Summer 2004
“I want to run a marathon some day.”
After Jenny’s amazingly successful 26.2 debut in the 2003 Chicago Marathon, which qualified her for the 2004 Boston Marathon, it was time for me to make good on my pronouncement from December of 2002.
I was going to run the 2004 Chicago Marathon – and being fully aware that Jenny is the naturally gifted runner in our family, my primary goal would be simply to reach the finish line on two feet. My secondary goal would be to finish under 4 hours.
Having witnessed Jenny’s extraordinary performances, I decided to follow her training plan, which was a typical (if there’s anything “typical” about any of this!) 16-week program that included 5 days of running each week with 2 recovery days. The program included a weekly “long run” (which I decided to schedule on Sundays) that would gradually ramp up to 20 miles.
Over the course of the 16 weeks, I would be running a total of 527.2 miles.
It wasn’t lost on me that, in order to train to run IN Chicago, I would basically be running TO Chicago.
During the 16 weeks I kept a training log and a journal.
What follows are selected journal entries:
June 22, 2004
The adventure (?!?) begins today…
Today I officially begin training for the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-04. Right now I feel a mixture of excitement and fear. Excitement because I actually look forward to pushing my body and mind to the limit to achieve this goal. Excitement because I know that once I achieve this goal my life will never be the same.
Fear because there are many challenges ahead. How will my body hold up? How will I be able to arrange my runs around life’s responsibilities (not to mention the heat of summer)?
I think back to last fall when I started running again after many years away from the sport – cross country in high school. After watching Jenny train for and run the Chicago Marathon last fall, I knew I needed to start getting in shape.
Those first runs remind me of how far I have come – back then a half mile felt like forever. I distinctly remember running (if you can call it that) against a north wind up “Ice Cream Headache Hill” (Croco Rd.) one time and thinking I was about to meet my maker!
Now, several months later, I have progressed to where a marathon seems attainable!
Time to go for it – I ran an easy 6 miles today!
July 9, 2004
Woke up early to thunderstorms. Wanted to run, but too much lightning in the area.
Julie McGovern’s funeral was at 10:00 this morning (Julie was a schoolmate at SHS whose life was tragically cut short by cancer). Every funeral makes you stop and think, but this one was especially sad. To see her kids was especially heart-wrenching. It really makes you appreciate your family.
I decided to get my 6-miler taken care of at noon. Even though I’ve really tried to avoid the mid-day heat, it would be my best opportunity today. Even though it wasn’t unbearably hot, it kind of kicked my butt. Didn’t take a watch, so I just kept a nice slow pace.
After thinking about Julie while running and how we shouldn’t put things off in our lives, I got on-line and registered for the Chicago Marathon. There you are, I’m committed – or maybe should be committed!
July 21, 2004
Another VERY hot day, so I waited for it to “cool” down and ran a 5-miler at 9pm.
Checked the Weather Channel and it said the heat index was 94 degrees – at 9 at night! It wasn’t a particularly easy run, but I was pleased with my progress in the heat. My mantra – “Chicago will be cooler, flatter, will have water stops, cheering crowds … “ keeps me going. I have to believe that training in hilly terrain and in the heat will only make me tougher!
Have made plane reservations for Joey and Andie – I really hope to create a lasting memory for them. I hope when I’m old and gray they’ll remember when Pop ran a marathon!
July 25, 2004
A 10-miler before church, and it went pretty well. This time period seems to me to be the time when the mileage will really start to “ramp up” fairly quickly. Before training I ran a 10-miler once, so I had confidence in going that far. In the coming weeks it will gradually build to 20 miles, and that is kind of a scary thought. But I keep telling myself to take it one day at a time. I will say that my cardio-vascular seems to be doing quite well – it’s the musculoskeletal that kind of concerns me. But, hey, who would have thought I’d be running 10 miles already!
July 31, 2004
As I think about the calendar turning over to August tomorrow, I’m fully aware that I am about to enter the most difficult part of the training. Every Sunday run will now be the longest run I’ve ever done in my life, culminating in Chicago.
Tomorrow is a 12-miler and the weather is supposed to be very hot. This has made me quite nervous – and in a weird way kind of excited. I’m excited to push myself to the limit!
