Alright, It's Resolution Time

As I read my post from August 5th, I realized that I hadn't followed through on my own advice. So...this year I intend to do just that. I still dream of completing another marathon...but I'm not sure how realistic it is at this point. I know that there are somethings that I need to change...and so I will set about changing them.

Ideally, I'd like to run a fall marathon. I recognize now that might be too ambitious a goal. I'm not sure that my body can hack it. Instead, I want to finish a "major" race. Perhaps it will be a 1/2 marathon...or a 10k. To get there, I need to do the following:

1. Lose 10 pounds. At 2 pounds a week, this should be done by mid-February.
2. Lift weights 3 times per week.
3. Cardio workouts. 4-5 times per week using the heart rate monitor. These can include intense walking as well as running. The goal being fitness and avoiding the stresses of long runs while I lose the 10 pounds and strengthen my legs.
4. Have fun.

Well that's it. Those are my goals for the next month. We'll see how it goes!

Running Goals After Injury

Injuries are frustrating things, but if there is one benefit to them they cause me to do some thinking about what my goals are when it comes to running.

1. Physical Fitness. Aerobic fitness is important. It feels better to be in shape that out of shape.
2. Thinking Time. It is good to have some time alone outside to think or simply let the mind wander.
   
3. Personal Challenge. Big goals motivate me. Having never been particularly fleet of foot, running goals have generally been about distance rather than time.
4. Lifetime Sport. I want my running to be a lifetime thing. I want to be that old guy you see running.

The frustrating thing for me is that I seem to keep breaking down physically when I get up to a certain mileage...somewhere in the 10 mile long run range with a 25 mile week.

I'm not quite sure what to think about it. I completed three marathons in my late twenties and would like to do another one, but I'm not sure if this mid-forties body can handle it. This last injury I can attribute in part to not changing shoes quickly enough which can lead to shin splints, but I don't think that shoes were the lone culprit.

I need to do is think about what has changed over the years. Is there something missing?

I can think several things other than the simple fact that I am older:

1. When I was marathoning, I also went to the health club 2-3 times a week and worked out on the weight machines.
2. I was about 15-20 pounds lighter.
3. I was more flexible.
   
4. Many of my miles back then were run on a converted railroad line...which means that there was very little crown to the surface. My current routes are on the shoulders of country roads. There isn't much crown, but there is some.

So what to do? I guess part of it is reorient my thinking when it comes to running and come up with a plan that takes these things into consideration.

• Lift weights regularly. Dust off the weight bench in the basement.
• Lose weight. It's really not hard if you put your mind to it.
• Stretch. Get some information on the best ways to do this.
• Cross-train/rest more regularly. The problem is I really prefer running.
  

I also have scratched my marathon plans for this year. Instead, I'm going to try to incorporate these changes into my plans and get ready for a fall half-marathon.

Marathon Rules

This weeks TIART topic is "As you start your marathon training don't forget..." What a great topic! As I was thinking about this, there were a number of things that came to mind. Things like having the proper training plan, eating right, getting plenty of fluids or remembering to listen to your body. All of those things are important...and if you forget them you'll pay the consequences down the road somewhere. But there is a mental aspect to this whole marathon thing that is important to remember throughout the process. That's why it's essential to keep in mind the two cardinal rules of marathoning.

As you start your marathon training, don't forget...

Marathon Rule Number 1: Those who do marathons are crazy.

• Throughout history, people have attempted to find ways to make life easier. They caught and tamed horses so they wouldn't have to run. They created carriages for a smoother ride. They invented automobiles so they wouldn't have to feed the horses. They improved roads so cars could go faster. Tell me again why you want to run 26.2 miles?
• In training for a marathon this year, I will run the equivalent of running from Des Moines to Austin, TX.
• At some point during every marathon I’ve run I’ve vowed I would never do it again. Yet here I go again.
• Who else discusses the color of their pee?
• Carefully watch the expressions of people who learn that you are training for a marathon. You’ll notice that they are quietly wondering if they need to keep you away from sharp objects.
• Here's a three-step sanity check: 1. Reset the odometer the next time you are in the car. 2. Measure 26.2 miles. 3. Think about it.
• Normal people would think that running that much every week might be okay since “you can eat anything you want,” yet most marathoners obsess about what they eat. They carefully watch portions and content in an attempt to prepare for the next run without gaining weight. Notice all of the healthy food articles in running magazines…and that there isn’t a single fast food advertisement.
• The guy pooping in your bushes is probably training for a marathon.

