Mike's Marathon Blog

Lent starts tomorrow. Every year, Jacky gives up ‘sweets’ for Lent. Sweets consist of pretty much everything that tastes good. Cookies, ice cream, cake, cupcakes, candy, doughnuts, hot chocolate, muffins, chips, etc. Lent is 46 days. I’m not sure I can do it. I told her I would do it with her, but I’m definitely second-guessing now.

Training for the marathon and dieting doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand. I always try to eat healthy and consume as much ‘energy’ as I need for all of my training. I eat the proteins and carbs and all of that fun stuff. There’s a large psychological aspect that goes along with the training and eating as well. It is very difficult to workout as much as I do and not want to reward yourself. Trust me, after a 17 mile run, I am not thinking about how much protein, calories, fat grams, sugar or carbs are in my dinner that night. I am having steak, french fries, bread, beer and ice cream. I need my rewards! I work hard!

I would like to lose a little more weight before race day. I have always said that I need to be in the 160’s if I wanted to run a marathon. I am so close! Ditching the sweets for 46 days might do the trick. The race is just over 2 months away. If my training goes according to plan, I will be running over 100 miles in the month of March. If that doesn’t get me in the 160’s, I don’t know what will.

A few years ago, I went on a no-sugar diet for 60 days. The diet was super strict. I couldn’t even have fruit! The person that planned it for me told me something that I would never forget. ‘What kind of a person are you if you can’t stick to something for 60 days?’ I have always remembered him saying that. It’s so true. It’s 60 days! Two months of your life. BFD. Suck it up.

Everyone should think about giving up something for Lent. And Lent is only 46 days, not 60! Give up booze, swearing, smoking, desserts, candy. Something! Have Diet Coke instead of regular Coke. Have chicken instead of steak. Have tea instead of coffee. Have a piece of fruit instead of chips. I bet you will feel incredible after 6 weeks. Think about it.

If I am giving up all these amazing treats for 46 days, I am going out with a bang. What is on the dinner menu tonight you ask? Chocolate chip ice cream, 2 brownies, chocolate syrup, melted marshmallow, coconut sprinkles, whipped cream and crushed walnuts. Yes, I had this for dinner last night too (seriously).

Read Full Post »

Today I ran:

– from mile 9 to 26 on the marathon course

– from Natick to Boston

– with 350 BAA charity runners

– for 155 minutes

– 89,760 feet

– 17 miles

Read Full Post »

I’m halfway there! Thanks to my Godson (yea, I understand that his parents donated the money), I just reached $2,500. I’m sure everyone has noticed the growing list of supporters on the righthand side of the blog. All of these people have generously sponsored me and donated to Miles for Miracles and Children’s Hospital. I cannot thank everyone enough! Thank you, thank you!

If you are actually reading this blog and would like to sponsor me, please click on the ‘My Miles for Miracles Profile’ link under ‘BLOGROLL’ on the righthand side. All donations go straight to Children’s Hospital Boston and will make a difference in kids’ lives.

I will most likely have a fundraiser some time in March. A friend of mine works for a great restaurant in Manchester and has asked the owners about doing a fundraiser for me and his brother. His brother is the father that I talk about in my Miles for Miracles profile. Him and his wife lost their baby a year ago and he is running the marathon for Dana-Farber. We will have many amazing raffle prizes to give away and all the proceeds will go to Dana-Farber and Children’s Hospital. I will let everyone know all the details if/when we make this a reality.

Back to the training, I am injured. I mentioned a few posts ago that I tweaked my hip during one of my long team runs. It’s no longer a tweak. I can barely walk without limping. This is also the same leg with my bad knee, which I know is not a coincidence. I have researched the injury the best I can and I have narrowed it down to 3 possibilities: Itiotibial band syndrome, hip Bursitis or a hip stress fracture. All 3 are very common in runners and often happen when increasing mileage. All 3 have the same treatment too: ice and my most dreaded word……..rest. I have to take this week off. I have a big run next Saturday that I cannot miss. It’s a semi-mandatory 17-mile team run. We run from mile 9 to the finish. Hopefully this doesn’t become a serious issue.

I guess it’s a good day to start resting. I was planning on spending the majority of the day sitting on the couch and eating. Apparently we consume 14,500 tons of chips, 4,000 tons of popcorn and 8 million pounds of guacamole on Super Bowl Sunday. I can’t wait to get started! Enjoy the game!

