I have been searching for years for the ultimate post activity pants. Something that I can throw on after a race, or after a day outdoors, or most likely on a Sunday morning when I wake up and just want to watch football. Well, after many failed purchases and a few contenders I may have finally found them, The Ultimate Leisure Polar Fleece Pant from Teton Gravity. I was able to pick these pants up for under $20 at The Clymb, my new favorite semi-private sale site for outdoor gear. Just from the name alone, you have to assume that these pants are going to be comfortable. You do not call yourself Ultimate Leisure unless you can back it up and these pants can stand up.
Ultimate Leisure Fleece Pants
Some of the nice features that put these pants in the winners circle wide legs so you can slip them on and off without having to take off your shoes. Two nice deep front pockets and along with a zippered back pocket. This may seem trivial, but you would be surprised how often companies cannot properly put in pockets into pants without negatively affecting the fit and feel of the pants. Another silly feature that I liked but others may detest is the logo stitching on the bottom of the pants. Normally I do not like large embroidered logos, but with these I felt I was in the Kobra- Kai or some other bad ass karate dojo.
I am not sure if they have these pants at The Clymb anymore, it is worth checking out. If you need an invite for their sales here it is: http://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/JeffreyEckhaus
If you cannot find it there, it was worth searching for. I may actually do the same since I only bought one pair and think I may need to stockpile
I try to take a few weeks off from running around New Years so I can get a little break and avoid all the people who are sticking to their resolutions for the first few weeks of January. By the third week of January I am well rested, the roads are clear and I am ready to return to running. The only problem is that after three weeks off, how do I jump back in to running without hurting myself. It has only been three weeks so my mind does not think I should slow down, but my body is telling a different story. All those tequilla shots, enchiladas and fajitas I ate in Mexico are not helping much.
I ran across this article in Runners World that gives a good rundown of how to come back after a break which I thought I would share. Here are some of the highlights:
START SLOW Runners returning to action often carry extra weight, which puts more stress on the body. To avoid injury caused by that stress, run no more than 20 consecutive minutes for several weeks.
JOIN A GROUP Athletes respond best when they return to a team setting.
RECOVER WELL Run every other day for the first few weeks. Rest days reduce the risk of injuries.
CROSS-TRAIN After a month, gradually change your recovery days from rest only to cross-training days. It will help build your aerobic development without increasing your injury risk.
If you would like to read the whole article you can read it here, it is worth the read http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-516–13390-0,00.html
Every week, I receive a bunch of offers and emails to check out new websites that offer products and services relating relating to outdoor gear, running and who knows what else. I may give some a quick glance and even try some out, but very rarely write about one. Well, The Clymb has done it for me and will sing its praises for a paragraph or two.
The Clymb is the latest site to jump on the private sale/sample sale bandwagon but their merchandise is different. They sell an amazing array of outdoor, bike and ski/snow brand with one company featured every week and a limited number of products for sale, which usually sells out by the second day. I have ordered two separate items from them and except for a delay in the shipment of one Dakine backpack , I have been very happy with the service and the products they have. The prices are great, maybe a little too good as I have to keep myself from buying something every week.
If you want to check out The Clymb, here is an invite code so you can check it out https://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/JeffreyEckhaus
About one year ago I wrote a post about running at night and how to get past the excuses and get out there now that we only have a few hours of daylight. One of my brilliant ideas was “Wear something reflective” which I think at this time of darkness is worth expanding on.
There is no way most people can look cool wearing something reflective and I think I now have the proof of that with my new hat. The Brooks Nightlife Hat
This hat is comfortable, adjustable, reflective as hell, but kind of ugly. It has high visibility fabric that gives you 360 degrees of visibility and wait for it…….a flashing rear LED light on the back. Now since it is dark out when I am running I am going to go with function over fashion every night and wear this hat. While it will not a fashion award, it will probably save your life so I recommend this hat when running in the dark, which in Seattle at this time of year is 4:30pm – 7:30am.
One more note – if you are looking for this hat or maybe some other reflective accessories check out this site night-gear.com. They have all sorts of reflective items for sale.
The Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center
Presents
“Ready, Set, Go!: A Marathon Prep Course”
hosted by The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty
Where: NYU Schwarz Hall, 550 1st Avenue (entrance between 32nd and 31st Street-Tisch Hospital Lobby)
When: October 29, 2009, 6 pm Registration , 6:30-9 pm Panel Discussions
What: Join Lewis G. Maharam MD, www.runningworld.com’s Running Doc and former Medical Director of the NYC Marathon, for an evening panel discussion with the faculty of HJD on optimizing your marathon performance, dealing with existing injuries, preventing new injuries and recovering quickly after the marathon.
How: Please email Ana De Jesus, at ana.dejesus@nyumc.org to pre-register or for more information. You may also register half an hour prior to the event. Raffle prizes available to individuals who register.
*******SPECIAL GUEST: Former Marathon World-Record Holder Steve Jones*******
I am looking for some help and recommendations for a new jacket for running in the rain. The last review of jackets that I can find is from Runners World 2007 and am looking for a fresh perspective. I am not worried about warmth, just something I can wear on a run that will keep me dry and breathe.
Please post any recommendations in the comments and let me know what your favorites are. I would prefer to spend under $100 for a new rain jacket but if someone can convince me that a certain jacket is incredible I could go up to $101, maybe even more.
I am looking to make the purchase in the next week or two as the weather here in Seattle is starting to turn and need something new. Look forward to my review on the new running rain jacket once I have put some miles on it.
Now that I am finally back in a running groove I am going to try to fix my form, which sucks. I have had my cadence analyzed a few times and the report is always the same, not enough steps and I am over-striding. This causes performance issues (makes me slow) and can cause injuries.
Now for those who do not know what the issue is, when running your stride rate, the number of times your foot hits the floor should be about 180-190 steps per minute. An easy way to measure this, is time yourself on your next run for one minute and count how many times your left foot hits the ground. The ideal number is 85-95, I am barely hitting 80.
This is a problem of over-striding and I really want to fix it and am looking for help. If anybody has had success in correcting this issue please post your ideas in the comments. I am sure it is an answer many people would be interested in.
Well, with the Ibuprofen count officially under 4 a day, and the nightly icing rituals melted away, I thought it about darn time I relayed my NYC marathon story.
Let me first start by saying, how amazing all of the Dukes of Flatbush, particularly that guy I call my Husband, was through this whole process. A very sincere thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes, advice and encouragement along the way. And a particular shout out to the lady on First Ave and 96th St who was the ONLY person I didn’t know to call out my name- you will never know how much that helped. THANK-YOU!
I’ve taken a bit of time to write this for a lot of reasons. Partly because I needed to digest what exactly happened in those hours between 5 am and 6 pm on November 2nd, 2008, and partly because I really needed to get some rest! As I mentioned in my pre-marathon post, I was really looking forward to the two-week taper. My body, particularly my right knee and calf, were really giving me hell, and I was in an almost constant state of pain. I sought out the services of an acupuncturist, which helped tremendously, but even still I did not go into Marathon day in top form.
I’ll get this negative stuff out of the way, because as the administrator of this noble blog said- “It’ll be cathartic”. I’ll admit, I was pretty disappointed about not being in top shape on Marathon Day. After 2 + months of training, to be feeling rather questionable about your ability to perform is a bit of a lousy feeling. I didn’t play many team sports as a kid, so maybe this is something everyone else is used to by 32- I am not. I didn’t play through an ankle sprain and kick the winning goal. I didn’t get the MVP for getting two teeth knocked out and staying in the game to score four 3 pointers. I was a cheerleader- I broke my elbow doing a high kick and sat out the rest of the season out. Simply put, I’ve never played through the pain, it’s just not what I do.
OK, that feels better.
So there I was on the Saturday before Marathon Day, with perfect weather (crisp and partly cloudy with high of 50F) to look forward to, and I was a nervous friggin’ wreck about my knee. I went out for a long walk when a friend and fellow Marathoner called to ask how I was feeling. I described myself as the Owner of a Best in Show Contender at the Westminster Dog Show who had to leave Madison Square garden to go get a hotdog because they were too nervous to watch. This training process had done a lot of strange things to my mind, but this was getting out of hand. I was now simultaneously the Best in Breed, the trainer and the Owner. This had to stop!
