3:09:32

That's what I visualized during my last run tonight. I can see the yellow digital clock ticking away as I pass under the finish line, about half a minute under my goal time. Three-O-Nine, Thirty-two. Hey, this marathon training thing is only 90% physical. The other half is mental. (Special thanks to Yogi Berra for that one)

My last long run was supposed to be somewhere between 8 and 10 miles, but I stopped after ticking off 7 miles at a 7:10 pace. My calves are still tight, and were tightening up with each step. Like Doug said--My performance isn't going to be enhanced at all by another mile or two, but it could be hindered. And he would know, as he's been fighting a hip problem for a while now.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. It will be good to see all the people running with the NF Marathon Team. As of this point, we've only met through emails. It'll also be great to see family (my sis is coming in from Portland to run a 3:30) and the post-race celebration on Sunday is going to be fantastic.

Notice there's not much hesitation in my mind at all about the outcome of this weekend? It's officially time to completely focus on that number, that pace, that goal. I expect to succeed. We'll let everything else work itself out on Sunday.

Three-O-Nine, Thirty-two.

Just Cruising

Today I had intentions of running 8-10 miles at marathon pace. I ran 4. I loved it. After about 3 miles my calves were really starting to remind me of this past weekend's performance, so I wisely shut it down a little early. During the first two miles of the run, the pace was what seemed like a crawl. I thought to myself at this point in the run, "I'm going to keep this pace up, just so see what I perceive as a slow pace really is."
It was a 7:05 pace. With tired legs, a kinda runny nose, and no real ambition to continue with the run, I was still cruising at 7:05. Can you sense the confidence building? Granted, it was only 4 miles, I really didn't feel that great, and it means very little regarding Oct 7th, but it felt great to be able to cruise at such a pace. Not long ago (like this spring) my cruising pace was much closer to 9 minutes. I can remember writing this past May about trying to run 5 miles at my PMP and nearly passing out.
This weekend I'm off to St. Louis with Ellie to attend a fundraiser at the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired, where she used to work. I loved running at this county park in St. Louis called Castlewood, and I'm going to try and sneak in a run on Saturday--hopefully when Ellie is visiting the mall?

If it rains in Chicago, I'll be ready.

I ran a 6 mile recovery run today in pouring rain that started about 3 minutes into my run. I kinda liked it. "Bring it on," I thought to myself. I made sure to keep the pace calm, with only the hope of loosening up my calves in my mind. I ran without an HR monitor, without music, without the training partners. It was nice to just be out there, with a clear mind on the next two weeks. I ended up running a 7:22 pace, so I was moving pretty good too.
I want to get one more track workout in yet this week, but I think I'm limited to tomorrow afternoon to get it in. I don't want to do it with a lot of soreness still in the calves, so we'll see. It's a lot of fun to read everyone else's plans as we get closer to our big races, whether it's Chicago or New York or anywhere else, and the blog journalling community is a nice way to keep some form of sanity while feeling like I'm eating too much, or thinking my legs are much more sore than they should be right now, or that perhaps the LaSalle Bank will just call off the entire marathon after the Cubs completely collapse and lose the Central to my beloved Brew Crew...
You know, if that last one happened, I'd be okay with it.

