The other benefits

Fact: Running is really, really good for you.  In the year since I started running, I have felt better physically and mentally than in a very long time.  I had been pretty sure of the improvements, but they weren't totally confirmed until I was in my post-marathon slump.  I was barely running 20 miles per week and as a result was tired, eating a lot of junk, and even a little bit on-edge.  I even felt guilty and resentful because I wasn't running enough.  Now that I've got a goal (the Columbus Marathon), I'm disciplined and feeling great again.

The obvious benefits are pretty objective.  Compared to non-runners, runners have:

• Higher levels of good cholesterol
• Increased lung function
• Boosted immune system
• Lower risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis
• Less stress
• Improved mood

Source

That list could probably go on a lot longer, but you get the gist I think.  How about the title of this blog post, though?  What do I mean by "the other benefits"?

After I woke up this morning, I pet the cats and watched the news for a few minutes, made the bed, put on my running gear, took the Browns to the Super Bowl, drank some water, then ran four miles (cut me some slack--at 5:30 it was already 77 degrees with 78% humidity).  I came home and cleaned the garage, watered our flowers, did my best Paul Bunyan impression on some tree roots, and staked some landscape border into the ground.  Inside, I changed the AC filter, did a little laundry, and washed the dishes.  I went upstairs and showered.  When I got out of the shower, the bathroom clock (which runs something like 5 minutes fast--I sync it with the bedroom clock, but somehow it always ends up way ahead) read 7:53.

It wasn't even 8:00AM and I had already completed what I know most people won't get done in an entire day.  What the heck does running have to do with it?  I'd insert a flow chart, but we haven't yet got Microsoft Office installed onto our new lappy, so you've just got to read:

I woke up at 4:45 to run at 5:30, which means that I probably got a solid one to two-hour head start on your average, non-running/exercising Joe-Shmoe.  Aerobic activity gets lots of energy going inside of you AND it makes your endorphins crazy-happy.  Right at the end of a work-out, even if you work the crap out of yourself (perhaps literally), you are likely going to want to be super productive.  On the daily, I take advantage of all of that energy and as a result, I always get tons of stuff done before the neighbors are even awake.  In the summertime, that means that I have the entire day to listen to Covino & Rich and NPR, take naps, loiter at the running shop, read about roller coasters online, and shop for cat toys.  During the school year, it means that I get to work and bounce off of the walls all day long.  Ahem, with a little help from a nonfat latte once I start to crash.  The point is that it's because I get up and run that I get as much stuff done every day as I do.

How does exercising affect your productivity?  And to backtrack, how do you feel when you don't get in that workout as compared to when you do?

It's Columbus

This morning, I registered myself* and Joe for the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon.  What a mouthful!  From now on, I'm going to go with "the Columbus Marathon."  A while back I posted that we'd be registering for the Detroit Free Press Marathon (or as I like to call it, "the Detroit Marathon").  We kinda slacked on registering and the fee shot up to $125--bummer.  Somewhat begrudgingly, I suggested Columbus instead, which is only $85 (yep, still too expensive to go for a run).  Although we won't get the cool opportunity to run into and out of Canada, we're saving $40!  Oh, wait.  We'll spend way more than that needing to stay at a hotel.  But it's the principle that matters, right?

I mentioned that I "begrudgingly" offered up the idea of running Columbus; I'm not crazy about Columbus.  What may come as a surprise is that it has little to do with my disinterest in o$Who.  I just feel like Columbus brings little to the table as far as being a "big city" in Ohio.  I've never spent time in Columbus and been sad to leave; I never want to road-trip it to Columbus just because; when driving through, I have no desire to make a pit-stop.  I'm sure that people who live in and near Columbus enjoy it, but for me, it just isn't a "cool" place to visit.  I know that lots of people feel the same way about Toledo, and that's fine.  The whole point is that I want to run marathons in "cool" places.  However, I know quite a few people who have run Columbus and/or are running it this year, so it'll be fun to share the experience.