What was the worst that could happen? “You could do real damage to your knee and wind up in serious trouble, Idiot,” I told myself. OK, fair enough, but really what are we talking about? Collapse in Williamsburg? Ambo in Central Park? I told myself that I could walk if I needed to, and in all honesty, that was fine. “There are plenty of people that walk, it’s not about the time. More importantly, it’s about finishing and raising funds for Jack’s Fund I reminded myself. Well, either the Viszla inside developed language skills or I was being to make sense. Either way, I was calm enough to go home and start the process of unwinding- 5 am does come early.
Per usual, I didn’t sleep much. It was a cold morning, but the spirit of the day most certainly got me out the door and onto the Subway Platform by 6 am. If your listening Mr or Mrs NYC Marathon Logistics Manager Man or Woman, I have to admit, I don’t think the Wave Start plan worked as well as you hoped. There were many, many runners that were in the 10:20 am start that had 5:30 am ferry or 4:30 am bus times. Doesn’t seem that it was the best use of staggered starts to then have people crowding the Staten Island Ferry terminal to stay warm before heading out into the sub 40 degree temp. But, I’m just saying. As I mentioned before, I consider myself a wimp. I know everyone talks about how amazing the Marathon Village is before the race, and how much fun it is to walk around and such, but I was freezing, so I stayed in the Ferry terminal till 8:30 before hoping on the bus to Fort Wadsworth.
Once there, I realized that there was a whole flurry of activity going on, and I clearly was not the only one that was a bag of nerves! People were literally walking in circles, too anxious and cold to sit, but too sore from months of training to move too fast! 9:30 am marked the end of Bag Check and in those few moments before I saw every type of salve, cream, gel you could imagine being applied to any and all body parts. Without shame, I too, joined the Vaseline’d Masses and got myself prepped for the race.
Before I knew it, we were lined up and stripping away our “give away” warm up gear. Without realizing it was really happening we were moving en masse up the platform up to the start line at the base of the bridge. Of course, Bruce Springstein’s Born To Run was playing on the speakers as I crossed over the start line. I chuckled to myself and smiled as I took off up the Verranzano Bridge and looked out over to Manhattan in the distance. I overheard someone say, “Doesn’t it look so far away?”. And strangely to me, it didn’t.
Coming into Brooklyn, I felt great. There was a dull pain in my knee, but it felt manageable. The tightness in my calf had subsided, I felt well rested, my digestive tract co-operated earlier and in all honesty, I felt like I was about to have the run of my life. Once on Fourth Avenue, I could see the Williamsburg Saving and Loan Building in the distance. 
I live in Fort Greene, which is just past that at mile 8 so I settled in for an easy cruise up Fourth Ave, knowing that I would get a Dukes Welcome at the end of my block.
And there they were, my Bloody Mary’ed Cheering Section!
Luckily, my Husband brought out the Stick to the end of the road for a bit of mile 8 ITB release.
By this point, I was starting to question that “run of my life” comment. My knee was starting to feel very tight and tender, and each time I flexed my knee back after taking a step, it hurt even more. I slowed down from my 9 minute mile pace to a 9:30 for the next two miles to see where I was at. By mile 10 on Bedford Avenue, I stopped for a few moments to stretch out to see if I could loosen the ITB- it was beginning to feel like a rubber band being snagged on the outside of my knee with each step. No such luck. I stopped at the next Medical Tent to see if they had a Stick- for some reason this made sense to me, but of course they didn’t.
I was only 10 miles in, and here I was contemplating that I might have to serious consider walking for a bit. But walking on my right knee didn’t feel any better. The way I thought about it, it would just take longer and therefore hurt for longer. So I took off on my left leg, and just gently used my right foot to balance myself out. With that first step, I set my mind to running the remaining 16 miles on my left leg. Now I know this sounds insane, and of course it is. But it’s basically what happened. I stopped at two medical tents to have them tape up my knee to keep it from bending too far back, and I went about the business of getting through it.
