Still rocking the paleo diet and noticing some changes. It is odd but just by changing the diet, I am starting to look more defined and gain some more energy during the day. Pictures may follow. There has been some working out but not a terrible amount. However, the workouts were solid. Lots of whole body exercises.
I did want to share tonight's dinner. When you can't have flour, spaghetti is out. But spaghetti squash is an all together different beast. With the the texture of angel hair pasta and a richly carb loaded flavor, it is a great substitute. To complete the dish, a delicious tomato sauce and baked chicken.
Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Sauce & Chicken
The Squash
Spaghetti Squash - One, cut lengthwise
Olive Oil
Salt
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly season the squash with salt and rubs with olive oil. Place the squash on the rack skin side up with a tray underneath to catch any draining liquid. Cook for roughly 40 minutes to one hour. The squash will yield to light pressure. Remove from oven and use a fork to scrap away the flesh from the skin. The squash will tear away in pasta like strands. If the flesh is still damp allow to drain in a colander and lightly salt.
The Chicken
Chicken Breast - 1.5 lbs, cleaned and cut into strips
Pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Place strips on an oiled baking sheet. Lightly season with pepper. Most chicken is already enhanced with salt and doesn't need any extra. Place in oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 165. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken into 1/2 bits.
The Sauce
Small Onion - One, fine dice
Garlic, large clove - One, mince
Zucchini - Half, fine dice
Carrot - Half, fine dice
Tomato Sauce - Large Can (28 oz)
Olive Oil, Mild - 1 TBSP
Oregano - 1/2 tsp, dried
Basil - 1/2 tsp, dried
Salt and Pepper, too taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat over medium high heat. When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for an additional minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium low, add the tomato sauce and rinse can with water to remove residual sauce. Cook for 10 minutes. Crumble the oregano and basil in your hand and cook for additional 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the chicken to the sauce. Add the sauce to the spaghetti squash. Add some parm cheese if desired.
Enjoy!
September 26, 2010
September 19, 2010
Yom Kipper, Canoeing and Cookies
This weekend was a little bit of a challenge for the paleo diet. However, rather than rise to the occasion, I flew too close to the sun and got burned. Friday night was Yom Kipper and Mary made an awesome chicken soup. I made the salad to round out the meal (salad recipe below). Then the fast...
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I fasted. Overall the fast was not too bad. for break fast, we had leftover soup. The soup was even more delicious than the night before. I will attribute the tastiness of the soup to the flavors marrying together in the stock pot overnight and overlook the 24 hours of not consuming food or drink. I am sure the soup would be just as good if I'd been eating normally.
That night Mary and I went out and I thought I would be ok. I resisted the tempting temptation of pizza. But it would have been rude to decline a homemade cookies so I had one. Overall not the worst lapse in diet judgment.
Today I went canoeing. It was a solid workout. Four hours of paddling and I am pretty beat. I ate right before leaving and thought I would be good until I came home. How shortsighted I was... When the allure of cookies came my way again, I succumbed. Again, not the worst error in judgment, but not the best decision. Not always the easiest thing to decline sugary sweets but a little slip here and there shouldn't ruin a good thing. I am moving on and learned I need to plan better.
As promised, here is the salad recipe. I am intentionally leaving out the measurements as I did not measure anything for this one. Use your judgment. Assemble the salad and drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy!
Fresh Salad with Lemon dressing:
Mixed Green
Cucumber, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Broccoli stems, cleaned and julienned
Dried Plums, rough chop
Avocado, sliced
Hard Boiled Egg, sliced
Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I fasted. Overall the fast was not too bad. for break fast, we had leftover soup. The soup was even more delicious than the night before. I will attribute the tastiness of the soup to the flavors marrying together in the stock pot overnight and overlook the 24 hours of not consuming food or drink. I am sure the soup would be just as good if I'd been eating normally.
That night Mary and I went out and I thought I would be ok. I resisted the tempting temptation of pizza. But it would have been rude to decline a homemade cookies so I had one. Overall not the worst lapse in diet judgment.
Today I went canoeing. It was a solid workout. Four hours of paddling and I am pretty beat. I ate right before leaving and thought I would be good until I came home. How shortsighted I was... When the allure of cookies came my way again, I succumbed. Again, not the worst error in judgment, but not the best decision. Not always the easiest thing to decline sugary sweets but a little slip here and there shouldn't ruin a good thing. I am moving on and learned I need to plan better.
As promised, here is the salad recipe. I am intentionally leaving out the measurements as I did not measure anything for this one. Use your judgment. Assemble the salad and drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy!
Fresh Salad with Lemon dressing:
Mixed Green
Cucumber, sliced
Carrots, julienned
Broccoli stems, cleaned and julienned
Dried Plums, rough chop
Avocado, sliced
Hard Boiled Egg, sliced
Dressing
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper
September 18, 2010
Paleo Diet and Me
I'm back. There is a new look and new premise to the blog. I hope you enjoy as you read my adventures through life and the challenges we all face being healthy in the 21st century. A new feature which some of you many really like... I will be including recipes as I cook.
I am still running and working out on occasion, but since I not currently training for anything, there are some different focuses. The number one change of late is my diet. I have my lovely wife to thank for it. You might have heard of the caveman diet or primal diet, the paleo diet is another version of these diets. Think what would a caveman have access to and there you have it. Meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts. That is about it!
