Just Keep Steppin'

So to recap I've completed my bucket list item (run a marathon) and set a PR and that's is where this madness should end, right?... Wrong!!!

To give you a little background on my reasons for running I have to go into a little family history. I started running for all of the common reasons, get in shape, feel better about myself, loose weight, and so on. I keep running because my grandmother had type 2 diabetes, my dad had it, and my uncles and aunt on his side of the family either have or had it. We are not your typical over weight diabetics. It is completely genetic. Running gives me the ability to keep in shape and keep my family disease at bay for as long as I can. So while I do enjoy running, there's always that voice in the back of my head motivating me to take that first step out the front door and to keep making that same decision over and over again.

OK! Back to the happy runner blog you tuned in for. I had just run my best marathon to date and needed some motivation for my next endeavor. I decided that a destination marathon might be a good idea. At the time I lived in Phoenix, Arizona, so I decided a summer destination race might be the best thing to get away from the heat. I decided on Park City Utah.

Once again I changed my strategy and backed down to the beginner level of training. I had recently been hired on at Arizona State University, so I didn't have the freedom to train during the morning hours. I had to adjust my training schedule to accommodate my new position. Because it was a summer race I would be training during the spring and summer months. Spring in Phoenix is basically summer in any other state, and summer brings new meaning to the word "HOT". I had to move my training time to the evening hours when the sun was not a factor. Even though it was still hot in the evenings, the sun was not beating down on me and that made all of the difference.

I also knew that if I was going to be able to run in Park City effectively I would need to incorporate hill runs. Not just the freeway overpass that I crossed on my normal long runs, but the biggest hills I could find in Phoenix. Luckily I lived right next to one of those hills. It was called South Mountain, and my neighborhood sat right in it's shadow.

I started with the first week of training and found that the effects of my last training effort had carried over. I was running with ease and flying through the first weeks with little effort. I did however have trouble adjusting to my new schedule. Before I was able to put things off and run later or workout at different intervals. Now I had to create a schedule and be disciplined about keeping it. I eventually got myself into a new groove and was able to get back on track.

For this Marathon I had planned to stay at my brother-in-law's house and drive up the mountain from Salt Lake City. I decided to surprise my oldest daughter with a 4 day trip to Utah to visit her cousins. We arrived on the Thursday before the race (It was a Saturday race) so I could acclimate to the higher altitude (about 4000ft higher). In the two days leading up to the marathon I ran once for about a mile just to stay loose. I rested the day before and was ready on Saturday morning.

I woke up, took my brother-in-law's car and drove to the site of the starting line. It was about 60 degrees that morning which is equivalent to a cold winter day in Phoenix. From what I could see of the course from the starting line, the course was fairly flat. I new this was just a tease because I had done my homework and knew I would be climbing some Olympic size hills as we made our way through the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Village. They also made an announcement at the beginning not to expect to run PR on this route. Average finish times for this race were 15-30 minutes slower than your average race. To top it all off, I was just getting over a cold.

I decided I would start slow and make up time on the downhill to the finish. I started at a 10 minute pace and kept going at that pace for the first 5 miles. At that point I started warming up and picked up the pace to about 8 1/2 minute mile. Then it hit me at mile 11, there they were, the biggest hills I've ever seen. I started up the hills quickening my gate, at their steepest point it felt like I could reach out and touch the asphalt right in front of me. It was slow going, but at the top of the hill I got some motivation from a runner who was there just for the scenery. He stopped for a second took out his camera and took a picture of the Park City Valley that was out before us. It was gorgeous it changed my perspective on the hills, and I decided to run the race enjoying the scenery and forget about my time.

I turned the corner at the top of the hill and headed back down. It may seem like going downhill is the easy part but when it's that steep it will tax you just as much is going up the hill. I let myself run as fast as I could and still stay under control. By time I got to the bottom my legs were on fire. I knew that I wouldn't be running a PR on this route, so I made sure to enjoy the rest of the race at whatever speed felt right for my jelly filled legs.