Just passed seeing another group of friends at mile 14 in Long Island City, the pain was so bad that I stopped, folded over and started to cry. I don’t know if it was the pain, the frustration at my 11 minute pace or what, but I was pissed. All of this training, the resting, the icing, the balanced friggin’ nutrition, the Tetolling- I couldn’t believe it was coming to this. I think I even let out a bit of a Blue Streak- sorry to any kids that may have been nearby. After I few minutes, I got myself back together and got back to the business of the left sided shuffle. If it took me 7 hrs, I was gonna finish this thing.
I had been warned about the 59th St Bridge. With no crowds on either side, and the vibration of the runners pounding the expanse, it can be both daunting and exhilarating I was told.
As I made it up the incline, I got into a bit of a rhythm with the my new left sided gait and I was starting to settle in a bit. Just as I crested the bridge I realized that it truly “all down hill from here”. Not exactly the best thing for someone experiencing ITB pain, but you get the metaphor.
First Ave was pretty unbelievable.
Looking up those 50 or blocks and seeing a river of runners moving up the canyon of skyscrapers is a pretty remarkable site. There are so many spectators at this point too; never before have I felt greeted with such welcome arms to Manhattan. That said; I basically put my head down and wobbled my way up the Avenue, knowing that my Dukes Cheering Section was just 4 miles away.
By the time I got to mile 18, I realized that stopping to stretch was not a good idea; it became increasingly difficult to get started again and was more painful each time. It was also at that point that I realized that despite my difficulties, I was still within shot of my goal of sub 4:30. To do so, I would have to shave about 30 seconds off of my mile pace. One thing that has always been true during my training is that I tend to speed up after I get over the hump and enter the last 3rd of a run. Would that be true this time was the question.
I’ll spare you the grunting, wincing, cursing blow by blow of the last 8 miles, but they were the most intense of my life. The crowds down 5 Avenue and in Central Park were amazing. To each of the crazy spectators with the large “Beer” signs, thank-you for the laughs.
But I think this sign had to be the best-
With one last glance at my husband at the 26 mile mark, I ran those last .2 miles with tears in my eyes and a fullness in my heart that I will hold with me for the rest of my life.
At 4:28: 53, I can now say I know what it feels like to have made my own goal, banged up knee and all.
A week plus later, and I am not quite ready to tackle the pavement just yet. I might go back to Pilates for a bit, maybe even consider taking a Yoga class. I’m waiting for all of the swelling to go down to figure out what to do about my knee. I figure it makes sense to see what is just a result of all that training, and what may or may not be a lasting result before going to see a Doctor. To be honest I don’t want to know yet, I’d rather just bask in the glory for a bit longer.
A few weeks ago the nice folks at Tech4o, dropped a Mens Accelerator Running Watch in my mailbox for a review. Since its arrival I have been putting it through the Dukes of Flatbush torture tests and am ready to report. For the rest of this post I will refer to the watch as the Accelerator, because it is shorter and sounds kind of cool. 
For me the gold standard of running watches is the Garmin 405 , and was my baseline for comparison and testing for the Accelerator. The first impressions of the watch are that it is a nice fit and of course much smaller than the Garmin. It sits nicely on the wrist and the display is just OK. It could be a little sharper and is probably a level below a Timex Ironman and without the Indiglo feature, so a little tough to read at night, but adequate.
Now lets get to the fuctionality of the Accelerator. My main test of this watch was to see the accuracy of the distance measured against the Garmin 405. For most runners, any watch can tell time and do laps, but the distance measured is the key feature we are looking for. Let me begin by stating I did not really read the manual too well so not sure if I needed to calibrate the watch, but to tell you the truth it did not really matter.
My first run was an easy 4 miler, that wound around Volunteer Park in Seattle. The results were Garmin 4.01 miles, Accelerator 3.98 miles. Not too bad. The second event was a walk around Vancouver BC and the Accelerator and Google Maps both were within 5% of each other. Since I am never sure how accurate Google Maps are, I consider this a win in terms of accuracy. The third and fourth runs were 5 mile runs around Seattle and both times the results were the same. Garmin 5.02 miles, Accelerator 4.97 miles.
