Leathers Logs In

November 15, 2007

Beyond the Finish Line

With the race behind us, I can honestly say that the ING New York City Marathon 2007 and Team McGraw have far exceeded my expectations.  

I had high hopes for the weekend.  I have followed the New York City Marathon since I was a high school runner.   I anticipated the spectacle, the crowds and the energy…and everything was bigger than I had imagined.  From the breathtaking views on the bridges to the energy of First Avenue, I understand clearly why New York City is known to the world as “The Big Apple – and did Team McGraw ever take a huge bite! 

Still, as remarkable is the city is, the most amazing part of the weekend was the immediate bond and inspiration that was evident within Team McGraw. 

My own actual running of the 26.2 miles has been nearly an afterthought.  As I share my stories of the weekend with my family and friends, the conversation always turns back to the people on our team, the inspirational stories that motivated me.  And I must always add that amazing statistic: 100% of the Team McGraw members who started in Staten Island crossed the finish line in Central Park! 

From the experienced runners to the first-timers who can now proudly add the word “marathoner” to their list of achievements, Team McGraw was victorious!   You should all be proud of the spirit, courage and determination that you each displayed, both individually and collectively.  Team McGraw has made our impact on New York City…and you have certainly made an impact on me.

Ya Gotta Believe.

Kevin

October 31, 2007

Carryin’ the Message

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” –Steve Prefontaine, running legend

Take a look at your green Team McGraw running top. 

When I got mine, I tried it on to see how it looked and fit.  Just like when I was nine years old getting my new Little League uniform, I was proud to pull on that new shirt!  Then I tossed it over the chair and it landed face down.  I was looking at the back of the shirt. 

There in big bold letters, “Ya Gotta Believe.”  It struck me that this would be the view that the majority of the 30,000 runners would have of our uniform on race day.   And what a bold and uplifting message to stare at for a few hours! 

That says it all.  

I believe that a husband can honor his deceased wife who was training for her own marathon by buying a pair of running shoes, becoming a runner and taking the baton from her to complete the race. 

I believe that a dynamo of a woman, a mom and wife, can train and compete in marathons while battling a brain tumor and undergoing treatment…more than once! 

I believe that a former high school track star can battle through a brain tumor, recover, and then decide, no matter what anyone else says, that he is going to run the marathon with Team McGraw.   

I believe that all of those that we run to honor and memorialize offer us the perfect examples of courage, perseverance and attitude that will get us to the finish line.
 
Ya Gotta Believe.  I know I do.

October 29, 2007

Diggin’ Deeper

“We train to perfect the body-mind instrument. But we race to learn our innermost self. In the race we get down to bedrock…we give witness to a person we have never been before. We learn who we are and what we might be.” – George Sheehan, Personal Best

Can I do it? 

That is the basic question that lives deep inside our hearts.  Do I have what it takes?  When the going gets tough…will I be tough enough?   

I have learned a lot about myself out on the road during training and racing, usually during the hardest, darkest moments of a marathon or triathlon.   The best lessons have to do with perseverance and pain tolerance.  Near the end of a long race, with my legs screaming at me to STOP, I was able to push through.  How?  I am not really sure.  But I knew that the memory of stopping would be much more painful than the pain in my legs at that moment. 

Last year, when I qualified for the Boston Marathon, I remember having an internal dialogue around mile 22.  I was on pace for my goal.  I was still moving well, but it hurt.  Really hurt.  I could just slow down a little bit and still have a decent finishing time.  That would not be so bad, would it?  I thought of the campfire story (explanation to my family & friends!) I would have to give if I slowed down now and missed my Boston qualifying time by a few minutes.

I had worked too hard and gotten too close to give up because it was getting hard.  I used every ounce of focus and determination I had to hold my pace and make it to that finish line.  I can assure you that the glory and pride of that finish still glow somewhere deep inside me. 

October 28, 2007

Pain, Promise, and the Big Payoff

“Life is a lot like a marathon. If you can finish a marathon, you can do anything you want.” – Oprah Winfrey

It is nearly time to lace up the shoes and pin on the race number.  The hard work is done.  Our muscles are rested and the excitement builds. 