I finished in a respectable 4:35:00 and picked up my coolest race medal to date. It was a stained glass leaf. Made specifically for the Park City Marathon. The most unique medal I have come across in all of my races.

Back to the program!

So where were we? Oh yeah! Bucket list item complete, running career over, and blog done. Thanks for tuning in...


Wait! What's going on? As I recover from my marathon thoughts keep creeping in. You can run it faster. That wasn't your best effort. You were content to just finish, and you did, now let's see what you can really do. This voice inside my head kept haunting me. I would wake up in the middle of the night and I would hear it (OK it was probably just the wind, but just play along for dramatic effect). The point is, I knew pretty quickly that my running days were far from over.

I set my sites on a a local race this time. I was going to tackle the PF Changs Rock N Roll, Arizona and this time I would make sure I was as prepared as I could be. The 18 week training that I used for my previous marathon had 3 levels to it, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I decided I would follow the intermediate level training, which added another day of mid range running to the week and topped out at 50 miles as opposed to 40. I took two weeks off and ran intermittently throughout the summer. Then September came around and I started on the 18 week schedule full force. I also decided to incorporate weight and cross training sessions as well. At the time I was a stay at home dad and had the flexibility to get my runs and training sessions in during the day.

The intermediate level of training was definitely a lot more daunting than my first attempt. Looking at it as a whole made me nervous that I wouldn't have what it takes to complete my training effectively. The  schedule called for 3 twenty mile runs and the long runs started at ten miles. I felt like I was still in good shape from the last race, so I dove right in and decided to take it one week and one workout at a time.

I started on the first week and everything just fell into place. I was more motivated for this race than the first one and I focused on each workout instead of the entire picture . I felt great, and because I was running all the time the effort I was putting in felt minimal. I moved though the first part of my training and felt good about my progress, but it didn't feel like I was running any faster than I was before. So as I came up to the point in my training where I would be running the group of three 20 mile long runs, I didn't feel like I would be able to run those workouts with the kind of improvement I was looking for.

I set out on my first 20 miler and decided to take it easy on this first one because I still had 2 more to do in the next 5 weeks. That first run I did in about 3 hours and 30 minutes, a slight improvement from my first training but not what I expected. After a rest week I set out for another 20 miler and pushed myself a little harder. I finished that in around 3 hours and 15 minutes, but the biggest thing that stood out to me was that my legs felt less fatigued than they did in my first 20 miler and an ice bath later I was feeling even better. Two weeks later I once again set out to run my last 20 miler. My strategy this time was to run it as fast as my legs could carry me . I wanted to see how much improvement I had made over the last three weeks. Surprisingly (or not so surprising) I clocked my best time breaking the 3 hour mark at 2 hours and 55 minutes. I was ready to run my best race. I felt confident that I could push myself to break the 4 hour mark.

Once again I was running the marathon with my friend that I had run with in San Diego. We had trained separately so we had different time goals but were starting in the same place. I had purchased disposable clothes at the expo a couple days earlier because I heard it was suppose to be cold (well cold in Phoenix terms). This was the year we started our tradition of eating our carb load pasta meal at Bucca Di Beppos. The reason for this is that you can get major portions (sized for a family style meal) at a decent price. After dinner I felt ready to take on the race. I went home and got my gear ready and went to bed early.

I woke up the next day and got ready to go. The plan was that I would pick up my friend and we would drive to the finish line and take a bus to the start. I started the car and saw something that I had never seen before. I looked at the temperature gauge on my rearview mirror and it was flashing between the temperature and a word "ICE". The temperature that morning was 25 degrees. I know what some of you people from back east and to the north are thinking, "that's like a nice spring morning", but for a Southern California born Phoenix transplant, that was the equivalent of below 0 temperatures. Luckily I had gloves and my disposable pants and jacket. I picked up my friend and we headed to the finish line.

When we got there we quickly jumped on one of the many busses that were transporting runners. They did a great job heating the busses that morning, so good that when we got to the start everyone was begging the bus driver to let us stay on the bus until it was time for the race to start. We all reluctantly stepped off of the bus and made our way to the start area. We went to the tables and picked up a bagel, some bananas, and a cup of coffee (just to keep our hands warm). We were ready so we made our way to the corrals. We stepped into our separate spots and wished each other a good race.

