Cost/Benefit Analysis of Pain

The Cost:

2 primary care physicians

2 orthopedic surgeons

2 physical therapists

1 chiropractor

1 massage therapist

4 mental health practitioners

They all said the same thing, with minor variations in phrasing: If it hurts when you do that, stop doing that and are you crazy? That will be $300.

If I persisted in the madness and ignored their very simple and expensive advice, they prescribed a wide variety of very expensive placebos and worse, to wit:

(Disclaimer: Studies are like gravity-for every study, there is an equal and opposite study-otherwise researchers would be out of business)

Ibuprofen/NSAIDS-Studies I've read suggest this slows the healing process. Plus it masks pain so you go right back to what hurt you in the first place-doubling down on dumb.

Foam torture/Stick torture-Both of which are said to “break up the scar tissue.” For the purpose of, I presume, encouraging additional scare tissue to form over the old scar tissue. If someone has a scar on their skin, you don't scrape it off with a microplane. Whackodoodle.

Stretching-Studies I've read suggest that flexibility may be harmful to runners and may actually excacerbate injuries. There's a reason for rigidity-so when you're running, your knees don't completely collapse because they're so flexible. I do some light stretching-don't get me wrong, it does help-but it is not an end all, be all. And it helps prevent future injury-it does nothing for the current injury.

Hot baths-This one I like, but I don't think it's healing anything, just removing symptoms.

Ice baths- I'm already injured-I think we've established how tough, or not tough, I am-let's not push it by pretending that sitting in subfreezing water is somehow therapeutic (see above comment on studies).

Equipment-New shoes, bike fit, more new shoes, the right hat, a new bike, wetsuit, drag suit, aero suit, salves, super drinks, super food, tri suit, the right socks, shorts, tights, more this, less that, heavier, lighter, sturdier, disposable, expensive, expensive, expensive.

(I'm on the fence about whether shoe companies are the devil, but I'm leaning toward yes. Swish my ass, just give me a cotton short, shirt and shoes that stay on my feet and point me in the right direction. Yes, as a Portlander, this is heresy. If you worship the devil, that is. Sorry Phil.)

All of these things may help incrementally, but it still comes down to something elemental-If it hurts when you do that, stop doing that. Unless you make your living at your sport, or you plan on never doing it again after “the big race”, or you only have six months to live, why on earth would you persist in training when you're body is telling you, through pain, that you are causing damage to yourself? I can think of a lot of reasons, just none that are very good.

There are only a couple of actually effective injury treatments/preventives. Train slow, train long-a little pain good, chronic, disabling pain, bad. Muscle soreness that doesn't affect mobility, good. Joint pain and debilitating muscle pain-bad and very bad. If it's difficult to turn over in bed, you may have over done it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you're way ahead of the game.

The only time I inflict serious pain on myself and try to ignore it is race day. But this is only a few times a year, not a few times a week.

The Benefit

5 marathons

5 half iron distance tris

1 and 9/10 (complete bonk with 6 miles to go in the run) full iron distance tris

4 olympic distance tris

3 half marathons

6 10ks

100s of hours of fun, satisfaction and subtle bragging.

And finally, fine, yes, I'm crazy. Who do I make the check out to?

Gearing Up

The new season is almost here. April 1 I start training for the Portland 1/2 iron. Tune in here for updates.

Dream The Season

I am a self-admitted backpacker, but in choosing this blog name, I assumed that at some point I would be able to claw my way to the middle of the pack and update it to “midpacker” eventually, or, if I could quit my stupid day job and do some full-time training, maybe even “frontpacker.”

The Scoggins Valley Olympic Distance Triathlon (http://www.racecenter.com/scogginsvalley) this year in September was an unmitigated disaster. For some reason, I thought a weekly bike ride to Multnomah Falls and a few good gym workouts per week would suffice to prepare me to at least perform at a satisfactory level-not DFN (dead fucking last) in my agegroup. I’m here to tell you, I was tragically wrong. I felt slow and I was slow. Even my swim, which I think eventually could be at the front of the pack with the proper training, was three minutes slower than my fastest olympic distance-a lifetime in swimming, and you can’t blame hills, wind or temperature on a lousy swim.

What I do to measure my performance in any given race is to take my overall place and divide it by the total number of competitors. This eliminates particular race factors because every competitor is facing the same challenges I am-if it's windy and cold and I want to whine about it, but 90% of everyone else was faster, that shuts me up. Only finishing first gives me whining rights.

In most of my races, I’ve been in the 91 percent range (91 percent of all competitors finished in front of me). My best was a 77%, which was an olympic distance race. I do quite a bit better when running is the only activity-more in the 50-60% range. Perhaps there’s a lesson there...