Marathon Rule Number 2: Crazy is good.

• “Uh, no way”: The response I get when I challenge my son’s varsity athlete friends to a foot race…to a point 20 miles away.
• Few great things in life are accomplished without extraordinary commitment. Why settle for ordinary?
• Endorphins.
• The discipline required in marathon training spills over into other areas of life.
• Where else can you spend a morning having hundreds of complete strangers tell you that you're "looking good"?
• Many of my mocking friends huff and puff after climbing a flight of stairs.
• I can wear my "thin" pants.
• Most of my best ideas and the solutions to my most perplexing problems have come while I've been running.
• Remember: If you’ve run from Des Moines to Austin, it's quitting during a run from Minneapolis to St. Paul that would be crazy.
• I can settle into my workday knowing that I have already accomplished something that most people haven’t: I’ve run my miles.
• As I write this in Caribou Coffee, a customer walked in who looks like he's had a few hundred too many Big Macs. Yes, sometimes a long run can really hurt, but it looks like he hurts just standing in line.
• I've cheered as my favorite sports team has won the championship. I've enjoyed winning a close game. But nothing in all of sports (and perhaps almost all of life) feels like crossing the finish line of a marathon. Nothing.

Now it's important to remember these rules because people will question your sanity. There will come a time when you question your sanity. Start your training right by repeating the two rules over and over on at least one training run per week. Then you'll be set for whatever befalls you between now and the finish line.

"I am crazy. Crazy is good. I am crazy. Crazy is good. I am..."

The Whys of Running

I've gotten serious about my running. Over the last few years I've slowly worked myself back into being able to run 10 miles and now am focusing on training for a marathon this fall. As I was running this morning I was thinking about the benefits I've discovered to running, and more specifically training for something as big as a marathon. Here are a few of them:

• Physical fitness. It sounds obvious, but I feel better about myself when I am "in shape" than when I am "out of shape." One problem of the problems I have is that having trained for marathons in the past I now consider "marathon shape" to be my standard for physical fitness. I haven't been "in shape" for many years.


• A Distraction. As a pastor, I have a never-ending job. I love it, but I need the demands of a big race to help me focus on something else for a while.


• Nature. One of the reasons I the treadmill so much is that I enjoy getting out and seeing the changes each week brings. Running here in the Northwoods is special because there is the chance to see all sorts of wildlife. I've seen bears, deer, fox along with huge assortment of birds.


• Discipline. When I am disciplined in my running, it carries over to other areas of my life.


• Ice cream. Need I say more?


• A sense of accomplishment. Okay, pride. There's a sick sense of gratification when a non-runner says, "I saw you running today, how far did you go?" and you can answer "Only six miles today" because it was your short midweek run. Slightly better is to be able to shrug your shoulders and say, "Oh, about 20 miles this morning." The look you get is priceless.

How Long Can I Run?

Every year my age ticks up just a little bit. Sometimes I wonder if my increasing age will ever qualify me for a medal in a race. I've never been and probably never will be a fast runner. I'm a definite back of the pack plodder. Still, I have this dream of winning. I think every runner does.

I look around at every race I enter and wonder how many runners are in my age bracket. Can I beat them? Unfortunately, I'm learning that many of the "older" runners are former track or cross country runners whose flawless running form translated into speed as youngsters still translates into speed as they get older. I see too many sweaty grey-haired men sipping Gatorade when I cross the finish line to think that I really have a chance of winning any time soon.

Perhaps if I keep it going long enough I will eventually wear out all of the competition and finally win a race. Winning my age bracket at 80+ is a good goal...and I've got 35 years to work on it.

So watch out rabbits, this turtle is going to win!

What I Miss Most as a Middle-Age Runner

Over the last several years I've gotten serious about my running again. Last summer I trained enough to comfortably run a 1/2 marathon. This year I'm training for a full marathon in October.

As I was running this week I was thinking about the things that have changed since my last marathon (in 1989).

