Team Spiridon

Go, Jenn!

2008-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Quick, but large, ups to Jennifer. After a year of persistent injuries (while training with some other group!), she's been training for the San Francisco Half Marathon on August 3, the one I have personally wussed out of (unless someone wants to pay to fly me there).

Anyway, she's been racking up personal best distances, and she hit nine running with Daniel this last Saturday.

Kudos also to Laura, who, due to a wrong turn or to, ran eight miles for the first time a couple of weekends a go.

We've got some new people with us, too - my old friend Jana, and Jessica, and Rosa Maria. August will be on us soon, with the Nike Human Race on August 31, and our training for the AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will be starting up, as well.

So, if you've been out of touch, and/or sitting on yer butt, get up and come running with us this Saturday morning at 7:00am, at Whole Foods on Sixth and Lamar - routes up to 11 miles will be available...

Saturday Run?

2008-07-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

OK, I'll be out of town this weekend, but Jennifer needs to run 9, and some other people are interested in a run.

So, I propose that you guys meet at 7am at Whole Foods and run this route:

You get water at:
1.7 miles, at the Rock (on the trail under Mopac)
4+ miles, at the gas station on the corner of Exposition and Windsor
Just past 6 miles, after turning onto Jefferson, there's the Lucky Mart. Bring a buck and get a small bottle of water.
Just past mile 8, you could get water at Pease Park, if you really need it.

When drinking from water fountains, make sure you get enough!

If you're interested, post a comment. If you say you're going to be there, then be there, and be there on time! Do not leave people hanging! If you need to run a shorter distance, email me and I can recommend some alterations to the route.

Have fun, and be careful, particularly crossing 24th street. Run to your left, and be careful of blind corners and coming over hills.

Oh, and don't worry, I don't miss workouts during the proper training season...

Team Spiridon at Danskin

2008-06-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

A few folks from Team Spee, Eve, Christina, and Vicky, took on the Danskin Triathlon Sunday. I believe it was Vicky's first tri, Eve's second, and I think Christina's fourth. It sounded like the wind made the water choppy for the swim and definitely made the biking tough. Still, Vicky finished, Eve did well despite maybe a bit of a lack of hardcore training this summer, and Christina finished fourth in her age group, and 40th overall.

I personally have no race report, as the women's-only nature of the event happily prevented me from wearing tight lycra clothing, exerting myself and most likely drowning. I did, however, take some pictures...

Welcome to Team Spiridon...

2008-06-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, since we might have some new visitors to the website, here's a bit of an introduction and explanation...

Team Spiridon is a small training group committed to running as a vehicle for individual and community change. The team emphasizes running fundamentals, hard work, and an atmosphere of mutual support towards common goals, whether it's a first 5K, or a fifth Austin Marathon. The team will train over 24 weeks for the 2009 AT&T Austin Half Marathon or Marathon, beginning in August and meeting twice a week for fully-supported runs.

This group started in the summer of 2007, instigated almost completely by a handful of friends that I had coached previously. At first, we ran together just for the sake of friendship and running a couple of times a week, but more friends, and more friends of friends began turning up, and soon, there were 20-30 people wanting to run and train. And so, Team Spiridon was born.

I'm a big believer in running as a method of learning that we are not as limited as we too often come to accept in every day life. Every time we choose to run, and every time we line up at the starting line, we have the opportunity to choose who we are, the chance to be that better self that we want to be.

And just as in life, there's a lot of work we have to do on our own, but we can't get to our goals alone. So, this group continues as it began - friends inspiring and pushing and sometimes carrying each other to meet our goals. We compete, but we don't do elitism or arrogance. The most experienced marathoners and the brand new runners in our group are all in this together.

We also believe that we have an opportunity and a responsibility to be contributing members to the running community and the community at large. So, we volunteer our time for races, as well as for other charities, and this training season, we'll all commit to raising money for one or two charities that we'll select together as a team.

We are a small team, and I do all the coaching myself. That means there are things you won't get with Team Spiridon, like a ton of people, or a variety of workout times or programs. On the other hand, you get to avoid being lost in a crowd, and being part of a mob mentality. I'm still working on our fee structure, but last year, half marathon/marathon training was $150, for 24 weeks of training. That's about half of what some other groups charge, and that does get you:

Two organized, coached, fully-supported workouts a week - a more intense, specific workout on Tuesday or Wednesday, and a long run on Saturday;
A full workout schedule, available on the web;
A lot of access to and attention from your coach (that's me). Yes, I've even made those early morning phone calls to drag people out of bed;
Essays and information on this website, and via email. This Blogger site has proven to be an easy and effective site for the team, though I more often tend to email everyone once or twice a week with information and reminders. I'm making an effort to make sure those emails get posted on the site, as well;
A tech shirt with the team logo and something that may or may not be witty/inspiring/cryptic to anyone but us;
Discounts to some select local running stores, massage therapists, and other services.

Most importantly, you get a coach and teammates that are committed to making you a fundamentally sound runner, helping get you in condition and to the finish line safely.

This summer, we're meeting on Tuesday nights for quality workouts, and occasionally for long runs on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Feel free to join us (click the "Summer Workouts" button in the left margin of this page). You can also email me if you have any questions, or feel free to leave any questions for the team as a comment, and get the answers from the runners who are already part of the team, many of whom ran their first half marathon or marathon this year.

No matter who you choose to train with, if you're at the point of thinking you want to learn to run, or to run a marathon or half marathon, please do accept that challenge, and get good training. It makes a huge difference, and will help keep you on-track for the long training season. Running a marathon or half marathon will definitely change your life - do it, do it the right way, and have fun with it.

Happy running,

Rob

Week 8 - The Butt-Kicking Continues...

2008-04-28T12:26:00.001-07:00

"Butt-kicking" has multiple meanings:

Tomorrow's butt-kicking workout will meet at 6pm at Whole Foods, for a lovely tour of the hills of Clarksville. Hydrate today and tomorrow, and pray this weirdly cool weather holds.

I've put individual assignments on the calendar - if you double-click the little schedule thingy that says "Double Click Me", you'll get details. If you have questions, let me know.

This Saturday, let's have a group run. 8am, Whole Foods. We'll probably just run on the trail, and we'll do different distances. Then, we shall eat things.

So, enough of all that, I really want to talk about all the butt that was kicked this weekend by various Team Spiridoners. Jennifer, Laura (and her boyfriend Charlie), and Sharon all ran the Texas Round-Up 5K, and Amanda (and her boyfriend Chris) and Paul ran the 10K.

For Jennifer, it was her first race since beginning a long string of persistent injuries in March 2007. She trucked through the pretty challenging course without walking.

I try not to focus a lot on time, at least, for everyone else. For me, I'm overly obsessed with it. But I do have to say, Laura came damn near my prediction that she could run a 30-minute 5K, running the 5K in 30:45, 2:20 faster than she did on a faster course at the Bun Run a couple of weeks ago.

I haven't had a chance to hear from Sharon yet, but I know she finished at 45:55, so I'd guess she probably got through the whole hilly thing without walking, though I would not fault her if she did have to walk a little. I was talking to some of the 5K winners later, and the stretch of Lavaca and that last hill on San Jacinto really stuck it to even them.

Amanda and Paul both finished well - it was the first time Amanda had run that kind of distance since probably last summer, and the first for Paul since the half-marathon in February. Momma Michelle Streetman and Upstart of All Upstarts Connor Streetman showed up as well to cheer folks on.

Meanwhile, out in Nashville, Jacala finished an impressive trifecta, finishing her first marathon in 5:30, to go with her first half marathon on January 27, and the Austin Half Marathon (a lot faster) on February 17. Hopefully, she'll be submitting her race report soon.

I'm tremendously proud of everyone. If you haven't run a race yet, your time is coming - everyone is doing great. It's up to you - stick with the workouts, get your runs in. Don't slack - remember, you signed up for this because you had goals that must have been important to you. If you slack on going out to run three times a week, what else in your life are you going to slack on? If, on the other hand, you can make that happen, and get results, then what else can you do in your life?

So, what are you still reading this for? Go run.

Round-Up Race Plannage

2008-04-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

OK, this is a bit long. I get to thinking about the race, and the course, and I'm not thinking in terms of brevity...

As far as the course goes, it's a pretty fair one - some uphills, especially on the 10K, but some downhills, as well. There's a map at http://www.texasroundup.org/Events/~/media/0D11A328ECF04002874294CD74DD3EED.ashx

You'll all start near 9th and Congress, at 8am. We've got a wider start this year, and a separate 5K finish line, so the start should clear a bit quicker than in the past.

Congress is downhill to the bridge, then again down to Riverside, so let's really emphasize the first rule of racing: DON'T GO OUT TOO FAST. This ties in completely with another rule of racing - run your own race. There's going to be a lot of people out there tomorrow with no idea what they're doing. Some of them have never even run the distance before. They'll be excited, and they're going to take off from the start.

Then you have people who should know what they're doing, but they get all excited, or they're not awake yet, and they take off too fast. I am still occasionally one of these.

Ignore all those people, and just find your own right pace.

At the beginning of these big races, it's crowded, with some people walking, and some people darting in and around other runners. So, first, be aware of your surroundings. Don't step or wander in front of someone passing you.

Don't get sucked into trying to run around a lot of people - it burns a lot of energy and time, and it adds more distance than you might think. If you feel completely held back, try to get to the left side of the pack. Look ahead, and pick a line through the crowd that doesn't require a lot of zig-zagging.