As I write this, I am prepared to go to bed quite early so that I can get up and beat the heat. Jenny and the kids have gone to a party. Lately, I have found myself having to turn down quite a few social invitations (and beers) so that I can be fully devoted to this goal. It has created a few mixed emotions – feeling at times like I’m missing out on things, but then I realize how tired I’ve become of the same old things.
This IS worth it!
August 8, 2004
Up to now probably my favorite training run – for a variety of reasons.
Last evening we went to a party and I told some friends about my plan to run Chicago. Had kept it to myself for so long so as not to create pressure on myself, but sharing my plans with others actually gave me even greater motivation. My friends were very supportive and I could see the admiration in their eyes. We figured that I’d be running past many of their houses on the Sunday “long” runs, and somehow that made me feel like they’d be there cheering me on – like the crowds in Chicago.
I can’t wait to experience the crowds in Chicago – and seeing my kids on the route will be awesome.
Anyway, I woke up at 6:00 feeling kind of nervous – can I keep going farther than the week before? During my half-mile “warm-up” walk I ate a couple of granola bars and started to feel a few raindrops. It was so calm and quiet out. About 5 minutes into the run I saw the most awesome sunrise.
Somehow it just started to feel less like a sacrifice to get up early to run on a Sunday morning and more like a reward.
About a half hour into the run it started to rain. More than a drizzle, but not a downpour. It felt awesome. Then maybe ten minutes later the rain let up. I was keeping a good consistent pace, and even though I’m not fast, it was feeling as close to effortless as ever. I really think that I was experiencing that “runner’s high” that you hear about.
Somehow it was cool to run past the houses of people I know and realize that they’re tucked in bed while I’m passing by.
Mom and Dad’s house … Janice’s house … turned on 62nd before Kevin Wolfe’s, but I knew I’d be passing it next week.
About 8 miles in I tried a PowerGel for the very first time. I’m not sure how much it helped, but even if it’s just psychological it can’t hurt.
At about 9 miles, the rains returned. Big time.
So, here I was running along 54th Street toward Meriden Road just laughing like a little kid and splashing along. It felt great to just be a drowned rat – and somehow to me it felt like it would become one of those moments that will certainly come flooding back to me when I cross the finish line in Chicago.
It didn’t feel like I was going very fast, but I was maintaining my goal marathon pace quite easily. It really did feel like I could maintain that pace for a long time! The miles just seemed to pass by, and it made me remember the time when every mailbox seemed to be a challenge. Man, I’ve come a long way.
Anyway, I powered through the last few miles and, when I was sure no one was looking, threw my arms up in triumph as I crossed my own “finish line”.
I was totally soaked and it felt great.
While I know there are many challenges left to be faced, somehow I am filled with more optimism than ever!
August 11, 2004
Disaster …
After a day of in-service at work, I took off on a scheduled 9-miler in the late afternoon. I say “scheduled” because it didn’t come off like it was supposed to.
About a mile into the run, my calf began to feel tight. I kept hoping (probably from being in denial) that it would loosen up as I went, but it only got worse.
As I neared the 3-mile mark at 46th and Indian Creek, I knew I was in trouble.
The words of Bill Rodgers kept ringing in my ears – “The most important thing in marathon training is to get to the starting line healthy.”
I had made a strong point not to cut ANY corners in my training, and I maybe could have “limped” through another 6 miles. But I knew that to do so would be completely counterproductive. I probably would have derived no physical benefit and would have risked serious injury to my calf. So after never missing or cutting short a workout, I made the difficult but I felt wise decision to stop.
I was scared.
It was REALLY hurting worse than ever before. As I tried to stretch it out at the corner, the tears began to well up in my eyes.
I’m not one to overreact to things, but it was feeling like all of my hard work may be for naught and that the whole marathon was in jeopardy. The combination of physical and psychological pain became overwhelming, and the tears began to flow.
A nice man saw me limping around and stopped his car to ask if I needed a ride. I was so grateful for the offer, but just wanted to walk the 3 miles back home to give myself some time to catch my composure. Basing my calculations on my memory of pushing my “babies” around the block in our old double stroller during my “Mr. Mom” days, I knew it would take about an hour to walk the distance – and it turned out to seem like 10 hours.
