2013 Flower City Half Marathon Race Report!

   My thoughts on today's running of the Flower City Half Marathon are summed up nicely in this recent quote that I found from all places, in a Gatorade ad: "There is a moment in every race. A moment where you can either quit, fold, or say to yourself, 'I can do this.'" 

   Since this is my 1st official race report for my blog, let's get moving because the gun's gone off, the clock's ticking and this is going to be a long one! I've run this particular race three times now and usually it's not a very warm one. But, today the Running Gods smiled down onto our small little upstate NY town and blessed us with some of the most incredible race weather I've ever seen. I've read a lot of material related to running distance and somewhere I read that the experts have calculated the optimal running temperature for a 26.2 to be 53 degrees. Going with that premise it should apply to 13.1's too. The temperature this morning when I started my truck to get it warm for the drive into the city was in the mid 40's. Which wasn't that bad. Even after all this time and using a cool little iphone app that's made for idiots like me to tell them what to wear for certain conditions when running, I still manage to screw it up! Last year's race was much cooler and I made the mistake of wearing what I thought was a light jacket and suffered with sweating after the sun rose. So, I'll take the mid 40's because that meant it'll warm up to the mid 50's and that I could just go with a technical short sleeve tee, shorts and running cap. By the end of the race though, I was ready to rip it all off. Apparently that extra degrees over 52 is NOT a good thing!

   I had a wicked stomach flu about three days out from the race. Thankfully it happened that far out and only lasted a little more than 24 hours! There's absolutely no possible way that I could've run with that. But, even with being that far out it still screwed up my ability to load up on carbohydrates before the race. I've had some success with carbo loading and love to eat. So, on the day before the race I tried using a favorite author's formula and attempted to eat over 700  grams of carbohydrates based on my body weight. Now, let me tell you, I was a little fat kid growing up and I can still pack it away. I love food! But, I just couldn't do it man! I never thought that I'd say that I was sick and tired of eating and drinking water. I managed about 550 grams. That would have to do! 

   I ate a bagel and drank some coffee as my truck warmed up. You'd think that I wouldn't still get the nervous jitters before a race. But my nerves went CRAZY! Part of it was my own doing of course. Looking at my splits after smashing my previous half marathon time last year by more than seven minutes made me wonder how the hell I could improve on that? When you run distance you can call it a big win when you break those PR's by seconds, not seven whole minutes! I was doubtful I could improve on that. I calmed myself and got out on the road. I needed to get away from my running log and a bathroom. I was nervously peeing like a pregnant woman! 

   I surprisingly drove slow but blasted my feel good "I'm going to kick ass today" race metal as usual. One of the reasons I love this race is because it starts right next to the jail that I work at. Which means I already have a parking pass at the nearest garage and can deftly maneuver around the long car lines of runners paying at the entrance. If looks could kill when I drove up I'd would've been dead like 10 times over! Another benefit was that I could hop into the sheriff's department locker room to, you guessed it, pee like a pregnant woman again! Funny the looks I got from the midnight deputies as they changed to go home!

   Got back to the truck, did one last equipment check and was off. Over the years I've come to realize that I have a little OCD. I need things my way, especially when I race. My very 1st marathon taught me to NEVER trust the provided hydration and fuel options. I'm one of the lucky runners who can down just about any type of hydration or fuel product without stomach issues. But, during my first marathon I didn't bring anything because the course write up proclaimed that there would be Gatorade every two miles and gel fuel every seven. I thought why carry it if I don't have to. Well, all I can say is that I never want to run 26.2 miles EVER again with just water and a single cherry popsicle. By the time I got to the Gatorade stations, all they had was water. The gels disappeared just as quickly before I got to them. I did it but I was so hungry and delirious at the finish line, I could've ate dirt! So, now I wear a belt with my own fluid and fuel replacement. I look completely like batman. But it ensures that I have all that I need. I also have nice little pouches for car keys, my ipod and iphone. Everything was accounted for!

   The starting line area was mobbed! Over 2500 runners ran the half and it's just an amazing feeling to be standing there with that many fellow runners. You can feel the energy in the air! So much hope. So much potential. I walked around a little. Took some pics to to post on FB. 

 The start!

 The Blue Cross Arena (But, if you're a true Rochesterarian, then it'll always be known as the War Memorial)!

 Nice view from the Broad St. bridge overlooking the Genesee River!

   I Then lined up between the 1:30 and 1:45 pace groups. I love to size up the competition at the start line. But it always seems like they all look way fitter than I do! The race director paid tribute to Boston, the national anthem was sung and ipods and GPS watches came to life! I managed to snap one pic as the gun went off. 

  

     

I love running shoes!