People will often hear you coming and slide over a little. It's OK to go through a gap between people, but nice to let them know. Sometimes, someone (usually someone wearing damned headphones) will start drifting over in front of you. I find the "accidental" very light brush of your hand on their elbow will usually wake them up and get them to slide over.

The 5K course turns on Barton Springs just before the one mile mark. The 5K course will be splitting off to the right, so be on that side and ready. It's not fun getting either "pinched" or pushed out in corners, so stay in the middle of the pack going into the turn. Watch for other folks cutting you off, and try to not do the same.

You should still have an easy time on Barton Springs, turning slightly right onto Riverside, then onto South First.

Let's stick with the 10K course for a second. 5K folks can skip down to where it says "5K AND 10K COURSES"...

10k people, you've got some fun ahead, going up South Congress. I think anyone running the 10K, though, has done this bit before. You're getting the first few miles of the marathon/half marathon course here, so get used to it.

South Congress is really not so bad. Really. It's split up into sections, sort of terraced. I'll cheat and paste in a bit of the marathon race plan:

As for the hill on South Congress, it's not as bad as it looks, if you treat it with respect. It actually breaks into several chunks, with short flats in between. Treat it as multiple short hills, and enjoy those little recoveries. Use these first hills to set the precedence for your hill-climbing form for the day. Head up, hips pressed into the hill ahead of you, arms relaxed but setting the pace for your legs.

The hill first lets up a little when you're running past Doc's/the big limestone wall on the right for the School for the Deaf. When you hit these little relative plateaus, relax. Shake your arms out, hold your pace, and let your breathing and legs recover a little. Don't do this by letting up or slowing down - just be patient.

The next relatively steep chunk hits by the Austin Motel, and takes you up past Guero's. It's still just not that bad, though.

When you get to about Mary Street, it seems to level off, but you still have a very slight grade all the way to the turn off on College Street. When a race starts on hills like this, it's hard to get into a groove. It's easy to get down on yourself and think you're not running well, and that you'll never make your pace. The dragon that is this course gets help from the dragons of fear and doubt that reside in us. You've got to do battle with them, too. Accept the course for what it is, know there will be ups and downs, and be confident in all the work you've put in.

College Street will take you to Oltorf. I'm not sure what the condition of the road is there - there's been a lot of construction in the area. Just watch for potholes gravel, and other roughness.

You get a little downhill - stay conservative, though - you still have almost 4 miles, and a lot of hills, to go.

On South First, you get a lot of downhills. I've never felt particularly fast here, but the times say otherwise. I think for everyone here, you should just work on holding your pace. Again, even though this is 20 miles shorter, we can steal some bits from the marathon race plan:

I want you to think again about relaxing, shake your arms out, loosen your neck and shoulders, then focus on settling into an easy pace. This is where I think you should start feeling like you're running a race, which just means getting your head together and settling into a rhythm.

Do not try to make up time. This is another stretch where people are going to ruin their day by failing to be smart and mature. If you run it properly, and with some restraint, you're going to get some time back, and you're going to bank some energy, as well. On some of the steeper downhill portions, you might even put the brakes on a bit – but not too much. You need to control your pace, minimizing impact, and keeping your turnover rate from getting so high you're actually taxing your lungs and legs. But, you don't want to be really jamming on the brakes, either, because you'll burn out your quads. It's like driving a car down a mountainside – you have to finesse the brakes so you control your speed without burning them up. You've all worked on finding that balance – do it.

You'll come down onto level ground past Whataburger, and you're about to rejoin the 5K course...

5K AND 10K COURSES:

Both routes rejoin at South First and Barton Springs. The first 10K people will hit here a bit before 8:20 - it's mile 4+ for them. I think all of our 5K runners will be clear by then, but you'll get to see some really fast elites blazing past you here. There will be fencing separating the merge point, so you shouldn't have to worry about anything. And, I believe we'll have some sort of separation between the 5K and 10K runners for the rest of the race - I'll confirm that and let you know.

You'll get a little rise crossing the bridge, then you veer off onto Lavaca. You've got a very mild incline that you might mistake for flat - a "false flat" - but it shouldn't be a problem for you. The real hills don't hit until Sixth Street. Again, they come in waves, and you guys have all run harder, longer hills, for more times than you're about to do, so don't sweat it. Mile 2 for the 5K is around 7th street. Mile 5 for the 10K just before 9th.

Going into a hill, relax, shake your arms out, then pop that head up, push your hips into the hill, and take it on. Around 9th or 10th, you'll be through the worst of it. I think that this is a good point for people to check themselves and decide if they have more left in them. If you do, now's the first time to consciously pick up the pace a little. Remember, it doesn't take much to make a difference, and you don't want to "go" too early and burn up.

You get a little down slope, a little flat, and a little up slope to 15th, where you'll turn right. From here on out, it's like the finish to the half marathon. Here's a downhill that's late enough in the race that you can let it carry you a little more. This can be the second point at which you pick up some pace. You still have to be sensible about it - you each still have around a half mile left, including a good, long, steep hill. On the other hand, that's two laps of the track. You should all be starting to get a feel for how much you can push yourselves. Now's the time to do it.

So, the downhill is steep enough that you can let it carry you a little. Remember, do it with proper form, hips under you, and quicker turnover, not longer stride. your stride will lengthen naturally with speed and gravity, anyway. Stay relaxed!

You'll turn right on San Jacinto, and it starts to slope up. Ignore the gradual slope, and hold your pace. When you hit the real slope, use your form and your will, and just power through it - it's not as bad as it looks. Just think, people ran up this in the last mile of the marathon and half marathon. You can do it after 3 or 6 miles. Look at it as just one time running up Pressler, with the crazy man yelling at you.

A couple of different strategies for getting up this and to the finish... If you need to, if you're really struggling, then break the hill up. Pick a spot a little ways up the hill, and run to it. Then pick another, and get there.

If you're working hard, and want to power up the hill, then pick someone ahead of you, and decide to gradually catch and pass them. At this point, choose your prey wisely, and pursue them patiently.

You turn right on 11th, and 5K folks, if you want, this is your last "go point". Pick someone ahead of you, and catch them and pass them. Then another, and another. If you're giving it all you've got, make sure you stay relaxed, and you're just picking up your turnover to pick up speed.

The 5K finish is at Brazos. The 10K finish is the rest of the way down the hill and around the corner on Congress. I'll be there when you finish - grab your water and food, and come back to cheer for your teammates!

You're all ready for the distances you've chosen. Run smart, run strong, and you'll be fine.

Week 6 - Bun Run Report, Calendar, and Partial Retraction of Bun Run Report

2008-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so I don't post as much on here, because I do most of it by email. Anyone looking in on us thinks we're just lame and content-less, so I'll at least start mirroring the emails on here...

1. Tomorrow's workout - We meet at Whole Foods at 6pm. We'll be running over in Clarksville again, a workout cheekily named "The Quagmire". I'd explain why, but it will probably require beers.

2. The calendar - Last Thursday's and Saturday's workouts didn't show up on the calendar - I should have checked it again. On the other hand, no one really said, "Hey, I want to run, but there's nothing on the calendar..." Hmm?

3. Bun Run - Sharon and Laura (and Laura's boyfriend) made it out to the Bun Run Sunday morning, and much butt was kicked. The race was generally fast, but broke down to a really crowded first mile, a couple of really challenging hills in the middle mile, and then a blazing fast downhill for the last mile.

Laura finished her very first 5K in a very nice 33:05.

Sharon ran the entire 5K, her first without any walking, and at the end, she picked up the pace a couple of times, and really had a nice run in to the finish.

I made a last-minute decision to run it, out of curiosity about the course, and feeling like I might get bored just hanging out until everyone finished. With the slow, crowded first mile, and my slightly out-of-ideal-shapedness, I was able to wrangle a second-best out of it.

The only other Spiridon result to report (that I know of) was marathoner Jean Conover, who had registered to run the race, and was reported by her husband, Bill, to still be in bed at about half an hour before the race. Soon after I published the report via email, I received this from the Conover campaign office:

HEY! That report is FALSE! I made it to the race at 7:45, registered and ran in true Spiridon fashion, even sporting my Spiridon shirt! I'm timed, so if you doubt, check the records! :) I think I ran in just over 30mins (can't get under that damn 10min mile!), but haven't seen the results yet. Bill told me he saw you earlier. I was looking for you at the start line! Didn't have your phone number with me though. Lost all my contacts in my old broken phone....

So, that was just a small sample of what's to come. Everyone's progressing really nicely, and I'm confident that we can all run the Round-Up 5K at the end of the month. If you aren't feeling some progress, or you're frustrated by the pace of it, let me know. The key, of course, is consistency - keep making it to the workouts, keep running your solo runs.

No slacking!

Running Log (repost)

2008-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Someday, I will share with you all the legend of Running Log, the great Native American track and field star. But not now.

If you'll look to the left over there, you'll see a link for the Nikerunning website, which contains a free training log.

I really recommend that you keep track of your running. Most obviously, it helps you have a picture of how often you're running, and what kind of mileage you're putting in every week. Most people think it'll make them feel bad when they miss a workout - actually, that's not a bad thing. But it will also give you an appreciation for how much you're doing. When you miss a workout, but you still see that you ran six or nine or (eventually) 20 miles that week, it can prevent that Stuart Smalley shame spiral where you decide it's all hopeless, and you go grab the peanut butter, a jar of Bonne Maman strawberry preserves, and the largest spoon that will fit in the mouths of both jars, and go to town, washing it down with successive Lone Star tallboys, the tinge of aluminum made slightly salty by your own tears.

