Not Quite There Yet

Since I last ran the Lakefront Marathon on October 7th, I have done very little "good" and a lot of "bad."  I have not run much maybe 4-6 times, I have done considerable amounts of swimming (more than usual anyway), and very minimal biking.  Its a balancing act, really.  Balancing a healthy recovery with the ability to enjoy yourself.  On one hand you want to recooperate, loose a little fitness, and mentally recharge.  While on the other hand, you want to live a little, drink some beer, have a pizza, and steal some of your kids' Halloween candy and not feel guilty.  I have done a little of both.... ok, more on the side of "living a little."  I've had my fair share of beer, sweets, and not so healthy meal choices.  I've still been working out and trying to counteract my bad decisions.  So even though its technically my "offseason," I still try to do some races as they come about.  They are not considered an "A" race, but more of a workout then a competition.  With that being said, today was the YMCA's Freaky 5k in Appleton.  This is one of my favorite 5k's for a few reasons, one, it supports my ex-employer, two, I like the course, and 3, it always falls in my off season which means it never really effects my training schedule so I have no real good reason not to partake.  So here is my 2nd race report....

Training Plan
Like I said above, I haven't been following a specific training plan for this race.  To be honest I have been doing what ever I feel like, really.  Since the Marathon on October 7th, I have swam 5 times for 2.3 miles, biked 4 times for 2.5 hours, and ran 4 times for 20.3 miles.  I have also taken 7 total days off, which is ridiculous for me, considering the only time I actually take a day off is if I'm either injured or resting/recovering one day before and/or after a race.  My nutrition has been terrible at best on top of minimal "training."  I have been eating a ton of simple sugars and other foods I normally try to avoid when possible.  I have also been drinking more beer than usual.  Now, with that being said, yes, I do completely agree that there needs to be a portion of life in which you enjoy yourself and food that flat out tastes good.  But you also need to have the ability to know when to say "when."  That is the exact ability I have seemed to ignore the past 3 weeks.  I have been flat out gluttonous.  I have been simply eating to eat.  Eating for taste well after the point of being full is not a recommended habit.

On top of eating like crap, I was invited to a "beer olympics" style party.  This past Thursday myself along with 13 other guys from work went up to Crivitz, WI for a day long party consisting of a 2 man team competition with 6 yard games, including, Testicle Toss, Bean Bags Toss, Beersbie, Beer Pong, just to name a few.  It was a blast, and was glad I had the opportunity to go.  Plus taking 2nd place and winning some cash always helps.

I have an ultimate 5k goal of running a sub 18:00 5k.  Like I said this is my "ultimate" goal, not a goal necessarily for this specific race.  I go into all my 5k's with a 17:59 in the back of my mind.  However with this race I was just looking to hang around the front of the pack and see where that puts me as far as finish times go.

Day/Night Before the Race
Nothing much here.  In reality there's really no need for any drastic changes for prepping for a 5k, other than making regular healthy choices and getting a decent night's rest.  Sarah and I had originally planed to have a kid-less dinner date with our good friends Pat and Melissa, but their son had gotten sick and had to cancel.  So with having a babysitter already arranged Sarah and I decided to take advantage of it and go on a date with just the two of us.  We did a little shopping out at the Mall and then went to several restaurants near the Mall trying to find one with a minimal wait.  We ended up stopping at Chile's for dinner.  We did the 2 for $20 deal.  We ordered their chips with guacamole and salsa for an appetizer and each ordered chicken fajitas for dinner.  After picking up our daughters we were in bed before 10:00pm.

Getting to the Start Line
Unlike the Marathon or other longer races a prerace meal is not necessary.  I set my alarm for 6:00am and actually got out of bed after hitting snooze a couple times at 6:10am.  I got dressed and had my usual cup of coffee and started getting the girls up and ready for the day.  We were on the road at 7:00am.  The 5k started at 8:30am with a kids fun run that started at 8:00am.  We still needed to pick up our race bibs so I wanted to get there early with plenty of time to spare.  After getting our bibs, I meet up with Zill and hung out near our car for warmth.  At 8:20am I went out to complete a short warmup consisting of some light running, leg swings, walking lunges with a twist and another round of light running only this time I worked in some short pick-ups.  (Pick-ups are short bouts of running where you gradually increase your speed until you are running near 90-95% of a full sprint and back down to your light jog.)  After my warm-up I meet back up with Zill near the front of the start line.