• I've changed careers. I was in the insurance business when I last ran a marathon. Now I'm a pastor. It's a change I'm glad I made.
• I've got two great kids. One's a junior in high school and the other a seventh grader. They are both jocks...more so than I ever was at their age. They'd probably join me in my long runs if they hadn't heard that long runs can hurt your vertical jump. Basketball is their game at this time in their lives.
• I've moved to the woods of northern Minnesota. It's fifteen miles to the nearest four-way stop sign. I don't worry about traffic when I run here. Bears and wolves, yes. I've seen a bear and plenty of wolf tracks on my runs. It adds a sense of adventure to the run. Kip Lagat, a Kenyan marathoner, explained why his country produces so many great marathoners with these words: "It's the road signs: Beware of Lions."
• On the other hand, I miss some of my old running routes in the Highland Park/Lake Forest area of Chicago. The traffic wasn't bad and the mansions were pretty cool. There were parks with drinking fountains and other runners to wave to.

If there is one thing I really miss about those years its my running partner. My wife and I were training for the Twin Cities Marathon in 1989. On our last long run something happened going up a little hill and she hurt her knee. She hasn't been able to run much since. She still cheers me on in my running endeavors, but I miss her companionship on those long tiring runs.

My wife is great. We all know what it is like to listen to someone go on and on about something that we love but can no longer do, but she listens willingly and prods me a little when I need a little motivation to get out the door.

Just like she used to.

I wouldn't trade her for the world.

It Starts at the Bottom - Reprise

I was going to write an article about some of the things I do to avoid injuries until I talked to a runner last night who was struggling with exactly the same problem I faced when I began running after a long hiatus...cramping feet. She was frustrated and didn't know what to do about it. I'm sure she was wondering how she would ever train for the 1/2 marathon she had planned to run this summer.

I had previously written an article about the problem, so I thought I would share it with the Take and Run Crowd. Here it is:

Saturday, February 2, 2008

It Starts at the Bottom
I've started running again after a break of several years. Okay, this dad quit running when his kids needed to be chased and then didn't start again until he had gained a few too many pounds. So my break from serious running was over ten years. Closer to fifteen. Long enough to have become middle-aged.

I've learned some things about running as a forty-something. When I started running again, of course I noticed how out of shape I had become. In my striving to get back into shape I ran into a problem I never had experienced before. I'd run about two miles and the top of my right foot would start to cramp. It was a weird feeling. In a way, it almost felt like my socks had bunched up under my toes. The top of my foot hurt and it would radiate up my shin. Sometimes I would be able to run through it, but it often brought me down to a walk.

I've been wearing orthotics since I marathoned in my twenties. I had never changed orthotics because my feet were always comfortable. Since it had been so many years, I figured maybe they were worn out and that a trip to the podiatrist was in order. He immediately fit me for a new pair of orthotics. When they finally arrived I slipped them in my shoes and took off running.

They felt great!

Until about two miles out when my foot cramped.

I searched the internet looking for a solution, but nothing made sense. I didn't have plantar fascitis, shin splints, or ITB syndrome. Whatever it was, it was painful while I was running, but then I would feel fine within minutes of stopping.

Finally, I did what I should have done in the first place: I went to a running store. For me, that's a 90 mile trip to Duluth. I explained that I wore orthotics for over-pronation and wore a 10 or 10 1/2 shoe depending on the brand. I then told them about my problem with foot cramps.

The owner sat me down, took off my shoes, measured my feet and asked me, "Who told you that you wore a 10 or 10 1/2? You're at least an 11! If your shoes are too small, your feet will cramp!"

Who told me I wore I size 10 or 10 1/2? A running store clerk 20 years ago. I never new that as you get older your feet get wider and perhaps longer! I walked out of the store with a new pair of shoes, laced them up and have run for miles since.

It was one of the first lessons I learned being a middle-aged runner. There were many more to come.



I related the story to the gal and she got a funny look on her face. She told me that she had purchased her last pair of running shoes from a "regular" shoe store (remember a running store is 90 miles away). "I've always worn a 9 or 9 1/2, but they measured my feet and told me that I should wear an 8 1/2!"

I told her to take the drive to the running store (Austin Jarrow) in Duluth and they would set her up right.

It's a simple thing, really: "If our feet aren't happy, ain't nobody happy."

Brett Favre Retired Today

I watched Brett Favre's retirement press conference today while I ran on the treadmill. It was obviously an emotional decision for him to walk away from a game that he has been so committed to his whole life.

