January 12th: Embracing the Unfamiliar

I think a big part of this adventure I'm on is getting out of my comfort zone and embracing things that aren't part of my routine. And that's what this weekend was all about.

On Saturday, I finally took the plunge and joined Planet Fitness. Yes, I am now the proud member of two different gyms. I've talked about PF before, and it basically was what I was expecting. There's a "core room" that has an ab coaster, a crunch machine, a couple of incline benches and a leg-lift apparatus. They have two Bosu balls, but no half-Bosu balls, and no mats to do floor exercises. Their free-weight section looks pretty good on dumbbells -- the guy said they go up to 70 pounds, which is enough for me. But there are no kettlebells, and the barbells are small and not designed for big lifts. The weight machines are adequate, though they took a little getting used to. The leg press goes up only to 290 -- I maxed that for 3 sets of 12 reps, so I'm going to have to do single-leg if I use it again.

But what they do have in abundance is treadmills. And since I'm looking at a minimum of another month and a half of too-cold temps, and the likelihood of plenty more rainy and snowy days, I need access to treadmills. Going to PF will shave about 20 minutes off my round trip to the gym -- that's an extra two miles I can do every time I go. I'll stick with Work Out World for general fitness, which for now means cross-training once a week. And after the marathon, I'll re-evaluate -- it'll depend on what my post-race goals are.

As I've been mentioning, Sunday was the long training run organized by the NJ Marathon people. Make sure you click their link at the right and check them out. Usually, I run alone (or with my four-legged running partner), so running with a group was a new experience for me. I wasn't sure what to expect, and frankly, I kept thinking that I was going to look like a fraud, a phony, next to all these "real" runners. 

Would have been a great shot if my finger weren't in the way!

To set it up, we started at Pier Village in Long Branch, ran south along the boardwalk and then Ocean Avenue till close to the Deal town line, then doubled back and went north all the way into Monmouth Beach. The last leg took us along the old Ocean Avenue and past Seven Presidents Park before wending its way back to the north end of the boardwalk.

As the groups went out, I really started to think that I was kind of a fraud. They staggered things so that the 7:00-8:00 minute milers went first, then 8:00-9:00, then 9:00-10:00 (that's me), and so on. I was in a group of about seven people, including a guy on one of those cool competition wheelchairs. We took off, and within 30 seconds, I was at the back of the pack. And I'm thinking, crap, I'm out of my league here. 

My stepdad spent part of his childhood in this house.

But then a weird thing happened: I caught up to them and, one by one, started going past them. By the time we were about 1.75 into the run, I and one other guy were at the front of our group. (This worked out, as I managed to mess up MapMyRun and didn't have a GPS to go by.) There was a drink table set up at about 4.5, and a couple of women behind us rolled in just as I was finishing my Gatorade. From there, I took off. 

Now, I know long runs are supposed to be slower than race pace. But I was nowhere near VO2 max -- I could easily talk if I needed to. So I wasn't afraid of the pace at all. By the time we turned back south toward home, it was just me and the one other guy 10 yards behind me. Then, as we got to the last turn onto the boardwalk, that guy -- and one about 30 yards ahead who was apparently in the previous, faster group -- cut the corner, while I ran all the way down into it.

It's just a training run, right? They're just cheating themselves, right? Yeah, no -- that one got under my skin. At heart, I guess I'm just a pretty competitive person, and I just wasn't going to let someone finish ahead of me simply because he'd cut a corner. Not even in a training run. I was feeling good, so I turned on the jets and blew past him, and past that guy from the earlier group. Again, MapMyRun did me a dirty this morning, but the final mile was definitely a negative split -- I'd bet in the 8:30 range. 

When it was all done, 1:32:30 for a 9:15 pace. (Thank you guy with GPS watch who cut the corner.) And I wasn't really all that tired -- I was good for a few more miles, easy. So now I'm starting to really think about what my goals should be. I've never gone farther than 13.1, and the last mile was a serious struggle when I did. So I don't want to delude myself into thinking that I can go sub-9:00s for 26.2. But at this point, I think my fitness is ahead of where I'd need to be to finish in the neighborhood of 4 hours. So maybe I can really do a sub-4:00 in my first marathon. Or maybe I'll bonk at 20 and wind up with a 4:30. I really don't know, but I will be thinking about it a lot more, and paying attention to my longs a lot more closely.