Miles 0-3.1
With my goal of  a sub 18:00 5k, I went out hard.  With in the first half mile of the race there is a significant downhill.  I tried to not let that force me out at a too fast pace where I am left with no gas in the tank come the final half mile.  Just before you reach the 1 mile mark there is a significant uphill.  I guess it only makes since that when you go downhill, sooner or later you gotta go back uphill, right?  This was another reason I didn't want to go out too fast with the first downhill - I wanted to be able to push my pace up the hill, which I was able to do.  At the end of the first mile I was in 6th or 7th with the leader about 15-20 yards ahead of a pack of 3 and then I was in a pack of 2-3 other runners.  By the end of mile 2 I was in 5th place.  The leader was still in my sights but far enough ahead to know I was not going to catch him.  He was running alone about 20-25 yards ahead of that same pack of 3 runners.  I was about another 20-25 yards behind them running by myself.  I have now put a good amount of space between myself and the 6th place runner - enough that I knew I was pretty confident I was going to finish 5th overall.  I continued to push my pace and try to come in under 18 minutes.  I finished with an official time of 18:14, not a PR for me, but a PR in that race.  I ran last year's Freaky 5k in 18:22, so I still took 8 seconds off my time from last year.  I ended up placing 1st in my age group, which is always motivating.

Post Race
After the race I met up with Zill and grabbed some bagels (my post race favorite) and some warm coffee.  We hung out until Sarah and the girls finished walking the course with my parents.  We chatting for a bit I got my medal for placing in my age group and let Maya jump in the bounce house that was set up for the kids.

Other Notes
All I can think of, is if you are looking for a fun, well put together 5k in the Appleton area, I'd definitly recommend the Freaky 5k.

Lessons for Future Events
I really can not think of any specific lessons that I can take away from this race.  5k's have become a simple race that I enjoy in competing in because of their simplicity.  There is not real specific taper you need, they are cheap, and you really don't need to take time off afterward to recover.  I still have time goals for 5k's but I feel as though I know how to race them, due to the shear number of 5k's I have run.  If there were any lessons I learned as a result of this race it would be that I really don't need to eat any prerace meal prior to a 5k.  I think I am almost better off going into 5k's with an empty stomach.  This race also reiterates the fact that I need to loose some weight if I want to meet my running specific time goals.  Speed work will also be beneficial.

What's Next
I'm going to continue operating without a specific training plan and work on all three disciplines in the Triathlon (swimming, biking, running).  I am going to continue to incorporate strength training into my workouts.  I still need to continue to work on my nutrition and getting that to a level I am happy with.  But like I said, I am still in my off season and I'm going to try to enjoy it as, starting December 11th, my Ironman training officially kicks off, and I didn't spend $600 to do the Ironman to eat like a pig, I plan on racing the Ironman to finish with the best possible time I am capable of.  So with that being said the next race that's on my schedule is the Festival Foods Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  This is a 5 mile race, which to be honest is an odd distance to race.  There are very few 5 mile races.  Usually you'll see a 5k (3.1 miles) or a 10k (6.2 miles), but very rarely will you see a 5 mile race.

So until next time, stay safe, stay fit!

The Week After

It has been just over a week since I ran the Lakefront Marathon, 9 days to be exact.  Since then I have not done much and its been ok.  It probably would be going better if I haven't completely just disregarded my nutrition.  I had Monday off from work and worked 1st shift overtime on Tuesday and then went back to work on my regular 3rd shift on Tuesday night.  I took Saturday and Sunday night off to celebrate my oldest daughter's birthday, which I'll get to in a bit.  The first actual physical activity I did was on Thursday morning after work when I went for swim.  I completely forgot my kick board and swim buoy at home.  I forgot to bring my anti-fog spray, so needless to say not my brightest moment.  I lucked out and just borrowed the pools kick board and did a swim/kick set.  This was the first time I didn't use swim fins on a swim/kick set.  I was quite surprised with how much more difficult the workout was without swim fins.  I was gunning for a 30 minute workout.  I ended up swimming 1150 yards which consisted of 9 sets of 100 yards swim followed by 50 yards kick.  The first set was 100 swim and 100 kick, which was were the extra 50 yards came from to get 1150.  I don't know if my legs were still fried from the marathon or if kicking without swim fins was just that tough.  For those of you who do not swim there is a big difference between swim fins and the snorkel fins most people are familiar with.  Snorkel fins are much longer and very flexible.   Swim fins are much much shorter and are typically very firm.  They provide enough propulsion through the water while still providing resistance on your hip flexors and glutes.  In the past I have always utilized swim fins for my kick sets and form and technique work.  A few weeks ago I heard that swim fins should only be used during form and technique work to aide in propulsion to allow you to concentrate on upper body movements.  They continued to say you should avoid swim fins during kick sets to better tax your legs and force you to learn how to develop a strong and efficient kick.  Boy were they right!  After just 50 yards of kicking with out fins I was winded.  From now one I will conduct my swim/kick sets sans fins.