I’ve never been thrilled with 91% finishes and I always assumed that my performance would improve incrementally over the years, as I improved my technique, if not my conditioning. Imagine my horror at finishing at 95% at Scoggins. I was mortified, demoralized and just plain disgusted. It was so abominable that I scratched a half ironman one month later (which in retrospect I might have done alright at). Yes, the bike and run was very hilly-but it was hilly for everyone else too. Unacceptable.

A little post race analysis gave me a major revelation and partial explanation for my lack of training focus since my last ironman 4 years ago (yikes, time flies!). I think I need an ironman staring me in the face to motivate me to do the necessary training to be successful. Fear can be a powerful motivator and I’m just not afraid of any race but an ironman (and only nominally afraid of a marathon). I see sprint and olympic distance races as mere distractions and I, for some reason, can’t or won’t take them seriously. Even a half ironman-I think to myself, what’s the point of doing that race if I don’t have a full ironman a month or two afterward-I’m a sucker for the mystique. A half is just a tune-up/wakeup call, not a race to be taken overly seriously.

So now begins the planning for the dream tri season, starting about three weeks ago. A sprint distance (which I’ve never actually done-does that require training?) in May, an olympic in June, a half in July and a full iron in August, give or take a month.

For the next six months, I will focus on my first loves, weightlifting and running. There was a time when I could throw some weight around and run a six minute mile. I’d like to get close to back in that place.

I’ll also work on my swimming-perhaps going so far as to attending a Master’s Swim group (though six AM seems a little ludicrous-why not saturday at 9am in the name of all that is holy?). Throw in a much more concerted nutrition plan, drop 20 pounds and I think I’ll be a lean, (not very) mean tri-ing machine.

More Rules, Pictures and Miscellaney

The view from Crown Point remains unchanged from last year and also remains a very vigorous training ride that I embarked on three weekends in a row. Each time was a little easier-but only a little. I was surprised to discover elevation gain is only 773 feet, but maybe "only" is a misnomer. The ride is 32 miles round trip from my house.

I'll take this weekend off and then next weekend ride to Multnomah Falls for the first time of the season. It is almost exactly 50 miles round trip, which is a perfect training ride. And that will be an elevation gain of 1546 since I'll be starting from the riverbed twice. Now that's some elevation gain! I still plan on doing the half at Enumclaw, which consists of rolling hills, so a few tough rides to Multnomah Falls and it should be pretty easy to hammer it in Enumclaw.
This is a view Dog Mountain and this is an elevation gain of 4000 feet. We did this about a month ago this is the second time the Wife and I tackled this one and it went quite a bit better this time. I was still surprised at how taxed I was after this hike. During the hike I was feeling very strong, but going straight up and then straight down will take its toll.
This is a random photo at Smith Rock, Oregon, where the Wife and I did the 10k (her first!). Really beautiful spot and we had an enjoyable stay in good old Bend, Oregon.

MORE RULES

Rule #6-Be flexible in your training plan and your training day. If you feel great, train a little harder on any given day. If you feel not so great, pull back or scratch. Trust the wisdom of your own body.

Rule #7-Rest. Bike workout, Run Workout, Swim workout, Rest workout. After a long/hard workout day, I almost always take a rest day. If you rest as hard as you train, you will be doing this sport for the rest of your life.

This triathlon leapt across my radar today, so I may be doing this:

http://www.racecenter.com/scogginsvalley/

And while I don't have a link to the side, this is the one I will be doing September 24:

http://www.racecenter.com/blackdiamond/

Live long and triathlon.

My 5 Rules of Training for Marathons/Triathlons

1. No pain, no pain (not to be confused with muscle soreness-which is pleasure/pain)

2. If it hurts when you do that, stop doing that. Resume when pain is gone (see rule #1)

3. Never increase more than 10% per week in distance or time (depending on what you’re basing your training on.)

4. Once you’re well into your training, it will NOT kill you to miss a week and up to two weeks of training, due to injury or circumstances. You lose 1%-2% of fitness per week. If you miss more than two weeks, start going back in your training one week per missed week.

5. If you’re in the middle of a workout and it sucks, I mean SUCKS ASS-stop the workout and come back to it later in the week. If it still SUCKS the next time you try it, you’re either way overtrained or are wasting your time on an activity you don’t like. Re-assess your life.

I’ve been thinking about these “rules” for about 2 years now and I think these are pretty much how I run all training cycles. I’m not a world champion, but six years into endurance sports, I’m still (relatively) injury free, times continue to improve and I look forward to many more events.

Chia and the Achilles

I read Born To Run recently, and was profoundly affected by it. I immediately bought my bag of chia seeds with the conviction that I would add it to everything...which rapidly deteriorated to relegating it to the shelf. Nonetheless, I believe this may be super food, so I added it to a bottle of gatorade and tested it on a recent ride and found it profoundly palatable. I'm quite excited by the possibility that this will be the fuel for my future races.

