Marathon Analysis

So as many of you know by now I successfully completed my first ever marathon. I thought I could use this post to give an analysis of the race. I hope that you've already noticed the handy-dandy map above. I thought it would be helpful when I'm talking about the various sections of the course, feel free to zoom in and out on the map and follow along.

The start of the race begins at Clinch Ave heading west, look for the green circle with the triangle in it.

Pre-Start - 10K

On race day, I woke up at 5:30am and immediately ate my bowl of Cheerio's, had a glass of water, and put on my lucky spandex. I did all the preparatory work necessary for a marathon (i.e. putting Band Aids on my nipples and applying lube where the sun don't shine). Once this was done I ate a protein bar and had another glass of water. The time now is about 6:30am. Josh and Holly picked us up at 6:45am to head down to the starting line.

Traffic was nuts and I was a little anxious that we would be late for the start (7:30am), so we got out of their truck and walked to the convention center where a mass assembly of runners awaited. Normally before races I like to make sure that I use the bathroom. Today was no exception. When I saw the line to the men's bathroom, I prepared myself for the worst. Let me just say that going to the bathroom after several hundred other runners was an experience in itself. The smell was atrocious. I don't get queasy very often but when I entered my stall, I gagged.

Once that was done, we headed towards the start. They corral you according to your anticipated time. I was in the 4 - 4:30 hour corral. The gun went off and people began moving west up Clinch Ave. It was a good 2 - 3 blocks until I was able to get into my running stride. I had passed the first mile marker in the UT campus without realizing it. Part of my strategy was to take walk breaks at each mile. A runner to my left informed me that I had missed it so I walked shortly there after. I forgot to mention that there are Pacers in the marathon. How this works is a person, the pacer, will have the time they are expected to finish in on their back. Their function is to help you accomplish your time goal (if you have one). Any ways, when I took my first walk break, the 4 hr pacer went right past me. It was all that I could do to resist chasing him. I knew I had to keep discipline with the walk breaks if I wanted to enjoy the experience. I stuck to my breaks and caught up shortly afterwords.

(at mile 11)

The next significant event took place around mile marker 6 or near the 10K point. I'm running in Sequoya Hills or Cherokee Blvd, and I notice a group of older ladies on the sidelines drinking enormous Bloody Mary's. I heard one of them saying, "We're doing this for you". They seemed like a fun group. My 10K time was around 55 minutes, which meant that I was on track to finish the marathon in just under 4hrs.

From 10K - 15miles

My legs were feeling great at the 10K mark and beyond. Noelton (mile 7ish) is the street with the dreaded hill. It's not the longest hill, but it's one of the sharpest inclines on the whole course. There were lots of spectators cheering runners on. I met a guy on this hill who is from Rodgersville, TN and we ran together from this point until about mile 11. He was really nice and this was his first race in Knoxville. He was running the half marathon and looking for somebody to keep pace with. Another person I ran with for a short while was the Mayor of Knoxville, Mr. Bill Haslam. He's also running for Governor for TN this year. I didn't make any small talk with him because I didn't know what to say; I regret that decision.

At about mile 11 or 12 there was a group of very drunk college students dressed up in all sorts of costumes. The one I most remember is the guy dressed up as a Hot Dog. I later found out that Mr. Hot Dog was taken to the hospital by ambulance because he overheated and had way too much to drink. That combination led him to pass out and hit his head on the ground. I hear that he's doing fine. I admire their dedication of cheering on runners. The magnitude of the race set in once the marathoners and half marathoners split to go their separate ways. I clocked in at just under 2 hours for my half marathon time, and I was still ahead of the 4hr pacer. However a couple of miles later the pacer past me at mile 15. I would never again be ahead of the 4hr group.

16miles - a rain storm - 25miles

In the Parkridge neighborhood (Winona St. and Caswell Park) I rejoined a runner I had met prior to the start. Mile 17 is when I met up again with a Salt Lake City native who was running his 21st marathon; by looking at him I'd say he was in his 70s. He started running when he turned 50 and runs a marathon or two each year. His goal is to run one in each of the 50 states. I wish him the best of luck. I kept pace with him for about a mile or so and then he took off like a flash when we approached a downhill. "I need to let it out on the downhills. I'm too old to do anything on the up hills. Good luck," were his last remarks to me.

My wall, or the point where I could care less if I finished, happened at about mile 20 or 21. I was on James White Parkway and I remember my legs feeling really heavy. My stride was more of a shuffle at this point. James White connects south Knoxville, and it's very exposed. I could see what the next 4 miles looked like for me and it just seemed to go on forever. I was still in between the 4hr pacer and the 4:15hr pacer. My breathing never bothered me, it was just that my legs felt so heavy.

