Kurt's Marathon Blog: Marathon Strategy Revised

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Marathon Strategy Revised

I have finalized my race strategy, and will spend my last 4 running days working out any last minute details.

My original strategy, which I made many moons ago, still seems like the best overall plan: complete the first 15 miles in 3 hours (5 mph pace), then jog-walk the remainder at around a 3.8 mph pace. I didn't really have any other details back then, but now have refined the strategy quite substantially. Here goes.

Congestion at the Starting Line and Chip Timing. The Lincoln Marathon will have a record 5000 runners, so the start and the first few miles will be quite congested. Because I'm slow, I'll start somewhere nearer to the back of the pack, and 2 minutes or more might elapse from the time the gun sounds before I actually cross the starting line. Last year's event had 4100 runners, and because of congestion on certain parts of the route the race folks narrowed the starting line to string people out a bit better. But, with the additional 900 entrants this year, the first part of the race might be packed worse than last year. Fortunately, this is a chip-timed event with a chip start, so my personal time starts and stops when the chip on my shoe crosses the timing mat at the start/finish line. Chips from the Novartis 10K are on our shoes in the adjacent picture. My first race this year, the State Farm 10 mi (the race where I was assigned the infamous "666" race number), was a chip start, which is good because I started way back in the pack and 30+ seconds had elapsed after the starting gun before I moved up enough to cross the starting line. Because this was a chip start, this 30+ seconds did not count against my time. The 10 K was a gun start, so the 30 seconds or so which elapsed before I crossed the starting line did count against my time.

Mile 1. The race starts on the campus of the University of Nebraska (Go Huskers), in front of the Coliseum (where the National Champion Women's Vollyball teams plays) and the football stadium. After the narrowed start, the route proceeds down a narrow road for about .3 mile, then makes a right hand turn onto another street. With 5000 people running, this part of the route will look line the LA freeway system at rush hour, so I won't be able to set my pace and my first mile time will be slow. Over the past month, I have consistently ran a 10 minute or better first mile on my 5+ mile runs. NOT going to happen this time. My best guess is 13 min.

Miles 2-5. My standard (now) 5 mile time is 54-55 minutes, but I doubt I'll run this well because of race congestion. Once I settle into my pace, the first hurdle comes at the 2 mile point, where we make a left hand turn though an intersection which is partially closed due to major construction. In other words, more congestion. The next hurdle comes at the 3 mile point when we go through our first aid station. Many people walk through the station so they can drink water or gatorade, so more congestion. Aside from the first mile at 13 min, my best guess is that I'll average 12 minute miles for the next four miles.

Miles 6-10. These miles will be like running with an old friend, because mile 5-8 follow a route I have run many, many times. We transition from the street to a bike path just after mile 6, which will pose a serious congestion issue. There is a bit of an uphill around the 8 mile mark, and we leave the bike path at around the 8.5 mile mark for what I think is the quirkiest part of the route. We run up hill on a narrow residential street, then cross through a park with a very narrow sidewalk. Hopefully, we will be spread out enough by that point that it won't be too much of a problem. Depending on congestion, I should be able to average just under a 12 min mile until the 8 mile mark, and am planning a 13 min mile for miles 9 and 10 because of the uphill, the narrow street, and going through the park.

Miles 10-13. These miles are relatively flat and the road is very wide with no turns. At about the 12 2/3 mile mark, the folks running the half marathon split off to the finish line, which should reduce the field by about 50%. Also, marathoners can exercise the "Marathoner's Option" and decide to run only the half marathon, so marathoners who become sore, injured, dehydrated, get nasty blisters, etc will be leaving. I'm figuring a 12:30 min mile for miles 11 and 12, with a 13:30 mile to mile 13.

Miles 13 -15. These miles go north of the University of Nebraska and then cut south through the campus. I hope to complete the first 15 miles in 3 hours. At this point, I'm planning for 3:10:30 because of early race congestion.

