San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon - the day of the race.

3:30AM on the west coast, June 6th, I am up and out of bed, girding myself as if for battle. Sweat band, cycling cap, RFID timer and emergency information tag laced into my shoes, and, yes, compression socks all added to my armament. I remind myself that this is the anniversary of the day the Allies invaded "Fortress Europe" during World War II. My effort pales in comparison, but it is still my effort. And I feel a little, just a little, trepidation because I know I am not adequately trained. But, I am resolved to complete the distance, 26 miles and 385 yards.

We board the bus, which will take us to the start, at 4:30AM. Balboa Park is a surreal collection of klieg lights, UPS trucks, tables, tents, port-a-potties, and, of course, runners. There are 30,000 of us at the start. We fill the street for about a quarter of a mile behind the starting line. We are in groups, called corrals, based on our anticipated finish time.

The first group starts at 6:15. My group starts sometime between 6:30 and 6:45. We spend a long time "inching" toward the start before beginning our race. We start in what the locals call "June Gloom", what I would call "morning fog". The fog lasts until about 10AM and spares the slower runners, like me, much of the heat from the morning sun. I run with one of my team-mates for about 6.5 miles until her "trick knee" sidelines her for a short while. She ends up beating me to the finish, probably passing me at around mile 16, but I don't see her again until after the race. It's a long race.

Through much of the first 10 miles we run through Balboa Park (twice), downtown San Diego, and along the harbor. It is a lovely course with live bands every 2 miles or so. Very inspiring. After that is a 4-5 mile stretch of freeway which they have shut off to traffic for the race. I busy myself watching for the many Elvis impersonators who are running and enjoying the many people who have turned out to cheer us on.

About half-way through the race, I felt like I might need something other than the aide drinks to fuel my run. The easiest thing to take at a time like this is this stuff called Gu. Sure enough, that's what they are offering at the aide station just before mile 14 on the course. So, I grab a raspberry and a vanilla flavor packet. Now, for me, injesting this concoction is a real challenge. It is very thick and extremely sweet. Every time I try to swallow this substance, it immediately triggers my gag reflex. So, determined to get it down in order to fuel the rest of my run, I squeeze the entire contents into my mouth and ignore the impulse to immediately expell it long enough to down a full cup of water. It works and I am on my way again.

At 16 miles, I know I am finished. After that point in the race, I am only able to manage maybe a 100 yard trot at rare intervals, but I know I am walking most of the rest of the race. The bottoms of my feet are each covered with giant blisters. I have made the rookie mistake of dumping one cup of water over my head at each water stop early in the race in an effort to keep cool. The water has soaked my socks and is causing me to rub blisters into the bottom of both of my feet.

Mile 18 brought us to Mission Bay. The run around Mission Bay and Fiesta Island took forever. The discouraging thing is that you can look across the bay to the island and see a long line of "ants", runners who are a full 4 miles ahead of you on the course. I have the strongest urge to turn this into an aqua run (partial triathlon?) and swim across the bay to cut 4 miles out of the run. But, I just continue on dry land, putting one foot in front of the other. It is a long slog in what is now a full sun. Occasional cool breezes across the bay serve to slightly reduce my misery. The greater the misery, the sweeter the finish. I am determined to persevere! Live bands along this stretch of the course still inspire if only for a short while and the hundreds of volunteers and supporters are very much appreciated.

We finish at Sea World. I manage a half-hearted trot/shuffle and a heart-felt smile while crossing the finish line. My official time is 6 hours and 6 minutes. Not pretty, but I'll take the finish. I will do this again, but I hope to be better trained next time.

The race is billed as the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the purple shirted runners from Team in Training were everywhere you looked. 4,000 runners from chapters all over the country competed and together raised over $12,000,000 to find a cure for blood cancers. That is, afterall, what this is really all about.

19 days and $1809 to go.

Thanks to everyone who contributed my place on the San Diego team is assured! That's the good news. Also, my calf cramps seem to be totally cured with my use of the compression stockings. But...