If you really think about it, it makes sense. You still have some carbs, but way less than what is recommended. The main fuel for your body becomes fat and your body has tons of protein for fuel and rebuilding muscle. You get tons of nutrients and fiber.
There is a learning curve for your body, which I am still in. But after one to three weeks on the diet, you end up with a ton more energy and feeling great. Don't think that because the diet is limiting, you don't get to eat well. Below is a dish I made the other night and I will say it is pretty good.
Chicken with Coconut Sauce
Serves 3
3 chicken breasts
1 onion (cut into slices)
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp shaved ginger
1/2 juice lemon and zest
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut juice
1/2 cup lamp stock (any kind of stock will work)
Salt and pepper (to season)
Coconut oil to coat skillet.
Flatten the chicken so that it cooks evenly. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil. Saute the onions until slightly browned. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice, lemon zest and raisins. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer. After 10 minutes, flip the chickens. Allow the chicken to come to 165 degrees. Remove from chicken from sauce and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, raise the temperature a little in the pan and cook down the sauce.
Serve the chicken with a ladle of the sauce over it.
You can save the sauce and add to other dishes. The chicken ends up very moist because of the poaching method. The sauce really makes this dish work. The raisins are a nice touch and something you don't see in very many dishes. The ginger and garlic are always a winning combination. I hope you enjoy.
I am still running and working out on occasion, but since I not currently training for anything, there are some different focuses. The number one change of late is my diet. I have my lovely wife to thank for it. You might have heard of the caveman diet or primal diet, the paleo diet is another version of these diets. Think what would a caveman have access to and there you have it. Meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts. That is about it!
If you really think about it, it makes sense. You still have some carbs, but way less than what is recommended. The main fuel for your body becomes fat and your body has tons of protein for fuel and rebuilding muscle. You get tons of nutrients and fiber.
There is a learning curve for your body, which I am still in. But after one to three weeks on the diet, you end up with a ton more energy and feeling great. Don't think that because the diet is limiting, you don't get to eat well. Below is a dish I made the other night and I will say it is pretty good.
Chicken with Coconut Sauce
Serves 3
3 chicken breasts
1 onion (cut into slices)
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp shaved ginger
1/2 juice lemon and zest
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup coconut juice
1/2 cup lamp stock (any kind of stock will work)
Salt and pepper (to season)
Coconut oil to coat skillet.
Flatten the chicken so that it cooks evenly. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the coconut oil. Saute the onions until slightly browned. Add the chicken and saute for 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and add the mushrooms. Cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice, lemon zest and raisins. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Allow the liquid to come to a simmer. After 10 minutes, flip the chickens. Allow the chicken to come to 165 degrees. Remove from chicken from sauce and let rest for 5 minutes. In the meantime, raise the temperature a little in the pan and cook down the sauce.
Serve the chicken with a ladle of the sauce over it.
You can save the sauce and add to other dishes. The chicken ends up very moist because of the poaching method. The sauce really makes this dish work. The raisins are a nice touch and something you don't see in very many dishes. The ginger and garlic are always a winning combination. I hope you enjoy.
June 10, 2010
RedLeg Run
Loyal Blog Fan(s),
I am back and I have been running. After the marathon, I took a little time and recovered. I was still running, but it was sporadic and uneventful. Few miles here, few more there. It was happening though. I started playing Ultimate on Fridays and that has provided some good cardio. It is a little unsettling that I can run a marathon, yet a half hour of sprinting gets me winded. I guess that's what happens when you train yourself to run long distances and a constant pace.
I do have a little story. I ran a 5K this past weekend. I had a goal and did not reach it. But that was my fault. The day before, rather than rest or go on a quick jog, I played Ultimate for longer than ideal. I had fun, but the running had a negative impact on my race times. I finished the race in 25 minutes (8:04 min/miles). The time was a PR, but still a minute slower than what I was hoping to run.
Te setup of the race was interesting. There were two start times. 9 am for the contenders and people that signed up early, and 9:10 everyone else. I was in the 9:10 heat. When the race started the 9 am group took off, but few lined up for the 9:10 start. My friends and I started to make our way to the front and ended up the first people in line. I mean the very first people. The gun went off and so did we. My friends were faster than I am and took off. I knew better than to run with them, but for the first mile I kept them in sight.
I feel it was more subconscious than anything. You see people you know, you try to keep up. Needless to say, I burnt out pretty quickly. Pretty quickly ended up being in one mile. I ran my first mile in 7:23, the second in about 8:40 and finished in 25:01 minutes.
One funny note in the story, when we were lining up for the 9:10 start a gentlemen lined up behind us. He was wearing a suit, a full suit. Dark green suit, dark red tie and dark red hat. He was wearing gray sneakers. He was middle-aged too. Anyway when I took off for the first mile, I didn't think much of him. By mid-way through mile 2, I thought a little more about him BECAUSE HE PASSED ME! I was thinking, "Oh come on!" At first I was in "oh well" mode and started to slow down a little. Then I started thinking, I can't lose to the guy in a suit. He was my rabbit. I kept him in sight, pacing about 50 yards behind him. Mile 3.1 rolled around a I started to speed up. That's right, I had a strategy...
