An explanation

My brother asked me where I came up with my training schedule that I showed in my last post. Was it an App? Did I use the new maths? No, I didn’t. The short answer is that I made it up. Shocking, I know, but there was a method to the madness.

First, I took a look at my goals and previous training experience and decided to work from there. I knew I wanted to run 4 days a week. I thought about making it 5 days, but from previous experience, I know that I start to get aches and pains running 5 or more days a week on a consistent basis (probably due to weight). I also wanted to run in the 20 to 25 miles a week range. Another consideration was my goal of running a 5K and half marathon double. I wanted to make sure I’d have enough mileage to prepare for that.

After consulting several training schedules that I found on the internets (just Google “half marathon training schedule” and you’ll come up with dozens), I started by picking the days I wanted to run and the days I wanted to take off. I then entered my race days and long runs, building distance progressively. I also picked a day to do cross training that might also serve as a running day or rest day. On race weeks, and the weeks prior to races, I built in a taper to make sure I was feeling good on race day. The remaining three days of the week consist of two short runs and a medium length run.

So it’s not scientific and I didn’t consult a doctor or running expert, but I think my plan will work for me.

Training schedule 2011

Last year when I started this whole running business, I followed a training schedule that I found on some random website. That worked out pretty well for me, so I decided to create my own schedule for training this next year. My first big goal race, or races I should say, are the Tom King Classic 5K and half marathon here in Nashville (my first double). My new training schedule will get me prepped for this by having several split runs were I run 3 miles, then some longer distance. Click on the icon below to view my new training schedule (created using Google Docs).

Feel free to check it out and offer suggestions or tips. I’m also working on a new weight loss plan and that will be the subject of my next post which should be in a few days.

Re-branding

I decided recently to re-brand this website and call it “Out of Breath” (http://outofbreath.org in case you want to update your bookmarks, links, and feeds). I got the seed of this idea in Vegas and that seed germinated while running through Shelby Bottoms a couple of weeks ago. I was thinking about my jumping out of buildings and airplanes adventures in Las Vegas and noticed that in both cases I was out of breath at the end. I decided this would be a good name for a blog and a good way to live a life. If you’re out of breath at the end of an activity, that is generally a sign that you have given your all and that’s what I want to do when I’m out there running, jumping, or doing whatever in my life. You only get one life and if you aren’t out of breath at the end of whatever you have done, then you’ve probably missed out on something along the way.

So to that end, I’ll be recommitting myself to running and eating better and living a better life overall. Over the next few days I’ll be posting a new training program for my upcoming races and will also start posting my weight loss progress again. I’d also like for you, my dear readers, to continue to read along, comment, offer advice, and hold me accountable.

Let’s do this!

A non-running adventure

One of my original motives for losing weight was to go sky diving. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I decided to do the SkyJump off the Stratosphere Tower. It’s a controlled free fall where they attach a cable to your back, throw you over the edge of the building (855 feet above the pavement), and 40 feet from the ground the cable slows you to a soft landing. Here are some pictures from the top with the SkyJump crew (who spoke with 1930s Chicago gangster accents the whole time).

I just fixed the cable, see?
I'm gonna throw you off this building, see?

It was awesome, so I decided to up the ante and go for the full sky diving experience at Sky Dive Las Vegas. If you ever get the chance to jump out of a plane, I say do it. And if I hadn’t started running and losing weight, I never would have had videos like the one below to post.

Ragnar Relay Tennessee 2010

I’m running a bit behind on my race reports. This one details my adventures in rural East and Middle Tennessee running the Ragnar Relay. It all started on a cold fall evening in November near Vanderbilt in Nashville. Our team of 12 runners (and two drivers), met up for the drive down to Chattanooga for the start of the race the following morning. Our team consisted of runners Joe, Emily, Chrystyna, Ryan, Gail and Karen with drivers Nicole and Mark in van 1. Runners Victoria, Lou, Derek, Phil, Erin, and yours truly with driver Byron filled out van 2. The runners in van 1 would run legs 1-6, 13-18, and 25-30, while van 2 would run 7-12, 19-24, and 31-36. My personal legs were 10, 22, and 34.

