Great work Riley!

Ram Racing Series

The Hot Chocolate 15K is a race sponsored by Ram Racing, a group that sponsors a half dozen races in Chicago including a half marathon and a few 5Ks (such as the Bucktown 5K). They always do a great job and this race was no exception. The packet pickup was convenient, the goodie bag was excellent, and the race day amenities were superb. I especially liked the hot chocolate and chocolate fondue at the end.  They even gave out trick-or-treat candy bars which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Race Day

The weather was beautiful for a run, sunny, cool, and limited wind. I thought it was going to be much colder so I was way over-dressed. However, if you are going to make a mistake in dressing, it’s always better to wear too much than too little. You can always remove pieces of clothing. I got rid of three layers and my running gloves. I still ran in wind pants which probably cost me at least 30 seconds of time.

In the starting corral, I eased my nerves with a little juggling. It’s funny that even after all these years, I still get nervous before a race. Some of the runners around me asked about the juggling. “Are you going to do that the whole way?”
“Sure,” I said.
“Are you that juggler that runs the Chicago marathon.”
“Yeah that’s me. Juggling is kinda my thing.”
While there may be people that don’t like having a joggler in the race, the people that talk to me are always fascinated and supportive.

Running the Race

From the start I was sluggish. The late-night Halloween party kept me out too late and the Rum n Cokes had me feeling sketchy. My focus was not on having an excellent race, just having a good one. I ran the first couple miles in a 7:00 per mile pace, passing a lot of runners. Without headphones, I got to listen to the crowd and comments from other runners. I must say, it was great to have my name written on my number. There is something uplifting about having people shout out your name. More races should do that.

With no headphones to distract me, I got to listen to my thoughts. At the start of the race, they were mostly focused on coming up with clever responses to other runners. Whenever I passed one of the mile marker clocks, I would spend the next few minutes mathematically calculating my pace and my anticipated finish time.

At mile 4, I began to think about being done with the race. To combat these negative thoughts, I tried to refocus on the moment. I did this by focusing on the feeling of the Gballz hitting my hands and my feet hitting the ground. I thought of the warmth of the sun, the cool wind on my cheeks and the sound of the crunching under my feet. Whenever you start to feel bad in a race, focusing on specific sensations in your body can help snap you out of it.

Throughout the second half of the race the path crossed back on itself, so you spent a lot of time seeing runners who were behind you. This is great for joggling because you get lots of cheers from your fellow runners. For running, this was a bit unfortunate because the path got a little too crowded.

I finished strong passing a half-dozen runners on my way in. There was an excellent crowd at the finish and the announcer even said my name, and mentioned the juggling as I sprinted in. When I checked my official time later, I had come in at 1:09:04. While it was a little slower than I would like, it was a PR at this distance so I’m not going to complain.

I’ll definitely do this race next year and hopefully, be able to set another PR. If not, I’ll certainly enjoy the hot chocolate.

Joggling Day 349

Oh yes, I should mention that this was the 349th day in a row of joggling. Just about 35% of the way to my goal of 1001 days in a row. I still feel great

Four factors make music motivational

These are the characteristics of songs that make them motivational.

1. Rhythm response – Syncs up your heart rate & the beat of the song.
2. Musicality – This is related to the melody & harmony of a song.
3. Cultural impact – A factor impacted by the culture in which you were raised.
4. Association – Related to what kind of memories the song inspires.

Benefits of listening to music

The article goes on to give the benefits of running to the right music.

These include…

1. Use less oxygen
2. Blocks out the voice in your head telling you to quit.
3. Improvement in endurance

Researchers also found that increasing music speed actually increased pedal speed of bikers & decreasing music speed decreased cyclist’s speed. Basically, we naturally match our tempo to the music that is playing.

Finally, the article links to a software plug-in that works with your iTunes library to pick the right song list for you. I don’t know how well it works, but it is an interesting notion.

Running, Juggling & Listening

It should be noted that in most races it is against the rules to listen to music while running. Some races, like the Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota, actually threaten to disqualify runners who wear headphones. This seems a bit draconian to me.

While I don’t really need music to run (I did my first 12 marathons without any headphones), I do like to listen to it. Although, I much prefer listening to audio books and podcasts. Music is great but talk programs are less boring to me.

