Nashville Country Music Half Marathon

My fourth half marathon in five months – the Nashville Country Music – left me feeling dizzy from heat exhaustion, tired from unexpected hills, and humbled from the importance of training.

The race started at 7am when it still was in the high 60s. My corral, however, didn’t start until 7:40. By the end of the prolonged race, it was reaching the day’s high of 82. As a heat-adverse, fat polar bear I faded to perhaps my slowest split during mile 12.

Yet mile 12 had 11 prior that delivered a surprise curve ball – 1,000 ft in total elevation gain. The course map suspiciously didn’t state the elevation change, so I was blindsided.

But the worst factor was from lack of training. After the Berry Half Marathon, in which I saw a 11% improvement in time, I was sidelined with tendinitis for 6 weeks. After healing, I only got in two long runs – a 8 and 10 miler – and several hour cycling sessions. I was underprepared.

But I finished, albeit humbled. Each mile closer to the finish line had me thankful and appreciative of someone or something.

• Mile 1: VIP pass upgrade. This half marathon was the 3rd largest in the US last year. Shuffling 33,000+ runners to the start line is an impressive logistical feat. So paying $27 extra for reserved parking, bathroom, and breakfast snack tent was money well invested.
• Mile 2: Coffee. This *is* my pre-run warmup.
• Mile 3: 56 Halfs Lady. We met a lady in her 50s who had run/walked 56 half marathons in 36 states during the past 2 years. She shared some pro tips, including waiting to use the porta-johns until after the race starts if you have a later corral number, and “to not be a douchbag” by wearing your race shirt during the race – you thought one hadn’t earned the right to wear it yet.
• Mile 4: Military. I saw two runners on the course in camouflage and a full backpack. I was pleased that they were constantly saying “you are welcome” from everyone else stating gratitude for their service.
• Mile 5: Girl Teen Bands. There was this band of girls in their early teens playing. The drummer smiled big with a mouth full of braces and the rugrat bassist was hidden behind her bass guitar. You go, girls.
• Mile 6: Cool running weather . At this point into the race it was approaching 9am and I was missing it.
• Mile 7: Gumby. A guy was running in a full felt Gumby suit. This was made even more amazing considering the juxtaposition of this sight with the gratitude experienced the mile prior.
• Mile 8: Water. Not only does it refresh going down, but it enlivens when splashed on as well.
• Mile 9: Cheering volunteers. The streets were lined with cheering support. The Belmont neighborhood was especially supportive, with families hosting mimosa-fueled outdoor brunches while their kids played out front.
• Mile 10: Out of Shape or ElderlySeeing a 300 lb. or 70 year old person inspires me….to go faster. The “quit” demons I’m battling must pale in comparison to their own. These people are my heroes, not the pros finishing in impressive 1:30 hours.
• Mile 11: Feeding. After a terrible first half marathon where I faded, I slowly snacked on one package of gel blocks. This helped, even if a placebo effect.
• Mile 12: Running partners. I was ready to give up, but having my wife soundly beat me by running slightly ahead, unfazed at our slower than usual pace, kept me trudging forward.
• Mile 13: Gravity. I didn’t appreciate the cruel joke of going up for 2 miles at the end of the race, but the half mile downhill finish left me only needing to lift my leaden legs.

Now it is onward, but hopefully not that much more upward, to my fifth half marathon in Portland, Oregon is 4 weeks.

On Being Connected, But Feeling Alone

Last year I picked up Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, an MIT technology and society professor. I was drawn to the book based off a review on NPR, but also timing in my life as I settled into my 30s.

“Consider Facebook—it’s human contact, only easier to engage with and easier to avoid. Developing technology promises closeness. Sometimes it delivers, but much of our modern life leaves us less connected with people and more connected to simulations of them.”

I was feeling alone at a time in which I was perhaps more connected than ever before. While I could quickly look-up and cross reference my friends and acquaintances on any given social network, I felt that friendly conversations had given way to Facebook status updates. Yes, I knew which of my friends now had babies, and even posed a higher awareness of their birthdays. But I had met few of these important parts of my friend’s new lives, and rarely was a birthday celebrated in person, or even with a phone call.

Since, I’ve discovered that I’m not alone in feeling alone.

“We live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.”

More than a year after her book was published, Sherry Turkle was recently featured in the New York Times’ Sunday Review Opinions section. She discussed the nuances of the modern behaviors that create this feeling of being alone while being increasingly connected.

• Prater blasted out on Twitter, with meaning distilled down (limited?) to 142 characters.
• Facebook status updates posted with photos of smiling faces, but with no description or story to share
• Shared meals spent checking-in and sharing time with others online instead
• Commuting while engrossed in one’s own individual auditory experience, disconnecting from the visual, olfactory, and tactical one shared with others around them
• Engaging and conversing in-person while simultaneously texting others, connecting with others virtually by temporarily disconnecting from those present

It’s as if we are saying “Look at me, I matter” while simultaneously failing to look at someone else, and tell them they matter.

“As we ramp up the volume and velocity of online connections, we start to expect faster answers. To get these, we ask one another simpler questions; we dumb down our communications, even on the most important matters.”

Turning the mirror on myself, I am not without sin. The behaviors listed above are the very complaints voiced by friends and family about me. I’ve tried to make adjustments.

• making meal times “no device” zones
• placing my mobile device onto “silent” while in-person with others
• tuning out of connected technology all together while exercising

Yet the lull of instant connection over time-consuming conversation is strong. The rationalizing begins, often ending in that quick text reply or Facebook check-in. Even now reading this post, both you and I sit in front of a screen — connected, yet alone.

