Brett’s Blog
Marathon Training - A funny thing happened on the way to mile 18
Me? A runner? No way…
A couple of years ago I couldn’t run a mile without stopping - heck, I didn’t WANT to run a mile. I like sports and was “active”, but at no point in my life could I ever say I was “in shape”. When I met the love of my life (Kristen, owner of TriSport Media) playing co-ed softball in 2000 I wasn’t heavy, but I was a chubby, lazy smoker. Yes, I was actually a pack-a-day (or more) smoker, and a very unhealthy eater. Smoking was MUCH easier to quit when the decision was between my wife-to-be and a cigarette, I had my last butt on December 1, 2000. Learning to eat healthy took a lot longer, and there were plenty of weight fluctuations until Kristen and I decided to work together towards a happier, healthier lifestyle. I was actually at my heaviest weight on our wedding day - about 40 pounds heavier than I am now. How I lost all the weight and kept if off is another story for another post…
Mandy, Erik & I are training together to tackle our first marathon - the OBX Marathon in North Carolina on November 11, 2007. Erik & Mandy are part of Chris’ support group, co-workers and trainers/motivators for the 9 Months to Tri project. We’ve been training together for about a year, and have been much more serious for the last 7 months leading up to and through this triathlon season. Erik and Mandy have cross-country running experience, and have much more of an athletic background than I do. We’ve been following a schedule for the last 15 weeks or so, but because we’ve been competing in about 20 triathlons this year it’s been very difficult to focus exclusively on running and keeping up with a marathon mileage schedule. The best part about our training are our lunchtime runs. Because we work together, we are usually able to get our 5 - 8 mile runs in during the day and still have time for the rest of our lives. We normally run 3-4 times during the week and a long run over the weekend.
As the marathon gets closer, our weekly regimen is 5-8 miles 3-4 times and we’ve upped our mileage for our long runs on Sunday steadily towards the 20-mile mark. We’ve all felt pretty good with our gains, and (knocking on wood) haven’t had any injuries that would knock us off track. I had an issue with severe cramping at a 70.3 tri, but luckily I stopped before I caused any damage. Last week we did our longest distance yet - 19.5 miles, and it was a bit of an eye-opener.
Here are my PR’s so you can see how I do at certain distances:
2 Mile: 12.14 (this included a 200ft. vertical climb)
5k: 22:10 (I beat this in training and during triathlons, but haven’t run a 5k in 4 months)
5 Mile: 38:20 (I’ve beat this in training multiple times this year)
10k: 45:40
13.2: 1:41:20
When we run distances up to a half marathon, I am able to push through discomfort and keep my pace close to 8min/mile. I found out that this doesn’t hold true around mile 16. Mandy has a similar stride and speed to me, but can easily keep up on the 8min pace when I start to falter. Here is my pace during the (3) 6.5 mile loops :
Loop 1 (0-6.5 miles): 7:48 min/mile
Loop 2 (6.6 - 13): 8:13
Loop 3 (13.1 - 19.5): 8:25 (and falling fast)
Mile 15 was about the point where Mandy pulled away for good; she actually did it so effortlessly that she yelled back to me “Are you OK?”. My form started to suffer and it felt like I was shuffling each step from the 15.5 mark to 18.5. My hips, neck and calves were very stiff and sore, but more uncomfortable than anything. It didn’t feel like any of those muscles were on the verge of cramping, but it was a miserable experience that most people describe around the 20-mile mark. I guess this is the point where you need to dig deeper and make it to the finish line, and I luckily this run was 7 miles shorter than the marathon will be in 3 weeks!
Here’s what I learned going from last week and how I will attempt to do better tomorrow on our 22-miler:
Start slower - the first 3 miles last Sunday were sub 7:30 because I was excited and felt really strong
Focus on my form - “stretch your stride” is what I tell myself when I start to shuffle. It’s too late when my hips start to hurt
Don’t waste extra energy - talking non-stop is fine for a 5-miler, but keep the conversation to a minimum during long distance. I also need to watch my arm movements, I tend to swing them too far away from my body
‘HEED’ your Supplements - take a Hammer Gel 20 min before the beginning and every 45 min thereafter. Drink at least 16oz./hr of HEED (High Energy Electrolyte Drink) and 8-16oz. water/hr. On my Fuel Belt I carry 24oz., so every lap I need to grab an extra bottle from my Jeep.
30-Seconds to grab, stretch & GO! - Each time we pass our starting point we’ve got a chance to grab more liquid, gel or food. Last week I passed it by after 6.5 miles because I felt great, and regretted it later. We took about 1 minute at the 13 mile mark, and when we started our last loop I felt tight and horrible. Mandy and I wondered if we forgot how to run, but she stayed strong for the next 6.5 while I never loosened back up.
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