After a stop over in Murfreesboro for some pre-race pasta, we continued down to Chattanooga to get our hotel at around 9 or 10pm. After settling on sleeping arrangements, I announced that I was going to head out to seek something to drink. Phil offered to go with me and asked what I wanted to drink. I said, “I really want a beer.” He said, “I knew I was walking with the right guy.” After a night filled with, obscure brews, stinky bums, stolen darts, women with wiffle ball bats, and a possible wholesale steel deal, Phil and I ended up in the hotel swimming pool at 5am waving to van 1 as they left to go running. We then headed upstairs to catch a few zees before heading off to run our legs a few hours later.

My first leg was pretty brutal. It rained for most of Phil’s leg right before mine, but the sun came out at the end and that’s how I started mine. The sun only lasted for about 5 minutes though and then the clouds and rain came back. Then the sleet came and was blowing directly into my eyes. I was running with my eyes closed for about a mile until the sleet slacked up and turned into a light, wet snow. It then rained on and off the rest of the run. At the end I came in under my goal pace of 10:15, but was wet, cold, and spitting blood. I warmed up at an outdoor store in Monteagle and bought some Little Debbie Star Crunches and immediately ate four.

After Erin and Victoria did their legs (the picture above was taken during Victoria’s leg down Monteagle), we stopped to eat and catch some sleep. I had brought a tarp and spread it out on the ground and got in my sleeping bag. After an hour of sleep it started raining again, so I put my junk back in the van and Phil and I went over and drank some free hot chocolate and chatted with some race volunteers. A while later, van 1 showed up and they handed over to us and we were off to the races again.

The best leg of the race by far was leg 14 which Lou ran. It was out in the middle of nowhere, TN and the night sky was crystal clear at this point. Simply beautiful. My next leg was through Shelbyville, TN and was short, but cold and I was running with 3 hours of sleep. I slogged through it starting out quick and not entirely sure where I was going. The middle part was a bit slow, but I finished strong and got my pace under 10:00. I quickly jumped in the van to get out of the cold.

Our next hand-off spot was in the Cool Springs area of Nashville. Healthways, a sponsor, had opened their building for the use of the runners. I threw my tarp down again to sleep on the grass in the office park and this time Erin joined me rather than trying her luck in the van. We slept for an hour or two and finally got up when the noise was too loud to sleep through. We went in the building to use the bathrooms and eat breakfast. I stripped down for a quick whore bath using my baby wipes (if you bring nothing else on your Ragnar adventure, bring baby wipes) and then got a bagel sandwich.

It was then our turn to run again, this time in the Nashville Metro area. My leg was through the historic Belle Meade area and was hilly and not much fun after running 10 miles the day before with limited sleep in cold cramped conditions. My pace was probably around 11:15 or so with a lot of walking incorporated. Still, I finished as best I could. After Erin’s final run we dropped Victoria off for the last leg and headed for the finish on 1st Avenue in Nashville. We parked and hurried over to the meeting area where we met the people from van 1 (who were clean and showered) for the final 100 yard dash. We got really excited when Victoria came into view and everyone took off running at nearly a sprint to finish up the race. We all ran across the finish line together with an official time of 36:40:06 for the 195.5 mile distance.

Despite finishing dead last (which we expected considering out team name was “First Out Last In”), despite the cold, the sleet, the lack of sleep, and the chafing, this was the funnest race I have done. I met a lot of great people and had a ton of fun with everyone in my van. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat and hope I can do it again next year.

Murfreesboro Half Marathon 2010

If you are looking for a great half marathon for a PR, this is the race for you. It is small, extremely flat, and at just the right time of year for decent weather. My race morning was a bit brisk, but as you runners know, it doesn’t take long to warm up in a race no matter what the temperature might be. The race course starts and finishes on the MTSU campus and winds its way through Murfreesboro, TN. It passes several historic places including the Oaklands Mansion (a famous historic landmark) and Davis Market (a famous place for college kids to buy beer and rolling papers).

I started this race 10lbs heavier and with almost no training under my belt since the Chicago half marathon I did on August 1. Naturally I did not expect to do very well and wasn’t planning on taking this race very seriously. My main goal was to finish under 2:30:00 which was 12 minutes over my PR. It was just going to be a fun run and for most of the race that’s exactly what it was. Up through mile 9 I rarely checked my watch and mainly chatted with other racers, watched the cheerleaders, and thought about my old college days at MTSU. At mile 6 I even stopped and took a rather lengthy bathroom break.

