Gobbler Grind

In November 2008 I lined up for the Gobbler Grind Half-Marathon. At the time it was my first race of that distance and my longest run ever. Since then of course, I've covered that distance many times in training and have completed five races of that distance or longer, including the full marathon at the same event in 2009.

November 21 2010 saw me line up for the third straight year, this time, as in 2008, for the Half. This year, Jill and my two daughters were in attendance also, to run the 5k (a separate race at the same event, effectively covering the first 5k of my run).

Here was the problem with this year. First of all, I was, I felt, undertrained. I've seemed to develop a knack of twisting my ankle over the last few weeks and this has slowed me down both in speed and volume. On top of that, I've been eating like I'm doing a universal junk food audit, and yesterday topped it off when we celebrated Thanksgiving early and I anti-carbo loaded with turkey, potatoes and the usual trimmings. More like preparation for a bigger pair of pants than a Half Marathon.

Still, I love this race. After the first 5k around a corporate complex, paved trails weave in and out of wooded areas and under and over bridges until two or three more miles of road and then a return on the same trails to the finish line. I wouldn't say the course is overly challenging, but it's not slam dunk piss easy either. There's no major hills except for a long steady incline on the road section in the middle, but it's rare that you encounter a truly long flat area. Plenty of little bumps. Added to that, while this year was by far the warmest of the three "Grinds" I've done, it was also far and away the windiest.

My youngest was going to walk-run the race with Jill, who's been fighting allergies and flu and wasn't up to a full run. My oldest daughter's a cross-countryer so she started with me (and soon pulled away - she would later finish 4th in her age group, and probably could have finished higher but she thought she'd missed a turn and double backed to me, costing herself probably 30-45 seconds at least in the process).

Really, almost immediately, I knew this was going to be a tough race. My goal going in was 1:45, much slower than my PR, but all I felt capable of. I knew even that was going to be pretty difficult, but I muscled around the first 5k in about 8:10 pace, not too far off. I kept expecting things to start to ease up, but my lack of energy, somewhat bloatedness for the ill-advised turkeyfest the day before, and the incessant wind meant it never really did. The incline on the road mid-section I found far more challenging in years past too. True, I was actually running faster than I did the last couple of years, but I'd run faster in training over 10-11 mile distances, so it was rather frustrating to know that I didn't quite "have it" on this day.

Still, the miles did tick slowly but surely by and as always I was encouraged when I returned to the trails with about a 5k still to run. Somehow, I passed people still on their way out, some 5 miles behind. It made me think back to my first marathon in Arizona when I had to walk almost half of the distance. Seemed to last forever then, and it was nowhere near as windy. Poor them I guess, but they seemed happy enough, so who am I to speculate.

My legs were out of steam and I was absolutely ready for the race to be over, and thankfully, finally it was. I managed to keep going the whole way and even put in a little kick at the end - though was once more blown away by a fellow competitor in the home straight, a rather deflating pattern.

My final time was 1:46:59, about 2 minutes outside my goal, but I was relatively satisfied. A perusal of the finish times revealed times were slower in general than the last couple of years, probably because of the wind. I should have prepared better, but all in all, it was still a respectable time and I held my pace of 8:10 the whole way so it was nice to power through and stay consistent. I have to say it was also great to run with Jill and the kids even if I only really saw them at the beginning and end. The kids were proud of themselves, and with medals and tech shirts given out to all participants, even the 5kers, everyone was a winner. My guess is I'll be back for Grind #4 in 2011.

The New Shoes

Another off day, one I spent in Lawrence, KS where I watched the Kansas Jayhawks defeat the Colorado Buffaloes 30-14. The game was fun, and free, thanks to a hookup from Jill's mom, although my so-fair-it's-transparent skin didn't fare particularly well in the midday sun.

More importantly, and relevant, for my current journey, while there I bought a new pair of shoes. Although I won't officially break them in until after next week's relay race, it's really only my second "proper" pair of specialized running shoes. My old Asics still have a little life, but, after 300+ miles, and having walked around a little in the new guys, I can tell they've lost a lot of their original bounce. So yes, a big day.

Nike Air Zoom Vomero - how catchy - is billed as mirroring the pressure path of barefoot running (but presumably omits the stepping-on-broken-glass-bottle pain that sometimes accompanies it). They feel like little foot pillows of joy. Hopefully running in them is as fun as chasing Meadow on the hardwood floor (picture one of those Tom and Jerry cartoons where Tom steps on two pairs of roller skates that Jerry has cunningly left in his path. A mass of flailing limbs and eager stupidity). The pocketbook might be a little lighter, but I don't believe you can scrimp when it comes to the most important piece of gear in a runner's inventory. You wouldn't play football in styrofoam pads after all would you?