   I was really jonesing to break that amazing record of last year. So, I knew that I needed to hit a a mile pace faster than 8:03. I remember saying to myself last year that I was just going to push hard until the halfway mark and then throttle back. I decided to go with that plan again this year. First split was 7:46. Perfect because I wanted to try to get a little warmed up before I really started to hit it and it was faster than 8:03. After that I don't know what the hell happened? The following splits were 7:23, 7:24, 7:23, 7:21 and 7:29! Now, you gotta understand, even with all the training and weight loss I still don't consider myself a very fast runner. I still see myself as that little fat kid. But damn! I clocked those miles faster than what I do my God awful weekly speedwork at! I still don't believe them! I didn't think I could move that fast! After that the damn hills started. My training has been really solid this year and made more so by running the main road that my house is off of. It's hilly as hell. Hills suck big time. But without them I don't think I would've been able to keep moving through the race's. Even with the hill training, my splits suffered at 7:59, 8:20, 7:36 and 8:00. It's beautiful to run through Mt. Hope Cemetery where Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas are buried. But after the winding hills and running up an ancient and uneven cobblestone road I was ready to lay down in a fresh grave myself! Around this point I came to a untimely late conclusion with regards to my hydration and fuel. Something that I never considered until nine miles into a half marathon. With my increased weight loss I never recalculated the required amounts based on my new size. I felt like a puffer fish downing fluid and fuel for a 180 lbs. runner that doesn't exist anymore. Going to have to get that figured out before this year's marathon! I was thankful to get out of the cemetery and head back towards the city. Finally, some downhills! Then I got a disturbing twinge in my right hamstring. On and off I've had trouble with leg cramping during distance races. I've yet to get it locked down. The only thing that seems to help are Endurolytes, a salt tablet made by the Hammer Products who also makes my hydration fluid and fuel. I wasn't even close to being dehydrated. I felt like I had to pee the entire race. But I was desperate to get rid of the cramping before it got worse and grinded me to a halt. I popped two and hopped for the best. The following miles were a battle. It had gotten pretty warm with no clouds in the sky and full sun. I honestly don't know how I hang on. I almost stopped. 7:45 was still good. But I knew the last two were going to be challenging. I switched my Garmin GPS watch over from the time and mile pace screen to one displaying my goal pace versus my current as two running stick figures. I was about two minutes ahead of my goal beating my old PR. It was going to be close. I heard that voice screaming at me to walk, stop, give up. I was hot and sweaty, I was still slightly cramping but now in both legs, my legs were burning, I couldn't even think about how I was going to run another 2.1 miles! But, like the quote says "I can do this!" I put my head down, gritted my teeth and willed myself to run. Final two miles 8:06 and 8:14. I rounded that last corner 0.1 miles away from the finish line and looked at my Garmin. Unless I fell down and died right there, I was going to do it. Funny how two miles ago I was doubtful that I could finish and now I look down and my legs began to come back from the dead. I glanced to my right and saw a young "fitter" looking woman starting to outpace me for the finish. Maybe someday sweetheart, but TODAY is NOT that day. I gave it all I got and ran that last small section at a  7:03 mile pace speed, my fastest in the entire race. I had somehow done the impossible AGAIN! 

   I once read that typical amatuer runners peak after seven years. How depressing! Only good seven years of PR's? I know that someday the clock won't favor me with faster times anymore. Maybe then I'll have to reconsider what I deem to be successful in a race. But for today, it was nice to NOT be a typical runner who peaked five years ago. 

   I walked around the arena in a glowing daze. I downed some water. God, that was some great tasting water! Walked into the recovery zone and received a free five minute well deserved chair massage. Posted a emotionally filled post and victory pic on FB.

  I went back outside, sat down on some steps near the finish line and enjoyed watching other runners finish their races. The sun shined down on my face, I thought about what an amazing journey and transformation running has been for me and read the many congratulations from friends not there posted on FB. Thank you. I had to quickly wipe a tear or two away as coworkers somehow found my finish line sun tanning spot and came up to congratulate me.

   Another race down, another PR, numerous lessons learned and much enjoyment. To search within yourself for a strength that you never thought possible when faced with what seem insurmountable challenges is what this amazing sport is all about. Those challenges come in many forms during life. But there's always only two answers to  those challenges: you can quit, fold or you can DO THIS! If a once little fat kid can do this, then you can too. Run for your lives my friends....   

Boston, The Dreaded Taper & My Chiropractor...

   Last week was a tough one for us runners. The events of the Boston Marathon bombings, as they've been come to be known, have changed the face of our sport forever. It was our worst nightmare. Our version of 9-11. 

   I must admit that I was a little surprised at the texts, calls and posts on Facebook asking if I was safe. If I was running Boston. If I was Ok. Never thought I would say that I was fortunate to not be running Boston. Thank you everybody for your concern.

   As a runner I felt so much despair for the runners and spectators who were either killed or injured during the bombing. I just couldn't take my eyes off the videos or news broadcasts covering the event. I watched in horror again and again as the bombs went off. As some of you know, qualifying for Boston is an extremely difficult accomplishment. Some runners have trained two years or more to get the chance to run. Boston is the pinnacle of our sport. Some of the runners were fast enough to finish before the bombs went off. Only to have the joy of their race overshadowed by the tragic events. Some of the runners were still on the course when the bombs went off. They were forced off the course. Told that they wouldn't be able to finish their race. Their dream was over. It's been difficult wading through the Facebook running community's comments, pictures and posts. It's been difficult listening to the first hand accounts on our running podcasts.     

   As a member of the law enforcement community I watched throughout the week in interest as the Boston PD and FBI chased down the final suspect. In a way the bombers picked their target quite well. I haven't been fortunate enough to run Boston yet. But if the crowds were anything like the NYC marathon that I've run twice, then people were packed five or more deep on either side of the finish line. Perfect, organized targets. But the bombers were naive in their selection too. I don't think they realized how much video and photographs are taken at an event like Boston. Thankfully they didn't remain hidden for long. Boston's law enforcement and the FBI were not going to let these cowards escape. They did their job well and eventually managed to capture the lone surviving bomber as he lay wounded in a boat. I cheered when I heard the news. No more casualties. No more fellow officers fallen in the line of duty or innocents killed. 

   As a community we, mourned. But we are a different breed us runners. We continue on where most would simply sit down and give up. We endure. We run on. I along with many of you didn't let this single event define our sport. We got up and ran all week for Boston. Some of us wore race shirts, running shoes to work and posted pictures on Facebook of groups of runners that were Boston marathoners for a day. I was so overcome with emotion and have never felt more proud to call myself a runner. The week moves on and so will we. People will try to search for answers why. There are no answers why for an act like this. 

   This event hasn't struck fear into our hearts. It has united a nation behind the city of Boston. It has strengthened the bonds of our running community. It will even motivate people to get out there on the roads to discover the joy of running. Cowards, you have failed. 