Anywho, being registered makes me a lot more excited to train.  Rob wrote up a training plan for us to follow.  I'm looking forward to doing serious training this time around, having one marathon under my belt, knowing a bit of what to expect, and knowing what my shortcomings were the first time.  All of that considered, here are my goals in training for Columbus:

1. Learn the feeling of a pace.

2. Figure out fueling--before, during, and after a run.

3. Do speed work once per week.

What do you think?  What were your goals for your second marathon?  And if you're running the Columbus Marathon, what are your goals for it?

OH!  One last, but very important thing!  My friend, Natalie, sells really cool prints online.  She just made two awesome prints for marathoners.  I'm thinking about getting one for me, then one as a gift.  Check them out here and here!

*See how I used that?  "Myself" is a reflexive pronoun, meaning you are to use it when one does something to himself.  This means that phrases like, "I, myself, believe" or "I, myself, feel" are WRONG.

Cedar Point 5K Challenge 2012

If you know me and Joe even just a teeny-tiny bit, you know that we love amusement parks and theme parks.  We had discussed how cool it would be to run a race at Cedar Point.  Lo and behold, last year was the inaugural year of the Cedar Point 5K Challenge.  We got word of this year's race several months ago and registered immediately.  Yesterday (Father's Day) was race day.

On Saturday we drove out to Sandusky for packet pickup at Castaway Bay.  This packet was the packet of all packets.  Photo and details are on my Facebook page.  Afterwards we headed home and went to bed too late (after 11) for the early hour that we'd be rising (4:30ish).  I don't think I fell asleep until nearly 1:30AM, so I wasn't thrilled when the alarm went off.  We needed to get moving on that 1+ hour drive to Cedar Point, so there was no option to snooze.  For whatever reason, I volunteered to drive and once we got on the road, I realized that I should have been sleeping in the passenger seat.

Without incident of me falling asleep at the wheel, we arrived at Cedar Point to some light rain around 6:15.  We waited in the car for the rain to stop, and then closer to 6:30 we stepped out and into the nasty, warm, muggy air and played the waiting game.  The forecasted high in Sandusky was near 90 and at the time of the race, humidity was hovering around 90%.  The men's race was beginning at 7:00 and the women's at 7:30.  At packet pick-up, we heard that there were nearly 400 runners.  On race morning, that became "more than 350."  Race results show just short of 300.  We're thinking it's due to the number of runners and the tight space in some of the midways that men and women didn't run together--less congestion.

Just before the men's race, I wished Joe luck and gave him a firm but gentle go-get-em smack on the left butt cheek, watched him run into the park, and then waited some more.  As the female runners began straggling over to the starting line, I decided I'd try something new: a pre-race warm-up run.  I just did a few laps at a really easy pace around the back end of the parking lot.  About 7 minutes before my race started, I saw Joe approaching, blue Gatorade in hand.  He finished in 22:30!

At 7:30, I was off.  For the first two-tenths of a mile or so I struggled to reach a comfortable and safe pace; I started around 6:30, but finally got up to 7:30ish.  Once I got through all of the women who started the race too far in front, I was feeling good.  The route took us into the park at what is basically a service entrance between Disaster Transport and Space Spiral.  After that, I failed to really pay attention to my surroundings--rather than relishing in racing in one of my favorite amusement parks, I found myself focused on passing each runner I approached and contemplating whether or not I'd be able to pull off veering off-course to run through a sprinkler.

I mentioned that I got myself to a 7:30ish pace.  In front of Dodgem, I finished mile 1 in 7:38, which had me feeling good and certain that I'd PR.  Honestly, I didn't doubt for a second that I wouldn't PR, as my first and only other 5K was my first race ever, run in just over 28:00.  As I passed Millennium Force, I looked down at my Garmin and my pace was up around 7:50.  Crap.  I was really going to need to pick up the pace to get the 5-minute PR that I secretly wanted.  I just couldn't get my legs to move at the pace I needed.  I tried to think about what was holding me back: The thick, wet air?  The tight turn-around at Maverick?  These practically non-existent inclines?  No water in a 3-mile race?  Are you noticing that my excuses became more and more pansy-ish?