5 Events, 4 Cities, 3 Bridges, 2 States, 1 Half Marathon PR

I'm happier now than ever that I didn't run the full marathon in the Quad Cities this weekend. The Half Marathon course was really a nice course, with a lot of scenery changes, one big hill (followed by a downhill), and great volunteers. If I had run the full marathon course, the remaining 13 miles would have come in out-and-back loops that I've been told get really boring.
As for the half, it went great! We arrive d in Iowa Saturday afternoon, and our first stop was the "expo," which was remarkably small. After jumping through some hoops while trying to explain that I was registered for the Full Marathon but wanted to run the half, I ended up getting told that it didn't matter--just run whatever you want to. This would come into play later Sunday morning...
On race day, we were at the start at about 7:15, and were ready to go for the 7:30 start. While by no means was the beginning anything like Chicago, it still was congested. I found a couple pacing groups for the half marathon, but none of them were looking to run 1:35. The closest was 1:30. As the whistle started, I made my way to the front, trying to avoid weaving, thinking to myself, "you can't do that in Chicago!" My first mile, which was completed half way across the Interstate 74 Bridge (the only time in the country you run on an interstate, I guess), was 7:45. I thought, that's ok, I'll make it up. The second mile was up the one big hill in the course, and again, I was off pace by about 15 seconds. The third mile involved coming back down that big hill we just climbed. I let the legs stretch out a bit, and upon reaching the 4 mile mark, I was back on pace! Running along the river for the next several miles, I could see the "1:30" pace group ahead of me. I slowly gained on them, and caught them at about mile 6. From mile 6 to 11, I stayed right with them and felt great doing it. That's when I decided to see what I had left. I had decided 1:34 was a piece of cake, so why not try and break 1:30? Taking off from the group, I eventually reached an exchange point for the full marathon relay. It was a pretty hopping area, and my blue-colored marathon bib was noticed by all. Their eyes got big, a couple people really started cheering, and then I realized they thought I was leading the marathon! I put my arms up to calm them down, told them I'm just doing the half, and there were smiles all around. It was great.
At about mile 12.5 I hit a bit of a wall and my pace backed off a bit. The final quarter mile is down a considerable hill and into the corral, and I was pretty pumped to see "1:29" on the clock. Coming in at 1:29:13 gave me 30th overall in the half, and I'm really excited for Chicago. I really think I need to catch up with the pacing group in the front corral to be sure I keep a good pace through at least 20 miles. I still haven't gotten the eating down either, especially when running, but I'll work on that the next couple weeks so I at least feel comfortable doing it.
All in all, I couldn't ask for more this weekend!

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Time to celebrate a great run! I finished somewhere in the 1:28 range, maybe 1:29, and felt great the whole race. A longer report will follow, but for now, time to feast!

Quad Cities, here we come!

I ran a 5 mile loop in town and finished in 33:45. The Brooks felt great on my feet, my HR stayed between 155-165, I had a kick at the end, and I've got no aches post-run. I'm excited for this weekend and am looking forward to running strong in the Half Marathon. Looking back, although I'm not tired or injured or anything right now and could probably run the Full Marathon, I'm happy with my decision to pull out. It fits into the taper for Chicago better, it allowed me to get a good run in this past weekend, and I can have a trial run at the pace, on a course with aid stations, to prepare for Chicago. I'm excited!

[Added to post: I felt so good after a great day at work, I ran 2 miles at an exact marathon pace. Piece of cake!]

The new addition to my page on the right margin is pretty cool, too! Whoever stumbled upon my page from somewhere in Europe and Brazil, welcome! And to my sister, Kathy, who lives in Oregon...shame on you!

AhhOww, the trails

I didn't run yesterday, and that was the right decision. Today, however, I did. I got my new pair of trail running shoes, some Lafumas, so of course I had to check them out. The lacing system on these shoes is fantastic.

It's been said (by Bad Ben) that with trail running, you trade in chronic overuse injuries from road running for the occasional acute injury. That held true today. I rolled my left ankle enough that just rolling it around a little bit right now hurts. It's not a bad sprain and won't slow me down enough, but it was enough to tell me to stop with the trails for a while--at least until after Chicago. That's a smart idea too. I ran 5 miles in 39 minutes, sprinting up the hill portions and leisurely strolling down the downhills so I could give my training partners a break. I'm not sure what tomorrow holds for me. I'm thinking about a 10 miler at marathon pace. I have an appointment with my reflexologist/massage therapist afterwards, and that truly worked miracles last time, so I'm really looking forward to it.

It's interesting to look back at this summer and my training. This is about 10 times harder than I've ever trained for a marathon, and I've really enjoyed it. When I consider my mileage, I'm really not doing all that much either. Part of that has to do with the Furman FIRST training program I'm using, and part of it has to do with the fact I'm not sure my body's ready for much more. My plans for next year really hinge on how Chicago goes. Whether I run 3:10 or not, I could really see myself just concentrating on only Chicago next year, to see if I can get down to another mystical number, 3 hours. My wife would love that idea too, as she wouldn't mind a slightly less ambitious schedule. By focusing on only one marathon, but running a couple 13.1 milers and other shorter races, I could get into a faster corral, and also avoid breaking down as much as I did this spring. I could also see myself heading to the trails next fall, aiming at a 50K or 50 miler. I really think this is where I'm heading long term, as Western States has always been my ultimate running goal. Who knows...I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but October 7th will sure help me decide!

It's taper time, so taper!