Now it was just me, my adrenaline, my plan and my focus. I waited with anticipation for the gun to sound. My plan was to keep running for the first 10 miles and then take a break if I was feeling fatigued. The gun sounded and we all bunched up together to be herded to the start and off we went. I still had my disposable outfit for the first 10 miles, but made my biggest mistake in the first 2 miles and discarded my gloves because my hands were warming up. Let's just put it this way, that was the last time in that race that I could feel my hands. It was a wonder that I was able to get any water or sports drink in me because I couldn't grab the cups without stopping.

Even though my hands were on ice, I still felt really good at the 10 mile marker and chose to continue on my current path and not pull up and walk like I had planned to do. I kept my pace and met up with my wife and kids at mile 17. My wife told me that I wasn't very far behind the front elite runners that had passed around 45 minutes before I got there. When I informed her that they were probably crossing the finish line, it showed to me that no matter how elaborate my fantasies about winning a major race were the reality is that I was racing against myself, always! I still felt great and after a brief hello to my family I was off again.

I struggled through the next 4 miles and hit the proverbial wall but kept pushing forward. I got to the 20 mile marker at the 3 hour mark and I knew that I would do well. At that point my goal was to finish in under 4 hours, and with the speed I was going and barring any unforeseen hiccups I could do it. I turned on to the last major stretch of road about another 1.5 miles to go and then I saw them, my family at mile 25  cheering me on to the finish. If you want inspiration, motivation or an emotional reaction, seeing loved ones cheering you on after running 25 of 26.2 miles will do it. I got my boost, I stayed long enough to high five and hug everyone and I was off for the last mile. I knew I had it, the adrenaline alone would propel me across the finish line. I crossed in 3:51.06 almost 9 minutes below my goal and over an hour improvement from my last race. I definitely felt like I had put in my best effort and was happy with the result, a PR.

Side Note:

Two weeks after the race my neighbor came up to me and said "nice time on your race. I saw the article they printed about the race with you in it". I said "what article? I've never seen any article about the race". He went back into his house and came out with one of those free coffee shop publications and opened it to the part about the race. There it was a picture of me crossing the finish line with the race clock over my head and a blurb about how I broke the 4 hour mark. There was over 15,000 runners running the marathon that day and I was one of 3 runners they chose to feature in this article. The time from this race was my PR and it still stands as my PR. I've come close but haven't been able to beat it since. So I have a permanent record of my current PR in print.

The Story of How I Started

My Girls and I at PF Changs RnR 2011

This all started back in January of 2006. My wife and I both had friends running in the PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon and Half Marathon. One was entered in the half and the other was entered in the full. I went  that day to support friends in their crazy obsession with running. We decided that it would be best to camp out on the half marathon course first because we figured that our "half" crazy friend would be the first one close to the finish line. When we arrived at one of the final turns before the finish line, my expectation was to find extremely fit, and slim extreme athletes rounding the corner one by one gasping for their last bit of energy to propel themselves to the finish line. There were definitely those types but there were also, moms with pictures of their kids tacked to their shirts, people running for causes, and people not even running at all. The amazing thing was almost all of these crazy people had smiles on their faces like they had just taken off from the starting line and not just run 13 miles. What was this crazy obsession and how could all of these people be enjoying themselves?

On to the full marathon! Surely these people would be the extreme athletes I expected to see at the half. Once again I saw the same types I did at the half. I had visions of dehydrated Olympic runners stumbling and weaving their way to the finish line. Even though they were definitely more beat up than the half marathoners, they had this sense of accomplishment in their eyes that was addictive. It was amazing to see the different types of runners young, old, dressed in costumes and straight forward runners all relishing in the  personal victory they had just accomplished. I decided that day that running a marathon would be one of my bucket list items. 