Experienced marathoners generally know what to expect.  They are familiar with the pre-race jitters, the excitement and hopefulness of the early miles, and the pain and struggle of the later miles.  They also know that the rough patches will pass.  Just keep moving. 

The rookies are entering the unknown.  The marathon is a great adventure – and there is nothing like to first one.  Focus on the basics: hydration, nutrition and form.  Soak up the energy of the day.  Expect that it will get very hard.  But know that you have done the work and you will reach that finish line.  At that moment, all of the pain and sacrifice will be worth it. 

I promise.

October 21, 2007

Trust the Taper

“Life is made in doing and suffering and creating.  All of that is there in the marathon… the doing in training, the suffering in the race, and finally, the creating that comes in the tranquility that follows. – George Sheehan, Personal Best

One of the most important segments of marathon training is the taper.  What is a taper? 

We have trained hard for sixteen weeks and built up our endurance to a level that will allow us to make it to the finish line.  Along with this fitness, we have accumulated a large amount of fatigue and stress in our bodies.  The goal of tapering is to run enough to preserve and sharpen that fitness while cutting mileage enough to get to November 4th with fresh legs.  I know I have not had fresh legs in two months.

But I hope to feel fresh in 2 1/2 weeks – if I trust the taper.

So, run enough but not too much…easy, right?   The best method is to substantially reduce your mileage while maintaining the usual intensity of your training.   

How much to reduce mileage?

• Three weeks from marathon:  20-25%
• Two weeks from marathon:    35-40%
• Marathon week:                      60%

Maintaining intensity is just as important as cutting mileage.  Simply cutting mileage for three weeks will lead to rested legs but will also slightly decrease fitness.  Running the same tempo runs or other higher intensity workouts will keep your fitness sharp.  Don’t try anything new, and do not hurt yourself by trying to make up ground with “panic training.”

“Panic training” usually kicks in ten days out…when you begin to doubt your fitness or the drastic reduction in training miles begins to make you slightly “edgy.”  Resist the temptation to cram in miles.  I promise; it is okay to cut that run short.  You’ve earned it.  Stick to your plan. Trust the taper.  It works!

There are still long runs on the weekend to maintain your endurance, but compared to the 18 – 20 milers you have been doing, they will seem like a breeze!   This last three weeks is also the time to really clean up your diet and fine-tune your nutrition. 

If you properly taper, you should begin to feel fresh by race week.  And by the time you get to New York City, you should be jumping out of your skin to cash in all of the miles we have logged since July!

Ya Gotta Believe!

Kevin

October 11, 2007

Four Weeks Away

Four weeks from the New York City Marathon.  

I only have a few weeks of hard training left to go.  The last two weeks are all about tapering.  More on that as we get closer to race day.

Yesterday’s long run was okay.  If it were a movie, I would give it three stars.  Not a blockbuster…but a good use of three hours!  I am starting to get the “accumulated aches and pains blues.”  My feet are sore, my Achilles tendons are tight, and my lower back feels like it belongs to a much older man.  

Experience tells me that this is exactly how I am supposed to feel four weeks out from race day.   Training for a marathon is a great journey.  I love it, though it does get tiresome – both mentally and physically.  But I can see the mountaintop from here!  One more long run next weekend to complete the picture.  Nothing but quality runs from here on. 

And then the taper. 

I have learned the value of a disciplined taper.  I can start cutting my mileage and not obsess over that weekly total.  I can run for less than an hour and not feel like a slacker. Those aches and pains will begin to melt away.  By race week, I will be rejuvenated and ready to jump out of my skin to run 26.2 miles!

I know that it will all be worth it as I stand on the bridge with Manhattan in the distance.  The memory of my aching feet and back will fade, but the glory of entering Central Park and crossing the finish line will last forever.  

Like the words from a certain country music superstar and his rockin’ band: “How Bad Do You Want It?”

Keep running…Kevin

August 26, 2007

Warning: Heat Advisory!