The race was put on by the Cincinnati Reds and ended on the field. The finish line was half way around the warning track. When we entered the stadium that is when I put on the jets and used what energy I had left. I surprised myself that I still had some speed left in me and zigzagged past everyone in path. I past the man wearing a suit and crossed the finish line with seconds to spare.
Next time I will reach my 24:00 minute goal. I might even rest the day before.
I am back and I have been running. After the marathon, I took a little time and recovered. I was still running, but it was sporadic and uneventful. Few miles here, few more there. It was happening though. I started playing Ultimate on Fridays and that has provided some good cardio. It is a little unsettling that I can run a marathon, yet a half hour of sprinting gets me winded. I guess that's what happens when you train yourself to run long distances and a constant pace.
I do have a little story. I ran a 5K this past weekend. I had a goal and did not reach it. But that was my fault. The day before, rather than rest or go on a quick jog, I played Ultimate for longer than ideal. I had fun, but the running had a negative impact on my race times. I finished the race in 25 minutes (8:04 min/miles). The time was a PR, but still a minute slower than what I was hoping to run.
Te setup of the race was interesting. There were two start times. 9 am for the contenders and people that signed up early, and 9:10 everyone else. I was in the 9:10 heat. When the race started the 9 am group took off, but few lined up for the 9:10 start. My friends and I started to make our way to the front and ended up the first people in line. I mean the very first people. The gun went off and so did we. My friends were faster than I am and took off. I knew better than to run with them, but for the first mile I kept them in sight.
I feel it was more subconscious than anything. You see people you know, you try to keep up. Needless to say, I burnt out pretty quickly. Pretty quickly ended up being in one mile. I ran my first mile in 7:23, the second in about 8:40 and finished in 25:01 minutes.
One funny note in the story, when we were lining up for the 9:10 start a gentlemen lined up behind us. He was wearing a suit, a full suit. Dark green suit, dark red tie and dark red hat. He was wearing gray sneakers. He was middle-aged too. Anyway when I took off for the first mile, I didn't think much of him. By mid-way through mile 2, I thought a little more about him BECAUSE HE PASSED ME! I was thinking, "Oh come on!" At first I was in "oh well" mode and started to slow down a little. Then I started thinking, I can't lose to the guy in a suit. He was my rabbit. I kept him in sight, pacing about 50 yards behind him. Mile 3.1 rolled around a I started to speed up. That's right, I had a strategy...
The race was put on by the Cincinnati Reds and ended on the field. The finish line was half way around the warning track. When we entered the stadium that is when I put on the jets and used what energy I had left. I surprised myself that I still had some speed left in me and zigzagged past everyone in path. I past the man wearing a suit and crossed the finish line with seconds to spare.
Next time I will reach my 24:00 minute goal. I might even rest the day before.
May 4, 2010
The Marathon
All of us went to bed a little later than we probably should have, but by no means late. The day, or night depending on how you look at it, started off with a bang. Literally. Before anyone’s alarm clocks went off long, loud, rumbling thunder woke everyone at roughly 4:00 am. Everyone managed another 30 minutes of sleep before we had to eat and get ready.
I wolfed down a breakfast of oatmeal and a banana and chugged water like a camel. Dan had some coffee and toast. Joey, Dan’s cousin, had the same. Before I knew it, we were off. Mary decided to come with us to cheer us on. The weather was far from ideal. Pouring rain, lightning and thunder. The only bright spot was the temperature, 65 degrees.
I directed us to downtown where we hit the wall of traffic. I did not expect it to be this bad, but with some creative driving Dan weaved his way into one of the last spots on a lot. It worked out well parking where we did. It was not terribly far, but the rain made it feel far enough. After paying the meter, Dan, his cousin Joey, his friend Eric, Mary and I walked down to Paul Brown Stadium for a bathroom break and some shelter.
The Stadium was packed, shoulder to shoulder, with people. The line for the bathroom was insane. It wound in directions I did not think were possible. I am pretty sure the line wrapped over the ceiling and into the women’s room. Dan, Joey and I had go to the bathroom pretty badly so we decided to fight the elements. Through the lightning flashes and rain we made our way to the never-ending line of port-o-potties. Each of us chose a line and shuffled our way closer. I finished first and both Dan and Joey were still in line. Joey asked if I would go back to where Mary and Erik were in the Stadium and grab his beans (the equivalent of Gu). I took the opportunity to grab Eric and Mary. I swam through the crowd like a salmon heading upstream. After directing Mary and Eric to the port-o-potties, we had just enough time to line up for the race. I gave Mary a kiss and last minute directions to where to met us and then we were off to the pack. It was announced over 26,000 people signed up for the event. An impressive number if anyone asked me. The microphone was muffled by the rain and squealed from time to time. Appropriate in keeping with the theme of the Flying Pig marathon.
Dan and Eric moved more fluidly through the crowd and the group was broken up. I was left with Eric who was running the half marathon. The gun went off and anti-climatically nothing happened. It took seven minutes to make it to the starting line. Even then the pace was slow going. There was a lot of weaving through the crowds. Up on the pavement, on the median. As I leap frogged a slower runners, I tried to get my pace. After a mile Eric moved on to a quicker pace. I decided to hold back a little and conserve some energy for the long haul. I was wary about burning out too soon. About mile two, I passed Joey who was waiting in line at a bathroom on the course. The bridge was not as bad as people have said and I was glad I trained on steep hills. The run through downtown was quick. I thought Mary would be waiting on that stretch. I looked right and left, not knowing what side of the street she would be on, continually searching for the hideous green umbrella I lent her. The umbrella was a shade of mold green and made of wood, truly a relic. I looked to no avail and soldiered on through the rain.