I definitely want to thank the New Jersey Marathon for organizing the run, and the Sneaker Factory shop in Pier Village for opening the store before 8:00 a.m. for all of us nuts, and then having cocoa and other goodies available afterward. It was great to be able to be around other runner folks for a bit, One woman is doing the Triple T triathalon series. The woman running the store has done some ultras -- she said she's gone up to 38 miles. And a bunch of us were able to discuss the pros and cons of treadmill vs. outdoor running.

Higdon prescribes a shorter long run next week, so I will probably take that advice for now. Tomorrow is a rest day, then Tuesday is 3 or 4 miles (and it might be nice enough to go outside). Wednesday is a pace 6, Thursday is another 3 or 4, and Saturday maybe I'll dial back to 7.5 or 8. Thursday could be a good day for interval work. 

Total miles since starting the blog: 231.2

January 9th: Better

You never know how you're going to feel day to day, and that was definitely true today. Much, much better run this morning.

After yesterday's pace 6, I knew I needed to power down a little bit. I set out for an easy 4, but I wound up doing 4.5. And the time wasn't too slow -- 42 minutes flat (about a 9:20 pace). The MTSNBN and shin were a little sore after, but I've come to expect that when I run multiple days back to back. A little ice down when I got home, plus no runs till Sunday, and I'll be fine.

I couldn't tell you what the difference was between yesterday and today, except that the temperature wasn't sub-arctic, and I had pasta at dinner last night. But I love when I bounce back strong, and that's what happened. I have no good photos today, so here's a reminder of warmer days.

So tomorrow is a rest day. Saturday will be cross, and Sunday is the 10-miler.

Total miles since starting the blog: 221.2

January 8th: Why Do I Go Faster When I'm NOT Feeling It?

Why is it that my faster runs come when I'm least in the mood?

Not sure what was going on this morning, but I had a little sniffle -- probably from all the forced-hot air from the extreme cold -- and I was kinda tired. And it was still 9 degrees when I left the house at 6:20. Really, it was just the kind of morning where I would've preferred to stay in bed an extra hour rather than hit the treadmill. But marathon training is all about consistency and routine, so I did it. Unhappily.

My original plan was to go 6 miles at a pace similar to yesterday's -- somewhat slower than my goal race pace. And I did that for a little while. But as I said, I really wasn't feeling it today. So what did I do? Gradually increase the speed so that by the end of the run, my overall pace was exactly race pace (9:09 miles). I think that on days like today, I just want to get it over with, and I'm willing to go faster to make it be done. But it's still weird -- you'd think if you were dragging, you'd drag some more. Nope, not me.

I will say this (which I think I've said before): It's not the worst feeling when you get through a run that you really didn't want to go on. When everything is feeling great, running is easy. When it gets hard, perseverance is a good thing. Also, the level of crappiness I was feeling would probably have been unnoticeable to a pre-fitness Andrew. That I'm getting more in tune with my body is also a good thing.

I'm writing this while sitting on the couch

The other kind of crappy thing today is that I can't do 6 miles at Work Out World on a weekday and hope to make the train. So that meant I had to work from home, unless I was willing to get to my desk after 11:00 a.m. I don't hate working from home, but I prefer to be in the office, where I can be in the middle of things and have a better sense of going on. Nonetheless, I've warned my boss that this is going to be more and more likely as I get deeper into the training. An outdoor 8 miles will probably cost me the same amount of time and put me in the same basic position, and I really just can't start any earlier than I already do.

Well, if there's a silver lining, I can take it easy tomorrow. I did a pace run today, so I'll probably just bag the interval thing and do an easy 4 miles, and maybe if there's time get 10 minutes of core work done. I've decided not to turn the weekend into some kind of brain-buster -- I'm just going to flip cross-training and long-run days so I can do the NJM training run in Long Branch on Sunday.

Total miles since starting the blog: 216.7

January 7th: Where Are All the Resolutionaries?

There were a handful of people in other areas, but not a soul here.

OK, I get it: It's cold out.