I went home that day thinking that I would give this a shot, and just take it one step at a time (literally). I knew I had to come up with a plan. I sat down with my wife and we talked about what it would take to get started. We did what any middle aged person looking for information would do, we went right to the source, the internet. We looked up how to get started with a running regimen. The crazy thing is after all of the online blogs and advice that we looked up, one theme stood out...just take that first step and keep making that same choice over and over again.

Well, I took that first step and a few others to go with it. I started with a program that was designed to build your running endurance to a level where you could run for 30 minutes straight a without stopping. It starts out with the majority of your workout walking with some running and then builds on the running portion and cuts back on the walking. Once I was able to run for 30 minutes without stopping I looked  into different options for training for your first marathon. I settled on n 18 week training schedule that builds you up to a 20 miler and then tappers for the last 3 weeks leading up to the marathon. I started off on my first 3 mile run and had the confidence that I could do it because of the previous training that I had done. Those first few weeks of training flew by and I was coming up on my  first real test in my training, my first 10 mile long run.

I knew the 10 miler would be the biggest test of my short running career. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I had it all planned out, there was a 2.5 mile loop that ran around my neighborhood that was flat and close to home (I didn't want to go out and get stuck out in the middle of nowhere). I would take it slow and one lap at a time. I remember deliberately running slower than my body wanted to go. I would run a lap and then walk for 2 minutes and start off again. I remember the feeling of accomplishment that I had when I was finished. It was the second milestone in a long list of milestones to come. What I didn't know was the effect it was having on my wife and family.

I got home from my run and announced that I had just run 10 miles. My wife was so excited that she went shopping. Now you may be wondering what my wife shopping and me running have in common. Normally they have nothing to do with each other, but in this case when she returned home from her shopping trip she showed me what she had gotten. She pulled out of her bag a new iPod shuffle and a new GPS watch in honor of my first 10 mile long run. She told me if you are dedicated enough to go out for 10 miles you have my support in this new crazy obsession and I hope you see this through. Talk about motivation! I decided at that moment that I needed to at least see this through my first marathon and I could decide then if it was something I wanted to stick with.

Training went as planned after that 10 miler, with my new watch, my tunes and a new confidence that nothing is impossible, I flew through the next weeks of training and was getting ready to take on my first marathon Rock N Roll San Diego (the first in the RNR series). It was a destination race and 6 months after the day I decided to put this race on my bucket list. We decided to make a vacation out of it and came in the middle of the week and went to Sea World. We were traveling with one of the friends we had watched just 6 months earlier. We were going to run it together.

In the days leading up to the culmination of weeks and weeks of hard work I was worried that I wouldn't be rested enough, hydrated enough or ready for the challenge ahead. After all I had only ever run 20 miles in my training and that was hard enough and now I was being asked to add another 6.2 miles to that total. I took some solace that my friend and I were going to run together and he had already run a marathon before so he would know what to do. The day before the race was uneventful. We pretty much hung out in our hotel room or laid around on the beach (our hotel was about 2 blocks from the beach) and played card games while either sipping on a bottle of water or Gatorade. I laid out all of my gear the night before and made sure my timing chip was hooked to my shoe. I was ready, or to naive to know I wasn't ready.

The next morning came quick, after a night of dreams of me getting to the race after everyone had already taken off because my alarm wasn't set, we left the hotel and made our way to the starting line. When we got there the atmosphere was very relaxed. They had music playing and everyone was sitting around talking, stretching, and standing in line to use the porta-potties. We got some bananas and bagels and sat down to stretch. After what seemed like hours (more like 45 minutes) people started to work their way to the corrals. We entered our corral and let the adrenaline take over. We had our plan and I was determined to follow it. My goal was not to run fast, but to finish at all costs.

The starter counted us down and we worked our way to the start of the race. I could feel the adrenaline running through me as we got closer, this is what I had trained 18 weeks for, this was it. We reached the front of the line and took off and immediately headed for the nearest bush (if you've ever run a race you know why). After that detour we set off at a comfortable pace. The plan was to keep the pace at a 10 minute mile and take a one minute walk break at every station. We executed our plan flawlessly (except for the first 100 yards), and got to the 20 mile mark where we met up with our families.

