Hands-On House Half Marathon Preview

After my first 100-mile month of the year (and first since February of 2009), I'm a little surprised that I have to say I'm not exactly sure what to expect from my performance Saturday.

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I've somehow injured the top of my left toe right where it meets my foot.  I can tell it's not serious, but already being behind in my training, I'm feeling like running the half this weekend won't set me back any further than I'd be set back anyways if I aggravate it. 

If I had executed my original plan that involved a 20-miler in September, I might not be as willing to risk aggravation than if I hadn't already been set back some by another minor injury and our move.  So I'm still running the Hands On House Half Marathon on Saturday.

Having run 14 miles since my 16-mile long run almost two weeks ago means that I don't know what to expect from my legs.  On my 4-mile at lunch on Thursday I was pain-free, so I ran again on Friday.  Not so pain-free during this run.  I rode my bike Saturday and took it easy Sunday and Monday then ran again on Tuesday.  No pain.  I could feel something was amiss, but it didn't hurt.

So I went back and forth on whether to run tomorrow.  I definitely didn't want to run today thanks to my experience on Friday and running the day before the race would be inviting trouble.  So if I run, it will have to be tomorrow.  Then I saw the forecast:

Actually, not that different from my last half marathon.  But race day this time is going to be perfect:  50 degrees and dry.  No need to do any wet-weather training on this one.  I'll give the toe an extra day of rest.  Maybe that is exactly what it needs to feel better.

I've done a lot of number-crunching and figured out a good pace to shoot for.  However, things could go awry (I recently learned this is pronounced a-rye, not awe-ree) for three reasons:
1. The toe.   Quite honestly, if I finish this race totally pain free it would be the best possible result regardless of my time.
2.  Hills.  I haven't run this race before, but in the course description they use the phrase "several challenging climbs."  This kind of terminology means different things to different people, but my hope is that it's not any worse than the hills at Chambersburg.
3. Aid Stations.  I'm really not too worried about this since it's only a half marathon, the weather will be cool and it's pretty well attended, but I couldn't find aid station locations anywhere on the site.  If they end up being rather sparse, I could be having issues late in the race.

So after all those considerations here are my race goals:

Optimum:  1:53  This is the time that translates to a 4:00 marathon on McMillan's Running Calculator.  And I think it's doable.

Satisfaction:  1:56:43  This would be a PR, and I'd be happy with that.  Especially if the course turns out to be extremely hilly.

Disappointment:  DNF Normally for a half I'd say 2-hours, but with this foot thing if I can finish it means I've still got a shot at doing Harrisburg in November.  But if I need to drop from the pain, a marathon in six weeks might be a stretch.

The strategy is going to be to shoot for an 8:30 pace for at least the first half of the race.  Looking at last year's results, very few people ran a negative split.  So I think if I go ahead and hit the first six miles a little hard I will still lose time on the back side, but I'll have given myself a couple minutes of buffer to that 1:53 time.  But ultimately what I have to say is "wait and see"  I think my real strategy isn't going to come together until around 8:30 when gun goes off and I have an idea of just how I'll be feeling for the next two hours or so.

Jeff versus the Roman Shades

Sometimes I like to think I'm pretty handy.  Then every so often I come across a project that puts me in my place.

We have company this weekend and for some reason my wife thinks we need to hang blinds over the windows in our guest room.  Personally, I think the towels we hung up over the windows when my parents visited could have made a pretty good permanent solution.  But Beth's caught up with the house "looking nice,"  so I was commissioned with hanging the Roman shades she bought from JC Penney.

Of course, I put this off until Wednesday night thinking that I could get these up in about twenty minutes.  Oh how I could not be more wrong.

My first issue was the brackets:

You see the design of the brackets is such that I can't use my power driver to screw them in.  So I had to start them with the power driver, then do the last 75% of the driving with a standard manual screwdriver.

This wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the instructions.  Sure my hands would have been tired, but I'm sure my right thumb and palm would not have gotten blistered from screwing and un-screwing the brackets twice (one of them three times) before I found the proper positioning.  You see, the instructions say that the outside brackets should be "2 to 4 inches" from the side of the shades.  The instructions were wrong.

There is a plug where the cord meets the top of the blinds about 2 1/2 inches from the right edge.  So the instructions should have said that it needed to be at least three inches from the right edge.  Unscrew and screw it back in.  (Did I mention that there are three screws on each bracket?)