Miles 15-finish. Miles 15-25 will again be like running with an old friend. This is basically an "out and back" where we run from the University of Nebraska Campus to Holmes Lake and back, and I have run this portion numerous times. We start an uphill at around mile 19, and the steepest part of the route will occur from mile 19 to just after mile 21. The remaining 5.2 will be downhill and then a straight shot to the finish. I will begin my walking intervals at mile 15, where I slow to a 15 minute mile. I'll do an 8/2 interval (8 minutes jogging, 2 minutes walking) to mile 19, and regardless of the time will walk up the steepest part of that hill. The hill will taper and I will jog for approximately 8-10 minutes, when I will again walk up the steepest part of the hill at mile 21. I know both hills, so I should be able to jog much of the way. My best guess is that I will average a 16 minute mile from mile 17 to mile 21 (which is where I will be listening to music provided by my friends), then should average a 15 min mile the rest of the way in. I scheduled two 16 minute miles at 23 and 24, just in case. The remaining 2.2 are relatively flat, and shouldn't pose any problems.

According to my math, I should finish between 6:03:30 and 6:05:30. I'll definitely be one of the last finishers, but that's ok. My goal this time around is just to finish. According to the Marathon web site, some folks still received official times at around the 7 hour mark. However, police take down their traffic barriers at the 6 hour mark. If I go slower than expected, I'll be ok because the bike trail runs adjacent to the route all the way from mile 15 to mile 25. The last 1.2 would be a pain because I would have to run on sidewalks and would make poor time because of all of the traffic lights. An incentive to finish on time.

Anyway, thats what the race will look like. Jennifer and the kids will be meeting me at certain parts of the route, and Jennifer will have a copy of my plan just in case we need to re-compute a few things. In terms of pace, I won't be able to "speed up" after around mile 15, so my pace will be controlled through adjusting my intervals. If I'm feeling strong, I might do a 9/1. If I start to hurt, I can drop back to a 7/3. I learned on my long runs that I must not walk more than 4 minutes at any given time, or I have difficult running again. So, as a precaution, I will not walk more than 3:30 minutes at a time.

I am excited, and a bit anxious, that the last week is here. I have scheduled one last 8.5, but taper significantly after that. I have a couple of walks planned, and for one of these I'll walk the leg of the route through the University of Nebraska campus, and on the other will walk the quirky part of the route so I don't get lost. I'll also get a better feel for the uphill on that section once I walk it. Other than this, I'll spend the week working on the huge blister that formed in my right arch, the blister on my right -little toe, on icing my knees and lower back, and carefully watching my intake. I have asked my friends to each email me a song for my I-Pod, and hopefully each will send me one and I can spend an hour or two getting the music on the I-Pod just right!

I also have a few loose ends to tie up. My new contacts have arrived and I need to pick them up because I'll be running in contacts. I will get a new battery for my stop watch, need to get my "Army Dad" ball cap fixed, (the adjustable headband came off) and buy more energy gel things to carry when I run. Of course, I will have a hyper-busy week at work and I give my students a mid-term on Tuesday, but life does not slow down just because I want to run a marathon.

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A Bit of History

I have always wanted to run a marathon. When I was a young kid, I watched in rapt awe the Olympic marathon runners, sprinters, and boxers. I imagined myself running those long roads behind the pace vehicles, and sprinting into the stadium to a cheering crowd to win the marathon in under two hours. I promised myself that someday, I would run this very special race.

This glorious dream, however, has ever been clouded by a dismal reality: I am an incredibly slow runner. Always have been. And, to be frank, running is a bit difficult for me. Long torso, very short legs. Not a good runner’s combination. I'm 6 ½" taller than Jennifer, but we have the same in-seam. So, why would a pokey runner like me want to take on a marathon? Because! Such a silly question.

I didn’t run much until I started fighting in 1977. I worked out like a maniac during my fighting years and was always in good shape. Fighting workouts (sparring, training, plus weights) were 4 or 5 days per week, and usually lasted 5-6 hours per day on non-school days and 3 hours per day or more on school days.

Road work (running) was in addition to my workout schedule. I ran mostly on dirt roads in the Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles where we lived. Most days were either hot and windy, or were blazingly hot and windy (it is, after all, a desert). It was during one such run, alone with my thoughts on a hot and dusty dirt road in the middle of nowhere (no Walkmans or CD's back then) that I realized one of life's cruel paradoxes: my leg strength (leg pressed over 1250 lbs on several occasions) and kicking speed and agility (could do the splits and had several KO's and TKO's from kicks) somehow did not translate into running speed. [As an aside, nothing has changed. In the summer of 2004 I leg pressed several "show off" sets of over 900 pounds on the sled in front of my wife and older kids. A few days later, Heather and I ran together. She looked like she was walking and I felt like I was going to have a coronary.]