Mile 2 was at Camp Snoopy.  We ran through there, down the Dragster Midway, and turned left toward Windseeker.  In front of the Giant Wheel was a race volunteer, cheering us on and letting us know that there was only about a half-mile left; my Garmin confirmed that, showing 2.61.  At this point, it was obvious that I would get no chance to splash any water at my face, nor would I cross a sprinkler close enough to the course to not lose any time.  Nevertheless, I was feeling positive having passed a handful of people and not a single runner had passed me.

At about 2.8 miles, the rest of the race was a straight-away to the finish.  There was one young girl a bit ahead of me and one close behind.  The girl behind me kicked it into high gear around 2.9 and passed me, ending up a few yards ahead.  I passed Joe, cheering me on near the finish, and then high-tailed it, caught up to the girl who had just passed me, and finished one-tenth of a second behind the girl who had just been yards ahead of me.  My pace across the finish was 6:06, so I was feeling pretty beat once I hit the brakes.  I haven't run a lot of races (this was my 7th), but this was the first time that I thought I was going to dry-heave.  I kept composed on my way to the post-race refreshments, but didn't feel well enough to turn around and greet Joe just yet.

The results are in:

23:46.6 (PR!!!)

14/147 females

5/33 females 20-29
73/284 overall

Marathon training time--again!

The time has come to register for my second marathon.  Joe and I are going to run the Detroit Free Press Marathon together in October!  The timing for me couldn't be better--school's out for summer and I am finally back to feeling great after running in the morning.  I've felt lately that I need to register for Detroit ASAP to motivate me to run a little harder.  No more procrastinating for me, as this coming Sunday marks 18 weeks from October 21st.  Here we go!

For the few days after Glass City, although I was stiff, I was energized almost enough to register to run Cleveland a month later in May.  At the advice of my friends, I didn't do it, and about a week after Glass City, I was glad that I had swallowed my pride.  For about a month, either my IT band or my hamstring was hurting like the dickens, but generally while walking and not running.  I kept pretty quiet about it--I didn't want anyone to worry about me and I was kinda in denial.  I have been pain-free for several weeks now.  That should have gotten me back into kicking ass and taking names on the pavement, right?  Well, it didn't.

As the school year neared its end and my leg returned to its good health, I noticed I was a bit irritable.  Always on my mind was, "It's time to run more!"  I was frequently struggling to get up early enough to run before school and on the days that I was awake early enough, I couldn't get in more than 4 miles (my running group wouldn't compromise to start 10 to 15 minutes earlier).  I could have run after school, but with no "tangible" goal (not yet registered for another long race), I found myself happier to come home to clean, cook dinner, and relax.  Each day I'd inevitably and regretfully think, "I should have run instead."  It's totally true what "they" say: a runner who isn't running is a crab.  That's not any fancy saying, but you get the gist.  Wouldn't it be fun to see me transform into a crustacean, though?  I pinch.

My last day of work was last Monday.  I looked forward to using the week as my first 30+-mile week since the marathon.  I was heading down to South Carolina to visit my parents for Tuesday through Saturday, so my mom and I had planned to run each morning together.  My plan was to do 6 miles Wednesday and Thursday, 8 on Friday (20 miles), travel on Saturday, then do 10 or more on Sunday morning.  I did well Wednesday and Thursday, including one strong run in the heat and sunlight on the bridge to the right.  Friday morning came and I reluctantly did four miles--we had waited, in my opinion, too long to get out and run, and I don't so much enjoy running in heat and humidity.  When Sunday came, I was too beat from traveling and drinking beer the night before, so I figured I'd run that evening as the sun went down; that plan was shot when 8:00PM rolled around and it was still 90 degrees outside.  So I didn't get my 30-mile week.

This week, I am liberated from any restrictions.  I have no obligation to be anywhere other than home each morning, so I can take my time after our group runs and even tack on some extra miles afterwards.  This Sunday, Joe and I have a 5K at Cedar Point.  I still haven't decided what that means for the long run on Saturday morning.  Maybe I'll do it on Friday morning instead.

Beginning next Monday, it's training time for Detroit.  For Glass City, I loosely followed Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1.  I'm feelin' Intermediate 2 this time around.  Maybe I can get Joe to follow it with me.

Can you recommend a training plan for an intermediate runner like me?  Any big races on the docket for you in 2012?  Experience a post-race slump like I did?