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..."

Notes to Self About Summer Running

The TIART topic this week is about dealing with the heat and humidity while running. It's a topic that could probably be better addressed by someone living in Florida than Northern Minnesota. Here people start whining about 75, are grumpy at 80 and downright surly at 85.

Still, 85 with humidity is a cause for concern when running, and I've learned some lessons the hard way. Like when I was training for my first marathon I went for a long run and didn't hydrate enough. It was 90+ and humid. When I finished, I felt rotten. Really terrible. Pounding headache, nausea, cramps...it was bad. I even thought about heading for the hospital. Instead, I started drinking water. And kept drinking. After two liters I started to feel a little better. After four liters I felt okay. Several hours and 5 liters later I finally had to go to the bathroom.

I don't want to experience that again, so I thought I would jot some notes to myself.

1. Drink, Drink, Drink. In the summer it is a constant battle to take in enough fluids while running. It is next to impossible if you start your run dehydrated. The best strategy for me is to simply keep a glass of ice water on hand and keep sipping throughout the day.

2. Drinking on the Run. Unless it is above 70, I figure I'm good for a 10k without drinking on the run. I'll do 5k without water regardless of the heat. If it is warmer than 70 and I am running more than 5k, I'll plan water stops about every two miles. When I lived in the city, I would stop at parks that had drinking fountains. Living in the country, drinking on the run means that I have to stash water bottles along the road. If it is real hot, I'll freeze them first so that they will be cold when I reach them. I always stop and drink. The few seconds it takes is worth staying hydrated. During hot weather races (and long distance races) I will slow to a walk to make sure that my paper cup of water doesn't end up splashing down my shirt (feels good, but doesn't help).

3. Water or Gatorade? I've always been a water only guy. I've tried Gatorade on a run, but wound up with stomach cramps. I've always been a little suspicious of the marketing hype. Cool commercials, but who is going to spend a fortune countering the claims? I suppose if I was training in some really hot place I would look into it a little more. Until then, water is fine with me.

4. Run Early. Duh. It's cooler in the morning.

5. Run Short. Long runs are partly physical, but much of the discipline is mental. If it's 90 and the day calls for a 15 mile run, I'm not too proud to cut it short. Frankly, I think it takes as much mental toughness to do 10 mile on a hot day as to do 15 on a cool day. Most marathons (Chicago was a recent exception...) are run in cool weather. I don't need to run long distances in hot humid weather to prepare for the conditions I'll be seeing this fall.

6. Remember: Heat Waves are Temporary. They bring their own challenges, but if you look closely, winter is just around the next corner. At least that's the way it is here in the north woods of Minnesota.

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."

The Distance Running Essential

This week's topic got me thinking about what gear or gadget is most important to my running. Here are some of my considerations for the top spot:

The Treadmill. This time of year tons of my miles are run in a little nook of my basement. While I guess it could be considered an essential, it is really more of a necessary evil. I certainly cannot train excessively on the thing because I'll either lose my mind or suffer an overuse injury. So cross it off the list.

My iPod. I read about runners who swear by running with tunes. I must admit that I am intrigued and this one might be my number one gadget except for two small details. First, I cannot escape all of those warnings about not being able to hear traffic while you run. Second, I don't own an iPod...I'm too old.

The Heart Rate Monitor. I've got one of these gizmos on my treadmill and for a while I was intrigued by its ability to speed up and slow down the pace to match a given effort level. The only problem with it is that if I watch a tv show that has some excitement to it the treadmill slows down. I hardly use it anymore.

My Windshirt. I've got a windshirt that I've been wearing as a shell for close to 20 years now. It's no longer waterproof, but it is simple a necessity for cold weather runs. This could be my favorite item, except that I only wear it half the year.

My Watch. I've been wearing one version or another of the Timex Ironman watch for most of my life. My current one has a 100 lap memory (although I've never used more than 7), is good down to 100 meters (but I've never been deeper than 5) and has a memo function I don't know how to use. It does, however, demonstrate to others that I am a runner. Somehow, that matters. It has been a companion on almost every run I've been on. It might claim the top spot except that these days I only time my long runs and an occasional short one. I simply no longer feel the need to run each run faster than the day before.

This leaves me with my #1 pick for the most essential distance running gadget:

Vaseline. Runners will understand why this is an "essential gadget." Remember the story of the marathon? In 496 BC Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens with the news that the Greeks had defeated the Persians. At the end of his historic run, he collapsed and died...my guess is due to excessive chafing. How else do you explain that the marathon race was not run again until the 1896 Olympics in Greece...24 years after the invention of petroleum jelly?