It happens. Or so I hear.

So, check out the training log. It's fun to do, and you can also track your other activities, like yoga, cycling, swimming, and your weekly pickup jai-alai games. It'll also track your vitals, like your weight.

A training log is also good because it helps you track the mileage on your running shoes, which we call "tennis" or "tenny" shoes in Texas, but which the British, apparently being masters of the obvious and explicit, call "runners."

You guys are doing great - tomorrow, you get to learn how to run hills properly, and how to deal with insane people that scream at you from inside a creepy house in an otherwise yuppie neighborhood. That's right - it's the Pressler Repeats.

You're Going Out In That? (repost)

2008-03-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

So, here's a fundamental issue that a lot of us take for granted: what to wear when we run. Running is a wonderfully simple sport, requiring very little "stuff", but it's still critically important to your running, your fun, and your health to have the appropriate "stuff".

Better Running Naked Than Barefoot
Clearly, most of it comes down to shoes. Shorts might ride up, you might chafe, that sportsbra may... do the things that bad sportsbras do. But if you have the wrong shoes, things can hurt, and you can end up with any number of long-lasting problems.

There are quite a few variables involved in running shoes. There's your pronation - whether you pronate naturally, overpronate or supinate. These generally relate to the height of your arch - flatfooted people like me tend to overpronate, people with really high arches are more likely to supinate. Accordingly, there are three broad categories of running shoes: neutral-cushioned for the natural pronators; motion control for the overpronators, and stability shoes for the supinators.

Most of these specific structures are accomplished with the use of different density foams in the sole of the shoe, arch supports, and rigid structures in the sole. Then there are variables of cushioning in general. I have flat, wide feet, and finding shoes has been a pretty frustrating process, quite frankly, even with really good people helping. I need a wide shoe with enough support to keep my foot moving properly, and being a bit larger than those stick-people runners, I need a good deal of cushioning, or I will literally feel the impact in my teeth and skull, which can't be a good thing.

So, most people want to steer me towards motion control shoes, which use denser (and therefore heavier and stiffer) foams, and more rigid (and therefore heavier and stiffer) structures. And I hate every motion-control shoe I've ever tried. The cushioning in the heel and forefoot might be great, but those rigid structures tend to be right under where most of my foot strike occurs, so I get the teeth-and-skull jarring ride.

The point is, you need help to identify your needs, narrow the options, and minimize the potentially expensive and frustrating trial-error quest for footwear. For shoes, then, go to Bettysport or RunTex, where they will take a look at your gait and other factors, and give you guidance on the kind of shoe you need. Don't go to one of the places in the mall, or a department store, unless you already know for certain they have the exact model of shoes you need to be running in.

Socks, the Forgotten Clinton
Yeah, Hillary, what have you done with Socks? What do you have to hide?

While we're waiting for an answer, and last year's tax returns, you should be experimenting with socks. Some people can run in thick, cushioned cotton socks. I sweat too much on a long run. When socks get soaked, your skin gets soaked and softens, and the friction actually seems to increase, as well. All this results in blisters. So, I use thinner socks that won't hold as much sweat. Sock thickness also obviously affects how your shoes fit, so be careful with that.

I'll also add that you may want to be careful about how tight your socks are. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but when they're too tight on the toes, they can contribute to the dreaded Black Toenail of Death (BTOD), which, like the Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and the Xbox 360's Red Ring of Death (RROD), is really annoying and potentially embarassing. Eventually, the toenail will fall off, leaving a weirdly mutated little... toenail deposit sort of thing.

But, really, please don't run naked. Running naked is not Good Naked.
The tech fabrics, like Nike's Dri-Fit, Adidas' Clima-Fit, and the generically licensed CoolMax, are not just hype - they work. They wick perspiration from your skin, and speed evaporation, keeping you cooler, and certainly keeping you lighter. If you're able to run in this heat in a cotton t-shirt, and it's not 10 pounds of sweaty fiber in 10 minutes, you're clearly dehydrated and about to die.

But not all are created equal. Some cheap "tech fabrics" are, like so much of the 1970's, just pointless polyester, and seem to get just as soaked as anything else. Even within a brand and fabric, there's variation - some DriFit stuff is outstanding for hot conditions, some of it is thicker and warmer. Keeping it thin seems to help, obviously - moisture will evaporate out rather than get locked in the fibers. Some of the fabrics have dimples (like Brooks stuff), some have a sort of waffle texture (like Nike Sphere), that increase the surface area for evaporation.

You want to be mindful of seams - start running four or more miles, and they can chafe.

For shorts, I do recommend using shorts made for running. The fabric is lighter and less restrictive, the seams should minimize chafing, and you can get them in varying lengths. The length is important, depending on your body. If your inner thighs tend to touch, I'd go with longer shorts - they're less likely to ride up on you. This is just personal preference, though.

Believe it or not, one of the best places to go for general running clothes is Academy. They've got a good selection of Nike, Adidas and New Balance clothes, even more so for women than for men, and the prices are decent.

For women, Bettysport is a great, locally-owned athletic clothing store, carrying everything from the basics to the more expensive but extra-hip Stella McCartney Adidas line. For women needing help with sportsbras... sorry, I'm not your guy, but I'm told that Bettysport is where you should go.

Of course, there's RunTex, outlet stores, and you're a bit safer buying clothes online than shoes. Try RoadRunner Sports or Eastbay.

Other considerations

Headgear - it's a toss-up. A white cap is probably better than a dark head of hair on a hot sunny day. With my partially shaved head, I worry about the sun, as we all should, but a hat is hotter than going without. A hat can be useful in the rain to keep the water out of your eyes.

Bodyglide - Is your friend, one that you are likely to take for granted, but whose absence will make you weep and walk like John Wayne, and not in a cool, macho way, but in a slightly whimpering way because your thighs are chafed raw.

Band Aids and nipple guards - Guys, and even some girls, will start chafing in three-four miles, depending on how you sweat, how your shirt or bra fits, and how abrasive the fabric of that shirt or bra is. For girls, it's probably an indication that your sportsbra isn't fitting right. For guys - you'll see people at races with blood running down their white shirts. Nipple guards seem like overkill, and most adhesive bandages fail when they get wet, but Band-Aid's Clear Water Block Plus bandages are perfect (well, for guys, anyway), and won't come off. After my first marathon, I came home and crawled in bed. I didn't take a shower until the next day, and I still had to rip the Band-Aids off, after the shower.

A watch - You need to have the discipline and perspective not to be a slave to timing, but it's good to be able to keep track of your pace. All you really need is something with a stopwatch function, preferably that will track lap (keeping time for each segment of a run) and/or splits (accumulated time at each waypoint of a run). Some watches have heart monitors, but as I've said, I'm not a believer in them. There are also the cool Garmin GPS things, but I think that's more just a matter of gadget appeal for most people.

Start experimenting, and finding what you like. If you have any questions, let me know. If it concerns bras and what-not... did I mention Bettysport?

How to Run

2008-03-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

I love the Monty Python bit about a show called "How To Do It." The show's hosts show the audience how to do things, like rid the world of all known diseases ("Well, first of all become a doctor and discover a marvelous cure for something, and then, when the medical profession really starts to take notice of you, you can jolly well tell them what to do and make sure they get everything right so there'll never be any diseases ever again."), and how to play the flute ("You blow there and you move your fingers up and down here.")

So, in only a very vaguely similar vein, the first big training secret to running is... to freakin' run. Now, my job is to show you how to do it, and tell you how often to do it and all that, but beyond that, the biggest thing you have to do is get off your butt and do the running.

When I trained for my first half marathon, even my first marathon, I wasn't that committed. I showed up for most of the weekly "quality" workouts, and I showed for slightly less of the Saturday long runs. The longer I've run, I've found that while building strength and speed and extending distance are critical, no component of training is as fundamentally important as building a strong mileage base.

Now, you guys aren't training for anything longer than a 5K or 10K right now, and I can hear some of you saying that you don't want to be fast, you just want to be able to run. Actually I can hear some of you say "10K? What the hell are you talking about? That sounds like two times the 5K I want to do." We'll deal with that argument later. Anyway, the simple mathematical fact is that to an extent, faster=sucks for less time. On top of that, getting stronger and faster just makes covering the miles easier on your body. You may always challenge yourself to run faster or farther, but the idea is that you want to build the strong base that will allow you to run comfortably at certain speeds, for certain distances, and to push the envelope beyond that when you want to.

Believe me, I know how difficult it can be to get out there and run, in the morning, or at the end of a mind-numbing or overstimulating day at work. So, here's some things that might work for you:

Anything is better than nothing at all. If you don't have time for a 40 minute run, run 30. Heck, run 20 - it's better than not running at all. It's too easy to rationalize that if you can't do your full run, you'll put it off until "That Time Later Today or Tomorrow Morning That We All Know Doesn't Actually Exist".

Run an errand, literally. Gotta return a movie? Mail something? If it's nearby, run there. Or, just incorporate your run into the errand - some days, I'll go to Whole Foods after work, park there, run, then come back and pick up groceries, before I ever go home to the evil evil couch with its invincible gravitational pull.