In my last entry -- and in a subsequent conversation with an old friend -- I tried really hard not to pass judgment on the "resolutionaries" at the gym on Saturday. Everyone has to start somewhere, just like I did almost a year ago. I don't want to be a crank now -- I'm rooting for all the noobs to make it stick. And hey, I get it -- I've skipped workouts for a bunch of crappy reasons, too.

But as crowded as the gym was on Saturday, it was that empty this morning. You would think that cars and gyms don't have heating systems.

Yeah, it was cold running to and from the car.

I guess the upside was that I had my pick of the treadmills. I put in a relatively easy 4 miles in 37:19 -- a 9:19 pace. The usual 0.5 percent incline. Just about all of the reading I've done on marathon training -- especially first-marathon training -- says that most of your miles should be easy. Building the strength in your joints and muscles takes precedence, as does teaching your body to burn glycogen over fat. So I'm trying to take that to heart and stay in the aerobic zone. But I have to say that it was weird getting off the belt this morning feeling like I hadn't really exerted myself all that much. That's going to take some getting used to.

I've mentioned that I'm basically going to follow Hal Higdon's Novice 2 plan, with a few tweaks. I do want to mix in a few more pace runs than he has, and I want some interval work -- but not as much as in the intermediate program. The other thing that is really niggling me about the plan is that the overall mileage is just not that much. Almost all of the reading I've done suggests that you need to peak in the neighborhood of 50 miles in a week for top performance. But the longest week in Higdon Novice 2 is 36 miles. I'm cognizant of overtraining, for sure, but I just think I'm going to feel underprepared at that distance. I'm already well ahead of where he wants you to be during week 2, and I expect that trend to continue until my taper.

Tomorrow is my mid-week medium-distance run, which I think will be 6 miles. I'll likely mix in an interval run on Thursday, then the next few days are a jumble. I'm trying to do my longs on Saturday, but the New Jersey Marathon is holding a training run on Sunday, and the weather is supposed to be good. So now I can't decide if Friday or Saturday should be rest day (with the other being cross-training day). First-world problems.

Total miles since starting the blog: 210.7

January 4th: Some Milestones and Some Gym Tips

I hit a couple of milestones today on the belt, and I'm feeling really good -- physically and mentally.

As I mentioned yesterday, today was my first long run in my formal marathon training program. I went 9.5 miles at just under a 10:00 pace. That took me over 200 miles since I started the blog, and it also marks the first week in which I've done more than a marathon distance within 7 days -- 26.8 miles, to be exact. Of course, there was an extra run in there this week -- most weeks, I'm planning for four runs, one cross day and two rest days. Nonetheless, it's a mental obstacle that I've broken -- I can no longer lament, "I've never even done that many miles in a week!"

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that 2013 was basically the year I decided to get myself into shape. I've achieved most of the goals I set out for myself -- and a few I couldn't have even conceived a year ago -- but not without a lot of bumps in the road.

As we start 2014, I see a lot of new faces at the gym, especially today, since it's Saturday. We all know that getting in shape is one of people's top New Year's resolutions. But we also know that a lot of people are going to give up on their goals before they really even get started, and that's a shame -- because if I can get to where I am now, I believe anyone can get into the shape they want. So I wanted to share some tips that I've learned from my experiences. I am by no means an expert at any of this. But maybe these tips will help someone, somewhere:

You can't just start where you left off years ago: One mistake I made years ago in an aborted attempt to get into shape is assuming I could just go. When I was in high school, I did a cross-country mile in under 6:00. So I laced up my beat-up sneakers and took off. Two blocks later, I was completely winded. And I gave up, assuming that fitness was just outside of my reality. Today at the gym, a gentleman got on the treadmill next to me. He looked to be in decent shape, but in retrospect, his workout gear had that brand-new look. He started out at 5.8, which is a decent pace if you haven't been running in a while -- it's under a 10:30 mile. Then he really cranked it up. My first instinct was that maybe he was actually in excellent shape. But after maybe a minute at 8.4 miles per hour, he jumped off. He slowed to 6.9 -- another minute or so, and he jumped off again. Then down to 6.1. I think he lasted 5 minutes at that, and then he gave up. In March 2013, when I first started run/walking, I realized I had no fitness. The first couple of times on the belt entailed a lot more walking than running. But it didn't take long before I could go 20 minutes without a walking interval, and by the end of May, I could do a 5k without walking. So don't dive in at the deep end. You'll get there soon enough.