I was trying real hard not to fall into self-pity, but all my attempts to keep things in perspective were overshadowed by disappointment, depression, and fear.
What if my training was disrupted, or worse yet, I couldn’t run in Chicago?
All kinds of emotions flooded over me as I walked back home. The whole way back home I was thinking that I could go back out later that evening and not miss the workout – I told you I was in denial.
Anyway, even though I was feeling quite depressed and scared, I laid in bed that night and decided to channel my energy and thoughts toward rehabbing my calf and getting back into training.
August 13, 2004
Friday the 13th. I decided not to run until evening – partly to give my leg more rest and partly because I was afraid to find out whether I could run again.
I took the kids to the 99.7KY Elvis parade in KC, and we had a great time! It’s exactly the kind of cheesy and screwball event that I find funny, but the whole day I still held a concern about how my run would go, if at all, later in the day.
After we got home in the late afternoon, I decided to give it a try so that I could get home to see the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (by the way, the Olympics that year were in Athens, the site of the Parthenon. I found the fact that I was training in Nike Parthenon shoes to be a neat coincidence!)
After applying a heating pad and a very liberal amount of Biofreeze to my calf, I walked to my starting point at 35th and Croco.
My fears seemed confirmed, as the first half-mile was very painful. I would try to run more on my toes, which helped a little, but knew that would not be a viable long-term solution. I decided I just had to keep going and hope that it would warm up.
When I got to North Fairview, the pain started to subside. I certainly didn’t feel “out of the woods”, but gained a small measure of encouragement. The rest of the run was relatively pain-free, with some tenderness.
Even though I made sure not to make time an issue and consciously ran what I felt was very slow, I was pleased to see at the end that I had beaten my goal marathon pace – without even trying. While not particularly inspired, I was somewhat relieved.
Just take it day by day and get to Chicago healthy.
August 30, 2004
A day of rest, and also my “weigh-in” day. According to my somewhat unscientific approach, I weighed in at about 180 pounds. Since the beginning of 2004 I have lost about 20 pounds, or about 10% of my body weight.
It feels good.
September 5, 2004
My first 20-miler … ever.
With another to follow in 2 weeks.
Got up at 5:15 filled with anticipation and some fear. The kids rode around with me last evening to put water in mailboxes (4 along the route), so I wasn’t worried about liquid. But 20 miles would represent a big milestone and personal challenge.
The first few miles are usually filled with a mixture of fun and tension. It’s fun to run in the dark as the sun slowly rises, realizing that people are fast asleep in the houses I pass. I’m also a little tense knowing that there are several miles to go.
My liquid routine worked well – first some Gatorade at Janice’s, then some water at Kevin Wolfe’s. I put the empty from Janice’s in Kevin’s box and headed north to 86th Street (isn’t that in Nebraska?). I drank most of the water and poured some of it on my head. The weather was a little humid but nearly ideal.
As I turned east onto 86th Street toward Topeka Boulevard, it looked like a mountain! Somehow I pressed through it, but it seemed to compare to the hill at 62nd and Indian Creek Road. Now I’ll have TWO “mountains” to climb. Oh, well, that will make Chicago seem like a piece of cake, right?
Was keeping a remarkably consistent 9-minute pace, with about 30 seconds in the bank. Kept doing the math to figure my remaining pace to break 3 hours, and was about 30 to 40 seconds ahead at each mile. I liked the consistency, but would have liked to gain a cushion before my next “Heartbreak Hill” on 62nd Street. Somehow I managed to keep the 30 to 40 second cushion until I reached the top of the hill at mile 14, but had some doubt about whether my cushion was big enough to break 3 hours.
My legs were quite tired, and it felt like my pace was slowing. Amazingly, at each mile mark my cushion remained about the same, but now it was at about 20 to 30 seconds. I desperately wanted to break 3 hours, because that pace would give me a comfortable margin for finishing the marathon under 4 hours.
With about 2 miles to go, my cushion was down to 20 seconds, and I felt like I was fading. The next half mile on Croco is a steady uphill, and it felt slow. Somehow I was still 20 seconds ahead with 1 ½ to go.
After the downhill on 39th, I had a 30 second cushion. Just had to push the last mile in under 9:30. Well, even though I felt pretty fatigued in my legs, I ran an 8:50 to beat 3 hours by 40 seconds.