I conquered James White and headed into Island Home (mile 22 Island Home Blvd). Halfway into the neighborhood it poured down rain. The rain felt good at first but then I became really cold. And my feet were now soaked. Prior to the rain, my face was a salt lick and my eyes burned at first when the rain came. The rain was a good motivator to pick up my pace and get this race over with. It rained on and off until I finished, but never a down pour.

I knew I was on the homestretch when I was crossing the Gay St Bridge. This was a much welcomed sign. I knew that the rest of the course would be mostly flat and there were no major hills left. At mile 25 my watch timer read: 4hrs. I had 15 minutes to run 1.2 miles to reach my goal.

The Finish - 26.2 miles

(I'm in the center)

A smile broke on my face as I saw the 25 mile marker. It's almost over. I was kind of sad at the same time. I mean, I really enjoyed myself and I met so many wonderful people. My legs were tired but I knew I had the 1.2 miles left in me. I spotted a guy wearing a yellow jersey and kept my pace with him until the finish. He really helped me pull through in the end. In fact I passed him with .2 miles left. But he ended up passing me at the finish line. I didn't care; he did his job. I finished at 4:13:50. The feeling was incredible and it can't be described only experienced. I was given my medal and fancy runner's hat and a space blanket to help me warm up.

(My bloody toe)

It was great to see Rachel in the stands cheering me on in the end. We both finished our races without any major issues. I would really like to run another marathon again but not anytime soon. I can tell that my body needs the rest and I would like to do other things besides run all the time. I'm still a little sore but not that bad. Below are a few pics from the race and I hope to find more soon. I'll recap the training experience here sometime soon. Take care.

Number 515

Each person has their own unique number that is assigned to him or her and I'm number 515. It's a palindrome, or a number that is the same forwards as it is backwards. For some reason I think this is really neat. Today Rachel and I took in the marathon expo that was held at the Holiday Inn. It's mandatory that everyone visit if they wish to race because your bib number and timing chip are located there.

Before we even got to the registration table we ran into a friend of ours at our church. Paul, our friend, is a volunteer and he told us that around 6,000 people had registered for the race and that, "it's a half marathon race, so most of the people are signed up for that". I found out that about 630 people are singed up for the 26.2 category. After catching up we made our way to the registration table and we got our number. We quickly moved left to get our goody bag (i.e. lots of flyers, box of Wheaties, other trinkets, and the official race t-shirt).

Once all the essentials were gathered in our new plastic goody bags, we made a plan of action to see all the venders. Most of the local running stores were there as well as the vitamin / health food shops. There were lots of people selling t-shirts and stickers (I guess to show that you were here) and yes I bought a sticker. I didn't want to succumb to the schmuck that proudly proclaims all of his accomplishments on his car so I'll proclaim them on my water bottle.

I was really struck by how friendly everyone was to us. I had the assumption that I would run into the ultra serious runners. You know the type that gives you a quick up and down and then rushes to judgements about how seroius of a runner you really are. Well, I didn't find any (thank baby Jesus). We did meet a woman from Anchorage, AK who is running her 10th marathon this year! I'm not sure if she meant calendar year or since 2010, but I know that I don't want any part of that. The only thing more difficult than running 10 marathons is maybe delivering a baby sideways, or so I've been told.

Lastly, thank you for all the support and comments people have made these past few months. Really thanks. It really means a lot to me. I'll be putting my good foot forward tomorrow and I hope you will too. Look for the post race recap.

Well, I should really get going because we're having people over for dinner. I've got meatballs to cook.

72 Hours and Counting.

Holy crap, there's only 72 hours standing between me and the marathon. My mind has been racing all week. What should I eat, how much more do I need to run, what's the weather looking like, what should I wear... These are all questions that have been processing. I thought it might be helpful to try and answer some of these questions. I think I mentioned this in one of my earliest posts that I've been reading Jeff Galloway's Marathon: You can do it! and I'll be referencing that frequently in this post.

1) I need to keep positive. Jeff also strongly emphasizes this point. Being positive has been very helpful throughout my training. When my knee was acting up, the positive thoughts helped. Along with being positive is mentally preparing yourself for the race. Knowing that I will cross that finish line and that my legs will not fail me is a great motivator.

