Disclaimer: This blog is not intended as Coaching Advice or for Medical Advice. Please consult a real Running Coach or licensed Physician for actual advice. I'm not the perfect runner, nor do I claim to be. Don't sue me if you get hurt. For me, this blog is an opportunity to share experiences and things I've learned over the last 6-7 months.
So I asked Google. When I found an adequate description, I realized it was Plantar Fasciitis, or at least the early stages of this injury. The advice I got was to stop running. Or at the very least, avoid pushing myself so hard in my workouts, stretch the leg muscles better, and ice down after long runs. I hadn't been icing down after any runs. This was the best advice to avoid injuries to the feet. I learned from a RunOn clerk that the feet tend to swell after a run. I hadn't thought of it until now, but this made sense to me. I also bought a small massage ball for my foot. I keep it next to my bed and massage my foot in the morning and evening.
Sometimes I want to take my ball and go home
This hurting was going on much of the week leading up to the Turkey Trot. I began icing down after long runs by putting ice and water in a bowl and soaking my feet. I also used an ice pack on the bottom of my foot for a few minutes then use the massage ball. The symptoms subsided shortly after the Turkey Trot and I was ready for the last 2 weeks of training for the Dallas Half.
Having Run 9 miles as my long run on November 23 and an 8 mile race on November 27, I stepped back my long run for November 30 to 7 miles. This worked well with Hal Higdon's plan since he prescribes a 10-K race around this time as warm-up for a Half. This 7 mile run was a good run as I learned the days after a race are critical to recovery. Its important to allow your muscles to heal. The rehydration process should start with some water after the race and the muscle recovery should start immediately too.
The first week of December was shaping up good. I got my mid week runs and weight lifting work outs in and then the long run was scheduled for 10 miles. I hadn't done 10 miles yet. I didn't even have a 10 mile route. I wasn't sure where to go. I could do two 5-mile loops. Or I could a 6 and a 4 or a 7 and 3. Whatever I did, I'd be re-looping. Which,for some reason, I had determined wasn't fun or preferable. But I noticed one day driving from my home in Lantana to Highland Village that there is a sidewalk that was added as they expanded F.M. 407. Therefore, I could legitimately, and probably safely, run from my house to Highland Village. I clocked it in my car several times and came to the conclusion that It was approximately 4-4.5 miles to the Stoplight at FM 407 and FM 2409 (Long Prairie Road). I could probably make this work. When in doubt about distances, walk out your door, run 5 miles away, then turn around and run 5 miles back.
So I attempted this. The weather was perfect this day. It was about 50 degrees with a little sun peaking through. I found myself running along side cars traveling past me at 50 mph. And I made it all the way past the Wal-Mart as I was on my way back when I got to the 5 mile mark. The only tricky part is crossing 407. There is a stoplight at Copper Canyon Road which is easy enough, but the sidewalk on the south side of the street ends where the Sidewalk on the north side of the street begins and there is a tricky street crossing you have to do. Its not that hard, you just have to be paying close attention to the traffic at this point. I imagine as the area improves with commercial development, the sidewalks will go all the way to the light at Chinn Chapel, but until then a hasty J-Walking episode occurs often.
As I made it back to the Lantana Neighborhood, I was super thirsty. I hadn't been running with a water bottle. When I run in Lantana, I am never very far from restrooms on the Golf Course, or the neighborhood Gyms and I started bringing the gym key with me. This allows me to use the restroom or grab some water if necessary. This 10 mile run was the first time it was necessary. I had to stop at the golf course restroom on the way in to get some water.
I was at about mile 8 when I figured out that I was going to be about a half mile short if I ran back to the house. If I ran back to my starting point, I would have a 9.5 mile run. Since I was feeling good, I tried to make it the 10 my program regimen recommended. By doing so, I ended up running 11 for the day and was damn tired when I finished. I was definitely feeling good at 9.5 miles, but something got switched off at 10 miles while I was still a mile from my house. I pushed through the hard part and made it back in one piece but learned not to over push yourself too much. I was excited to finish my last long run before the half-marathon.