About mile five I felt it. I convinced myself up until this point that I could make it, but like Joey I had to go. I knew I would not be able to hold it in forever and decided to stop to go to the bathroom. In retrospect I should have used nature as my restroom, but I was decent and waited in line at a set of five port-o-potties. It took about 2-3 minutes before I was running again, but felt like an eternity as I watched people zoom by. I was glad that I went as that would have been inevitable. I saw at least two dozen people using trees, shrubs, garbage cans and even slower runners as make-shift bathrooms. I supposed running a PR is more important than dignity.
The next challenge was the road to Eden Park. It was a 4 mile uphill run. On the incline was a great surprise. I hear my name being called and look over to see Mary jogging next to me. That was where she set up camp! She ran with me for about 10 seconds before her phone dropped out of her pocket and she had to stop. I worried about the phone on and off throughout the race, but it was ok. Mary running next to me was a great motivator. The hill still had 2 miles left, but I was well on my way, moving at a steady pace. About 6 miles in I started my first Gu. I used a trick Dan told me: open it and take a little, then find a point somewhere in the distance and have a little more. I would be lying if I told you the I did this for 2 miles before I was finished. At mile 8, I ran into Joey. He must have passed me when I was in the bathroom. I ran with him for about a quarter mile before I continued on at my pace. I wished him well and went on my way. At mile 9 the marathon split between the half and the full. It split at a church at the top of a hill. It was a very scenic place to split. The sane and the insane.
I went with the other crazies to the right. I wish I had more details, but the next few miles were a blur. My dad gave me a piece of advice to use while running. He said to pretend you are building a house from the foundation up and spare no details. The miles would melt away he said. So, I decided to try it. I had to decide where to build the house first and decided to build it on the beach. But how do you build a foundation into the sand. It would get washed away. My beach house never was more than a hole in the ground; I revisited the home many time, never getting farther than a hole.
I finally made it to the half way mark and other than a mat to record my time, there was not much there. I made the mistake of thinking “If I ran the half-marathon I would be done and feeling awesome.” Cause I did, I felt great, 13.1 miles would have been nothing. It is scary to say that. Granted I was pushing myself, but I would have finished in just over 2 hours. I was half way there and kept my head down running through the rain. I was working on my second Gu which ate away some time. By this time my feet started to feel the wet, friction of running in the rain. It was a weird feeling and I could only hope the blisters wouldn’t be too bad. Actually I hoped my skin wouldn’t slough off my feet. Another Dan trick which he learned from an ultra-marathoner was whenever there was a pain, isolate the pain, why it hurt and put the pain in a little box in the back of your mind. In 30 minutes, ask yourself if the pain still hurts. Strangely enough, the trick works… almost too well.
At 15 miles, I saw the beginning of the loop. At this point of the course, you run in a big loop and at mile 17 you can see mile 15. I started to feel a little fatigued at this point, but not too bad. I started to feel like I had to use the restroom again, but asked myself if I really had to go. The answer was always no although I would wrestle with the thought at each port-o-potty for the next 9 miles. I also started to walk while I was drinking water. A slight reprieve from running was needed. At mile 18, I started to ask myself if I really needed to stop or wanted to stop. I wanted to stop and walk, very badly, but kept moving. Not sure if my pace was slower or not, but I felt like I was moving slower. I was working though my third Gu when I passed a Gu station and grabbed another one for the late miles. Later I grabbed another Gu, but did not use it.
As I was rounding a corner at mile 19, I heard someone yell, “Go number 4292!” I had to look down and saw they were cheering for me, my confusion and subsequent smile made the guy laugh. And rightfully so. The next mile was on a highway and felt very lonely, cars were going by, honking, and there were some tents set up, but for whatever reason, the road felt lonely and winding. Then I hit the wall…
It was about mile 20. Somewhere on the highway, I could not run and had to start walking. I am not sure if I actually had to or wanted to, but I did. In retrospect I probably wanted to more than had to. For the next two miles I ran as long as I could, then walked slowly, then walked fast, then ran some more. I would build up my walking pace until I was running again. I was not alone in the method. Many people around me adopted the same strategy. We were unified in our goal, but too fatigued to feel any camaraderie. We all moved along like iron legged zombies. Not very threatening, but the glazed eyes and smell said stay away. I worked on my forth Gu through the sluggish pace.
Somewhere around mile 23 I found my pace again. I got my wind back and ran about a mile before the legs started to rebel. Back to the walk / run tempo. I could not tell you if I was running faster when I started running or if my walking was shorter than I thought, but in the end, my pace was not too much different than the beginning. There were some people down this stretch, but not many. Volunteers dispensing water, some music, some high fives.
Mile 25 there was some more life in the crowds. A local rock station had music set up, a apartment had rock music blaring, some high school girls had a running inspired chant. I was mentally and physically exhausted, but at mile 25 I made a decision to run the last 1.2 miles. I did not care how tired I felt, I knew I had a little left and could push through it. I moved a little fast and eventually my gait could only be described as a run, a sloppy run, but a run. I ran on and the crowds started to increase. Then the cheers started. There were only a handful of people on the course at this point and it was like they were cheering for me. Apparently in that last stretch Mary was there, cheering for me and we made eye contact. But with all the people and lack of glycogen, I did not register seeing her. At mile 26.1 as I was approaching the “Finish Swine” I made a last minute decision, driven by testosterone I decided I had to beat the person in front of me. I increased my speed and slightly edged her out by 10 yards.