   It was a hell of a week. But life continues. On Sunday I ran eight miles which was my last long run before the Flower City Half Marathon this Sunday. I'm now fully into the dreaded taper. If you want to make a distance runner cranky, then tell him he needs to rest and then cut his mileage down. After doing this for so long you'd think that I'd get used to the idea of the taper. But each time I go through one, I go freaking stir crazy. Self doubts begin to creep into my brain. Did I train hard enough? Did I run enough? Did I do enough cross-training? Enough stretching? But there's nothing I could do this week to make any drastic improvements to help me during my race. So, today I ran six miles easy. By midweek I plan on just doing a couple of miles to keep the project going and to stay loose. I'll be thoroughly chomping at the bit come Sunday morning. I'm really nervous about this race. Last year's race was amazing and I would love to be able to break that 8:00 mile PR pace. But I don't honestly know if I can. I'm about five pounds lighter than last year. Maybe that'll give me the extra edge that I need. Picked up my race bib and shirt today. Stocked up on some Heed electrolyte drink and Hammer gels. The nice girl at the running store even managed to find me some espresso flavored ones with caffeine in the back room! PR or not, I will enjoy the hell out of that race. 

   Went to see a chiropractor for the first time today. I've been having this nagging lower back pain for about six months now. Some of the runners at my gym recommended that I give this guy a try. He's even a triathlete and knows his stuff. I've always been a little dubious about chiropractors. But I need to resolve this issue. He was really great! I liked his approach and he's confident that we can resolve my issues within a week or little more! Sometimes it's good to go out there and try something different! 

   With all the added rest time this week I plan on doing some spring cleaning to keep my mind off not running. The warmer weather is finally starting to arrive! You may even get a few bonus 366 posts! I hope that life finds you hopeful, happy and Boston Strong my friends! Run for your lives...

A Shirt To Honor Boston...

   As I read the news stories and watch the homemade videos of the horror in Boston today I experience waves of disgust, hate and sadness for such a cowardly and senseless act. I know that my viewpoint is skewed, but as a group runners are some of the finest people that I've ever known. We accept each other regardless of race, religion, skin color, sexual orientation, nationality, age, size or running ability. During races elites tow the starting line with amateurs. We run for charities, we run to better ourselves, we run to be positive role models in our communities. We encourage everyone to not settle for the couch and a life full of obesity, health problems and early death. We tirelessly train through rain, sleet and snow while others look on, shake their heads and mutter how we're crazy but think (Damn, wish I could do that!) We take stairs instead of elevators, pass on the morning doughnut and are the envy of people who wished that they could look that good after running "just" 10 miles. 

   The other night during dinner my eight year old son and I were talking about running. He said that I was the toughest man that he knew because I could run marathons. It's time for all of us to be tough and do what we do best tomorrow, put one foot in front of the other and push on, keep training, keep being positive influences, keep being runners. The injured will be treated, the dead laid to rest, the investigation will continue and Boston will get her justice in time. Apparently there's a social media movement in motion to show support for Boston tomorrow by wearing a race shirt. Now is not the time for hate, anger or retribution. It's time to put on a shirt...

100 Days Down...

   If you would've asked me last year if I thought that I could run non-stop for 100 days I would've said absolutely not and then asked you why would anyone EVER do something that stupid. Well, today is day 100 in the project and so far I've run over 492 miles. Pretty freakin cool! Am I crazy? Maybe. What have I learned so far in this journey? 

   I've always know that running is the kind of activity that can only be fully experienced outside. Not on a treadmill. This year I've done much more running outside than ever before. Through snow, sleet and rain I've been out there hitting the roads. I've done some running on the gym's treadmills too. But I far enjoy those miles more when I'm outside. I've also learned that when you live near a lake, that trying to decide what to wear for your run can be a challenge. That big old body of water can drop the overall air temperature quite a bit. I had to even call for rescue one run to avoid frostbitten fingers! Who ever said running isn't a dangerous sport obviously has never been four miles out from their house with no feeling in their hands. 

   Over 11 years I've really come to love the sport of long distance running. It's just an amazing feeling to be out there and run distances from 5K to marathon in length. I've never considered myself much of a sprinter. But with adding that one mile run on my Sunday's to keep the project going I've discovered that sprinting is a lot of fun too. I always start out those mile runs telling myself to keep it steady, slow and easy. But then a good song rotates into the playlist, the sun peeks through the clouds and I find myself running like a little kid! When's the last time you ran fast to feel the wind whip through your hair, your heart beating, your legs pumping? Try it sometime. You'll forget what's bothering you by the second minute. 

   My son told me that he wanted to start running this year with me. He's like most little eight year old boys. Loves to play video games. Sometimes too much. He's tried lacrosse and wrestling. But he didn't enjoy either. So, I'm hoping that this "running phase" may stick. We haven't been able to get out there much because the weather is still too cold for him. But the last run we did was on the trail near my house. It was just plain amazing to be running alongside him. Most distance runners go on their journey alone. Most times it's challenging to run with a partner. Your paces don't always match, your fitness levels are different and sometimes you just don't want to talk. But as I go out on these runs with him I'm discovering that it's a great time to get inside his head. See the world through his eyes. To have those conversations that aren't just filler. He's quickly becoming my favorite running partner. Running with a partner isn't so bad. 

   After running this much this long I'm starting to realize even more than ever how important my diet is. The old adage of you are what you eat is so true. When I eat like garbage, drink a little too much alcohol or eat too many sweets I find myself suffering for it during my run the next day. It's depressing to think that I was ten pounds lighter before my marathon last year. But I'm determined to get back to my racing weight through a good healthy diet. 

