Iron Pol

There are a lot of endurance related websites I like.  MapMyRun is one that I love.  After all, it's a free site that adequately replaces GPS or other tracking equipment that can easily run into the hundreds of dollars.  Once a runner has entered various routes, it's easy to pull up an account and find a run that meets their needs.

Not interested in mapping routes?  MapMyRun makes it very easy to find routes entered by those in the area.  From short run workouts to century plus bike rides, finding a new route is as easy as entering a zip code and any limiting criteria.

One vital piece of the puzzle is knowing the route.  For the Green Bay Marathon, the group coordinating the training runs printed route directions onto clip-on reels runners could take with them.  As my runs are based on routes I've run many times before, I generally identify a route, and look up the exact distance when I finish.

That, of course, requires a good memory when recalling those routes.  Until Saturday, that had never failed me.  When it did, that lack of recall cost me several miles.

I headed out late (6 p.m.) Saturday after my wife returned from a convention followed by church.  I knew my route, and left her with the general outline so she would know where I was running.  As always, the plan included a couple of refueling options.

Most of my routes are built upon a couple base loops.  Depending on the distance needed, I add sections to those loops.  In this case, I needed 20 miles, so planned on using the route with the most "additions."

All went well, and based on certain "checkpoints," I was comfortable with my pace.  Well, comfortable until I hit the 2:45 mark.  With four or five miles left, I was either WAY slower than I thought, or I had made a severe mistake in my route.  And at exactly three hours, I made the decision to finish the run as it started, knowing that distance was exactly one mile.

I finished the "shortened" run in 3:10, including about five minutes for pit stops.  Even so, I would have put my pace at something just under nine minutes per mile.  That should have put me home in less than three hours.

The next day, I checked my routes and was unable to find ANYTHING including the final loop I had added to reach the final 20 mile distance.  Even my guess at the mistake wasn't right.  One segment of several miles wasn't on a single map in my profile.  Somewhere along the line, I have completely made up a "known" route in my head.

In the end, my run was 21.2 miles.  That's after cutting a couple miles off at the end.  The bad news?  I need to spend some time consolidating my routes, because I seem to be having difficulty remembering all of them (and me not even 40, yet).

The good news?  I am more than ready to pace my co-worker for the marathon.  I hoped to complete 20 miles in three hours.  I completed an extra 1.2 miles in only five additional minutes.  We're ready to rock!

I just hope they have the race course well marked.  It's apparent I'm not up to the task of remembering the route.

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For some reason, eight has held special significance for me and running.  The first time I felt really proud of my pace was when I completed a 3.3 mile route at just under eight minute pace.  While sub-8 pace isn't earth shattering, it represented a significant personal achievement, particularly over three miles.

Other marks have been achieved in the past half-decade, all of them huge successes.  My first marathon, my first triathlon, my first sub-four hour marathon, and my first Ironman are among them.  Still, those accomplishments that somehow relate to the 8-minute pace stick in my mind.

This past weekend was full of running and included yet another sub-8 milestone.  Saturday was a training run with my co-worker.  Scheduled for 18 miles, he made to choices that extended that distance to 19.5 miles.  First, he opted to "touch the tower" (really just a bridge pillar) which added the first half-mile.  Then, he guessed wrong on the end of the route adding another mile.  He will be quite a runner if he gets to a point that he can devote solid time to training.

A divorcee, he has his kids every other weekend, which limits his ability to complete long runs.  Even so, he finished this weekend's run at an average pace of 8:48.  He's on track to go under four hours in his very first marathon.

Sunday, I opted for another run, and did just under 12 miles.  I was unsure of the distance of the route I completed until I looked it up.  I finished that run with an average pace of 7:59.  Under eight minute pace for nearly a half-marathon.  It's taken a long time to get from three to 12 at that pace, but it felt good (in a success sort of way, the actual physical effect was more painful).

Time, mileage, and study.  With those three, an admitted sloth has improved his pace from 12 minute miles to sub-8s.  For those of you who question your ability to improve your pace, I'm telling you it can be done.  While I might never reach the levels of Khalid Khanouchi or Meb Keflezighi, I am steadily moving forward in the pack.

And if I can do it, anybody can.

Most people who grow up and live in Wisconsin like to consider themselves fairly hearty and impervious to cold.  Anything warmer than 50F is summer.  It's time to get a jacket when the temps dip to freezing.  And there is no such thing as "too cold" to train outside.

A local running group proved this, once again, this past Saturday.  At 7 a.m. a group of about 50 runners gathered for the scheduled 14 mile training run.  The temperature, hovering just on the negative side of 0F.  For the first time I wondered if my tights would be enough.