Keep running clothes and shoes with you, always. Just because running later doesn't seem like a good idea when you get up in the morning, doesn't mean you won't be able to get yourself to go right after work.

Get into your running clothes as soon as possible. Change clothes before you leave work. If you get home, change into your running gear first thing. If you're going to go to the store before you run, change first. It puts you one step down the road to actually running. Avoid the television, avoid the couch. The damned, damned couch.

Enlist help. We have enough people that there's someone else that you could be running with. Get to know each other. If it's OK with everyone, I'll distribute an email list. Set up a running time, and don't let the other runner down.

Keep your inspiration in mind. You're doing this for a reason, I hope, but don't limit it to some cold and clinical goal. You want to drop some weight and look better? BFD - you could be doing Jazzercise. Why are you running? What does that mean to you, and what's it worth to you? You want to be ready to train for a half or full marathon? So you can put a sticker on your car? BFD - distance and time, in and of themselves, are pointless. What does achieving that really mean to you, and really say about who you are? The answers to those questions are the true inspiration for putting in the work. Looking at today's workout as 30 minutes of running that you're supposed to do is not motivating. Seeing it as an important step on whatever journey you're on is where you get inspiration and motivation. Every. Day. Counts.

Overall, keep in mind that you've made a commitment, and you're putting in a good deal of work coming out on Tuesdays. But if you don't do the work the rest of the week, you're wasting that effort and time, and selling yourself short.

I also always keep this in mind - if I give up, or I fail to follow through on this, then what else will I give up on? What else will I think is important but fail at anyway, just for want of a little effort?

A professional marathoner said that "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare." Going out on a given day and running a 5K or a marathon can be a proof of your character and will, but it is nowhere near as important or impressive as having the discipline and passion to go out and put in the work on a daily basis, or at least three or four times a week. That is what will ultimately make this rewarding for you.

Now go! Run! Do it now!

Team Spiridon Rocks the Missions 5K!

2008-03-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite lines from a movie I've never seen is from "Hardball", starring Keen-u Reeves. I like it because I can do a fair imitation of him, at times, and I think it's a silly line, especially when delivered with Keen-u's weird surfer-like gravitas. He's addressing the little league baseball players he's apparently been comically saddled with coaching, and he says, "One of the most important things in life is showing up. You guys blow me away with your ability to show up."

The line rang in my head Saturday morning, as Jean, Christina and I were able to show up at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church Missions 5K (whew - I know). And, we showed up well.

Many of us identified this as an important event. A couple of years ago, I ticked off a lot of people on another running group's forum by asking why there weren't more black folks in the group. Lots of people jumped all over me for asking such a clearly racist question, though notably, the two or three black folks that were in the group asked, "No, really, why is that, and what can we do about it?"

There are lots of reasons that the Austin running community is not more diverse, and the fact that IH-35 is once again the physical demarcation of this failure indicates that those reasons are not the fault of either community, but are issues of exposure, culture, and economics.

Just as problematic is the fact that, while we like to trumpet Austin as being such a fit city, we also rank fairly high in obesity, a problem that is universal, but also disparately correlates to minorities and lower-income groups.

In the past few years, we had the Go For The Gold 10K and (Almost) 5K, that not only ran in East Austin, but did a fair job of drawing registrants from both sides of the interstate. This year, with that race dead and, at least for now, gone, the St. James Missions 5K was the only shot to really fill that role.

The timing was difficult, with the exertion and expense of the marathon and half marathon just two weeks behind us. Most people reponded with heartfelt regrets at not being able to participate due to conflicts, but even then, it was clear that people "got" the importance of the event. That understanding and desire to "give back" says a lot about you.

The race was a huge success. The close to 300 registrants got a challenging course that was still very fair, if run properly, and they were treated to some of the best energy I've seen at any race.

The race started in the parking lot of the St. James church. Organizers did a very good job of lining its walkers up behind the runners, in large part because the walkers were extremely cooperative.

Jean, Christina and I started near the front, which ended up in something we've never really experienced before. We went out at a steady pace, and as the rolling hills of the four-sided trapezoid of the course opened up ahead of us, we could see the seven to eight people that were ahead of us. For once, we weren't just running against ourselves and the clock in a pack - we could see the possibilities ahead of us - we were really racing.

Christina and I ran it hard, but pretty strategically. I had done the course measurement and laid cones out along the route that morning, so we had the benefit of knowing the course, and knowing that at least some of those runners ahead of us would blow themselves out. Sure enough, a couple of fairly strong-looking runners did, and we passed them eventually.

For once, I was able to edge past Christina in the last half mile or so, as I took advantage of the fact that, unlike her, I had not been out drinking until 2:45am.

In the end, though, Christina was the second female finisher overall, and had a large PR, as well.

I PR'ed by 31 seconds, enough to come in sixth overall and first in my age group, which is something I never thought I would be in danger of experiencing.

And, Jean came in third in one of the larger female age groups, though she left before we knew that she would be claiming a medal.

The finish and post-race atmosphere was amazing. Everyone, runner and walker, young and old, black and white, got genuine, enthusiastic, and rowdy applause, while gospel music sent waves of highly energetic positivity across parking lot, where the finish line and health fair were set up.

With such a great turnout for its first year, this race will grow, and I'm proud that we were able to see and be a part of its birth.

I'm also proud of another round of success for some of our runners. Even though the field was small, and the finishing times relatively unimpressive for a 5K, we placed because we showed up, and because we ran hard in a race that gave us average folks, of all colors, a chance to compete together and celebrate together.

So, as proud as I am of Team Spee performances Saturday, I was even prouder that once again, our team recognized the importance of an event like this, not only to the race organizers, and not only to the Eastside community, but to helping grow the Austin running community into something we can all be proud of, in directions that better represent our entire city. An appeal to that sensibility was sent out a week ago to two other large running groups. Gilbert responded with interest, and I believe sent an email out to his Gazelles, who were represented by a woman and her son. Other, far larger running groups who got the same email didn't respond and were conspicuously absent.

You guys have raised money for good causes, helped fellow runners out on the road, and volunteered to help out with the marathon effort - not doing something intrinsically fun or flashy, not out of some bloated sense of self-importance, and not to advertise this group, but because you believed we could have fun and do some good. I don't want us to be arrogant or self-righteous about it, but I do have to say that for the newest and one of the smallest groups around, it's just another way you've been proof. Thanks for that, and keep it up.

We Ate Lightning, We Crapped Thunder. We Were Proof.

2008-02-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

Hey, what the hell is this in my pudding? Oh, yeah... proof.

I'm extremely proud of proud of all of Team Spiridon that were out there giving the race a shot Sunday. Most of us had a great day of PR's and firsts. I know a few of us had mixed to not-at-all mixed feelings about our individual results. Let me tell you - as beautiful as the day was, it was tough. People don't take into consideration the effects of solar heating. Even with the ambient (air) temperature being relatively cool, when the sun is beating down like that, and there's a bit of a breeze, you dry out quickly.

I chatted with some older, experienced marathoners along the way - a couple who have run all 17 Austin Marathons, and a couple of age group leaders. Clearly, they were leading really, really old age groups. They both still passed me. Point is, they all were having a bit of a harder time than expected out there.

For some of us, including me, the race was an abject lesson in pace management. In some races, you can recover from going out a little too fast. Here, the first two and a half miles are uphill - if you're too fast on them, it is going to come back to haunt you.

But let's go through the list:

First among the half marathoners was our last-minute/honorary member for three weeks, Amy Smith. She came in at 2:02:08, a time weirdly consistent with her 3M time of 2:02:02. On a harder course, this is an improvement.

For the Team Spiridon regulars, the first half marathoner was Jacala, a.k.a. "Sandbagger", who came in at 2:28, I think about a 12 minute PR over her 3M time. She has, incidentally, registered for the Nashville Marathon in April, and I'm real confident of her ability to run it.

Carmen has been making a great comeback from the IT band troubles that knocked her out for a few weeks before 3M, where she ran a little over 2:58. She came in with an amazing improvement, at 2:41:52. She should tell all those people who told her she couldn't do something to stick that time somewhere. If she keeps running, she'll break 2:20 at some point, and she is certainly capable of running a marathon, too.

Paul was a little disappointed in how long it took to finish his first half marathon - 3:00:36. Are you f-ing kidding me? You finished, after injuries, DNF'ing 3M and quite a few long runs, and with those clunky-ass looking new shoes. Be proud of what you did. You'll get faster, and you'll end up running the full marathon like you wanted to.

Then there's Debbie - and I mean, holy crap. After a 3:08:24 PR at 3M, she PR'ed again, and beat three hours, with a 2:59:04.

Stacy, we missed ya. Sailing and beer the day before the big race? It's OK, it's another lesson learned, right? At least you got a great race at 3M in.

The marathoners had it a bit rough - no slight at all to the half marathoners, but at about 10 or 11, the sun was doing its thing, and we were feeling it.

Christina was first to come in, at 4:20:32. We stuck together until Lightsey, when I told her she needed to take off. Unfortunately, she really took off, apparently running the next mile at about a minute over her marathon goal pace, and running most of her next 8-10 miles too fast, as well. Obviously, I'm really proud of her, and there's nothing for her to regret. But, it is a lesson in the idea that every second you go out too fast at the beginning of a long race is going to cost you as many as four seconds per mile at the end. Thirty seconds per mile fast becomes as much as an extra two minutes. You all saw from some of our speed workouts the thin line between good fast pace, and leg-toasting pace.