I also stocked up on Bodyglide. Anything that can chafe will chafe on a long run, and I for one am not ready to start walking like Jack Palance just yet.

Meanwhile, Jill purchased a strap for her knee. It sounds like she has something called Iliotibial Band Syndrome, a common runner's ailment. Hopefully this helps. She also bought a light to wear during night time running. It flashes like a broken neon sign and seems rather bulky to me, but if anyone can pull it off, she can. :-)

Tomorrow's this week's long run - 7 miles. My left shin has ached just a tad today, but I was on my feet a lot, so I'm hopeful that it's something that will subside with a night's rest.

Oh, and if anyone's curious, last night involved several beers, a couple of mixed drinks and a Tuaca shot. Enough for me to accidentally lose my debit card at the bar, but not quite enough for me to lose the plot. So nyah.

The Daily Log 10/9/09

Distance: 5.19 miles
Time: 53:55
Pace: 10:24/mile
Weight: 199lbs
Terrain: Sporadic rolling hills
Temperature: Cool and calm.
Gear: Adidas running shorts, Asics Gel Nimbus shoes, Nike Dri-Fit KC Royals shirt
Hydration: None
Fuel: None
Medical: Very minor ache in left calf during middle portion of race. Seemed to be a temporary condition that subsided after a couple of minutes and didn't return
Recovery: Stretches, two Aleve, enchiladas ;-)

I ran the first three miles or so with Jill (I've dropped the 'zibit. Some things sound better in my mind than they look in print). She runs at around 11:00/mile, so that partially accounted for the slowish overall pace. As with the last couple of runs, this wasn't particularly challenging despite one or two fairly steep (but also fairly short) hills. In terms of aches and pains, this week has perhaps been the most comfortable so far, with very little to speak of. I believe this is partly a result of better warmups and stretching, and partly due to me maintaining a slower pace. All systems are therefore a go for my long run on Sunday, which this week will be 7 miles.

I'm actually a little more concerned with Jill at the moment. Her left knee has been causing her some discomfort the last few runs. Hopefully it is something that can be addressed with ice, a little rest and, if necessary, a brace of some kind.

The Story So Far

So let me bring you up to speed on the situation as it stands.

As I've mentioned already, and probably will mention again, a marathon is something I've always wanted to do. For some, that might seem like a strange and misguided goal. Why would you want to put yourself through this after all? It's not like you get paid for it (unless you're one of the genetic freaks of nature that actually makes a habit of winning these things).

There's obviously a lot of reasons people do train for and run them. Some run for a cause, others to lose weight, some to win a bet, and many just to say they did it. For me, I guess I always assumed I would run one. I was always fast, and my string bean frame was perfect for distance running. Like most idiot school/college kids though, it soon became more of a priority to drink beer, skip classes and sleep late and before I knew it, what I'd once considered an inevitability had seemed more and more distant, and, ultimately, was forgotten altogether.

I first resurrected the idea of running the big two-six a few years ago. I'd started running a little again and, though much heavier and slower, remembered my youthful idealism and signed up for the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon in March of oh-something, and the world famous Chicago Marathon in October. Unfortunately, shin splints put paid to both. As I would soon find out, I'd ramped up too quickly. My "long run" peaked at 9 miles before I was grounded. The long, cold winter didn't help me return to the roads either. Before I knew it, March came and went, and so did October. I deleted the promotional emails I'd been getting from the race committees that I'd once been so addicted to poring over. I stopped running, and didn't pick it up again with any regularity until earlier this year.

A quick aside.... I've lived in the US for 13+ years, but have only been in Kansas City for the last two or so. Due to a confluence of events, I'd found myself in the wide open nowhere of Western KS for over a decade. Races in the town I lived in were about as common as Egyptian pyramids, and the almost constantly swirling wind made running difficult and sometimes flat out unpleasant.

So, back to the story, now I'm in the city, and a few months ago, due largely to Jillzibit, I started running again. She was training for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and a week before the 5k, I agreed to run it with her, and signed up for what was, believe it or not, my first official "race" since high school, and I guess you could say I was hooked. A 4 miler at the KC Zoo, the Run For the Frogs followed, and upcoming on October 18th, I am running a 7 mile segment of the Kansas City Marathon relay, with three friends. I'll write about each at some point, but you can see where this is going.

Last week I started looking around for potential marathons, and quickly found the Arizona Rock n' Roll Marathon. From the timing, to the temperature, to the atmosphere, this seemed to fit all the things I was looking at for "my first time". 3 months isn't long, and there's a cold Kansas City winter ahead, but it's time I just did this thing, and even if the shin splints come back, the knees give out or the achilles tears, I won't regret trying.

Of course, ask me that again at mile 23 on race day and maybe I'll disagree... or swear at you perhaps.