I really want to do another set of Yasso 800's today (10 800's with a goal of 3 minutes per 800 and a rest interval of 1:30). I have run the last 5 days and my legs have a bit of an ache to them. I feel like I really should just run real light, or not at all, but the gravitational pull is quite strong at the moment...
I am running a half marathon this Sunday, and I am visualizing a 1:33 effort, which means I should probably save my legs a bit and lay off the tough 800's, but I really want to do it! I'm honestly not sure yet what I'm going to do. We shall see...

A silent run for Rosie

Right before leaving the office today I received an email from my sister, Debie (our Chicago host in a couple weeks), which she received from a friend of a friend from work. I joked that it was the "Six degrees of Brock" at work. Here it is (sorry for the small font):

Dear Neighbors, Friends and Family,
Your prayers, positive thoughts and constant concern have been a welcome blessing for Rosie and for all of us during the past life-changing week. So many of you have questions and concerns for and about Rosie. We hope this detailed e-mail helps you to better understand her condition, care and recovery and answer the questions you have.
As many of you have heard, Rosie was diagnosed with three brain tumors last Friday. Her diagnosis came as a big blow and a shock, but at the same time a known possibility of her Neurofibromatosis (NF) disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure for NF at this time.
There are two small and one large, all inoperable tumors deep in the brain. The Neurology, NF and Oncology Specialists are certain that all of the tumors are benign (although we are still waiting for two additional "stains" or biopsy results to come back.) The largest tumor has caused complications for Rosie by creating a condition called Hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cavities of the brain called ventricles. Because this tumor is an optic nerve glioma (connected to the optical nerves of both eyes) removing it would cause blindness, so this is not an option.
Last Friday (9/7), we went to Children's Memorial Hospital for an outpatient CT scan or (CAT scan) were Rosie had to be sedated for the procedure. We learned of the largest tumor and Hydrocephalus. It was too dangerous for us to leave the hospital because the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) had built up in Rosie’s brain and was at dangerous levels, the pressure she was feeling was what was making her so sick and if left untreated could cause brain damage or worse.
Instead of returning home we were immediately admitted to CMH--located in downtown Chicago . She was put on medications to try to reduce the swelling and more testing began. She was again sedated for a MRI to give us and the specialists a more detailed picture of her brain. With this test we learned of the two additional tumors. The doctors are not too concerned about these smaller tumors, since they are not disrupting the brain at all and are the kind of tumors they typically see in kids with NF.
She was scheduled for Neurosurgery on Tuesday morning. During the surgery a shunt was put into Rosie’s brain to permanently re-route CSF into the abdominal cavity where it will be absorbed. We moved to the Constant Care Unit (like ICU) of the 3West Neurological floor so that Rosie would receive a higher level of care.
After Tuesday’s surgery Rosie did not bounce back as expected, and her condition worsened to a critical state. She was rushed into emergency surgery around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday for another brain surgery. Unfortunately, Bella had been visiting when things got bad and she went to pre-op with us and had to watch her sister being rushed off to a second surgery, until her Uncle came and got her. After a long and very scary night, we returned to her room around 2:00 a.m. where we continued to watch all of her vital signs on the monitors.
Again, after the second surgery, Rosie was expected to improve. She again did not respond as quickly as expected…the doctors said that we were still not out of the woods and the next 12 to 24 hours would be critical. They kept saying this was not the typical case and the tumor was in an atypical place where they hadn't seen it in past patients before--it was "presenting itself differently"--the large tumor looked "different to them", it sits in the third ventricle of the brain--taking up the space were CSF would normally be draining through the brain cavity and is "quite large".
The nights were the hardest, the longest, but luckily, on Thurs. night she turned a corner around midnight and asked for food – a welcome sign (Rosie had wanted to eat during the day, but had been unable to keep any food or liquids down). Unfortunately, we couldn't allow her to eat until they did another CT scan (un-sedated as she’s gotten used to them now). In the morning the scan showed a huge improvement and the scan looked great! She was talking a blue streak--we hadn't heard her speak more than a few words for days. The fluid in her brain was returned to normal and the pressure was relieved. We had avoided a third brain surgery!!!
We moved from Constant care to the main floor of 3W on Friday 9/14 and after a physical therapy evaluation we got released to come home around 5pm Saturday (9/15). We are now Home Sweet Home after 9 days at CMH!!
Rosie is still very weak and is starting to walk on her own, she is beginning to recover--as she gains weight and strength and begins to keep food down she will get stronger and stronger each day. In the next few days we will have more follow up appointments and yet another surgery at CMH to get an implanted venous device or "port" which can be used during chemotherapy, used to draw blood, and give IV fluids and medications.
