running

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Too soon for trail running

Alright.  I never said I was a smart runner.  Sometimes I do dumb things.

Yesterday, my second day back running after my marathon, I asked TJ if he wanted to go running with me at the State Park.  It was a beautiful day.  In fact, it was one of those days that if I was training for something, I would have really enjoyed my training day.  It was cool, low humidity, not a cloud in the sky.  It was awesome.

So we decided to go trail running a bit. I don’t trail run (except in marathons) and I am not 100% back from last Sunday’s race.  But I digress.

We drove to the park and went to the parking lot near the trails.  Low and behold we ran into my running buddy Neill (BigBigGeek) running his 12 mile long run (the last before his half marathon next week).  He looked great and was enjoying the weather.  By the way, he ended up with a 13.1 mile run and felt great doing it.  I am so excited for him.  A couple of weeks ago we ran an 11 mile run together in the heat and humidity and it was tough.

After a few minutes of talking we parted.  Neill went on to his record breaking run and TJ and I headed to the trails.

We had a fun run overall.  Neither of us run trails so we took it easy.  After about 1.5 miles the outside of my knee started to hurt.  It was annoying and steady, but I kept going.  After a while it became obvious that the pain was not going away and in fact was getting worse.  I had to start walking.  TJ showed me some stretches that helped, but the pain continued.  So we walked out to the main road and headed to our car without going back on the trail.

The good news is that within a half hour all pain was gone and I didn’t have any issues the rest of the day.  I imagine that my muscles are still repairing themselves and running a trail was too hard on them.  Oh well, live and learn.  It was only a 3 mile run/walk overall and it was probably good we stopped when we did.  I did enjoy the run and really enjoyed running trails with TJ.  It was a lot of fun.

Today is another cool morning but is going to get hot during the day.  I’m going to head out for an easy run and enjoy another day of just running for the fun of it!!!

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My 2 mile run

I ran yesterday!!!

First run since Sunday’s marathon and for a whole 2 miles!!!

The 2 mile run yesterday was the same 2 miles I used to run in March 2012 when I first started running.  That was pretty neat.  It has been a LONG time since I just ran 2 miles and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

No pressure.

No pace.

No long distances.

I could stop if I wanted and not feel badly.

IT WAS FUN.

I wondered what emotions I would feel after my my first marathon.  Would I feel a let down as I worked so hard toward a goal and now it was over?  Would I be upset if I didn’t make my goal?  How would I feel?

I feel great.

Not to relate this to pregnancy, but I will anyway.  It is sort of like after a woman has a baby.  All the pain of the pregnancy and labor is forgotten after she sees the baby (so I hear).  I look back on this race with joy.  I know it was hard and I was in a lot of pain, but I would so do it again.

So life goes on.  I’m out of pain.  I’m running again.  I’m looking forward to the next race (not quite sure what it will be yet).

I’m happy!

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Thank you!

Well we made it home safe and sound.  It wasn’t a fun ride (no 14 hour car ride is), but it was uneventful, so that is good.

The good news is that I am finally able to walk without much pain (other than my hip).  I could have run a little yesterday, but I was in the car for 14 hours.  🙂

So life is starting to get back to normal.  It was fun seeing my mom and celebrating her birthday a day late.  It was great seeing my brothers and just hanging around.  I got to visit my birthplace and see the house I was brought up in.  It doesn’t even look like the same house.  It is run down and all the work my dad put into a fish pond and Japanese gardens is gone.  Everything is grown over.  Rather sad.

It is great to be home though.  Back in Alabama with my kids and my LW (Thanks GetGoingGetRunning  getgoinggetrunning.wordpress.com for that one).  I thought that was some new type of foam roller, but my Lovely Wife figured out what that meant right away).  🙂

On our trip home yesterday we listened to an audio book BigBigGeek Neill gave to me for my trip.  It is about a guy who weighed around 260 lbs and when he turned 50 lost the weight and ran a marathon.  Sounds familiar.  It is a good story about his journey to running and his journey to Christianity.  Here is the link to his blog and his book.  All proceeds go to charity.  http://bhmatson.com.