Then I realized that I couldn't properly mount the top of the blinds to the brackets if I didn't have a little space from the top of the window to where I mounted them on the wall.  Unscrew and screw it back in.  (All three brackets).

Then I couldn't get the shades to mount in the brackets.  I spent like ten minutes trying to push that stupid thing into the brackets and it wouldn't take.  Finally, I took a break and vented on facebook:

 

Then...when I came back.  The shades went in.  The first set was hung: 

I was so relieved that I quit and left the second window for Thursday.  Which went up a little easier with the lessons I learned on Wednesday.  So, yeah I'm handy.  Sort of.

Sticking to the Plan

I've learned that one of the most important things in distance running is to stick to your plan - if things are going well that is. It's easy to be pumped about how good you feel at mile seven and start pushing the pace, then at mile 23 you pay the proverbial piper and you're in a death march.

Of course sometimes you need to change your plan if things aren't going so well. Recognizing when you're hurt or dehydrated can mean the difference between a respectable time and a DNF.

But I've also learned that the same applies to training. Over the past three weeks I've accelerated my training schedule. I guess you could say I've been cramming for the marathon since I fell behind in my long runs in August thanks to that little foot injury.

And that's generally worked as plan.  I've balance the extra miles with weight training and regular rest.  But things were going so well, that I got a little greedy.  I started squeezing in a few extra mid-week miles and an extra strength workout last Thursday.  Then Saturday I ran 16 miles and noted on my log that it was my first run that "felt like a long run." 

Saturday afternoon Beth and I drove three hours to a wedding and I noticed the top of my foot at the base of my big toe was sore.  I skipped my morning run on Monday, but still went out at lunchtime.  I ended up cutting that run short because I realized that my toe wasn't any better.  It's now Wednesday, and although I haven't run on it yet my foot's pain-free, so I am hopeful that I can get out tomorrow and that my chances at a PR in Lancaster next Saturday aren't ruined.

While it's always scary to have an injury so close to a race, it's a good reminder that when you have a plan and things are going well, stick to it! 

A Moment of Panic

The last couple days I've been a bit concerned.  For father's day Beth (and Adele) bought me a Nike Pro fitted shirt.  I like to wear fitted shirts when I run more than 8-10 miles because they do a good job of limiting chaffing.  (This is also the case for me with compression shorts, which is why I like the New Balance NBX 2-in-1 shorts.)  I was looking for the shirt Friday night so I could wear it for my long run Saturday morning.

But I couldn't find it.

Sure, I hadn't worn it in a while, but that's because I "save" a lot of my best gear for when I think I'll really need it; fitted shirts, Drymax socks and my aforementioned New Balance shorts.  And you can bet I only use Blistershield when I know I'll need it.  All that to say, it's been a while since I'd worn the shirt.

In fact, the last time I wore it was for the Finger Lakes Fifties 25K:

So...remembering that I generally keep all my running shirts in the same place, what happened since July 3, that would change the location of my shirt?  Oh yeah, we moved.  And when we moved, our moving company said we could leave our clothes in dresser drawers, just not anything else.

Tonight I found the shirt not, tucked behind the drawer it was in, but behind Beth's drawer which is next to - that doesn't even hold clothes.  During the move my shirt bounced out of it's drawer and completely around another (empty) drawer and wedged itself on the far end of the dresser.  Which begs the question?  What exactly happened to that dresser when we moved?

My New Toy

Okay, not really a toy.  And I thought about doing a product review, but since it's free, there's no point in reviewing it if someone isn't weighing whether to buy it or not.

It's the training log at attackpoint.org.

Attackpoint was created for orienteering and adventure racing athletes, but its versatility makes it useful for runners, including Western States (if I had a nickel for every time I typed "Western States" this summer...I'd have like a $1.00) winner Geoff Roes.

At first I was a little wary of using an online log.  The idea of going to the computer after every workout to record what I did seemed like a little more work than I cared to do.  I just liked scribbling down my workouts in my little Runner's World log.

But after trying it out, I was sold.  For starters, I'm one of those people who type faster than I write.  So I don't feel like I'm wasting time by writing:

"Movement Prep" warm-up
Circuit: DB Clean & Press 2 X 8; T Pushup 2 X 8; Reverse Lunge & Curl 2 X 6; Seated DB rotation 2 X10.
Superset: 2 X 10 DB Squat; 2 X 10 Shoulder Press
Superset: 3 X 10 Swiss-Ball Incline Triceps Ext.; 3 x 10 Swiss-Ball Biceps Curl
Squat Series Finisher

Instead of "strength training" like I would in my handwritten log - and I can always copy an paste a previous workout if it's similar.