Friday morning I stay in and rode my spin bike for a half hour and due to a constant and steady rain Saturday and Sunday compounded by my daughters birthday I took the entire weekend off.  I finally did my first run since the marathon on Monday with a very easy 4 mile run.  I felt stiff and old.  I think my pace was just under an 8 minute mile.  However I went for a run today (Tuesday) with Bob Zill (who ran the marathon last weekend with me).  We went for a 5 mile run along the lake shore in Neenah.  It was gorgeous outside and maybe it was the new route or the good company but we maintained a pretty good clip.  We averaged a 7:10 minute mile, which left both of us regretting our ability to just run slow.

I am now hoping to start really getting to the weight room the next month and a half along with getting in the pool for technique work.  Ideally I am thinking during a 7 day week getting to the pool 3 days, lifting weights 3 days, running 2 days, and biking 2 days.  Also, I realize that I wanted to NOT have a plan for the time being, but I'll be honest I at least need a layout of what I should be doing.  So, I don't consider that a "plan" but more just guidelines.  So we'll see how that goes for the next 45 days.

So as I stated it was my oldest daughters 3rd birthday on Saturday.  Its amazing when I sit down and think about the fact that I am a father to a 3 year old.  If no one has ever told you that time absolutely flies by when you have kids, I am here to tell you first hand - it really does.  Its crazy for me to think back to the days when Sarah first told me she was pregnant and I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared.  I had no idea what to expect or what I was getting into and now I could imagine not having kids.  Its kind of funny, I always wondered when I would get my workouts in when I would get stuff done, but now when the kids are gone with Sarah or I'm home alone for a little bit, I'm left thinking I have nothing to do.  I guess its one of those things that you just make adjustments too.  You schedule and plan ahead and be willing to make last second changes and you just make do with whats given to you.

For Maya's birthday, Sarah took her to The Fire (www.thefirestudio.com) while I took a couple hour nap after working 3rd shift the night before.  Maya and Sarah made a glass mosaic "M."  After I got up we went up to Green Bay to their new Children's Museum which was really nice.  They had a craft room, a mini city, large sail boat with a water table surrounding it, and a large sports room, among other things.  We then took her to a Pizza Buffet (not exactly the best choice, nutritionally speaking), but it was her birthday and she likes pizza.  On Sunday we had her birthday party with our family and she got a ton a fun toys, movies, and clothes.  All in all, it was a successful birthday and she had a blast.

Over the next week and a half I have a party with Zill and some other friends, officially named the Zillympics all centered around a series of yard games.  There are several teams all competing for title of Zillympics Champion with a trophy and cash prizes.  It should be a good time with a good group of guys.

So until next time - Stay safe - Stay fit!

Lessons Learned

This is my first "race report" which I plan on doing following all of my races, regardless of how short.  My goal of a race report is to recall everything from that event from the evening before, the sleep, the morning leading up to the start, all the way to the finish line.  I guess my idea is that these will provide an insight on what's normal for me and give me a chance to actually learn from possible mistakes and make changes in my training or preparations leading up to a race.  So, without wasting any more time, lets jump into the Lakefront Marathon....... Actually before I jump into my race report, I guess I should probably explain what my goals where for this race.  My goal going into this race was simply to cross the finish line in under 3 hours.  Everything in my training and preparation for this event was centered around that one single goal.  So, NOW, without further ado....

