Tri Tri Again

Mono Sucks

2010-11-05T20:44:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will be running the half-marathon portion of the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon and Half-Marathon. It's the first race in a long time where I was even the least bit nervous, since it's my first 'long' race since being diagnosed with mono back in September.

Back in September, the week of my first Ironman race, I was diagnosed with mono and after a CT scan of my spleen it was recommended that I not race. I also ended up taking off training for most of two months in an attempt to recover my health as best as I could, in addition to resigning from a job I was dedicating an unhealthy number of hours to.

Fast forward ten weeks to November 6th, 2010, and I'm about to run a half-marathon. Normally the half is my favorite race distance and I've had a lot of success at it, but tomorrow I'm a bit nervous. My last real race was in July (since then I've only done a 5k) and a 12 mile run on Monday was just painful.

Tomorrow my goal is just to go out and do my best, not looking for a PR. The course should be flat and the weather should be perfect (although it's snowing a bit right now so we'll see). Look for a review tomorrow.

Failure is Healthy

2010-03-05T22:30:00.002-05:00

Starting over is hard. So is failing. Doing both, and getting up again, is even tougher.

In 2009 I completed my first half-ironman in 5:38. My brother Wes and I completed that event with our family watching and crossed the finish line feeling strong. I knew that in 3 short weeks I had Steelhead coming up, but also knew that a 5:15 at Steelhead wasn’t out of the question and I was going to shoot for it. What’s that thing they say about plans? I don’t remember, but my plan went to hell.

The day started with 800mg of caffeine after having had none for 2 weeks. The water was also particularly rough with fairly high waves. The combination of a queasy stomach and rough waters was classic bad. I had a PR for the swim but running onto the beach started throwing up. For roughly 5 minutes. As you can imagine, throwing up off a swim has a way of ruining a day but I continued onto the bike.

Once on the bike I started off strong but was at this point extremely dehydrated and in a serious caloric deficit. I tried to eat/drink but every time I did, it came right back up. At one point I threw up so hard on the bike that I closed my eyes, hit a pot hole, and blew out my front tire. As I sat by the side of the road changing the inner tube on my bike, all I could think was, “Really?”. I had simply never had such a bad race.

I managed to finish the bike and headed out on the run but in much worse shape then I had been three hours earlier. Besides being dehydrated and starving, I was experiencing the pains of what I would later discover was a stress fracture. Despite feeling beyond awful, I don’t ever remember feeling like I should have quit. Not once. That would come later.

I finished in 6:35, firmly in the bottom 1/3 of the field. My worst finish since I had started the “Taking Sexy Back” challenge almost two years earlier. After training for 7 months for an A race, and just so completely blowing it, I was devastated. Using my bum foot as an excuse, it would be almost 4 months before I did any training again and 5 months before my next race.

So, 7 months later, what have I learned? You’re stronger than you think you are, and you’re weaker than you think you are. In the one sense, I could have given up completely, either during the race or after the race. But I didn’t. I was tougher than I thought. In another sense, I really let that race get me down. I spent months in a funk. I was weaker (mentally) than I thought.

This year I signed up for my first Ironman distance race, the Rev3 at Cedar Point. I also have a pretty aggressive race schedule, with two HIM races and a handful of Sprint/Olympic distance races. What am I doing differently this year? First, I hired a coach. Someone to help keep me grounded and safe. Second, my goal this year is to be healthy. I haven’t tied any arbitrary times to any races. I’m looking to go out, test myself, and hopefully have as much fun as I did when I first started.

I also firmly believe that my Steelhead race experience, and getting back into training after a 4 month hiatus, will make me a mentally tougher triathlete. I’m here to have fun.

Indianapolis Mini Marathon and a PR

2009-05-02T13:20:00.003-04:00

Today was the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, a half marathon held here in Indianapolis every May. This was the first time that I competed for a second time in the same event. This made it a perfect A race, since it allows me to compare myself on the same course over a fixed period of time. Last year my time for the race was 1:51:31, an 8:30 pace. Would I be in better shape this year? I found out.

The night before, as is now tradition, Emily and I went over to Erin's house and had our traditional pre-race pasta dinner. We ate early so I could digest and get some sleep, and left by 8:30. I was asleep by 10:30 which was good, since I had to be up at 5:00am.

I woke up at 5, ate a power bar, and headed out to pick up Erin at her house. We arrived at the parking garage at 6 and went to my office to change and put together our race bags. We made our way over to the race site and split up around 7. Erin was in coral 'L' and I was in coral 'B'. I managed to get a seed this year which was great, since last year I spent the first 8 miles of the race weaving in and out of runners. I made my way over to the coral by about 7:15 and managed to find Josh Winger already waiting. I talked with Josh for a few minutes before the race start and then we headed out.

Race Stats

Split Distance	Split Time	Split Pace
5 miles	35:12	7:02
10 miles	1:09:52	6:56
13.1 miles	1:31:05	6:50

The biggest news of the day for me was a negative split over the course. A negative split is when your speed increases over subsequent miles throughout a race. The other big news was that I shaved more than 20 minutes off my time from the previous year. I also shaved more than 4 minutes off my previous PR, which I had set just a month before. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the results of the day.

The other highlight of the day was getting to share it with Emily, Kyle and Erin. It's always nice to share your joys with the people you love.

Second First 50k

2009-04-19T23:10:00.004-04:00

Back in December I attempted my first 50k trail race. I attempted The Huff in Huntington, IN and I failed. It was my first DNF, and I didn't take it very well. I fell down a cliff face and twisted my ankle, but I didn't consider this an excuse to not succeed. After failing to finish, I changed my training routine and committed to completing another 50k as soon as was reasonable. I selected the "Forget the PR 50k" in Loudonville, OH. In preparation for this race, I ran two marathons as well as doing a number of half-marathon distance races and 20+ mile training runs.