Read Full Post »

The weeks are getting harder and harder, mainly because my recovery time is becoming longer and longer. I cannot work out 7 days per week like I used to. I need more time to rest. The Saturday runs dictate how many hours I work out that week. Sundays used to be my biggest work out days. I haven’t been to the gym on a Sunday in a month. I used to do legs in the weight room on Mondays. I haven’t been to the gym on a Monday in a month either.

It’s not that I’m sore, I’m just dead tired. It’s like I’m awake and alert, but my body is sleeping. The personal trainer that I went to told me to eat more, but that is easier said than done (I know everyone just tried to slap me through the computer). I would love to eat more, but not the foods he wants to me eat. I can only eat so much chicken per day! Do you know what chicken starts to taste like after you’ve had 2 or 3 pieces already that day? Also, it’s very hard to prepare food for the week on Sundays and still have it taste good on Fridays. Do you know what chicken tastes like after sitting in the fridge for 5 days? And unfortunately, I do not get to drown it in barbecue sauce or stick it in between a bulkie roll covered in mayonnaise. Plain Jane my friends.

Actually, I’ll share with everyone one of the foods I eat every single day! I think it tastes amazing and it’s probably better for you than anything you can possibly eat. Ingredients: 1 piece of chicken, chopped red peppers, tiny tomatoes, dried cranberries, butter beans (or chickpeas), walnuts and Italian dressing (not the kind from a store, but the kind you make with olive oil, vinegar and water). I know that probably doesn’t sound very appealing if you don’t watch what you eat, but I promise it is tasty! I try not to eat salads during the day, so this is a great alternative. OK, I’m sure you’re wondering why I don’t eat salads! Unless you’re covering it in blue cheese dressing or buffalo chicken fingers, salads are disgusting! Healthy salads are impossible to eat everyday. Also, lettuce serves no purpose. It’s water and it doesn’t fill you up. And for those of you who think your salad for lunch everyday is healthy, please think again. For example, the average chicken caesar salad, at any restaurant, is over 1,000 calories and has over 76g of fat. Just as a comparison (with fat grams), you could have skipped the salad and pounded 7 and 1/2 chocolate covered donuts instead. Look it up.

January recap:

– 84 miles running

– 7 hours in the weight room

– 4 hours at Spin class

– 3 miles swimming

– 3 hours with personal trainer

Read Full Post »

8 a.m.

Charles River, Boston

9 degrees

-5 windchill

25 mph wind gusts

14.5 miles

Read Full Post »

I was having dinner with a few friends the other night and we started talking about my blog. As much as they enjoy reading it, they wanted me to step it up a notch. They told me that they wanted to hear some of the ‘behind the scenes’ of marathon training. Things that I wouldn’t necessarily write in a blog for everyone to read. I found this interesting. Enough of the funny stories and the ‘great’ runs and the trips to Foxwoods. Let’s talk about what training for the Boston Marathon is really like.

I will start with myself. As much as I don’t want to jinx myself or piss off the Running Gods, my training has been very smooth and positive so far. I’ve had limited injuries and that is all I can ask for at this point! I had a minor ankle sprain in October and just recovered from a very minor hip injury. My main problem is my left knee and has been my entire life. When I squat, it literally sounds like a giant rubber band is being stretched out. Then you can hear it retract when I stand again. Apparently, there’s 3-times more pressure on your legs when you’re running. So for me, that is about 500 lbs slamming down on my knees, ankles and feet every step I take. I will take about 42,000 steps on race day. 500 lbs per step for 42,000 steps. That’s a lot of pressure! Hopefully my knee won’t become a major issue closer to race day. It allows me to run on it almost pain-free, so I shouldn’t complain.

I always heard about blisters being a large problem for runners, but I had never really experienced them. I guess I spoke too soon. I have blisters. None that you would write home about, but as you can imagine, they don’t go away. I train 7 days per week and give them absolutely no time to heel. I have been using Aquaphor for them. I rub the vaseline-like substance on my feet typically twice a day. I glob it on at night and wear socks to bed to cover my feet.

I use the Aquaphor and also BodyGlide in other areas as well. I’m sure you can guess the places. Feet, ankles (exposed to air), in between my legs, way up between my legs, nipples and even some times my face. It kinda feels like I’m preparing for battle before my long runs. Putting on my armor to protect me from the bitter New England air. Runners also need the proper attire for this kind of weather.  Dri-Fit clothing is a must during the winter months. Sweat can’t be dripping all over your body when it’s 15 degrees out.

