plant and run
10 Marathon Lessons
2 Comments
So my marathon was Sunday. Great experience. I need to sit down and journal the experience. For now, I have 10 marathon lessons that I learned…
- Repect the marathon. There is a huge difference between 20 miles and 26.2 miles. The typical marathon training schedule peaks at 20 miles, and that led me to conclude that there is something magical about hitting 20 and you’d reach this stage of auto-pilot for the final 10k. False. Respect the distance. 26.2 is a bear up until the finish line.
- The marathon experience is unparalleled by any other race experience. Now, I can’t at all claim to be a road race expert, but I have run a variety of events. I’ve run muddy offroad races and packed 10ks. But, the marathon experience is unlike anything you’ll experience in a road race…the perks…the medals…the pacers…it’s worth running a marathon (or a half) just for that reason.
- Walking is permitted in marathoning. I’ve always been a bit of a running purist, believing that when it comes to road races, walking is quitting. I’ll admit, I walked during my marathon. I walked a good bit over the final leg of my race…and my time was a respectable 4:14. When it comes to a marathon, it doesn’t matter if you crawl across the finish line, it is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. Now, I’m not getting carried away, I refuse to walk next time.
- You’ll see Jesus around mile 16. At least in the Little Rock marathon. In Boston, it’s probably about three fourths of the way up Heartbreak Hill.
- You need to do everything in your power to stay calm and relaxed the first couple of miles. My 10k split was 48:20. My half-marathon split was about 1:47. That means that I ran 8 minute miles for the first half of my marathon. That was way too fast. The sad thing is that I knew I was running too fast and I didn’t care. It got caught up in the moment…the crowd…the band…the adrenaline. I paid the price when I bonked around mile 19.
- Plan beforehand how you’ll handle food on the course. Everyone tells you to figure out chews and gels and sports drinks, but what do you do with the orange slices and bananas that start appearing at the hydration stops on the back-half of the race? I wasn’t expecting this, and when the cramps came, I found myself wishing I had scarfed down the first banana I saw.
- The mental battle is as much about how much you have left to run as it is how you’re currently feeling. It’s interesting, when I finally lost the mental battle and starting walking, it wasn’t because I absolutely couldn’t run any further. It was because I was afraid of how much I had left. grrr.
- Wear your name. One fun thing about a marathon is that many allow you to personalize your running bib. So my first name was printed right above my race number. Spectators catch on quickly and get a kick out of yelling your name as you run by. That, my friend, will put a smile on your face precisely when you need it.
- Know the course. Participation in the Little Rock Marathon training group enabled me to run a lot of the marathon course during my training. That was way more helpful than I thought it would be. From now on, I will do what I can to have prior experience running a race course beforehand.
- Don’t taper too much. My training got thrown off a bit when a pretty bad coughing fit hit me about a month ago…right in the midst of my peak training. This caused me to miss some key runs. As the race day approached, I was scared to overtrain. I definitely felt the negative effects on race day of not having run a major long run in four weeks. That was a mistake. Here is a great article addressing how to taper well.
My lessons are learned. I’ll be ready for the 2011 Mardi Gras Marathon!
the marathon is here
Leave a Comment
It’s finally here.
The Little Rock Marathon is Sunday.
I’m stoked.
I ran Cross Country in high school, in more recent spurts here and there, but honestly haven’t run consistently since my Freshman year of college [1995].
So in January of last year, knowing I was about to launch into church planting and be in Little Rock for 10 months, I decided NOW was the time.
Now is the time to run a marathon.
It’s funny. We have these “bucket lists,” right? We say things like, “man, wouldn’t it be cool to do _________? I need to do that sometime. That would be awesome.”
Mostly we say it to ourselves. It’s like we are scared to even say it out loud because we know that we’ll never do it.
What is stopping us?
26 miles just sounds impossible.
How about 1 mile…tomorrow?
As I reflect back over the past 14 months or so, it’s really hasn’t been as difficult as I thought it would be to get here. It’s sounds so cliche, but it’s really just a matter of running one mile at a time.
The lives we live…is this the way it’s supposed to be?
I read through that ancient story that opens the pages of Genesis. The universe is a blank canvas and God creatively fills it…stars…planets…sun…moon..oceans…plants…animals.
Then he creates us…in his image.
We were given all of that…and this is how we live?
So go run a mile today. It won’t be long before your running marathons.
But don’t stop there.
Oh, I got one more on my list. I’ll say this one out loud.
