Through some deft Web site management, I somehow deleted about two month's worth of posts between July and August. Here's what remains of August and September.
A Little Reminder from Runners World
Earlier this week, Runner’s World posted an article on its web site about what to do and not to do in the final three weeks before a marathon.
The article was quite long but the basic message was: Don’t do anything stupid before your marathon. Stupid includes anything from getting in a 20-mile run the week of your marathon or dieting before your big race.
I don’t remember everything the article suggested but here are some things that stuck in my mind:
- Don’t run longer than 10 miles the weekend before your marathon
- Eat plenty of protein the week leading up to the marathon
- Sleep!
Here are a couple of other pieces from the article that I think I’m going to try to do.
The article suggest a 4 mile run early in the week of the marathon in which you do a warmup mile followed by two miles at marathon pace followed by a cool down mile. The marathon plan I picked out but then really ended up custmonizing, actually had me doing a run with several miles at marathon goal pace. I did a couple of these pace runs and really liked them but got caught up in more traditional workouts as I prepared for a couple other races.
But, considering that I really don’t run my goal marathon pace very often, this type of run could be good just to refresh myself what it feels like so I can settle right into my pace on race day.
The article also suggested eating unsaturated fatty foods like nuts, oils, etc. to build up fat stores in the body. As we all know, once the body runs out of glycogen on race day it turns to fat stores and if you don’t have anything in the bank you’re going to be hurting. Actually, I think this really hurt me at the Madison Marathon. When I hit the wall, I hit the wall!
The article does point out that you shouldn’t pig out or anything, it even says to avoid ice cream.
Really, I think the most important thing to do is to not run yourself in the ground the final weeks leading up to your marathon. Try to get in more sleep than you normally do and eat well. If you have a bowl of ice cream or a slice of chocolate cake, don’t worry about it, unless you’re eating it marathon morning.
Good luck everyone and congrats to our finishers at Fox Cities.
Posted Friday, September 26, 2008
Well Done Zoo Run Run
I ran the 10K at the Zoo Run Run on Sunday and had one of the better racing experiences I’ve ever had in Madison. It has great prizes, good after-race refreshments and food and a nice 10K course. (I think It is one of the few area 10Ks in which the faster 10K runners aren’t forced to zig-zag in and out of slower 5K runners.)
Also, the awards were excellent. A trophy was presented to the top three finishers accompanied by a nice gift certificate. I almost don’t want to publish this post for fear that a bunch of good runners will show up next year and take advantage of the excellent awards. But a well-run race deserves praise.
The race went well for me too. I’ve always had a tough time with the 10K. I think the mix of endurance and speed has always thrown me off. Well Sunday’s race went a little better. Being pushed by good competition definitely helps.
I still have my sights on the Lakefront Marathon. The race is only about 12 days away! Although, I’ve done less miles in preparation for Lakefront than I did for the Madison Marathon, I’m still confident that I can come away with a big PR. I feel better, I’m in good shape and I’m really excited about Lakefront!
Good luck to all area runners that are running Lakefront or any other fall marathon.
Posted Monday, Sept. 22, 2008
Ironman!
This year was the first time that I’ve seen the Wisconsin Ironman up close. I have to say it was bigger than I expected.
More people, more spectators, more volunteers and more heart than I thought an athletic event like this could have.
Bright and early Sunday morning, I was stirred awake by the booming amplified voice of the Ironman announcer. I rode my bike down the Lake Monona to check it out.
When I got there, the swim was well under way. I took up a spot down along the bike path that runs Lake Monona. The number of kicking legs and the flashes of arms and legs was amazing.
It was pretty exciting to see the first swimmer get out of the water and head down John Nolen Drive. What a feeling it would be to have a 112-mile bike race in front of you followed by a marathon all the while knowing that over 2,000 athletes are chasing you.
Later in the day, I decided to do my run so it would follow parts of the marathon course. Don’t worry, I wasn’t one of those people that was running on the course or anything like that. I spaced myself off on the sidewalk and tried to running the opposite direction of the course so I wasn’t passing competitors.
It was while out on the course that I saw my cousin for the first time. I actually ran by him without realizing it was it him. I had to circle back and cheer him on. He looked good and was running smart.
Hours later, standing at the finish line, I saw him complete his first loop of the marathon. In my excitement, one of the things I said was “Almost there!” As a runner, I hate it when people say something like that. When you are half way through a marathon, you are not almost there.
A couple hours later, with the downtown area darkening, I watched as finishers trickled in. It was amazing to watch the competitors facial expressions change as they approached the last turn.
My cousin, Cory, finished very well and, as one of the youngest competitors, got a mention in a Capital Times article!
Posted Friday September 12, 2008
Gearing Up for Cross Country Season
Every now and then I see a couple leaves twirl to the ground and I think fall! Don’t get me wrong. I love the summer. Especially this summer. There really hasn’t been that many hot, hot days and, unfortunately for our farmers and gardeners, the skies have been solid blue more days than not.
But the idea of fall just being around the corner is exciting to most runners because it means the beginning of cross country season, cooler running temperatures and fall marathons.
Even though I’m long out of high school, I still love watching high school cross country races. When I can, I check out the Verona Invite each year in early September. It’s a great way to celebrate another cross country season and a good way to reenergize running that may start to go flat after a long summer of training. It’s a very competitive meet with 20-some teams, very talented runners and a hilly, twisty, just-plain-hard course.
Best of all, there is an unofficial open race at the end of all the high school races. This is when people like me, can relive those high school cross country meets. It’s a great time.
Like I said, fall also means fall marathons. Yesterday, I was in Milwaukee for work and got a chance to run along the Lakeshore Path to Veterans Park. This is where the Lakefront Marathon ends. It was my first time running there and it was nice to check out the turf and kind of visualize what the end of the race might be like. Of course, it was a little hard to visualize anything with the hundreds of Harleys blasting by on Lakeshore Drive but it was still nice to be there.
Hard to believe Lakefront and Twin Cities Marathons are little more than one month away.
Posted Friday August 29, 2008
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