   I thought that running an extra day a week would be a piece of cake for me. I'm a runner. It's what I do. It's only a mile right? Wrong. I may be a runner. I may enjoy the hell out of it. But it does affect your body. So far this year I've experienced some nagging anterior ankle pain and have now developed a severe muscle strain in both, yeah freakin both of my glute muscles. What a pain in the ass, literally! I'm going to make an appointment with a chiropractor this week to see if they can do anything. I've been putting in my stretching time like a champ. I've discovered that I'm in love with my wife's foam roller. Shhh, don't tell her. Running isn't bad for you. But it does require some preventive maintenance. You have to stretch, drink water and maybe research some alternative solutions to ensure your body is there for you when you need it. I'm a huge proponent of Glucosamine, Chondroitin and fish oil. The tart cherry juice has made it into the rotation as well. It definitely has helped with some of my overall soreness and the Melatonin naturally found in cherries is helping to get the best sleep I've had in awhile. 

   One of the reasons that I started this project was to give myself a new and different physical challenge. I also started it because I wanted to be a part of the run-net community through this blog. I was really nervous at first. But after some encouragement from friends I got up and blogging. I've come to really enjoy writing about my running, my life, this journey. I'm always surprised when someone comments on one of my blogs. Why would anyone want to read about my life? My running? I honestly have no clue. If I can encourage even just one person to get off the couch and rediscover something that their body was made to do. Then I'd call that a huge win! 

   If you follow me on Facebook then you know that this week I made a decision. I needed to change some things with my plan for my Fall marathon. I was originally planning on trying to cut my mile pace time by 30 seconds. Since January I've been running a lot of fast miles, lifting heavy on my cross-training days and frankly pushing way too hard. Oh yeah, and running everyday. It's started to become not fun. So this week I decided to lighten the weights and slow the pace. My obsession with running fast is a trait that many runners share. You always want to do it faster, keep beating your personal records and outrun your old self. My eagerness to get faster blinded me to that fact that I was doing too much. All I needed was one good day a week run at goal pace. Not all my mileage. All I needed was to build up a steady endurance that'll carry me through 26.2 miles. Not get super strong in a short time. What do you know, even seasoned runners can get a little ahead of themselves and do stupid things. Thankfully this week I realized that.

   There will come a day when the PR's do stop. There will come a day when I can no longer run the distances that I do today. There will come a day when my mile splits will have two digits in them. But my friends, today is not that day. One of the most incredible things about running is that essentially it all comes down to putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not giving up on running this year's marathon 30 seconds per mile faster. I'm still going to train hard. But I'm going to build on the amazing gains of last year and train smarter. Not destroy myself everyday and become miserable. What's this project about? It's about just putting one foot in front of the other. That's what it's really about isn't it? The time doesn't matter. The experience does. I'm not someone who's very good at living in the moment. But I'm trying, one foot at a time. As always, thank you for reading. Run for your lives my friends... 

Let's Catch Up...

   Well my friends another week in the books. Hope everybody's Easter was nice. I had to work on Easter Sunday. So we had the family over on Saturday to celebrate. It was a beautiful day. But after a very emotional week and running a half marathon distance in honor of my friend's son that morning, I was just plain exhausted. The run was one of the most memorable in my life and I'd do it again. But it just plain kicked my ass. Which, was really disappointing after having a great half marathon distance run the previous Saturday. After falling asleep on the living room floor for a little while after dinner, and snoring apparently at the top of my lungs, I was able to enjoy the rest of the day. When you start running distance you soon realize that some runs are better than others for a variety of reasons. But one thing that I notice is that I always feel better after a run. Even after the ugly ones.
   The rest of the week went pretty good. I've now got a little less than a month left before the Flower City Half Marathon. So I decided to tighten up the diet a little bit. No more extra servings, not as much of the sweet stuff and less alcohol. I've been doing good with my diet so far.
   On a side note my allergies have flared up again this year and I started taking the generic form of Alegra D. I had to take it daily for the first time last year and my suspicions were confirmed this week. Something in the medicine suppresses my appetite like crazy. Which I guess if I have to take it isn't such a terrible side effect.
   I also decided this week to try to start increasing my mile pace for the majority of my mileage to my new marathon goal pace of 8:30. I successfully did this last year changing my standard pace from a 10:00 mile to a 9:00. It was hard as hell to do. But I think that without doing that I would've never clocked a sub four hour marathon for 2012. I've only changed about two miles out of my routine and it's already hard. Hopefully I can keep the momentum rolling and make it so that I'm more comfortable with it by September.
   The weather here in upstate NY seems to finally be changing to something resembling spring. Today there were light clouds in the sky and brilliant sunshine. It looked really spring-like, until you stepped out the door. The winds were gusty and with the wind chill the temperature was a very non-spring-like 16 degrees. The weatherman said this was going to be one of the last, if not the last cold day for a long time. I didn't feel like becoming a popsicle for my planned six miler. So I opted to try the Hojack Trail near my home. I haven't run on it for a long time due to heavy ice and snow. Most everything is melted now so I decided to give it a try.
   After a really hard cross-training workout yesterday I found that I was really sore and tight for the first mile. The tree cover also played havoc with my GPS putting my pace all over the place. But after that first mile everything settled down. I stopped every now and then to snap a pic. The trail was in really good shape and deserted. It was just what I needed today. I found myself having to slow down quite a bit. The legs wanted to run at the new goal pace. Slow and easy Mark. Not a speedwork day! Three miles out I turned around to head home. The trees didn't block as much of the lake wind as I would've liked. But overall it was a great run through the woods.
   Hope your week is moving along well. Hope you're making positive changes in your life to improve who you are. Spring is coming. Warmer weather. Perfect weather to run for your lives my friends...

Loved the sun poking through the trees!

Hopefully my future pics won't have winter weather gear!

13.1 Miles For Jacob...

   Well, my friends it's been a while since I've posted here. This week has been an emotional roller coaster. Last Friday my friend Adam, AKA: Zen Runner posted something on FB that I thought I'd never see. His wonderfully amazing son, Jacob decided to sadly take his own life. To say that it's affected me is an understatement. I didn't personally know Jacob. But I knew that he was an amazingly talented bass player, super intelligent, that he enjoyed learning martial arts, that he had a bright future and that he was incredibly loved by his family. 

