4th marathon...2nd this year...and what it means...

So I just ran my fourth marathon this past Sunday. I changed my training to use the FAST training...I highly recommend it! I ran less, spent more time with my family, had less pain during training, had very little pain during the run, and basically finished at the same time (~30 seconds faster, ha ha ha).

Again, it took me about 18 weeks of training; I ran on beaches, on cruise ships, many miles were in 100+ degree temps, before 6am many times, used much more sportslick (keeps me from bleeding on my chest), many pairs of running shoes, started using a hydration pack (so I could get H2O and NOT overheat in the summer), and changed to using Hammer gel and Gu chomps (both are much easier to get down...hammer is more viscous, and chomps are like gummy bears, yummy!)

So here I am at the beginning of the race, ready and raring to go!

Here I am at mile 7.5 miles! I'm still kickin' hard!

My wife asked me the night after I ran this, when I was already planning my next race (hopefully a trail ultra marathon 50k or 31 miles!!!), she asked "what is going through your head; because most people would be thinking, just put one foot in front of the other and I hope that I can just finish; and you're thinking run faster than you are you slow poke; you know you can finish it and you're already thinking about the next...you're not like most. While I didn't really come up with a good answer, what I do know is that while I really like to run and I'm sure that in the next several decades I'll continue to run in some way, this last picture is what life's really about, the important stuff that I love! Savour every moment God gives you! Allow God to bless you the way He wants to bless you! Don't look a gift horse in the mouth! Children, family, relationships are more important than money, things or races; keep that in mind!

EJ's Reflections

So here are some of the thoughts swirling thru my head...

Chickens: Well, we have three old hens and a young dude walking the "streets" of our coop. They're not long for our bowls of chicken soup, or chicken and dumplings, etc. I'm going to skin them instead of plucking them...it's healthier and easier. This will cut my costs also, so I'm not having to feed 4 extra mouths out there. The rooster is definitely coming into his own. I was out hunting down by the pond and I could clearly hear his pipes crowing through the evening air.

Running: So you all heard about my heavy half marathon on the trails that I ran...I am for sure going to run the OKC marathon in late April. While I was out on a 10 mile run this past weekend I was thinking about planning out my running schedule for a while longer than just that marathon. I thought that I'd see how I felt after it and then try to run another race on the trail series. They have a late July "midnight marathon." From what I understand it's a marathon that you run on the trail after dark. So you have a headlamp and a flashlight and the course is marked by glow sticks. Kinda cool sounding! That race is about 9-12 weeks after the OKC race. Then in October (at the same time as the half that I just ran) is the 50K ULTRA marathon (an "ultra" marathon is anything that is longer than 26.2 miles...they come in many denominations...the ones that I have heard of are the 50k, 50 miles, and the century or 100 miles). So this would mean that in my 30th year I would run 3 marathons! One for speed, one just to see if I could live and not fall off a cliff at night, and the last to see if I could run that far! Each different and unique.

Ok so I bought some trail running shoes! I bought Salomon's XT Hawk. I like them, however I don't think that they like me. They have a bit higher achilles heel than my other shoes and when I went on my first 8 mile run on then they rubbed my achilles to the point of bleeding! So I had to wear band aids on both my heels. Well on Tuesday and Wednesday I usually run longer than on Monday and Thursday. Tuesday I had run 6 miles and my cousin BTY texted me and said that he had done the same and averaged an 8:30/mile pace. That's pretty good, in fact much better than my 9:10/mile pace that I had done that morning.

So the next morning I was set to run 6 miles again. I started out and was on a GREAT pace; sometime early in mile 4 I got a small rock (large sand size) under my foot in my shoe! Normally I can arch my foot and move it around and get it out of the way...however with these new trail shoes I couldn't because they were nice and formfitting! So instead of being a wuss (SMART) I just ran through the pain for the last 2 miles. I finished and immediately stopped and sat down to get that rock out (felt like a huge rock by now). I didn't think that I found anything, and put my shoe back on and started my cool down.