The week leading up to the Half was pretty easy. A run of 4, 3, and finishing up with 2 on Thursday. On that day, I ran to the gym, worked out with weights, and ran home. These three days followed by 2 days of rest would have me primed and ready to run the Half. The foot problem had worn itself off and wasn't bothering me any more. I truly felt good. I had my plan for the race. I knew I'd walk through the water stations and try to use the restroom before the race.
The weekend was going to be messy. My youngest has a birthday in December and her party was scheduled for the day before the half-marathon at Chuck e Cheese. I've also learned that each runner must pick up their own packet at the expo. The Expo is at the Dallas Convention Center. Since my beautiful bride is running the half with me, we'll both have to go to the expo to pick up our things. We also have to secure babysitting for the girls throughout the race and, if possible, figure out how to meet up with my Houston friend at the expo. Did you get all that?
First off, if not mentioned an earlier post, my wife is going to run the Half with me. This was a show of support for me, and I was delighted to have her do this with me. Since she normally runs about 21 miles/week, she really wouldn't have too much trouble with this. However, her max run every week is about 6 miles. So the only real work she had to do is increase her long run every week. She did that in the 5 weeks prior to the race, increasing to 7, then 8, 9, and finally 10, the week before the race. Just like all of Hal Higdon's half-marathon training programs, maxing out at 10 and allowing the adrenaline take you to the finish line of the half marathon would probably be just fine.
Here's the plan we put together for Saturday. The youngest has a party in Grapevine at 10. Done by 12, Pack up the presents, and head to the Expo, we'd meet my friend somewhere from 12:30 to 1. Get our packets, walk the expo and then head up to North Park Mall to meet my mom. She would take the kids for the evening and the morning until after the race. If she could, maybe even bring them to the race to see us. After the race, we would have to get them back quick and make fast to church since both girls have a Christmas pageant rehearsal.
Once the kids would be dropped off with mom at the mall, we could do some quick Christmas shopping, have dinner and head home for some much needed rest. What could possibly go wrong?
The party was on time. It went well, all of her little friends showed up and they had a great time.
Does anyone else get creeped out by people in character costumes?
On to the Expo! Headed to Downtown Dallas, making sure our arrangements were in place, we texted my friend, who was already there, and texted my mom to be sure we were still on for meeting up for the kid swap. All was good. But Parking wasn't.
Downtown was mad. Trying to get close to the convention center the day before a race was a tad difficult. The closest lot we could find was going for $15. That was a little pricey for me to run in, get my packet and spend 30 minutes walking around. So we drove around. The wife was not amused. Even the lot I had parked at for the Turkey trot was closed. Most lots were full or asking $12-$15 because of an "event." Yeah, my event. Luckily, I know my way around a little. Behind city hall, there is an old "horseshoe" shaped parking lot with a bunch of meters. I know because I used to park there a lot when I went to city hall to see my dad. And City Hall was right next to the convention center. The lot was barren. Easy peasy. $0.65 to park for an hour and 5 minutes? We're good. We went in a propped open door so we didn't have to walk all the way around and got our packets. Met up with my buddy who showed us the wonders of the Marathon Expo.
The marathon expo is a wondrous place. Free stuff and discounts. Lots of it. As a runner, I love the expo. Its a great place to shop if you are in the market for running gear. Or are willing to try something new. The better expos have stuff for kids too. My buddy showed us the Luke's Locker area where everything was 20% off. He also recommended the brilliance of Thorlo Socks, padded socks that are light weight and perfect for running. I wasn't into all the products and services everyone was offering, and we were having to get going, but I definitely enjoy the expo. Luke's is great because they even hand out 20% off coupons for their other stores, one of which is in Highland Village where I ran past for my 10 mile run.