“Man, wouldn’t it be cool to transform a city? We need to do that sometime. That would be awesome.“
Tomorrow we can start by planting a church.
seasonal running or lack thereof
Leave a Comment
So yesterday morning I was running on the trail by our apartment here in Little Rock. It was cold. It’s dipped below freezing for the first time this season. That is cold for a New Orleanian. I was thankful to be bundled up [beanie hat, gloves, arm warmers, layers, etc]. Nonetheless, I was just not feeling it.
It has been interesting to note how the weather affects my psyche. It is becoming increasingly harder and harder to get out of bed at 6am to hit the trail. You can imagine the cold before you even walk out the door. In fact, you can imagine it before you get out from under the covers.
To make matters worse, it feels like I have nothing to train for right now. We are past all of the Fall road races that I wanted to run and the Spring is months away.
I read an article in Runner’s World a couple of weeks ago on running only to maintain your fitness level. It feels like that I what I am doing right now. I am trying to run the minimal amount necessary to not loose ground. Progress is optional. This article seems to think that is a good objective through the colder months.
So that leads me to my musings during my run yesterday. I pondered, “Is it a good idea to make your goal simply to maintain fitness?” Is it even possible? It feels a bit like I’m spinning my wheels and beginning to slip backwards.
This isn’t really a discussion about running, it’s about life. In every area, we reach seasons where we are tired of pressing on and begin to believe the lie that we can just tread water.
Then we begin sinking.
Tebow’s eyeblack verse of the week [lol] was Heb 12.1-2:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
That speaks to a lot of life, doesn’t it?
running peaks and valleys
Leave a Comment
Man, one thing we have learned thus far about the Fellowship Associates Church Planting Residency is that it ebbs and flows. Some weeks are just packed out with activities. We have recently hit a busy season. Thus, I haven’t had time to post here much.
Rather than updating you on what I’m learning in the program [I'll try to do that in a series of posts over the next couple of days], I figured I’d let you know how my running is going. I have recently hit an interesting patch that is probably pretty common for runners.
So let me tell you all about it…
About a month ago, I ran 14 miles on a Saturday morning. It was a great run. In fact, it was the furthest I’ve ever run in my life. I have to admit, I was kinda amazed at the pace I kept up for 14 miles. Not only that, it was the culmination of a really good week where I was setting PRs left and right. I was running on a high. Felt really, really good.
Then I started hitting some snags in my running routine. We went on a couple of road trips, I got sick, I had a couple of bad blisters, the Residency schedule got busy. All that added up to me missing some of my runs and losing some ground. I felt all of the momentum I had built starting to slip away. Thankfully, I was still getting in enough runs to not lose everything, but I definitely felt like I wasn’t at the same level I had just been a week or two before.
I guess that is the nature of running. I guess that is the reason why most runners design these intricate training schedules that lead right up to race day. When you peak, it’s a peak. You can’t hang around on the mountaintop all that long. The key is to peak at the right time.
my new kicks
So I feel like the last week or so has gotten me back to where I want to be.
What made the difference?
First of all, I bought new shoes. [That always helps a runner to be excited.] Part of my downfall over the past couple of weeks was realizing that my old shoes weren’t working for me anymore. It’s time for me to go with something lighter with less support that is more conducive to a mid-foot strike [landing on the middle of your foot rather than on your heel]. I’ve learned that I’m pretty light for a runner, I have an efficient stride and I keep a fairly fast pace. All that means that the expensive shoes with all of the extra cushion and support hurts me more than helps. [By the way, I've also learned that Target is the best place to shop for running socks that are cheap and good. New socks help too.]
Secondly, I simply focused on what I needed to do to get back on track. I ran. I ran even when I didn’t feel like it. Some days, honestly, weren’t fun at all. Then, like magic, on Thursday I was running and all of a sudden it hit me: I feel good again.
I do wonder how true that is in many areas of our life. Do we try to go all out all of the time? Do we ever attempt to figure out how to create schedules that allow us to peak at the right time? The reality is that all of us have busy seasons of life. Do we manage our stress well?
What about from a spiritual perspective? If we are honest, none of us live on the mountaintop, do we? We have highs and lows. Do we think about how our actions and decisions help to determine when those occur? Do we think about what we need to do to pull ourselves out of the ditch?