After I finished I was wiped out. I staggered to get my medal and space blanket. I was looking for Mary and Dan, but did not see them. I drank two cups of Gatorade and some water. Then went to the bathroom. I was starting to really feel the effects of putting my body through 26.2 miles. I was chilling down fast. I walked to the Recovery area and ate a banana grabbed a bottle of water and a bagel. I was sick to my stomach but knew I had to eat. I hear d my name called from around the fence. It was Dan and Mary! I waved with my bagel and staggered out of the recovery area. I grabbed a Gogurt on my way out. Apparently Mary went to see me, but the crowds were such that we missed each other. I found Dan. Almost immediately, I had my feet elevated on a pole. A little kid was waddling over to me and gave me two high fives.
Mary made her way back through the crowds to find me on the floor. Dan made me drink the whole bottle of water before giving me back my bagel which somehow found its way into his pocket. He was dressed and well recovered as he finished an hour before me. I was not completely coherent and walking was a challenge. But I finished.
Final time: 4 hours 16 minutes 05 seconds.
Thank you for everyone who offered support, encouragement and advice through my training and marathon. I truly could not have done it without you.
I wolfed down a breakfast of oatmeal and a banana and chugged water like a camel. Dan had some coffee and toast. Joey, Dan’s cousin, had the same. Before I knew it, we were off. Mary decided to come with us to cheer us on. The weather was far from ideal. Pouring rain, lightning and thunder. The only bright spot was the temperature, 65 degrees.
I directed us to downtown where we hit the wall of traffic. I did not expect it to be this bad, but with some creative driving Dan weaved his way into one of the last spots on a lot. It worked out well parking where we did. It was not terribly far, but the rain made it feel far enough. After paying the meter, Dan, his cousin Joey, his friend Eric, Mary and I walked down to Paul Brown Stadium for a bathroom break and some shelter.
The Stadium was packed, shoulder to shoulder, with people. The line for the bathroom was insane. It wound in directions I did not think were possible. I am pretty sure the line wrapped over the ceiling and into the women’s room. Dan, Joey and I had go to the bathroom pretty badly so we decided to fight the elements. Through the lightning flashes and rain we made our way to the never-ending line of port-o-potties. Each of us chose a line and shuffled our way closer. I finished first and both Dan and Joey were still in line. Joey asked if I would go back to where Mary and Erik were in the Stadium and grab his beans (the equivalent of Gu). I took the opportunity to grab Eric and Mary. I swam through the crowd like a salmon heading upstream. After directing Mary and Eric to the port-o-potties, we had just enough time to line up for the race. I gave Mary a kiss and last minute directions to where to met us and then we were off to the pack. It was announced over 26,000 people signed up for the event. An impressive number if anyone asked me. The microphone was muffled by the rain and squealed from time to time. Appropriate in keeping with the theme of the Flying Pig marathon.
Dan and Eric moved more fluidly through the crowd and the group was broken up. I was left with Eric who was running the half marathon. The gun went off and anti-climatically nothing happened. It took seven minutes to make it to the starting line. Even then the pace was slow going. There was a lot of weaving through the crowds. Up on the pavement, on the median. As I leap frogged a slower runners, I tried to get my pace. After a mile Eric moved on to a quicker pace. I decided to hold back a little and conserve some energy for the long haul. I was wary about burning out too soon. About mile two, I passed Joey who was waiting in line at a bathroom on the course. The bridge was not as bad as people have said and I was glad I trained on steep hills. The run through downtown was quick. I thought Mary would be waiting on that stretch. I looked right and left, not knowing what side of the street she would be on, continually searching for the hideous green umbrella I lent her. The umbrella was a shade of mold green and made of wood, truly a relic. I looked to no avail and soldiered on through the rain.
About mile five I felt it. I convinced myself up until this point that I could make it, but like Joey I had to go. I knew I would not be able to hold it in forever and decided to stop to go to the bathroom. In retrospect I should have used nature as my restroom, but I was decent and waited in line at a set of five port-o-potties. It took about 2-3 minutes before I was running again, but felt like an eternity as I watched people zoom by. I was glad that I went as that would have been inevitable. I saw at least two dozen people using trees, shrubs, garbage cans and even slower runners as make-shift bathrooms. I supposed running a PR is more important than dignity.
The next challenge was the road to Eden Park. It was a 4 mile uphill run. On the incline was a great surprise. I hear my name being called and look over to see Mary jogging next to me. That was where she set up camp! She ran with me for about 10 seconds before her phone dropped out of her pocket and she had to stop. I worried about the phone on and off throughout the race, but it was ok. Mary running next to me was a great motivator. The hill still had 2 miles left, but I was well on my way, moving at a steady pace. About 6 miles in I started my first Gu. I used a trick Dan told me: open it and take a little, then find a point somewhere in the distance and have a little more. I would be lying if I told you the I did this for 2 miles before I was finished. At mile 8, I ran into Joey. He must have passed me when I was in the bathroom. I ran with him for about a quarter mile before I continued on at my pace. I wished him well and went on my way. At mile 9 the marathon split between the half and the full. It split at a church at the top of a hill. It was a very scenic place to split. The sane and the insane.