2) Avoid the dehydrating elements. This is straight out of Jeff's book. So things like alcohol, caffeine (opps already had my coffee this morning), and salt are things to look out for. Jeff goes on to suggest that salt "is probably the leading cause of dehydration for most marathoners. Becasue it's used so widely in most restaurants, you're likely to consume large amounts of salt without realizing it. Try to avoid restaurant food during the 24 hours before the marathon". Jeff also warns about the pasta parties the night before: "watch out for the sauce and teh garlic bread! (Just nibble on the pasta and digest the conversation)". Salt is going to be hard to cut out but, we'll be conscious of this when we cook or go out to eat.

3) Dress for the weather. On Sunday, they're predicting 40% chance of showers and the high will be in the upper 50s. I think this sounds like ideal weather. It would be nice to have some sunshine. I'm planning on wearing what I've worn durning my long runs (my favorite pair of spandex with a comfortable t-shirt). I would love to wear a goofy outfit that you sometimes see at marathons, but comfort and familiarity trumps being noticed.

4) Don't over due it. I've put in a lot of work to prepare for this day so my training schedule has been pretty light. I ran 3 miles at a very comfortable pace yesterday and I'll do the same today. I need to get my body focused on running 26.2 miles and not on how much I should run today.

It's almost here. I, or should I say we are really excited about this race. Some of our friends that are also running (Josh and Holly and little Lucy) are coming over the night before to eat some carbs and just enjoy each others company before the big day. I'm hoping to wash away some of the anxiety with friends. Till next time.

Back from Jamaica

Sorry it has been a while since I've written. Last time I wrote was just before I left for Jamaica. Here are some of thoughts and pictures of that experience.

Jamaica is a beautiful country and the people were some of the most hospitable I've ever met. I always find it so difficult to explain my experiences to people when I return home from trips. I either get caught up in every little detail and lose the person's interest that I'm telling the story to or I generalize my experiences with words like "it was good" or "it was amazing", etc.

Instead let me just say that the reasons for poverty in Jamaica are similar to the reasons in Knoxville or any other city. High unemployment, crime, lack of education, etc. These reasons are complex, yet to often we try to simplify them into understandable anecdotes. We'll blame the single mother for having too many children or we'll blame man and say that he doesn't work hard enough. And the list goes on, and on. My general understanding, and Jamaican reaffirmed this, is that people do the best they can with what they have. I think that's pretty universal.


On the Beach in Black River At Ms. T's Bakery in Black River



Miguel, at St. Theresa's Basic School Sunset at Alligator Pond


St. Theresa's Basic School



For more pictures check them out at Facebook.

The Marathon is in less than a week. Yikes. I'll post before then.

"Nice Fanny-Pack!"

The title of this post is what a Frat-tastic (i.e. 1. when a guy walks around with his collar popped 2. When a guy walks around with his collar popped and/or his viser upside-down urbandictionary.com) guy yelled at me just as I finished running 16 miles this past Sunday. Mr. Frat-tastic who, was driving a Tokyo drift type car, decided to be clever and hurl this insult at me. The fanny-pack was actually my amphipod water bottle holder. Clearly the guy had no appreciation of such a fine piece of equipment. Fine piece of equipment being defined as, not bouncing, forgetting that there is 20 ounces strapped to my back, and the good reflecting fabric which helps keep me safe. Perhaps it was the fabric that caught Frat-tastic's eye - it's bright green. Enough with me being negative, it's time for me to give some much needed updates. My training has been going really well.

Last weekend I ran 14 miles, with no insults, and I felt great. In both long runs I could feel my knees getting shaky at mile 13. Not pain, but feeling like I've got spaghetti for legs. I know its my body getting use to the physical demands which are enormous in running long distances.

One difference that I noticed from this weekend compared to last is that I did not encounter a single runner this week. My route followed the second half of the marathon course. This meant my environment was much more urban. What I liked about this route was seeing a side of Knoxville that people rarely get to see on foot. Most of the older homes are east and north of Knoxville proper. The diversity is greater and buildings are more eclectic than other sectors of my city.

And this reminds me...

In less than a week I will be boarding a plane with 11 other UT students to take part on an alternative spring break to Jamaica. Jamaica has its west Knoxville's in the form of tourist cities, but we will be visiting a much different Jamaica than is advertised on the Travel Channel or the Internet. By traveling off the beaten path, I imagine I will get a better sense of who the people are in this tiny island country. This is true for most of the places that I have been to.

Running will have to take a second seat this next week. I'll be doing much more important work. I'll try and keep up with some basic workouts in the morning but I don't want my desire to workout interfere with me being there, being present in the moment. It will be a Lenten test to put my selfish desire of running a marathon not in a hire position than what it is right now.