Kellie came in at 4:44:59, a PR over her 4:46:49 from last year. She passed me at the turn from Arroyo Seco onto Romeria, looking as strong as she does on a 10-mile run.

Phillip was close behind, at 4:52:03. I saw him up on White Rock, as I was starting my long, slow death march to the finish. he was walking, but his attitude really assuaged my own disappointment some. He basically just said he was having a rough day of it, but he was going to have as good a time as possible. For the next two or three miles, we'd leapfrog each other as we each alternated walking and running, before he got away from me for good.

Mirsa, who joined our group late, missed the majority of the quality workouts, but otherwise stuck with the schedule and her training, enough to beat out five hours with a 4:56:55. Did I see you pass me, or did I miss you?

Daniel ran his first marathon in several years at 5:01:30. He had passed me with the 4:45 group somewhere around mile 20, I think. The question on everyone's mind of course, is - did he have to stop to poop as he always does?

Eve should not have dawdled in front of the stadium to talk to me - she ran a 5:03:02. Pretty good for the first marathon for someone who didn't think she was going to be able to run a week ago.

Jim finished his tour of Austin, his first marathon in over 10 (20?) years, in 5:33:47. Again, I feel like anyone that was out there for over 4:00 had a pretty difficult time of it. He is not at all the same runner that trained for the half marathon a year ago - he dropped weight, got stronger, managed his injuries well, and his always upbeat and positive attitude just kind of took over, I think.

Then, there's the Twins, Mandy and Jean. With their white caps tufted with pink feathers declaring, "If You're Not Last, You're First", and with training in recent weeks sidelined by illness, injury, work, broken transmissions, and an ill-timed but apparently fun Costa Rican vacation, the two were determined to try to go the distance, by any means necessary, and at any speed necessary.

Mandy's had an intermittent knee pain over the past few weeks, and she was coming off the flu last week. We talked a bit, and I very probably should have more strongly discouraged her from running. Her knee started hurting again in the first few miles. It buckled under her a couple of times, but she still fought all the way through to mile 15 or 16 before stopping and getting medical help. Maybe it wasn't entirely bright, it probably was a result of not the best coaching, but there's no doubt that it shows a lot of guts and sheer will, and she should be proud of what she did. She'll be back. She'll run marathons, and she'll do them well.

At the finish, we waited and waited, not knowing what had happened to Mandy or Jean, but fearing the worst. We finally got a call from Mandy's boyfriend, Paul, filling us in on Mandy's story, and letting us know that Jean had decided to press on.

We waited.

We waited some more.

And then, we continued waiting.

Finally, Christina saw a tall blonde in red shorts and a white cap running smoothly down Congress. Jean finished at 6:28:59, smiling and waving. I am as immensely proud of her as I am of our fastest runners - I had found 5:07 on the course to be incredibly grueling, and I can't imagine being out there for six and a half hours. I once read a quote from a champion female marathoner after running a marathon at a slow pace with an old-timer. She spoke of having a newfound and tremendous respect for the people on the end of the race course opposite from the one she was used to.

There are people who weren't able to be there with us for various reasons -Stacy, Matt, Cassie - but I hope they got something out of their time with us, and I know they're all people who will continue to find ways to challenge themselves, whether it's running or otherwise.

I'm incredibly proud of all of you, and of us as a team. I honestly think we did it better than most. We trained as hard as anyone. We were friendlier on the roads. We volunteered our time. We looked out for each other and respected each other. And in the end, in different ways and different times, we showed what we were made of.

Congratulations to all of you, and I can't wait to see you all at Tiniest Bar on Saturday night.

The Grand Finale

2008-02-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

First off, I let you guys down a bit this week, and I'm sorry. I took a little too much on with the marathon. It's 9:15pm, and for the first time this week, I'm sitting with nothing pressing on me except, oh yeah, I'm running a marathon tomorrow morning. You should all be winding down and relaxing, and I had decided to tell you all this in person tomorrow morning, but in case anyone checks, here's the ending.

So, the finish. I left the half marathoners and the marathoners at 15th and San Jacinto, the courses rejoining each other for the first time since mile ten.

You have this one last hill, but it's nothing. When Phillip and I ran Austin in 2006, the first for both of us, this hill was at mile 20 or so. It sucked severely.

You've all trained harder than I did in 2006. You've hit more hills than we did back then. A couple of weeks ago, after we ran our repeats around the Capitol, we came back to Whole Foods this way, and everyone agreed this hill was nothing to worry about.

And now, at the end of your race, you can't let it slow you down. Form form form, strong strong strong. At the top, you turn right onto 11th, and you get a downhill. Let it take you. Be careful and in control, because you'll be tight at this point.

Left turn on Congress, and it's glory time. The crowds are there, and let me tell you, they love to see a good finish, whether it's for first or four thousandth. You sped up coming down the hill - hold that pace coming out of the turn.

At tenth street, kick it up a notch. Adrenaline can knock out cramps and a good deal of pain. Start picking runners in front of you and passing them, one by one. Run fast by being quick and relaxed - more like strides than sprinting - if you try to push yourself, you risk pulling a hamstring or something. Stay relaxed and in control, and finish strong. Run all the way through the finish.

Now, I do have some other things to say. Maybe I'll say them in the morning, but if we don't all get together, and if you're reading this as you eat your race morning breakfast...

I’m a sentimental guy. People give me a hard time about it. It’s a little uncool. I’ve always felt like in our everyday lives, we get cynical and hard, and we don’t allow things to touch us. But we all want things to mean something. We watched Rocky the other night, because I think, as cheesy as we may think it is, the story speaks to us. We all want to believe that there’s something more to us than the normal measures of life indicate. We all, at some level, want to be heroes. And ultimately, whether we’re embarassed to admit it or not, that is why we run.

I know I’m going to be happy with the times many of us run today, but really, I could care less. Times, Boston qualifiers, even winning, are all inadequate measures of who we are, and of our hearts. Heroes are not made by their accomplishments.

There will be things outside your control: the weather; the roads; the people around you; how your body feels; how hard you did or didn’t train in the past. Those conditions may set the stage, but heroes are not made by the conditions they find themselves in.

You can control the choices you make, and that’s the beauty of this sport. Heroes are made by their choices. You have already made tough choices, by committing to the training, and by being here today, putting yourself in a situation where you will be faced with tough, painful choices.

And everyone out here today, from the Olympic hopefuls and winners to the back of the packers, from people running their first half marathon, to the 87 year old I met last night running his 732 marathon, from the three hour marathoners to the three hour half marathoners - they all have the same opportunity to be great, to be, in some small but important way, heroes.

You have to be mature and intelligent today. If you’re feeling ill, dehydrated, or really injured, then slowing down or stopping is every bit the smart and equally tough choice.

But hopefully, that won’t be the case. Hopefully, every time we want to slow down, but don’t really have to, we’ll really get to choose the kind of person we are. Every time we want to walk, but don’t, we’ll win. Every time we want to quit, but don’t, we’ll get to be heroes.

So, today, choose how you run. Take what the course gives you, and be smart with how you use it. Take what your body can give you, and take a little more.

Today, choose to be who you want to be. No matter what you do for a living, how much money you have, what degree hangs on your wall, no matter what mistakes you’ve made, how you’ve succeeded, or what you’ve lost, today, you can be the kind of person you want to be. You all have it in you - the training, and the will. I’ve seen it in every one of you, and I am extremely proud of you all. This is your time. Don’t let it go.

Dragonslaying: The AT&T Race Plan, Part Duh (sp?) - Part Deux: The Other, 16.2 Mile-Long Tail

2008-02-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Composite titles strike me as funny.

When we last left our intrepid band of questionably intelligent runners, the marathoners, clearly not understanding there was another option, took a left turn onto Exposition, while the only slightly smarter half marathoners took the shorter way back to the finish...

Half marathoners, skim through this - there's stuff to help you, too.

Miles 11 and 12: The End of the Beginning
OK, so the marathoner's are not off the dragon's back yet. But only have a little over a mile left to ride through it. You've all run it enough times that you'll probably unconsciously avoid potholes. And, for those of you who ran the Double Dragon, just think to yourself, "Well, at least I only have to do it once today."

Here, form, form, form. The road should open up a bit with the half marathoners turning off. Get out of the camber on the sides, and run the crown. Also, as you know, there's been a lot of construction here, so the road might be a little ugly around the edges. Stay out of that.

You get the short climb, then the long climb up to Windsor, then you've got a little reprieve until the big hill going up to Westover. Don't worry about your time here. Get up the hill, balancing your pace and your energy output. Keep your head up, and your hips pressed into the hill. Roll all the way through your foot with every stride. There will be some crowd support here, but you should really be able to hear the crowd and the band at the top. Let that draw you up the hill.

When you get to the top, relax, shake it out. You've got another, oft-overlooked hill going up to 35th, and you get a little rise up to the top of the bridge over Mopac. Cherish this - it's the last of the true hills.

Now you get a downhill to Jackson, where you make a left turn.

Miles 13-18: Where the Hell Am I and What the Hell Am I Doing?
I always think this point is a little disorienting, which is bad, since I'm already only half Asian. HA! Sorry. Anyway, by this time, the initial excitement of the race has worn off, you enter neighborhoods where the crowds are spottier, and you've gotten through the section that people are stressed about, and that presented a set of challenges for you. From here on out, it's just a matter of running, and running, and running.