For me, this year is about learning. I’m learning a lot about church planting and what church could look like. More than that, I’m learning about me. I’m realizing all of the mistakes I have made in the past and seeking God’s help to redeem my inadequacies and use me to bring restoration to New Orleans!
my running schedule explained.
Leave a Comment
[NOTE - If you randomly found this post searching the web for info on putting together a running schedule, then, Welcome! Just so you know, I'm a 32 year old guy, 6'1, about 165 pounds and I've been running 20-30 miles a week for about 9 months. Nothing I write below reflects any medical consultation, only what I've pieced together by researching and running.]
So, many of you have left encouraging comments on Facebook about my progress on running over the past couple of weeks. Thanks! One of the things I’ve read recently is that regular training will lead to periodic spurts of progress [it's not slow and steady progress like we would imagine.] Recently, I’ve hit a spurt and lowered my pace pretty significantly. I’ve set a couple of PRs even just in training.
I figured, it might be worth it to explain what my weekly schedule looks like. I’ve done a fair amount of reading that has gone into putting together a routine that is meant to not just keep me fit but make me faster.
So here goes:
MONDAY – TEMPO/FARTLEK RUN (6-8 miles). I start off the week with a run that is a pretty long distance usually on a road. It is the second longest run of the week for me. It is also usually the fastest pace I’ll run all week. A tempo or fartlek run is one where you vary your pace throughout the course of the run. Sometimes I pick a mile near the half-way point and try to run it at a faster pace. Sometimes people pick a landmark and speed up to reach it before dropping their pace back down. Another great way to vary your pace here in Little Rock is to choose a really hilly road to run on. I did that this past Monday and tried to increase my speed everytime I went uphill (probably 4-5 times through the run).
TUESDAY – RECOVERY RUN (3-5 miles). I try to take it easy on Tuesdays. My pace should be about a minute per mile slower. I run on trails to give my legs a little extra cushion. I find that being disciplined enough to run slow can be really hard. I need to be more intentional about keeping my pace down for my recovery runs. I’ve read that your recovery runs can actually be more important than your hard days.
WEDNESDAY – SPEEDWORK (3-5 miles). Ideally, I’m on a high school track on Wednesdays. Speedwork consists of a 1 mile light jog followed by 3-5 400 or 800 meter sprints. Between each sprint I jog half that distance to recover [with 400s I jog 200s]. I top it off by cooling down with another 1 mile jog. The trick has been to figure out what a “sprint” means for a distance like this. It isn’t truly a sprint, more like whatever speed you could keep up for one mile all out. It took me a couple of weeks to feel that out.
THURSDAY – RECOVERY RUN (3-5 miles). Same as Tuesday.
FRIDAY – OFF.
SATURDAY – LONG RUN (8-12 miles so far). Saturday is my day to increase my overall endurance. This should be run at a conversational pace. Since I moved here to Little Rock, this run has been with a group of people, which gives me a chance to literally have conversations. I’ll slowly buildup toward maybe 20 miles over the next couple of months. I’ll try to add 1-2 miles per week and “step back” my mileage by about 25% every 3rd week to rest [13...14...10...15...16...12...etc.]. This is a great day to go run in new places. That helps a long run to not get boring. Since I’m up to 12 miles so far, that means I’m running for over an hour and a half.
SUNDAY – OFF
So that is the long and short of it. I don’t keep this exactly. But that is generally where I’ve come to. I’ll probably continue to tweak and refine.
running books
1 Comment
[This is for those who needed a reminder of how much of a dork I am.]
So, do you like the summer? Sunny, lazy days spent on the beach has gotta be one of life’s pleasures. I’m sure each of us has our own little pleasures that come along with summer vacations. For me, one of those is reading. For some reason, I just love to take a book on a trip and have a great experience to always associate with it. I still remember the book I read on my honeymoon [yeah, I am unequivocably a dork.]
So as I picked back up on running, I surmised one great way to find motivation to run was to read some great books on running. I scoured the web for recommendation and settled on three books. As the summer is ending and my residency is starting, I have completed all three. Figured I would take a couple of minutes and tell you about them so that you can find a bit of runner’s motivation like I did…
The first book I tackled was Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear. It reads like a documentary-style blog that chronicles the 1998 Cross Country season for the University of Colorado Men’s Team. Most chapters are only a couple of pages long and describe either a daily practice or weekend meet.