   When I read the post I was speechless. Jacob was Adam's life. For those of you who don't know Adam, well, you're at a loss. I met Adam a while ago through the run-net community. He's a runner, a podcaster and one of the most sincere people I've ever known. He's one of those people who has the gift of gab and the mind of a genius. When you listen to him, you can't help but become infected with his enthusiasm. It's a fact that without him and other people in the run-net community supporting me last year I would've never reached my dream of running a sub four hour marathon. I can't imagine how devastated he must be. I wept for his loss.

   As a father this kind of news just scares the living shit out of me. Here was a young man who had everything going for him and a family that cared deeply for him. All the right things in all the right places. How could this happen? I couldn't help but obsess all week about my own son and his future choices. Am I doing enough? 

   As a law enforcement professional I'm well aware of how often people make this choice. Recently two of my friends at work decided to take their own lives all in a single year. Inmates in the jail that I work at regularly say they're going to kill themselves and sometimes do. Everyday I encounter and have to manage individuals with numerous mental health issues. This is the reality of law enforcement today. Look at the recent tragedies in my home town of West Webster, NY which occurred about a mile from my home and Sandy Hook Elementary. It's a reality for all of us.  

   As a young man beginning to get to know his father only to have him pass away when I was 16 I'm well acquainted with depression. It took about three years for me to move through that phase of my life. I missed a lot of school. Almost got kicked out of high school. Racked up a misdemeanor conviction. Slept most of the time. On more than one occasion I considered ending all the pain and despair. One night I almost managed to do that. But for some reason survived. I saw counselors. I healed. I crawled out of that pit and rediscovered who I was. It was the toughest thing I've ever done.

   I've thought about all of this all week long. I've been trying to support my friend. I continue to grieve for the loss of such a wonderful young man. I've hugged my little boy and snuggled him each day this week like it was our last. It's times like this that you realize that the regular garbage that you think is important really is insignificant. 

   Adam is the type of person who when he focuses his attention on something he moves mountains. Sadly he's become a subject matter expert on this topic. I think he may just move some big mountains now with regards to suicide. 

   This Saturday at 11:00 AM my friend's little boy, his beautiful son, Jacob Tinkoff will be honored at his high school. Everyone's wearing pajamas, his favorite. They're going to celebrate the amazing person that he was. I'm unfortunately unable to make the celebration. Some of us in the run-net community will be running in Jacob's honor on Saturday to show our support for Adam, to celebrate the incredible person Jacob was and to let the world know that suicide is a real issue that needs to finally be taken seriously and addressed in this country. I'll be wearing my favorite pajama bottoms for a half marathon this Saturday in honor of Jacob. As a runner I can think of no better way to honor someone I care about. So this Saturday please do me favor, love your loved ones, maybe go for a quick run in honor of this amazing young man, wear some pajamas, donate to twloha.com in memory of him. 

   This week my friends don't run for you life, run for Jacob...

   

Motivation....

   First and foremost let me just take a moment to wish all of you a Happy St. Patrick's day! One of my most favorite days of the year! Don't worry if you're not Irish like me because today, everyone's allowed to say they're Irish! The fireplace is kickin and the corn beef and cabbage is almost done! Gotta love it!

   I managed to log 36 miles this week. My cross-training has been progressing nicely too. I can feel myself getting stronger by the week. I'm actually starting to love dips and pull ups. Well, almost! The new running route by the new house with all of it's winding hills and regular incline training on the gym's treadmills has given me some really good staying power. So far the anterior ankle injury seems to be gone after incorporating some additional stretching into my post workout yoga routine. 

   Unfortunately my diet has been absolutely awful. I just can't seem to find the desire to eat better. Too much garbage food, too much alcohol, zero portion control. Starting tomorrow I'm going to try to drastically cut back on all that mess and focus on getting that side of my training back into line. If you think that you can run and then eat whatever you want, then you're wrong. It catches up with you! You are what you eat is a very true saying. 

   I finally did it today! My motivation has been lacking and I really needed something to focus on. Originally my wife and I were planning on running the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, NY this fall. It's rated a very fast Boston qualifier course. Not that I'm even close to being able to run a 3:15 marathon, yet. If you check out the elevation on the race's website the race is all down hill. The finisher's medal is made by the Corning Glass Works too and has been rated one of the top medals in the nation. But due to some travel logistics and lack of funds I've decided to put that race on the shelf for now. So, today I officially registered for the Flower City Half Marathon on April, 28th and the Rochester Marathon on September 2nd! Two races that I've run many times and know like the back of my hand. Together they cost what Wineglass would've and I can easily drive to the start line of both come race morning. 

   I'm really looking forward to both races this year. Last year I tirelessly trained to make my marathon goal pace become my easy pace. It was hard as hell to cut 45 seconds off my mile splits. But I did it and this year I've kept that effort level there for all of my running. It feels easier now so I'm going to try to cut another 15 seconds off that time. That means hopefully I'll be crossing that finish line with a 3:45 on the clock in September. I've done some experimenting and I think it's possible. But it'll be hard. This will also be the first marathon I'll run in the 40 year old age group. Ah, another chance to place in my age group!

   It's going to be a great year and it'll be good to go back to the race where I broke the four hour mark last year. As time's gone by I've been wondering if it was a fluke. Was it just a really good day? Did all that training really produce those results? I need to prove to myself this year that it wasn't a fluke and that I really am a sub four hour marathoner. If I can log a 3:45 this year then my friends it's time to shoot for IT. Yeah, that's right, BOSTON in 2015! After ten marathons I've proven to myself that I deserve to be called a distance runner. Only 0.01% of the nation has ever run and completed a marathon. I enjoy being in that group. But out of that group only 25% EVER log a BQ (Boston Qualifier). Boston represents the pinnacle of marathoning for me and every other marathoner.