So in terms of accuracy, I can say that the Accelerator worked and for a runner that is looking for a general range of distance and is not obsessed like your truly, it is an excellent lower cost alternative to a Garmin. I think the Accelerator is around $70, so compared to $350 for the Garmin, so a pretty good value. The Accelerator has a bunch of other features such as steps, calories burned, dual time and a countdown timer, but I cannot account for how accurate the calories burned works and a timer is a timer and there was no chance I was counting steps.
I will keep the Tech4o in my watch rotation along with the Garmin 405 and a couple of Timex Ironmans
Well, folks, I’m in the final stretch and, I will admit, I’ve never been so thankful to ONLY be running 25 miles in a week! After two weeks of 35+ miles, my knees and calves are definitely starting to act up, and I too, now know the pain that is ITB Syndrome. Ice, Ibuprofen, The Stick- these now are my very dear friends. But this is not new news, almost everyone I’ve talked to says that the two weeks of taper are not only the most welcome of the process, but also the most needed to get the bod back in shape and healed up for the LAST big day. It’s funny, I never thought about it like this before, but the marathon is not just one day, it’s 90+ days of getting your @$! out there and going for a run even when it’s the last thing in the world you want to do. I am still in awe that I have made it this far. With my big runs behind me, it all feels like down hill from here.
For my last 20 miler, I ran from the Brooklyn Promenade
, across the Brooklyn Bridge, across Wall Street, up the West Side Highway, across Central Park South, and then over to the 59th street bridge. Next, up to Roosevelt Island
for a loop, then back over the Pulaski Bridge into Brooklyn for the victory 5 miles back along Kent Ave and the Navy Yard. I thought I might be going insane around mile 18 when inner my monologue turned into a full on debate between three disparate voices- the one telling me to stop- Ms Whiney, the one telling me to get my act together- Ms Tough Gurl, and the one telling Ms Tough Gurl to “DIG DEEP” and “YELL LOUDER”- Ms GET IT DONE. When I end a long training run, I always ask myself if I have the remaining miles to 26.2 in me. As I rounded the corner at the end of that run, I asked myself if I had another 6 in me. Thankfully, Ms GET IT DONE answered, and the response went something like this. “HELLS YES!”
My 16 miler in Tampa, Florida last weekend, while not as entertaining, was quite a feat. Down in Tampa for a wedding, I had to make an early break from the post rehearsal dinner festivities to get some rest for the 8:30am 16 miler the day of the wedding! Who am I? My sister plotted the course for me along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail 
, which is really something many urbanites don’t see much. 8 miles of paved trail through lush forest, along a canal, with water stops every 1/2 mile- crazy! Even though it was over 85 degrees, that run felt like cake walk to the week before. A bit of soreness around mile 12, but I stretched it out and kept running, it was only 16 miles after all.
Now, I’m all about the recuperation. I’m looking forward to my afternoon dose of Ibuprofen, an easy four mile jog and perhaps an Epson Salt Bath tonight. With my last two big runs behind me and only a 6 on the horizon for this weekend, I’m feeling great. 
Oh, yeah, and that 26.2 the week after, but, I got that one- “NO PROBLEM!”
Norther Duke (and key Reach The Beach squad member) Laura passenger pigeoned this report in about her maiden marathon effort this past weekend….RIGHTEOUS!
perfect (adj.): Supremely excellent in quality or nature.
Synonyms: absolute, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable, indefectible, unflawed
October in Maine is a tricky thing. Having wed in a record-breaking, torrential rain just under 3 years ago, I knew it was risky to sign up for the Maine Marathon as a first-timer. But as a 40+ year old New Englander, I also knew I could be in for a real treat, and that it was. Clear and cool at 7:45 AM, the weather on the Portland, ME coast was consummately, supremely excellent in nature for the duration of the race. It simply could not be improved upon in any way, and for that I am forever grateful. The course is lovely, winding around the urban inlet of Back Cove for 2 miles, then heading out through the tree-lined streets of the coastal towns of Falmouth and Yarmouth, with a couple of detours for scenic ocean vistas. It’s not too hilly, just enough to be interesting (and nothing like the monsters in Reach the Beach.) The energy of participants was great, the crowds were supportive, and a few spectators pegged me as a first-time marathoner (by my yellow race number) and gave me hearty shout-outs.