I shot my arms up into the air in celebration and felt exhilarated. Even though I’m not quite sure where another 6.2 miles will come from, I know I can do it. The course I just finished is VERY hilly, while Chicago is flat. I figure the flatter course would probably “give” me another 4 miles. When you factor in the cheering crowds, milder weather, and water stations, I think I’ve come to the point where I have virtually run my own “marathon”.
I’m not getting cocky, but I feel confident.
September 19, 2004
Got up at 5:00am to run my last 20-miler. Just 3 weeks until the marathon, and I’m really beginning to feel the excitement. I took out at a comfortable pace and it felt really good.
The sun is now rising at a much later time, and it’s been fun to be out for several miles before it even gets light. It was a beautiful morning, and the miles just seemed to flow by. I was maintaining a constant pace, which is something I always strive for.
After about 15 miles it felt like I was really slowing down, but the watch would show otherwise. In fact, I was able to actually run reverse splits over the last miles.
I must say, however, that I still have to wonder where another 6.2 miles will come from. But I know that there are many factors in my favor when Chicago comes. I’m quite optimistic right now, and am really looking forward to the actual marathon.
I can’t believe it – I just ran my second 20-miler.
September 24, 2004
My usual once-a-week untimed run. This evening it was a 7-miler. The most memorable part tonight was running past the corner of 46th and Indian Creek and looking at the place where weeks ago I had tried to stretch out my sore calf. I know it’s childish, but I made a point to spit at the corner as if to say, “You didn’t beat me!”
But I will also say that while I’m optimistic, I do truly remain humble. An injury is just one misstep away, but I do feel virtually completely healed from the calf injury.
September 26, 2004
Arose at 5am with my usual mix of anticipation, excitement, and fear. This will be my last “long” Sunday run (an 18-miler) and in a bizarre way I’m kind of excited but also sad that it will be over.
With Chicago now 2 weeks away, I feel like I’m walking on pins and needles making sure I don’t get injured, but I really feel like testing myself a little bit today. So my goal as I began was 8:30/mile pace. I got on the internet and found that President Bush once ran a 3:44 marathon, and I would like to beat that – thus the intermediate goal of 8:30 pace. The primary goal still remains to finish on both feet. I just felt like today’s run could give me a little more clarity and confidence as to what pace is reasonable for Chicago.
As I took off north on Croco Road, I couldn’t help but notice how clear the sky was and how bright the stars looked. Once I’m up and out there, I have really come to enjoy these early Sunday runs. Just being out before everyone else and watching the sun rise has been awesome.
My first few miles were at about 8:20 pace, and felt quite comfortable. In my mind this would give me a little cushion to maintain the 8:30 goal over the last, more difficult miles.
Once I reached the 4-mile mark, I realized that much of the remaining course I would not traverse again soon, if ever. Since next week’s run is “only” 8 miles, anything beyond the 4-mile turnaround will not be run. A strange melancholy came to me, but it was more than offset by the pride I felt. I could feel my pace quicken slightly as I realized with each step that I should savor my last run over the far reaches of my Sunday course.
As I neared 58th and Topeka, I saw a lady that I’ve run into before who takes early morning walks. As usual, it startled her when I approached. She even made a comment about how I startle her every Sunday. It felt great to tell her as I ran off that this would be the last time because I’m running the Chicago Marathon in 2 weeks!
As I ran off into the darkness, she yelled my way, “Wow! That’s awesome!”
It gave me such a lift and made me realize how the adrenaline will really be flowing with the 1.2 million spectators/admirers in Chicago! Now I REALLY feel pumped!
As I approached Kevin Wolfe’s house, I said a small word of gratitude for his friendship and support. I also realized that I was about a mile from where I will see Jenny and the kids in Chicago. Each new “landmark” just seemed to pull me along. At the 9-mile (halfway) mark, my pace was dead-on at 8:20, and I felt really good. I decided that, rather than use the extra time as a cushion, I would see how long I could comfortably maintain 8:20 pace. Much to my surprise, with each passing mile I was not only maintaining but gaining on 8:20. Now I felt really good!