   The corn beef is done and I'm starving. So it's goodbye for now. It's good to have goals. Without them you can stagnate and loose focus. It's good to have something to shoot for now. Run for your lives my friends!

Frustrated Incorporated & SAD...

   Well my friends it's been too long. My personal life has been quite busy for the past two weeks and the amount of free time that I felt I needed to write something of value just wasn't to be found. But tonight, I found some quality time in front of the old fireplace. So here goes...

   As I said before the dynamics of my home life have changed substantially. My wife has switched her shift at her new job to the 11:00 PM-8:30 AM platoon. Which means lots of changes in how we do the normal day to day activities, getting the little guy to school, dinner time, family time, work out time, etc. In addition to those typical activities, the amount of sleep that I'm able to get has decreased a little too. Which has made me most cranky indeed. 

   All this week that frustration has fueled my running to the extreme. I've not really paid much attention to my mile split times and have run mostly everything WAY too fast. Very satisfied with what I've been able to run this week. But when you dip into the well too much you pay a price. So yesterday I was planning on throttling back on the gas pedal. 

   Just when you think you're OK, life has a way of throwing a random hill in your way. A while ago I'd put in for vacation at my job for this Friday and Saturday. My wife had orchestrated an amazing opportunity to go with a biologist while he did some field work with local black bears in our area. We were even going to take the little man out of school for this incredible learning experience. But unfortunately the supervisors where I work look at individual people as cannon fodder and enjoy the idea of looking like a leader but rarely acting like one. I was notified yesterday with an hour and a half left in my shift that I wasn't going to be able to have the days off even though there were vacation slots available. Apparently me taking off would create a need for overtime. No amazing experiences for me or the little man. It's frustrating to be a very good employee at your job for almost 13 years who never asks for anything special and gets regularly abused. Well dad, you were right. Never should've gone into the family business. Rest assured that the little man won't follow in our footsteps. 

   Went to work today with completely the wrong attitude. I stewed all night long yesterday and ate really poorly. I was exhausted. If you happen to be one of the unfortunate fellow coworkers that I was an asshole to today, I apologize for being that way and acting so lazy. 

   Another thing that's worth mentioning is that it's been a long winter for me. As my friend Steve Runner mentioned in a recent podcast the effects of seasonal effective disorder or S.A.D. are real for those of us who live in this part of our country. If you're unfamiliar with what it is there is a lot of material on the web you can refer to. I'm no stranger to this problem. My wife typically gets this every winter. But this year our roles are reversed. I have seem to have come down with it. In a nutshell it's something that can affect an individual during the winter months when sunshine is lacking. It causes mild depression, anxiety, sleep loss and frustration. It's not something that's permanent thank God and has many available treatment techniques. Two techniques that I'm currently using are exposing myself to as much natural lighting as possible and continuing to exercise. Some of my coworkers would frown on me blogging about this. Weakness in my profession is not popular. But I think it's important to note that nobody is Superman, even distance runners like myself. If you suffer from S.A.D. go see your doctor, do some research and get moving. It helps and you're not alone.

   After a pretty awful day I decided to scrap my scheduled cross-training and easy three mile run. To hell with it! I was just going to go home and take a nap. But, as a pulled into my driveway the sun poked through the clouds. It was a brisk 35 degrees but it wasn't snowing, sleeting or blowing. OK, maybe an easy mile? 

   The run started out fine. But after the first mile it was apparent that my body had something special in mind for me today. I looked down at my Garmin and was surprised to see myself maintaining a faster than normal pace without much effort. That's when I decided to put the fatigue in a box along with the frustrations of the grind of my life and have some fun. A half marathon later I felt exhausted, drained and happy. Amazing that two hours of good effort can free you of your worries. 

   I'm beat and it's been a long day. Managed to get tomorrow off after some cajoling. Which is a good thing for an Irishman on St. Patrick's Day. Get out there and discover what running can do for you. Run for your life my friends and forget the frustrations....     

Oh, and yeah, at least someone got to hold a little black fluffy baby bear today!

    

Trail Running...

Hope everyone is doing well my friends! It was a really long week & my Friday is finally here! After all the dreariness of the winter weather here in upstate NY it was a breath of fresh air the last two days to have temperatures above 35 degrees.

Ran a decent step back run yesterday, about 7.2 miles. It was one of those amazing runs where you start out in a bad mood. But by the end are happy to still be able to be running & enjoying life! Very healing!

Today's run was short, only one mile. But the weather was even warmer in the mid fifties. I got home from work & grabbed the little man. He wanted to go running this year & today was the perfect day to get out there.

We headed out with sunshine in the sky. Felt really darn good! I decided that we'd hit the trail near our house a little bit. We started out & I must admit I was a little nervous. I'm ok with me playing chicken with some of the crazy drivers in my town. But my son's another story. We made it to the trail entrance after crossing under a bridge that has a very narrow two lane road underneath. Ry has even followed suit with me, we have dubbed it the "death bridge". Not enough room for two cars & a runner!

The run was incredible! One of those special father & son moments. We passed another runner with her dog. We stopped briefly & chatted her up. As we ran away Ry asked how I knew her. I explained that I didn't. Runners are just more friendly than regular people! Snapped this pic about halfway. Little man made us take some breaks. But we kicked butt! He even managed to keep pace with me through most of it!

Good times that I totally enjoyed! Looking forward to many more to come!

Run for your life my friends!

Help Me Find The True Meaning Of The 366 Project...

   Today I posted on FB that I've made a big decision and need help. When I started this project I originally began it as a way to challenge myself to do something new. I needed a new physical challenge. I needed to get back to my running roots. Find my "eye of the running tiger" if you will. 