While we were visiting I made a quick assessment of how my body was feeling. I didn't have any cramping, I wasn't about to fall over and die, to be quite honest I felt great. I talked to my friend about taking off for the last 6.2 miles and he gave me the go ahead. I started off as fast as my legs would take me at that point. I was passing people who had spent all of their energy at the beginning of the race. I passed my friend going the other way at a small turn around at about mile 23 and he gave me the thumbs up. I went on not even checking my watch for splits or even knowing how fast I was running. When I got to the point where I had 2.5 miles to go I told myself just one more time around the loop in my neighborhood and I pictured in my head where on the loop I would be as I hit mile markers along the race. I crossed the finish line in just over 5 hours but ran the last 6.2 miles in just under 45 minutes. I had done it, bucket list accomplished that should do it, now I can rest easy and move on to the next bucket list item. Little did I know...

Breaking News - Half-Marathon Update!!

OK now that I've gone on about my baptism into the world of marathon running it's time to come back to modern day. We will come back to my sorted history in the running world, but for now I want to report on a Half Marathon I ran in this past weekend.

The Start and Finish was at the SLC Library

It was the in a Utah Marathon and Fittest State Festival inaugural marathon, half marathon, bike tour and Crazy Legs 5k. This one had an early start and I live about an hour away, so I took off from my house at 5:30am. When I got there it was fairly easy to get around the southwest part of the city and I paid $3 to park about 2 blocks from the start (a nice little warm up jog to the start). The weather was great at around 52 degrees so no winter gear needed. I lined up with the rest of the runners (no corrals, this one was small enough to start everyone together) had my tunes and adrenaline pumping and got ready to take on this new challenge.

Half Marathon Elevation

I had checked out the elevations prior to the race  so I knew the course would be hilly. What I didn't know is how early on the hills would come. The first hill hit at around the 2.5 mile marker (which was also the place where they split the half from the full). I decided then and there that I would do everything I could to power up the hills throughout the race. I had trained earlier in the year to to run a race in Spokane called the Mountain Goat Challenge, so I had put in some hill work earlier in the season, but hadn't really hit any hills since moving to Utah in August. I wasn't as confident in my ability to ascend to the top of the hills in this race. I set out to climb the first hill and to my surprise it seemed easier than I had thought. I shortened my stride and actually passed people on my way up the hill. Then about a quarter mile from the top of the first hill I realized my speed had slowed to a very slow jog. That's when I decided to stop and walk a a brisk pace to the top. Surprisingly my walking speed was just as fast as my running speed so I didn't  loose any time walking and expended less energy. My strategy changed at that moment, I would push myself up the hills as hard as I could(but not so hard that I would putter out at the top like the first hill) and then make up the time with an almost full sprint down.

SLC and the Capitol

The race seemed to wind through the most beautiful parts of Salt Lake City. We passed by East High School, (the site that played host to High School Musical 1,2, and 3) and wound our way through most of the University of Utah's campus. The turning point for me came at around mile 6. I turned a corner to start on one of many downhill stints and looked up to see clouds parting over some mountain ranges to the West and the sun shining down like a rain storm over those peaks. It was breathtaking! At mile 10 I got further inspiration as I passed the State Capitol. This spot has a special place in my heart because I gave my wife of 18 years a promise ring at a dance we attended there almost 19 years ago. That inspiration carried me through the next 3.1 miles.

I ran well the next leg of the race. I looked ahead and focussed on the runner directly in front of me. My goal was to slowly pick up my pace and catch up with him. I kicked up my speed for the last mile. To my surprise I had caught up and passed him with a quarter mile to go and quickly put distance between us. I put it on automatic and let my current pace take over. Apparently this inspiration thing works both ways, because just as I was getting to the finish line the runner that I had passed a quarter mile back whizzed by me and beat me by 2 seconds. I had forgotten all about him until that moment. To tell you the truth, I wasn't disappointed that he had passed me in fact I took pride in the fact that we silently pushed each other to run our best race. I also found out later that the runner that beat me was 18 years old. Not to shabby for 43 year old me.

