Nike Human Race: Inhumane conditions

I ran the Nike Human Race in Austin and in a word, I'll describe it like this: brutal!!!!!!!!!!

Weather at the starting gun: 94 degrees

And heat is something I'm used to (though I've never raced when it was that hot.)

But what made the heat so bad was all the damn hills.

And I don't mean gentle, rolling hills. I mean hills so steep that if you parked your car on one of them and didn't apply your emergency break, you wouldnt have a car anymore.

The hills started on mile 2 and never let up. Yeah, there were a few downhills as well, but not nearly enough of them. I stopped counting the steep inclines at mile 4. By then, I was just trying to survive the hills and the heat, which was very dangerous.

I've never stopped for water during a race shorter than a half-marathon. Never. Until Sunday. At about mile 3.5, my pride went out the window (and so did any chance of any pr) and I wound up stopping three or four times for water.

The heat took its toll on lots of people. I saw lots of people pull over to the side of the road, gasping, stretching, doing whatever they could to keep going or to keep the contents of their stomachs from plain site. When we were walking back to our car, we saw the medics all over this one guy on a Congress Street sidewalk. Oxygen, ice, IVs. It was not a pretty site.

My final unofficial time was 48:12 for the 10k. I dont know how that ranks me in Austin (the results were still coming in at midnight CST) or the world.

I will say this: Everyone had to wear red shirts and seeing the sea of red was pretty awesome. They also had Lance Armstrong, Olympic swimmer Aaron Piersall, and former WNBA player Cynthia Cooper running the race.

If they do this next year, they need to do it earlier in the morning when its not so hot, or pick a course not so hilly.

August running totals

Miles for the month: 140.32 on 20 runs

Time: 19 hours, 41 minutes, 46 seconds

Pace: 8:25 minutes per mile

Average heart rate: 80 percent of maximum
=============================
Miles for the year: 933.65 on 148 runs
Time: 5 days, 15 hours, 33 minutes, 30 seconds
Pace: 8:42 minutes per mile

Any Austin Nike Human Racers out there?

I'll be in Austin this weekend for the Nike Human Race.

Anybody else going? If so, let me know, maybe we can a quick hello before or after the race.

Fun with 40

I'm 40 today, which means I'm now running in the masters competition. And I'm not too happy about that. The 40-and-older gang is fast, real fast. It'll be harder than ever to even place in my age group now.

I thought instead of waxing poetic about what it means to be 40, I'd do a by the numbers post using 40 in all things blogging, running, and whatever else I could think of.

(By the way, I spent the first part of my day at the Fort Worth Zoo reporting on a story about some new Malayan tiger cubs.)

First 40-mile week: November 2005 training for the 2005 White Rock Lake Marathon.
First race of 40 minutes or more: 10k in Feb. 2005. Finishing time was 50:12
40th (known) visitor: From Keller, Texas. Feb. 19, 2008.
40th comment: From my co-worker, Patrick Walker about my six-word memoir.
40th post: Going to the doctor for foot pain.


Google keywords most often used to find my blog (Wont bore you with 40, but here are a few)
5ks and cabernets
revealing swimwear: From a post I wrote about the swimsuit that helps people set world records.
el scorcho run
5ksandcabernets
el scorcho run results
el scorcho results
el scorcho race results
wine marathon
post workout shake
marathon wine bottle
marathon running suit
how to cut a black man hair: From a post I wrote about how hard it is to find a barber in my neighborhood.
black marathoner
adidas supernova sequence reviews
age and marathon running
wine tasting run
drinking wine before 5k
wine drinking marathon training

When running with a gang is not so much fun.

My assignment today had me in one of the rougher neighborhoods of Fort Worth, trying to report whether the city's gang prevention initiatives in a particular neighborhood was working.

You can read about that story in a few days because I've yet to write the piece. But I can say this: It'd be pretty hard to be a runner in some of these neighborhoods. There was a known crack house just a few blocks away from a state-run daycare center, and at one of the parks, pit bulls were running around like squirrels. Sidewalks and buildings were marked, or tagged, by the gang members who run those blocks.