He said he was tired. He said that he did not want to put the effort in to play another season. He said that the stress was mounting with each game. He said that the enjoyment had left the game.

The reporters seemed puzzled, probably because any of them would give their right arm for a chance to play one game as an NFL quarterback. Why would he "quit"?

I guess I can relate a little bit to his situation. Bear with me for a moment.

Brett Farve's main reason to play is because the "want to" has to be there. He doesn't need the money. He has all of the records. He's won a Super Bowl. The hunger to pay the price to play has to be there. It's not anymore. So its time to walk away and find something else to do. Something that you enjoy doing.

This winter I made the decision to run a marathon. I've done it before...a long time ago. I know what is involved. The hours of preparation. The daily grind. The mental discipline. The endless training. All for the few hours some Saturday morning when I'll try to cover 26.2 miles...because it's fun.

But if the whole marathon experience has lost its appeal, if it no longer holds the mystique, if it is no longer fun, then why do it?

A marathon, like pro football, demands intensity over many months. You cannot just show up at the starting line having faked or skipped the training and expect to finish.

Brett Farve must have looked at another upcoming season and asked himself if it was worth it. The training, preparation, the practice and the risk of injury, all for the fun of Sunday afternoons and the chance to win another Super Bowl.

He decided it wasn't worth it anymore.

And so he walked away.

Good for him.

Football fans will miss him. He was fun to watch.

But for the people who matter most, his family and close friends, his walking away from football will mean he has more time to spend with them. If he hasn't discovered it already, I'm sure he will find that the greatest blessing is not in the locker room, but in the family room. That's where the greatest game is played.

Brett, don't ever walk away from that one.

Ramping Up The Mileage

After taking many years off of running, I started to get back into shape. My goal: Run another marathon. Injury after injury plagued my efforts. Finally I was able to get into shape enough to run a 1/2 marathon...and will continue my pursuit of the marathon this summer. I'm writing this post as a reminder of some of the lessons I've learned as a middle-age runner.

1. Increase mileage slowly. When I was in my 20s I learned an old running adage that you shouldn't increase the distance of your long run or your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. At the time, I laughed at the advice. While it made some sense to slowly increase mileage, I found that the 10% rule could be broken if you were willing to put up with some sore muscles from time to time. Now in my 40s, I can only break the 10% rule if I want to flirt with a run-stopping injury. I love Hal Higdon's Training Schedule for the 1/2 marathon and the full marathon, but I would only recommend them for runners younger than me. If you look closely, they break the 10% rule! At the beginning, it may seem sissyish to increase your long run each week from 3.0 to 3.3 to 3.6 to 4.0, but in the end it is the best way I know of to keep from injury.
2. Rest Days are Important. When running has become a habit, a day without running is difficult. As an older runner, though, its important to remember that the body doesn't recover as quickly as a young buck's body. Rest days are essential to running without injury. Schedule them and guard them as diligently as you do your running times.
3. Stretching. As we age, the body loses flexibility. Therefore, stretching becomes essential to running longevity. Because I frequently squeeze my runs in before work, I usually don't do much stretching immediately before or after my runs. Instead, I take time to stretch before bed. It's become such a habit that it is almost like brushing my teeth.
4. Listen to Your Body. If you are like me, you've already planned out your running schedule. My plan lasts until October and includes increasing mileage, rest days and races leading up to a marathon. I will be a "slave" to that schedule, disciplining myself to get those runs in regardless. While that type of discipline is necessary to long distance running, it is equally important to listen to your body. An extra rest day here or there is not going to hoodwink my marathon plans, and my be the thing that prevents a season ending injury.
5. Eat Right. While its true that as my mileage ramps up I will be able to eat more, I still won't be able to down a whole bag of Oreos without finding evidence of it when I step on the scale. Here again the young bucks have an advantage because their faster metabolism allows them to eat more.
6. Enjoy Each Run. Over the past year I've attended quite a few funerals. Unfortunately, many of these funerals were for people my age. I think it is just a fluke, because 45 isn't that old. Yet I know that middle age means just that: I'm half-way done. That means that each run needs to be savored. Something new has to be seen, something fresh has to be thought of, a new song needs to be sung.
   