Training Plan

My training plan leading up to this race was not too aggressive nor was it an easy plan.  As with most of my training plans it incorporates a healthy mixture of swimming, biking, and running.  If I were to take a guess on the percentages of each sport I'd say its about 15% swimming, 30% biking, 55% running.  Majority of my training runs were just plain old runs, with no specific intensity goals.  I would just go out at a pace that felt good at that day and time.  Some days it would be a tempo pace and other days it would be slower than a "long run."  I would include one speed workout every week (keep in mind my training plan uses 9 day "weeks" due to my work schedule).  My speed workouts were either a  track workout consisting of 800 meter sprint repeats, starting at 4 repeats working up to 10 repeats.  The other speed workout I would do was mile sprint repeats, starting with 2 and working up to 6.  My long runs progressively worked up to four 20 mile runs, one of which was a 21 mile run.  These runs were treated as "easy" runs with no specific pace goal.  Thoughts on future plans: I think I need to simply run more.  I have come to the realization that running 26.2 miles in under 3 hours is harder than I thought.  It requires a devotion to running and putting other disciplines on the back burner.  Maybe not necessarily putting swimming and biking on the back burner.  But definitely upping my weekly mileage.  Secondly, I need to do more intensity specific workouts.  I need to get away from simply going out for a run.  I need to have specific goals for each run, or at least a pace range of how fast I should be running at.  Lastly, I need to include more race pace workouts at longer distances.  As I stated earlier, my long runs were just done to run a long distance, with no goal pace.  I am thinking of incorporating more tempo work, worked into my long runs.  For instance, for a 20 mile long run, break it up to be an 8 mile run at an easy pace, then a 10 mile race pace interval, and finish with a 2 mile cool down, totaling 20 miles.

Day/Night Before the Race
I won't dive into to much detail here since most of this was covered in my last post.  All I can really say is outside of the cost, staying in a hotel by myself was probably ideal.  I had no outside distractions which gave me one of the most relaxing nights before a marathon.  I took a nice warm shower before bed and spent a good 20 minutes stretching.  I was calm and relaxed and had one of the best sleeps pre-race I have ever had. Was it worth the money I spent on the room, probably not, but it was appreciated.  I ended up watching the end of the Tigers vs A's playoff game and shut the TV off after the game.  After the game I laid  in bed and read some of my motivational quotes including my all time favorite "10 Commandments of Endurance Racing," which helped calmed my nerves.  After I finished reading, I turned on my meditation music and feel asleep between 2015 and 2045.

Getting to the Start Line

I woke up at 0420 and felt rested.  I was relaxed and ready for the day.  I watched a little Sports Center before actually getting out of bed.  After getting out of bed I had my usual pre-race breakfast of 2 pieces of bread with honey and almond butter along with a banana and a cup of black coffee.  I then got dressed as planned, including lathering up with Vaseline and Body Glide.  I headed downstairs around 0545 to catch the bus to the start line which left at 0600 sharp.  Zill got to the hotel at the exact same time I got to the lobby.  I bought a second 16oz cup of "Starbucks" coffee from the lobby store for the bus ride to the start line.  We boarded the bus and were on our way to the start.  This race had one of the best starting line set up.  The start of the marathon was right in front of Grafton High School.  So they opened up the entire High School to stay warm and to utilize the bathrooms.  I continued to sip on a bottle of Perrier bottled water as I had planned on up until 45 minutes before the race.  After the final preparations it was off to the actual start line at about 0715.  Zill and I got to the start line right before the National Anthem, so we couldn't have timed it out any better.  I took my "preemptive" gel at 0725 but forgot to bring some water to wash it down with.  We ended up meeting up with Zill's wife Sadie right at the start line and grabbed a quick picture and before we knew it we were off and running.

Miles 1-6
The first quarter of the marathon went better than expected.  The weather was chilly but not freezing.  Temperatures at the start of the race was around 36*.  I was comfortable for the start.  I felt great, absolutely great.  The made one mistake.  I planned on there being a water station at about mile 4.75 so I had a gel all open and ready to take but didn't get the water station I was expecting.  I ended up taking my gel at about mile 6 with out water.  There was a water station at about mile 4 and then the next one was at about mile 7.  So that was now 2 gels taken without water....definitely not ideal.  My pace was spot on, maybe a bit faster than anticipated, but I honestly felt great.