I went with the other crazies to the right. I wish I had more details, but the next few miles were a blur. My dad gave me a piece of advice to use while running. He said to pretend you are building a house from the foundation up and spare no details. The miles would melt away he said. So, I decided to try it. I had to decide where to build the house first and decided to build it on the beach. But how do you build a foundation into the sand. It would get washed away. My beach house never was more than a hole in the ground; I revisited the home many time, never getting farther than a hole.
I finally made it to the half way mark and other than a mat to record my time, there was not much there. I made the mistake of thinking “If I ran the half-marathon I would be done and feeling awesome.” Cause I did, I felt great, 13.1 miles would have been nothing. It is scary to say that. Granted I was pushing myself, but I would have finished in just over 2 hours. I was half way there and kept my head down running through the rain. I was working on my second Gu which ate away some time. By this time my feet started to feel the wet, friction of running in the rain. It was a weird feeling and I could only hope the blisters wouldn’t be too bad. Actually I hoped my skin wouldn’t slough off my feet. Another Dan trick which he learned from an ultra-marathoner was whenever there was a pain, isolate the pain, why it hurt and put the pain in a little box in the back of your mind. In 30 minutes, ask yourself if the pain still hurts. Strangely enough, the trick works… almost too well.
At 15 miles, I saw the beginning of the loop. At this point of the course, you run in a big loop and at mile 17 you can see mile 15. I started to feel a little fatigued at this point, but not too bad. I started to feel like I had to use the restroom again, but asked myself if I really had to go. The answer was always no although I would wrestle with the thought at each port-o-potty for the next 9 miles. I also started to walk while I was drinking water. A slight reprieve from running was needed. At mile 18, I started to ask myself if I really needed to stop or wanted to stop. I wanted to stop and walk, very badly, but kept moving. Not sure if my pace was slower or not, but I felt like I was moving slower. I was working though my third Gu when I passed a Gu station and grabbed another one for the late miles. Later I grabbed another Gu, but did not use it.
As I was rounding a corner at mile 19, I heard someone yell, “Go number 4292!” I had to look down and saw they were cheering for me, my confusion and subsequent smile made the guy laugh. And rightfully so. The next mile was on a highway and felt very lonely, cars were going by, honking, and there were some tents set up, but for whatever reason, the road felt lonely and winding. Then I hit the wall…
It was about mile 20. Somewhere on the highway, I could not run and had to start walking. I am not sure if I actually had to or wanted to, but I did. In retrospect I probably wanted to more than had to. For the next two miles I ran as long as I could, then walked slowly, then walked fast, then ran some more. I would build up my walking pace until I was running again. I was not alone in the method. Many people around me adopted the same strategy. We were unified in our goal, but too fatigued to feel any camaraderie. We all moved along like iron legged zombies. Not very threatening, but the glazed eyes and smell said stay away. I worked on my forth Gu through the sluggish pace.
Somewhere around mile 23 I found my pace again. I got my wind back and ran about a mile before the legs started to rebel. Back to the walk / run tempo. I could not tell you if I was running faster when I started running or if my walking was shorter than I thought, but in the end, my pace was not too much different than the beginning. There were some people down this stretch, but not many. Volunteers dispensing water, some music, some high fives.
Mile 25 there was some more life in the crowds. A local rock station had music set up, a apartment had rock music blaring, some high school girls had a running inspired chant. I was mentally and physically exhausted, but at mile 25 I made a decision to run the last 1.2 miles. I did not care how tired I felt, I knew I had a little left and could push through it. I moved a little fast and eventually my gait could only be described as a run, a sloppy run, but a run. I ran on and the crowds started to increase. Then the cheers started. There were only a handful of people on the course at this point and it was like they were cheering for me. Apparently in that last stretch Mary was there, cheering for me and we made eye contact. But with all the people and lack of glycogen, I did not register seeing her. At mile 26.1 as I was approaching the “Finish Swine” I made a last minute decision, driven by testosterone I decided I had to beat the person in front of me. I increased my speed and slightly edged her out by 10 yards.
After I finished I was wiped out. I staggered to get my medal and space blanket. I was looking for Mary and Dan, but did not see them. I drank two cups of Gatorade and some water. Then went to the bathroom. I was starting to really feel the effects of putting my body through 26.2 miles. I was chilling down fast. I walked to the Recovery area and ate a banana grabbed a bottle of water and a bagel. I was sick to my stomach but knew I had to eat. I hear d my name called from around the fence. It was Dan and Mary! I waved with my bagel and staggered out of the recovery area. I grabbed a Gogurt on my way out. Apparently Mary went to see me, but the crowds were such that we missed each other. I found Dan. Almost immediately, I had my feet elevated on a pole. A little kid was waddling over to me and gave me two high fives.
Mary made her way back through the crowds to find me on the floor. Dan made me drink the whole bottle of water before giving me back my bagel which somehow found its way into his pocket. He was dressed and well recovered as he finished an hour before me. I was not completely coherent and walking was a challenge. But I finished.
Final time: 4 hours 16 minutes 05 seconds.