Sounds like it would be boring, right? Nope. This is a pretty exciting book for a couple of reasons. First of all the story of what this team encountered over the course of the year is pretty darn exciting…and it’s not fiction. [I won't give it away...suffice it to say it's one of those real-life plots that could be another sports movie.] Secondly, the plot ebbs and flows like an actually cross country season. The “daily practice” chapters spin up momentum leading up to the big meets. I found myself too excited to put the book down without getting to a meet and seeing how the team performed. Thirdly, Boulder must be one of the greatest places in the world to run. I absolutely loved reading about the different courses and trails the team ran on. I’ve decided that sometime before I die, I have to run Magnolia Road.
The second book I read is perhaps the most “famous” running novel ever written [oh, I know it's such a large genre]. As far as the legend goes, John Parker self-published Once a Runner back in 1978. It quickly became a cult classic that was almost impossible to find and was passed along from runner to runner to read. It was recently reprinted by Scribner and is finally widely available.
Once a Runner is a coming of age book in the vein of Catcher in the Rye and The Graduate. It’s the fictional story of Quenton Cassidy, a college miler attempting to break the 4-minute mile mark.
Perhaps what I appreciated the most was peering deep into the soul of a runner. It definitely stands out from the other two books I read as a novel [rather than a true story] and a true piece of literature. While an exceptional read, I must admit that it was my least favorite of the three.
I think my favorite of the three was Born to Run by Chris McDougall. It is the true story of a quest to find the super-running Tarahumara Tribe in the Copper Canyons of Mexico that somehow led to an unbelievable 50 mile race between the greatest American and Tarahumara runners in the world [you can find pics of the actual race here].
As crazy as it might sound, Born to Run reminded me a lot of Donald Miller‘s stuff. It is a clever first-person narrative that at times makes you laugh out loud but also makes you stop and think. I think I would call it a “didactic autobiography.” In other words, it’s a story told in order to teach you something.
I loved it. Easily my favorite of the three books.
Ultimately, all three were wonderful books…and all three kept me itching to get out and run all summer long.
Spillway Classic Recap (updated w/pics)
1 Comment
So I woke up bright and early this morning. My alarm went off at 6am…I was already lying awake in bed. Made myself a cup of coffee and scarfed down a clif bar and a banana. Crystal and I left the house about 6:30am. She decided to tag along to check it out the racing scene and take some pictures. Aly came over to watch the boys [all five of them since her Athan and Aiden spent the night].
We arrived at the site around 7:15am. I had 45mins to prep. Good stuff. I wasn’t about to let the Crescent City Classic debacle happen to me again [I started the race 20mins after the starting gun went off]. We walked a litte bit of the course and took in the sights. I stretched and warmed up a bit and used the potty twice.
It was a nice cool morning. Wait? Isn’t this Louisiana in July? The sun did finally peek out from the clouds about 15 mins before the start of the race. I promptly took off my shirt and looked around realizing that I was the only one that missed the memo about shaving your chest for race day.
Lined up at the starting line with about 10 mins to spare. I decided I didn’t need to be in the front and picked a spot about 10 feet ahead of the costumed college students already drinking beer. [Surely, I should start out faster than those guys!?]
My goal was 23 mins. Right now I can probably run a 5K in about 22 mins. I figure with the trails and all, one extra minute should be a good adjustment. We’ll see…
The gun goes off and I realize immediately that I should be closer to the front. I must have passed a couple hundred people in the first mile. It was all levee before dipping down into the woods for the final two miles. It felt like my pace was a litte slow, but it is hard to pick it up much more when I you are passing people left and right. I was expecting a timer to be placed by the water station at the end of the levee. Nope. [Dang. I knew I should have worn a watch]. I promptly ignored the people holding out cups of water on my right as the course cut left. I passed another 5-6 people as we sprinted down the levee and into the woods.
Almost the entire rest of the race was through the woods. Nothing more than a narrow hiking trail with it’s share of puddles, tree roots, bumps and hanging limbs. It became quickly apparent that (1) passing in the forest would be difficult and (2) it will be next to impossible to gauge the remaining distance on the course. The pace felt kinda slow and you would often find yourself in a clump of 5-6 runners clogged behind some poor tired soul. Either the person would step to the side and start walking or finally the person behind them would pass and the whole clump would follow.
This is the part of racing that running by yourself on the levee just doesn’t prepare you for. This is only my second race since I started running again in January. I am confident that the best way I’ll improve my racing strategies is by running races. I realize now that I could have been more aggressive in passing people through the woods.