I tried all sorts of things in my fighting years to help me run faster. Nothing worked. I thought that discipline might be the problem, so I got up early in the morning and ran before the rising sun. I threw up every single time. It was bad, and I abandoned that plan after only two weeks. More leg-presses didn't help. Neither did additional stretching. Heavy ankle and wrist weights seemed like a great idea. No use. I even bought one of those cute, flimsy runner's shorts with the built in underwear. It was more like a woman's high cut panty with a few shards of cloth attached to the outside so I would still look like a guy. I felt airy (but not particularly manly), and I didn't run any faster. Anyway, raw eggs by the half dozen (yup, I swigged them - just ask my mom!), pickled Ginseng root, fresh fruit shakes, herbal drinks. Nothing helped.

My running didn't improve when I went to college. I occasionally ran with folks from my dorm but had serious difficulty keeping up. The worst was when I was dusted in my junior year on a 3 or so mile run by a guy who was much older than me who smoked and claimed he hadn't run at all since High School. Regardless, whenever we finished running, my gums would ache and I would hack up a lung, but the folks I ran with would recover in just a few minutes.

After serious reflection and contemplation, I developed a grandiose yet practical self image: I was like a Clydesdale horse. A Clydesdale is an imposing, powerful, and majestic beast. Larger and grander, but less quick, than its equine peers. While I still love that imagery, the more accurate assessment is that I ran like a little donkey. Perhaps even a billy goat. Yet, I still wanted to run that marathon.

When I joined the military, I ran fairly regularly. By Air Force Regulation, my age group had to complete the 1.5 mile run in 12:30. My best time ever came when I was a cadet. We ran on tarmac (an old aircraft ramp and runway) which can be a quick surface. I set out on a fast pace and I ran like the wind. I pushed so hard I could feel the asphalt bursting into flames beneath my feet! Actually, it was my bubble that burst when I was lapped by two old LTC’s who looked like they were lightly jogging. I was embarrassed. My time: a dismal 9:42.

During my 8 years on active duty I enjoyed some pretty runs. While stationed in the Philippines, I occasionally ran on a concrete path that cut through some jungle on base and crossed a ravine via a wooden bridge. It was gorgeous. Spring and summer runs in Washington D.C. were my favorite. I will never forget starting at the Pentagon, running along the Potomac river, crossing the bridge into D.C., and running around the Lincoln Memorial and sometimes the reflecting pool. The mileage varied depending on how I ran, usually 3-4 miles. I don't recall passing many people (unless they were very old, on crutches, or were otherwise injured). When I did pass someone, they usually caught up then dusted me on the way back to the Pentagon. I didn’t mind too much because the scenery was so lovely.

I ran my first two races while at the Pentagon; a 10K and a 9+K. I trained very hard for the 10K, and finished in 52 minutes and change. And, while I finished in the bottom half, I wasn’t the last finisher! I ran a 9+K a few months later. Slower time, but it was more of a cross country affair where we had to duck branches and jump over stuff. I don't recall my time, but it was definitely not in the top half of the finishers.

I left the military in January, 1993, and went to grad school. I didn’t run at all and my weight shot up. I caught chicken pox in 1995 and was so sick I was forced into physical rehab. I wore a heart monitor 24/7 for several months, and then for a few more months only when I exercised. I worked out five days a week and checked in every day for a BP and pulse check. For the first two months or so, I crawled out of bed, lifted, walked my laps, then went home and crawled back into bed. My day was done. Finally, my stamina began to improve and life eventually returned to normal.

For the next several years, I trained my son K2 in martial arts, and over the last three of those years focused on full contact fighting. I couldn’t find a sparring partner for K2 that was even close to being good enough, so I took on that role as well (he was prohibited from hitting me in the head for the reason that each of you know about). We fought many rounds, but I didn’t lift often or run much, so I constantly fought the battle of the bulge.

And, believe it or not, I still wanted to run a marathon.

Finally, I was in San Diego during the summer of 2002, and decided that enough was enough. I began jog-walking in June and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery and fresh air around Jen's parent's house. When we returned to Lincoln in August, I immediately started working out 4-5 days per week (treadmill, then stretching and lifting). I initially walked 30 minutes, and within a few weeks I was up to an hour, and alternated between a walk, a jog, and a sprint. Weight lifting and stretching usually went for two hours.