Thank you for everyone who offered support, encouragement and advice through my training and marathon. I truly could not have done it without you.
April 12, 2010
18.5
I will spare you the details if you do not wish to read the through the blog. I ran 18.5 miles this past Saturday.
The run started the night before... I know this sounds nuts, but I had to get into my frame of mind early. I ate a hearty pasta fueled dinner and then went to bed. The next day I woke up a little later than I wanted to, but overall well rested. I checked the weather and that is when I really woke up. The temperature was 36. I think not. I was prepared to run for over 3 hours, but I was not going to start in a parka. The plan was to meet a co-worker at Ault Park at 8. Carrie has already run 2 marathons and many halves. She is signed up for the Flying Pig half marathon. She was joining me for the first half of my run. Upon seeing the weather, I abruptly texted her to reschedule for 9 am when it would warm up to 42. It actually worked out well because it gave me a chance to further digest my gargantuan bowl of oatmeal.
We met atop Ault Park at 9 and we were soon off. There was one small matter to take care of - I was well hydrated prior to the run. Too well hydrated. Lucky me, the bathrooms were all closed for the season. Luckier me, I am a dude and the world is one big potential restroom. I hide behind some shrubs and then I was truly ready to go.
The thing about Ault Park is that it is a truly pretty park and overlooks a lot of Ohio. That is great for short runs and jogs, but what runs down, must run up back. The first two miles were a nice downhill stroll at a good pace. Not at all a prelude for the tortuous hills we were facing. It was almost ominous how comfortable a downhill run it was. After we decided to turn around and make our way back up, the steep hills caught us. Pace slowed, breath heavier, talking less. We made it up the super steep hill which felt longer than it looked. I would like to tell you that was it, but the gradient was a precursor to a longer, less steep, but equally challenging hill. We did make it back up and once again we were atop Ault Park with about 3.5-4 miles under our belt.
There are two roads that lead to Ault Park. That was one. Next we decided to try the other. Again, a nice steady downhill that was like a breath of fresh air. About half way down we found an off road trail and decided it would be fun to go on an adventure. The trail was gravel for about 1/2 mile and dirt for another 1/4 mile. Half way down the trail we heard a voice yelling from up ahead. A woman called out a name. The stranger was looking for her black and gray dog. The search and rescue was on. We called out too as we ran the opposite direction from the woman. From above the trail we heard a man's voice yell if someone has lost a dog. He found the black and gray dog and the dog was united with its owner. As we finished the trail, which included jumping a felled tree, we saw a car with no less than 7 medium sized barking dogs. Carrie and I hoped the woman was not hording dogs or something.
We forged on and Carrie in exclamation figured out where we were. A street I never heard of, in a town that I vaguely recall hearing about. Moreover she knew where to go. We jogged along, talking, logging miles and before we knew it, I kind of knew where we were too. I had no idea how to get back but I knew where we were. We ran through Hyde Park which incidentally is not a park by any stretch of the imagination. We ran until about 9 miles and decided to turn around. We made our way back to the park. The park was not as close as we initially thought and it took 3 miles to get back to the cars. The last mile or so was a grueling hill. It was long, deceitfully winding and never ending. When we came to the stop sign it ended. When we reached the cars, we were at 12 miles. Two mile further than Carrie thought she would run. I was just getting started. We high fived and departed ways. Carrie in a car and me on foot.
I ate a gu and continued on. The next two miles were not bad. I jogged along tired legs and all. I ran back to the trail and decided to jog down to the end and then back. I was fine until mile 15 and then it started. My legs started to get a tried fast. I walked a little. I made it back to the trail and jogged and walked. I was dreading the inevitable. When I finally reached the end of the trail, there was that big hill. Mocking me the entire way back up with its turns and steepness. I slowly made it back up and was at 16 miles or so. My goal was 18-20 and I knew I had to log the miles.
I decided to jog around the top of Ault Park. Ault Park itself has some slight ups and downs, but nothing like the hills sloping from either side. The downhills were not bad and I could even jog on them. The uphills I walked and jogged. Then mile 17 came along and something happened. My legs came back and I was able to regain my pace and finish 18.5 miles strong, relatively speaking.
I drove back home exhausted but content with my run. I was sore the entire ride back and most of the rest of the day. That night was rather restless due to the soreness. However, the next day was not too bad. I was even able to log a 3.5 mile run/walk with Ann. I am confident that I will finish the marathon. Not sure what my pace will be or my final time, but I know I can finish. Best estimates are 4 to 4 and half hours. But we will see. I know there are steep uphills early, but I think the marathon is downhill for the rest. Here's hoping.
By the way, the 18.5 miles took me 3 hours and 20 minutes.
The run started the night before... I know this sounds nuts, but I had to get into my frame of mind early. I ate a hearty pasta fueled dinner and then went to bed. The next day I woke up a little later than I wanted to, but overall well rested. I checked the weather and that is when I really woke up. The temperature was 36. I think not. I was prepared to run for over 3 hours, but I was not going to start in a parka. The plan was to meet a co-worker at Ault Park at 8. Carrie has already run 2 marathons and many halves. She is signed up for the Flying Pig half marathon. She was joining me for the first half of my run. Upon seeing the weather, I abruptly texted her to reschedule for 9 am when it would warm up to 42. It actually worked out well because it gave me a chance to further digest my gargantuan bowl of oatmeal.