You can't lose purpose here, and your priority purpose now is to get back on pace. If you feel good, you might be tempted to speed up, thinking it's flat from here on out. I would advise against that - it's flat, you've beaten the hills, but you've got 14 miles left to run. Trust me, it's not as simple a calculation as it seems - "Gee, I've run 12 hard miles, and I feel good. I should speed up." Well, maybe, maybe not. You've run 18, 20, 22, and you should remember how the miles catch up to you quickly near the tail end of that distance. So, no matter how good you feel, just use these next four miles to see how you feel getting back on and staying on your marathon goal pace.

You'll take a right turn at 41st through a little neighborhood, then a left on Bull Creek. You're still climbing north, but this is mostly flat. You hit the halfway point on Bull Creek, near 45th. Yihah. You cruise up to Hancock, take a right, go down a little hill and up a little hill. Again, just maintain pace.

There's again not a lot to say about these miles. They're flat to "false flat". You're running. You're trying to stay on the flat parts of the street, off the camber. You're staying relaxed. If you feel things tightening up, change things up a little - butt kick for a few strides, pull the knees a bit higher for a few.

There's a small incline up White Rock to Great Northern, then you enter, as I always think of it, and as Douglas Adams might say, "the long, dark, teatime of the soul." Long and flat, the road itself is numbing, even discouraging for some people, and you're entering the true "middle miles" of the race. You've been on this road and on those miles, so you know them well. You know both better than the majority of the other runners out there. So, this is a good test of your where you're at with your pace. If you hold pace well here, and you get through mile 16 and up to Foster, and still feel just outstanding, then you can start thinking about turning up the pace.

If you do increase your pace, start planning in your head. Plan on just increasing your pace by just five seconds or so, and holding that pace up to mile 20, where you can reassess it then.

You might be at a point where you seriously doubt your ability to maintain your pace for the rest of the race. You're at an important decision point, and only you can truly make that choice. I will say that if you held on up to Great Northern, don't let your performance on Great Northern decide the rest of your race. It's a tough stretch of road. Just hold on, do your best, try to run comfortably for now, and make any real decisions after mile 18.

At Foster, behind Northcross, you should see some crowds again, which should really help. You also know that you've hit the uppermost point of the course, and soon you'll be heading home. Let it boost you, but if you're considering upping your pace a little, again, think back to your training runs, and ahead to the final miles, and carefully weigh your decision.

Finishing mile 18, you're halfway down Morrow. Start looking at the ridiculous blue line we painted down the street - it'll be there for quite a while. Think of it as a big blue thread pulling you down the course.

Mile 18.5-24: Homeward Bound
I refer to the song, not the ridiculous Disney movie, though, if the ridiculous Disney movie works better for you... whatever.

At 18.5, you turn the corner south onto Woodward, and you're on your way to the finish. You're close to the end of the dreaded "middle miles", and the elevation profile finally starts trending downhill. This is another good spot to relax, shake out the arms, and hit the mental and physical "reset" button. If you're looking at the finish at this point, it's going to seem improbably far. You still want to break it into manageable chunks, a few or a couple of miles at a time. It's like when we do repeats - you don't want to think about the total mileage you have left, it's easier to think about the repeat you're on right then, and worry about the next one later.

These are flat to slightly downhill streets. If you struggled through the middle miles, try to regain a relaxed rhythm. If you're feeling strong, and have easily maintained your pace, you again have to choose whether to hold where you are, or give the pace a little nudge.

Most of us are going to have felt discomfort and maybe a bit of pain by now. We've all had little to large dings in the past six months, and we all know what we really need to be concerned about, and what we can safely push ourselves through. If you're hurting here, don't dwell on it, but don't just try to ignore it, either - take a zen approach, or rather, a zazen approach. It's like meditaiton. People think they have to clear their mind, and they end up getting all mentally bunched up by trying not to think. Acceptance (but not resignation) is the better way - go through your body from head to toe. Think about how you feel. Look at it like you're picking up a shiny object, then put it back down. Go through it all, then be done with it.

I also know that all that zen stuff is a matter of practice, and sometimes just too hard to do. If it doesn't work for you, then just... don't give up, right?

Down Woodward and Arroyo Seco, left on Romeria, and back onto Woodrow, all the way to North Loop. Again, all you have to worry about is finding your rhythm and pace.

North Loop is a little challenge. If you've been struggling or just been holding on, let it take a little pace from you - conserve your effort to get you to the finish, or for where it's better used. If you're feeling good, try to minimize how much it takes from your time, but don't burn yourself up.

You turn right on Guadalupe, left on 46th. 46th kind of gently undulates ahead of you, up and down, and you can still see that blue thread pulling you down it.

Left turn on Avenue H, right on 49th, right on Red River. You should get some crowds at Hancock Center. Take it as a sign that you're close, you're out of the suburban and mental wilderness, and returning to center, where there's going to be lots of people supporting you.

Your right turn on 41st gives you a brief downhill, then the last hill worth worrying about. You're gonna be tired - don't let your head sag, because you know the shoulders, back, and hips follow. Don't think about the effort, think about the form. That will carry you through, and will make you feel stronger.

You can also think about the fact that when you turn the corner, you've got fast downhills, and only two miles to go...

Miles 25-25.9: Blow and Go
For those of you who ran Duval, you know this section is fast. Don't go crazy - it's not the finish - but challenge yourself to pick up the pace a little. Do it by pulling and holding your form together. Do it by switching your brain back on, keeping your head up, trying to be alert. Do it by thinking about quick, light turnover, not muscling yourself through.

When you get down into campus, it might get quiet again. Don't let it get you down. You're getting to mile 25 in front of Memorial Stadium. Stay strong.

When you emerge from campus, you might see some crowds again. More importantly, you're just about a mile from the finish. San Jacinto seems to have a little slight uwards grade on it - don't let that hurt or slow you down this far in. Form form form, strong strong strong.

OK, the ending for everyone coming up later this afternoon...

Dragonslaying: The AT&T Race Plan, Part One

2008-02-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

OK, this will look a little familiar to some of you who were in a different group last year. That’s because I wrote it, and with some changes, it still applies. I'm also rolling the first ten miles, and the last half mile, of the marathon and half marathon race plans together. Some of you remember being beginners and getting the cold shoulder from some marathoners I tried to integrate you with. It was important to me that this group be different, and you all made that a reality. You've run together as a team, and come to like (or at least tolerate) each other socially, and to respect each other as runners on your respective journeys. So, let's walk through this one together.

This is a different race…
If you ran 3M, do not take this race for granted. This race is an entirely different experience. Race management at 3M was all about regulating pace, and getting through a very few gently sloping uphills. The AT&T Half, and the first 12 miles for the marathoners, will be about intelligence, maturity, patience, and, of course, force of will.

Despite the difference in the elevation profile from the old Freescale courses or from 3M, this course can still be fairly fast, if you manage it properly. Many people who ran their first half at 3M will actually run faster at AT&T, just with the benefit of that bit of experience. If you’re smart and patient about the hills, you won’t give up too much time, and you’ll get enough long downward slopes to recover and catch a little of that time back. If you fail to manage the hills, going at them too hard and fast, you will pay the price with your pace later, and you won’t get the full benefit of the downward slopes.

Prepare, Yada, Yada, Yada
I won’t rehash all the stuff from my previous novel on pre-race prep, but I will emphasize that you need to be PARKED, AND ON SITE AT 6AM. No excuses, no flexibility. The race is incredibly well organized, and has been planned to cover almost every eventuality. In its first year with the downtown start/finish, parking and traffic proved to not be a problem. But the facts remain – 12,000 runners will be trying to get to a downtown start/finish, and many routes into the race area will be getting sealed off after 6am. I know the traffic plan for the route, and can answer individual questions about the best routes to take from different locations. You can also check out the traffic guide, which should be online shortly.

Have a plan, and two backup plans, for how to get to the start, and for where you’ll park.

Make sure you pack your clothing drop bag the night before. Warm, dry clothes, a small towel (you should always know where your towel is), even shoes, if you can get them in there. Put your ID and a bit of cash in your shoe or wrapped up in something where it won’t come out, so you can buy some extra food or drink after the race from the Farmer’s Market.

There are no pace groups for the half, but you can get in with one of the full marathon pace groups for the first ten miles. So, if you’re looking at a 2:15 half marathon, get in with the 4:30 pace group (NOT THE 2:15! HA!). The pace group leaders usually do a great job of running a flat, constant pace, and there are two for every pace, to help ensure consistency. Still, be prepared to run your own race – they’re not robots. The starting chute will be divided by signs into various per-mile paces. Use those to place yourself.

The Course: Slaying Dragons
So, I’m not a Harry Potter fan, and I got tired of Dungeons and Dragons really quickly, but I tend to think of challenging parts of a race course as dragons. In running and looking at this course last year, I began to think of it as one dragon in three parts. I think you can do the same with the marathon course, except that parts of the dragon are… a lot longer. That’s why one of our runs is called the Dragon, or the Double Dragon.

You can choose to view the dragon, this course, as your opponent, or your friend, whatever works for your psychology, but either way, you need to understand it.