Finally, I will never be able to thank you all for reading my blog and encouraging me on my journey.  That has been one of the most amazing parts of my running the marathon last Sunday.  When I started this blog I simply started writing daily about my running.  After a few weeks I had a few people following me.  Now, 8 months later, I have almost 200.  It really blows my mind that I have such great support and encouragement from runners, dieters and others who don’t do either.  Thank you again for being a part of my journey.  I couldn’t do it without you (okay I could and I would, but it would be much harder).

Have a great weekend.

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The soreness continues :)

Coming off my marathon, there are a lot of questions.  What’s next?  Marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K.

I guess I have to get over this soreness first.  I am worse this morning then I was yesterday.  I got up this morning and had to just stand for a minute before I could think of walking.  Next marathon I’ll train in cooler weather (hopefully) and be able to do more workouts.  I really needed another month of training before this race last Sunday.  But I made it through and am glad I kept an 8:00 pace for 12 miles.

Short post today.  Heading off to the cemetery to visit my dad and sister and then do some slow moving shopping.

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Finishing the race!

I finally arrived at my mom’s and will help celebrate her birthday a day late. Better late than never!

Here is a recap of the marathon… I will write some more later about the interesting time we had outside of the actual race, but I want to write about the race alone in this post.

We started at exactly 7:00. I was so nervous at the start, but after we got 1/4 of a mile into the marathon, nerves turned into running. It was really crowded for the first 4 miles or so and then it spread into a manageable amount of runners.

For me, I started at an 8:00 pace. Fast for me, but I had my reasons. I really wanted a chance at my dream of running it under a 3:30 and I figured if I didn’t try, I wouldn’t know if it was possible.

It wasn’t. 🙂

I ran an 8:00 pace for 12 miles. Not bad. But that was about all I could do. Almost out of nowhere I lost the steam to keep the pace. So, knowing I wouldn’t make my first goal, I settled in to finishing the race and enjoying the run!

It was an interesting course. Fairly hilly in the beginning. Then we got to the river and the trail beside the river. For about 8 miles we ran this trail. Two grooves of dirt with grass in the middle and on either side. So runners settled into a groove and did the best they could to pass when possible. I fell in behind a guy who was keeping an 8:00 pace. For several miles I just ran his pace. That was nice, until he suddenly stopped to walk. Ugh. That messed with me a bit. But I kept going and finally got through that 8 mile stretch.

At the half way point when my steam ran out I ate gels and drank Gatorade to keep me going. That was a good plan. I ran for a couple of miles and walked through the water/Gatorade stations. As soon as I downed my sugar, I was running again. At mile 15 a woman handing out Gatorade asked me if I was okay. I said yes, but I guess I didn’t look that great. After that, I turned off my app and just ran as I could run. Not very fast, but not walking either. In my mind I kept thinking, “If I walk, I won’t finish as fast”.

At mile 20 I fully hit the wall. We had just run 16 miles of river trails and gone up a hill and now were running on gravel. I had to walk a bit. I then got a text from my Lovely Wife saying to keep going and she was pulling for me. I thought, I can do this. Not long after, I started running again. I never walked longer than a minute or two. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Finally around mile 22 we got back onto asphalt. I never thought I’d be so happy to see a road again.

This was the hardest part. Between mile 22 and 24. I hurt a lot. I would run a while and then have to walk because my whole body hurt. After a minute I’d start running again. Then I made it to mile 24. Another runner, about age 35 came up beside me and we began to talk. He told me he had run 3 other marathons but not run one in a couple of years. We talked for almost 2 miles. Wow, that really helped. At the point where the finish was a half mile away (uphill), he asked if I was doing okay and I told him I was and to head on as I could see he wanted to run strong at the end. He took off up the hill.

As I ran up the hill and onto the final stretch I was feeling much better. The finish was visible and I could hear the announcer on the loud speaker. So I went to my phone app and FaceTimed my brother. He had suggested that a few days earlier, but I didn’t know if I would be in a place to be able to do it or not. So I ran my last .2 miles with my brother and mom cheering me on. I saw the finish in front of me and was running well. Suddenly my right calf cramped. Ugh. Only a couple hundred feet to go and I was limping as I ran. It then worked its way out and I was running again, though a bit more carefully.

The finish line

My running friend of the last two miles finished ahead of me with his two toddlers running with him. How cool. I ran over the finish line only to see TJ there to greet me. I got my finishers medal and a water.