Rosie will be working with a physical therapist to start walking again. We will be at CMH weekly for chemo and working closely with the Neurology, NF and Oncology Specialists.
Please feel free to call us, as talking helps to relieve the stress and worry. It also helps to process all the information and internalize it! We will need your continued prayers and support as we face chemotherapy and continued treatment.
The shunt will need to be monitored for shunt malfunctions and adjusted if the balance of fluid or pressure changes in the brain. CT scans will be a required often. The port will need to be flushed monthly and blood tests will be needed often to keep an eye on her blood cells counts. Shunts do require replacement and shunt revisions as she grow but can often last for years with no problems. Chemotherapy will be weekly for about 6 months.
Annabella has been a wonderful big sister – but it has been very difficult to be apart each night. She has also seen a lot for her young eyes as she visited almost daily at the hospital. She has been bounced around a bit the past 10 days and could use an extra smile or hug when you see her. Mark has been running back and forth daily as he tries to be home for Bella each night, get her to school in the a.m. and be at CMH for Rosie and me each day.
We are all exhausted and are so glad to be home! Your prayers, thoughts and offers of help have come in an overwhelming response of compassion and concern for our family. Knowing that we are blessed with such a wonderful, caring community of friends and family has given us great strength and support. This life-changing event continues to put all things into perspective. It is the people in our lives, like you, who make all the difference. We thank God for each and every one of you and feel so blessed to live and work with friends like you! We are thankful for all of the talented nurses, doctors, specialists and staff at Children’s Memorial and feel we couldn't be in better hands or a better hospital.
We thank you again for all of your support! It will be so much easier to ask for help from time to time knowing all of you have willingly come forward to assist us at this time of need, now and in the future.
As Mark returns to work and begins to travel it will be difficult for me to handle all the appointments for Rosie and get Bella by 2:25 after school Trying to keep her in her Kindermusik program and swimming lessons, trying to keep life as "normal" as possible for her. I know I can't do it alone, and as many of you know I am not always one to ask for help, but I know I will have to. I know there will be some nights when I will need some help getting a meal on the table or picking-up a gallon of milk from the store--I will start using PeaPod!!
We have received so many wonderful heartfelt cards, adorable balloons, soft and cuddly stuffed animals, which Rosie has been squeezing with love and that have help her through the tests and needle pokes. We even received a bouquet of cheerful sunshine cookies--that made us all smile! Rosie's room has been brightened and cheered by so many of your generous gifts. Thank you!!
Many of you have asked what you can do to help now…there are many opportunities to make a difference for us, Rosie and so many other kids who struggle everyday in the many rooms at CMH.
Please celebrate Rosie's life and fight by helping to find a cure for NF. Please consider sending a gift or donations to help with NF research in Rosie's honor to:
Attn: Dr. Listernick , NF Clinic
Children's Memorial Hospital
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 16
Chicago , IL 60614-3394
Make all donations payable to Children's Memorial Foundation and in the memo area of your check write "For NF Research--in honor of Rosie! Or simply drop your donation off to Rosie at our home and she will deliver it in person!
You can also drop off new toys, games, books, small prizes, stickers to our home to be donated in Rosie's name for the play area at Brown Family Life Center . We will be making a delivery each week when we visit for chemotherapy, as visiting the Brown Family Life Center was the highlight of Rosie's hospital stay. They really need more games for ages 3-5.
We are more committed than every to hold our annual fundraiser to support Children’s Memorial Hospital’s Brown Family Life Center where Rosie got to play with her first toys away from her bedside on Friday afternoon. But our main goal is to raise money for NF research. We want to donate as much as we can this year to CMH's NF clinic to further the research they do. Rosie’s NF doctors at Children’s are some of the most talented and foremost researchers of NF in the United States . We also support the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF).
Our annual fundraiser, Shop & Share for Rosie will be held on November 9th & 10th Please mark you calendars!! We can’t pull this off alone either--we will need your help!
This year, the benefit will be held at St. John's United Church of Christ in Arlington Heights . Special thanks goes to Rev. Jeffrey Phillips, their pastor, for getting the space donated. We will need people to bake for the bake sale, we will need people and businesses to donate items for the Silent Auction. We are looking for baskets and new items to put in them. Gift certificates from local restaurants, spa's, body shops, wine, etc. We are looking for corporate sponsors to help with the costs of running the event. We are looking for entertainment--magicians--Santa will even be visiting this year!! We want to reach our goal of $10,000 this year for NF research!!
Rosie's Website www.researchforrosie.com will soon be updated where in the future you can check up on us and her progress. To learn more about Neurofibromatosis please visit Children's Tumor Foundation at www.ctf.org.