I've never even thought twice about the neighborhoods where I run. I don't carry mace with me. I leave my apartment unlocked when I don't feel like carrying my keys with me. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I had to "watch my back" every time I ran.

The thing is, I grew up in some gritty Dallas neighborhoods in the 1970s and early 1980s and never gave my surroundings a second thought. It was all I knew.

Once I graduated from college, I moved into the nicest neighborhoods my money could buy, so things seemed so foreign today.

I'm glad I live where I live but today reminded me to not take things for granted.

Salt tablets in my future?

I'm feeling better and better during my long runs as of late. At the end of a 13 miler two weeks ago and a 15.5-miler last weekend, I've been strong enough to end each run by running a sub 8-minute mile.

But I still feel like something is missing. About an hour into both runs, I could feel a slight twinge in my right quad, and by mile 10, I'm doing the splish-splash: Fill your shoes up with water and run and you know what I'm talking about.

One of the coaches I was running with last Saturday heard my feet squishing all over the place and he said, "Man, you sweat a lot." I told him I was having a little twinge in my leg. He said, "Man, Kevin, you are not breathing hard, you are talking, you probably should try some salt tablets."

At the time, I'd had a few gel shots, and at every water stop, I'd had two cups of water. I was drenched in sweat, but my sweat did not taste like salt. Also, my pace at the time was about an 8:15 or so mile, but the temperature was in the high 70s. So part of me thinks the quad twinge was in part because of how hot it was, and that maybe I need to spend more time running long distances. Still, I bet taking some Hammer endurolytes before and during my long runs can't hurt.

And it just so happens, the Hammer people sent me some freebies when I ordered their chocolate gel shots a few weeks back. So, I'll try these endurolyte tabs during this weekend's 12-miler and see how I feel. I also know that I need to stretch a lot more than I do.

Anybody take salt tablets like Hammer or Succeed? Do they help?

60 years of beans and cornbread

Sorry I've been away for soooo long. Nancy and Noah came to Fort Worth and so its pretty hard to blog when there is a toddler trying his best to rip the keys off your keyboard.

Saturday night, Nancy, Noah, and myself went to my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. It was a surprise party for them. We rented a room at the DeSoto Civic Center. My parents picked them up and when they came in the room, my grandmother nearly fainted as we shouted "Surprise." Later, she would say, "I was totally flabbergasted."

But for a while, I was pulling my phone out about to call 9-1-1. I thought she was having a heart attack. My grandfather was just beaming as he wore his tennis shoes and a Nike running suit. Everybody else had on slacks and shirts or dresses.

"We're you surprised," I asked my grandfather.

"Well, yeah," he said, "that's why I'm wearing what I'm wearing. I thought we were just gonna go to Luby's or something."

60 years: They have lived in the same house since I've been alive. Had the same phone number. The same pictures on the wall. The same Curtis Mathes TV set. The same rug in the bathroom.

When my parents would break up for a year or two, we'd always move in with my grandparents. (These are my mothers folks. My fathers folks are still alive as well!) We teased my grandmother a little bit Saturday about what she cooked for dinner. Roast Sunday. Leftovers Monday. Beans and hot-water cornbread Tuesday. Like clockwork. Every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. (Sorry, "Big Momma" mixed things up the rest of the week so I can't remember what the meals were after Tuesday.)

60 years: I have not had one relationship in my life that lasted much more than 60 months. I'm sure they got on each others nerves but I never heard them argue.

60 years: It makes me tired just thinking about how long that is.

RUNNING UPDATE: I ran 15.5 miles Saturday morning in about a 9-minute mile. The total time included the times I stopped for water or to stretch, and it also included 6 1-minute hill repeats at about mile 10. Still, I had enough left in me to do the last two miles in about 8:00 mile pace, so I'm getting used to this long-run thing.