On Saturday, April 18th Emily and I drove from Indianapolis, IN to Loudonville, OH. I was expecting rain for the race but that didn't deter me from going. Although we had a truly amazing and comfortable place to stay, I didn't sleep very much. I tossed and turned most of the night, and got up about 6am to eat breakfast and prep for an 8am race start. We got there at about 7:15 and it ended up being plenty of time to get ready.

Race Start

After Emily and I got to the race site I fetched my bib and gear bag and started to get ready in the car. Today I was going to run without water, or Vaseline, or a pair of trail running shoes. I did however decided to bring my ipod, a decision I would later be very thankful for. The schwag bag had more stuff in it then I would have believed possible for such a small race. Rob (the race directory) had really managed to pull in some top notch sponsors including Hammer nutrition, which I'm a big fan of.

The race started promptly at 8am after a few words from the race director and someone I can only assume was his sidekick. In any case, from the start to aid station #1 I was cruising and passing a number of other runners. One mistake I made during my first 50k attempt was going out too fast early so I planned for 10 minute, 11 minute and 12 minute paces. I did my best to keep at a 10-11 minute pace according to my garmin for the first leg. At AS 1 my pace was 10:08/mile, right on target. Since I wasn't carrying any water I made sure to drink some Heed and some water and kept moving. It was my first time drinking Heed and I like the taste, I'll probably buy some. I prefer it to Gatorade.

Race Review

For the most part I either ended up running with small groups but I was taking my time at the aid stations so I often headed out of an AS solo and hooked up with another group. The temperature for the day ranged from 61 to 64 degrees (perfect race weather) and stayed remarkably dry. My total time was 6:14:49 for an 11:54 pace. My moving time was 6:02:35 for an 11:30 pace. Garmin says I covered 31.49 miles at an average speed of 5.2mph. Remarkably, my elevation gain/loss was +17,984/-18,055. Wow, that's like climbing and ascending a large mountain. No wonder I got sick after the race!

Some Pictures from the race

Video someone took (caution, hand cam)

I sent an email to Rob and shared this with him, but this is one of the best put on races I have ever run. The aid stations were well stocked, the volunteers cheered for you like you were winning Boston, the other runners were encouraging and polite, the schwag bag was packed full of goodies, and the course was well marked. I really had very few complaints, and I plan on doing this event again next year.

Post-Mortem

So, what did I learn going from a failed/DNF race to finishing a 50k? A few things. However, one thing I repeatedly find out in running is you can go farther than what you think is possible. You can do more than what you think is possible. Running kind of affirms for me the "if you can dream it you can do it" mentality. I've also signed up for my first 50 miler and another 50k. I can't wait to see what's possible.

What's Possible in a Year?

2009-04-04T19:00:00.003-04:00

On April 18th of 2008, I ran my first ever road race. A 5k. The Susan Komen Race for the Cure 5k to be exact, and I did so in 23 minutes flat. And, as far as I'm concerned, in not too shabby of a time. Who am I kidding, I felt like a total bad-ass. To put it in perspective though, on April 18th of 2007 I weighed 250 pounds and couldn't run a mile. So, only a year later, running a 5k was a huge deal for me.

Since that first race, I have completed 20 others. In the past year I raced 21 times. Here is what the roster looked like for this past year:

04/19/08 - 5k

05/03/08 - 13.1

05/10/08 - 5k

05/17/08 - 13.1

06/07/08 - 5 miler

06/14/08 - 75k Cycling Road Race

07/13/08 - Sprint Duathlon

08/17/08 - Olympic Triathlon

10/18/08 - Marathon

10/31/08 - 3 miler

11/15/08 - 15k

11/27/08 - 4.5 miler

12/20/08 - 5k

12/26/08 - 50k

02/01/09 - Indoor Sprint Triathlon

02/01/09 - 7 miler

02/07/09 - 13.1

02/15/09 - Marathon

03/15/09 - Marathon

03/28/09 - 13.1

04/04/09 - 15k

Oh, and here is a snapshot of my weight over the past two years:

04/18/07 - 250 pounds

04/18/08 - 200 pounds

04/04/09 - 169 pounds

And what's in store for 04/18/09? Well, nothing, but that's because I'm running the Forget the PR 50k on 04/19/09. I'm not writing any of this because I think I'm an amazing athlete, or to toot my own horn. I'm writing this to let you know, to let anybody know, what's possible in a relatively short amount of time. It's true that I dedicate a lot of time to training, but I can easily say it's all worth it.

I remember several years where I started losing weight, stopped, went back to my original weight, and then told myself I was comfortable being who I was. To some extent that was true, but I also knew that I was unhappy. So, my brother Wes and I created the "Taking Sexy Back Challenge", where, obviously, we planned on taking sexy back. I now had some concrete goals and a remote training partner to help motivate me. I committed to doing this one event with him (the Grand Haven Duathlon), and then evaluating whether I wanted to keep up the life style or not.

Through all these events my life has been altered in positive ways that I never could have imagined. It has nothing to do with being thin or being fit, it has everything to do with succeeding at something that's hard.

I once told an employee that I had a simple philosophy in life. My philosophy is essentially this. If it's not hard, it's probably not worth doing. Taking on the challenges that I have, I get an opportunity to do something hard every day. I can't tell you that losing weight or living a healthier lifestyle is easy. But, I can tell you that it's worth it. Unfortunately I also can't tell you why it's worth it. It's something you have to see for yourself.

2009 Left Turn Marathon

2009-03-17T23:34:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday I ran the Left Turn Marathon in Oak Ridge, TN. Put on by the Roadkill Running Club, this marathon limited itself to a field of 150 runners and advertised itself as having a "local marathon". I initially found out about the LTM (left Turn Marathon) through Twitter, as I follow one of the race coordinators, Carl Sexton, or roadkillcarl as he is known on Twitter.

I arrived at the host hotel in Oak Ridge, TN around 7pm on Saturday. The folks at the hotel were pretty accommodating and offered a late checkout, which is ideal considering that I knew I wouldn't be done with the Marathon by 11am and I was planning on showering afterwards. Right inside the lobby were some race volunteers who gave me some recommendations for places to eat (I ended up eating at Venice, which had a really tasty pasta) and got me registered. Carl also said that the following day looked like it would start out with some mist and then clear up, which is pretty ideal as far as race conditions go. I dropped my stuff off in the room and headed out for a tasty pre-race dinner. I was asleep by 11pm, despite a crying baby a couple of doors down.