Now, for the "not so good" news. After my 18 mile run about 3 weeks ago, I planned an easier week with a maximum run of about 12 miles on the following weekend. I ended up walking the last two miles of that run with a muscle cramp or pain in my right hip. I haven't been able to run more than about 3 miles since that day without the pain returning. It doesn't seem to be the joint, thank goodness, but it has definitely knocked me "off my game" with the training. I may be walking a good bit of the marathon in San Diego, but I am determined to finish. The Dr. has diagnosed iliotibial band syndrome, so I am working hard to stretch and strengthen the muscles - hip abductor (tensor fascia lata), gluteus minimus, and gluteus medius - and tendons running down the right side of my right leg. I'm learning about muscles I didn't even know I had!

As I read the material on iliotibial band syndrome, I came across a discussion of greater trochanteric bursitis. This actually matches the symptoms I am having very closely. The cause (building mileage too quickly) also matches. The treatment is anti-inflammatories, moderate rest, and strenghthening and stretching of the muscles I mentioned above. So, that's my plan for the next 3 weeks until race day.

41 days and $2885 to go

A total of 38 miles this week and no sign of my calf cramps! I really feel like I can start pushing the mileage now. My goal will be at least one 20 mile run before the race day.

I wore the compression socks every time I ran this week and was able to rack up the mileage. Last week I covered a total of 30 miles, ending with a 15 mile run on Sunday. This week I covered 38 miles and ended with a Sunday run of 18 miles.

I took this last monday off to recover from my 15 mile run. Tuesday, I ran 5 miles. Wednesday I ran 10 miles. I was feeling pretty good after that run. It was not so long ago that 10 miles felt like a real accomplishment to me. Not wanting to push myself too hard, I rested on Thursday. I finished my weekday runs with another 5 miler on Friday.

After resting on Saturday, I felt ready to tackle my longest run to date on Sunday. I planned a triple "out and back" on a 6 mile course. That gave me the opportunity for a couple of "pit stops" for drinks and a bathroom break as necessary. I have to tell you, though, it was really hard to turn around and go back out on the course the second time I returned. By that time, my legs were really heavy. But, no calf cramps! Halleluja!

Mostly recovered, I started this morning with an easy 3 miler. I am going to make this an easy week to let my body heal from last week's efforts.

49 days and $2885 to go!

A real cure for my calf cramps? Two words - "compression socks".

Dave Scott, Mr. Triathlon, highly recommends them. Many long distance runners use them. Now, I too am a believer.

The reason I am feeling so optimistic about this is that I have covered 30 miles this week without any real issues with calf cramps. My current regiment, which seems to be working, is to wear the compression socks when I run and stretch my calves thoroughly after the run when my muscles have fully warmed. I'm not completely ready to declare victory yet. But, the indications are certainly encouraging.

The compression socks make sense, because the cramping can be caused by localized ischemia in the muscles of my calf during prolonged exercise. Improving the circulation with the use of compression socks should prevent the cramps from starting. That, at least, is my theory. Time will tell.

Here's how the week went. Tuesday, wearing my compression socks, I covered four miles walking one minute out of every ten. My calves were feeling good after that run. Wednesday would be the first real test of my theory. I planned to run eight miles. Again wearing the socks, I ran the first four miles without stopping and ran the second four miles walking one minute out of every ten. I stretched my calves after the run using the "stair stretch". My calves were feeling good after the run. That was an excellent sign. On Thursday, I walked to rest my calves. A three mile run on Friday ended my weekday workouts. The final, real test for the week was a 15 mile run on Sunday. I completed this run in just under two hours and 40 minutes. I am very happy to report that my calves are still feeling good. Despite a few aches from the long run, I now feel like I can begin my build-up to the marathon distance in earnest. Yes, so far the compression socks seem to be doing the trick.

56 days and $2985 to go!

Having problems with my right calf... Again!

Two weeks ago, Easter week, I got in some pretty good training. Four miles on Tuesday, seven miles on Wednesday, and three miles on Thursday. I am still walking one minute out of every ten to make sure I pace myself properly and to try to keep my calves from tightening up too much. I then took a break on Friday and was planning to run ten miles on Saturday morning while we were in Cincinnati for Easter weekend. The evening before the run, I went to the store to look for an electrolyte replacement drink, Gatorade or something like that. The drink I found that had the highest sodium and potassium content was a V-8 fruit and vegetable drink. So, I bought that.