If you have no clue, spring for a trainer: You see those people at the gym a lot this time of year: Walking around sort of eyeballing the machines, then giving one a shot -- one set -- and walking away. I was one of those people. You don't need to hire someone to be by your side at every workout from now until the end of time. But it's worth $100 or $150 to get a few sessions with a pro, so you can learn some moves and some routines that will help you meet your goals. Pay close attention and ask questions, even if you think you know the answer. A trainer will be able to tell you how many reps, how many sets, and what weight you should be going for. He or she will also help you understand how your body should be feeling during and after those exercises. And, perhaps most importantly, you'll learn proper form.

There's tons of information online: There are tons of resources out there. I've learned a bunch just by reading various websites. For example, very early on I learned that getting six-pack abs (which I don't have) has a lot more to do with diet than exercise. You can crunch till you're ready to pass out, but if you don't shed enough fat, your abs will never see the light of day. I've actually found that Pinterest is a great place to find information from other people who are trying to get to the same place I am. You have to learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, but there's no shortage of material. And once you've narrowed down your goals and interests, you can focus on the stuff that's relevant to you. For me, that means Runner's World and similar sources. You'll find your niche, too.

Talk about it: Another great source of information and inspiration: friends and family. You'll be shocked at how many people have experiences similar to yours -- both good and bad. So talk about it on Facebook or Twitter, or even when you're out socially. Don't become a one-trick pony -- if that's all you talk about, your friends will get tired of it quickly. But don't be afraid to post, "Ran 2 miles today." Or even to ask a question. The best part is, you already know that these are people who want to help.

You have to do strength training: You can try to achieve your fitness goals with just cardio, but it will take you a lot longer, and you'll work a lot harder to get there. Even at rest, muscle burns more calories than fat does. This was one I got right when I started in April: I told my trainer flat-out, "Cardio I've got. I need help with strength." But I know a lot of people don't want to lift, or do crunches, or work the kettlebell. To that, I say buck up. You can do it! I promise! Not only was I fat, I was weak. I'm no Tony Atlas now, but I have actual muscles, and I feel so much better. And assuming you take this bit of advice, here's the protip: No matter what else you're working on, do some core work every time. If you're a regular reader, you know how much I focus on that. Arms, chest and legs are great, but you'll be a stronger person if you work your core regularly.

It's supposed to be hard: A woman I saw at the gym today got on the treadmill, walked for maybe 10 minutes, and then got off. Now, she didn't seem to be in very good shape, but we all have to start somewhere, right? And I don't think that, even at her fitness level, she was really challenging herself. If you don't push it at least a little bit, you're not going to see much progress. And then a month will pass by, and you'll get on the scale and the number won't have changed much. That's where a lot of people throw in the towel. The important part to remember is that hard for the guy on the treadmill next to you isn't the same as hard for you. You're trying to reach your goals, and you need to do the work that's right for you.

Setbacks are not failures: If there's one piece of advice I've learned harder than anything else over the past year -- especially over the past four months or so -- it's that you can't let a setback derail your entire program. I've had to sit out a few weeks for a sprained ankle, the strained MTSNBN, a wicked cold and some professional-grade acid reflux. And it sucks. But those first two came before I did my half marathon, and I did that in 2:00:40! They were setbacks, not permanent obstacles. The worst part -- which nobody tells you -- is that your body doesn't realize that you're taking a break, and so it's looking to metabolize food the way it has been. In other words, even though you're not exercising, you get hungry as if you were. But just remember that whatever it is -- an injury, a personal or family issue that demands all your attention, or just a short-term lack of motivation -- you'll get past it. It won't last forever, and you won't have to start back at square one.

Bring a towel: Single easiest way to discern the noobs at the gym: no towel. You're going to sweat. You will need to wipe it away. I actually find a facecloth to be the perfect size, but any hand towel will do.

If you've gotten this far without getting bored, wow! Maybe I've helped you in some little way. Please feel free to add to my list -- as I said, I'm nowhere near being an expert.

Tomorrow is cross-training day -- core and arms. For the time being, I'm going to assume the running will take care of the legs. Then an off day on Monday.

Total miles since starting the blog: 206.7!!!!!!!!!