Before the run, I did the P.O.M. prayer of atonement before the run, knowing that just because I had a good run one week didn't guarantee a good run the next week. I got through the run and wanted to lay down for about an hour, but when there is a 1-year-old who wants you to play, it doesn't matter how far you ran. So Noah and I got all sweaty on the floor (as his mother grimaced and wondered aloud how dirty I was making our child) and then when he took a nap, I took one.

60 years of beans and cornbread

Sorry I've been away for soooo long. Nancy and Noah came to Fort Worth and so its pretty hard to blog when there is a toddler trying his best to rip the keys off your keyboard.

 

Saturday night, Nancy, Noah, and myself went to my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. It was a surprise party for them. We rented a room at the DeSoto Civic Center. My parents picked them up and when they came in the room, my grandmother nearly fainted as we shouted "Surprise."

 

Later, she would say, "I was totally flabbergasted." But for a while, I was pulling my phone out about to call 9-1-1. I thought she was having a heart attack. My grandfather was just beaming as he wore his tennis shoes and a Nike running suit. Everybody else had on slacks and shirts or dresses.

 

"We're you surprised," I asked my grandfather.

 

"Well, yeah," he said, "that's why I'm wearing what I'm wearing. I thought we were just gonna go to Luby's or something."

 

60 years: They have lived in the same house since I've been alive. Had the same phone number. The same pictures on the wall. The same Curtis Mathes TV set. The same rug in the bathroom.

When my parents would break up for a year or two, we'd always move in with my grandparents. (These are my mothers folks. My fathers folks are still alive as well!) We teased my grandmother a little bit Saturday about what she cooked for dinner. Roast Sunday. Leftovers Monday. Beans and hot-water cornbread Tuesday. Like clockwork. Every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. (Sorry, "Big Momma" mixed things up the rest of the week so I can't remember what the meals were after Tuesday.)

60 years: I have not had one relationship in my life that lasted much more than 60 months. I'm sure they got on each others nerves but I never heard them argue.

60 years: It makes me tired just thinking about how long that is. 

 

I ran 15.5 miles Saturday morning in about a 9-minute mile. The total time included the times I stopped for water or to stretch, and it also included 6 1-minute hill repeats at about mile 10. Still, I had enough left in me to do the last two miles in about 8:00 mile pace, so I'm getting used to this long-run thing.

 

Before the run, I did the P.O.M. prayer of atonement before the run, knowing that just because I had a good run one week didn't guarantee a good run the next week. I got through the run and wanted to lay down for about an hour, but when there is a 1-year-old who wants you to play, it doesn't matter how far you ran. So Noah and I got all sweaty on the floor (as his mother grimaced and wondered aloud how dirty I was making our child) and then when he took a nap, I took one.

Running myself sick

As my weekly mileage has increased, so to have the aches and pains in my body: left heel; both calves; right quad and hip.

I know that if I take it easy and run a lot more slower miles, that pain will subside.

No, what I'm worried about is this physical blahs I've had since last Saturday. Low-grade fever. Chills. Low appetite. They say when you increase your mileage, (and I have gone from 25 miles a week in May to about 35 to 40 miles a week now) the first thing that goes is your immune system.

I feel better when I take a couple of ibuprofen, but 12 hours later the crappy feeling comes back again. I know I need to increase my protein intake, because protein strengthens your immune system. I'm also drinking plenty of fluids, vitamin C, water, etc.

This week, I'm dialing the miles back, resting every other day, eating more protein (in the form of protein shakes), and trying to get 8 hours of sleep.

And if I'm still feeling like this next week, I'm calling a doctor.

An interesting revelation

When I've had cramps in long races, they usually start in my inside right thigh.

They start there, I try to stretch, try to hydrate more, and things get worse and worse and pretty soon, I'm sick to my stomach from too many fluids, and worse, my whole leg starts pulsating and then the spasms start and then we are talking 12 and 13 minute miles.

But maybe these "cramps" I'm having are not really cramps at all.

My long run last Saturday called for 6 miles out, 5 1-minute hill repeats, and 6 miles back. (They didn't tell us before the run, but the 12-miler was actually 13 miles. Sneaky, sneaky!)