At the final moments before the run started, I made two decisions that turned out to be very fortunate.  First, I threw my sweats on over the tights.  Second, I switched my regular fleece running gloves for my Columbia ski gloves.  Before getting out of the car I had already added a fourth layer on top, consisting of a light technical t-shirt, my long sleeve cycling jersey, a medium weight long sleeve top and my top layer technical top.

The only thing I could have done to improve things was use vaseline on my exposed face.  It was cold enough to warrant it, but not too bad without it.  Luckily, we had minimal winds.  Though cold, it was a great day for running.

Great with the limited exception of hydration.  Though I wore my Amphipod under two layers of shirts, the tops froze shut and the water froze enough that there was still ice in the bottles after the 45 minute ride home.  Luckily, this is a supported training run, and the coordinators used warm water for both drinking and making the Gatorade.  Last week, all the drinks froze and they had to scoop Gatorade slush out with pitchers.  This week, it stayed liquid, though it was a bit warm at the beginning.

Despite the chill, it was good to run outside.  Most of the runners who participated Saturday agreed that running outside in sub-zero temps is better than running indoors.  Of course, it can hardly be called race conditions as I've yet to complete a single endurance event with temperatures on the wrong side of zero.

Still, the marathon is less than 10 weeks away, so we have to get the long runs in regardless of the temperatures.  Next week, it's 16 miles, and we're all hoping the temps will be a bit warmer.  We might be from Wisconsin, but we're not COMPLETELY crazy.

Last May, I ran the Green Bay Marathon for my second time.  The race wasn't on my original schedule, and I participated because a co-worker was running his first full marathon.  He took advantage of a standing offer I have for anyone running their first half or full marathon.  If they give me a little advance knowledge, I'll run it with them.

In this case, I was literally the waterboy, carrying my Amphipod system so he would have fewer worries about hydration and fuel.

At that same race, two other co-workers completed their first half marathons.  One of them has signed up for the full race, this year.  The other had a baby in November, so we've granted her a waiver.  So, starting tomorrow, I'm back to Saturday training runs in support of my co-worker.  In May, I'll once again be at the starting line and run (or walk) stride for stride until we reach the finish.

I have two hopes for endurance sports and work.  First is that more people see there is support for any efforts they undertake.  Second is that more people who have completed running races or triathlons join in and offer to support others.  It's okay being "the crazy guy who does marathons and Ironman triathlons."  It would be better if I was part of "that group of crazy people."

If all goes well, this year, we will have at least one new marathoner and four new triathletes at work.  If things go REALLY well, our president will be able to complete a half marathon and join the "crazy" crew.

Who do you know that might be interested in the challenges and self-improvement endurance events offer?  How can you help or motivate them to see their potential?  How many newbies have you introduced to running or triathlons, this year?  Let's face it, growth in these sport really requires a grass roots effort.  One person taking another under their wings and starting the journey with them.  Spread your wings and see who responds.

I'm not a doctor.  I don't play one on t.v.  And I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express, last night.  Even so, allow me to start by saying that portions of the workout described below aren't really suggested for normal training.  Sometimes, we all go a little nuts, or have a strange desire to know some useless bit of information.

My workout on Saturday started out normal enough.  I was in the pool as close to 6 a.m. (opening time) as possible.  I wanted to complete as many yards as possible before getting thrown out so 10 members of the water aerobics class have room for their workout.  They were running late, so I managed a 500 yard warmup followed by 14x100 at T-pace.  By then, the ladies were chomping at the bit to move lane ropes.

I relocated to the track for about 90 minutes of running.  A couple of runs during the week were perhaps a bit too strenuous, so I decided to do 10 miles at about 8:15 pace.  That pace keeps me near the bottom of Zone 2.  The run went very well.  Too well, perhaps, because somewhere around mile 8 I started thinking about Wednesday's run, where I did a half-mile somewhere around the 4:30/mile pace.  While I knew running a sub-5 minute mile was out of the question, I wondered just how FAR out of the question.

This is the part where you should refer back to the first paragraph and remind yourself that I sometimes do things that might be ill advised.

After finishing the 10 mile run, I took a break for a few minutes to even my heart rate out.  I found one of my favorite "run fast" tunes, got a running start, and started timing.  I had no idea what kind of pace I could maintain for one mile, so I started out what I assumed would be too fast.  I guessed right, and know each lap was just a bit slower than the previous lap.

Some time ago, I said there was no way I could ever run 10K at a 5:30/mile pace.  In fact, I was fairly confident there was no way I would ever move that fast without a machine, unless I was falling out of an airplane.

Apparently, I was wrong.  One mile, 5:29.  No gravity required.