I’m hoping everyone’s driven the course this week. You’ve run all of it, but again, familiarity is one of your best weapons. Drive it, study the map, the elevation profile, run through the course in your mind as much as you can. Let’s run through it here…

Mile 1-3: Enter the Dragon
The tendency of almost all runners is to go out too fast, caught up in their own adrenaline, fooled by their fresh legs, and lured into the mob mentality of the people around them that are suffering from the same afflictions. It really is like an amped-up warrior charging a dragon head-on. It looks impressive until the warrior gets summarily bitten in half or burnt to a crisp.

IF YOU GO OUT TOO FAST IN THIS RACE, YOU WILL SUFFER.

You’re going to climb 215 feet in about 2.7 miles. So, look at the first three miles as your warm-up. For those of you trying to run at a certain pace, you can be as much as a minute slow for that first mile. Let the crowd slow you down – don’t waste too much energy trying to dodge around people. Look around, soak in the experience. Wave at the bands, the crowds, thank the police officers. Look at all the shops. Be aware of your surroundings – what’s the address of the San Jose Motel? Does Guero’s look open? What flavors are up on the Amy’s Ice Cream menu? What brand is the giant boot? Do what it takes to calm yourself, and slow down.

As for the hill on South Congress, it’s not as bad as it looks, if you treat it with respect. It actually breaks into several chunks, with short flats in between. Treat it as multiple short hills, and enjoy those little recoveries. Use these first hills to set the precedence for your hill-climbing form for the day. Head up, hips pressed into the hill ahead of you, arms relaxed but setting the pace for your legs.

When you get to about Mary Street, past the first mile, it seems to level off, but you still have a very slight grade all the way past Oltorf, through the second mile, pretty much to Cumberland. When a race starts on hills like this, it’s hard to get into a groove. It’s easy to get down on yourself and think you’re not running well, and that you’ll never make your pace. The dragon that is this course gets help from the dragons of fear and doubt that reside in us. You’ve got to do battle with them, too. Accept the course for what it is, know there will be ups and downs, and be confident in all the work you’ve put in.

When you’re approaching Lightsey, look up ahead to see how the crowd is shaping up around the corner. You don’t want to get caught too far inside, where you might be forced over the curb, and you don’t want to be pushed to the outside. Pick a line through the corner and stick with it. If it gets crowded in this or any other turn, be light on your feet in case they bump someone else’s, and if someone in front of you is pushing you in or out, give them a very light, quick touch on the elbow to let them know you’re there.

On Lightsey, you get a reprieve, with a short downhill. Use it to relax a bit. People who don’t know the course will use the downhill too much and then get walloped by the hill at the end of the street. You’ve all run it, so you know better.

Once you get to South First, if you’ve been disciplined, then you’ve bopped the dragon soundly on the head. Great. Don’t get cocky.

Mile 3-5: Glide.
You turn right on South First, and start to descend 210 feet over the next 2.4 miles. You still have to be smart, though – this stretch is just as dangerous as the uphills you just conquered.

When you turn the corner and turn, you’ll release off the little hill on Lightsey. I want you to think again about relaxing, shake your arms out, loosen your neck and shoulders, then focus on settling into an easy pace. This is where I think you should start feeling like you’re running a race, which just means getting your head together and settling into a rhythm.

Do not try to make up time. This is another stretch where people are going to ruin their day by failing to be smart and mature. If you run it properly, and with some restraint, you’re going to get some time back, and you’re going to bank some energy, as well. On some of the steeper downhill portions, you might even put the brakes on a bit – but not too much. You need to control your pace, minimizing impact, and keeping your turnover rate from getting so high you’re actually taxing your lungs and legs. But, you don’t want to be really jamming on the brakes, either, because you’ll burn out your quads. It’s like driving a car down a mountainside – you have to finesse the brakes so you control your speed without burning them up. You’ve all worked on finding that balance – do it.

You’ll come down onto level ground past Whataburger and RunTex. You’ll feel the incline going over the South First Street bridge, then it’ll level off as you enter a fun but twisty portion of the course that deserves its own section…

Mile 6: Like Rats In a Noisy Maze
Enjoy the gospel choir at 2nd and Lavaca, and soak up the sound from the crowds. This should be the first place on the course where you’ll get great crowd support. Draw energy from it, but don’t let it affect your pace. Thank the crowd with a smile and a wave, and store that energy away for later.

You’ll turn left on 4th Street, then go over to Nueces. This is probably going to be one of the two most awkward portions of the course – a tight left turn onto Nueces, which will have condo construction on the right, and two lanes to run in, three if there are no cars parked there (the meters will be bagged with “no parking” warnings on Friday). The road surface here is also a bit rough, and possibly loose. You’re on Nueces for a short block before making another tight left onto 3rd, then a quick right onto San Antonio. Remember the suggestions on tight corners in crowds – recognize early, plan a path, and make contact, if necessary.

Miles 7-9.5: The Part Where You Just Run
Once you turn right onto Cesar Chavez, you’re in for the long stretches that lay between you and the dragon’s back. Please don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten my overworked metaphor… you’re fighting dragons here, remember? At this point, you’re pretty much on the dragon’s neck.

I don’t feel there’s a lot to say about these bits of the course. That’s why there’s no clever titles for these miles. You just run. You’ll get some long slow downgrades, and a few shorter inclines. Just stay relaxed, and hold your pace. This part of the course may be boring, but it’s not insignificant, because they set you up for the hills that start at Enfield.

Also, you should make sure to pay attention under the Lamar overpass – a couple of Mandy’s Rock Camp bands are playing, one of them called “Holy Hand Grenade.” Quote some Holy Grail at them.

Near mile seven and a half or so, after you come out from under the Mopac Bridge on Veteran’s, you have the hill that goes up by the fire station and up to Lake Austin Blvd., across from Magnolia Café. It’s steep and a little long. But how many times have you run up this? You’re on your turf now. You have the homefield advantage, and you should feel comfortable here. When you hit the street that comes down from RunTex, shake out the arms and hands, relax, and roll easily into the hill. When you see the fire station, I want you to think about your form, and about keeping your hips under you and pressing them into the hill. Reinforce that good form.

There’s about a two-mile stretch down Lake Austin. Again, this is old hat to you. It’s just not a big deal. It is boring. Sorry. Here’s a point where the forecast is for a 13mph headwind. Not too big a deal, but if you start feeling the wind giving you a lot of resistance, tuck in behind a group of runners, and draft.

Miles 9 and 10: On the Back of the Dragon
So, at the end of Lake Austin, you turn right onto Enfield, right into what all the fuss is about for those that whine about the course. But again, you’ve all been here, trained here. I might have trained you too much on this route. You marathoners ran it twice a couple of weeks ago. You’re on the dragon’s back, and there’s not much he can do about it. He will writhe up and down, but you’re just going to hold on, maintain your form, keep your wits about you, and ride the hills like you have in training runs before, for not quite a mile.

At Exposition, almost exactly ten miles in, the marathoners and half marathoners will split off. I’ll continue with the half marathon course for a ways here, and wrap up both courses tomorrow.
So, the half marathoners have just a 5K left. You’re sliding down the dragon’s back. Again, relax from the head down, shake out your arms, and take advantage of the downhill towards Mopac. Again, as before, do not fly down this. Strike that balance. Use this to relax and gather your strength for your finish. You’ll still pick up a little pace just naturally. You want to do that and regain your energy.

Miles 10.8-12.6: The Dragon’s Tail (Well, One of Them)
Coming out from under Mopac, you get a smallish uphill. Remember your form. Keep your head up, think about your hips, and focus on being smooth and strong.

When you get to the top, just past West Lynn, make a decision. If you feel like you’ve got a lot left in the tank, and can pick up the pace, then this is the time to do it. If you do increase pace, DO IT GRADUALLY. Keep it under control, and keep it smart - you’ve been through enough workouts that you should be able to feel what you have left in you.

Remember, too, that the dragon has one last true challenge for you – the uphill at mile 11.7, coming off the Lamar Street overpass on 15th Street. It’s a steep one. There’s a long downhill coming into it – maintain a strong, but relaxed pace. At this point, let the downhill carry you a little more than you might have earlier in the race, but still, keep it under control. Remember back to the workout in Clarksville, on Pressler, on the street with the crazy yelling guy, where you maintained your form down the hill, and worked on a slightly quicker, relaxed turnover. Find that day's groove again.

Relax and gather yourself to take that big hill. Hit it, and let it take just a little off your pace. It’s steep, that’s OK. Hold your form together – on a hill this steep, if you run with your hips under you, when you hit the top, you’ll feel a release, and it’ll feel good as you transition into another nice long downhill. Even the female half marathon winner last year commented on being surprised by this hill. You aren't surprised. You've run it, and you've run more hills, tougher hills, than most training groups do.

When you reach the top, relax, take some good breaths, and remember – you don’t have to slow down, because the effort you needed to climb the hill just dropped off. Trust that, and let your breath come back to you as you go down the hill a couple of blocks. Feet light, relaxed, but a little quick. Get back on your finishing pace.

You get some flat and then a little downhill towards the turn at San Jacinto. Hold your pace, or, if you have it in you, pick up the pace again just barely, and gradually. Let the downhill carry you into it. If there’s someone that’s kept their distance ahead of you for the past several minutes, decide you’re going to slowly catch them over the next few blocks. When you catch them, pick someone else, and go after them.