We met atop Ault Park at 9 and we were soon off. There was one small matter to take care of - I was well hydrated prior to the run. Too well hydrated. Lucky me, the bathrooms were all closed for the season. Luckier me, I am a dude and the world is one big potential restroom. I hide behind some shrubs and then I was truly ready to go.
The thing about Ault Park is that it is a truly pretty park and overlooks a lot of Ohio. That is great for short runs and jogs, but what runs down, must run up back. The first two miles were a nice downhill stroll at a good pace. Not at all a prelude for the tortuous hills we were facing. It was almost ominous how comfortable a downhill run it was. After we decided to turn around and make our way back up, the steep hills caught us. Pace slowed, breath heavier, talking less. We made it up the super steep hill which felt longer than it looked. I would like to tell you that was it, but the gradient was a precursor to a longer, less steep, but equally challenging hill. We did make it back up and once again we were atop Ault Park with about 3.5-4 miles under our belt.
There are two roads that lead to Ault Park. That was one. Next we decided to try the other. Again, a nice steady downhill that was like a breath of fresh air. About half way down we found an off road trail and decided it would be fun to go on an adventure. The trail was gravel for about 1/2 mile and dirt for another 1/4 mile. Half way down the trail we heard a voice yelling from up ahead. A woman called out a name. The stranger was looking for her black and gray dog. The search and rescue was on. We called out too as we ran the opposite direction from the woman. From above the trail we heard a man's voice yell if someone has lost a dog. He found the black and gray dog and the dog was united with its owner. As we finished the trail, which included jumping a felled tree, we saw a car with no less than 7 medium sized barking dogs. Carrie and I hoped the woman was not hording dogs or something.
We forged on and Carrie in exclamation figured out where we were. A street I never heard of, in a town that I vaguely recall hearing about. Moreover she knew where to go. We jogged along, talking, logging miles and before we knew it, I kind of knew where we were too. I had no idea how to get back but I knew where we were. We ran through Hyde Park which incidentally is not a park by any stretch of the imagination. We ran until about 9 miles and decided to turn around. We made our way back to the park. The park was not as close as we initially thought and it took 3 miles to get back to the cars. The last mile or so was a grueling hill. It was long, deceitfully winding and never ending. When we came to the stop sign it ended. When we reached the cars, we were at 12 miles. Two mile further than Carrie thought she would run. I was just getting started. We high fived and departed ways. Carrie in a car and me on foot.
I ate a gu and continued on. The next two miles were not bad. I jogged along tired legs and all. I ran back to the trail and decided to jog down to the end and then back. I was fine until mile 15 and then it started. My legs started to get a tried fast. I walked a little. I made it back to the trail and jogged and walked. I was dreading the inevitable. When I finally reached the end of the trail, there was that big hill. Mocking me the entire way back up with its turns and steepness. I slowly made it back up and was at 16 miles or so. My goal was 18-20 and I knew I had to log the miles.
I decided to jog around the top of Ault Park. Ault Park itself has some slight ups and downs, but nothing like the hills sloping from either side. The downhills were not bad and I could even jog on them. The uphills I walked and jogged. Then mile 17 came along and something happened. My legs came back and I was able to regain my pace and finish 18.5 miles strong, relatively speaking.
I drove back home exhausted but content with my run. I was sore the entire ride back and most of the rest of the day. That night was rather restless due to the soreness. However, the next day was not too bad. I was even able to log a 3.5 mile run/walk with Ann. I am confident that I will finish the marathon. Not sure what my pace will be or my final time, but I know I can finish. Best estimates are 4 to 4 and half hours. But we will see. I know there are steep uphills early, but I think the marathon is downhill for the rest. Here's hoping.
By the way, the 18.5 miles took me 3 hours and 20 minutes.
April 4, 2010
The Away Runs / Other Activities
The past few days have made for interesting / different workouts. I have been away from home for three days the past week on a business trip. This makes running very difficult. On Tuesday, I was still sore from the Mini Heart marathon, but I sucked it up and hopped on the treadmill for 25 minutes and then the ellipticle for a little. The fitness room also had 10 pound weights that I used to do a quick weight workout. The workout helped a little, but everything was compounded by walking in some manufacturing plants for hours at time. I was able to do my job, but with some soreness and discomfort. Wednesday was a little tougher. The hotel I was at had a gym with three pieces of equipment: a treadmill, a bike and an ellipticle. I thought the equipment would work well, all the machines had fans built in. There were also 3 medicine balls. However, the treadmill would stick when I was running, the ellipticle was broken and the stationary bike was permanently stuck on pause. Awesome! So, I did what I could with what I had. Tossed the medicine ball around and then hit the hot tub. Good workout or great workout?
Friday Mary and I drove up to Toledo for the weekend where I did get an hour and 20 minute run in. The Sunday I ran about 4 more miles. Nothing impressive to speak of, but it is better than nothing. The marathon is right around the corner and I will have to put in a long run next weekend whether I want to or not. After that it will be shorter and shorter runs until the big day.
Friday Mary and I drove up to Toledo for the weekend where I did get an hour and 20 minute run in. The Sunday I ran about 4 more miles. Nothing impressive to speak of, but it is better than nothing. The marathon is right around the corner and I will have to put in a long run next weekend whether I want to or not. After that it will be shorter and shorter runs until the big day.
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