I've also become hooked on reading other's training logs.  I take a look at Chris Freet's and David Kennedy's logs and am always impressed by how early in the morning they're willing to get out and run.  It gives me an idea of what I should be aiming for training-wise for the next couple years as I increase my mileage and total workout time.

And...they have a widget so if I really wanted I could show off how much I've trained over the last week:




Anyone else on attackpoint?  Do you like it?  Following anyone interesting?

The Post Wherein I Make Fun of Dean Karnazes

You knew it had to come.  A little while back, I praised Karnazes' training, saying that it is perhaps ideal for those of us not running at an ideal level.  But Karnazes is too controversial, too attention-mongering to not do something that deems mocking.

Many people are critical of the way he garners attention while many have never heard the names of the true greats in the sport of ultra running.  Karnazes garnered a lot of attention from his ultra running "stunts" like running 350 miles non-stop, running 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 days, and his book Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All Night Runner have inspired many to start running long.  (I'd be lying if I said that book didn't play a major roll in my own venturing into running long distaces.)

But I'm not going to criticize him.  I'm just going to make fun of him because he rode a century yesterday.  On this:

It's called the Elliptigo 8S.  They call it "the world's first elliptical bicycle."  I call it a dorkcycle.  I just don't understand how "running" on an elliptical bicycle is any better than riding a normal bike?  Sounds like another goofy fitness gimmick to me.

What's Up With Polly Pocket Lately?

The last few months I've had a surge of hits  Like, double the number I'm used to seeing.  I should be happy about this, but these hits are coming from google image searches for "Polly Pocket."

If I were cruel I would end the post there and you would be thoroughly confused about why searches of images of Polly Pocket direct people to my blog.  You see, in November of 2008 I wrote a post making fun of a Duracell commercial that talked about the battery being used for donated toys being Duracell, but all the toys that they listed didn't take batteries.

I had images of Barbie, Hot Wheels and Polly Pocket on that post.  And suddenly there is a lot of interest in searching images of Polly Pocket for some reason in the last couple months, and for some reason the image that I used (stole) is coming up pretty regularly in these searches.  Strangely enough, most of these hits are from overseas.

So...anyone have any theories?

Product Review: APS Grass-Fed Whey Protein

A couple weeks ago (I seem to use that phrase a lot lately) I got a free sample pack from All Pro Science.  It included three single-serving packets of their Grass Fed Whey, one single-serving packet of their Recovery drink and a no-clump shaker cup.

All Pro Science was founded by Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez who wanted to make all-natural supplements for athletes who wanted to take extra care with what was going into their bodies.  (Those of you who are already Facebook fans may have already gotten a sample of APS Veggie Protein powder.) 

Since reading Core Performance Endurance, I've made a habit of beginning any weight workout with a "protein shooter" consisting of about 6 oz water, 6 oz juice and half a scoop of protein drink.  Also, lately I've been boosting my protein intake post-workout with a shooter after endurance work and a full-blown shake (10oz water, 10 oz juice and a full scoop of protein) after any weight workout or long run.  I'm hardly a protein powder connoisseur, but there are some definite differences between All-Pro Science Grass-fed Whey and the carton that you would pick up at the grocery store.

For starters the cows that produce the milk that produce the whey are grass-fed, meaning they are not coming from some factory farm and have never been treated with hormones.  This issue has begun to weight on me more and more lately, especially since the birth of my daughter.  With so many chemicals being used in so-called "traditional" farming, we take in a considerable amount of toxins over the course of our lifetime.  And once you've read or seen the treatment of animals in factory farms, there will at least be a seed planted in you that knows that it is not right and that animals deserve better, even if their sole purpose to provide meat or milk.

Which brings me to my second point - yes, the whey is a little pricey.  When compared to most whey that you'd buy it's 2-3 times the price depending on the brand.  But this is due to the grass-fed nature of the cattle and the fact that its more than just whey.  It's packed with vitamins - perhaps not enough to replace a multi-vitamin supplement, but since you'll be ingesting it in liquid form it's more likely to be absorbed than your typical multi-vitamin capsule.