Miles 7-13.1
I continued to feel great throughout these miles.  I finally saw my wife and 2 daughters right before mile 8 along with my mom and dad.  My oldest daughter (turning 3 in a week) gave me a huge smile as I passed by and she gave me a big high five.  I took 2 Enduralytes (electrolyte supplement) at mile 10.  Due to missing a planned gel at mile 4.75 I pushed back my 3rd gel until mile 11, this time with water.  I continued to push and crossed the half way mark in 1:30:12 on a perfect pace for a 3 hour marathon and even about 3 minutes ahead of what I planned on.  I remained to be comfortable regarding the weather.  

Miles 13.1-20
From miles 13.1 to about 16 I continued to feel great.  I was almost feeling too good.  I was starting to get really confident that this race was the race I would finish in under 3 hours.  I stuck to my fuel plan and started to take a single Clif Shot Block (about 33 calories a piece) at mile 15 and continued to take one block every mile.  After mile 16 I ditched my gloves, which I ended up regretting further on in the race.  It was at about mile 17 or 18 that I began really getting tired and my pace started to fall off.  I started to feel as though I did not need to take in calories.  I saw my family for the second time right before mile 18, which I was looking forward to seeing them since about mile 10 and could have stood to seen them at least one additional time between miles 7.5 and 18.  I ended up not taking all 6 blocks as I had planned.  I skipped taking one or two and ditched 2 of them after Mile 20.

Miles 20-26.2
At this point in the race I knew a 3 hour marathon was out of the question.  It became a matter of just finishing strong.  At this point in the race most of the route was in the shade and it seemed as though the wind picked up and shifted to become a head wind.  This could actually be the case or it could be the mind games that come with running hard for 3+ hours.  Either way, I started to get cold.  I started to loose dexterity in my fingers and my hamstrings became to cramp.  First it was my right hamstring and it literally locked up, I nearly feel.  I was able to hobble off the course and lean up against a light post to stretch.  I was able to get back to running.  After I got back into a rhythm (a slow rhythm, but a rhythm none the less) I remembered I still had a couple more electrolyte pills up my sleeve.  I tried waiting until the next water station but I couldn't wait.  My left hamstring now was locking up on me.  I said screw it and just threw 2 gel caps in my mouth and help them there until I built up enough saliva to swallow them.  It took longer than expected and was able to get just enough to swallow one.  By the time I tried to swallow the 2nd one, the moisture in my mouth wore away the capsule, leaving a very salty powder in my mouth.  This was not appetizing.  I immediately tried to spit out the powder, but instead of actually spitting, picture LaBron James blowing powder in the air during his pregame rituals.  This is more or less what I looked like in my half assed attempt to spit out the salty powder.  I continued to push on and took my last get at mile 22, again with water.  I even grabbed a Gatorade drink at one of the water stations to try to keep my calories up.  My hamstrings continued to lock up almost every mile exactly.  I had to stop several times to stretch them out.  My lungs gave me all they could give as well.  I was forced to walk quite a bit the final 4-5 miles just to keep going.  After crossing mile 24, I told myself that I would not stop no matter what and I was going to run, no matter how slow, all the way to the finish line.  It sounded like a great plan until my hamstrings cramped again.  But I pushed through and ultimately got to the finish line in 3:12:23.

Post Race
As my title states this marathon was more about lessons learned then dwelling on the fact that I was 12 minutes over my goal.  The finishers medal was with out a doubt one of the best I have gotten for any race.  The post race was your typical marathon celebration.  The only difference was it was freezing.  Not literally, but when your wearing sweaty clothes and there's a strong breeze coming off of Lake Michigan, it gets cold quick.  Sarah and the girls took off shortly after I finished and we took a few pictures.  Then Zill and I had a celebratory beer and then it was back to the hotel for a much needed HOT shower and then a long car ride home.

Other Notes
I just want to say a couple things about Bob Zill's marathon, because I feel it bear's mentioning.  Bob was by no means obese, but was by no means a lean guy.  This past January he made a commitment to loose some weight and get into shape.  He looked to me for some guidance with running and nutrition.  One thing lead to another sooner than later he was registered for the Lakefront Marathon.  I honestly don't know how much weight he lost, but he got his weight down to 180 pounds.  Initially his goal was to break 4 hours but ended up getting a goal of 3:30 for a first real marathon.  He finished in 3:32, which is a great race for a first timer.

