about it, but we will see where it goes. Is there a lot of hype in the whole current move toward barefoot? Sure, bit on the other hand, there's some good science and stats to suggest it's a lot better for you too. It would be pretty cool to keep up this running thing with less chance of having to stop for injury.

As it stands though, the next post you see here will either be full of glory or regret; I'm pretty curious how it all turns out myself. See you in a week 26.2, you better be running.

Primal urges in Week 10.

The prey is fast, but only in short bursts. The primitive man runs along behind the gazelle, following relentlessly, knowing he only has to hold out. The gazelle is away from its herd; it can't circle back, and makes the mistake of continuing to sprint away from the man, then stop to see if he follows.

He does.

He is not alone though. There is also the wolf- the one who had crept quietly into the light of the fire one night, hungry and drawn by the smell of cooking meat. It stayed with the man and his family, and would now help the man when he hunted- driving the prey forward as the man kept his pace. The wolf did not understand how the man did it, but if he just ran alongside they would eat. The wolf began to creep ahead, increasing its pace.

The growl from the man held it back. The wolf stayed with him. Again the gazelle stopped, looking to see if the pursuing pair were gone.

Inexorably, step after step, they continued.

They just had to run far enough. The gazelle would eventually tire. Yes- the gazelle was faster than both of them at a dead run, but over a distance? Over a distance the man and wolf would run the gazelle to death.

Just a few more miles...

Yeah. I admit it. That was the fantasy running through my head this week when I would run with my dog Eightball. He's not on the huge runs with me yet, but we're doing about three miles together now, and he seems to really love it. He's not always as disciplined a running partner as I would like...! He is learning though.

Now, the scenario above may not be fantasy at all. Professor Daniel Lieberman proposes that running is what keyed human evolution, and it was the primary advantage for we land primates to catch protein when we hadn't yet created the spear. OK- the wolf part may be fantasy, but it's my head, right? I just find it a fascinating idea that the human machine really was built for running, and that there may be a very specific reason our marathons are around 26 miles (the average distance at which a gazelle or similar bovidae would become too weak to escape and fall).

So how did we cavemen do this week? Good actually! You may recall I was worried about an injury last week in my shin. I really toyed with taking the week off, but dagnabbit, I really wanted to run! So I did add one extra day, so instead of my mid week runs being T/W/T, I started Wednesday. Did a nice easy one on Wednesday to test the waters, and then seven miles New Years Eve. On New Years Day, I ran with the dog AND the Boy (during which he learned several months of computer games and a desk job are not good for your run), but then held out for Sunday for the next big one. Started out about eight in the morning Sunday (Eightball stayed with the lovely Jennifer) and did 15 miles.

Yes, it hurt. Not injury hurt though- didn't feel that at all (though pressing the gas pedal tries to tweak it- looks like I will be picking a speed and holding it!). Instead, it was the heartily earned aches that go with a good run. Did 15 miles, and it was a good run. Next day, still feel that I worked them, but I'm not hobbled at all.

Makes Kor want to look for those Gazelles...

Week Nine- Santa kicks my butt.

Yikes, this was a tough week. You know what happens at Christmas time? We eat. We eat a lot. Everyone cooks and bakes and there's food everywhere and you don't want to waste it and what can one more cookie do bad for you anyway...

It can feel like bricks in your butt when you are trying to run ten miles.

That's right folks, this week, my long run was only ten, and I swear it hurt more than my 13. If you look back you will see I know my diet is a deciding factor in how I run. I ate badly anyway. You will see I know what it's like to find my pace- that if I am working too hard I am doing it wrong. I had no choice- anything over a walk was work.

I now know what it means to need to detox, not from the evils of drink mind you, but from too many cookies and pies and delicious fudge and bourbon balls. Yikes.

Then, I also seem to have tweaked a muscle in the front of my left shin. Most aches go away after the body warms up in a mile or so and I feel better. This one just gnawed at me for ten miles. Trying to rest it before my Tuesday Week 10 run, but I might have to take it easy into the New Year. Not sure how that will affect my plans to do the full marathon in February. I might be back to the half then and the full in May.

Now, two pieces of good news. My darling wife the Lovely Jennifer slipped the Nike+ iPod attachment into my stocking, so I now get complete instant feedback on distance, pace, and time while digging my mix of tunes. For the price, it's really a handy tool.