But based on this research, perhaps music could improve my joggling speed. That might be an experiment worth trying.

Do you listen to music while you run? What kind? Leave a comment below.

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Introduction

My name is Peter Meyer. I am 52. I live in Erlangen, Germany and I run a kindergarten there. My wife and me have four, now adult children, one daughter lives in Chicago.  She told me first about ‘this guy also joggling along the lakeshore’. So that made me interested in browsing a bit and that’s how I found Perry’s site JYAJ.

What is the story of how you learned to juggle?

MEYER:  I learned to juggle (the easiest pattern with three beanbags), when I was a student. A friend of mine taught me to juggle the cascade. At that time we were four people and a dog sharing a very small house. That’s why I always had to practise outdoors, often having to be careful mainly because of the dog snapping. This prudence hasn’t lost its importance up to now.

When did you start joggling?

MEYER:  Reading a juggler’s guidebook, I learned about some people joggling with three balls in Central Park, New York, and that encouraged me to start joggling in 1998.

Why did you start joggling?

MEYER:  As for the running: I was a long-distance runner in school times.  As a youngster I trained on a regular basis every day. But then at the beginning of my twenties I had a long break due to a rupture of the Achilles’ tendon.

As for the juggling: I liked these easy patterns of juggling while listening to music. For practising more complicated patterns I never found the time.

As for the joggling: Having lost the chance of becoming a top runner and not being a top juggler by any means, I opted for this still unusual combination which offered me the possibility to satisfy my competitiveness. After a few weeks of training, the number of drops decreased steadily and I began to actually enjoy running through the town, forest and fields, experiencing a tremendous harmony due to this combination of body-and-mind-activity.

How many races have you done while joggling?

MEYER:  I have done a lot of half-marathons and up to now three three-ball-marathons and recently my first four-ball-marathon.

What are some of your favorites?

MEYER:  Obviously, my very first marathon in Berlin in 2004 will stay unforgettable. There where music bands all along the streets and me juggling to the rhythms. But just as memorable is my recent marathon in Munich 2009 where I was joggling with four beanbags first time. I had been preparing for that event in a very disciplined way and I was rewarded by the encouraging comments of spectators as well as fellow runners, and finally by the fantastic atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium – the finishing line of the marathon.

What are some of your most interesting joggling stories?

MEYER:  I think we all experience lots of little stories while joggling all those numerous kilometers, because we are in the focus – by the way, a definitely good motivational aspect for us jogglers. For example, giving a very short basic juggling lesson in the street because of having been stopped by a really interested spectator. Furthermore there are rare situations where you meet runners asking you to let them have a go at juggling – hereby giving you the chance to motivate them to take up this sport.

Not to forget the funny story where a tiny dog, appearing out of some bush in a park, just snatched one of my beanbags and sped off – the sudden appearance of the animal had obviously caught me unaware – and it took me a lot of patience to finally get back my luckily still intact beanbag. And finally, it’s always great, exploring new places, different landscapes whichever country I travel to and getting in touch with people (who are curious to find out about this sport) and seeing their various reactions: greeting me with smiles, admiring looks or comments or perceiving me as crazy.

What kind of training do you do? How fast do you run?

MEYER:  About three or four times a week I go joggling. In addition, I do some muscle build-up training at least twice a week using a Thera-Band.

My pace is average for most M50 runners. So with joggling, I am not too bad. But I try, not to focus on my finishing times. For me, it is more important to complete a run performing my juggling show in good spirits.

Do you eat a special diet?

MEYER:  I am very lucky that my wife (she is a marathon runner, too) cooks excellent, healthy, mainly vegetarian, meals.

How long do you think you will keep joggling?

MEYER:  Like most jogglers – I guess – I am addicted to joggling. My daily life has become really enriched by some of its positive effects, so I cannot find any reason why I should put an end to this.

Do you have any advice for would-be jogglers?

MEYER:  For training: After having trained sufficiently to look “through the beanbags” on even and smooth surfaces, try more difficult tracks with potholes, creeping tree roots on the ground and “show them that they cannot trick you”.