At San Jac, you rejoin the marathoners. Next, we'll catch them up to you, then finish it together.

iPod Arm

2008-02-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

I love music. And I am big on wanting to block things out in certain situations - in law school, I took almost all my exams with headphones on, back in the days when even recordable CD's were not commonplace. The one time I was asked to remove the headphones, I was lost, and couldn't focus. Having not gone to that class at all may have also figured into the negative experience, but I really felt I was better off writing about immigration law with Tanya Donnelly's sweet voice in my head.

Well, as you know by now, personal music devices will be verboten at this year's AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon. Last year, without an enforcement mechanism in place, and before USA Track and Field officially banned them at USATF-covered events, they went with just strongly discouraging their use.

Many large marathons, including the Marine Corps Marathon, immediately, and probably eagerly, complied. The Twin Cities Marathon warned people headphones were banned, but people ignored the warnings, or perhaps couldn't hear them over the Justin Timberlake rattling in their skulls, and 176 runners were disqualified. I'm not clear yet how it will be enforced in Austin. I note that there seemed to be more headphones than ever at 3M, despite their ban.

The flap from the average headphone-wearing runner crowd is pushing the USATF to reconsider, but for now, the rule stands. I do wonder how much influence Nike, obviously a major sponsor in many events, is going to impose on the race director community, since they've put so much into their partnership with Apple.

In large part, the USATF enacted the rule to conform to the policy of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which is mainly concerned with the use of two-way radios in competition.

For most races, though, the main issue is safety. I can't think of the last race where I didn't see a number of examples of people being completely oblivious to their surroundings because they were wearing headphones. I've seen people not able to hear the sirens of support vehicles passing them, or the shouts of "wheelchair up" when a wheelchair racer needs to be able to pass. I was even observing at 3M that when moving through a not-too-thick crowd, a runner will hear you come up and often move over just a little to help you pass through a tight spot. Runners with headphones tend to be in their own little world, though.

I also believe (pause for effect) that headphones have a deleterious effect on running form. Yeah, that's right. I'm tempted to submit an article on "iPod Assymetry Syndrome" and submit it to a medical journal, except that I'm lazy.

I started thinking about this watching an avid marathoner I knew for well over a year that would wear her iPod on her right arm. She also wore her long hair in a ponytail, and many times, running behind her, I could see the ponytail didn't swing evenly. You could trace the asymmetry to her shoulders, and to... the arm with the iPod strapped to it. From there, you could even see the slight imbalance in her stride. She even had some issues in the leg that ended up getting the shortened stride, which could be due to any number of factors... but you had to wonder.

I know when I run with an iPod on my arm, it's easy to get caught up in cord management (pardon the pun). Watch runners, and most of them carry their music-bearing arm differently.

As we've all figured out by now, the high repetition of the motions of running means that imbalances and eccentricities have consequences, and will likely be mirrored elsewhere. Everyone should, by now, be feeling and seeing the link between the way you move your arms, and your stride.

When you shorten the travel of one arm, it's likely to play out in the stride, because you're essentially throwing yourself out of balance. There's also the added tension in the shoulder from carrying that arm out slightly. Over any appreciable distance, it all translates to "no bueno."

When I do take the iPod on a training run, I use a little Shuffle and attach it to my waistband - it doesn't move through a range of motion, so the cord stays stable. Even then, I make the the cord short enough or run it through my shirt so that I don't have to move the arm on that side any differently to clear it.

Finally, and most importantly to me, I don't want to race or even train much with music, because it's a crutch, even a cheat. Clearly, we want to run with music because it benefits us - it keeps us from getting bored, it motivates us. There's a reason the Nike+ iPod system has a "Power Song" feature. Hell, I want to add a Nano to my ridiculous Apple product lineup just so I can push the button and immediately go to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells".

One whin- sorry, "runner", in one of the articles said "I need my music to get me through it. A marathon is a mental challenge and if I don't have my music to keep me motivated, it just isn't fun."

Well, guess what? Remember that we do this precisely because it is not "easy", and it is not "fun" in the same way as, say, Whack-A-Mole, or taunting Ron Paul supporters online. You've all learned how important the mental component of distance running is. The thing is, we're not all running to challenge the winning time in a race - we all run to challenge our own limits and abilities, and that's ultimately a mental challenge of your ability to deal with discomfort and pain, and to continue to push yourself. Whether you are physically capable of running a 2:20, three-hour, four-hour, or five-plus hour marathon, it all comes down to your ability to push yourself.

Even that "boredom", that being alone in your head, is one of the difficult parts of distance running. It's one of the reasons running's a challenge in the first place - can you keep your mental focus over the miles, and over the time you need to complete those miles? Music can help you dissociate, which is a perfectly acceptable method of dealing with pain and boredom. But again, it's external, it's not a skill or a layer of toughness you've developed. You're just taking it away. You might as well be racing on painkillers, or high.

If you say you get bored, or need the distraction, and music gives that to you, then that music is a crutch. The mind is a powerful thing - I completely believe I could run a faster race at almost any distance with the "Rocky" theme pounding through my head every step of the way. But I don't race with headphones, exactly because it's such an effective crutch.

There are plenty of good, real external motivators in a race - spectators are a huge one. But spectators are an expected, almost natural part of a running event. Support from other humans for what you're doing that moment is meaningful, and should be more inspiring than any song. And ironically, with headphones on, you're going to miss a lot of that.

I'll do training runs with an iPod occasionally, when I just need to knock out a run, and because I almost see running with music as a separate sort of activity from running. But more often, I'll specifically choose to go without it, because I know I need to exercise my mental focus and toughness.

I've been happy seeing some of you ditching the headphones as the training season has progressed. If you still train all the time with headphones, I recommend taking some runs without them in the next few weeks to get used to the difference.

You've all trained really hard, and most of you have displayed some extraordinary toughness along the way. Listen to some relaxing music the night before. Crank the tunes up in your car on the way to the race, and get pumped. But leave the headphones at home. We've got 40 bands on and around the course. We've got a gospel choir at mile 5.5 that is gonna blow you away. One of Mandy's Rock Camp kids bands, Holy Hand Grenade, will be on Cesar Chavez, under the Lamar bridge. It's going to be an inspiring day, even without whatever you damned kids are listening to these days.

Stuff Yer Packet

2008-01-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so on Saturday, February 9, we'll all run seven miles, then I've set us up to work from 8-12am stuffing race packets. I warned you early on that you'd be expected to do some volunteer work for the race. Here ya go. It'll be fun - Mike Wheat and his folks that run the packet stuffing... stuff... are pretty cool. And you'll get a t-shirt. We'll grab some breakfast tacos and donuts or something.

Go to
http://attaustinmarathon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=5

Sign up for packet pickup, 8-12 on Saturday, February 9. It won't be at the Lavaca location, he'll give us the new location in the next few days.

I've already signed up - don't be a bunch of slackers and leave me hanging.

The 3M's: Migas, Mimosas, and Moxie

2008-01-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yeah, "moxie", cause I had nothing else.

But it works, cause there was lots of it yesterday, before there were lots of mimosas and migas.

We couldn't have asked for better weather, I think - 44 at the start, humid, but not too stifling with the temperature, and partly to mostly down-hilly through the morning.

Big congratulations to our first-time half marathoners: Eve, who came in 2:08 after she started, looking just as cheerful as usual; Stacy, who I will admit surprised me a little with a 2:30:11; Jacala, who managed to lose her chip at some point, but came in somewhere in the 2:30-2:40 range, and didn't complain about anything; and Carmen, who rebounded somewhat from, but still pushed through, her IT band troubles to edge in under three hours, with a 2:58 and change.

Just behind her, finishing her second half marathon, was Debbie. She's pushed herself through a lot of the runs, sometimes against my advice, though she's also had the discipline to draw the line when she had to. Yesterday, she fought through some pain and put on a show with a strong, gutsy finish. She came in at 3:08:24, besting her 3:14:07 performance at Motive back in 2004.

Kellie was her usual, smooth, machine-like self, and her 2:10:17 was also a PR, beating her 2:16:33 set at Motive in 2006.

Jim, looking suspiciously shorter, more Hispanic, and more entirely like Daniel, finished in 2:18:26, which was curiously also about a minute and a half better than Daniel's goal for the day. Thanks, Jim, for letting Daniel run in your stead, and we hope you're feeling better.

After waffling whether she really wanted to run that hard for 13 miles, Christina decided to take a potshot at her one previous half marathon time of 1:53 (big surprise). I have never been happier not to go on a run with her, since she ran 8:12's to get to a 1:47:27. I was quite happy to not die, but still PR by 8 minutes with a 1:56:37.

Paul succombed again to various pains, probably deciding to save his all-or-nothing effort for AT&T in three weeks.

Big thanks to Michelle for playing course mom, and letting me throw sweaty, snotty-sleeved shirts at her (did you not know about the snot? Sorry...). Thanks also to Christine, who showed up at mile 12 to give us a boost before entering the weird purgatory of the UT campus. She even made a sign...

Afterwards, everyone trouped up to Trudy's, the place where my own running journey sort of began years ago, where many waffles and... alcohols were had (I'll post the picture later tonight).

Thanks so much, Debbie, for picking up the tab for a bunch of hungry runner lushes. That was above and beyond.

I was primarily happy that everyone seemed to be smiling. It was a good day, and our first big payoff for the commitment and sacrifices and early mornings and the aches and pains. I think we were learned or were reminded why we do this.

So, for these final weeks, just stay focused, and you know... don't slack!