My only complaint about the day, aside from the abject misery of the last 4 miles, was the dearth of, ahem, “facilities” for, um, taking care of business, as it were. So, to the organizers of the Maine Marathon, I say: In the name of all that is good and pure in running, for f*ck’s sake, put more port-a-potties on the course!!! Please, just Google the phrase “runner’s diarrhea” and let the results be your guide! I was only two minutes off my target time, and you know why? Because after desperately seeking and running too fast for at least a mile and a half, I finally leapt over a ravine, scaled a stone wall, drew blood on my legs from brambles, found a spot where I was reasonably out of sight of 2,000 people running by on the road, and dug a cat hole so I could finally relieve myself of the pressing burden I had been bearing in my bowels since my last GU shot, then had to scavenge on the decaying forest floor for a reasonable medium for tidying up that wouldn’t leave me itching, chafing, or sprouting mushrooms 17 miles down the road. And once I got back on course, it was at least 3 more miles until the next port-a-pottie. What is *wrong* with you people?!?
There, I said it. I totally recommend this race otherwise, but do beware.
Aside from that one significant complaint, it was all good for the first 16 miles or so. Blue skies, autumn foliage, ocean breezes, great volunteers, adequate water stops. It was heaven. Yes, I started out way too fast, but who cares? I was feeling awesome! Early fall in Maine really can be heaven.
At some point, I slide into Purgatory. The pain creeps in and stays. “OK,” I think, “OK, so this is what the 2nd half feels like. That’s OK. I can take it.” Another mile. And another. That’s OK. I check my stopwatch/heart rate monitor, and although my HR is where it’s been all morning, my mile times are starting to slip. That’s OK. I have a cushion, as long as I don’t have to go on another bushwhacking adventure. I knew 4:05 was ambitious. 4:10 might still be in sight. Another mile. It’s really starting to hurt now. In places I don’t usually notice. In lots of places. In new ways. All at the same time. With every step. In between steps. I’m really tired. I’m really, really so tired, and it hurts so much. I try to find inspiration in my head somewhere. I think of my dad. I start to choke up and can’t breathe well. I change the subject. I pass some spectators, who cheer me on. I look at them and say, “Don’t ever do this.” They laugh.
Somewhere around mile 21, I realize I have been periodically shaking my head violently from side to side like a lunatic, telling myself no, No, NO! I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to walk. I can’t slow down. “Pain is temporary. Regret is forever.” I’m strong. I’ve trained for this. It’s a beautiful day on the coast of Maine, and I’m outside. Look around. Enjoy the scenery. I am going to make it. Another mile. 4:10 is not happening. That’s OK. 4:15 was always my true goal. I can do that. I can do that and I will live. I do not have to stop and walk, in order to live. I will live through running a 4:15 marathon. No, no, no, no, no, I am not going to walk. Just keep going. As the sun has risen in the sky, a few clouds have rolled in to keep it cool and comfortable. The setting is still heaven, but I am in hell.
I hit the wrong button on my stopwatch. I’ve lost my cumulative time. I’m too mentally hopeless to do math at this point, so I have only my heart rate to go by.
Sean meets me at mile 23, to run with me for the last 3 miles. Sweet fancy moses goddamn motherf*cking sh*t jesus mary and shiva this hurts so bad. I say something like that to him. I moan, grunt, complain, plead, groan, and he knows exactly where I’m at because he has done this 5 times. He goads, cajoles, coaches and distracts me toward my goal. Around mile 24 my right butt cheek seizes up, and along with the demented head-shaking I now have an ass-punching tic. I want to stop so badly. Would it be so bad to miss my target time? I feel utterly wretched. But I’m so close. Maybe I can still do it. I hit mile 25 and pick up the pace, but I have nothing left. I am whimpering.