I've said it before, and I'll say it, again.  I don't understand people who like to train naked.  Sure, there's some amount of freedom.  There are no worries about what to wear.  There are no concerns about things being too loose or too tight.  And there are no funky tan lines to explain.

But that's outweighed by the self-consciousness about what ISN'T there.  It just FEELS wrong.  Plus, there isn't anywhere to keep things that might be needed, later.  And there's just no telling what people might think as they watch you train.  "What is that lunatic doing?"  "Wouldn't he be better off with the proper attire?"

But sometimes, things get left at home.  And when that happens, there are two choices.  Go home and call it a day.  Or train naked.

That's what happened to me, this weekend.  I got to the YMCA on Saturday and realized that I had left not one, but both watches at home.  I was wearing my dress watch, but it's fairly useless in terms of swimming and running.  So, I was free of personal timing devices.

That changed the swim plans.  I use my watch to track laps and sets.  Without that, it is too difficult to work through and later recall the actual workout.  So I looked at the clock, started at a convenient time, and completed a half-IM swim.  Well, 2100 yards, but I think I could have made the last 12 yards in a race.  Using the highly accurate timing device, that took 46 minutes.  Then again, I wasn't wearing my glasses, and the clock is 30 yards away.  It could have been anywhere from 45 to 50 minutes.  When you're naked, you have to sacrifice accuracy for convenience.

After the swim, I headed to the track to run.  Some co-workers scheduled some training, and my plan was to get about 45 minutes of running in before they arrived, then finish when they did.   As the last paragraph mentioned, sometimes plans change.  By the time they were 30 minutes "late," I figured things must have come up, so I decided to put the time to good use and complete the half-IM run, as well.  I added a half-mile for good measure, as I was having to count laps and then mark them down on paper every 30 laps.  Remember, I still didn't have my watch.  I used a stop-watch function on my cell phone to time the run.  Just short of two hours later, I had completed just over 13.6 miles.

Two-thirds of a half-IM.  Naked.  Well, almost naked.  I did wear shorts and a tri-top.  But no watch.  And that may as well be naked.

Birthdays can be challenging.  Since our son and daughter have birthdays so close, we tend to have one party for both of them.  Due to the timing, my dad was going to miss that party, so we decided to have lunch at his house and let the kids open his presents there.  Between Sunday School, church, and lunch, it was nearly 2 p.m. before they were both down for their nap.

The plan was to get to the pool for my swim and then go to dinner for our daughter's birthday meal.  Then my wife reminded me that my car had to get to the shop for periodic maintenance.  Given the late start to naps and a planned exursion for dinner, it was going to be a challenge to fit all the pieces together.  It was time to highlight another benefit of fitness.

Figuring the shop to be around eight miles from home, I abandoned the idea of completing a swim (miss number three for November) and decided to drive the car to the shop, myself.  By wearing running clothes and taking my Amphipod, I could fit a workout in by running home.  The kids could nap, I would get my workout done, my car would be dropped off, and no new wrinkles would be introduced to an already tight schedule.

People often point to weight loss and overall health when considering the benefits of an active lifestyle.  By looking deeper, there are lots of other benefits.  Most people would have had to wake the kids up from their nap and load them into the car, or jam one more trip into a full day.  By combining workouts with other errands, the fit athlete can actually reduce their workload.

For other great (and often humorous) examples of this philosophy, visit George Schweitzer's site.  He has quite a few stories about putting his fitness to good use.

It looks like I might have my next major undertaking laid out before me.  That will teach me to open my mouth too widely.

This morning was a great day for a swim, as several triathlon friends were there for workouts.  It was nice to catch up without the pressure of a big and vital workout.  All too often, my conversation at the pool consists of:

Hit wall.  "Hi." Turn and swim the other direction.

It sort of covers "polite" in that I did, in fact, acknowledge them.  It makes it difficult to see what is happening in people's lives.  This morning was different.  I was able to stop between sets.  While it may have only been 30-60 seconds at a time, it gave me brief opportunities to see what people had on the agenda.

Then, we all hit the whirlpool and caught up.  During the "what's next" part of the discussion, I mentioned that I would have to hit some of the trail races one of these friends will be directing.  I indicated it would be good training for a race I was considering.  "Oh, which race is that," he asked.  "A 50 mile trail race in Kettle Moraine."

"Really!  I'm running that race.  We'll have to do some training, and might even be able to run together in the race."  And like that, my "perhaps" race has become something with a bit more peer pressure.

That's just how I roll.  Come up with an idea and then find someone to light the fire that will be held under my toes for the next six to twelve months.  Some think it's all about self-motivation.  Sometimes, it's just easier to let others provide the motivation.

So, anyone have a training plan for a 50-mile race?