“We are tempted to think that our little “sips” of online connection add up to a big gulp of real conversation. But they don’t. E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, all of these have their places — in politics, commerce, romance and friendship. But no matter how valuable, they do not substitute for conversation.”

Gaining Weight Training for a Half Marathon

In late May 2011, my wife and I agreed to focus on wellness and start reversing a decade of decadence. 12 weeks later we had each lost and kept off 20 lbs. As a result, we embraced our reward — a trip to Maine for a week of cycling (and coastal cuisine)!

But then life got in the way. And the weight started slowly returning. This weight gain occurred while we were running 58, 59, 67, and 71 miles each month training for our first half marathons. Our first was November 5th in Savannah, GA; our second in Miami, FL on December 11th.

How does someone gain weight while training for a half marathon?!

Apparently, it is fairly normal to gain weight while training for a half marathon. The weight-gain culprit? We were eating too much again. A single long run may burn a lot of calories, but it turns on your hunger, too. A night out of pizza and beer (read: liquid bread) can quickly destroy the caloric burning power of that week’s long run.

Consistent exercise is key.

When I look at our exercise calendar, I saw that while we had some high mileage weeks we had reduced our daily exercise to 3-4 times weekly. When we were losing weight, we were exercising 5 times weekly even though getting in less miles. Many of those days were walking, too.

In September, we ran a total of 59 miles with an average 5 runs/week. In October, we ran 67 miles but with only 3 runs week. Can you guess which month we started gaining weight?

Lesson to learn? Endurance training can increase hunger.

Being Accountable

So 2012 is going to be a bit different. First, we are going to aim for exercise 5 times weekly. Even a 30 minute walk counts. The goal is to make exercise part of our daily routine — perhaps something we start every day doing.

Second, we are tracking exercise by counting beans. Each bean color represents a specific exercise.

• White Northern bean: 1 mile of running
• Garbanzo bean: 1 mile of walking
• Kidney bean: 10 minutes of Crossfit strength training
• Black bean: 10 minutes of cycling

Third, the bean counting is a game. At the end of the year we get to trade in the beans for money. We can use the money for whatever prize(s) we want. Every bean is worth $10. I figure that exercising 10 minutes is easily worth $10 in reduced healthcare costs down the road.

So, all of a sudden that 13 mile half marathon is “worth” $130. It truly pays to exercise!

Finally, we are committing to challenges upfront. Below is our 2012 Challenge Calendar. At least every 2 months we have already signed up and paid for a challenge such as a 10k, half marathon, or cycling race.

• 1/1/12 – Resolution 10k (Norcross, GA)
• 2/18/12 – Berry Half Marathon (Rome, GA)
• 3/18/12 – Publix Half Marathon (Atlanta, GA)
• 3/31/12 – 5k Color Run (Atlanta, GA)
• 4/28/12 – Nashville Half Marathon (Nashville, TN)
• 5/28/12 – Portland Half Marathon (Portland, OR)
• 7/4/12 – Peachtree 10k (Atlanta)
• 9/15-16 – Bike MS: Atlanta Ride (150 mile, 2 day cycling fundraiser)
• 11/2 – 3 – Tennessee Ragnar (200 mile, 12 person relay)

Here’s to a “challenging” 2012!

Rubbing Me The Wrong Way

Running is all about friction points. Some of these friction points are helpful, such as the friction between your feet and the ground. In these situations, you want as much friction as possible.

There are other areas, however, where you do not want friction.

1. Between your nipples and your sweat-saturated shirt. Even worse on cold days when “nippage” is likely to occur. It might look like those suckers could cut diamonds on such days, but I assure you they can not.
2. Between your underarms and the side of your body. In running, your arms are like pistons producing momentum helping you chug along forward. To avoid viscosity breakdown, these pistons need to be well-oiled, just like a V8 engine. Just like it.
3. Between your thighs, a.k.a “chub-rub”. Some people are blessed with ample space between their thighs. Others, like me, are not. If you wish to live the dream of walking the next day without wincing in pain at each step, friction reduction is required.

How do you avoid such friction? Aquaphor. Learn this name early, beginner runner, as you will be saying it often in regret when you forget it.

Six Tips from Three (Hundred) Wisemen

Today I sat down with my wife and discussed our 2011 accomplishments, and our 2012 goals.

While many Christians began some other wisemen and celebrating the 12 days of Christmastide this week, I thought it wise to consider the collective words of some more modern wisemen. Below are the results of a study of 1,200 elder American, with ages ranging from 60 to 108. They were all asked “What mistakes should you avoid”?

A wise man learns by the mistakes of others,
a fool by his own.
- Latin Proverb

1. Putting too high a priority on money — Most of the elders believe that a fulfilling job trumps a higher-paying but unsatisfying one any day.
2. Getting into debt — As one 89-year-old succinctly stated, “They should avoid spending money they don’t have.” In other words, don’t buy stuff you can not afford.”
3. Worrying too much – “Worrying never solved anything. So don’t.”
4. Excessive drinking and drugs — Our elders don’t ask that we to be a puritan, just that we know what moderation is and practice it.
5. Rushing into marriage before you’re ready – As a 93-year-old said, “They should think at the beginning, is this going to be for a lifetime?”
6. Passing up opportunities — “Life is an adventure, but to take advantage of it, you have to say yes to things”. Which reminds me of my 2012 goal — gathering 12 friends to run 200 miles in a Ragnar!

What else do you think should be added to this list? I was surprised to not find anything about exercise and health outside the excessive drinking and drugs.

Also, what about sunscreen?!