On to the mall where my mom was waiting. Parking was a hassle since this was the 2nd to last Saturday before Christmas and North Park is a nice mall. So nice, the only way to park was to valet. Cause you wouldn't find a spot otherwise. I waited about 20 minutes to park. Made the swap and we went shopping. Keep in mind, at this point, I had been on my feet pretty much most of the day. The birthday party, the expo, now the mall. My dogs were barking, that's for sure. But we knocked out a lot of the girls shopping. About 5PM, we decided we'd had enough and went to find something to eat. Maggiano's was a reasonable choice. I had chicken parm with a side of pasta. This is my new pre-race tradition, I thought. Perfect, light, yet heavy on the carbs.
Left at 6, home at 7. What I failed to mention is that my Friday night sleep was terrible. I was up half the night and I was up early on Saturday getting ready for our day. So all I wanted was to get to bed. But I knew better. I had read somewhere that many racers, gather all their things and lay them out the night before so that there are no missing items the day of the race. That's exactly what I did. We had kept an eye on the weather all week. We were anticipating 50 degrees at start. Cloudy skies, getting up to about 60. Increasing chance of drizzle and rain as the day went on. And with rain in the forecast, my mom wouldn't be bringing the kids to see us run.
Bib. Glide. Shirt. Shoes. Socks. Shorts. Headbands. Wristbands. Phone charged. Armband for phone. Gu. I was ready. I went to bed.
Sleep was great. We woke up at 5. Got ready. Got in the car and were on our way at 6. Got to downtown a little before 7 for an 8 o'clock start time. I had learned from the turkey trot not to over worry about parking, so we found a nice little lot that was almost full just south of the McDonalds downtown. I paid for the day and we were set. Went back to car, got geared up. I kept a safety pin inside my shorts and safety pinned my key in my pocket so I wouldn't lose it. I put the gu in my pocket and with phone in hand, we made our way to the corrals.
This was way more crowded than the turkey trot. But was able to hook up with my Houston friend. And we got to catch up for a while. He was running with his cousin.
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| Pre-Race Selfie |
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| Can you tell this was with an iPhone 4s? |
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| Pre-Race Photo with my Friend |
We quickly realized we were in different corrals. And for the first time, I learned how a big race corral system works. When you register, they ask how fast you're gonna finish. When I registered back on September 30, I didn't know. I've never done a race like this before. I took a guess. 2 hours 30 minutes? Sure! What the hell did I know? From the Turkey Trot, I learned that being towards the front was great because you could go you're own speed, so I knew I wanted to be at the front, and my friend agreed. Then we realized we'd be in different corrals. My friend is much faster than I. He's been running longer. He was in corral 2, my wife and I were in corral 3. So after some time catching up, we went our own ways.
His Pre-Race advice was the following. 1. Get as far up in your corral as you can, if you're running 9 minute miles, you don't need to be like Barry Sanders and dodging everyone doing 11-12 minute miles. 2. ALWAYS get water. Don't get the gatorade stuff they like to hand out. Get the water, even if you think you're not thirsty. Just take it. Getting dehydrated isn't fun. We agreed to find each other after the race, and we parted.
The wife and I got to our corral with about 15-20 minutes to spare, but felt like we were the last people there. They funnel you in the back of the corral and then you have a cattle situation. Nobody wants to upset the heard, but some people really want to get to the front.
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| Corral 3 |
We did our best, and the race had approximate times per mile posted so you could try to get near the one you thought you'd run. We only made it up to about 11:00/mile or 11:30/mile. Immediately, I knew we'd be with the slow of the pack.
8:00 AM -- National Anthem. Countdown. START! but not us. We're corral 3. There were two other corrals that get to go first. We didn't quite start until about 8:08. But we slowly walked towards the starting line like cattle. Just before we got there, I let it all go. Mentally. Telling myself, this is not a competition with others. It's not even a competition with myself. It's a celebration of the work I've put together over the last 12 weeks. The last 24 weeks really. Since June 30, when I made a promise to myself to lose weight. Since my birthday, when I knew I had made a lifestyle change to lead healthier lifestyle. Since the following week, when I decided to do this race. To do it for my dad. Again, this race started and stopped very near City Hall, the place where, as a kid, I would visit him at work when he worked with the City Auditor's office and his boss, Daniel Paul, would give me a pen with his name on it. Those events from 25 years ago, burned in my memory today, but without my dad here to root me on, instead....in my heart.