I've more or less committed to doing a half iron distance triathlon in Enumclaw on September 24. We've already reserved the Yurt. More on this later.

I thought I had a MRSA relapse on my Achilles tendon, saw the usual doctors, got the ultrasound, braced the healthcare industry with my money and learned it was not a MRSA relapse, but simple tendinitis, which sounds sinister since arthritis is a permanent and chronic condition, whereas tendinitis is just the equivalent of a pulled muscle-except it's a pulled tendon, which is what it should be called. Anyway, these things take forever to heal, but with the wisdom of past injuries, 4-5 weeks is a not unreasonable amount of time to be kind to my heel tendon, and I've been doing so, following what has become a solid tenet in my training life: No pain, no pain and if it hurts when you do that, don't do that.

Lord Have MRSA

At the end of work one day a few weeks back, a coworker joked, "maybe I'll call in sick tomorrow." I joked back, "not if I beat you to it." I was feeling a bit run down, but nothing too unusual. Every once in a while I'll feel very fatigued and behind on my sleeping and I remedy it with going home and having a good, long sleep.

I went home feeling very logy and went to bed at about 7pm. At 7am the next day I woke up and really struggled to get out of bed. I literally stood up and stood next to my bed for about 15 seconds before succumbing and collapsing back in bed. I lay there thinking, "I can't call in sick, I have got to be faking this. I'm not really sick. You don't joke about calling in sick and then go ahead and do it the next day."

I struggled through a shower, getting dressed and then slowly dragged myself down to the train. Once I got on the train, I was pretty sure I was sick, but again, not dramatically so. I still thought I was just faking it-what is with this guilty conscience? I figured once I got a cup of coffee, I'd be firing on all six again.

I got in the office and felt so crappy I stayed for twenty minutes and then threw in the towel, knowing I had an hour long train ride home to suffer through. By the time I got home, I was freezing cold-it was wet and chilly, as usual this time of year in Oregon, but not THAT chilly. I sat in my tub with the hottest water possible. Any part of my body not in the water was shivering. Finally, my chills outlasted the hot water, which finally ran cold. Luckily, Wife was home and prepared a hot water bottle, a heating pad, a hat and two blankets, which I crawled under and shivered under for another 10 minutes before finally warming up.

We got out the thermometer, which told me I had a 102 degree temperature. Not off the charts. I slept uneasily, with repetitious, frustrating dreams for the next six hours, the kind of dream where you're trying to solve a problem, but there is a missing piece, or someone is deliberately being obstructive. Sort of being like work only I was asleep-not cool.

Finally, I woke up that evening and noticed that my left achilles tendon, calf and upper thigh/groin were all sore, like a cramped muscle. I also had a rash around my groin. A welt or abrasion formed on my shin, like I bumped it against something- though I knew I hadn't.

I proceeded to go back to bed and slept another 9 hours. The next day, I could barely walk, my left leg was so sore. Wife threw me in the car and took me to the doctor. She was a life-saver, figuratively and possibly literally.

Long story short, I was diagnosed with a staph/MRSA infection, which it appears I must have contracted through my cracked toes (athlete's foot) at the gym locker room. I was put on powerful antibiotics and within two days my symptoms were much alleviated. I was also sent for an ultrasound to make sure I didn't have a blood clot in my leg, which fortunately, I did not.

Now, two weeks later, I ran five miles moderately fast and the next day had a sore left achilles tendon which lingered for the next three days, the same achilles that was sore from the infection. So just as a precaution I went back to the doc, who sent me for yet another ultrasound, where the results were again negative and this time it was just a strain. Although when it is in a tendon we call it "tendonitis." Though why, when it involves a muscle, we don't call it "muscle-itis" is a great mystery to me.

For all the many times I've gone rushing to the doctor only to be told to take advil (and send us $200), this one time, it was the smart thing to do.

Saddle battles

I rode that saddle bikefitters let me borrow and as I was afraid, the pressure points in the sit bones are too intense and even with a gel pad, I don't think it would help over a 30 or more mile ride.

Don't tell anyone, but I actually bought a schwinn product, the Schwinn No Pressure Bicycle Seat (pictured above). It was only $20 so if it turns out to be terrible, I'll just put it in the Museum of Bad Ideas (along with my Adidas shoes, which turned out to be too tight) and be done with it. I should get it this week and will head back to my friends at bikefitters and have them fit me into it.

I don't know if this is a new seat or if I just never stumbled on it before, but I was just thinking once again this morning as I was riding my bike for a running meet up, the design you see above would be a nearly ideal shape-and then I found it-a sure sign from god. There are a couple of surprisingly good reviews in Amazon, both positive and negative:

http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-No-Pressure-Bicycle-Seat/product-reviews/B000DZGLVY/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

I'm already a laughingstock on the tri circuit with my platform pedals and sperm-shaped helmet, but by god, if I end up with a tractor seat on my road bike and don't want to die after I get done with a long ride, I'll live with the added humiliation.