You want gross? Picture running in a tight line of 40 runners when it’s 20 degrees out. Each runner is only a few inches behind one another. Do you know what runners do when they can’t breathe out of their noses on cold days? Snot rockets. There are some amazing looking girls on my team that I run with every week. They wear the tights (you know the tights!) and their cute little running hats and jackets. Trust me, you look at them in a different light after you’ve seen them shoot a 4-foot snot rocket right in front of you (some time on windy days!). And in case you hadn’t realized, a 4-foot snot rocket to the left and then to the right.

Like I mentioned before, I don’t have any horror stories (and hopefully never will). Since my friends wanted to hear some, I will include some of the tales I have heard from the people on my team. They put a realistic twist on some of the major challenges to training and running a marathon.

– I was running with one of the coaches and a younger girl last weekend. We were at the last water-stop before Heartbreak Hill when she stopped to take her sock off. Her sock and big toe were covered in blood. Her toenail had partially ripped off. Bad news? She was 7 miles from her car and there’s only one way to get back.

– One lady, a few years ago, waited too long to stretch after a long run. She was already so stiff at this point, she blew out her hamstring – stretching! Remembering to stretch is so important! Stretching is what allows me to exercise 7 days/week. Stretching for 10 minutes after every workout prevents muscles from getting sore and tight. You will know if you stretched enough when you go to get out of bed the next morning.

– One of the strength & conditioning coaches was running a marathon a few years ago and developed a blister the size of a golf ball around mile 17. Determined to finish the race, she borrowed a needle from one of the other runners she was with (yes, there are crazy people that carry needles with them during races), popped the blister and ran the last 9 miles. Ouch.

– On a far more serious note, three participants in the 2009 Detroit Marathon died within minutes of one another. Another runner died in the Baltimore Marathon the week before. Three of the four runners were under the age of 36.

Training for this race is difficult. Especially since I was not a serious athlete beforehand. I’m training and getting in shape at the same time. Most people that do these kinds of athletic events are already in great shape. The funny thing is, training for this race is 90% mental, the other half is physical (yea, I stole that from Yogi).

Running for Children’s is truly a major motivator for me. There’s a church in Wellesley (where the team meets for our Saturday morning runs) located around mile 13. This is the main Children’s cheering section on race day. They bus many kids from the hospital to this spot, so they can cheer on the participants who are running for them. I honestly cannot wait to run by that church on Marathon Monday.  The church is located about 1/2 mile past the famous Wellesley College stretch. Should be an interesting mile.

Read Full Post »

I stole this from Wikipedia:

The Boston Marathon course runs through 26.22 miles of winding roads into the center of Boston, where the official finish line is located at Copley Square. The Boston Marathon is considered to be one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the Newton hills, which culminate in Heartbreak Hill near Boston College. While the three hills on Comm Ave are better known, a preceding hill on Washington Street, climbing from the Charles River crossing at 16 miles, is regarded by Dave McGillivray, the 2007 race director, as the course’s most difficult challenge. This hill, which follows a 150 foot drop over the course of one half-mile, forces many lesser-trained runners to a walking pace.

Heartbreak Hill is an ascent over 0.4 mile of the course, between the 20 and 21 mile marks, in the vicinity of BC. It is the last of four “Newton hills”, which begin at the 16 mile mark. The Newton hills confound contestants (out of proportion to their modest elevation gain) by forcing a late climb after the downhill trend of the race to that point. Heartbreak Hill itself rises only 88 vertical feet, but is positioned at a point on the course where muscle stores are likely to be depleted—a phenomenon referred to by marathoners as “hitting the wall.”

The nickname “Heartbreak Hill” originated with an event in the 1936 race. On this stretch, defending champion John Kelley caught race leader Ellison “Tarzan” Brown, giving Brown a consolatory pat on the shoulder as he passed. His competitive drive apparently stoked by this gesture, Tarzan Brown rallied, pulled away from Kelley, and went on to win—in the words of Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason, “breaking Kelley’s heart.”

Saturday was one of the best runs I have ever had. The weather was perfect (for New England of course) and my legs were well rested. This was my 2nd team run that I was the last person standing. Along with one of the team coaches, I ran 15 miles through the Newton hills, up Heartbreak Hill and back. We talked the entire time. It was great. He told me a lot about the race, things to expect and shared many of his ‘war’ stories. I didn’t even turn on my iPod!