We crossed the starting line, and we were off! Again, the race started down Young Street. I wanted to run with Meredith for at least the first mile. She made sure I knew I didn't have to since she knew my pace was faster than hers. No worries, I had warned her, however, that after the first mile, I might be off like Usain Bolt. My legs were very rested and ready to be used. I didn't want to deny them that opportunity. Of course, I felt like I was walking at the beginning. I'm used to running a 9 min - 9:30 mile. Our first mile was about 10:18. But we ran it together because that's what we do. We're a team. She had made the commitment to run with me in this race to support me and as a team in life, we do things together. So I was going to run with her.
We made the left turn on Cesar Chavez and were approaching the first mile marker. Once we made it, I kissed my wife goodbye and told her I'd find her at the end. I stretched my legs out for the stride they desired and began running like an NFL running back dodging blockers and trying to score a touchdown...12.1 miles away. I was flying. At least I felt like it. The 2nd mile took us up main street into Deep Ellum and through the Baylor Hospital district. I did this mile in 7:48. I was back on pace already.
Dodging people really was difficult. Some people wouldn't move as they were running with a friend and were running shoulder to shoulder. I found myself on sidewalks, curbs, and criss crossing traffic. At one point during mile 3, I had to stop and tie my shoe. Of all things, You'd think I would have learned to tuck my laces in. But I had forgotten. All that prep work the night before, but I forgot to tuck my laces in this morning?
My third mile was in 8:44, and I crossed the 5K marker when I spotted some restrooms. Of course, I had to pee. There were about 12 port-a-potties lined up on Caddo Street and a line. I got in line, this one moved faster than the one I was in at the turkey trot. In and out, I was back on the road. At this point, the field started stretching out. The slower runners were still behind me and the faster ones were in front. I was with my pace group mostly. Even with the pit stop, I still did mile 4 in 9:42. As Lemmon approached Turtle Creek, signs were directing runners who were participating in the marathon Relay to the right. I stayed to the left and made the turn. Coming up on Mile 5, I saw a few runners with fresh legs hit the pavement and running fast, they all looked like they had to catch up with someone, but not me. I had my tunes in my ear and I was cruising at my pace.
Mile 5 was in 8:42 and Mile 6 was in 9:16. This was the part where we were on Drexel. Drexel was important to me because my former boss lived on this street. She had passed away 2 and a half years before. My memory of her was quite fond. She brought me into my current profession and coached me along the way. She was a very kind person and always knew exactly what to say to make you feel better about whatever ailed you. At this point of the race, my thoughts turned to her as we ran through Highland Park. I was sure that if she were still with us, she'd be outside supporting me with all of the other runners.
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| After a while you start to ignore them. |
During mile 7, I saw a former co-worker who is also a trainer. She works events like marathons or athletic tournaments to be on hand if anyone needs medical assistance. I got to give her a high five and then regretted it later when I didn't get a pic with her. But in the heat of running, your mind starts to wander and we don't think clearly. Only thinking about feet and not tripping. Mile 7 was in 9:03.
We crossed over central expressway (US 75), made it to Greenville Ave, and headed south. Mile 8 was in 9:25. Greenville was a fun street to run down. Lots of people out watching. Lots of bars. Tons of stuff going on. So much so, that I found myself in the middle of the street trying to take it all in. That's where I tripped on one of the lane markers in the middle of the street. I nearly fell on my face. But recovered and kept running like nothing happened. Suave.
Mile 9 was in 9:10. During Mile 10, the race people began preparing the racers for the split. We headed down Munger and this is where the marathoners make the turn towards the lake and us half-marathoners make our turn for the finish line. I made mile 10 in 9:08.