The Advantage of Losing a Step

I'll never forget my first run on the treadmill. I stood on the treadmill and entered my age and weight. Then I had to decide what pace I was going to run at. Twenty years ago my training pace was about a nine minute mile. I ran 5ks and 10ks faster than that, but my day in and day out pace was about a nine minute mile. It was a pace I could keep up for miles and even hold a conversation with someone.

I entered "9:00", 3 miles and pressed "start." The treadmill chimed and the belt began moving faster and faster. My legs sped up until it felt like I was sprinting. I could've slowed the treadmill down, but that would have been admitting defeat so I kept up what felt like a three mile dash. Twenty-seven minutes later the treadmill stopped and I collapsed, red-faced and gasping for air. It took another twenty-seven minutes to catch my breath.

Either the treadmill was wrong, or I was seriously out of shape. The next day I went out and measured off a three mile route, started my watch and ran it as fast as I could. When I crossed the finish line I pushed stop and paused for a moment to catch my breath. I figured I would finish in about twenty-five minutes, proving that the now stupid treadmill was wrong.

34 minutes.

I was seriously out of shape. And so I began training in earnest. After overcoming a variety of obstacles I finally got back to fairly decent running shape. During the warm months I'm running 25-30 miles a week and can knock off a ten miler with minimal pain. I am training as hard as I did in my twenties and feel great.

But I cannot sustain a nine-minute training pace. My training pace is a steady 10 minute mile. In my twenties I figured that those slow old people just weren't running as hard as I was. Now I understand the impact of getting older. Sure, some people quit exercising or aren't trying as hard, but there are physiological changes that take place as well.

One of the key changes that affects runners is a decline in the maximum heart rate. As you get older, your maximum heart rate decreases by about 1 beat per year. Simply put, the heart cannot beat as fast, so aerobically the body cannot do as much. You can increase efficiency through, but you cannot increase your maximum heart rate. Effort is a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Put simply: An "in shape Karl" at 45 must work much harder than an "in shape Karl" at 25 to sustain a nine minute mile.

This isn't all bad. I actually like a 10 minute mile pace better than a 9 minute mile pace. Let's say that you are running marathon and you are wondering if you are "on pace". Believe me, at mile 17 it is difficult to multiply 9 minutes times 17 miles and then convert it to hours and minutes. 10 times 17 is much simpler. So simple I can do it!

So there are advantages to losing a step. It makes life much easier.

It Starts at the Bottom

I've started running again after a break of several years. Okay, this dad quit running when his kids needed to be chased and then didn't start again until he had gained a few too many pounds. So my break from serious running was over ten years. Closer to fifteen. Long enough to have become middle-aged.

I've learned some things about running as a forty-something.

When I started running again, of course I noticed how out of shape I had become. In my striving to get back into shape I ran into a problem I never had experienced before. I'd run about two miles and the top of my right foot would start to cramp. It was a weird feeling. In a way, it almost felt like my socks had bunched up under my toes. The top of my foot hurt and it would radiate up my shin. Sometimes I would be able to run through it, but it often brought me down to a walk.

I've been wearing orthotics since I marathoned in my twenties. I had never changed orthotics because my feet were always comfortable. Since it had been so many years, I figured maybe they were worn out and that a trip to the podiatrist was in order. He immediately fit me for a new pair of orthotics. When they finally arrived I slipped them in my shoes and took off running. They felt great!

Until about two miles out when my foot cramped.

I searched the internet looking for a solution, but nothing made sense. I didn't have plantar fascitis, shin splints, or ITB syndrom. Whatever it was, it was painful while I was running, but then I would feel fine within minutes of stopping.

Finally, I did what I should have done in the first place: I went to a running store. For me, that's a 90 mile trip to Duluth. I explained that I wore orthotics for over-pronation and wore a 10 or 10 1/2 shoe depending on the brand. I then told them about my problem with foot cramps.

The owner sat me down, took off my shoes, measured my feet and asked me, "Who told you that you wore a 10 or 10 1/2? You're at least an 11! If your shoes are too small, your feet will cramp!"

Who told me I wore I size 10 or 10 1/2? A running store clerk 20 years ago. I never new that as you get older your feet get wider and perhaps longer! I walked out of the store with a new pair of shoes, laced them up and have run for miles since.

It was one of the first lessons I learned being a middle-aged runner. There were many more to come.