The last two miles were extremely painful, and so I was hoping for relief...NOPE, PAIN, DESPAIR, and AGONY! So I stopped again and searched for the dang thing, nothing there for sure, but I looked at the bottom of my foot trying to figure out why it felt like a knife going through the bottom of my foot every time I stepped down. There was an inch long by 1/4 inch wide blister. Well, I ran an 8:20/mile pace! That's all that mattered! So I had to sit out a couple of days to recoup and epsom salt bath my foot, it'll all be worth it!

Trail Running is not your fathers road running...

In August my cousins MoMo and BTY said hey we're going to run a half marathon and they thought I should run with them. Historically, in my family, I am the runner, but MoMo has been running more lately. Well, I gave a very political answer of some sort giving no assurances then. However on Monday the 19th of this month BTY texts me and says...

"I'm going to go ahead and register for the race this Saturday...do you want me to sign you up as well?"

Realizing that he and MoMo have been training and I have not (only 1 mile during the week days and 3 each weekend day isn't training in my book), I texted back an answer of:

"actually I found out that I can't because of a wedding of my wife's in Topeka..."

I thought great, I'm out of town at a wedding, this I'll be able to get out of...then it hits me...the race is in TOPEKA! Great, now the excuse has much less credit. So he fires back:

"That's fine...you'll be missed. Just remember that all the "hiding behind your wife's skirt" banter is free game for the next time we get together."

Ok, if you're a guy, you now know that I am for sure running, no matter what happens. I can't let him challenge my manhood like that! There's no pain like the loss of a manly defeat because you were acting "girly." That just won't cut it!

So Monday I ran 4 miles, Tuesday I ran 6, Wednesday 6 again, Thursday 4, and Friday I rested.

Well, this race was a "heavy half marathon." I was at first insulted thinking that they were saying that we were running the half marathon, but in the "heavy" classification...how rude! No EJ, it's just the length, it's 14.2 miles...oh yeah like that's better, now instead of 13.1 miles it's 1.1 miles longer. I think that I'd rather be called heavy!

I have run 2 marathons before and several 10 mile races and an abundance of other shorter road races and XC races in school and after. However I didn't quite understand what this race was all about until I ran it. Think of a hiking trail in the mountains that's in a forest with really only 1 person wide, extreme up hill, and down hill; covered in leaves to make sure you don't know where all the jagged rocks are that are covering the trail. All the while making sure that you don't hit your head on the limbs that have fallen across the path that could take your head out. Ignorance is bliss!

This is the hoodie that you got for registering. Great quote.






Here is the guys that are going to run...you have MoMo's step-father-in-law at the far left, BTY, myself, and then MoMo. Oh yeah, by the way, MoMo got the piggy flu supposedly and couldn't run. But he was a great support and even was out on the course cheering us along and even ran with us for a while (mile or two). Thanks MoMo. MoMo's step-father-in-law was running the 50K...he's a REAL MAN! WOW!
They had us run up a huge hill at the start to thin us out before we would go into the 1 person wide trail. There's myself and BTY in the gray shirts and white hats. I know ladies, we match, aren't we cute! We planned it! Okay, no we didn't, but it sounded good.

Here we are on the trail running. BTY and I pretty much ran together the whole way keeping each other going. Great encouragement! Thanks BTY!

Here I am by myself. Already completely sweat thru!

There were 3 aid stations with all sorts of things to get you going. Heed drink (kind of like Gatorade), Heed gel (kind of like Gu), H2O, Coke, hard candies, burritos, rice crispy treats, etc...I know I know, that's kind of weird! But I didn't eat all that or drink all of that! Just the gel and some water and Heed drink.

Here I am finishing!

After the finish you have all the family. MoMo and his kids and wife, then BTY, his wife and kids and then me.

Here's BTY's wife and some of the kids and their signs!

Okay, so the office talks of the next subject.

Andy Bernard:

[taping his nipples] "I'm petrified of nipple chaffing. Once it starts it is a vicious circle... you have sensitive nipples, they chaff, so they become more sensitive, so they chaff more. So I take precautions."

I know all about this, however, I DID NOT take precautions! Here I am, you may not be able to see very well because of the gray color, but that shirt has two blood spots. OUCH! Lets just say the shower was full of screams! NOT FUN. Nip guards here I come!

So MoMo and BTY and I will run the Turkey trot 10 miler the week before Thanksgiving and then, I might have BTY convinced to run the OKC Memorial marathon next April. We'll see!