Also, you can almost always get a discount of 20-50%.  The best way to find out about these discounts is to sign up for their e-mail list by registering on the site.

Then there's the taste - which was good.  The Bavarian Chocolate would be great mixed with 10 oz water plus as much chocolate milk as you wanted.  The Banana Creme was okay, but personally if I'm going to eat something banana flavored, I'm going to eat a banana, and the French Vanilla was as good as any other I've tried.

But beyond the taste, I could tell that I felt different on days I used APS than the stuff that I had a carton of in my "running cabinet" that I bought at the grocery store.  I often do two workouts a day and on days that I hit the APS after my morning wokout instead of the other stuff I felt much more energized on my lunchtime run.  I don't know if it's just that it's from grass-fed cows or the lack of hormones and chemicals that they recieved, but I could tell that this was definitely a higher quality protein supplement than I'm used to.

And yes, I've already ordered a 2 lb cannister.

Karnazes vs. Krupicka

Okay, the title of this post is a little ridiculous.  I think most people will agree that Anton Krupicka would beat Dean Karnazes in a100 mile race.  And probably a fifty mile or fifty kilometer race.  Assuming he finishes.  Now, in a stage race there might be some debate there, Karno has had some recent success in the seven deserts.

But I'm not talking about speed here.  At least, not entirely.

I'm talking about how you train. 

I've recently really cranked up my cross-training.  Not so much on the bike, but I'm doing strength and core training 2-3 times a week and have been for about a month.  One of the things I've heard said about strength training that I'm becoming more and more convinced of is that it helps prevent injury.  I think it's even helpful in rehabbing a minor injury. 

My foot injury which pretty much squelched all my running for the second half of last year reared it's ugly head in the other foot.  I decided to run through (albeit fewer miles - for a while) and have been consistent with my strength training and after six weeks I'd say it's about 85% healed.  I have no reservations at all about running my planned 12-miler this weekend.

Okay, now back to Karno and Tony.

Dean Karnazes is the author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.  He's the king of ultra-running stunts, from his fifty miles in fifty days to 300 and 350 mile runs to raise money for charities.  He also is totally ripped.  He mixes in a fair amount of strength training so he can keep up his windsurfing, climbing and swimming.  He claims to have never been injured (except when he fell on a boulder and cracked several ribs at the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run). 

Anton Krupicka's body type is a lot different than Karno's.  Krupicka is lean.  His cross training consists of "a few push-ups in the grass," but doesn't really amount to much.  He routinely logs 150-200 miles in a given week (often more).  He's won the Leadville 100 twice and routinely wins races between 50 and 100 kilometers.  But he's also injured fairly frequently.  This has been a good year for him, since he's reduced his mileage to less than 200 miles in a normal week and only does long runs of 30-50 miles once a week.

Photo: Glenn Tachiyama

This comparison also brings to mind and article in August's Trail Runner. Titled "Maybe it IS About the Bike," author Garett Graubins tells the story of Mike Mason who after suffering torn ligaments in his foot trained on his bike for the Massanutten Mountain Trail 100.  All of his long workouts were on the bike and he only mixed in some "very easy" runs.  He ended up setting a course PR of 20 hours and change.  

Then what about specificity?  You don't run with your arms!  But research has shown (as mentioned in the Trail Runner article) that the principles of specificity tend to apply more for highly trained athletes than the general population.  So maybe there is something to all this cross-fit stuff after all.

I still think that if you want to be a good runner the most important thing to do is run.  But my view of fitness for those of us in the middle and back of the pack could be compared to a marching band.  The instruments that you see the most of in a band are the clarinets, flutes and other high-pitched instruments. They carry the melody and you need a lot of them.  That's running.  Then there are the saxophones, trumpets and maybe even french horns.  There aren't as many of them as the high winds and they still occasionally carry the melody.  That's your hiking, cycling and other endurance events.  Finally you have the low brass.  I was one of two trombones in the eighth grad band and we had only one tuba.  We almost never had the melody, but the band would have sounded a little off without us.  That's your weight training (and bowling).

You can still play a descent song with just one section, but for the best melody, and harmony it's best to involve high medium and low instruments.  I think for those of us still trying to break 4 hours for the marathon (maybe even 3:30) and aspire to a 24-hour 100-miler, the Dean Karnazes example may be a good one to follow.  You won't be stick-thin and super-fast, but you can be more durable and maybe even bowl a pretty descent series.