Secondly, our new family dog, Eighball, is a runner. I have him doing up to two miles at a time with me, and frankly I think he wants to do more. He keeps looking at my like I am a panzy when we stop. He loves it, but has a tendency to make me go a little faster than I necessarily want to. We'll try two and a half miles when I run again!

So, a mixed bag week, possibly leading into a rest week, much as I would hate to. Runners beware that guy in the red suit- he's no good for you!



See?

Eating up week six...

This was a tough week. I had been considering taking it easy this week to let some of the tweaks and aches in my heels and calves lighten up, but I came to realize what my far greater problem is. It's something I learned from this guy in the third grade:


You are what you eat.

See, Monday nights we like to go to the local kid friendly pseudo-bar and watch football while hanging out with friends. Knowing I should have had salad and maybe a beer, I had two (including a tall Guinness) and a Chipotle Chicken sandwich. Yes it was delicious, but come Tuesday morning at 4:30 AM, I felt like the beer and chicken had become anvils which had gone directly to my ass and feet. Keep in mind- I was still thinking it was just time for a rest anyway, so I didn't think too much of it, severely abbreviated my run and went about my day.

That night for dinner, I had lean chicken and vegetable wraps in tapioca paper with salmon sushi. In short, lots of protein and greens, with enough carbs to be fuel. My Wednesday run (which I started out of habit... yes, getting up early and running is in fact getting to be a habit) was five miles, and I felt great. Cue beer and pizza dinner...

Cue really dragging ass again on my Thursday run! I realized dinner had a direct correlation on how I felt on my runs. So Friday night, regardless of being at a Military formal, I boosted up on the carrots and cucumber salad, with some leafy greens as well, and had just a small sampling of beef and fish. Even with the beer to wash it down, my seven miler on Saturday (light week on the Higdon plan anyway) was just fine. Later on I worked on my car, and feeling manly I decided I would run some more, but the Lovely Jennifer made Chili Verde (healthy and delicious) so I tucked that motivation away to use for later.

So, this week's Sesame Street lesson? As the Giuseppe Arcimboldo painting from the 16th Century at the top shows... you are what you eat.

Who's the what?

Week two is complete! A good walk on Sunday, then three steady miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each. Then, this morning, seven miles in delightful 64 degree Arizona weather! Sounds great, huh?

Yeah, that's because you don't have my calves. This was the week (if you follow me on Facebook you heard this complaint) my body caught on to what I was trying to make it do. My three miles were good, and I kept the "think light, think easy, if you are working too hard you are doing it wrong" pace I planned to (between 9 minute or 9:30 miles). However, the calves were a bit whiney about it. Then this morning (Saturday) came the bog seven.

I haven't run seven miles since I was in Monterey CA the first time 16 years ago. I was doing a regular six before my calf tear in Washington, but seven is psychologically a bit different. Nevertheless, committed to this insane path I have chosen, I set out this morning about 7:30 to do what we call 'The Mall Loop' in Sierra Vista (about six) and and extra mile for fun. It is a nice run- good trails and paths, though all paved, it is smooth and away from traffic. There are good variations in uphill and downhill, and should something snap, break, grind, or quit, it is not so far for the lovely Jennifer to come drag my crying corpse back to home.

Had an odd experience with it today. I got to two miles- not much considering, and the calves were tight. Not screaming, but argumentative at least. Then they shut up and let me run. Then, around three miles my hip started to ache. I pushed on through, and it shut up too. Then, at mile four, my left foot began to tell me my arch hurt, while my right calf began to ache around the area of the tear. I steeled myself, adjusted my stride and kept on. Then came Mile Five, I worked through it and as I finished my fifth mile, it all fell away.

Suddenly, with two miles left, I felt like I just started running. My body felt fresh and ready, and even though I was running uphill, I started making better time than I had when I started. I finished strong and happy, and enjoyed a nice breakfast with chia seeds and peanut butter with some yogurt (replenished protein at lunch with some salami (gosh that sounds dirtier than it should) ). It was like my body said "fine, you aren't giving up, we'll stop throwing pain at you." I have no doubt the various parts which make up my physical presence are going to ambush me again at some point, but this week, today at least I showed them who was boss.

Though I really hope running doesn't turn me into Tony Danza.