We stopped for a few minutes at the top of Heartbreak Hill. There are many runners along the entire marathon route and Heartbreak Hill is always the most crowded section. People even park their cars at the bottom, run up and run straight back to their cars. It’s not the steepest or longest hill you will come across, but at mile 20 of the marathon, it mine as well be Everest. I did it after running 7 miles and it was tough. The unfortunate part, which luckily I won’t need to do on race day, is running down. If your quads weren’t burning before, well they’re burning now!

At the bottom, my coach told me that the route we run on Saturdays is much more difficult than the actual marathon. Simply because we run the Newton hills twice. Our weekend runs also end with the hill on Washington Street in Wellesley. This is the hill mentioned in the Wikipedia posting (a preceding hill on Washington Street, climbing from the Charles River crossing at 16 miles, is regarded by Dave McGillivray, the 2007 race director, as the course’s most difficult challenge). At the start of our runs, just like it will be on race day, we run down this particular hill. Dave McGillivray calls this the most difficult hill on the course and it’s downhill! Unfortunately, we need to run up this hill on Saturdays. This hill makes Heartbreak Hill look like a speed bump. It’s literally longer and steeper (twice as steep) than Heartbreak. This past Saturday, we reached this hill at mile 13. I just ran a half-marathon and now I have to run up this frigin cliff! Three weeks ago, I hurt my knee on this hill. This weekend, I hurt my hip. Heartbreak Hill has a nickname. This hill should be called Kneebreak Hill or Pleasedontmakemerunupthishill Hill.

Read Full Post »

I started training for the 114th Boston Marathon on November 1st. Tomorrow will be the halfway point of my training. I can’t believe I’m only halfway there! It feels like I’ve been exercising/running/dieting forever! My knee hurts, my feet have blisters, my face is a mess, my back is constantly sore, I’m always tired and I haven’t been out on a Friday night in 3 months. I can’t wait for another 84 days of this!

Speaking of Friday nights……I am currently watching Up. Yes, the animated movie Up. When you have to go to bed before 10, your options become extremely limited. My runs on Saturday mornings are becoming longer and longer. I can not afford to screw around on Friday nights. I need to carb load, ice, hydrate and rest. Waking up at 6 a.m. is bad enough, but multiply that misery by 10 when you throw in a hangover. I never thought I would be sitting at home on a Friday night, watching Up with an ice-pack on my knee, vaseline on my feet, a pug on my lap, sipping on a water bottle and adding a new post to my marathon blog.

Tomorrow will be the hardest physical activity that I have ever done in my life. Tomorrow I will run 15 miles, the longest I have ever run, in 25 degree weather, along the toughest stretch of the Boston Marathon course including Heartbreak Hill. You think my Friday nights are exciting? Saturday nights are even better! Picture Friday nights, but with bigger ice-packs and extra vaseline. At least I can stay awake to watch movies on Friday. Saturday nights I am out cold (having nightmares of Heartbreak Hill of course).

Read Full Post »

Jacky got me 4 sessions with a personal trainer for Christmas. My aunt and uncle go to a personal trainer twice a week and rave about him. My first session was this past Tuesday. We started by talking about my current exercise schedule, gym workouts and my fitness goals. After a quick warmup on the elliptical, we jumped right into his exercise circuits. Each circuit consists of three sets of three different exercises. Like most other trainers, he focuses on the core and full-body workouts. The exercises are very basic and don’t include any fancy gym equipment. Most include just a fitness ball and lightweight dumbbells. The session was tough. I couldn’t believe how difficult some of the exercises were. I had done many of them in the past, but he adds a whole other factor to them. Instead of sitting on an upright bench doing military presses, he has you sit on a fitness ball, with your feet on a bosu doing military presses. Adding the fitness ball and the bosu to the simple exercise makes it about 10 times harder. Having someone yelling in your face to do another 5 reps doesn’t hurt either.

I had quite an interesting weekend. It started yesterday at 6 am. Got the dog situated, ate a small breakfast, packed my bags and I was off to Wellesley. Last week was 13 miles, this week was 14. The fun (and not so fun) part about this run was that my turnaround point was halfway up Heartbreak Hill. This was my first time ever seeing it. I wish I could say that I will never see it again, but unfortunately that is not the case. Next week, my turnaround spot will be the top of it, so I am very excited/nervous for next Saturday. I ran much slower this week. My knee is still bothering me and I didn’t want to push it. I also knew I had a very long night ahead of me and couldn’t afford to crash early. The coaches always tell us to rest for the remainder of the day after such a long run……….I went to Foxwoods.