January 3rd: What Rest Day?

Quick entry today just to catch up.

Yesterday morning I hit the treadmill for a pace 5 miles. Did it at .5 incline and had about 10 seconds to spare when I was all done. It wasn't too tough but certainly not easy, either.

Today was supposed to be an off day, because I'd like to do a long tomorrow. But Mother Nature had other plans there -- that snow wasn't going to shovel itself. But I really paced myself, and obviously, there's no impact on your legs. A fair amount of core and upper-body work, though. I should be fine.

Tomorrow will still be that long, assuming it's not too cold for the car to start and I can get to the gym. For the life of me, I can't fathom how people run in anything below 30 degrees. Sunday is cross-training day, and Monday is probably a rest day. I've done a lot of pace and interval work this past week, so next week's midweek runs will probably be at a relatively slow speed.

Total miles since starting the blog: 197.2

January 1st: Out With the Old, In With the New

Nothing like flipping the calendar to shake things up. The last few days have been pretty darn crazy.

My wife Jackie and I have been talking a lot over the last few days about my regimen and how she can support me. There are going to be those days when I don't want to drag my bones to the gym, or go out in 35 degrees to log some miles, and it's always great if I have a shove -- or a pull. There's nothing like having someone else working hard to make you feel accountable. But here's the thing -- she's not training for a marathon. She has her own fitness goals and routines, and her own work schedule, and nothing really jibes. So even though she's been totally supportive of my goals, sometimes it's hard to find common ground -- times we can go to the gym together, or exercises we can do together (we don't even generally run together because our paces are so different). That all said, she has been really supportive -- especially when I did the half-marathon in October. And she realizes that the road ahead for me is even tougher. So we're working together to arrange our lives around my workouts, especially my long weekend runs. I'd love to know how other married couples deal with marathon training -- it must be like being a football widow.

Of course, Jackie and I did get to Work Out World together yesterday. We didn't have a ton of time, because we both had work to do. Jackie hit the treadmill for a 5k. I decided on a quick core rotation -- kettlebell squats, lunges and kettlebell jugglers. Then some HIIT on the treadmill. (Well, it was high-intensity as far as I was concerned.) 2.2 miles in 20 minutes, with 1:30 intervals at 7.6 mph and 2.0 percent incline, then 1:30 at 5.6 mph at flat incline. And that was freaking hard! I was plenty beat after that. 

Today I was figuring would be an off day, but New Year's Eve turned out a lot more mellow than we'd planned, and I wanted to try out my new long running pants. So even though it was only 35 degrees and a little breezy, I bundled up and went out on what I thought would be a nice, easy recovery run with the dog. 

I'm really starting to wonder about the GPS. I wasn't working very hard at all, and MapMyRun had my first mile at 9:05. I know it's going to be a little short on each mile -- about 3 percent on average -- but I thought I'd be doing 9:30s, so maybe it's just me. I was on my usual route, and not long after that first mile is when I get down by the water. It was low, low, low tide when I did today -- the lowest I've seen it in a long time. I guess that bodes well for the snowstorm coming later in the week -- no flooding.

Well, since I was feeling good, what was originally going to be a 2-miler turned into a 4-mile run. MapMyRun says 4.12, so I'll go with that for logging purposes, but I added that .12 to account for the 3 percent error factor. 36:53, or an 8:57 pace if it's accurate. The long pants were awesome, too -- definitely will allow me to run in 5-10 degrees colder than I have been.

As I've mentioned, I need to finalize my training plan. I'm thinking that since it's winter, and life always has a way of intervening, I'm better off coming up with weekly mileage plans, rather than daily ones. I'll generally do my longs on Saturdays and ramp those up generally in agreement with the Higdon plan (though I might peak a little longer than he does). Then I'll determine what I want my weekly mileage to be, and be a little flexible about which runs will be pace, tempo, interval, etc., and which days will be the mid-distance runs. As long as the weekly mileage adds up, and I get the variety in, I'm not going to worry about what "Monday's run" is supposed to be.

So, I guess go time started a couple days early. Tomorrow will be another mid-distance run, because the snowstorm is going to preclude a run and possibly even a drive to the gym on Friday. Saturday will be a treadmill long.

Total mileage since starting the blog: 192.2