There’s a poem or saying I always remember and it goes something like this…
It’s not the car you drive or the clothes you wear.
It’s not the way you look or the color of your hair.
It’s what you do and how you act that people will remember when looking back.
Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prays and for thinking of Rosie today!!!!
With a great sense of love and community!
Thank you,
Jo, Mark, Bella & Rosie Colucci
Contact us at: jojoaunt@yahoo.com or call 847-705-8456 Please forward this to anyone who would like to pray for Rosie or help in anyway--Thanks!

After reading this , I went on a silent run for Rosie and Brock, praying for recovery and a quality of life that we runners take for granted.

Ahh, the trails, part 2

Today I took my training partners, Bonnie and Cork, out on the Ice Age Trail for a nice hour-long recovery run. They sure enjoyed it, and had a well-earned nap afterwards.












It was a beautiful run at a wonderful pace (I covered 7 miles). I definitely see a future transition to trail running marathons and ultras in my future, once I get something out of the way on the roads. During the "out" portion of my out-and-back run, I met two teenagers on the trail, carrying backpacks and listening to Ipods. "Kinda late for a hike," I thought, as I nodded to them and kept running. I eventually reached my turn-around point, and headed back the way I came. Obviously, I ran into them again, only this time I smelled them before I saw them. It was a distinct aroma...one I hadn't smelled since Ellie and I sat in the grass at a Dave Matthews Concert earlier this summer. Suddenly their peculiar hiking trip made a little more sense. For them, the Ice Age Trail was being used in a slightly different way. Now, I would hate to come right out and accuse them, so lets just say I've got a good idea who was rocking on their Ipods.

I have some soreness in both soleus muscles, and my right quad was a bit tight. Nothing too bad after yesterday outside of that, so I'm looking forward to this weekend. Let's hope Doug heals up quick also.

Thanks, Doug!

First off, I want to thank Doug for his donation to the NF Marathon Team! It's much appreciated, especially from a starving grad student (still fresh in my memory!) surviving on Hamburger Helper! :)

I ran 20 miles today on a 2 mile loop in town so that I could keep track of my pace. The weather was windy and 40 degrees at the start, and while the wind died down a bit, the temperature didn't creep up all that much. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my 2:26 finish, for a 7:18 pace. I was hoping for a 7:15 pace, but I'll take it. I ran the half marathon in 1:35 even, and the last 2 miles were run in 14:07, so I had something left over. I didn't have any trouble with my heel, and it will no longer be mentioned, as I don't want to waste any more time thinking about it.

One odd feeling I did get was that my core muscles were very sore at the end of the run. I focus a lot of attention on my core (practicing what I preach Chiropractic-wise), so I think it had to do with my HR monitor. I had tightened it up a bit this run, as I was tired of having it "jiggle" its way out of position. Perhaps I tightened it a little too much? I had never planned on wearing it during the marathon, so I'm not real worried about it. I'm planning on spending some time on the trails tomorrow as a recovery run, and then it's time to prepare for the Quad Cities Half next weekend and my training plan for the taper to Chicago! I'm oh so close to that elusive and magical 3:10...I just keep telling myself to be grateful you're in the shape you are, and let the chips (or ChampionChips, in this case) play out in Chicago!

Thanks again, Doug! You know, the NF Marathon Team is always looking for more runners!

It's definitely possible that my legs are completely partially ready. Maybe.

Who knows what will happen on my last long run tomorrow. I sure don't. I feel like it's going to be a good one. We shall see. In the meantime, I figured I'd post a letter I'm sending out to raise funds for this fall's campaign. I thought you might enjoy it! And if you're motivated as such, click on the link on the right and help us out! It's a great cause! Enjoy...