Sure enough, my inner right thigh started bothering me when the hills started. I stretched some during the hills, at mile 8, and again at mile 10. Because I'd held back the first half of the run, I was strong enough to do the last three miles in under 24 minutes.

Still, I was kinda bummed about my right thigh. Good thing the marathon training people from Lukes Locker had a doc on hand answering questions afterwards. I told him about my malady and he said its probably not a cramp at all, but most likely an adductor injury that has been brought on by overuse.

Hmmmm.

He said I should stretch much more than I am now - groin, quads, back - then he told me to ice as much as I could and sent me on my way.

Even though this advice was pretty simple, it's got me excited. This injury always flares up on any run I do longer than 90 minutes. I can be running an 8-something-minute mile, and then this thing grips my inner right thigh and all of a sudden, an 8-minute-mile may as well be a 4-minute mile.

But if I can keep stretching, do some leg weights to strengthen my quads, then maybe, just maybe...

What's that Boston Qualifying time for me?

Better not get too far ahead of myself.

Technically, it was an ultra-marathon, wasn't it?

My Garmin said I ran 26.75 miles during my last marathon, in December 2007. Was I zig-zagging too much, or did the White Rock Marathon people need this guy to measure the course. This is a neat little feature in the New York Times this morning about how they are measuring the Olympic marathon course. The womens marathon is Sunday, the mens is next weekend.

Writing again: It ain't Watergate, and it won't win me a Pulitzer but Thursday I wrote my first story in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since April 2002. You can read about a canoe trail opening up on Lake Arlington here.

Tempo speed: Thursday called for 15 minutes easy, a 20 minute tempo run (10k race pace), and 25 minute cool down. The day before I'd run some intervals, so I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up.

In 20 minutes, I ran 2.82 miles, a 7:04 pace. Heart rate averaged 88 percent with a high of 92 percent. I didn't feel gassed at the end, though by the 15th minute I was ready for the run to be over.

It takes a lot of concentration to keep this kind of pace. Its not all out sprinting, but it aint a walk in the park either. Still, just by heart rate alone I know I'm getting in good shape.

On Jan. 1, I ran a 5K in about the same pace as Thursday morning. It was 40 degrees cooler and my heart rate average for the entire run was 93 percent.

Wonder how I'd do now if it was 35 degrees outside.

A sub 21-minute 5K definitely looks to be in the making for me.

On intervals, an infants first steps, and an elbow bent the wrong way

I did more intervals today. This time, I did 10x400 meter intervals around the track at TCU.

It was humid, very humid. You know when you step out of the shower and the mirror is all foggy? That's how humid it was this morning in Fort Worth. A misty glaze on everyone's car windows, and lots of dew on the ground.

Still, I did each of the intervals between 1:34 and 1:38. I'm not really a big fan of 400 meter intervals because they are not long enough to get your heart rate real high. I didn't get to 90 percent heart rate max until the 10th and final interval. But, hey, they say these short intervals are good for leg turnover, etc. So, I'll take it.

Marathon training: Ive got a little more than 17 weeks before White Rock and I think I'm going to start following the Lukes Locker schedule a little more closely. The weeks now call for a long run (which Ive been doing), and a tempo run. My tempo run, which should only be 20 to 25 minutes, should be done at 7:10 pace. Uhhhh, okay. I guess I'll do that. I'm also going to keep a session of intervals in the weekly mix. Maybe next week, I'll do some 800 meter intervals.
Bottom line, I need to do more runs at 8:30 or slower, which is about 25 percent slower than my VO2max (6:45 minute/mile). Running at 8:30 or slower will help me conserve fuel, keep injuries at bay, and be fresh for the harder workouts.

Noah update: This morning, he walked 16 steps, Nancy reports. Then, when she got home, he walked across the room to greet her. Its official. Noah is a walker. I'm already going to fit him for a marathon bib.