Mile 11 was approaching the farthest distance I had run in my life to this point. And that was just last week. I felt like I had some gas left in the tank too. I was tired, sure, but I was going to make it...I thought. Mile 11 was in 9:07.
Then there was mile 12. This is the mile where all self-doubt laid it on me heavily. You know that little voice that says, "WTF, man!" Well, it was screaming in my ear. I knew I could do it though. We had made the turn back towards downtown and I was back on Main street. Headed back towards deep ellum. Mile 12 was 9:24.
Last mile, I could see downtown clearly. It had started to rain a light drizzle a few miles back. I had made all my intended water stops. I knew, according to the app on my phone I was running a good pace. I actually caught up with the pacer for a 2:10 half marathon. I thought there was a chance I could catch up with the 2 hr half-marathon pacer, but wasn't sure. So my goal time was in sight. But my music was off.
I had planned this for months. If you read my last post, you know about my running music and my affinity with the choral version of Barber's Agnus Dei. I wanted Agnus Dei to play for me as I finished mile 13, so I could roll into the finish line thinking about my dad and how he did so much for me growing up. Like coaching my baseball teams and being at every concert and every football and baseball game for me even if he couldn't be here today. But it was still a few songs left. I quickly messed with my phone to cue it up. And I had it playing.
It carried me. On wings. My legs were beat, but still moving. I could make it. I wasn't out of breath. I was running. I was accomplishing another goal in my life. The streets were lined with spectators, anxiously waiting to catch a glimpse of their runner. Maybe a dad, son, mom, sister, or just a friend who is running. Maybe they were waiting for the winner, who coincidentally was probably about to finish. But I felt like they were all there for me. Finishing my half-marathon, the ultimate achievement in my running odyssey thus far, was a magical experience. And then it was over. 2:05:01. Just over 2 hours. When I had filled out the registration a few months before, I thought It would be more like 2:30. I was ecstatic for the time to be this good.
As soon as you cross the line, they hand you this space ship blanket and your medal.
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| Fear the beard. Post Race selfie. |
They have photo opportunities available, but all I wanted was a banana and some water.They wrapped the maze around forever, but I found them. Energy bars, fruit and water. I took several. Checking my phone for my friend's status, he texted me, and we met up. He was so proud of me! He thought I had a great running time in my first half.
As we waited for my wife to finish, we shared experiences as I got a stretch in. I had signed up for alerts to know when she'd be finishing. She finished not long after me in 2:23.
It was a whirlwind of a weekend. Topped of with an accomplishment I thought was pretty fantastic. The roller coaster of emotions of running a Half-Marathon turned out to be worth it. Having friends and family near was really very special for me. But my legs were beat. I could barely walk, let alone drive. Sitting in the car going to get the kids, my legs barely worked. I couldn't believe some people actually wanted to do what I just did TWICE in the SAME DAY! That is just crazy talk. I had considered at one point trying to train for the Cowtown Marathon, but after today's race, I put that on hold. I was no longer sure.
We got the kids to their pageant rehearsal and sat in the back while they went through everything. Which probably wasn't a good idea. We just sat there. Our legs were stiffening up. After this experience I did some reading up on proper post race activities, and sitting down and not moving isn't one of them. Its best to keep moving just to let the blood in the legs get back to normal. We didn't eat lunch until after the pageant and treated ourselves to some Sonic. I got the Bacon-Cheeseburger because, well, I wanted it and didn't worry about the calories. It was the best damn burger I'd had in a long time.
My future for running at this point was uncertain. I wasn't sure about a marathon. Maybe I could be one of those people who runs a bunch of half-marathons. Maybe I could just slide into a weekly workout routine for fitness. Like back on my birthday, when I felt lost with no goal, something was missing. I wasn't sure what was next for me. Achieving a goal is so great, but where does that lead a person? What's next? I don't know.
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