   But soon after I started hitting the road day after day I began to think about how I could make this something even better than a simple personal challenge. I've decided that to put this much effort into something for personal reasons is quite selfish. Yes, I can motivate other people to get up off the couch and make something out of themselves that they thought not possible by continuing to run and write my blog. That is a good enough reason to continue the project. But I think I can do even more. I want to run 366 days for a worthwhile charity...

   I'd like to personally thank everyone for their suggestions today. But if you didn't message me and have a suggestion I'd love to hear it. This sport, this project can mean so much more.

   Help me find what that is and run for your lives my friends...

What's Eating You...

   I'm beat but I love my family time! Growing up an only child I was always thrilled when a holiday approached because that meant that my cousins were coming to visit. It was an amazing feeling to go from not having any brothers or sisters to being surrounded by family that was your own age, had your likes and dislikes, knew where you were coming from and just loved to get into good old trouble. As an individual you could get in a lot of trouble doing something that you weren't supposed to. But there's safety in numbers! I distinctly remember one Thanksgiving hanging from nylon rope tied to an upstairs bathroom sink's piping suspended over my grandmother's upper floor railing. Lots of fun! 

   After having off for a five day vacation to celebrate my son's eight year birthday I am thoroughly exhausted. His excitement over his four cousins visiting reminded me of my childhood. They came, they raised havoc and now they're gone! One of the things that makes me a great runner is my consistency. I train the same way, I get the same amount of sleep, I eat the same things, I drink the same things. As I've gotten older my ability to handle anything outside the typical equation has decreased even more. 

   So today I woke up feeling exhausted, dehydrated and feeling like Jabba the Hut. Too little sleep this vacation, coupled with drinking too much adult beverage, not enough water and eating delicious junk food and deserts took its toll. It never ceases to amaze me how much a poor diet can affect how I feel. I zombied through work and somehow managed to run a good marathon pace workout for 6 long miles. Albiet with numerous bathroom breaks. The stomach was revolting all day from all the bad food. I normally hate treadmills. But their proximity to bathrooms can be a lifesaver sometimes. 

   Got home took a hot shower, made some BLT's for dinner with turkey bacon and had some warm tea with Agave nectar next to a warm fire. I can feel everything starting to get back to normal. Sometimes being a boring runner is a good thing. The days of eating trash plates after drinking all night long are far, far gone.  God, I love trash plates! 

   Looking forward to some cross-training tomorrow after some strong Starbucks coffee. Hope you're enjoying your own version of boring and feeling much better than me. By the way, this is the time of year when most people get lazy and let their New Year's Day resolutions fall by the wayside. Tired of restarting? Stop quitting and just put one foot in front of the the other. You'll eventually get to where you want to,go. Run for your lives my friends...   

2 Months Down...

   Great run this morning in the bitter cold and light snow. But it was only a mile and really peaceful. Forgot to mark the passing of month number two on Ry's birthday! The project continues to move along my friends. Feel better than ever which is surprising since I ran 11 miles yesterday. I Think I'm getting the hang of this running thing.

   We now have a household full of little boys in preparation for Ry's birthday party at the museum later today. They're screaming at the top of their lungs playing in our basement. I smiled as I listen to them enjoy themselves. Life is full of small wonderful moments. Running every day is starting to give me more and more of that perspective. It's not always important to think about what's next and then next after that and next after that. Sometimes living in the here and now is just plain awesome. 

   62 days and counting. Ry's soon to be little cousin this morning 7:45 AM-"Ry, where's your dad going?" Ry-"Aw nowhere, he's a runner, he's just going for a run!" Wouldn't have it any other way. Run for your lives my friends and enjoy the little things...    

Good Day...

   Well good friends today was a good day! Had a really great day yesterday celebrating Ry's 8th birthday. We didn't do anything special. He wanted to go to to a local pizza restaurant. We ate our fill of pizza, wings and french fries. Came home and opened some presents! 

   Needless to say, I was feeling in need of a really good workout today to make up for all of those calories that I ate yesterday! The weather was cold, snowy and blowy outside and I didn't feel like experiencing it today.  So I pilled Ry into the truck and we drove to our local YMCA. He no longer had to sit in his booster seat. The end of an era...

   When we got to the Y he decided that he wanted to check out the tween center now that he was old enough to not be in regular child watch. This was a big step for him and me. Not going to child watch meant that he had free reign of the place. No supervision. As a parent and a member of the law enforcement community, I was really nervous about this. But after a long talk, he went off to check out the center. I stood there for a moment, looking at him through the window where he couldn't see me. My what a young man he was growing into. I gritted my teeth and headed upstairs to the treadmills. I trusted him.

   My workout was good. I normally hate running on the treadmill due to the sheer overwhelming boredom. But I enjoyed listening to some new running podcasts. They kept my attention away from the dull environment. Had to keep restarting the treadmill every 30 minutes to avoid getting kicked off by the "30 minute time limit on cardio-machines" enforcers. Starting this month I wanted to push my long run distance to a half marathon length. Instead of running ten today I increased it to 11. Good run but the entire time my mind was on how Ry was doing. 

   I stretched and raced downstairs to see if he had decided to run away yet. I was surprised to find him happily enjoying himself working out on the universal equipment in the center. He was happy to see me as I him. I was impressed when he told me that he rode one of the stationary bikes for a 100 calorie burn. I smiled, collected him and we chatted all the way home. Good day indeed! Run for your lives my friends and have a good day!

   

Why I Run...

   Eight years ago today my life changed. No more living for myself. On that day I watched my son's eyes open for the first time and I was overcome with the most emotion I'd ever experienced in my life. But, before I delve deeper into that amazing life changing moment I need to go back even further into my past. 