My wakeup call came at 6am, and I got up and ate a light but filling complimentary breakfast in the hotel dining room. Looking outside, it was pouring rain. I briefly considered not racing, as I wasn't particularly looking forward to running for 4 hours in the rain. After doing a brief amount of internet research I decided to race, regardless of the weather. By 7:30am I was at the race tent with the other runners, which included a few 50 state marathoners. At around 7:45, Zane, one of the race coordinators, corralled us all and walked us over to the start.

Waiting to start. From Smoky Mountain Left Turn Marathon

By the start of the race the rain was just a light drizzle. With a temperature of 50 degrees, the weather was starting to turn out to be perfect for running. Cool with a light mist. The weather deterred a lot of runners, and we ended up with roughly 50 people at the start. The race started just after 8, and 2 runners took off in the lead. Three of us were following pretty close behind, and stayed together through mile 10. Below is a picture of the three of us, pretty early in the race.

The 3 runners. From Smoky Mountain Left Turn Marathon

Around mile 10 the three of us started to spread out a bit. I stayed with Brad (pictured below, on the right) through mile 14 and then I bonked. I typically crash at around mile 16 so I was discouraged when I started to feel that familiar burn a bit early. But this race, something was different.

Blake (left) and Brad (right). From Smoky Mountain Left Turn Marathon

I felt myself fading around mile 14 but by mile 16 I got a second wind and I was able to keep it up through mile 21 or 22. I'm not sure what caused the additional energy. I did a few things differently this race. I didn't use my headphones, and I didn't look at my pace on my garmin until the last couple of miles. These were both firsts for me. For whatever reason, my pace ended up being pretty consistent right until the end which was a tremendously good feeling. Below is the race profile from my garmin.

Garmin race profile. From Smoky Mountain Left Turn Marathon

I ended up placing 5th overall with a Garmin time of 3:28:20, and an official time of 3:29:35. This was a PR from me, down 10 minutes from the marathon the previous month on a much tougher course. This was the first time in any race I have ever done that I felt like I had to really break down a wall and earn the time. In the past, although I've generally improved on previous times, I've never felt like I had to dig that deep for the time. Not at the Left Turn Marathon though, I earned that time and am extremely happy with it.

The course was extremely hilly (at least for someone from Indiana) and parts of it weren't ideal (like, running on a highway). Despite that, it was really an amazing experience. The weather was perfect, the course was well marked and there were plenty of volunteers. I also liked the small field, it was a nice change of pace. I'm looking forward to the 2010 LTM already.

One of my triathlon coaches said he felt like you weren't actually a marathoner until you had completed 3 marathons. This was number 3 for me.

10/18/08 - 3:52:46 - Indianapolis Marathon

02/15/09 - 3:37:59 - Last Chance for Boston Marathon

03/15/09 - 3:29:35 - Left Turn Marathon

I kind of thought that once I was a "marathoner" they would start to get easier. I can say with certainty that my third marathon was no easier than my first. I think without the challenge though, I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. Marathon distance races (and longer) are a way for you to really see what you're made of. I'm looking forward to my April 50k.

How do you run a Marathon?

2009-02-15T13:16:00.004-05:00

The short answer is that I don't, I run one mile 26.2 times. At least, that's the answer I usually give people when they ask. I truly believe that the human spirit is unbounded, and if you can find the motivation to run one mile you can find the motivation to run 26.2 of them. Today was no exception.

Today I ran the Last Chance for Boston Marathon in Dublin, OH. In the truest sense of the phrase, I did run one mile 26 times. The LCFB Marathon is a one mile loop, that you run 26 times (the first loop is 1.2 miles). Because the course if extremely flat (4' elevation per mile), the LCFB Marathon advertises itself as being a good place for a PR and a good course to qualify for Boston. Although I did have a PR (3:38, down from 3:52) today, this Marathon was no easier than any other I've run. A Marathon like this, because of the repetitiveness of the course, requires a lot more mental toughness than I would have thought.

This was also the first event I have done where I slept in a hotel the night before, and I didn't have any friends or family there. This added to the difficulty. My nutrition wasn't at its best and the only other overnight event I have done was in Hilton Head, SC and my whole family was there. Although I knew that I was in the hearts of my friends and family, I found that the isolation added to the challenge. Oh, and the screaming kids down the hall didn't help me get to sleep but I can't complain.

One nice thing about doing a loop event like this is that you always know exactly where you are on the course, and there is an aid station every mile. Very cool. The event coordinator did a great job letting people know what was going on, including calling out how many laps you had completed. This was great for me because as I got more tired, I stopped remembering to hit the lap counter on my Garmin.

One downside about a course like this, which I didn't expect, is how sore I am. The 4 left turns, 2 of them very sharp turns, forced me to use some muscles I probably never had before. I ended up with the callous on the ball of my left foot getting nearly separated from my foot which is extremely painful, and due to the turns. I also ended up with some extremely sore calves, which was new to me.

I'm about to hit the shower and drive back to Indianapolis, and wanted to collect my thoughts before I left. Despite some pluses and minuses of the course/event, I am looking forward to my next marathon on 3/15. Every time you test yourself is an opportunity to learn. I can't wait for March.

Truly Inspired

2009-02-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

Today I ran the half-marathon event at the 7th Annual Hilton Head Half Marathon & 10K/5K. This was my third half-marathon distance race, and although I had a PR (1:35), that certainly wasn't the highlight of my day. The highlight of my day was the wonderful feeling of pride that accompanied seeing friends and family complete their first races.

Today's race consisted of 11 of us: mom, dad, brother (Wes), me, Meghan, Matt, Judd, Cassie, Stephen, Mimi, Lilly. Wes, Meghan, Matt and I all ran the half-marathon while everyone else did the 5k. Here were some highlights for me.