My brother asked if I wanted to ride with him on Saturday as well. Never one to pass up an opportunity like that, I unhesitatingly said "yes". So, we set the time for the ride to be about an hour after I finished my run. I told him not to expect much from me after the long run. The run course consisted of two five mile "out and backs". It's a little disconcerting to return to the starting point after the first "out and back" only to realize that you are half done. But, this is the best way to ensure that I can drink enough fluids during a run of more than an hour. I completed the ten miles in a little under 2 hours, rested an hour, then rode to my brother's house to start our 10 o'clock ride.

I was more than a little tired, but he lives on one of the hills ringing the downtown Cincinnati area so the ride started with a long downhill. This was a good way to loosen my muscles after the long run earlier in the day. We rode around downtown Cincinnati, had a hamburger at Findlay Market and rode back up the hill. It was a total of about 20 miles. Needless to say, I rested on Sunday. Whew!

This past week, I managed a three mile run on Monday and a seven mile run on Wednesday. That last run left me hobbled for the rest of the week. I have been recuperating and stretching since then, trying to get my calf back in shape. Only 8 weeks to go. I had better rethink my training strategy, I'm not getting the longer runs because of my calf problems. I will finish the race in San Diego, the only question is: "What kind of shape will I be in at the finish?".

70 days and $3185 to go!

Because I have agreed to be an assistant coach for the TNT Greater Cleveland Triathlon Team, several weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to learn triathlon coaching from the master, Dave Scott. It took a little creativity, however, to get to the venue because I had already scheduled a trip to Florida on the preceeding week. So, after spending the week in Florida, I returned to Hopkins Airport in Cleveland at around 2:30PM on friday, 3/19. With no time to get home, I waited in the airport for about 5 hours to catch a 7:15PM flight to Washington, D.C. I was travelling light with my customary one "carry-on" so I managed to stuff bathing suit and exercise chords in with my running shoes and shorts.

The flight to Washington, D.C. was uneventful and the plane landed around 8:30PM. My plan was to take the Metro to "Foggy Bottom" (I love that name) which would leave a 10 minute walk to the hotel. After puzzling over the fare machine for several minutes, I finally solved the riddle with a little help from another rider and managed to purchase a one-way ticket. The ride from the airport was a straight shot on the blue line. But, I accidentally got on the yellow line. My error wasn't apparent for several stops since the trains parallel each other for several miles. After seeing 2 or 3 stops that I didn't recognize, I decided to get off and take a closer look at my map. Backtracking for several stops on the yellow line and heading in the opposite direction on the blue line eventually got me to "Foggy Bottom".

The weekend with Dave Scott was a great experience and I spent time with a number of great TNT coaches, including Dea, of whose courage I spoke last week. It was a very busy and exhausting weekend, but I learned a lot about triathlon coaching.

I returned home on Sunday and crashed! My training this week was back on schedule, with three mile runs on tuesday and thursday and a 6 mile run on wednesday. After a day of on friday, I tackled my longest distance so far, 13 miles, on saturday. The weather was perfect and I covered the distance in about 2 hours, 15 minutes. I'm still walking 1 minute out of every 10. That seems to keep my calf cramps at bay. However, I have had to work on them with "The Stick", massaging every hour, to loosen them up again. Yesterday, I took my first bike-ride of 2010, covering about 12-13 miles. It felt very good to get back on the bike. And after the long run on saturday, it was a good change of pace.

75 days and $3185 to go!

I'm not going to talk about training this week. I did spend the weekend in Washington, D.C. learning from Dave Scott, one of the truly great Triathletes. But, while I was there, I met a truly inspiring woman who reminded me why I am part of Team in Training. And, she is happy to let me share her story with you.

Dea is a young mother of two lovely little girls, Lauryn and Jordyn. Two years ago her then 4 year old daughter, Lauryn, was diagnosed with Leukemia. It has been a difficult 2 year journey for Dea, Lauryn, and Jordyn, but in a few short weeks they will be able to throw Lauryn's meds away. She is truly on her way back to full health. Dea is raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society by training for the Steelhead half-ironman triathlon. She knows first-hand the good that the society does for people who are battling cancer.

You can see Lauryn's very touching story of tragedy and hope here.

84 days and $3235 to go!

My schedule called for a light week. And, that's exactly what I did. After last week's 31 miles, I dropped back to 18 miles this week. After a rest day on monday I ran 3 miles on tuesday, 5 miles on wednesday, and 3 miles on thursday. I'm fighting a little muscle tightness just below my right calf - probably as a result of the high mileage of last weeek. So, the easier week should help to resolve that.