I’ve done some pretty tough sh*t in my life, but never before have I ignored the raging demands of my body to just stop, for such an extended period of time.
Sean leaves me to run the last .2 on my own. “This is all yours,” he says. “You’ve done it. Enjoy it.” Man, am I glad I married that guy.
As I limp across the finish line, I hear my name and town. The race clock says 4:17:something. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. I can finally stop. I stagger through the chute, refuse the space blankets, let them remove my timing chip, bend down to receive the finisher’s medal, and collapse in a heap in Sean’s arms.
My final time is 4:17:00:00. Just 2 minutes off my target. I’m OK with that. I’m finally done, there are no mushrooms sprouting in my underdrawers, and it’s still a perfect day on the coast of Maine.
I can’t say that I was looking forward to running the NYC Marathon Tune-up this weekend, per se, but I was looking forward to seeing how my mind and body were going to deal with the added mileage. After the very amusing walking hallucinatory state that Reach the Beach put me in, I will admit, I was looking forward to meeting that stranger I have heard so much about over the last few years- “The Wall”.
With the Tune-up miles locked in, I needed to add two extra miles to the start to meet my 20 mile run requirement for the week. This meant a 5am wake-up, train to 57th street, then the 2.6 run up to the start at 102 st on the East Side for a 7am start. (I know, boo-hoo, but hey, it’s my first marathon and I’ll moan if I want to!) After a bit of a battle with shin splints after an 18 miler to Coney Island last weekend, I will admit, I wasn’t feeling all that strong going into Sunday’s race/ run. I had been slow all week, and just couldn’t seem to get the lead out. I knew it was gonna be another difficult one when I stepped out of the house that morning- it was muggy and already 70 degrees– oh dear.
By the time I arrived at the start after my warm-up, I was already drenched with sweat. The humidity was at 93%, and I was praying for the sky to open up- no such luck. Knowing my body, I resolved to take it slow and just see what running with the crowd felt like, and listen to what my mind and body were doing and just take it nice and easy. After 3 miles I realized I was running a 9:20 mile pace and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do about it- nice and easy was all I had.
Running loops is definitely not my preferred training method. Even though I have a pretty nifty hill mantra (I love hills, I love *%$@*&% hills), I don’t like to have to use it on the same hill again and again- it seems to lose efficacy. That said; round and round the park I went for a good 15 (17.5 for me) miles with all systems pretty much in check. Slow, but in check.
It was at mile 15 that I realized that I must have dropped my 3rd Gel Pack somewhere. Opps! It was also at this moment that I also started to feel really cold. From sweaty to shivering in a matter of seconds. “Why didn’t I eat breakfast this morning?” Fearing a premature introduction to “The Wall”, I assured myself that I was fine, and reminded myself of the “Gel” table just past Columbus Circle at the bottom of the park on Central Park South. “All good, just get around the corner”, I told myself.
Just as I inched around the corner, and felt my head fill with cotton and my feet turn into 100 lb weights, I noticed that the table was empty.
“Well, hello Mr. Wall. So nice to finally meet you in person.” Maybe some good manners might soften the blow, I thought.
And it did. He’s a funny fellow that Mr. Wall. We laughed for a few steps, talking about what a crazy fool I am for taking this on. I should still be in bed, he’s right. Or better yet, glass of wine and a cozy couch. I know it’s only 9:30 am, but I’ve been up for almost 5 hours. TAXI!
We talked for a few more steps as warmth started to return to my arms, and we got near the Gatorade table- oh sweet nectar! “Three more miles, eh?” he asked. And with that, I was off. “What the hell is 3 miles?” was I needed to ask myself.
Just as I hit the 16 mile mark, I looked down and saw the brand of Gel I prefer. “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice,” I thought to myself. Then I thought for a moment and tried to do some math. Surprising how difficult that can be. My last gel was at 10 miles, the park is 6 miles. 10 plus 6 equals…come on Math don’t fail me know- 16! Oh my, it’s my Gel! Without thinking of how dirty NYC truly is (read: Horses in Central Park), I turned around, scooped it up and slurped it down- delicious, yummy, goodness, I love you Gel!