Mom/Dad completed first race, at the ages of 58/57

Wes had a PR (1:30) and got 3rd for his age group

Meghan ran her first half-marathon, and got 2nd for the 'filly' class

Lilly came in 3rd for her age group (she's 9)

Really awesome. We had runners age 9 to 58. We had people place in their age groups. We had a lot of first time runners. It was just a great day. Wes and I stood at the finish line cheering people on for about 45 minutes, and it was really beautiful seeing people give a big smile as soon as they saw that finish line.

Whether you're competitive, an age grouper, a first timer, a mid packer, or a slow runner it doesn't matter. Running has something for everyone. I saw it in the faces of everyone in my family today. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't my parents last 5k. I am left feeling truly inspired.

Two Races in a Day? Yep.

2009-02-01T16:56:00.002-05:00

Today was a first for me in a few ways. First, I did my first indoor Triathlon. Second, I did two races on the same day. Third, I full on puked. Let me explain.

An indoor triathlon is typically timed, and works on a points system. Today's race, the 2009 JCC Indoor Triathlon, gave you 20 minutes to do as many laps as you could, 20 minutes on a bike with a power meter, and 20 minutes to run. As usual, I was incredibly slow in the pool and only did 19x50, or about 950 yards. Also as usual, I made up for my slow swim with the bike and run portions. My average wattage for the bike was 280 watts. My triathlon coach had an average wattage of 210, so I was psyched about that. I followed up the ride with 34 laps on the indoor track, which put me at about a 6 minute per mile pace. I followed the run by spewing on the track.

From JCC Indoor Triathlon

My pre-race breakfast tradition is oatmeal. This morning started off like any other race morning and I had some apple & cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast. I was following fellow triathlete Tom Bondurant for most of the run, and as they announced the final lap Tom took off. I didn't want to get dropped and followed Tom, and right as I crossed the finish line, spewed up my breakfast. I was told that this was a first for the event. Funny enough, I wasn't embarrassed. In fact, I shouted, "Cleanup on lane 2!" and noted that I had just thrown up the apples. Huh. Looks like my body doesn't digest apples quickly. Good to know :)

From JCC Indoor Triathlon

The indoor triathlon was a ton of fun, and Whitney Diggs did a great job putting it on. There was plenty of support, it was pretty obvious what was going on at all times, and my vomit was cleaned up promptly. Fortunately, Whitney didn't have to take care of that cleanup. There was even a cheering section. Since on the swim and run portions there was a lap counter for each athlete, you had your own personal cheering section which was cool. Really fun event and I'm sure I'll do it again next year.

From JCC Indoor Triathlon

Here are all the photos from the Triathlon

I was done at the triathlon at about 11am, stuck around to time a few athletes, and then headed up to Zionsville for the 37th annual 2009 Groundhog 7 which started at 1pm. This is a free race put on by Indy Runners, where you are asked to bring canned foods for Gleaners Food Bank.

The Groundhog 7 is a 7 mile race around Zionsville. Some of it is on trails, most of it is on the Zionsville rail way and in the street. My legs were a bit sore from the fast pace of the triathlon so I planned on going out at an 8:30 pace. I finished in 54:20, with a pace of about 7:45 min/mile. I was really sucking wind towards the end which I think was a combination of slight dehydration as well as the mornings triathlon. Overall though, I felt pretty good and am glad I got to do some running. Oh, and the weather was PERFECT.

Indy Runners did a great job putting on the race. There were easily hundreds of runners and the event was free but despite that there was an aid station, there were police along the route, there were plenty of volunteers, the course was well marked and really you couldn't have asked for more perfect conditions in February. Oh, and plenty of food and juice afterwards, which I was quite grateful for.

I guess now I'll have to see if 3 races in a day are possible. I kind of doubt it though. Maybe I need to look into a multiple timezone kind of option :)

2009 Race Schedule

2009-01-25T21:15:00.003-05:00

I spent a long time evaluating my options for 2009 races. My high level goals were:

Complete a 50k

Complete a 50 miler

Complete a half-ironman

I also knew that I wanted to do the Indianapolis mini (half-marathon) in May, the Muncie Endurathon in July, the Augusta, GA HIM in September and the JFK 50 miler in November. I definitely wanted to minimize cost by selecting inexpensive races that were local when possible or at least drivable when not.

So, here is what my major/important race schedule looks like for 2009. I have left off several smaller races and events.

02/07/09 - Hilton Head Half Marathon (Hilton Head Island, SC)

02/15/09 - Last Chance for Boston Marathon (Dublin, OH)

03/15/09 - Smoky Mountain Left Turn Marathon (Oak Ridge, TN)

03/28/09 - Sam Costa Half Marathon (Indianapolis, IN)

04/19/09 - Forget the PR, Mohican 50k (Loudonville, Ohio)

05/02/09 - Indianapolis Mini Marathon (Half-Marathon, Indianapolis, IN)

05/30/09 - Terre Haute Triathlon (Terre Haute, IN)

06/06/09 - Sunburst Marathon (South Bend, IN)

06/13/09 - Tour de Cure 100 Mile Track Race (Indianapolis, IN)

07/11/09 - Muncie Endurathon (HIM, Muncie, IN)

08/01/09 - Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead Triathlon (Benton Harbor, MI)

09/27/09 - Ironman 70.3 Augusta Georgia (Augusta, GA)

10/17/09 - Chicago Marathon (Subject to change, Chicago, IL)

11/21/09 - JFK 50 Miler (Hagerstown, MD)

A couple of notes. First, I may swap the Terre Haute triathlon with a USAT sanctioned one around the same time. Second, I would like to somehow find a triathlon, even a sprint, to do in June before the Muncie Endurathon. Last, I have left off the list a number of shorter races. I anticipate doing a variety of 5k's and other shorter events throughout the season, as time permits and my body allows.