The major concern I have is the pressure points on the butt crease and the slightly less stable feeling one has by not having a seat that is designed to be lodged up your ass and pushing your genitals up into your stomach cavity. That was one thing I did notice while riding today-it felt a little squirrely-something I could probably get used to. Since I didn't have the horn to hold me up, a lot more pressure was put on my arms. A little extra work in the gym should assist that. Also, my hope is that this will encourage me to lay in the aero bars more, as that feeling of instability goes away when you're essentially laying down on your bike-since riding in aero bars feels a little unstable anyway.

There is a chance that I will go back to the traditional saddle again, but if that is the case, I don't see putting myself through another century bike ride.

There is one more hope after the Schwinn saddle, and that is the Hobson:


It would be helpful if the width were adjustable, but let's get through the Schwinn. Maybe that will be the answer to my constant complaining on this subject.

Here We Go Again

After a long hiatus here, it's time to get back in the swing.

From October until recently I was working a second job, which really cut into my free time but also added handsomely to my bottom line. That job ended and I am half-heartedly looking for a replacement. In the meantime, I've started thinking about doing some more training.

I've done some dabbling in the gym, done a little running, took my first swim of the season yesterday (four laps-plan on adding two laps per week-KISS principle-engage!). Took a group run last weekend that was very enjoyable. First one ever-still like the solo training, but a group activity once in a while certainly wouldn't hurt.

I got my bike fitted here: http://bicyclefittingservices.com/

Something I really liked was that Patti, the person who fitted me, didn't push me into clipless pedals. I explained that I've had them and found them restricting, uncomfortable and not a factor in my overall performance. She said that based on my background and experience and the fact that I had completed an ironman, she wasn't going to talk me into anything like clipless pedals.

She really earned her graces after I explained how much I dislike traditional seats, with those ridiculous crotch-busting designs. She pulled out this seat:
It's basically two mini seats that accomodate the sit bones. The one thing I noticed was that there were pronounced pressure points. But I think with a nice thick gel pad seat cover, it should take care of it. And laying in the aerobars was a downright pleasure with the absence of the horn crushing my sensitive bits. I went shopping yesterday for a gel pad and was dismayed to discover that they don't carry them at any of the three bike shops I visited. I owned one back when I had my horrible Specialized Transition and my wonderful Adamo bike seat. I must be the only one in the athletic world who believes you can't have too soft of a seat. I found one online. I haven't tried the seat out on an actual ride yet, but am looking forward to seeing if it's what I've been looking for.

There was a bit of sticker shock at the end of the fitting session. Aerobars are ridiculously expensive-they've got to be made in America at that price! But hey, you get what you pay for, have to spend money to make money, etc. Patti was able to identify a possible reason my back and neck hurt so bad. I arch my bike in a very unnatural way, which I've never noticed before, so I'll have to concentrate on flattening out my back and relaxing a bit. I'm hopeful that the numerous adjustments will make me more comfortable for longer durations

I'll be getting three workouts per week for the next month or so. A long run, a short run with weights and stretching and a swim, and a slow progression for each workout for the next few months. I won't start ironman training in earnest until June, so until then I'll just maintain a reasonable level of fitness.

Marathon Vaccine Part 2

"Inoculation is the injection of dead or weakened disease-causing bacteria or viruses into the human body in order to produce immunity against (prevent infection by) that disease. Because the organisms injected into the body are dead or weakened, they can create immunity without causing the disease. The material injected into the body is called a vaccine.

The term vaccination originally referred to immunization against smallpox because the procedure originated when English physician Edward Jenner (1749-1823) discovered that milkmaids who had contracted the mild disease cowpox (vaccinia) were immune to smallpox. The development of a cowpox vaccine against smallpox has led to the production of vaccines against a wide range of diseases."

http://www.discoveriesinmedicine.com/Hu-Mor/Inoculation.html

I was thinking about this idea while running around my golf course for my first run in preparation for the Eugene Marathon in May. I thought it was Koch who developed the first vaccine, but maybe he invented pasteurization (ha-ha, I joke!)

I went to breakfast with an old friend and he was saying that after the Marine Corps Marathon, he really thought he had done serious damage. Which is funny because that's always how I felt after my big races and that's why I kept running to doctors. "Doc, it hurts when I do this!" "Don't do that." This is pretty much how every appointment went until I realized that given enough time, most people's bodies will heal completely from the most mundane and profound traumas-and doctors know this good and darn well-but still charge you $200 just to sit in their lobby.