If the TV weather reporters are correct, we should all begin bursting into flames any day now.   The extreme heat has been quite daunting for the last three weeks.  The news reports continue to warn us against exerting ourselves.  They tell us to drink as much water as we humanly can, and if possible...never step outside! 

Most of the time, I just roll my eyes and go about my day.  After all, it has been hot before.  Nearly every August since....forever??   I usually run right through summer and just slug it out with the heat.  I am a marathoner, after all. 

But, I hate to say it.  The weather reporters are right this time.  When the temperatures climb above 100 and the heat index reaches 110, your body just cannot function properly.   Despite proper hydration and other precautions, performance suffers in extreme heat.  I have had this discussion with several Team McGraw members this week, and it came up again this morning with my regular weekend long-run group; there was much whining about how sluggish everyone had felt over the last few weeks. 

During extreme heat, concessions have to be made to continue to train.  Any attention to pace or mileage needs to be tempered until we get back down to "normal hot." 

Case in point: I recently went out for a midweek one-hour run.  After the first 45 minutes, I was cooked.  It was just too HOT.  So I made the “common sense” decision to pack it in early and be happy about it.  Nothing would be gained by pushing through the last 15 minutes.  So I listened to my body, and after that first 45 minutes…I just stopped.

Now, I realize it goes against the DNA of marathoners to give in to the conditions.  We are wired to "Just Do It," "Winners Never Quit," etc.  But sometimes, we have to be smart and protect ourselves.   

So do not stress about your weekly mileage totals or the fact that you have to cut a run short.  Keep training, run smart, and just imagine how great it will feel in September and October.

Keep running…Kevin

July 18, 2007

Good Days, Bad Days

It is not easy being an endurance athlete in the summer.  I went out this week for my regular tempo run.  I just did not feel very good.  Nothing hurt.  I just could not get up to my tempo pace.  My perceived exertion said I was running fast.  But my watch, which never lies, told me different.  I was running hard, but not fast. 

I went through the mental panic:  am I getting sick, is my watch broken, have I lost all of my fitness in the last 24 hours??  But then I realized that my running shorts were completely soaked, and my shoes were squishing after only 20 minutes.  (Insert cartoon light bulb overhead now.)  Oh yeah...it was also noon, 92 degrees, and the humidity was over 60%.  Duh.  It was much too hot to be concerned about pace.  I knew better.  I just forgot.  So I backed off and finished the run at a more reasonable pace.  

The heat cannot be avoided.  The heart of the triathlon season is from now until September, so I force myself to train in the heat in order to acclimatize.  But you have to make pace accommodations for the severe heat.

It happens to all of us.  I was catching up with Jeff McMahon on the phone recently.  He had just completed his weekly long run the day before and was bemoaning the fact that he had bonked*…badly…in the last few miles of his run.  Plus, he was extra sore and achy the next day.  I asked him if it was hot.  “Of course.”  I asked him how much he drank during the run.   “Nothing.”  Nothing??  I suggested that he might have become dehydrated during his run, which caused him to bonk.  This state of dehydration probably caused the achy, rundown feeling the next day also.   (Again, the light bulb.) He admitted that he knew better.  He was raised in Texas for goodness sakes!  He understands HOT.  Sometimes we just forget.

[*Bonk - to bonk, the feeling of running out of gas during an endurance training session or race.  The inability to maintain desired pace.  Mental and physical shutdown.  Hitting the wall. Going to the dark place.  Usually brought on by insufficient hydration or nutrition.]

I usually carry fluids on my long runs or stash them along the way.  I also include some routes with water fountains.  On the extra hot days, I will let the cold water hose run on my legs for a bit after my run.   It cools the body and helps reduce muscle soreness.  And as my long runs start to exceed 2 hours, I will include the dreaded ice bath in my routine.  Get a bag of ice and a bathtub of water and soak your legs for 10 minutes.  The first 60 seconds are torture.  Make sure the kids are out of earshot because it ain’t pretty.  But I have found nothing that works better at reducing soreness and facilitating recovery.

Keep running…Kevin