With that, I hope to have many stories to tell and more pictures to share.

Putting my good foot forward,
Chad

Celebrity Marathon

During a race, runners do a lot of different things to keep up their motivation. Making up a mantra ("My legs are strong, my legs are strong"), visualizing the next water point, even signing your favorite Christmas carol in your head, are all examples of taking your mind off the pain that ensues during a long race.

I've tried all of the above to keep my brain on the positive side, but I've found that what works best for me is a good conversation. When Rachel and I run together I really enjoy our talks. Sometimes I ask way too many questions and I see Rachel gasping for her breath. On the plus side, this offers me leverage to get on my soap box for 20 or 30 minutes (this also can annoy her). But more often than not, we talk during our walk breaks and this is just fine by me.

The inspiration for this post actually came last weekend when Josh and I were running in the Smokies. He told me an astonshing fact: "I heard that Will Ferrell ran the Boston Marathon and did really well". Me: "Seroiusly?" I thought this week about what other famous celebrities have completed a marathon. Below is an abbreviated list of celebrities. Enjoy.

Lance Armstrong - NYC 2006 (2:46:42)

Dana Carvey - Ocean to Bay 1972 (3:04:21)

Scott Bakula - Rock 'n' Roll 2004 (4:08:34)

George W. Bush - Houston 1993 (3:44:52)

Sean Combs - NYC 2004 (4:14:54)

Will Ferrell - Boston 2003 (3:56:12)

Al Gore - Marine Corps 1997 (4:58:57)

Katie Holmes - NYC 2007 (5:29:58)

Justin Leonard (golfer) - Dallas 2001 (3:54:40)

Ed Norton - NYC 2009 (3:48:01)

Oprah Winfrey - Marie Corps 1994 (4:29:20)

Chad Sievers - Knoxville 2010 (To be determined)


I had to put me in with this group (and you know you're jealous of the Flame shirt). I don't have a time goal in mind, but I think I can beat Katie Holmes. I think a realistic goal is somewhere in the Scott Bakula range. Lance and Dana are way out of my league.

Little River Trail

Horace Kephart first came to the Great Smoky Mountains over a hundred years ago. The land, the nature, and its people inspired him to write 'Our Southern Highlanders' (it's in its twelfth printing). I thought about old Horace as I was running along the Little River Trial near Elkmont on Saturday morning. I thought about how all the things that have changed and all the things that would change in these mountains since Horace first arrived. It is my hope that the beauty that these mountains, valleys, and streams hold will remain constant.


Since I first got this crazy idea to run 26.2 miles, I've always wanted to do a long run in the Smokies. On Saturday, my good friend Josh and I loaded up in his truck and headed into mountains where we would run nearly eight miles along the Little River on the abandoned railroad bed out of Elkmont.

There are several ways to get to Elkmont. We went through Townsend (on the western half of the park) and followed the Little River Road. Normally, the Little River acts more as a stream than a river. However with the amount of rain that has fallen in the past couple of days the, the Little River resembled something you would see if you were in Yosemite. It was a raging whitewater inferno. The scenery was second to none the entire way to Elkmont.

I forgot to mention the snow. The banks of the river and virtually every tree was dusted with a fresh sprinkling of snow. This made the run that much more enjoyable. The run went fine other than a pair of really wet feet, but that was expected. I couldn't imagine doing anything else on a Saturday, than enjoying the mountains. And I would imagine Horace would feel much the same.

Yoga!

It's Monday I need to run. Tuesday, I'll run. Wednesday, don't need to run. Thursday I should run. Friday, I can rest. Saturday, it's my long run day. Sunday, I can relax. Monday...

This has been my pattern, my rhythm, for the last several months. In fact it's become such a pattern that when I miss a scheduled day I have phantom symptoms from not running, like when the amputee can feel their leg but it's no longer there. I've got running on the brain 24-7.

My injury seems to be doing just fine and I continue to take it day-by-day. I have not felt any major pain in over a week (even after running 6 miles last Saturday). I've been trying to do a variety of activities on my non-running days. Wednesday night Rachel and I went to a Yoga class.

