Drumstick Dash

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

On Wednesday evening the rain arrived in Milwaukee. I'd by lying if I said I was not hoping that the rain would continue through to the morning and be an excuse to not run the Drumstick Dash. That evening, I was feeling exceptionally lethargic. I know I commented to Jody that I did not feel like running the 5K.

At 5 AM on Thursday morning, heavy rain could be heard hitting the window. Had my prayers been answered?

No. By 6 AM, the rain had stopped. At the very least, Jody and I would drive to Miller Park and see if the rain would hold off.

It did.

Last year's Drumstick Dash was memorable for how cold it was. At the start of the race, it was a balmy 20 F with a windchill that dropped the temperature to about 0 F. Jody and I each wore about three layers, including gloves and hats.

This year, the temperature was on the warm side. Although there were a number of people dressed up like it was 0 F, the temperature was closer to 50 F. Surprisingly, I was one of the few runners who ran in shorts and a t-shirt.

The race started at 8:30 AM. About 3,300 people registered for the race, but the final results only showed about 2,700 people. There were a few sprinkles at the start of the race, but nothing became of them and the remainder of the race was run under dry conditions.

Overall, Jody and I both felt like we ran good races. We felt our times were better this year than last year. Last year, I ran the race in 24:35, for a 7:55 min/mi pace. I was, however, amazed to discover that this year's time was slightly slower: 24:42 for a 7:57 min/mi pace. (Jody's time was also a couple seconds slower.)

I'm a bit frustrated at the result, but I thought I ran a smoother, stronger race, so I will take it as a push.

This should be the last race of the year. I do not see myself dressing up as Santa and running a 5K in December. Instead, the next race will most likely be the Samson Stomp & Romp at the Milwaukee Zoo in mid-January.

Post-Drumstick Dash Selfie (2015)

Happy Thanksgiving

I realized that I have not posted anything for almost two weeks. It is just that time of year. School has been crazy busy and the colder weather has zapped some energy. This has slowed, but not stopped the running.

On Thanksgiving, Jody and I will be running the Drumstick Dash at Miller Park in Milwaukee. We are kind of looking forward to the race -- at the very least, we will not feel too guilty eating a second serving. Last year, it was bitterly cold during the run (20 F but with a nasty windchill where it felt like 2 F). They are calling for warmer temps this year, but there is a chance of rain. We'll see but have fun regardless.

http://www.visioneventmanagement.com/pages/drumstick-dash.php

I'll have a more complete post after Thanksgiving. So, until then, may I wish everyone a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Plateaus

Plateaus. They happen to all runners. They are those stretches where the legs feel like they are in quicksand. They are those stretches where ever run feels like a grind. I can honestly say I'm at a plateau.

This plateau should not be unexpected. Following the marathon, it has been a perfect storm of events that have contributed to a slow down of activity: shorter days, cooler/colder temperatures, a head cold, busier stretch at school, and, oh yeah, a little thing called a wedding to start planning for.

I guess I should not be surprised by the lack of ambition or energy to run. I guess I should not be too frustrated that what running I have done since the marathon (a few runs between 3 and 5 miles each) has not felt like the best miles of my relatively short running career. Although I am not too upset about my current status, I cannot help but feel some type of let down that some of that training I did for the marathon is no longer applicable. In other words, I highly doubt my ability to go out and run 13 miles next weekend -- I feel as if I would need to build back up to that mileage.

But I like to find a silver lining in everything.

As I trained for and as I ran the marathon, I found that one of my greatest limitations was strength, or a lack of it. In the weeks leading up to the marathon, on a couple of my long runs, I felt my core give out in the last few miles -- I really struggled to maintain to my posture. During these runs (and on the marathon), my quads screamed at me to stop as I approached mile 20.

Instead of trying to run my way through the plateau to find new heights, I'm going to approach this off season from a different direction. Sure, I am going to continue to run, but I'm not going to focus on adding mileage on my long runs until after the New Year. Instead, I am going to work on my leg and core strength.

A few times a week, instead of lacing up the shoes at 5:30 AM, I intend to do a series of morning exercises. I have a somewhat scripted routine (see below), but will mix up the exercises to keep the routine fresh -- there are no shortage of core and "runner" exercises, so this should be pretty easy to do. In short, the goal has been to find a set of exercises that I feel to be challenging but that I know I can perform with confidence.