I did it. I finished. 4:14. I then, at TJ’s and my Lovely Wife’s request went to the medic tent for an IV. I was a bit out of it. After about 30 minutes I felt fine and finished with my Intravenous beverage and headed out to catch a shuttle home (a whole other blog post).

Tj finished amazingly fast at 3:08 (3 minutes off Boston Qualifying time). I am so proud of him.

Special thanks again to my big bro Jeff and my Lovely Wife for posting all the updates. Also special thanks to all of you. The support I have received from the blogging community was way more than I ever expected and had a huge impact in my marathon. When I felt the wall hit and wanted to give up, I would think of YOU. I couldn’t face not finishing and having to post that to this blog. Thank you so much!!!

That is it for now. I am more sore than I have ever been in my life. Right now my 85 year old mom could beat me in a race! 🙂

Ahhh. Life is good!

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Quick update from me (Tom)

Thank you!!!

First, thank you to my brother Jeff and my Lovely Wife for posting updates and keeping you all updated on my marathon.

Second… Thank you for all your support.  This was a rough run, but a good one.  I had a great 12 miles and a tough 14.2 miles.  I will post a race recap tomorrow , Lord willing.

Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed running this marathon.  It was my first and I’ll never forget it.  I was thinking during the difficult times about the fact that 2 years ago I couldn’t run a 1/4 mile.  Well I did, but I had to stop and walk home!!!

Now I am a marathoner.  Crazy.  After a quick stop in the medic tent for an IV, I was back to normal… Sort of.

Anyway, you have been wonderful and I can’t thank you enough for your encouragement!!!

God bless!

Tom

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Final Thoughts before tomorrows marathon

Here we are in Bethlehem PA (near Allentown) about to go down to breakfast and prepare for our day and get ready for the Lehigh Valley Marathon tomorrow.

We have a fun day ahead of eating, picking up our race bibs, eating, watching football, eating… you get the point here.

My thoughts on tomorrows race.  Overall very positive.  I haven’t run much over the past week, 6 miles in all.  So my body feels much better and happier.  My only issue, and one of the reasons I haven’t run, is the top of my left foot where I tie my shoe is still hurting.  I’m sure I could run on it, but I am pretty sure it will impact my performance.  Nothing I can do about it now.

I am so excited.  Tomorrow at this time the race will be starting and I will be on another leg of my journey.

I am excited for TJ also.  He has trained so hard, averaging 70 – 80 miles a week.  He will do fantastic.

So away we go.  I’ll post some updates throughout the day and tomorrow as I can.  Unfortunately I got a rental car for the trip and no one under 25 can drive it.  I’m the only one over 24 on this trip.  So after the marathon, we head back to the hotel and pack the car and I drive 3 hours to my mom’s.

Needless to say, I’ll try to post after I finish, but I imagine it will be a one liner.  Lord willing I’ll be done between 10:30 and 11:00 Eastern.

One again, and I never say this enough, THANK YOU for taking part in my journey.  I honestly know I would not be this ready if it weren’t for all your help and encouragement.

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Who says running isn’t good for you!?!

Yesterday was a fitting way to enter my vacation and this weekend’s marathon.

I went to my doctor for a physical.

It was two years ago that I went in and was told I was pre-diabetic and if I didn’t start getting some sort of exercise that my future was not going to be hopeful.  Thinking back on my physical in 2011 I remember the following info:

  • Blood Pressure: 150/100
  • Weight: 268
  • Pulse: >90
  • Sugar: high
  • Cholesterol: Good was low and bad was high – Overall high
  • About a third of my blood test was going the wrong direction

Yesterday, two years and 2000 miles of running later, here were the same stats:

  • Blood Pressure: 100/60
  • Weight: 182
  • Pulse: 64
  • Sugar: Normal
  • Cholesterol: Good is high and bad is low – Overall it was good.
  • My blood test was in the normal range on every item.

My doctor made an interesting statement.  He said he was amazed that I had done so well.  I told him that he shouldn’t be surprised since he was the one who told me to begin exercising.  He said, “But no one usually listens to my advice”.

What a difference a couple years make.  I am heading out tomorrow not only excited about my race, but also excited that I probably just added about 30 years to my life.

I guess it was worth an hour a day of hitting the pavement.