2008 Recap

2009-01-02T14:18:00.003-05:00

2008 was a very successful year for me both personally and professionally. I would love to spend some more time expounding upon everything I accomplished, but instead a bulleted list feels more appropriate. Below is a list of significant accomplishments/achievements for 2008.

Lost 40 pounds

April - First 5k

May - First 13.1 half-marathon

July - First Sprint Distance Duathlon

August - First Olympic Distance Triathlon

October - First marathon

December - Attempted first ultramarathon

Sweet.

Final Training Run

2008-12-25T14:56:00.003-05:00

I've been training for The Huff 50k Trail Race for a couple of months now. I didn't sign up for it until November, but after completing my first marathon in October I was compelled to try for something just a little bit longer. Today was my final training run before the race on Saturday.

So far my long training runs have been done in below zero weather, in the snow, in the rain, and have generally been 15-20 miles in length. I learned to run in yaktrax in case of snow or mud. I learned breathing techniques to make the cold weather bearable on my lungs. I learned about how to properly dress for extremely cold weather. I learned how to keep hydrated when your water bottle keeps freezing. With a December 27th race date, I just had no idea what to expect for the weather so I assumed that I should brave the weather during training, at all costs. Of course, now that I've done all of that, the weather is forecasting rain and 50+ degrees for the race. Oh well, in the midst of all that training I learned to love the long cold run. Particularly if there is snow.

I also managed to raise nearly $600 for the Julian Center, a shelter here in Indianapolis for victims of domestic abuse. There is still time to make a donation by visiting http://www.firstgiving.com/blakematheny.

All week people have been asking me about the race. "Are you excited?" or "How are you feeling?" or "Are you ready?". To sum things up, I'm a bit intimidated but I feel ready. I don't have any sore spots besides a long term, lingering sciatic nerve issue on my right side, one I can deal with. I've prepared for all sorts of weather conditions. Just two months ago I completed a marathon and have since then run several 15+ milers. I'm also a bit relieved. I essentially had to abandon triathlon training to make this a reality. I'm looking forward to getting back to my swim, bike, run normality.

The run today was in a brisk, but enjoyable, 23 degrees. I also ran with a balaclava facemask for the first time which kept my neck and face from freezing. Below is my run profile, which also displays elevation. What you can see is that I kept up a 7:42 pace, pretty steady, over a fairly flat terrain, for about 6.2 miles. This is about a minute and 15 seconds faster than my marathon pace.

In any case, please wish me luck and if you've got any questions about winter training, I can now say, I am the person to ask. Happy holidays.

Running in the Snow

2008-12-06T14:48:00.003-05:00

Today I was reading the "Ask Miles" section of my new issue of runners world and ran across the following question.

I'm new to running and noticed that the guys in my club run in the worst conditions. Am I going to look like a wimp if I hit the treadmill during the next snowstorm?

Miles proceeded to answer with something like, "You won't look like a wimp, you'll look like a beginner, which is fine."

I then proceeded to put on my running gear, and head out for 15 miles. In an inch+ of snow with it still coming down. And it was awesome, one of the most fun runs I have had in a long time. There was a long time where I was an indoor only, treadmill only (except for race day) runner. Then sometime this summer, preparing for my October marathon, I got tired of the treadmill and started heading out on the Monon trail near my house.

After the marathon, I committed to my first ultramarathon. The Huff 50k, a winter (December 27th) race in northern Indiana. I knew based on previous race reports that the race would be cold, very cold. So 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) I do indoor runs ranging from 4 to 8 miles. 2 days a week, Saturday and Sunday, I do my longer runs outside, ranging from 13 to 20 miles. It has been challenging to get in those long runs in the weekend but as I have, I've seen myself grow and change as a runner.

Some things that have made my winter running significantly easier:

Base Layer

Brooks compression top

Under armour compression tights

Mazuno socks

Outer Laer

Warm hat

Nike gloves

Saucony Jacket

Puma running pants

With the above gear, running in ~20 degree weather today was just fine. My face was cold but that was it. In any case, running in the snow doesn't have to make you miserable, it can be entirely enjoyable. Below is the profile for my run.

Trail Running

2008-11-24T18:56:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm bored. No wait, I'm really bored. It's not so much the monotony of seeing the exact same sights over and over again, or even the long stretches of nothing. I actually kind of like that aspect of running, it can be meditative. No, I think what is boring me is the lack of variety. Although running on the Monon trail is convenient and provides up to 20 miles of running (if I do an out and back), one can only hit the exact same paved footpath so many times before you want to weave into traffic to end the boredom.

Two weeks ago I did my first trail run out at Ft Benjamin Harrison State Park and man, did I have fun. Last weekend I went back there and ran a race and again, I loved it. Even with just a dozen or so trails, the number of combinations feel endless compared to the single option available on the Monon Trail. Plus, the variety of terrain is a great change from a paved footpath. I've also found that despite the fact that I pace a bit slower on trails compared with the road, my muscles are typically a bit more sore after a train run. I think the micro adjustments that your body has to constantly make to avoid twisting an ankle or go tumbling down a hill works the muscles a bit more. Additionally, the impact on my joints seems considerably less.

Today I went to Eagle Creek Park and ran for about 3 hours. I've been reading Dean Karnazes's book, 50/50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days -- and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance! and one thing Dean brought up was the idea of a runabout. The runabout is similar to the aboriginal walkabout, but you essentially just take off for 6-8 hours and run/walk. The idea of the runabout, other then just getting out on your feet for an extended period of time, is to have fun. To stop and smell the roses if you will. You don't focus on distance, just on getting out and exploring. That's what I did today. Instead of worrying about mileage, I just decided to head out for 3 hours. I ended up running about 18 miles or so but I didn't worry at all about where I was running, what trail I was on, what road I was on, what my pace looked like, etc. I just ran and paid attention to how I felt. It was amazingly enjoyable.

I guess what it boils down to is, running should be fun. I had gotten into this routine of being dedicated to the miles instead of the practice and it just wasn't enjoyable. So, through the winter it's my goal to do a 'runabout' at least once a week. I'll pick some new place and just run for 3-6 hours and focus on exploring and having fun. We'll see how it goes.