A rest day on friday, which consisted of my 15 minute yoga routine was followed by yoga and a 7 mile run on saturday. The 40 degree temperature accompanied by a very cold drizzle seems to have aggravated the muscle tighness below my right calf. So, today I went for a walk. It's feeling better now.

This week, I plan to up the mileage to 24 and end the week with my longest run to date, 12 miles. I will be in Florida for the week and the morning temperatures should be in the 50s. Next weekend, I will be in Washington, D.C. to be certified as a triathlon coach. The training will be conducted by the legendary Ironman Dave Scott. Well, he is certainly legendary to triathlon wonks like me. :) I can't wait!

91 days and $3460 to go!

This week I stepped up the mileage, covering a total of 31 miles. My strategy of walking about 1 minute out of every 10 is working well to keep my leg muscles from cramping up. Monday I took the day off. The schedule I am following includes two days a week of rest, usually monday and friday. Depending on whether or not I am travelling, I may rest on different days. The rest days are an important part of this schedule, allowing my body to recover from the long runs.

Tuesday, I covered 9 miles. The long runs are typically done on saturday. But, since I did not have the time to do the run on saturday, I determined to get it in at the first opportunity, which was Tuesday. I felt strong throughout the run and even though I was a little weary at the end, my legs felt good afterward. I covered the distance at about an overall 9:30 pace. Pretty good, considering that includes the walking intervals.

Wednesday and Thursday were shorter days for me. I covered 3 miles on each of those days. The weather in Florida was unusually cold this week, averaging in the low 40s for the mornings, which was the time I did my running. Luckily, I heeded my wife's advice and took my long sleeve pullover with me on the trip.

Before I left Florida on Friday, I ran 6 miles. I'm still waiting to pick up my new shoes. I called the store on my way home on friday to discover that they had received the wrong size. Not what I ordered. So, I will have to wait a little longer.

Saturday was a day off, and today I ran 10 miles. I covered the distance in 1 hour, 33 minutes. This averages just under 9:20 per mile. I will slowly work my way up to a 20 mile run by increasing the distance of my long weekly run by a little each week.

98 days and $3610 to go!

I was in Salt Lake City two and a half weeks ago. I went for a couple of 30 minute runs while I was there. The weather was nice, but the combination of the thin air - Salt Lake City is at an average elevation of 4,226 feet - and the hills just about killed me. Still, as Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.". And, I'm still here. :)

One week ago, I was in Florida. Since I need to step up the mileage for my race in June, I added a couple of 6 mile runs to my scheduled 3 milers. I have been cautious about increasing my mileage this time, not wanting to endure a repeat of the leg cramps and muscle injuries that have plagued my previous endurance training. My current practice is to walk 1 minute out of every 10 minutes of each run. This seems to help, buy giving my muscles a chance to recover during the run. It's also useful on race day to walk each of the water stops to make sure to get enough hydration during the race. Strategy, strategy. We'll see how it holds up.

This past week, I was back in snowy Mentor. The image above was taken out my front door. Snow always makes the running a real challenge. Slipping and falling is definitely NOT a good thing for me to do. If the roads are clear and the traffic light, I can easily get out and cover the 3-6 miles which are part of my current schedule. This past Tuesday morning, I thought the conditions were right. But, overnight the temperature had dropped significantly, freezing a thin sheen of ice at the foot of our driveway. I headed out the door and promptly slipped and fell into a puddle as soon as I hit that patch of ice. That was the end of my morning run. Throw the wet clothes in the dryer. Later in the day, when the ice had melted, I was able to get out for a three miler.

I had planned on attempting a longer, 9 mile, run this weekend. But, we have had a good foot of snow over the last 3 days. It's not worth the risk to try it here. I'll be in Florida this coming week. That will be a good opportunity to work in a long run. Training for an early Spring race is definitely a real challenge.

I went shopping for a new pair of running shoes yesterday. I decided to go to a regular running shoe store this time to get fitted properly with a good pair of shoes. Of course, they had to order the shoes. That's ok, I want to make sure they fit properly and feel good. That's the most important thing. I don't much care how they look. I'll wear pink shoes if necessary to get the best fit. :)