Flashback to the 2008 Lewis and Clark Marathon: I Ran With Ike!

I had the most incredible and frustrating experience that day. I woke up this morning at 4am ready to hit the road and start my quest. It was sprinkling lightly, but nothing major. We left the house around 5am for the 30 minute drive, the closer we got to the course, the harder the rain poured down and the stronger the wind blew. After an hour and fifteen minute wait to park, we figured the race had probably already started as we were super late now and there wasn’t much we could do, so we prepared to venture out.

My wife and I had a moment where we didn’t think it was going to be safe to run and for a split second we almost turned around and went home. My wife started to cry; After 6 months of training, a sever storm was going to break us. She suggested that perhaps we just do half and get it over with. “Screw it” I said.. If we were going to run in this, we were finishing the whole thing, weather be damned.

We jump out of the car and notice that they started 1/2 hour late, in other words, we JUST made the starting gun!

The wind was nearly unbearable and the rain stung my face like nails as we ran. It really was ridiculous, however, what should have been a damper actually made this an easy run. My mind was so focused on the rain and intense winds that I never noticed the miles passing.

I stuck to my hydration and food plan by having a GU every two miles and as I crossed the Missouri River I finally noticed that I was almost on the home stretch of the first half and I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt during a run! My mind was prepared and besides being soaked, my body felt perfect, this is what my training plan was supposed to do. That’s when the problems started.

A fellow marathoner passed me going the other direction as I reached the peak of the MO River bridge.. “That’s odd” I thought.. As we reached the end of the bridge and shot off the exit ramp, I noticed that not only were more people passing me going the other direction, but the crowd was turning left instead of right as the map has shown. I asked what was happening to a girl walking the other direction and she told me that they shortened the course to 10 miles. That everyone finishes at 10 whether you signed up for the 13.1 or the 26.2.. .

I was angry, I felt cheated from my rightful place of calling myself a marathoner. We decided to stop and not run the reverse route as support would no longer be set-up on that route. We crossed the finish line at the 2:03 mark, which was a great time for us and well below our expected time. I do have my medal proclaiming me a real marathoner, but I guess it’s more of a war wound than a trophy.

So now it will be about 4 months before I can call myself a marathoner and get that 26.2 tattoo I had planned to get.

When we finally got back to the parking lot, it was flooded where the parking guys wanted me to park. Fortunately I didn’t listen and got a spot that was clear. Some cars were flooded to about 3 or 4 inches above the bottom door line and one car had been swept into a flooded ditch. Some parts of the lot were so flooded that I saw a guy literally swim to get to his car.

Ike hiting the St. Louis area.

Breathing Properly

The one thing that killed me (and still does on occasion) is remembering to breathe while working out. I’m the type of person that holds my breath when performing push-ups, sit-ups, or whatever exercise I’m doing. One of the biggest lessons I learned from the YRG workout is how to breathe properly for exercise and every day life.

Many people pull their stomach in when asked to take a deep breath, this is the exact opposite of what you need to do. As you pull in air, push your stomach out nice and round; You’ll find you can take a deeper and more filling amount of air. As you exhale, pull your belly-button in towards your spine and empty your lungs as much as you can.

Start practicing by inhaling to a count of 10 and then exhale to a count of 10. Work your way up to counts of 15, 20, and 30. By then you ill have this mastered.

After I got used to the technique I use it in almost every situation, from general relaxation at bed time to running. It especially helped me increase my speed while running as I found myself able to run at a faster pace for a longer distance. Try it yourself and let me know your results!

How to run a half-marathon Week 3

We’re already to week three and if you were successful in week 2, you’re going to do it again this week!

Your body is getting used to the stress of running and needs a bit of a break. that’s why you’ll not be increasing your distances this week. Concentrate on your running form and breathing, and make sure you stay strong.

Monday: 3 miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: 3 miles

Friday: Off

Saturday: 6 miles

Sunday: Off

47 miles will have been run since you started! And don’t get too comfortable, next week we step it up again.

An undertaking I’m quite jealous of.

I have an internet pal by the name of Carl who is trying to hit every Major League Ball Park this year. This Sunday, I’ll be picking him up from the airport and showing him some of the sights around St. Louis and giving hi a nice tour of Busch Stadium III.

Carl sums up the game of baseball quite nicely

Baseball is a game unlike any other. A tradition dating back over 150 years referred to as our national pastime, baseball stands apart from those other sports. A game played with passion and patience, not urgency. A game not restrained by time but played in the moment. If basketball is played by 7 foot giants, football by 300 pound behemoths and hockey by, uh, Canadians, then baseball is played by children. It is the only sport that can so completely strip away the husk of adulthood to reveal our inner child. To lift us off our feet and carry us back 30 years in time to our days on the sandlot.

You can follow Carl’s exploits, (And hopefully whining of a Giants loss April 20th) here