PPM by 2010

Katie is off for the day working...so, it is my day with the kids. Started the day at Lamars, which is my all time favorite morning treat. Unfortunately, the weather is a bit cold for something outside this morning so we just headed out for a drive around South Boulder. Great neighborhood that backs right up to the hills around NCAR. Would be a great place to live if we did not like Louisville so much. Anyway, the day has a few cool activities left starting with a little homework for the boys and then a little fun with the new train. And, if the roads are fine we will hit the Air and Space Museum at Stapleton this afternoon. Should be a great Sunday with dad!

Did a 8.08 run from the house. Ran through Superior, around Target/Costco and then up to Davidson Mesa a back. Ran fairly easy for the first 3/4 and then did a tempo on the last 2 miles, basically because I was late getting back for Katie's run. Felt ok overall, no acute knee pain just a bit of normal discomfort. Excited to bang out an 8miler without any real issues. HR averaged at 156 with a max of 183 probably coming up the Davidson Mesa hill along 36.

Been spending some time pondering the weekend, would have responded sooner but was just not ready. It was long, very long...longer than I appreciated. I felt great the first 9 or so miles and then at mile 9 I started noticing my right IT band. This of course distracted me a bit. I also had to make a pit stop in Cheeseman which of course cost me some time. I found myself stopping briefly at each water station to get fluids down. I also found that I got sick of the gels after about 4 of them and switched to the Gatorade around mile 19 or so. This seemed to help a bit and certainly did not hurt. I basically just kept alternating between running for as long as I could and then walking briefly at water stops and a bit more frequently after mile 22 or so. I finished in 3:49, well off of my goal; but decent nonetheless. I did not hit the wall at any point, it was just generally hard. I felt that the IT thing came from my form; as I tire I tend to revert back to old habits of over-striding which inflames the IT which of course gets even worse as the miles tick away. I did Advil around mile 14 or so which definitely dulled the pain enough to carry on through the rest of the race.

I thought that the marathon was a lot harder than Imogene. I have read in many places that the effort for Imogene is pretty close to a marathon and that the time for Imogene is usually really close to a projected marathon time. The reality for me is that I had a much easier time at Imogene last year finishing around 3:25. And, I felt I had did about as good as I could this year at Denver given the perfect weather, a great night sleep and awesome family/moral support. Whereas several of the guys who had done a marathon and Imogene both finished with similar times between the two races. I guess I am just more of a trail runner/climber. Additionally, I think that trail running is a lot easier on my IT band as the terrain is much more variable.



Some of my lessons include adding more longer runs next time, maybe 2-3 21 milers rather than just 1. However, I think the program that we followed was right for me as I had not done a marathon before.

I will definitely focus more on the form thing as I know if I can keep my foot strike under my center of gravity my knees generally feel fine. I had had a gait analysis by Jeremy Rodgers (Sports Chiro in Louisville) and he had confirmed that I was over-striding with a major heal strike. I even have to mpegs that prove it in slow motion. I had just never been able to perfect the form over long distances; mostly because of laziness as it was just easier to run the old way. I now have the time to re-focus on form; well at least after a good break from running.

I will also figure out the shoe thing a lot sooner. I switched to a new pair about a week or so before the 21 miler. The new shoes were exactly the same as the old ones but for some reason they hit my right arch the wrong way. I originally thought I had injured myself on the 21 but it ended up being the shoes. So, coach Phil recommended I go back to the old ones (400 miles at that point) as there was not time to break in a new pair. This was the right decision with the least risk but I definitely felt that the old ones were nearly dead.

I will also try a different fueling strategy next time as well. The gels just sucked after the 4th one. I think I will give the Hammer stuff a try as drinking a mixed fluid seems like a better idea at this point.

At any rate, it was an amazing experience. I am extremely excited to have finally completed a marathon within a respectable time. Plus, the medal rocks!

Thanks for guiding me and the rest of the group through a great summer session!

Dad's b-day with the kids. This was taken on the day after his 70th.

Here is Dad on his B-day; we did a ski day at Breck!. I hope I look like this at 70.

Heading out for a 5-6 miler with Katie and the Pieper. Will post run specifics in a bit.

Feeling a bit on edge this morning, still lacking patience these days...mostly with the kids. I have been feeling this way on and off since the marathon and even more since the great crash. I am also feeling less productive at work. Maybe I need to run more? This always seems like a good answer to my troubles.

Back from the run. Ran with Bryan the whole way at a 9:23 for about 6.54 miles. Felt great overall. Pace was perfect, no pain throughout the entire run. Added the super-feet to Defyances; seemed to be a good addition. Perfect way to start Thanksgiving day!