Why do you run?

2008-11-23T20:56:00.001-05:00

On October 18th my brother Wes and I completed the Indianapolis Marathon, my first marathon, with a time of 3 hours, 52 minutes, and 46 seconds. Every time I complete a distance something inside me says, "Go faster, go longer". I think every athlete feels that similar need to be challenged. Yes, I enjoy the competition but I think I've gravitated towards individual sports (running, triathlons, etc) as opposed to team events (softball, kickball, etc) because I think what I truly love is pushing myself.

People often ask me after a race, "How did you do?" but they're really asking, "What did you place?" or "Did you win?". I don't run because I am particularly interested in beating other competitors, I run to make myself better. That is, if I place but I don't set a PR or don't feel like I pushed myself, I don't feel like I did well. It's not about the results, it's about the effort. It's like that saying, "Life is about the journey not the destination". Running really embodies that for me.

I now have my first Ultramarathon scheduled. It's a 50k race on December 27th in Huntington, IN. I'm raising money for the Julian Center, a woman's shelter here in Indianapolis. You can donate by going to my firstgiving page at http://www.firstgiving.com/blakematheny. In trying to get people to donate I've been emailing friends and family as well as talking with coworkers. People are often kind of shocked or amazed when I tell them that I'm running a 50k. Again, it all comes back to the journey. Nothing tests who you are and what you are capable of like a distance event. They're both mentally and physically challenging.

Another comment I often hear is something like, "I can only run a mile" to which I always respond, "Great, run one every day". I didn't wake up one morning and decide to run a marathon. That might happen for some people but it didn't for me. I did wake up one morning and decide I wanted to run a 5k. Then a half marathon. Then a marathon. Now an ultramarathon. Start by doing something that is just a bit more then what you can do today. The important thing is to just run.

I run for myself. I didn't start out loving running and there are still days where I don't feel like running. With every mile though, I become a different person. What pushes me forward is wanting to see who I'll be tomorrow.

Vasque DINO Trail Run

2008-11-18T08:57:00.002-05:00

Towards the end of December I will be running the Huff 50 Ultramarathon, a 50k trail race. I've mostly been a road runner for my brief running career and wanted to get some practice in for both trail running and cold weather running. This past Saturday I ran my first trail race ever, the 15k Vasque DINO Trail Run at Ft. Harrison State Park.

I arrived at Ft. Harrison State Park at 7:45am on Saturday the 15th. After checking in I ran for about 5 miles before the race started at 9. By the time the race started, I was well warmed up but also quite soaked. It rained a fair bit all morning but fortunately the temperature seemed to hover at around 40 degrees while the wind was not too bad.

The out and back trail wasn't too steep and for the most part was maintained. There were two particularly challenging parts. First, there was a creek crossing. The creek crossing wouldn't have been so bad but with the rain the water was up near my knees and quite cold. The extra weight in my shoes made things a bit more difficult. Next, near the barn and after the creek crossing, was an area of extreme mud and muck. Because your shoes were soaked from the creek crossing, the mud really got stuck in and on your shoes. None of these things were that bad, but it's certainly different from a rainy road race!

I ran a bit faster then I wanted to. I was planning on using the race as a training run and pacing at about 9 minutes per mile. I ran the race in 1h 11m 54s, placing me 37th overall and 4th for my age group and pacing me at 7m 42s per mile. Also, my shoelace snapped at around mile 2. Because I've got elastic laces, I ended up having to take a shoe off on the course and relace it with the remaining material. It probably added about 3 minutes to my overall time.

One thing I hadn't anticipated was how difficult running in the cold could be on your lungs. Many of the runners were coughing quite a bit after the race, I assume due to breathing through their mouth. I keep reading about how you should breath through your nose if it's really cold out but that doesn't come naturally to me so I'll need to practice.

Overall the race was a lot of fun and a good experience. I can't wait for the Huff but I need to put in some serious miles between now and December 27th.

Milestones

2008-07-22T13:48:00.003-04:00

JenWillTri inspired this particular post with her similarly titled, "Milestones". It's important to identify personal milestones, both the ones that you have surpassed as well as the ones on the horizon.

At the end of July of 2007, I went on vacation with my family and in interacting with people I recognized just how miserable I had become. I was unable to participate comfortably in many of the events my brothers were doing (swimming, for instance) and had gotten so used to being seriously overweight and out of shape that I didn't even view it as a problem. I had the profound personal realization that in order for me to be happy I needed to find mental, spiritual and physical fulfillment. On August 13th, 2007 I weighed in at 250 pounds at 6'1" and not only couldn't run a mile but I was too embarrassed to swim and too out of shape to enjoy biking.

It was also on August 13th, 2007 that I made a commitment to complete the "Couch-to-5k Running Plan". It was a 12 week program that started out very easy and gradually increased your distance. I stuck with the program and noticed a variety of changes in my life; overall I was happier. In December of 2007 I committed myself to an extremely aggressive 21 day cardio plan, aimed at improving my VO2 Max (although I didn't know this is what I was doing at the time). At the end of December I had lost about 45 pounds but early in the new year I noticed myself slipping back into old habits; eating poorly, not exercising, etc.

At this point I realized that my personal goal needed to be overall fitness, not just weight loss, if I had any hopes of staying fit. To this end, I created two milestones for myself:

Complete a 5k

Complete a Sprint distance triathlon

At the time these both seemed like insurmountable obstacles but they were goals, unrelated to my weight, which fit my milestone criteria. Today I can proudly proclaim that not only did I surpass my expectations on both of the above milestones but I have some new ones. Below are a list of events I have completed this year:

Race for the Cure - 5k

500 Festival Mini-Marathon - Half Marathon

Talk Walk Run - 5k

Geist Half Marathon - Half Marathon

Outrun The Sun - 5 mile

Tour de Cure - 75k bike race

Grand Haven Triathlon - Sprint Distance Triathlon

I never would have believed this was possible a year ago. However, having surpassed some personal milestones it's time for some new ones. Here they are.