After several months I became more serious about the nutrition piece. I bought a food scale and a weight loss program for my Palm Pilot. I counted every calorie, and weighed or measured every thing (except water) that went into my mouth. And I did so religiously. I became so obsessed that I convinced myself that, if I didn’t work out that day for the requisite 3+ hours, I would die. I don’t know how much I weighed when I first started in June, 2002, but by mid 2004 I weighed 222 pounds, benched just under 300, and I looked and felt great. And I kept on working!

Then disaster struck.

I tore my right gastrocnemius playing basketball on the last Saturday in Jan 2005. It was bad. The tear was high and low, ripping most of the ligament off the upper left head of the muscle, with a smaller tear near the Achilles tendon. I could not put any weight on my leg for over two months. After four months of crutches and cane, my lower back wigged out, and that cost me another several months. I tried to work out several times near the middle and end of 2005, but it was far too painful. Recovery was going to be incredibly slow.

I have had many other injuries, but for some weird reason all of my big injuries have been on the left side of my body. Left ankle (twice, with crutches for 9 weeks on the second injury), broken left arm, torn cartilage in left knee, left rotator cuff tear, broken nose several times (my nose still bends to the left), lower back, left thumb. Just a few muscle pulls on the right side and a couple of stab wounds in the middle. In all fairness, I’ve had minor injuries all over; broke all my fingers and toes at least once, several cuts, etc. But, all the serious stuff (except the appendix, which doesn’t count) was on my left side. Throughout all of these I healed quickly. Not this time.

I finally resumed working out in mid 2006. Those first workouts were agonizingly painful! I could only walk short distances the first two weeks or so, then finally progressed to a jog-walk. I wanted to avoid re-injury so I went slow, and in that first month jog-walked a modest 45 miles. No lifting, just jog-walking. By the end of 2006 I had completed 321.5 miles. This included 3 "long distance" jog-walks (2 x 21.5 mi and one 15.33 mi) and 9 medium distance jog-walks (8.5 mi on the walking trails here in Lincoln). My dream to run a marathon was alive again.

Concerning my long distance walks, the first was 15.33 mi, which I completed in 5:18:08. The other two were both 21.5 mi on the MOPAC Trial. The trail is a crushed limestone path which was converted from an old rail line, and starts in the rural hamlet of Wabash and goes into Lincoln. The scenery is fantastic. My first attempt was at a snails pace (7:08:58) and I stumbled to the finish line. But I finished. I started too late in the day and had poorly estimated my pace, so I arrived at the trial head two hours after sunset. It was a moonless night, which made the path quite tricky.

On my second effort, I shaved almost 31 minutes off my time (6:38:08). I learned a lot on that walk, especially concerning blister management. I had to make 48 minutes in stops to work on my toes and the bottom of my feet. Apparently, I wore the wrong socks. Regardless, that 48 minutes is included in my overall time, so my time would have been around 5:50 with better equipment and proper blister management.

A CANDID ANALYSIS

To get ready for this run, I have had to look at everything. Strengths, weaknesses, how I used to do things, what worked and what didn't. Everything was, and still is, on the table.

I think my running problems involved a nexus of several issues, some of which I had control over and some I didn’t. Short legs, no control. Scheduling, significant control (weather, work, and children’s schedules always impact). Organization, control. Poor endurance, control. I have no natural speed, but probably would have been a lot faster if I had better scheduling, organization and endurance.

In looking back, my effort has always been solid, but my organization has always been poor. I worked hard and ran quite a bit, but running was always an "on again, off again" proposition. Sometimes I ran 4-5 days a week, but at other times ran only once or twice a week, and occasionally a week or two would slip by without running at all. Until last year, I never recorded my miles, time, or the dates that I ran, so I had no idea what I really did and could not accurately analyze my progress.

This poor organization led to poor endurance. An athlete can't build endurance without long miles or consistent running. When I fought, I generally ran for 2 miles at a time, and I don't recall going over 2.5 miles at any one time. At the Pentagon I generally ran 2-3 miles at a time, and occasionally would run as much as 4.2 miles per day. I ran only three days per week and didn't run at all during the winters. Not enough.

The final problem was, I think, I deceived myself with my leg strength. Essentially, I had the wrong kind of muscle development and the wrong kind of strength for running. And, in the past when I wanted to run faster, I hit the leg presses and dead lifts even more, which made me stronger but even slower.

WHAT I MUST TO DO TO SUCCEED?