Somewhere near the half way point we reached a clearing in the woods and encountered a wooden bridge about 3-4 feet wide and about 10-12 feet long. It took you over a “mud creek” and was a pretty steep climb in a short distance. I guess I got a little tripped up at the top and lost my balance. [doh!] Next thing I know, I am going down to the right…off of the bridge. My right foot went into the mud and my left landed on solid ground. I was able to jump right back on the course and I cut right back in front of the guy who was behind me to begin with. I heard him say something like, “man, this one’s got a little bit of energy!” [Which meant, "dang, I can't believe that I couldn't even pass the guy who fell off of the bridge."] I yelled, “I AIN’T GONNA LET THAT SLOW ME DOWN! WAHOO!” Seriously, I did. I know, I’m weird.
After what seemed like forever in the woods, we finally hit the clearing. I heard someone say, “C’mon boys! Only 200 meters to go!” I thought, “Ah! I waited too long to kick!” I immediately started sprinting and passed another 5-6 people to the finish line…including some dude that was really concerned about telling the stranger next to him to run harder and not give up. I thought it was comical that I was able to pass him. I think it’s more important to concentrating on finishing well rather then trying to tell those around you to finish well.
I finished, they handed me a muddy mug [for the first 500 finishers] and I could hear the announcer annoucing times in about the 25:20 range. So it looks like my time was around 25:15. [Boo!] I was disappointed.
On the other hand, I did pass lots and lots of people and I was only passed by a few. I did get to know the course so that next time I know much better what to expect [like start out strong on the levee so that you are in a good spot entering the woods]. I did have a ton of fun.
So, I better stop typing. I have to get to church for my last youth group. I’ll try to edit this post later tonight and add some of the pictures that Crystal took…
UPDATE: here are the pics:
-
- the starting line before the race
-
- My Race Number
-
- Crystal & I right before the race started
-
- the start1
-
- the start2
-
- My finish…I’m on the right passing some dudes
-
- the best kind of trophy…a muddy mug
-
- My muddy right foot from falling off the bridge
-
- washing off after the race
Spillway Run
1 Comment
official(?) course map
So I am one week away from the 3 mile Spillway Classic. Last night I got the course map emailed to me by the race director. I got on Google Maps and looked at the Satellite shot and compared the two to try to get some type of idea of what I’ll encounter. Looks like a lot of fun. Anybody wanna run it with me? Here is a NOLA.com slideshow of last year’s race.
Training has gone well. Although I’m realizing my age, that is for sure. In the past six month or so, I’ve run a 10k faster then I ever did in high school (I broke 48 mins), but I don’t expect that I’ll come close to high school times on these shorter runs. I don’t exactly remember my PR for the typical Cross Country 3 mile race, but I do remember that it was under 20 mins. Now, if I could break 22 mins, I would be ecstatic. We will see. Of course, my time for this race will a little longer since we’ll be dodging puddles and slipping through muddy bogs.
I know I haven’t posted in a while. A lot has happened over the past couple of weeks that I need to share here. Alf and Aly Nelson, the co-planting couple moved down to New Orleans this week. Yay! We have begun working on their Gentilly home (it’s gutted…needs to be renovated). We have raised close to 50% of the support we need for this first 10-month stage of planting (for Alf and Aly to start things while Crystal and I go through the FA residency program). Some exciting things have happened on the street ministry front as we have pulled a couple more people off of the streets and gotten them help. Say a prayer for Thomas and Tamara, a young couple who are giving their lives over to Christ, leaving the streets and heroin behind and starting over.
And that is just a small taste of all that has happened over the last couple of weeks.
I’ll write more about all of that later. Right now I’m at PJs and I need to head over to church…
5k training
Leave a Comment
I mentioned in my last post that I was going to adjust my training for the summer. Starting this past Monday, I’m using Runner’s World‘s Smart Coach to crunch my numbers and spit out a training schedule. I’ll follow this until the Spillway Run and figure it out from there.
it is June in NOLA…
1 Comment
Yeah, remember when I said that NOLA heat is preferable to Texas heat? Yeah. Well that was a pretty dumb thing to say. I don’t know what I was thinking.
It is hot in NOLA and I was reminded of that yesterday around noon.
Even in high school [while running Track and Cross Country], I wasn’t a year-round runner. So adjusting to seasons is a new experience for me. I’ve decided that my summer strategy is to decrease mileage, increase speed and work on my 5K time. I plan on trying on the Spillway Classic this year. That will be a good target for my training.