2008 Olympic Distance Triathlon

2008 Marathon

2009 Ultra-Marathon

2009 Half-Ironman

That feels ambitious without necessarily overdoing it.

The point of this post for me is about accountability. By sharing with you what my goals are, I have someone to help hold me accountable. What are your milestones?

My First Triathlon

2008-07-15T19:21:00.002-04:00

Awesome. That's the best way to describe the feeling of completing your first Triathlon. Not just completing it, but knowing that you did the training for it and went out and were able to do your best under the conditions. I was able to share this experience with my younger brother Wes, who completed the same triathlon I did, the 2008 Grand Haven Triathlon.

Pictures

Unfortunately the morning of the triathlon, the conditions on lake Michigan (5 foot waves) made it nearly impossible for people to swim. Even more unfortunately, the race coordinator called off the swim and declared the race a duathlon because of the conditions. Additionally, I've been struggling with an IT band injury for the past couple of months and my time was significantly worse than I expected due to running 2x3 miles instead of 1x3 miles. Regardless, the experience was fantastic.

A few words of advice for first time racers:

Get to registration and drop your bike off the night before. This will leave you more prep time in the morning

Prepare your race bag the night before. You will thank yourself in the morning. Use the list that was provided on your USAT card if you have one.

Thank the people on the course. Cops, volunteers, etc. They make this possible.

Cheer on others after you finish. These are your "teammates", support them.

Talk to some of the folks on the field. People are one of the best parts of triathlons.

Don't be afraid to ask someone if they're okay if they seem injured.

This is kind of a rambling post. I'll just wrap up by saying it's a bit hard to describe the tremendous feeling of personal satisfaction that comes with completing a triathlon/duathlon, but the work is worth it.

N.I.T.E. Ride 2008

2008-06-29T21:18:00.002-04:00

Last night I finished my first ever N.I.T.E. Ride here in Indianapolis. Although this was my first ride, it was the 15th year that the N.I.T.E. ride has taken place. N.I.T.E. is an acronym which stands for, "Navigate Indy This Evening" and this is what the website had to say:

The N.I.T.E. ride is a full day of activities culminating in a 20-mile night time bicycle tour on well-lit roads through downtown Indianapolis beginning and ending at the Major Taylor Velodrome. After the tour a celebration is held with food and a live band.

This was a truly amazing event and I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year. Over 2500 riders leaving on tricked out, fully lit up bikes at 11pm and riding in downtown Indianapolis was truly an awesome sight. The police did a great job with route control and were in no small way responsible for making this event such an obvious success.

The day started for me at 7pm when I showed up at the Major Taylor Velodrome and watched 3 hours of track racing, which I had never seen before. Here are some of my amateur photos, unfortunately I'm not in any of them.

I met a couple of mountain bikers and hung out with them until the ride started at 11pm. The organizers sent people out in waves, separated by about a minute. I left in the fifth of probably 20 waves of riders. I caught up with the ride leaders at the half way point and opted to keep riding instead of stopping to refuel. At around mile 18 I got tired of the slow pace that the motorcycle police officer was keeping and dropped the group with a bunch of other riders. There were probably 100 of us that finished ahead of the pace leader which was funny since we were reminded multiple times not to pass the pace 'car'.

Next year I'm going to ride my mountain bike instead of my road bike. This wasn't a race and although I didn't treat it like it was, I would have enjoyed myself more if I'd taken my time with the course. If you do this event in the future, remember it's a tour not a race. Still, it was one of the best organized most fun cycling events I have taken part in and I'm already looking forward to next year.

How Not to do a Cycling Event

2008-06-15T20:35:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday I did the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure 75k cycling event. I got to the event bright and early. I proudly handed in my donations envelope ($615!). I got on my shiny new Cannondale Six13 5 at 7:30am, and away I went. This is where everything went wrong.

Step 1 - Get Lost

I was doing pretty well pace-wise, averaging about 20mph. Initially I was with a group of other riders but after the first SAG stop, I kept going (thanks camelbak) and left most of the group behind. The signs for the course were quite small and not that easy to spot unless you are keeping an eye out for them, which of course, I wasn't. Around mile 25 I took a right instead of a left and added 10 miles to my route (5 out and back once I realized I had made a mistake). The added miles were fine, but it killed my pace.

Step 2 - Take a Dive

Every cyclist knows that on an unfamiliar route, you should take corners cautiously. I of course, not heeding this advice, came around a corner at mile 35 going about 22mph. This particular corner had a thin covering of sand and gravel covering it that I didn't see. I went down, hard. A race coordinator and a car saw me go down and came running over, asking if I was okay. Covered in blood, laying on my back, all I could yell out was, "Is my bike okay?" I got up and inspected the bike and noticed the front tire had gone flat, the shifters had been pulled in, and there were some minor scrapes. I also had some minor scrapes which you can see for yourself.

Forearm

Shoulder

Leg

Step 3 - Component Failure

After I replaced the inner tube on the front tire and pulled the shifters back into alignment, I kept on moving. About mile 40 one of my shifters stopped working entirely. And, I was stuck in a low gear on a hilly part of the course. This wouldn't be enough to stop me, but apparently the inner tube I had kept as a spare had a slow leak and I my tire was deflating about every 3 minutes.

Step 4 - Walk it in

With a bike and body basically out of commission, and not wanting to get the DNF on my record, I did the only thing I could think of: I walked it in. I walked the remaining 8 miles with my bike on my shoulder. As soon as I finished, an ambulance patched me up and I brought my bike to Bicycle Garage Indianapolis. Looks like I'll be upgrading my 105 to Ultegra sooner than I expected.

Recap

Tour de Cure - $50 entry fee

Damaged arm, shoulder and leg - $15 in bandages

New Shifter - $150

Completing my first cycling event on foot - priceless

Training Logistics

2008-06-01T15:11:00.004-04:00

As I said in a post last week, I've started running and biking to work. It's a great way to incorporate my triathlon training into something I have to do everyday anyway, traveling to and from work. With my July triathlon right around the corner I wanted to intensify my training a bit for the coming month. With that in mind, I decided to abandon my car for the month and turn travel time into real training time.