The key challenge I face in this marathon, as I have so delicately foreshadowed, is speed. The marathon is 26.2 miles, and everyone must finish the race in 6 hours. I’ve put in a lot of miles to get ready, and have three long treks under my belt, so I can finish. The 6 hour time limit, not the distance, is the problem.

To finish in time, I must average just under a 4.5 mph pace. Unfortunately, I cannot run the whole way (not in this lifetime), and my standard walking pace is just barely over 3 mph (which would have me finishing in about 8 hours). My pace on my last 21.5 miler, which was in October of last year, was around 3.3 mph in great weather. The time including the 48 minutes in stops, and I mostly walked the trail. Without the stops, the pace jumps to almost 3.7 mph. My pace on my last long jog-walk, 14.63 miles, was just over 4 mph, but I ran in very cold weather, heavy winds, and was occasionally slowed by snow and ice. This bodes well for runs in warmer weather.

I can’t run the whole way and won’t finish in time if I walk. But, with a good plan and a lot of preparation, I can jog walk the race and finish in time.

My general plan, which I made back in November, was to work on my speed and endurance so that I can maintain a 5 mph pace for the first 15 miles, then cut back to a 3.8 mph pace for the remaining 11.2 miles. The longer I can maintain the 5 mph pace, the better.

To make this plan work, I have recorded my workouts since mid-2006, which has helped considerably. I also have a good running schedule, and my long distance runs have helped greatly with my endurance. I now vary my distances (not the same mileage and route over and over), have nifty shoe inserts, and use my stop watch for interval training and PTA's (a much more advanced version of my PTA - Pain, Torture, and Agony - runs of yesteryear).

The interval training seems to be working well. I jog the first 20 minutes or so, then do "splits" the rest of the way. I started with a 2/3 split (2 minutes jogging, 3 minutes walking) and now vary around an 8/2 split, depending on the weather, my strength, etc. Sometimes I will adjust a split mid-run. If I’m feeling strong, I’ll skip the walk split and pick it up again next time. If I’m very tired, I’ll walk and extra minute or two, take that time off the jogging split, and then resume the regular time at the next jog. So far, I have not been able to run 5 miles without walking 4-6 total minutes, but my time has improved to where I now complete the 5 miles in about an hour anyway.

PTA's are very useful but are my least favorite workout, and I can only do them when there is no ice. I modify the time for my walk and jog splits, then add a "sprint" split for 30 seconds or a minute. For that split, I sprint as absolutely fast as I can. It rotates walk - jog - sprint, and I will skip a walk split (I don’t actually skip it, I just jog it) whenever I can. So far, I haven’t skipped many walk splits, because its hard to pick up my lungs off the cement, spray off the gravel and dirt with water, and then stick my lungs back into my chest, all while I am jogging.

Concerning weight training, I have stayed off most leg machines and am focusing on my abs and lower back. I’m doing abs very differently from my fighting days, which has saved my back a lot of grief. I lift for my shoulders, arms, and upper back at maintenance levels, which will help my body break down fat instead of muscle for energy on the long runs. It will also help me burn of extra weight.

I still have a long way to go before I'm ready. But, I started early and am making good progress.

SOMEONE IS GOING TO ASK, SO . . .

I haven’t bought another pair of cute she-man running shorts this time around. I’m not going to, either. I did buy some impact shorts, but I wear sweats over them. I’ll be buying the ankle-length running tights (thermal and non-thermal running pants) but will wear shorts over them, too.

Next, most of you are aware of my eye problem. We have been able to slow considerably, but not stop, the losses. Time is not yet of the essence, but my window of opportunity is shrinking (literally). So, if I'm going to do a marathon, I had better do it now, just in case. If you have further questions, please call me or send an email.

THANK YOU!

I hope you enjoy my blog! I very much look forward to your postings, and appreciate your many years of friendship (Barry and Peggy - 23 years, Lynn and Ruthanne - 21 years, Stan and Becky - 13 years, Curt and Susan - 13 years). My Nebraska friends, and of course family (Jennifer - 24 years and counting, mom - current age plus 9 months), are a great source of strength as well.

I will cherish each opportunity as it comes, and will give this marathon my all. And, if I get injured, we'll try it again next year! So, give me all the advice you can, whether on running, nutrition, avoiding injury, or just keeping my head in the game. Any support, encouragement, insults, ridicule, ideas, or experiences you may have will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you!

Kurt's Marathon Blog

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Marathon Strategy Revised

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