As you may or may not know, my wife, Ellie, has been slipping up this summer. You see, I have been running marathons for a couple years now, and Ellie has caught a bit of the running bug—although she’d never admit it. Recently, in an unexplained momentary lapse of judgment, she agreed to take part in a 50 Mile Relay Run with me this Fall…
On October 20th Ellie and I will team up for a 2-person relay in the Door County Fall 50 Mile Run ( www.fall50.com ), a run from the northern tip of Door County, Gill’s Rock, to Sturgeon Bay. As you can see from the map on the left, we won’t exactly be taking the most direct route from start to finish, either.

But that’s not all! In less than a month’s time, we’ll also be completing one half marathon and two marathons. On September 23rd, Ellie will be running the Quad Cities Half Marathon, and I will be running the Quad Cities Marathon. On October 7th, I will be running the Chicago Marathon (with Ellie acting as “Head Cheerleader”).

Several people have shared their thoughts that we may have taken on a bit more than we can handle. You know what? They’re probably right. But we are inspired by our dear friend, Brock Hansen, and he keeps us moving.

Brock has a genetic disease known as Neurofibromatosis (NF2) that causes tumors to grow throughout his body. Ellie and I run these races for the Children’s Tumor Foundation (http://www.ctf.org/) in hope of finding a cure for this disease. I am hoping to raise $7,555 in honor of Brock this year, and every cent helps! Oh yeah…if we’re able to reach that goal, Brock and I are shaving our heads. Completely. Ellie always joked about my ears being kind of big. Without any hair they’ll be like sails!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever really experienced a “Runner’s High.” In fact, I’ve run a LOT of miles without enjoying any of it! But I think that’s what keeps me coming back. You see, “pleasure” isn’t found in the absence of pain. It’s found along the way, after you’ve been through the “valleys.” That’s one lesson I’ve learned from Brock. While he’s been through a lot (30 surgeries and counting), he still has a laugh that’s as contagious as it was during our days in high school.

Please help us to “Solve the Puzzle” of NF2 and help to find a treatment and a cure for this disease.

Ellie and I run for NF. Brock lives with NF. You can help cure it.

Please use the enclosed envelope and donation slip, or visit www.active.com/donate/run4brock
God’s Blessings,

Nic and Ellie

2 Corinthians 12:10

Not exactly what I had planned.

I cut the run this morning short. I have several reasons (ahem...excuses) for this, and none are all that great. But I can acknowledge that and plan ahead.
I woke up this morning at 5 to get ready for a departure at 6. I was tired, my legs were sore, and the gravitational pull of my bed was exceptionally strong this morning. It was 42 degrees when I woke up. And windy (here come the reasons...). And dark. My allergies were acting up. My cup of coffee wasn't all that good, and reminded me again of that fact at about mile 3. I knew I had to be home by 8:30 so I could be at a Dr. appointment at 9:30. I couldnt' find my wallet. That's about all for excuses.
I will move the run back to this Saturday. That cuts back on my recovery time for the Quad Cities, but at the same time gets my last long run a little closer to Chicago. So I call that a push. I did cover 5 miles in 36:51 before stopping. My legs didn't feel all that great, but I still ran a decent pace. I'll take it. That's all for today. Now it's time to make sure I have no excuses for Saturday. I'm going to get adjusted and start pounding the Omega-3s and water.
You know, sometimes you just don't have it. I didn't this morning. I'm not going to beat myself up over it, but instead focus on the next task at hand.

A changing season

As I look at wrapping up the hard training this week, Mother Nature is wrapping up the hot weather, at least here in Wisconsin. Today was about 45 degrees and windy. I thought to myself on the run, "This could be Chicago at mile 20, when the wind is blowing but it's not really cold, like it was at the beginning of the marathon." It helped me in visualizing the finish of the marathon. And it was chilly--I wore a long sleeve shirt with a fleece for the first time in a while, although I did lose the fleece half way through the workout. I have one more tough workout scheduled for Wednesday, and then it's true taper time. Today I ran a 2 mile loop a couple times between the end of work and a wife-mandated home-for-dinner deadline of 7:30 (which I was still late for). I ran a 10 minute warmup, then ran a 2 mile loop in 13:30 (split of 6:05). I took a 3 minute rest, saw my HR drop to under 100 (that quickly!), then ran the same loop again, this time in 13:26, with a 6:45 split. I followed up with a 10 minute cool down. A couple things jumped out at me on this run.

1. The wind. The 2nd mile of my first loop was slightly uphill, and into the wind. I thought of Michigan Ave at Mile 24 and on in Chicago.