Below is the training program I designed around the goal of a carless month of June.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Morning	Swim Bike to Work	Run to Work	Swim Bike to Work	Run to Work	Swim Bike to Work	Long Bike Ride	Golf/Hike/Kayak/etc
Evening	Run Home Lift	Group Bike Bike Home	Run Home Lift	Group Bike Bike Home	Bike Home Lift	Long Bike Ride	Off

This is a lot of training but I'm only planning on doing it for a month before the taper phase. The biggest problem with the training involve the logistics of transporting the things you need to and from work. I eat 5 or 6 meals at the office and don't particularly want to run back and forth with a huge bag on my back. In order to make the running bearable, it required a good amount of advanced planning.

First, I drop off all the food I need for the week on Sunday. This amounts to about 20 meals and I end up buying another 5 (I usually buy lunch). This means I don't have to worry about transporting meals to and from the office. I also leave some deodorant and other supplies at the office.

Next, I pack a 'Monday/Wednesday' bag. On Monday and Wednesday since I ride to work, I bring everything with me I will need for that day and the following day in my camelbak. Here is what I bring in my pack:

Running Belt

Running Shoes

Swim Trunks

Towel

Shower Sandals

Rain Coat

2 days worth of clothes

With the above bag packed, I have everything I need for Monday and Tuesday, or Wednesday and Thursday. This allows me to run home and run to work and have everything I need waiting for me.

So, it's possible to turn your travel time into training time as long as you're willing to do a little bit of work. I'll update the blog as the month progresses.

Run to Work Day

2008-05-24T23:33:00.004-04:00

Friday, May 16th I rode my bike to work for the first time as part of Ride to Work Day. It's about 7 miles from my house to the office and I can mostly ride on the Monon Trail, so it's relatively safe. The ride was pretty successful and I plan on doing it again at least once or twice a week through the summer.

Brett over at Zen and the Art of Triathlon has been challenging folks to celebrate Run to Work day as opposed to Bike to Work Day. Today I took him up on the challenge and ran to work for the first time. Below is my run.

In training for a triathlon, every triathlete has to contend with the fact that there never seems to be enough time in the day for training. You have to spend time getting to work, so taking an extra half hour or so and getting your training out of the way at the same time is a pretty good training technique. So below is what I'm considering as a training schedule for the month of June.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Morning	Swim	Bike	Run	Swim	Bike	Run	Lift
Evening	Run	Bike	Lift	Run	Bike	Swim	Off

This provides me with 3 swim sessions, 2 lifting sessions, 4 biking sessions and 4 running sessions with a half day on Sunday. The beautiful thing is, since I'm using the runs and bike rides for transportation to and from work, I only end up putting like 50 miles a week on my car. And I can probably swap those driving sessions with easy bike rides. I need to figure out the appropriate way to vary my training for each run and bike ride. I also need to figure out the logistics of showering and changing. If you've got any tips or advice for me, please leave a comment.

New Bike

2008-05-21T20:26:00.005-04:00

Okay, so I lied. Tonight I had scheduled a bike training session and instead ended up buying a new bike! I haven't had a proper road bike up until now and had just been using my mountain bike for outdoor training, along with plenty of indoor cycling. But now that the weather is nice, and I've got an upcoming 75k road race, it was time to make the investment.

My friend Josh is a sponsored rider in the Seattle area and had recommended the CAAD9 5 but Cannondale was out of them and it was unclear as to when they might become available. What was available for a test ride though, was a 58cm Cannondale Six13 5 (compact) bike. I took it around the parking lot a couple of times and instantly fell in love.

It was a bit more expensive then the CAAD9 5, but not terribly so. In addition to the bike I got some decent clipless pedals, the airstryke aerobar's and a Trek Incite 11i computer (which I plan on replacing soon). Plus, BGI gives me 20% off bikes and 30% off accessories, which makes this a really sweet deal.

I'm really excited. Unfortunately, I don't pick the bike up until Tuesday or so. I rode the exact same bike at the store that I will be getting but I didn't want the 'floor model'. I don't know that it actually matters but I figure if I'm dropping some cash I can at least get one that hasn't been test ridden a bunch of times.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures up here soon.

Still Injured...

2008-05-20T14:05:00.002-04:00

This is my third day in a row skipping any kind of training due to my foot injury. Staying off it, icing and taking a solid regement of vitamin I (that's ibuprofrin) has helped but I'm still limping. Tomorrow I'm hitting the pool no matter what, although if my foot is feeling better hopefully I'll be doing some riding as well.

I expect to get my new road bike sometime later this week, look for updates.

Half Marathon Blues

2008-05-18T17:24:00.003-04:00

Usually the day after a race I like to spend an hour or so in the pool. Nothing crazy, just a little exercise on the road to recovery. Today however, is a little bit different.

I'm usually sore after a race, even short ones. After a short (5k-10k) race, I usually have some muscular soreness. After a longer race (13.1, 26.2) I have some minor joint pain, some muscular soreness and am usually pretty stiff.

Today I had the rare privilege of waking up to a left foot swollen enough that it looks like I have a golf ball under my skin, as well as a nasty case of runner's trots. If you're not familiar with runner's trots, here are some symptoms:

Cramping, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea during or after exercise. This may produce painful cramping and the compulsory need to defecate.

Pleasant huh?

So, today and probably for the rest of this week I'll be recuperating. Today that means I'm alternating ice and heat packs on my foot, and keeping my diet pretty plain. Lots of water and basic foods. That also means for the rest of the week (at least) I'll be refraining from running and sticking with just lifting, biking and swimming.

I'm not sure what caused the foot injury, but it started after my half marathon two weeks ago. I just shouldn't have run on it yesterday. I'm going to go to The Running Company this weekend and have them take a look at my shoes. It may be time to swap brands, models, socks, whatever.

Argh.