I don’t know if I really needed it or not, but I’m not trying to be a hero. Could I have run this race faster, sure? Should I have eaten breakfast? Yes! Will I run faster than a 9:40 pace on Marathon day? I don’t know. All I do know is that I ran 20 miles this weekend and I met “The Wall”- hopefully they will both be as gentle the next time we meet.
This past Saturday saw a collection of hardy Dukes shake the cobwebs off their post-Reach The Beach legs and head on out for a long training run. It was a stellar day in New York and there was only one destination that made sense: Coney Island.
If you’ve never been to Coney you should make a trip ASAP. Those pernicious developers have their clutches on it and it’s fair to say that the next few years will likely yield a much different place. The result may be a more dynamic, vibrant and “safe” destination, but there are many amongst us who delight in the old, some what dilapidated carnie-hollow that Coney Island is today.
With that in mind, 5 of us headed out early Saturday for one of my favorite long runs. It’s a flat and easy 16 miles RT to Coney Island from Prospect Park and the payoff on this one is awesome. I mean, how many runs in NY involve a old-time carnival boardwalk??
A couple of those on-board have looming marathons in their sights; the White Witch is running NYC and All Business has the Philadelphia on deck. So I expect it was particularly encouraging to both of them that the distance felt so easy….especially one week after Reach the Beach. Just one of those magic days where the temperature is perfect, all systems check out, and the miles disappear in the rear view mirror with unusual ease.
16 Sep
Posted by mfpreyer as Misc, Reach The Beach, Run, Sports, Training
All this running is great and all, but, without getting too personal, it’s not without its maladies- muscle soreness, joint swelling, tendinitis, you name it. I went into this weekend’s Reach The Beach Relay with some pretty serious battle wounds, namely 4 blisters on my feet in all the wrong places– the back of both heals and underneath each of my big toes. I will be honest and admit these are not from training; they were all my reward for the awful transition from flips flops and Birk’s to the dreaded dress shoe. Ugh.
Knowing that 2 days of running would put those blisters through the paces, I invested in a box of Dr. Scholl’s Blister Treatment Pads in hopes of protecting the now open blisters from getting rubbed raw and terrorizing my every step. While the box promises they will stay in place for up to a week and goes on and on about how you are going to have to soak with water water to remove, I can assure you these suckers can barely hang on for three miles, let alone a few hours!
In all fairness, while they were in place, they definitely provided a much needed cushion between the open wound and my sock, making it much easier to run than if there was nothing there at all. Further, I know it’s not totally fair to put these things up to such a challenge as a 208 mile over night relay race as a product review, but seriously. At almost $1 per pad, they should stay on for at least a few miles. Unfortunately, for all they promise-
* Helps heal and prevent blisters
* Stays comfortably in place
* Thin and flexible to conform to the heel and other areas of the foot
* Sterilized for safe use on open blisters
* Nearly invisible
* Water-resistant
I think they only thing they succeed at is being sterile, which while in an overnight endurance race (read: no shower) is very useful in treating wounds.
So, the search continues for a comfortable blister treatment. Until then, I guess it’s back to a sterile pad and moleskin for me.
Go Dukes!
As anyone who follows this blog is aware by now, the Dukes of Flatbush are competing in tomorrow’s Reach the Beach relay. We head up to NH tonight and will be rarin’ and ready to go for our 1:20 pm start tomorrow. It looks like the hurricane gods are cooperating with us; we seem to have dodged Ike and hope to remain gale-force-wind-free for the whole weekend.
Supported by our trusty west-coast Mission Control, we’ll be doing our damndest to live blog the effort. Expect up-to-the hour reports with all the latest on conditions, DOFB feats of strength, churlish rants and NIST certified chafe ratings. So check here early and often, and keep your fingers crossed for our intrepid squad of running reprobates.
9/9 RTB Update
9/8 RTB Update
9/3 RTB Update
8/20 RTB Update
8/15 RTB Update
8/6 RTB Update
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