2. My shoes. I had been struggling with some heel pain, especially when wearing the Asics Foundations. The warmup alone had started to irritate my right heel. I stopped, put the laces through an extra loop on my shoes, tied them a bit more snug, and didn't have a problem after that. That was a relief.


3. My HR during the runs was in the high 160's and occasionally (when heading into the wind) low 170's. For it to drop as quickly as it did 70 beats makes me think that my recovery time has really improved. My body is efficient, and a HR of 165 isn't all that taxing on it. That's good to know, as I believe my PMP will lead to a HR of around 145-150.

Tomorrow will be an easy recovery day before my last tough one on Thursday morning. I'm still working out the logistics of that run, as I have an appointment at 9:30. Maybe I'll just blow off the appointment and have my wife reschedule it.

Ha Ha, just kidding, Ellie. I'm hoping you just read that and got a little pissed off. I promise, I won't miss. (I showed Ellie my blog journal tonight, and she told me to email her the link today...we'll see if she reads it. :) )

I really didn't ever think I'd see something attributed to "Rev Run" and enjoy it, but I like this Starbucks Cup (courtesy of the Runner's Lounge)

An actual recovery run.

I'm not good at simply running (well, actually, it can be debated if I'm good at any kind of running!), especially as the training weeks wind down. I feel like I need to train at a certain pace, or a certain HR, or work my legs to get them sore. Today, still feeling sore legs from this weekend, I simply ran. I put a book on my Shuffle that was an hour long (How to Ruin Your Life, by Ben Stein), and made what I felt was about an hour's worth of running. I did pretty well, too. According to mapmyrun.com, my loop was 7.48 miles, which I completed in 54 minutes. Those stats initially make my upset that I didn't run faster. But you know what? I've got two hard workouts coming up this week. Tonight was just fine. I can handle it.

For my Thursday workout, which will be the last real tough one before the Quad Cities, I've got a book already downloaded and ready to go: Worst Case Scenario. I'm pretty excited for it too! Ha Ha, hopefully I don't encounter any "worst case scenarios" when it comes to running and preparing for my events this fall while listening to that audiobook...

It's a pretty funny website...here's to the book having a chapter on "How to run a 3:10 marathon!"

How to disarm an irate golfer, from the website.

Inspired by the "Endorphiend" one...

One interesting thing about running is the blogging journalling community that exists in the distance running world. I explained it to my father-in-law, a huge "car guy," this way: It's like being able to read someone else's step-by-step renovations of a '66 Chevy Malibu when you're actually renovation the same car.

You also get a chance to see different training approaches that you can incorporate into your schedule. Case in point, I read Doug's blog journal recently in which he completed Yasso 800's. These are 10 800 meter repeats, run at a pace that indicates what kind of goal time you can aim for in the marathon. For instance, I ran my 10 repeats at a 3:00 minute pace because I'm hoping to run a 3:10 marathon. They are pretty controversial, as Doug points out, but it's also a heck of a workout either way! My splits:

2:57
2:57
2:58
2:59
2:59
3:00
3:02 (crap!)
2:58
2:58
2:59

I specifically remember the 7th repeat feeling like I have at about mile 21 or 22 of the marathon. Things are starting to fall apart a bit, but you're not close enough to the finish to get by on guts and adrenaline. I finished strong, however, and felt great afterwards.

Before doing the Yasso's I did a combination elliptical and treadmill workout, focusing primarily on my HR. When on the treadmill I ran at a 7:03 pace and found my HR to sit in the mid to high 150's. Because I didn't want to beat up my feet and calves too much, I rotated into the elliptical for about 2/3 of the workout time. I did this for a tottal of and hour and a half immediately before heading to the track. My avg HR? 151, with a max of 164. Getting to the treadmill and elliptical in the high school basement was a story in itself, but lets just say it's nice to be living back in a small hometown!

Breaking in the new shoes...

This week Ellie and I both purchased new trail shoes as well as another pair of running shoes for our upcoming runs. Today was the maiden voyage for my new Brooks Racer ST3's. I ran 5 miles in town (the Cheesehead Chase route) in 32:35, with an avg HR of 163 and a max of 185. That max HR is a new record for me, by the way. I've been working my percentages off of a max HR of 191, and I'm guessing that's pretty close to accurate. Most of my PMP runs have been at an HR of roughly 151, so I'm pretty happy with my run today. Again, I had no problems with the feet, although my right soleus muscle did tighten up again. I stretched a LOT tonight in anticipation of tomorrow's workout while watching the early episodes of "Prison Break." I know I'm leaving on a tangent here, but what male doesn't love a series about a guy intentionally getting himself convicted of a crime, only to bust himself out of prison using the blueprint tatooed all over his body? I love it, yet somehow have never watched it...until tonight.