In races: I mostly start at the end of a startfield. This is more relaxed to begin with, it is easier to get over the natural nervousness and to quickly find your own rhythm.

Where do you see the sport of joggling in 10 years?

MEYER:  One of my dreams is, joggling becoming an Olympic discipline. But at first, I think, we should support the implementation of joggling into physical education lessons at schools. And we should help to make known the good effects of joggling on health, recreation, concentration, neurophysiological effects etc.. This would increase the popularity of joggling and would help to break down the barrier that joggling is something exotic and too hard to learn.

How important is it to you to stick out of the crowd during a race?

MEYER:  Despite the fact that it’s nice to be in the focus, the more important factor is to promote this sport and make it known to as many people as possible. To reach this effect, it’s vital not to bathe in your singled-out position, but to be happy to share it with more fellow jogglers in the future. This creates an inner dialogue we all have to face.

Thanks Peter!  Good luck with your joggling adventures in the future and keep us posted on how you’re doing. You can also see Pete’s joggling website here. And go here for more for more joggling interviews.

Summary: An easy recovery run today. My legs are still a bit sore from yesterday’s Hot Chocolate 15K, but I felt strong and the the weather beautiful for running. I love running in this cooler, Chicago fall weather. Let’s just hope my legs hold up for the Philadelphia marathon in a couple weeks.

Weather: 55F, partly cloudy

Distance: 2.0 miles – Bucktown Recovery Run

Time: 4:45 pm

Run time: 15:13

Listening to: Nothing – no headphones

Weight: 191 lbs

Drops: 1

Condition: Felt good but sore

Shoes: Asics – 146 miles

Joggling Streak Day 350 on 12seconds.tv

Joggling Technique

1. Learn to look through the balls
2. Maintain good form with throws – keep throws low
3. Throws & catches match leg speed
4. Be relaxed
5. Have fun. Try tricks

These are good tips. One of the only things he doesn’t cover is what you use for joggling. In a previous video on equipment for joggling, I covered that one.

Advertisement: Gballz.com - custom joggling equipment

Summary: Happy Halloween!! For today’s joggling run I took it easy because tomorrow is the Hot Chocolate 15K. It promises to be a fun run. 900 gallons of hot chocolate, 300 gallons of fondue and 200,000 Hershy’s kisses.

I did two miles today in a slow 16+ minutes. It was amusing to see all the Halloween costumes. I’m going to a party tonight and I’m wearing a Planarian costume. You can see it in the 12 second video below.

Weather: 64F, cloudy, slight drizzle

Distance: 3.0 miles – Courtland loop

Time: 6:02 pm

Run time: 16:11

Listening to: Nothing – no headphones

Weight: 193 lbs

Drops: 2 – lost it in the light

Condition:Felt ok, a little tired

Shoes: Asics – 135 miles

Joggling Streak Day 348 on 12seconds.tv

How dangerous is marathon running?

The statistic most often quoted is that marathon runners have a 1 in 50,000 chance of dying. But according to this study of the Twin Cities and Marine Corp marathons it’s more like a 1 in 220,000 chance. An average estimate of all marathons (some are less well-equipped and thus more dangerous) is about 1 in 75,000.

That means that odds of dying from running a marathon is somewhere between getting killed by a tornado (1 in 60,000) getting struck by lightning (1 in 83,390). It could be almost as rare as getting hit and killed by an asteroid (1 in 200,000). See this previous article for the odds of dying from other things.

What happened in Detroit?

The experts say these three deaths are most likely a statistical anomaly. It is a good reminder that while things can have a low probability of happening, rare events do occur. In fact, with the number of people who run marathons each year (~400,000 people in 2007) you can expect that there will be 2-4 deaths each year.

What can you do?

Other than checking with your doctor before doing a marathon, there is little you can do to affect whether you will be one of the extremely rare deaths or not. But I think of this very philosophically.

You never know what you are going to die from so there’s no need to worry much about it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not afraid of dying while joggling a marathon. If only my wife was as easily convinced.

My favorite part is that you are not allowed to have any watch & the winner isn’t the person who finishes the fastest, it’s the one who finishes closest to midnight! Everyone has a chance to win. Here’s the race info.

Are You Ready to Scream?