Olympics catastrophe: I'm enjoying Michael Phelps win all these gold medals like the rest of the U.S.A. And I can't wait until the track and field events. One story that hasn't been shown much on NBCs coverage (and thank God) is the misfortune of a Hungarian weightlifter who dislocated his right elbow as he hoisted a God-awful amount of weight above his head. Here is the video, if you can stomach the site of an elbow bent the other way. The odd thing is while he lay on the mat writhing in pain, these people came from out of nowhere to keep the cameras from showing him scream. Not one of them tried to help the poor guy.

Ch-Ch-Changes...

1. The kiddo. He's got his first real cold, Nancy reports. But there is even a silver lining in that. While they were in the waiting room at the doctors office in Austin, he stood up and took three steps because he wanted a toy. My son is walking!!!! Now, if he can just hold on until I get there this weekend. (This photo is of Noah on the day of his birthday party a few weeks back. He was standing up back then.)

2. Job. We've had a lot of layoffs at the paper, which have left us short on reporters. So, I moved from editing education to covering government, i.e., the county appraisal district, council of governments, Fort Worth Zoo, code enforcement.

I haven't written a story for publication since the early 2000s. Do I have stage fright? Writers block? Nahhhh. In my previous life, I've gone face to face with Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban, Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith. An angry mayor or city councilman won't scare me.

Getting my long-run confidence back

The last two runs I've done that have been longer than 10 miles have not ended well.

I started cramping at mile 10 of the 25K El Scorcho race on July 20. And I was so sick at the start of an 11-miler on July 26 that I had to walk for much of the last mile.

So even though I'm doing sub 8s for tempo runs and sub 7s for intervals, my long run confidence has been shot.

Boy, did I need today's run to get that confidence back.

My marathon training schedule called for 14 miles, with 5 hill repeats somewhere along mile 9.

I brought along two Hammer chocolate gel shots, which I took at Mile 5 and Mile 10. I drank two cups of water at each water stand, which were placed two miles apart.

It was 80 degrees with humidity about 78 percent. And there were hills everywhere.

And I did just fine. My goal was to try to run most of my miles between 8:30 and 8:45.

But after the first two warmup miles, my adrenaline got the best of me. Each mile between 3 and 8 were between 7:50 and 8:10. The 7:50 came after I took my first Hammer shot. Whooo-hooo, that gave me this crazy burst of energy.

The good feeling didn't last long as Mile 9 brought the hill repeats. 100 feet in about a 10th of a mile. Our group leader said we shouldn't do them if we weren't feeling good. I tried one and it just about took everything out of me. The inside of my right thigh also started cramping real bad, but I stopped, stretched real good and continued, though I was done with the dang hill repeats. Heck, most of the run was one big hill repeat.

The rest of my run was a struggle, but I was able to run a sub 9 for three of the last five miles. I finished the 14.18 mile course in 2:02:45, about an 8:39 pace. (Total time doesn't include me stopping for about 30 seconds at each of the water stations) My last mile, in which both hamstrings and calves, started twitching, was in about 10 minutes, so you can tell I was hurting and would not have been able to do another 3 miles in 8:39 pace.

Still, it was just the kind of run I needed to remind me that I can do this marathon thing. I've got to run slower on these long runs, especially in the beginning and I need to keep up with the fluids as I did today. Also, because this was my longest run since El Scorcho 20 days ago, my body wasn't quite used to the long distance.

But good thing White Rock Marathon is in December, not September.

There is plenty of time to get better.

Brett Favre: A nice guy.

(This post originally ran March 4. Thought I'd re-run it with Brett Favre's comeback announcement)

This may be a blog about running, but I thought I'd weigh in on the news of Brett Favre's retirement/comeback.
Here is a true story: In my previous life as a sportswriter, I was sent to Green Bay during training camp to do a feature on the Packers. This was the summer of 1999. While in Green Bay, I ate at Favre’s restaurant, a steakhouse. The service was kind of slow and the food was so-so. The next day, I’m at the Packers facility and I spot Favre sitting alone at his locker. I walked up to him. Told him my name and the paper I was with. Then I told him about the service at his restaurant. He said, “Man, I’m sorry about that. I guess I’ll have to say something.” Don’t know if he said something or not. But his response was real classy.
I never went back to his restaurant. But how could you not like the guy on the football field?