Back to the running...The Brooks have officially 5.1 miles on them. I'm not sure how i'm going to keep track of that...perhaps a sidebar, as I've noticed a lot of other runners keep track of this religiously. Me...not so much. I really have no idea what kind of miles are on my shoes. I do know that have recently run in the Asics GT 2110's that I ran last year's marathons in, and that they have holes in their fabric across my toes. But I'm keeping them anyway...

Ahh, the trails...

As I mentioned in the last post, I went over to the high school and worked for an hour on the elliptical. And, as I predicted, I forgot my HR Monitor. My percieved exertion seemed pretty high, so I'm happy with the work.

The majority of this past winter and spring, as I jumped through the legal hoops to get licensed to practice in the state of Wisconsin, I spent the majority of my training time in the forest, on local trails such as the Ice Age Trail. Earlier this year, Jason Dorgan made a thru run, which was very impressive to say the least, considering he covered the entire 1,000+ miles in under 23 days. It's very demanding terrain, and I really love getting out there and seeing nobody. It's probably why I see a couple trail ultras in my future, such as the Ice Age 50, the Glacial 50, and also the Kettle Moraine 100.

I got to return to the woods today. This morning I went down to the New Fane Biking Trails and did a couple loops with my training partner, Cork (Yellow Lab). Cork wore out pretty quickly, so I didn't get all that much work in. I returned home and switched out dogs, taking Bonnie (another Yellow Lab, less than a year old) out for her maiden voyage on the IAT. She did great, always leading the way, but keeping close. I ran the northern-most 6 miles in 50:18 (8:23 pace), with avg HR of 163. Obviously, the best part about all of this is the fact that I haven't once mentioned any discomfort in my feet!

A change of plans, officially...

I contacted Joe Moreno (extraordinary RD for the QCM) regarding my status as a marathon participant, wondering if I would be able to change to the half marathon and get a refund. As I was expecting, yes, I can run the half marathon instead, and no, there isn't a refund. This is okay with me though. When I consider my current injury status, it really would have been tough to make it through the QCM at PMP and still have anything left for Chicago. Running the half in QC still leaves me open for an attempt at 3:10 in Chicago also, while still giving me a couple weeks to try and rehab. So it's official...Half Marathon in Quad Cities, Marathon in Chicago, and Ultra Relay in Door County!

Tonight I'm going to sneak up to the high school weight room and put in some time on an elliptical. Hopefully I remember my HR monitor, so I can try and get it up into range for about an hour.

I'm approaching decision time...

I ran on Sunday and was pretty disappointed with the experience. I was aiming for anywhere between 10 and 15 miles at something close to marathon pace. About 10 or 11 miles into the run, my right heel (again) really started to act up. I walked/jogged the final 3 miles and called it quits. I'm not sure where this leaves me. I will continue to treat the foot and try to find some improvement, but I'm definitely discouraged by its progress. I can't seem to get more than about 10 or 11 miles into a run before it acts up.

Right now, I think that I'm going to change my scheduled marathon in Quad Cities on September 23rd to a Half-Marathon, so that the wear and tear is a little less looking forward to Chicago in October and the Fall 50 later that month.

As much as it hurts, I'm not sure that the BQ is going to happen this fall. I'm not completely resigned to that idea yet, but I'd say it's a less than 50/50 probability at the moment. The last two summers I have run spring and then fall marathons. If I do end up having to bring my speed down this fall and don't hit the mysterious "3:10," next year may be a different kind of year. I think I may focus on Half-Marathons throughout the year and only really aim at Chicago in the fall, and perhaps another marathon in August. Using this strategy, I would surely get my Half time down to somewhere near 1:30, which would allow me to be in the fast corral in Chicago. I would also avoid some of the overuse injuries I've struggled with in late August/early September the last two years.

The plan and the schedule may change, but the goal is the same...Three Hours and Ten Minutes.

As for Monday, Ellie and I "Biked the Rainbow" and had a blast. We started with the biggest (purple) loop, and made our way down to the treacherous little pink loop. We both were sweaty, dirty, but smiling, and had a blast accomplishing something we'd talked about doing together since earlier this spring.