I was really enjoying myself and the run at mile 9. I wasn’t fatigued and was on pace to finish at about my PR time, it was at that point that I decided to go for it at mile 10. The plan was to run the last 5K at or near my 5K pace if possible and get a new PR. The plan worked pretty well as I ran as hard as I could for 5 minute intervals and walked for 1 minute for recovery. With about three quarters of a mile to go I decided to run it out to the finished. I started getting a little tired with a quarter mile to go, but at that exact moment I came up on a couple (with matching running gear, how cute!) who were struggling a bit, but trying not to let me pass. I kicked in that lower gear and started pulling away from them and as I left them behind I could hear the guy start wheezing. At the last tenth of a mile, I stepped it up to a sprint and gave it everything I had in the tank and passed about 20 people for a time of 2:16:03 which was a PR by exactly 2 minutes! True to form for most of my races, I nearly collapsed at the finish line and was asked by a volunteer if I needed help. No thanks!

This race was probably one of the funner ones I have done. Everything about it was well done and the small size allowed me to run the race I wanted to run. As long as I live in Tennessee, I’ll be doing the “Middle Half.”

Chicago Half Marathon 2010

Better late than never, here is my race report for the Rock N’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon 2010 on August 1, 2010.

I signed up for this half marathon before even having run my first half marathon. It was on a whim and mainly due to the fact that I wanted to visit Chicago (and also I had a discount code). Given my previous experience with half marathons, I booked a hotel room close to the start/finish line.

After a good night’s sleep, I trekked over the the starting area and checked my gear bag (with 1 towel, 1 bottle of water, and 1 clean shirt). I then milled around the starting corrals looking for Emily with no luck, so I finally just went and sat on the curb in my own corral. After the pre-race formalities the race began and my waiting began. This race was HUGE and so it took about 30 minutes for me to actually make it to the starting line. So there was a lot of standing around and listening to interviews with celebrities, most of which I’d never heard of (Al Roker, NBC weatherman, ran the race in 3:20:58. I blew him away). My corral finally got to the front and we started off.

My first mistake was training in half mile run, one minute rest intervals. As soon as we entered the cavernous streets of the city, my Garmin lost signal and I had no idea how far I was running. My watch was completely useless for about the first 5 miles of the race. So I basically just ran for 5 minutes and then walked/jogged for one minute. I figured this would keep me close to my pace until we got out of the city streets and into the park which would make up the last half of the race.

The streets of Chicago have numerous potholes and these were a constant tripping hazard (see Emily’s post on that). I personally almost fell twice in the first few miles and once more at about mile 6. I also saw a girl fall at about mile 2.5, but someone stopped to help her and she wasn’t screaming so I just kept moving. The potholes around mile 6 were particularly treacherous because they were in an extremely dark tunnel.

At the mile 6 marker I was pleased to note that I was not only on pace to beat my PR, I was well below goal pace, stretch goal pace, and even my double secret stretch goal pace. In fact, I was on pace to finish in about 2:15:00 which would have been phenomenal! I kept pressing onwards and at the 15K mile marker (where I pretty much crashed an burned at the Country Music half) I was still on pace for my triple secret stretch goal time of 2:20:00 and feeling good.

The course then moved onto a greenway trail and this was my only real complaint about this race. There are just WAY too many people running this race have part of it on a greenway trail. It was very difficult to pass anyone unless you went off the trail (which I did a lot). And the water stops were even worse. I had decided to carry my own water bottle so that I could hydrate on my own without stopping, but on the greenway trail it was practically impossible to get through the water stops without slowing down or stopping. I had to gently guide (err, push) a few oblivious people out of my way to make it through some areas. The sponge station (in theory a good idea) was the worst! Not only were people stopping to grab sponges, they tossed them right on the path so it was like running through springy mud. Not fun when you’ve been running for 11 miles already.

At mile 12 I decided I had enough energy to skip any remaining rest intervals, so I just kept on running. Once again the course bottlenecked down to a narrow walkway, this time with walls on both sides. I tried being patient, but I just wasn’t getting anywhere so I again had to push some people out of my way (not so gently this time, not enough room). Once I got through a particularly tight bunch I sprinted for about 50 yards through a few gaps and came out into an area that was less dense with runners. I was finally able to settle into a decent pace that wasn’t too slow.