Once healed, the next time you do "that," it should either hurt less or take less time to heal (or god willing, both) and hopefully you will see improved times on top of that. It's like building callouses. Go take your soft hands and dig a giant ditch without gloves. Your hands will be bloody, but no permanent damage will be done. That's how I've come to look at my precious bones and joints. If it keeps hurting, it's time to hang it up. If it heals, do it again. Faster.

Several years ago I was a traveling salesman. I would routinely drive 1000 miles a day and more (16 hours, that's how long it takes to drive 1000 miles-I wish I didn't have to know that). Eventually, I developed a pain in my left shoulder, presumably from the position I sat in for so long. I was thoroughly convinced that I had done permanent damage as it never seemed to go away, particularly if I kept driving like that. Eventually I failed as a traveling salesman (thank god) and stopped driving. And after one year, the pain went away and I've never had shoulder pain again. And have never driven like that again, either.

As I continued my run, the thought progressed a little further. People on chemo feel horrible, probably feel like they're dying or would like to die. But eventually, the cancer is defeated, the body heals and you're back to much better if not good/better than new. This is pretty much how I view marathons and long distance triathlons. It hurts really, really bad. But you do heal. And while I don't totally buy this, the conventional wisdom is that the body doesn't remember pain. I personally remember pain in three part harmony-and yet still I continue.

The body is infinitely resilient, far more so than I think most people believe, but you do have to let it heal completely for it to forgive you for what you've done to it.

Ironman Coverage Today-Could Be The Worst Yet

Imagine you're a huge NFL football fan, but they don't televise any of the games. So all year long, you follow all the games and look forward to the Super Bowl like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Then, they take that 3 hour game, condense it into a 30 minute highlight reel, 15 minutes of which is spent covering highly devoted fans with disabilities. And they televise it a month after the Super Bowl was actually played, so you already know who won. That would be disappointing, wouldn't it?

That's pretty much what NBC does with it's Ironman coverage every year. They take a championship event that takes just over 8 hours for the winner to complete, cover about 1 minute of the swim, 1 minute of the bike and 1 minute of the run and then spend the next 57 minutes on commercials and special interest stories about people with obstacles to overcome. I read the synopsis of the coverage for this year and three of the four special interest story people don't even finish the race. That's inspiring if you find lame inspirational.

This isn't a knock on Ironman Hawaii or on the fact that age group athletes in triathlon (disabled and non-disabled alike) get to line up next to professional athletes. That's amazing and cool. And I love inspirational stories as much as the next person and no doubt that factors into why I choose long distance triathlons. But NBC's annual schlockfest is almost unwatchable to me, an actual fan of the sport of triathlon.

But does NBC have to turn Ironman Hawaii into a cartoonish trainwreck of schlock, complete with music recycled from the Olympics?

I appreciate that what NBC is actually broadcasting is a freak show called Ironman Hawaii. But are the formerly obese, people without limbs and cancer survivors really the only reason anyone is tuning into this program? Is the sport that I love really that boring?

It is interesting that someone without a leg is attempting the race-that merits about 30 seconds. But I'd like to hear some analysis about what bikes the top athletes are riding, how are the race conditions? What are the rankings? Who are the dark horses? Up and coming Iron athletes? What's interesting about this particular Ironman? What happened during the season? How are the best athletes getting ready for this race, not just the worst? This is the championship of this sport, after all!

NBC has to create a broader interest and make it accessible so it attracts watchers, so they can sell ads. I get it. Actual triathlon fans are probably a tiny percentage of viewers. They do the same thing with Olympic coverage. You get to see five or six events with two or three athletes having their events shown and the rest is special interest/obstacle overcoming stories with somber soundtracks and a happy/tragic ending.

I would love to see a four or five hour version of the Ironman Kona, if not 12 or 13 (yes, I would love to see the finishers in the 12 hour and longer finishing times-those are the people who really have to dig to finish and inspire athletes like me). Maybe NBC could pull something together and show it at 3am. Less special interest, more actual race and race analysis.

Are people really as shallow and stupid as NBC seems to think they are? Millions of people will watch a 3 hour NASCAR race and the half time show of the Super Bowl, so I guess the answer is a resounding yes. More's the pity.

New Shoes

I got a 50% off coupon at All Day I Dream About Sex (Adidas-are the kids still making that joke?) and went on down to the factory store to see what they had. I've never bought a pair of Adidas but I figured they're made by the same poor chinese children that make all my other shoes, so how bad can they be?

I tried a few pairs on that seemed okay, but then stumbled on these beauties. They weigh half as much as my regular Brooks-I can't overemphasize how light these puppies are! and are very comfortable. They have very little cushion, but quite a bit in the heel. Though current wisdom is that heel striking is bad, mm-kay. Their name: Adizero. And they even have a stitched Chinese symbol on the heel/achilles area which I assume is the signature of the child who made them. Nice touch.