I'm a big fan of Yoga. This exercise / philosophy was one of the most relaxing experiences I can remember. Let me back up a bit and recap the night. Before we left our apartment Rachel said, "Make sure you wear comfortable clothes". I knew just what I was going to wear, my 1996 Aerosmith concert t-shirt from the bottom of my dresser drawer and orange UT shorts to match. I modeled my outfit for Rachel and she approved. When we arrived at the Yoga studio there was a Yoga bouncer at the front of the door taking down names. I felt like I was entering some hip Miami South Beach club. I was disappointed to find out that the only reason they take down names is to get a head count of how many people can be in the class. Yoga is a very popular class and we were numbers 46 and 47.

Jack Johnson was playing in the background, I guess to set the mood. I can totally see Mr. Johnson digging Yoga, it was a nice choice for music. We got our Yoga mats and blocks. The blocks, as Rachel explained, "If you need to cheat you can use this, you know if you can't reach all the way down to the floor or something". We finally found our spots and I noticed I kept getting strange stares. I finally realized, after I looked around the studio, that I was the only male in the entire class. Rachel was wonderful at easy my anxiety, "They're probably thinking 'Oh I wish my boyfriend would come to yoga class with me'". I couldn't agree more with Rachel, that was precisely the reason they were staring at me. After a few minutes of talking the instructor started class.

50 minutes later I was a happier, more relaxed man. If you haven't tried it you're missing out on a great opportunity. I'm defiantly game to do Yoga again. Nomis Day!

Good News

This post is written in a bit of a rush, but I had to share some news. Today I ran 4 miles and I had little to no pain at all in my right knee!!! I don't want to get my hopes up, or rush to conclusions, but this is the first piece of good news for my knee in a long time. What has attributied to this sudden turn of events? It's tough to say but I have a few ideas.

First, I've been trying to keep very active without strain to my knee. The Jillian DVD has been a good companion and gives me a nice full body workout. Second, after each run I have been doing a regiment of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Third, I've cut down my mileage. Here is the breakdown for this week: Monday - 3 Tuesday - 3 Wednesday - rest Thursday- 4 Friday- rest Saturday - 6 Sunday - rest. And Fourthly, I've been slowing down my pace and trying to control my leg on the down-step.

I've noticed that when this injury first appeared about a month ago my gait was not in control to say the least. I have the bad habit of kicking my legs when I run. Imagine running and kicking a soccer ball the entire time. Instead my movements should be much more controlled. I really focused on my stride in today's run, and I think it paid off.

Gotta run (ha, no pun intended).

"... Just a little patience..."

Knees are the pistons of a runner. Recently, well not recently but a while back, I've been struggling with a knee issue. One of my pistons refuses to fire correctly. Specifically, my right has been held captive of Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). Dr. Cluett explains ITBS this way, "[It] occurs when there is irritation to this band of fibrous tissue. The irritation usually occurs over the outside of the knee joint, at the lateral epicondyle--the end of the femur (thigh) bone. The iliotibial band crosses bone and muscle at this point; between these structures is a bursa which should facilitate a smooth gliding motion. However, when inflamed, the iliotibial band does not glide easily, and pain associated with movement is the result".

When I run the pain is on the side of my right knee. It bothered me enough on my last run (January 2) to take time off for at least two weeks. I do want to mention that I have not gone to the doctor and therefore have not been given a formal diagnosis. Because the injury is has not reached the point of affecting my daily life. The pain or rather discomfort only comes when I'm running 4 or more miles.

This ordeal has been very difficult mentally. While I'm driving my car I'll see a runner and act like a dog who sees a squirrel. This bump in the road has presented opportunities to do some cross training. I've been swimming and discovered that I'm not the swimmer I was 10 years ago. And I've even worked out to Jillian MIchaels 30-Day Shred Workout DVD.

The Jillian DVD is my new nemesis. It is one of the hardest and complete workouts I've done since I began training. The first day I decided to work out with Jillian, Rosie (our dog) had such a confused look on her face. Rosie has been a great support while enduring the DVD workout. She sits our our red corduroy couch and watches the whole ordeal and her affectionate face keeps me a goin'.

There are three levels to her workouts and I thought that level two would be a piece of cake, but I struggle to keep up with her. I started out with five pound weights and after the first workout, I picked my arms off the ground (and my pride). During the next workout I went with the two and a half pounders that come in a lovely hot pink color. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you my manhood takes a shot each time I press play on Jillian's DVD. But I've swallowed my pride and I have really come to appreciate the DVD workout home video.

Martin Luther King Jr Day (January 18th) marks my first attempt back at running on a normal routine. I'll be modifying my schedule some, in order to accommodate appropriate milage for the week. I've very anxious about my long runs and hope my piston of a knee is ready for it. But as I said in my first post on this blog, all I can do is put my "good foot forward".