As I came down the stretch towards the finish, the course widened out quite a bit, but I had expended all my energy getting through the crowds earlier, so I just maintained my pace and finished in a time of 2:18:03. This was a HUGE PR for me since it knocked about 27 minutes off my previous half marathon time. I was also not completely dead like I was on my previous half marathon so I took one (or two) of everything they were handing out at the end including Popsicles, a nice touch.

After getting my gear bag, I got out my trusty towel and laid in the shade for a few minutes. Then I changed into my clean and dry shirt for a trip to get a free cup of beer. After the beer I was ready to head back to the hotel.

Overall, this was a good race for me with very satisfying results. I’m glad I did it and I’m glad I met or exceeded all of my goals. The bar has been set pretty high now and it will be a real challenge to keep moving that bar to a higher level. That’s all part of the fun though.

My shoes are dead, long live my shoes

I’ve only owned one pair of running shoes since I started running. They are the New Balance 760s. I bought them back in February of this year (2010) and they have been serving as my only pair of running shoes ever since. They’ve been serving me adequately, but here lately I’ve begun to suspect that they aren’t as fresh as they once were. I’ve been having some minor shin and foot pain and I’ve really been able to feel a lot more detail about the road surface. I had planned to wait until 500 miles to buy new shoes, but this week I decided that I’d go ahead and try to get some new ones after I ticked over 450 miles.

I headed over to the running store today to check out what they had. I showed the guy helping me my old shoes and he looked them over and asked if I wanted the same ones and I told him I wanted to try some others on to see what they felt like. He brought out a couple of pairs and when I tried on the first ones and took them for and experimental jog, I immediately realized that my old shoes where completely dead. The first ones were Brooks and they felt good, but were a bit snug. I tried some Nike shoes next that felt okay, but I wasn’t sure about them, they were also a bit snug. I then asked to try some Sauconys that I had tried the first time I bought shoes as well as a new pair of NB 760s just to see what new ones felt like. I didn’t care for the 760s, but the Sauconys were nice and I was about to settle on them, but asked to try on some wider Brooks. After trying the Brooks on, I decided that they beat out the Sauconys by a narrow margin.

So here are my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10s. They have a much softer feel than my old shoes and are a full ounce lighter as well (a noticeable difference). I was much more choosy about this second pair of shoes than the first. Having several months of running experience gives me a more intuitive feel for what I want (lighter and softer). I’ve also learned that it’s probably a good idea to get new shoes before you think you need them since I had no idea how dead my shoes were until I tried on new ones. My one piece of advice out of all of this is that if you have a couple hundred miles on your shoes, go ahead and try some new ones on so that you can gauge where your old shoes are in their replacement cycle. If you’ve got 400 or 500 miles on your shoes, you might be surprised at how a new pair feel.

Firecracker 5K 2010

Another race in the books and this time I met, nay, exceeded my goals. Really there was only one goal, to beat 30 minutes in the 5K distance.

Since I work nights, I’m usually up all night before a race and this night was no exception. All week I’ve been feeling some sore muscles in my legs, to the point that I had to stop my workout a bit early on Tuesday for fear of injuring myself. This had me a bit nervous and I was getting more nervous as my leg muscles continued to tighten on Friday evening. Finally I remembered an old friend, The Stick. I haven’t used it in a couple of months, but I busted it out and worked my legs over. After that my legs were not so sore and tight and The Stick is going to become part of my regular routine again.

I stuck with my plan and got to the race ahead of time. It is a medium sized race, so there were a lot of people there, but there was ample parking so I didn’t have any problems there. I went and picked up my bib, t-shirt, and timing chip and took the shirt back to my car. I was trying to walk at a pretty fast pace to get warmed up. I got back to the start line and looked around a bit for some friends, but didn’t see them and then they called everyone over to the line to start. I did a quick jog to loosen up as the pre-race formalities took place. Then I looked for a place in the mob. I started out fairly far back, but then I remembered my plan, so I pushed up through the crowd more towards the middle or about one third back from the start as near as I could tell.