Lessons for Future Events

1. Be committed to a nutrition plan to keep my weight down near 160 lbs.
1. My pre-race weight was right around 175 lbs.  I can't help but think of the extra work my body has to do to carry the additional 15 pounds had a direct effect on my race time.  Without a doubt there is such a thing as an ideal race weight and there's no doubt in my mind that shedding an extra 10-15 pounds would have a profound effect on my race times.
2. Devote more training to running specific work.
3. Work tempo/speed work into long runs of 16-20 miles.
4. Start having specific intensities for most if not all runs. 
5. Peak with a 23 mile long run instead of 21.
6. Develop a fuel strategy that works well at higher intensities.  (more than likely fewer calories per hour)
7. Two words.... Strength Training

Whats Next

I now have just about 2 months of no specific training plan to follow.  Our family will be running in the Freaky 5k on October 27th and then the Turkey Trot 5 mile run on Thanksgiving.  Other than those 2 events I have nothing else scheduled.  I plan on spending some time in the weight room as well as focusing on biking and swimming with a little running mixed in.  Honestly, I'm hoping to just go with the flow the next 2 months.  December 11th is the start of my Ironman Training Plan, so, I really want to go into that with fresh and clear mind and body.

Marathon Eve

Its the night before the race.  There's something weird about the last couple nights before a Marathon.  I finished my last training run on Thursday with an easy 4 mile run.  I ran with both the girls in the our jogging stroller.  That left me with an off day on both Friday and Saturday.  Off days do not come by too often for me.  I usually try to avoid them when possible.  If I do take a day off from training it usually is due to an unavoidable circumstance such as a minor "injury" or scheduling difficulties with work.  So taking a day off from training is a mental struggle.  It drives my wife nuts and I can't necessarily say I blame her, honestly.  I get cranky.  Now compound all the mental struggles with the stress of running a big race which I you have been training for more than a half a year for and you get the final 3 or so days before a Marathon.  Personally, I start questioning everything, from my daily nutrition, to sleep, to whether or not my training plan was good enough for my goals (which of course are questioned as well).  So here I sit on Saturday morning wondering all the what ifs....

• Did I eat to much during my taper and put on unnecessary weight?
• Did I train hard enough to meet my goal time?
• Will my ankle hold up throughout all 26.2 miles?
• Should have I done more?
• Was my diet good enough throughout training?
• Why didn't I _____________?
• Why did I _______________?
• Should have I stretched more on a daily basis?

You get the idea....

At this point in my training, I try to not focus on all of that garbage and try to stay positive.  But honestly, its easier said then done.  It seems like no matter what's going on in my life these last couple days, one of those questions pops in my mind and let the mental debating begin.  Everything I've ever read regarding a taper says to stay positive and look over your training plan which brought you to where your at.  Which I try to do and it helps, somewhat.  But what seems to help the most for me is to plan.  I am a big planner.  I plan everything.  I mean EVERYTHING.  I also tend to get into routines.  I plan my days, weeks, and months.  I hate the unknown.  I create training plans for everything I have ever done.  So it shouldn't surprise you when I say that I plan my day before the race as well as the race it self.  So in short here is my run down on the 24 hours leading up to the Marathon it self as well as the race.

Meals
I try to eat around 2500 calories the day before a race.  There is no need for a big "carb loading" the night before a Marathon.  You are better off increasing the percentages of carbohydrates in relation to fats and proteins the week leading up to race day.  But I'm not here to write a dissertation about pre-race nutrition.  I just know from lots of years of experience that 2500 calories will keep my hunger satisfied throughout the day without over eating.  So my day of food looked something like this (with times I ate and calories in parentheses)....
0600 - 10 Grain Oatmeal (140)
            Flax Seeds (90)
            Chia Seeds (70)
            Almond Butter (90)
            Buckwheat Honey (60)
1030 - Fat Free Greek Yogurt (140)
            Muesli (110)
            Pure Maple Syrup (50)
1300 - Sweet Potato (225)
            Organic Whole Wheat Bread (220)
            Almond Butter (90)
            Strawberry Jam (30)
            Coconut Water (120)
1530 - Pro Bar (393)
            Coconut Water (120)
1800 - 4oz Quinoa Pasta (280)
           Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (100)
           Whole Wheat Ciabatta Roll (150)

Throughout the day I also drank water with Nuun in to keep my electrolyte up and Perrier Water to keep my minerals up.  I find that if I don't plan out my day it becomes rather easy to eat too much.  I usually find myself in the "I'm running a marathon tomorrow so I need the extra calories" mindset.