I believe the original reason behind the Foxwoods trip was to (hopefully) watch the Patriots game. This trip was obviously planned before last weekend. Even though the Pats weren’t playing, we went anyway. Why not? My friends picked me up in Wellesley, after my run, and we got to Foxwoods around 2. As soon as we got there, we did what all four guys do when they get to Foxwoods……….we went to the spa. The coaches told me to rest, so I rested! I rested in the jacuzzi, the steam room and the sauna. It was great. Extremely relaxing!

After a few hours at the spa, we checked into our room, got ready and met the rest of our crew at a sports bar in the hotel. We ate, drank, watched football, ate and drank some more. The rest of the night consisted of more drinks, an amazing booth at the MGM Grand, partying with the Harlem Globetrotters and many, many hands of blackjack. We got back to our room at 5 am, 23 hours after getting up to drive to Wellesley the day before. I was exhausted to say the least! We didn’t have a baby or a tiger in our room the next morning or anything like that, but it was still a great night. Small speed-bump in the marathon training, but it was worth it.

Read Full Post »

The Miles for Miracles team offers many great resources including trainers, coaches, clinics, nutrition classes and team runs. The team runs started about a month ago and with the holidays, I never got a chance to attend. This past Saturday I decided to join the team for the weekly long-runs. I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know how many people would be there, I didn’t know how the runners were grouped, the pace, the distance, if they provided water along the routes, nothing. I went pretty much blindfolded. I knew we ran parts of the actual Boston Marathon route, which is one of the main reasons I needed to start joining these runs. Knowing the route beforehand is obviously extremely important. It would also give me a chance to ask the coaches some questions and more importantly, compare how I am doing against some of the other runners.

It’s never thrilling when your alarm clock is going off at 6:30 am on a Saturday. Especially when it’s 15 degrees out and you’re about to drive an hour to Wellesley. The team meets in an old church on Washington Street, which is part of the route. The church is located around the 14th mile of the race. There were about 40 people there when I arrived. We listened to a half-hour presentation on injury prevention and stretching and then we were off. I started in the back of the pack since I had no idea where we were going or how far we were going. I wanted to run 11 or 12 miles that day, but I had no idea where I was, where to turn around, how to get back if I lost the team, etc. So I just followed everyone else.

It was pretty cool running the actual route. There were other teams on the route as well. The route had many attractions, especially since this was my first time in this area. The run was difficult. I’ve heard about the hills of Newton and Wellesley. The road was never flat. I was either running up or I was running down. Neither felt very good on my legs, especially my knees. The 20 degree weather was certainly not helping either.

We came to a water station about 3 miles into the run. Both coaches stopped, so I stopped. Many of the runners had a drink and started back the way we came from. I was puzzled for a minute and realized that this was their turn-around point. Most of the 40 or so runners were only doing 6 miles that day. I did not want to run 6 miles! I can do 6 miles in my sleep. I thought this was the long-run day? Before I could speak up, the 2 coaches continued running the same direction we were previously heading. I threw down my cup, pressed play on the iPod and jumped behind them. Next thing I knew, we were stopping at another water station. I asked them how far this was. They said this was the 6.5 mile turn-around. I knew then I was running a half-marathon that day, 13 miles.

I had been running behind these 2 professional marathon coaches for 6.5 miles and I was not about to lose them on the way back. Even though they were running a slower pace (for them), it was much, much faster than my normal speed. It was cold and I was sore. The hills were killing my knees. We stopped at a water station around mile 10 and the 1/2 jug of water was frozen solid. We finally made it back to the church, all three of us together. I never time my runs, but I wanted to know this time for sure. I asked one of the coaches and he told me 2 hours flat. I couldn’t believe it. That was the fastest I had ever run 13 miles. And it wasn’t a minute or two faster. I beat my 2nd fastest time by almost 16 minutes! That is over a minute/mile faster and on a much more difficult course than I normally run. One of the coaches told me that I was far ahead of the other runners that come to the team runs. I was pretty proud of myself!

I am taking today off because of Saturday. My knee did not like the hills and definitely did not agree with my decision to run behind the 2 coaches for 13 miles. I am icing and resting, which I hate! Hopefully the pain subsides tomorrow. Jack got me a few sessions with a personal trainer for Christmas. Tomorrow morning is session #1 and I need to be ready. It would be great if the trainer was Jillian Michaels!

Read Full Post »