   This picture was taken the day that I graduated from my catholic grade school, St. Ambrose. In the picture you'll find a much heavier, younger me, my mom and my dad. It was a good day. My mom and dad got a divorce when I was three. But unlike some divorced couples, remained my "parents". What I mean by that is that unfortunately, sometimes children are dragged through the awfulness of marital divorce. My parents never used me as a tool to get back at one another, were always there for me when I need them and remained a united front when it came to all things concerning me. I can't thank them enough for that as I grew up. As I look at this picture it brings back so many good memories. It's one of my most favorite pictures of my family. I can still smell the flowers that were outside the church that night. Looking at it now, who would've thought that two years later my dad would be forever gone from my life. 

   On September 26, 1990 my dad lost his battle with lung cancer. It was the start of a very dark time in my life. It was bad enough to watch a vibrant man become a mere shell of himself over the course of nine months. But after he died I felt more loneliness than I thought possible. Along with feeling lost I was really angry too. I felt like I'd been cheated. My dad died right when I was starting to get to know him better. A time when I was trying to figure out the man that I was going to become. 

   Beyond my mother, nobody else knows about the letter that I discovered in my dad's desk when cleaning it out after his death. My dad was a police officer for 23 years. It was a classic "goodbye" letter that some in our profession choose to write to their children, spouses or family. My dad wasn't cut down by a murdering criminal. But at the time I remember not seeing much difference between a criminal and cancer. I read the letter, cried and then proceeded to rip it up into as many small pieces as I could. I was only 16. 

   Looking back I remember only snippets of the letter. "Take care of your mother. She's a good woman." "I'm sorry this happened son." "I don't know why this happened." "I love you son." My father was one of the smartest men I knew. But the reason his death happened is no big mystery. When you drink every night to erase the horrors you see daily at your job and smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day, it's amazing he survived to be 45. 

   Luckily, for a son who followed in his father's footsteps, the field of law enforcement has made great strides in the education and treatment of job related stress. Needless to say, never smoked a day and don't use alcohol as an almighty eraser. 

   Let's flash forward again, or should I say back...er...I'm getting confused, to eight years ago.

   So, like I said those dang cute little eyes opened, looked up at me and WHAM, it was like I was born again! You want to experience joy, fear, terror and love all in a single event? Have a baby! Now I had one hell of a reason to make all the right choices in my life. 

   After managing to survive the dark depression that followed my dad's death I managed to put a healthy spin on it. I decided to get in shape when I started going to college. Back then I was more into weight lifting than running. But I can still remember my first runner's high after a three miler. Wish I could get that back after three miles! Finished college and with a little prodding from my girlfriend, who'd later become my wife, ran my first 5K road race. I finished in 25:21. Not bad for my first try. More races came, a marathon or two, a wedding and finally my son. 

   All of the sudden your time is not your own, your future is not your own and things you used to enjoy become history. After working so hard to get my fitness to where I had it when my son was born, I was a little scared of what would happen with him added into the equation. But if there's a will, there's a way!   

   Hands down, the best thing I ever got as a baby gift was my running stroller! My son was six weeks old when he ran for the first time with me! I can remember bundling him up so much before that run with winter clothing and blankets that you could barely see his little face! We rocked that stroller hard! I took him everywhere! We ran speed workouts, hill workouts, long distance, it didn't matter! If there was a road, we ran it! We even ran some races! Nothing is more satisfying than to pass a much fitter looking runner while pushing a running stroller! 

   It was a sad day when that stroller was retired. We used it up until he was about four. But, as he got older he liked to lean out and point at things which made the thing sway like a run away elephant. Just too dangerous on a busy road. We put it out on the side of the road next to our house. It was gone in 15 minutes! I'd taken very good care of it over the years. Lots of maintenance, lots of bells and whistles. I'd like to think another parent got some more good memories out of it like I did. I still miss those 20 milers with him. Damn, he will always be the best running partner I had. 

   Even though I was a full fledged runner now I still made time to cross-train with weights at my local YMCA. If you're interested in maintaining fitness and your sanity I highly recommend the Y. It's expensive but there's so many great family programs. They also have free two hour daycare while you exercise. They bottle feed, diaper change and were amazing with him. We're one of the longest standing families at ours. Every now and then someone will ask about how Ry's doing. So, we went all the time. We had it down to a science. He loved it and began to take an interest in running on the indoor track. Before I knew it we were going out every now and then for little runs together. I'm not sure if he liked the time with me or the running more. Either way, an unintended consequence of me maintaining my fitness was becoming a healthy role model for him.

   After a little convincing, he even ran the kids races before some of my races. Little bugger was getting faster by the minute. He even managed to take third in his age group and win a prize at one of those races! He was so embarrassed walking up to get his prize. But when your mom and dad are screaming at the top of their lungs at you, you can't help but cringe. Poor kid.

   Eight years old today and the story continues. By coincidence my son was born on the same day as my dad. Weird how things like that happen. But maybe it's no coincidence. I run for a lot of reasons. I run in honor of the father that I wish I could've gotten to know better. I run to have more than five years left in my lifetime. I run to make sure that the next time a bad guy tries to take me out that he's going to have to work at it and pay dearly for it. I run to be there for those I love in my life. I run to show people that a formerly obese child can become more athletic than they thought they ever could. I run because my body was designed to do this. But most of all, I run because Ry deserves to get to know his father and I deserve to get to know him. I want to be there for a lifetime. The ups, the downs, through the good times, through the bad. Hopefully someday he'll remember that old running stroller and all those incredible miles we ran together and maybe, just maybe, someday I'll look over as I toe the line on my whateverith marathon and see him next to me. Now that my friends is a good vision indeed! Happy birthday Ryan Matthew Sands! You inspire me to better than I was the day before, to never forget to have fun and to still enjoy the feeling of the wind whipping through my hair, my heart racing, my legs pumping. Love you...