In the end I clocked a 1:45:36 and came in 69th overall and 10th in my age group. Not my best time but not bad for a Saturday morning.

My next race will be on February 3rd the Surf City USA Marathon. I will be traveling to this one and staying at a hotel near the race. I will give a full account with pictures and recommendations. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

Top Five Marathons I've run (OK top four and a bucket list item)

Hi everyone I'm going to start this off with my own personal list.  A top five list of marathons I've run (or want to run). Grant it I've only run in 7 marathons but I think you'll find this list fairly fun.

1. Park City Marathon - The hardest race I have ever done. That being said it is also one of the most beautiful and scenic routes I have seen. This one is not one that you should expect a PR. The elevation starts at 6372 ft and rises to a quad popping 7250 ft and then back down. The race course is a mix of trails and paths. The medals are unique sun catchers made out of stained glass.

I stayed at a relatives house for this marathon and did my carb load dinner at Olive Garden the night before. However there are plenty of Hotels in the Park City area and plenty of things to do in the summer when the race is run. My wife and I recently stayed at the Waldorf Astoria for our anniversary and loved it. There are a ton of restaurants in the Downtown area, we enjoyed the Mole' sauces at the Blue Iguana Mexican Restaurant at the end of Park Avenue.


2. Spokane Marathon - Another scenic route that takes you along the Spokane River in Riverside State Park. Beautiful views and no distractions (no headphones allowed on this race). Just you and about 100 other participants cruising along with the rushing water. This one does have the famed Doomsday Hill on mile 23, so plan accordingly. Small, personal and fun race for anyone at any level.

On the upper end of the spectrum is the Davenport Hotel that is two blocks south of the starting line and has great rooms and amenities. In the middle of the spectrum there is the Marriott Courtyard that is about three blocks east of the starting line. Great rooms at a good price. A good restaurant for the night before dinner is Slick Rock Burrito on the South Hill (try the Thai Chicken Burrito and say hi to Jeff).

3. PF Changs Rock N Roll Marathon - Phoenix - This is a perfect winter destination. The temperatures range from 60-70 degrees. It's a flat and fast course with plenty of support along the entire route. This was my go to race since I lived in the Phoenix area from 2003 until 2010.  I ran this one in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2007 I ran my current PR at 3:51 on a freezing winter day (25-35 degrees all day).

Obviously we didn't stay at any local hotels for this race but the Phoenix area is known for it's spa and resort hotels. The J.W. Marriott in Scottsdale is one of my favorite places to stay with massage facilities and a relaxing pool area for after the race. A tradition we had before the race day was we would book a table (well in advance 2-3 weeks) at Bucca Di Beppo's and I would order the family style spaghetti and marinara sauce (enough for 4 people) and use that as my carb load dinner.

4. San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon - This is the original race in the Rock N Roll series and my first ever marathon. This is a great summer run, the temps are cool because of the sea breezes and it's a fairly flat course.  I ran this one in 2006 when the race started at 6th and Palm and ended at the Marine Recruit Depot. The modern day version ends at Sea World. This was my bucket list marathon so I just wanted to finish. I didn't know how I would react to the stress of running that far so I took my time in the first part of the race. Sadly I clocked my worst time at this one at just over 5 hours. The last 6.2 miles I did in just 45 minutes. Also, on the bright side, this was my first race and the time I clocked was a PR  (that's the great thing about first runs everything is a PR).

I took my family and some friends of ours and we made a vacation out of it. We got there on the Thursday before the race and went to Sea World on Friday. We stayed at the Bahia Resort in Mission Bay, which had spacious rooms but needed to be renovated. All in all in was a great weekend.

5. Big Sur Marathon (Bucket List Item) - I have not run this iconic race as of this post but would like to. This race has breathtaking views as well as beautiful trails. At the halfway point there is a grand piano player inspiring runners to make it the rest of the way. I will be back with an update on this one when I get a chance to run it. It looks like it will be 2014 before that happens.




Please post and share either your favorite races or your bucket list races that you would like to run. Any distance anywhere in the world works. I'm looking forward to hearing and being inspired by your comments.