I've been intrigued with the bare foot running movement (though I saw a couple at the Seattle Marathon and after I passed them I never saw those turkeys again) and have considered purchasing a pair Vibrams http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/indexNA.cfm

One moment too much cushion is bad and the next too little is bad. While I'm falling on the skeptic side of barefoot running, I have come to believe that most injuries are as much due to over-training as to the shoe I wear. And now it's time to put it to the test.

As I said, these shoes have basically no cushion and feel almost like wrestling shoes or how I imagine Pumas must feel, almost like a slipper, though there is an arch. The salesman at the store thought it would be possible to do okay in a marathon, though his far more knowledgeable partner assured me I could only do one in these shoes. He seemed to be forgetting the shoe manufacturer doctrine that you're supposed to get a new pair of running shoes every month or two (because their product is THAT shoddy, they seem to be saying). I'm currently on the every year or two doctrine, so I imagine these shoes will be good for at least three marathons.

Not being a total fool, and still tepidly adhering to the belief that cushion is good, and the more, the better, I will proceed with caution.

In the next couple of weeks I will embark on my next marathon training cycle. I'm guessing the first several runs of shorter mileage will be no problem, but once I hit 10 miles plus, I'll pay close attention to my recovery times. If I'm not fully recovered after two days as I always was on my last training phase, I will be looking closely and suspiciously at my All Day I Dream About Sexes.

A Picture

The hand wave is actually intended to signify that this is my fifth marathon. This photo was taken right around the time I had realized I had enough in the tank to step up the pace below a ten minute mile. I was feeling great and I was at around mile 18. Relaxed and comfortable. I was also motivated because there was a guy running near me yapping on and on about how marathons are his life and how many hundreds he had run and all his favorite ones and so on. I live my life as I run my marathons, in silence and like a curmudgeon. Actually, he was interesting to listen to but he was a bit too animated for my taste. After running near him for about five miles I was finally able to drop him.

Photos From the Last Training Run

I did not lose a toe or get shot in the chest, but these dramatic photos sure look like something terrible happened. Surprisingly, none of the bloodsport seen here occurred at the actual marathon, although at some point I lost some coordination in my legs and banged my ankles together a few times, leaving a very sore abrasion on my left ankle. It wasn't bloody, though, so I didn't bother with a photo.

Seattle Marathon Recap-Not What I Planned

Nothing went according to plan.

Since my last 21 mile run, my left ITB has been feeling pinched. I didn't stretch or ice it or really do anything. I thought it would go away with time, but the day before the race, it was still there. I was bemoaning my training plan. I should have kept up with the weekly weight training. I was convinced I had made a fatal error and that I would finish in my planned time with only massive agony.

I got to Seattle and checked into my room only to find no bathtub in my room. I don't have a lot of rituals around my races, but taking a hot soak after a hard race is a looked forward to reward. For an “upgrade” to two double beds, I got a tub (only to discover post-race that the stopper in the tub didn't work-for which I did get a refund, but I'm getting ahead of myself.) I walked down to the race expo, very aware of my ITB, and I worried myself continuously about it from that point til the horn sounded. The Seattle marathon pales in comparison to the pomp and circumstance of the Portland marathon. I'm not really sure why I bother wandering through these expos besides the fact that you have to to get your race schwag-none of which holds any interest to me.

Note to Seattle marathon-really, really low class to make finishers of the race buy a finisher's shirt. Granted, you get a shirt that says seattle marathon on it, but it's not the same thing and I puzzle over this decision.

Anyway, I ordered what has become my traditional pre-race meal, a greek salad and a gigantic meat lovers with extra cheese pizza. When I first received my order, I thought, “no way I'm going to eat all this.” But ate it I did. Man was it delicious and I was stuffed silly.

On all my long runs, I have been carrying my camelback with my gatorade, which no doubt out of habit, is my favorite training drink. I was going to carry it on this marathon because I was sure they wouldn't offer gatorade as most races seem to be moving to other sports drinks. I filled up the old camelback and literally just as I was about to put it on and head out to the race, I picked it up and realized carrying 10 extra pounds for this race would be a serious error, no matter what drink was offered on the course. Miraculously this race was handing out gatorade and I drank it with abandon. So that's one big one on the plus side of this race, and as I think about it, I forgive not getting a “finisher's shirt.”

I decided to stick with the 4:45 pacer and drop off as needed, but within the first mile I found it was too slow and I picked up the pace. I figured any time ahead I gained, I could back off my pace if I needed. I was consciously building a cushion against any potential bonk at around mile 20. If I had built up a 30 minute cushion and bonked hard the last 2 miles, I figured I could live with walking out 15 minute miles to the finish.

I was feeling very, very good the first six miles. The ITB loosened up and ceased to be an issue. I was very cautious about picking up any pace because experience has taught me that pushing the pace early can have dire consequences. And also, on a race as long as a marathon, your physical and mental feelings can change faster than someone bipolar off their meds. I decided if I still felt very good at mile fifteen, I would open it up and push the pace below a ten minute mile for as long as possible.