The gun fired and about half the people around me jumped or gasped in fright. Pretty soon we were moving and then we started running. I ran along with the crowd for the first minute or two until my watch settled on a pace and then I ran according to my watch pace. A sub 30 5K requires about a 9:38 pace, but I settled in at 9:12. A few people were passing me, but I had chosen my starting spot wisely and I seemed to be running with a group who were about my same speed (except for the girl who was already walking not even a quarter mile into the race. I’m not sure if she was already tired, running intervals, or what, but she had no business starting as far up as she did. She didn’t really get in my way, but she was a jerk.)

At mile marker 1, I was still at the 9:12 pace and feeling good (I passed up the water stop). Some annoying teenagers had crept into my little group, but otherwise it was a great run to this point. In past races I have tried to be very polite and I’ve taken the turns wide and tried to get out of people’s way when I have heard them coming up from behind. But today I decided I was going to run my own race and not worry about what other people were doing. This resulted in a lot less weaving around and a much more consistent stride and pace. It also helped to shorten my distance a bit. My GPS measured 3.17 miles at the end which isn’t too much more than the regulation 3.1 miles of a 5K. In my previous races I’ve ended up running as much as a quarter mile more than the regulation distance.

The second mile was about the same as the first. As I neared the turnaround point I noticed my running buddy Joe coming back the other way. I gave him a shout out and even though he didn’t see me, he waved in my general direction. I did the turnaround and completed mile 2 still feeling good and still breathing my normal 3 steps in, 3 steps out.

Mile three started with a small rise to another water station that I again passed up. I really can’t believe they had two water stops in such a short race, but I was glad it was there since I was finally able to leave those annoying teenagers behind when they stopped for a drink. There were a couple of small hills to contend with and near the top of the second one I went into 3 steps in, 2 steps out breathing. After a downhill stretch, we hit another small rise and came into the home stretch. My pace had fallen off to about 9:14 at this point and with about 3 tenths to go I switched to 2 steps in, 2 steps out breathing and pushed my pace back up. As we rounded the bend into the YMCA parking lot I decided to go for broke and sprint my way to the finish.

I finished with a chip time of 28:31 and a gun time of 29:24, so no matter how you look at it, I hit my goal. This is a PR for the 5K distance, beating my previous record by 7 minutes and 54 seconds. This also marks the first time I have run a race with the same distance as one I had run before. I also feel more like a real runner having run a race at a better than 10 minutes per mile pace. To me 10 minutes per mile is where the real running starts and to get to it has been a challenge, but rewarding nonetheless. Of course now that I’ve reached it, 9 minutes per mile seems to be where the real running starts. That’s why running is so great!

Lessons learned from today’s race:

  1. Run your own race and don’t let politeness or other people dictate how you run.
  2. Be optimistic and start where you expect to finish.
  3. Set a realistic goal and then go for it with everything you’ve got.
  4. Those annoying teenagers will get left behind at the 2nd water stop.
  5. You don’t have to look fit to be fit. I passed a lot of people who looked fitter than me.

A special shout out goes to Gail who didn’t PR, but had a decent race and ran hard to the finish. And also to Emily and that other girl whose name I can’t remember despite having run with her twice Erin. They were both at the end cheering for just about everyone, including me.

Mile a day challenge

Okay, here’s a challenge that is so easy to do that I might mess it up by just forgetting about it. The challenge is to run or walk at least one mile every day for the month of July. I’m doing it because it is easy and it gives me a goal to work towards. Also, it will help get me up and running every day so that I am less inclined to be lazy. Day 1 is already in the books with a 5K run at Mill Creek Greenway. I didn’t get this challenge from any other web site, I just made it up this morning while driving home from work. If anyone decides to do this one, let me know in the comments.

Also, I’m still doing the Firecracker 5K this weekend at the Maryland Farms YMCA in Brentwood. There will be a few people there that I know, so it should be a fun event. Come on out and race with us!

One note about my data collection. I recently purchased a Garmin Forerunner 305 and am now recording my runs with that. I think my Nike+ was cheating me out of distance, especially on runs longer than 7 miles. So if my pace seems a bit quicker, it is probably just due to more accurate distance and time measurement. Also, my previous convention of calling runs longer than 6 miles “long” runs is out the door. Now it has to be 8 miles to be long.