The Morning Routine

• Plank (hold for 60 seconds)
• Lower-Body Russian Twist with leg extensions (12 reps)
• Push-Ups (60 seconds -- max reps)
• Hip Rock and Raise (12 reps)
• Single-Leg Deadlifts (12 reps each leg)
• Bridge (hold for 60 seconds)
• Superman (10 "lifts" hold for 3-5 seconds each)
• Squats -- Feet pointing forward (20 reps)
• Squats -- Feet pointing outward (20 reps) 
• Clams (20 reps each leg)
• Wall sit (hold for 60 seconds)
• Side shuffle (5-10 steps each direction, 3-5 reps)
• Side plank (60 seconds each side)

It's Really Hard ... Not Running the Marathon ... Jody's Story of the Chicago Marathon

When talking to Jody about this week’s blog, she mentioned that she had written something. The day after the marathon, she wrote a short piece about her experience. This post is that story, written on the Monday after the race…

Donald told his marathon story – now it’s my turn … but as the spectator.

Donald got up a little before 6 AM. No alarm clock necessary. While he had every right to be nervous and excited, I was surprised - he appeared calmer than me!  By 6:45 AM we left the hotel, but by his fast walking pace; I knew he wanted to get the race started.  Because the starting area is secured, I only walked with him for a block before giving him one last hug and kiss.

It was 1.5 hours before he would start.  Now what?  I ate breakfast.  I checked the internet.  I packed our bags – all FIVE of them! I checked out of the hotel and hauled our things to the car parked a block away.  (How/why did we ever bring so much stuff?)

Then I hit the course.  The night before, we went over my plan on the route. With 40,000+ runners, there needed to be a plan.  The early part of the race goes through downtown and has large crowds. I focused on the second half of the race when the going would get tough.   I planned to see him at Miles 13, 17, 20 and 24.   I would always be on the left side of the road so he would know where to look for me in the brightest pink shirt ever worn specifically to catch his eye.

Surprisingly, it did not take me that long to walk to the 13.1 mark. By 8:30 AM, I got to my front row street curb seat just after the 13.1 mark, and settled in with warm cup of tea on the chilly morning.  Time to wait for the runners to come to me.

The wheelchair athletes were the first to reach the halfway point - inspirational with huge ovations from the crowd.

The elite men then ran past in a small tight pack.  They were cruising and the race officials required motorcycles and pedal bikes to stay with them (see the video that I took).  The leading women were pounding the pavement five minutes behind them.  It was amazing to see how calm they were, with stonewall expressions – very focused. This was not the same for most of the runners behind them.

[Editor's Note: In the video, you get a sense of how loud the crowds were along the route. It was like this for about 80% of the marathon! Still causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.]

As the minutes ticked by, I became increasingly more nervous.  I would continuously check my phone to get the runner tracking to see where Donald was.  Was he running too fast in the beginning?  What was hurting? And how badly did it hurt?

Oh, the variety of runners I would see.  Young and old.  Some hardly had a sweat, some were grimacing in pain.  Some were dressed up as cartoon characters or superheroes.  There were runners who were blind who had a team of guides in yellow running with them. There was also a woman who passed with two prosthetic legs…. Amazing! Lots of signs in the crowds, some wittier than others.  Donald said he saw a sign that said “Jay Cutler would have quit by now.”  Classic.

Then finally! I saw him coming by way.  It was great so see him with a smile at the halfway mark.

After 10 seconds he was gone…. Thankfully I had a short cut planned and hustled to the next spot.  I saw him looking really strong at mile 17, feeling the pain at Mile 20, and on the back stretch just before mile 25.  Every time he was smiling, when I knew his body must be hating every step at that point.  By noon, the sun was up above and I was warm myself … and I wasn’t running in the middle of a concrete street.

There he goes!

When I saw him right before mile 25, I ran with him for a short period.  I told him “You got this…10 minutes more… you are going to run all the way to the finish!”  After that, I felt guilty.  It was probably more like 15 minutes and what if he pushed too hard and fell over? When the notice on my phone came through that he finished - relief and joy.

Finding him at the end of the race was easier than expected.  We walked slowly back to the car.  I was surprised in that he was moving quite well.  (Just don’t ask how long it took him to get out of the car after the two-hour ride back to Milwaukee.)

At 7:08 AM this morning, he wrote an email to me with a link for another marathon next year.  Average runner?  I’d say he is bit better than that, with a cup of crazy thrown in! Congratulations Donald!