As it turned out, I pushed the pace and never doubted that the pace I was holding was achievable. I slowly began to realize not only that I was going to beat the 5 hour goal, but I was going crush it. And not only that, I began to realize as early as mile 12 that I had a very realistic chance of beating my PR, which ironically enough, was also at the Seattle Marathon, so in spite of the minor gripe, this is my race.

With around five miles to go, a very brutal and vicious hill shows up. But I decided I was going to attack and “own” that hill. As I was passing someone, they said to me, “You're going to run up that hill, aren't you?” I just smiled because I make a policy of never wasting a single breath on speaking to anyone during a serious race. But I was thinking, “I'm going to make that hill my bitch.” And please pardon the sexism, but I thought it and I ultimately did make it my bitch. I dropped around 20 runners on that hill and I also knew, thanks to my Garmin, that I gained around 200 feet of altitude and I was going to get that 200 feet going back down, so I dug deep and went as hard as I could. It was an excellent feeling.

I realize that if anything, hills improve my time. Because what goes up, must come down and any time I lose on going up hill, I more than make up by allowing gravity to drag me back down.

From the perspective of an iron distance athlete, a marathon by itself is a very different race. I don't want to say it's easy, because if you're really trying, no race, whether it's 1 mile, a 10K or a full iron is easy.

But this is the first marathon I've been in where I didn't feel really bad until about the last three miles. I felt very strong until mile 23. And by then, the space needle was in view, my PR was assured and I could shuffle along smugly. and still exceed goals. I know I COULD have pushed hard enough to make myself bonk much earlier, but I found that sweet spot and held it, and it was very satisfying. When you watch an olympic marthoner running, they look so smooth and comfortable even while hauling ass, and I caught a glimpse of what that must be like for the first time.

Also for the first time, my original time goal for a marathon from six years ago seems in reach (4 hours seemed pretty naive until now). But I will never train for that time as a goal until I attain it and am shooting for a 3:30 (I doubt that's realistic, but just making the point). On my next marathon, I will train for a 4:50 finish. I will be mindful of the 10% rule and will base it on my training goal time rather than my actual finish time. This result could be a fluke and I don't want to put myself in setback by over reaching.

One major change on this race was the use of my Garmin. I could not have performed as I did without being able to check my pace with my Garmin. The heart rate monitor is useless after about six miles because of cardiac drift, so if I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't have bothered with that feature.

I would also say, with no small amount of surprise, that training just once per week for a marathon is quite sufficient. If I would have had the time, I would probably recommend to myself that I do weight training and a short run in addition to the long run, but that is really just gravy. Recovery time, for my body, is far more important than thrashing myself to near death during training and up until the last possible moment before a key race. I'm well nigh passed that self-hating masochism.

I save the masochism for the actual race, and on that point, mission accomplished. I can barely walk. While in bed last night, I could not lift my legs without herculean efforts and agony, could also not roll over without struggle. Gravity was really much stronger than usual yesterday, did anyone else notice that?

So the two factors I think contributing to my success were training with the camelback and then dispensing with it for the race and my trip to Colorado Springs three weeks ago for one of my last training runs. And while I did not bonk, per se, at the marathon, I did bonk big time during that training run.

I may fiddle with a few other things on my next training cycle, but overall, I think I've found the formula for achieving my modest goals in all future races, whether marathon or trathlon. Trust my methods and my instincts.

Marathon vaccine

Had another nice run yesterday, 21 miles in 3:54-again averaging out to exactly on pace to finish my 5 hour marathon (11:07 per mile, according to Mr. Garmin). I’m left with 1 hour and six minutes to run 5.2 miles. It’s a little close for comfort considering I was wiped out yesterday, but I imagine the fitness level will increase enough that I can squeak it out. I wish I had one more week to throw in a 23 mile run, but I knew when I started I would barely have enough time to get enough training in. I will finish off next week with a fast ten miler and then it’s go time in Seattle.

I have some lovely pictures of my bloody shirt, blood soaked sock and bloody toes, but god knows when I’ll actually get them off the camera so I figured I’d at least post my run and add the pictures later.

I’m finding my weekly long run more than adequate for preparation. It takes me a solid week to fully recover and I don’t see the benefit of re-damaging myself with another run midweek (or god forbid the three other runs I had originally scheduled). My pace is on par with previous marathon performances, which involved more frequent training and a lot more visits to the various doctors to help me with my poor abused ITBs-the conventional wisdom of “if it hurts when you do that, stop doing that” is pretty much all you need to know to prevent injury. If it doesn’t stop hurting in a few weeks after not doing that, THEN see a doctor. Otherwise, save your money. Advil, heat/cold, rest. That will be $600.