The Bisbee 1000, 2009

Since this event went a long way toward starting this little project I wanted to share some images. You won't see me, as I wasn't letting Jennifer hold the camera. This was her big event, and I was just glad she let me come along. By the way, she did great. First time performance, no train up, walked it in 93 minutes.


This was the convict like ankle tag they give you for timing. From what I understood if Jen and I got more than 50 feet from each other it would blow our legs off.



This was the starting line just down the hill from the Bisbee courthouse.


Lovely Jennifer, speed walker.



Jen hauling her cute butt up a hill.



For you crossover geeks out there, runner 1138. Lucas lurks...


Some downhill- thank God!


The cliff in the center of town we basically did a figure 8 around. Actually have pictures from several angles, but this was the best.


Jen conquers the 999th step!


The finish line, where a half naked hippie chick came and stripped off our explosive time tags. And me without a camera... oh wait. Crap.

It was a good time, and kind of lit a fire in me. I am looking forward to doing it again next year, and we might even run it.

If Prescott doesn't kill me first!

The Running Dan

This last week I turned 37, and left behind the halcyon days of “mid-thirties” for the far less entertaining days of “late-thirties.” Yeah, I know, me and some 15 billion people before me (though let's face it- for a lot of human history age 40 was considered “aged”), and it's going on all the time. I however cannot speak for them, I can only speak for me. I am not, I stress again NOT, having a mid-life crisis, but it has come to my attention that the days I can tell my body what it will do are coming to an end, and eventually, my body will tell me what to do. I am really only just recovering from an injury back in May where I tore a calf muscle. That injury put a halt to my fairly standard running schedule, and I am not the type of person who stays in shape if I am not trying. My firm has made me run for years, and I have always fought it. Even when my run got good, I didn't like it, I didn't want to, and therefore slipped back into lazyness. Excuse or no with this injury, I did all my physical therapy and have been running regularly again for about two months. In that two months I brought myself back from not being able to really run two miles (my last bit of therapy was to do three miles alternating between two minutes of running and two minutes of walking) to a 16:30 two mile on a PT test this week. Now, the week before that the weather was better and I did it in 15:50. Sure, I am not breaking any land speed records, but it's been nice to run again.

The lovely Jennifer, who has recently been on her own new fitness plan and taken off quite a few pounds, enrolled us to participate in the Bisbee 1000 Stair climb. See, for those who aren't familiar with Bisbee, it's my favorite Arizona town. It was a mining town built into a bunch of hills over a century ago, and is now a quirky little hippie town full of people who like to take life a little slower than most. In short, it's like a Washington town right here in the desert. Anyway, the whole town is built on various levels and riddle with an Escher-like system of stairs. Each year, the town puts on a 5K run/walk which involves climbing 1000 of these stairs. Jennifer and I had never done anything like this together before, and not only had a great time, but got a good workout. I started thinking about running it next year.

Then I started looking at myself. I'd never liked this kind of thing before, but I was feeling good doing it. And on my birthday, it hit me.

I was going to run a marathon.

Now, I don't know a damn thing about this stuff. I started doing internet research, and quizzing friends- turns out I have a remarkable number of friends who have done these. Some of them are even geeks like me (yes, you Jim. Well, you too Siddhartha). To help me along, the Lovely Jennifer bought me a book for my birthday called “Born to Run” about the psychology of endurance runners. The idea of embracing the fatigue and operating outside yourself. Making yourself like a child and just running with no thought of time or pain. Stepping out of yourself, while being acutely aware of yourself...

Hey, wait a minute. This was starting to sound a bit spiritual. And it is. If God's in all of us, and we have to dig deep inside to make 26.2 miles (though many people in the book are doing 100 miles races!) then what, or who, will be looking back when you dig?

So, I have a basic training plan, starting out this week. I cheated a little and went out to do four miles this morning like a preview... and you know what? I quit fighting it, and with a whole new attitude, I liked running this morning. I did an extra mile just for fun, and felt like I could have kept going. Endorphin euphoria or God-seeing trance, it felt good. I can't wait to do it again. I'm not even sore.

So begins a new Blog. As I go through this plan, I will share what I am thinking and feeling. I am sure it will not all be as nice as it was today, so I don't always promise to be so positive. I will keep you all appraised of my progress and plans. There's a marathon in February in Apache Junction, but that one seems too soon. I may do the half marathon then. The run I plan to do is in Prescott in May. Seven months away. No pressure, just what I want to do.

Welcome to the Running Dan.