Come take part in PATFC’s inaugural Screaming Pumpkin Prediction Marathon and Relay held on Halloween Eve, where running fast may help you escape from the zombies and ghouls, but it won’t necessarily win you the race!

The Screaming Pumpkin, Peoria Illinois’ first marathon event ever, promises to be one of the craziest, hilliest, and darkest running events in the country. Run by yourself, or with a team of 2 or 4. Either way, you’ll have no watch and no clock on the course: Just you, the cemetery and the night sky. Whoever finishes closest to midnight without going over, wins the race.

Participants can begin running anytime after 5:00 PM on October 30th, depending on the length of time they predict it will take them to complete the 26.2 mile distance before, or ideally, ON the stroke of midnight. Finishers who make it back alive before midnight, will receive a wand, a tiara and a finisher’s photo. Finishers who make it back alive after midnight will receive a pumpkin. The marathon course will close and all runners will be asked to leave the course at 1:00 AM. **Marathon and relay runners are guaranteed a long sleeve technical shirt and an orange Puma, fleece lined, dri-fit beanie cap. Entertainment provided by award-winning story teller Brian “Fox” Ellis.

If you’re in the Peoria, Il area then this might just be the race for you. I doubt I’ll make it since I’m doing the Hot Chocolate 15K the next day but I think I’ll add it to the calendar next year. Maybe I’ll even joggle with pumpkins.

You can register for the race by clicking this link.

Do you know of a wacky, crazy marathon or race?  Leave a comment below and we’ll highlight it in an upcoming post.

Different Program Same Result

I’ve never really followed a specific training program. Usually, I follow a version of this training program published in Runner’s World. My best result was 3:22. Then last year I tried a version of the FIRST training program. Best result with this program was 3:39. When I set my PR, I didn’t follow a formal training program. I just ran whatever I felt like doing, just everything a bit faster.

With all these different training programs giving roughly the same results, I’m left to wonder…

How do I get faster?

I’d love to run a Boston Qualifier & even better, break the 3 hour mark. But it seems the training I do right now just won’t cut it. I need something else.

Walk your way to marathon speed

I saw this running article in Reuters and was reminded of a different way to train for a marathon. Walking.

The article talks about the Jeff Galloway method. In this training program, you take a series of walking breaks even when you don’t feel like it.

The theory is that a brief rest period helps your tendons & muscles recover / regenerate. This will allow you to cover the distance faster than if you had run the whole time.

Benefits of Walking

Some of the benefits touted by this method are…

1. Prevent injury - The walk break allows your muscles to regenerate and lessens the chance of repetitive stress injury.

2. Prevent fatigue – When you walk, you relieve some of the exhaustion that builds up. Walking when you’re not tired helps keep your muscles fresh.

3. Improve endurance - Less tire muscles = muscles that work for longer.

4. Increase speed – If you are fresh for the last few miles of the marathon, you won’t slow down and you’ll have a better finishing time.

5. Mental benefits - When you think in terms of a series of 10 minute runs, it’s easier on your mind than thinking of a 26 mile run.

Downside of walking

But it seems to me that there are some downsides of this kind of training.

1. Real running? - Perhaps this is the words of a running snob, but if you don’t run the whole race, somehow it doesn’t feel like you’ve really “run the race”.

2. None of the pros do it – No running professional uses this method, so perhaps it’s not the best way. Although, you and I are not professional runners so this might not matter.

3. Harder to joggle - As a joggler, you’ll find switching to walking while juggling a bit tougher than running while juggling. The timing is significantly different. If you try this training method, you’ll have to practice walking while juggling.

4. Lose the racing mindset – When I have walked during races I found it much tougher to re-start myself. However, these were always unexpected stops. Perhaps if they are planned for it would be different.

5. Audience jeers - When other runners or even the racing spectators see someone walking, they will automatically yell out words of encouragement. They won’t know that you are walking on purpose. This could get a bit distressing.

Should you try it?

I never thought this was for serious runners but the article’s author did a 3:16 marathon and Galloway himself used this method to do a 2:16 marathon! This might be worth trying for my next marathon. I’ve got to do something to get the Boston Qualifier.

Do you use the Galloway run/walk method? Is it any good? Leave a comment and let the rest of the JYAJ community know.