The Day
I woke up around 0700 and got right around 8 hours of sleep.  Probably closer to 7 due to our 16 month old waking up a couple times throughout the night due to being very very congested.  I try to get a good nights sleep 2 nights before the race because I find that pre-race nerves usually have a negative impact on my sleep the night before.  So, after getting up and getting the girls ready for the day and feeding them breakfast and having a couple cups of decaff coffee with coconut milk creamer, we went to the Downtown Appleton Farmers Market.  It was perfect, chilly, but we were there for less than an hour.  I try to stay off my feet for as much of the day as possible the day before the race.  So, walking early in the morning for less than an hour isn't too bad.  We bought vegetables for steak fajitas later this week and headed home.  On the way out Maya feel and cut her lip right below her nose and was a wreck.  She was in tears and didn't stop crying until after we got home.  Sarah and I felt terrible for her.  After getting home and putting away our food, I double checked my clothes and luggage to make sure I didn't forget anything and then it was out the door to pick up my buddy Zill.  But before I left I had to kiss the girls good-bye one last time before the race.  After Maya feel she NEEDED to have a paper towel on her lip to help stop the blood and was adamant that it stay on her lip.  She wouldn't even talk let alone move, if it meant taking the paper towel off her lip.  So it absolutely melted my heart when she took the paper towel off her lip and gave me a soft kiss on my cheek.

After picking up Zill, we were on our way to the expo and packet pick-up at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  We got to the expo at about 1430 and spent about 45 minutes at the expo just checking things out.  The expo was rather small for a bigger city marathon, but that isn't always a bad thing.  We then headed to our hotels for the night.  I stayed at the Hyatt (official Marathon hotel).  I stayed there for the benefit of a late check out and a shuttle service to the start line the morning of the race.  After getting to my room I set out all my clothes for race day and watched a little of the Badger game before heading down to the lobby to write this (free wi-fi in the lobby).  After I am done down here its back up to the room for a warm shower and stretching along.  I am planning on getting to bed around 8pm and hopefully asleep shortly after.

Tomorrow morning my alarm will be set for 0430.  I will then have my usual pre-race breakfast of coffee, toast, almond butter, honey, and a banana (about 590 calories) and then just sip on perrier water up to the start of the race.  I'll be wearing my New Balance 890v2's with white compression socks, Nike shorts (yes :) short shorts), black Under Armor long sleeve cold gear shirt, with my Nike running vest.  My main concern is that I stay warm, but not too warm.  So, we'll see how that outfit holds up.  As for the race, below is a detailed plan of my race fueling strategies (if you care to see).

As far as race goals, my #1 goal is to finish under 3:00.  I could cross the finish line in 2:59:59 and I will be absolutely ecstatic.  But, I am looking to have a fun race and come in at least faster than what I did in Boston (3:17).  It is supposed to be cold, with temperatures around 31 at the start of the race, so I am hoping the weather does not effect my race.  My strategy is to go out at a comfortable pace for the first few miles (7 minute mile pace) and then gradually fall into a 6:50-6:52 minute per mile pace.  I am notorious for running negative splits in my marathons.  So, I am planning on getting to the half way point in 1:31-1:32 and then running the final half in 1:26-1:28.  I will also have Sarah and the girls coming down bright and early tomorrow morning with my parents to watch the race.  I will be seeing them at mile 7.5, 17.5, and at the finish line.  Words can not explain what it means to have the support of my wife, daughters, and parents along the race course.  Lucky for me, I have the support of a loving wife to first off, let me do races like this, but also a wife who is willing to get up early with 2 girls under 3 years old, get them ready along with herself to leave before 6am just to watch me run. Sounds foolish, doesn't it?  Yea, honestly it is, and words can not begin to explain how much it means to me.  If you ask me its more impressive and probably more difficult than what I'm doing.   If you think about it, they say endurance athletes are crazy, so what does that say about the significant other that supports them???  So for that I say THANK YOU!

But, that's all I got for tonight - now its back to the room for dinner!  Check back soon for my race report!  Until then - Stay fit - Stay safe!