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4 days and counting… @ViaLehighValley

Wow, only 4 days to go to the Lehigh Valley Marathon. I can’t believe that in 4 days we will be in PA and running our first marathon. TJ is doing great and I know he will run his best. As I told RS, no matter what happens, as long as I finish, it’s a PR. 🙂

Today I have a physical and then a Chiropractor appointment. Tomorrow is packing day and then we leave at 4:00 AM on Friday. We get to the hotel in a short 14 – 15 hours and get some rest. Saturday it will be time to explore the route, pick up our bibs and relax and watch football. I normally don’t like running the day before a race as I feel great after a day off. This time it depends on if I have run at all this week. I may run a couple of miles with TJ Saturday morning. I’ll play that by ear.

Sunday morning is the race. 7:00 Eastern time. Right now the weather is supposed to be 60 degrees at race time with 98% humidity. Hmmm. I don’t like that humidity part. I guess it could be worse. Also it is still a while away and weather will change. I am hoping for a lot less humidity.

On the blog front, I don’t know if I’ll post tomorrow. I am 99% sure I wont post Friday. Saturday is a “probably” and Sunday I might post some pictures before the race starts. After it is over TJ and I have to get back to the hotel, shower, pack and drive 3 hours to my mom’s home. So, assuming I make one of my kids drive (which I think I will), I may be able to post a quick recap via my phone during the drive.

So it will be a busy few days leading up to Saturday. I hope to sleep in Saturday and have a relaxing day.

I can’t believe it is only 4 days before the marathon.

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Running with memories

“Hello” I said after my Lovely Wife handed me the phone.

It was 11:30 at night.

“Hello, this is Bob, I work with your sister.”  The voice spoke back.  I didn’t know a Bob.

“Your sister died today in a scuba diving accident”.

SILENCE

There are many things that drive us in life.  Many memories that run us down.  Sometimes we have things to prove to the past, to those who went before us, to ourselves.

My sister had run several marathons with my dad and brothers.  She was always “on me” about exercising and taking better care of myself.  I remember one conversation where she asked if I would just walk the treadmill each day.  I didn’t.

My dad never recovered from my sisters death.  Although cancer took his life, I think somehow it would have been different if it weren’t for that night when Bob called.

It has been ten years since my sister passed away.  It has been 8 years since my dad passed away.  Why am I writing about this…?

I started running several times since 2003.  I would run and then stop for some reason.  I don’t know what made this time different.  The main difference is that I didn’t stop.  I kept running.  I know TJ and RS running helped keep me going.  The races have made running more fun.  My Lovely Wife has encouraged me more than anyone.  She has been great.

Ultimately though I think I am running with memories.  Memories of my dad running marathons from 55 years old into his 70s.  Memories of my sister and brothers running with him.  The lack of memories of me doing the same.  I did run a 5K with him once, but really nothing other than that.

As I approach my first marathon, I will be running in the memory of my dad and sister.  They never saw me run.  They saw me overweight and barely able to walk a mile, let alone run a marathon.

So I am running this race on Sunday for my Lovely Wife, for my kids, for my mom and brothers.  But most of all I am going to be running with memories and in memory of my dad and sister.  I think they would have been excited to see this day come.

I know I am.

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I choose not to run… maybe

What a month last month was for my running.  I needed that month to be able to go to the marathon next Sunday and not panic.

I had a PR in miles run in a month – 195.

I had two 20 mile runs.

I had two 28 – 30 mile weekends.

Overall is was a great month.  Except…

Okay, I’m beat up a bit.  My hip is feeling better today, but my achilles on my right foot is not good and the upper part of my left foot (where you tie your laces) is still hurting quite a bit.

I’ve decided that I am not running another step until I feel better.  Today I am working, but tonight I will soak my feet in ice water and heat my back (not at the same time 🙂 ).  My goal is to get to the starting line at the Lehigh Valley Marathon and know that I will “rock it”.  That doesn’t mean I won’t run all week, unless of course it takes all week to heal.

So just consider this tapering on steroids.  I have to get my body back in a good place.  I don’t want to be a person who says, “I worked out for 4 months and then got hurt”.

I’m 50 years old and have only been running 17 months.  Everything I do is new to me in running.  I’ve learned a lot and I have a lot to learn.

If anyone disagrees (or agrees) with me on this decision to not run and to heal, please feel free to let me know.  I don’t want to regret what I did or did not do the last week before the biggest challenge of my life.