Drinking the conventional marathon training cool-ade, I didn’t think I could possibly finish a marathon without monster mileage, fartleks, intervals and all the other crazy stuff people have thought up. There is still pain involved, but with weekly long runs, the pain goes away in two days and I’m ready to rock with a full week of rest. I look forward to carrying this over to my triathlon training. One long run, bike swim and maybe a weight session per week is the extent of my training plans from now on. I’ll never win with a training scheme like that, but winning is doing races for the rest of my life.

Bloodless Nipples and Other Mundaneties

Just like the trappers of yore, I explored the Sante Fe Trail today. Ten miles of it, anyway. Of course I forgot the brand new camera I was going to take along, so no pictures. But if you want pictures, read Winnie the Pooh.

Cutting to the chase, I ran 19 miles in 3 hours and 41 minutes. I continue to be solidly on pace to finish my marathon in 5 hours-though my pace began deteriorating badly the last five miles.

I enjoyed a 400 foot elevation change each way. The altitude was just over 6000 feet and I didn't feel it until right at mile ten. My new Garmin 501 kicks ass all over the place. My average pace was 11:37

Last weekend I achieved only one bloody nipple and this week I've toughened them up completely. No blood coming out of my boobs. Which was disappointing because my mother in law loves gross stuff. Other than a little chafing under my arm, it was a pretty unscathed event.

The last five miles were pretty tough and I started walking at mile 15. I drank the rest of my tropical gatorade (can't recommend, I'm a green gatorade man), and thought to myself, do I really want to walk another five miles? So I decided to fall back on an old trick and ran for one minute and walked for one minute. I'd drop the pace to about 14 minute miles and then rev up to 9:30 miles. Overall I maintained a pretty strong pace, though the idea of doing that for another 11 miles were that to occur at the marathon, is not a good prospect. I'm hoping having to walk was more an altitude issue than an overall fitness issue. I ran 18 miles last week without stopping, and while it wasn't easy, I felt I could have maintained it for a few more miles anyway.

So now I've had my hot bubble bath, I'll soon eat my wendy's lunch and then it's off to relax the day away with the family.

Don't tell me about your poopy.

I just finished reading Portnoy's Complaint (putting the oy back in goy and the id back in yid). I sure read a lot of books in my youth that twisted my worldview. I've almost got all the damage undone from these horrific books, like On the Road and 1984 and all these awful books talking about angst and discontent.

For quite a number of years I've had some minor stomach issues that I assumed were just normal. The urgent need to go to the restroom (to put it politely) was a matter of routine. Sometimes not for months and then other times it seemed like constant. So I talked to the doctor and he put me through my paces, taking a good look under the hood, as they say. And everything turned up negative. Then Coach was watching Lifetime or some other awful channel and they had a whole tragic show about this woman who couldn't go anywhere without having to "go." I wasn't quite that extreme, but it could be somewhat stressful to worry about having to "go" in embarrassing situations and I have a number of recollections of having to discretely excuse myself to race home before tragedy happened.

To make a long story short, the cure to this disorder is to a cholesterol medicine which makes the gall bladder release less bile. So far so good. They called it "habba sydrome" like this Habba guy discovered it or something.

One reason I mention this is because the stories of marathon runners with diarrhea running down their legs are legendary and I have often been worried that I would have a disaster like this happen. So far I've been pretty lucky on most of my races actually.

As I was running my 17 miles today, I was thinking about the whole carb-loading stuff. I had a normal meal last night and ran just fine today. I can't think of a better way to mess with your stomach than to get on special diets and then "carb load" during training. The longer I participate in marathons and triathlons, the more I think maybe special diets and drinks are mostly marketing. For any race under four hours, so cool ade is about as good as anything. Of course, I'm a gatorade man. But for a marathon, in the past I was eating gu's and all this other stuff, but I think just a sugary drink will get me to the end just as well.

My 17 mile run last week was about 3:30, and this week I ran the same distance because I had a tough time last week, so I ran 17 miles this week in about 3 hours. Those times include a 1 mile walk at then so the total distance is really 18 miles.

Next weekend I'll be in Colorado Springs where I'll put in an 18 miles run. My in-laws know of good places to go so we'll see how that goes.

Run Yesterday

10/22-6.2 miles-57 minutes

Another decent showing. My best 10k is 53:30. I don't know if I'll get down there this season, but I'm in the ballpark.

I'm down to 2 runs per week, my long run and then my second longest run. Considering my knees don't ache all the time like they have in past seasons and my times are still comparable, this may work out okay. For me, more is definitely not necessarily better. The proof will be in the results of the Seattle Marathon, but if you're facing in the right direction, just keep on running (bastardized buddhist proverb by way of david brent).

Toenail Removal/Thought About It

This is too freaking awesome!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22FITNESS.html?_r=1