I like running fast more than I like running far

For the first time in two months, I decided to do some interval training this morning.

 

4x1000 at the track and field stadium at TCU.

 

Did a 1-mile warm-up first (Gawd, its boring running in circles). Then, my calves still a little achy from Tuesday morning's run, I took off.

 

First 1,000-meter interval: 4:09 (6:46 min/mile pace).

Second: 4:09 (6:46)

Third 4:08 (6:44)

Fourth 4:04 (6:38)

 

I "rested" 3:30 between each interval, with rest being relative. Between the first two intervals, I was still fresh enough that I felt like jogging (albeit slowly). Between the last two intervals, uh, well, lets say I walked the first minute of the rest period, then finished the rest period with a jog.

 

I felt controlled for each interval, like I could have kept the pace for at least another 400 meters. My heart rate for the entire set of intervals got as high as 92 percent max, and this was near the end of the last two intervals. If I could keep such a pace for an entire 5K, I'd shave a minute off the last 5K I ran in May, when it was 25 degrees cooler outside than it is now.

 

I like running fast more than I like running far. I don't think I'm ready to mark down a sub 21-minute 5K just yet, but hopefully I can get there before the end of the year.

 

Still, my biggest goal remains a sub 4 hour marathon. I'd take that right now.

Taper terrific

Wow!

Four days of no running does wonders for the legs.

With the temperature hovering around 81 degrees, I took off for my 7-mile group run with the Luke's Locker folks this morning.

I felt real strong the entire time. At one point, I looked at the Garmin and it said my pace was 6:50-something. I wasn't breathing hard. Didn't feel like I was laboring.

For most of the run, I was striding (and able to talk a little) with the 7:30 milers until between mile 5 and 5 when THE BIG HILLS came up out of nowhere.

Still, I finished the run in a about 54 minutes, which is a pace of about 7:43. I was not huffing and puffing at the end.

Too bad I can't take four days off before every run.

Marathon training restart

I'm just getting back from Austin where I celebrated Noah's 1st birthday.

I stayed away from blogging and from running. (This is my longest time away from running since March. It's time to re-start the marathon training).

Noah is growing up so fast. He is, they say, cruising. He can pull himself up and walk around a couch or an ottoman. Being away from him so much, I always wonder if he'll remember me when I come to town every two weeks. When I got to Austin and opened the door, he jumped off his grandmother's lap and crawled/rolled/stumbled to me as fast as he could. So sweet.

He didn't eat his birthday cake, and in fact, he seemed afraid of it. But he ate the carrots. Weird. We had a petting zoo for him. But he didn't like the Llamas or the goat. but he laughed a lot and probably didn't get any sleep or nap time the whole time I was there.

He looks really good and is really happy and I have to give his mother all the credit. She'd ask him, "How old are you?" and he'd grunt and put up one finger. The mothers of a lot of his friends came over and they sang happy birthday to him and he'd clap his hands when they were done and it took everything I had not to just start balling my eyes out.

I am really itching to get back running. I was going to run 12 miles last Friday morning, but there was lightning everywhere. I was going to run 6 miles Sunday morning, but I had a bad hangover from drinking so much after Noah's birthday party.

So this week, I should be ready. I'm supposed to do about 35 to 40 miles with a 14 mile long run on Saturday with 5 hill repeats. I gotta get my eating back on track and make sure I get enough sleep and I should be okay.

My July running totals

Miles run in July: 135.54

Time: 19 hours, 23 minutes on the dot

Pace: 8:34

Average heart rate: 80 percent maximum

Weight: 160

Year to date totals: 793.34 miles run

total time: 4 days, 19 hours, 48 minutes, 47 seconds

pace: 8:45

heart rate: 80.5 percent maximum