Tank Crossing and 7 Until 26.2

So, as I wrote in my last post I was at a training for work. Ironically, the same thing applies to this post. I am currently on the Fort McCoy base outside of Tomah, WI for a Hostage Rescue Training. Being on an active military base is a new experience for me, from seeing how our USA military prepares for overseas combat and seeing very different traffic signs (see my photo to see what I mean) to dealing with bugle calls. The bugle calls initially startled me. I was in bed before 10pm my first night and there is a bugle call recording at 1030pm which woke me up thinking my alarm was going off. On top of the night bugle call, there are calls at 6am, 615am, noon, and 5pm. It's definitely a different experience for a civilian. But back to my Hostage Rescue training. The training is put on by a group of high speed, highly trained, and very experienced military guys. So the mindset is a little different from majority of other law enforcement trainings. We start sharp at 0800 and go straight with no breaks until 1630. The only "breaks" we get are 5-10 minutes to reload our ammo. During that break is our opportunity to get a drink of water or eat our packed snacks of Clif bars and Powerbars. On top of it we are to remain in our gear throughout the duration of training. Training has been exhausting. It's not exactly the most optimum situation to be in. But you got to make do with what's given to you and that's really all you can do. I consider myself to be very fortunate to be given all these opportunities to better myself as an officer. The way I look at it is this job is not the safest of professions to be in, so the more training I get sent to, the better my tactics and the better chances I have of coming home to my girls at the end of all my shifts and special operations. It's training is a 4 day intense training that involves a lot of shooting and being put into stressful situations which we are expected to complete certain tasks smoothly and calmly. We are also getting to utilize a shoot house which is just that, a training house which allows us to fire live ammunition inside while operating as a team of 8 or more. It's an opportunity that some never get so I am seizing the opportunity.

So, how am I dealing with all the physical stress on top of being just 7 days away from a marathon in the middle of a taper? Well, honestly, I'm just dealing, I guess. I have done several previous marathons, so by no means is this my first. On top of doing many other marathons I have had about just as many differing training plans. But, one thing that remains contestant in my marathon plans is the final 7 days. I have always planned an 8 mile run done on either the Saturday or Sunday before race day. My plans while away for training were to do a 4 mile run on Friday morning, 8 mile run on Saturday, take Sunday off from running, and a 4 mile run on Monday. Knowing that this training was going to be intense I had all intentions of getting my runs done before training, which is what I did. It made the training days a little more stressful on my legs but like I said earlier, you just got to deal with what is given and take it for what it's worth. I did my 8 mile run around the base on Saturday morning and was out the door before 0530. My legs were sore and felt heavy from Fridays training but still finished the run feeling as fresh a I could expect to feel, all things considered, in 1:00. After we get back to our dorm rooms from training I take a nice and warm shower and then take 15-20 minutes to just stretch to help aid in recovery. I also took Thursday and Friday off leading up to Sundays marathon to just sit around the house with my daughters and relax, which I'm hoping will help counter the physical stress I'm putting on my body this weekend. I'm even going to try to take Wednesday night off from work as well.

As for my taper in general, it's going pretty well. I have not had any caffeine for the past 2 weeks which will mean ill go into the marathon with no caffeine for about 2.5 weeks prior to race day. I do this to increase my body's reaction to caffeine. I do this so I can take caffeine on race day morning and since it will be the first caffeine my body will see in a while my body will have a better ergogenic effect. I also have cut out alcohol for just as long. I do this to enhance recovery and increase hydration. However being away at training makes this difficult on a guy who enjoys the art of craft brewing and really understands beer (I consider myself a sort of beer connoisseur) all on top of being away at a training with other guys who are not tapering or running any sort of race for that matter. So I did break down and have a single beer (a Spotted Cow) on Sunday night. But to help counter the alcohol I drank several glasses of water along with dinner. Yea, I do realize this is lame, but I'll quote one of the best quotes I've read in regards to competitive racing - "To finish in the top 1%, you need to be willing to do what the other 99% isn't." And lave have found that to be so true. Yes, I could probably drink beer leading right up to the nit before the race, but there's no way I would finish as well as if I didn't. There's come a point in your race results where the little stuff makes a difference in your race results, not matter how small these negative differences are, they are still obvious.

So with all that being said, I'm looking forward to truly resetting and recovering once I get home and spending some much needed and necessary time with the wife and kids before the marathon. I mad hoping to write another post with my race plan and strategy before Saturday of this week. So until then, stay safe and stay fit!