When I turned off Topeka Boulevard and onto 62nd Street, I was about 30 seconds ahead of 8:20 pace, and I was 2/3 of the way done at 12 miles. I had the feeling that if I could keep the pace for one more mile (up my “Heartbreak Hill” at 62nd and Indian Creek Road), it would be mostly “downhill” over the last 5 miles.
When I reached the turn at Indian Creek Road and had passed the hill, I had GAINED even more time. Man, I felt so awesome at that point but didn’t want to take anything for granted. Mile 15, from Indian Creek Road to Meriden Road, is a fairly steady uphill, and for the first time I began feeling a bit of muscle fatigue. But still the clock showed a sub-8:20 pace. To think that I had only dreamt of 8:30, and now 8:20 was feeling comfortable. I really focused on my form and keeping consistent pace. At 46th and Meriden, with 2 miles to go, I knew that I had a good shot at 8:20. But anything could happen.
When I got to mile 17 (the Christmas tree farm), I decided to just maintain pace and not do my usual “kick”. I really wanted to be sure that my pace would truly reflect a reasonable pace for Chicago. I made the final turn onto 39th and began my ½ mile “reward” finish downhill.
I took my shirt off and began waving it in the air. I didn’t care what anybody thought if they saw me – I was going to celebrate. I’m sure I must have touched the ground, but it didn’t feel like it!
I crossed the finish line with arms up in the air and let out a big whoop. And then the big surprise – 2:28:30 – an 8:15 pace! Man, I don’t want to go out too fast in Chicago, but have decided that 8:20 should be possible.
I yelled outs “Taper Time, baby!” and gave my legs a loving tap. The ½ mile walk home was filled with excitement, pride, and anticipation for Chicago. I feel ready and am going to savor these next few weeks like no other!
October 1, 2004
Included in today’s mail was the most inspirational card from my awesome sister-in-law Teresa.
On the front it said “To Believe You Can is Everything”, and on the inside was an original poem written in her own hand:
“The time has come,” the Walrus said.
The starting line is up ahead.
You’ve done the work,
You’ve come so far,
It’s now a part of who you are.
You set a goal, you dared to dream,
You ran when you were out of steam.
Just run your race,
Let your spirit soar!
I hope it’s all you dreamed – and more!
My feet never touched the ground during that evening’s 5-miler.
October 3, 2004
Man, it felt weird to “sleep in” until 7:00 on a Sunday morning – primarily because today’s run is “only” 8 miles. (I still can’t believe that 8 miles is kind of an “off Sunday”) It also felt strange to begin a Sunday run in daylight, as the past several weeks have allowed me to enjoy watching the sun rise on Sunday mornings.
Even though I’m starting at a later time, though, today’s weather was much chillier than the past Sunday mornings, so I wore a long-sleeved shirt for the first time. Once again the plan was to just run a comfortable pace and see what the watch reads at the end – I don’t want to make the mistake of “running a race” every single week.
Well, as in recent days the 8:00 miles just kept clicking by! And I still don’t feel at all like I’m pushing it. Given the fact that I have recently been able to run comfortable 8 minute miles on a much hillier course than Chicago will be, I’m kind of leaning toward starting Chicago at 8:20 and then maybe working down from there. I keep reminding myself, though, that time is still a secondary goal compared to finishing. I’ll just see how it goes.
It’s really funny because today after lunch Janice asked me if it feels like the running is getting easier, and there’s no doubt that it is! Any more, a string of 8-minute miles is becoming routine. Well, once again today I cruised in at 7:58 – so this 8-miler stands as my longest sub-8 run of the entire training program. It really feels as if I’m peaking (with time, do you say “valleying”?) at the right time. With one week to go I feel quite confident and want to savor every experience.
This morning I gave each of the kids their own disposable camera to use in Chicago – I really want to be able to look back on the experience from their perspective. They were really excited about the cameras – it will be interesting to see the pictures they take!
With one week to go I feel excitement combined with nervous energy. I’m going to try real hard to get extra rest this week in preparation for the busy weekend we’ll have next week. Even without running a marathon, it’s going to be a busy and, at time, hectic weekend. There’s no doubt I’m already feeling some butterflies – partially from the logistics of getting everywhere on time (especially the starting line) and partially from the race itself.
I truly feel that once I’m at the starting line, it will begin to feel like a celebration of all of the hard work and dedication I have devoted to this goal.
I’m ready!
