How to switch it up...

I hear some of my running buddies complain about burn out from time to time. Here's a great article on how to switch it up and get good strength training in your run.

Atypical posting here...

I don't usually post stories like this, but this one struck me. Its an extremely sad story about a jogger killed by a pack of pit bulls in a rural part of Los Angeles. I can identify with this problem first hand, because on occasion I've encountered dog packs face-to-face while out jogging. On one such an occasion occurred in the fall of last year. I was trail running around the lake where we live and heard running behind me. I looked back and saw four large dogs in full chase, one right at my heels. I quickly found higher ground and grab a stick and swung just as the closest dog leapt towards me. I ducked, he missed, I and charged him yelling and swinging the big branch as an unwieldy club. That seemed to run them off. I'm 200lbs, physically very capable, maybe I was more than they anticipated, maybe they were just out for a run and a little too curious. Thankfully they weren't a pitbull pack from hell.

Unfortunately I had another run in with a pack a week later which did have a pit in the lead and changed my mind forever on this topic. I had learned to carry some protection from the first encounter so I had a large knife at the ready. The pit bull lead dog wasn't aggressive and they moved on. As for me, I got spooked. The knife wouldn't have made much difference, I realized I was still way under-armed. If a pack of pits turn on you there's not much to do but get away and fire from a safe distance. And for the Police officer in the story who shot one of the animals the dog just ran off. Anyone who's been in this situation knows what I'm describing is a high adrenaline scenario. Prayer is always a good thing, but either way I don't run in the woods unarmed any more. My best advice is bear spray, a Glock and keen awareness. Say a little prayer for the lady in that story and her family and read her story if you have some time today.

Transitioning to the Trail Run

This is a great piece on road runners who try to transition to trail running, so insightful: link here

The Terminal Cancer Patient Who Won a Marathon

So this is ridiculous and fantastic, story here

World's oldest marathoner is hanging up is running shoes at the wee age of 101, story here. He started running marathons in his early nineties. How's that for some perspective on what you can achieve?

Couple of local races coming up on Jan 12th

Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers 15th Annual Bold in the Cold 5K & 15K is coming up on January 12th is a local favorite.

and right in our own backyard, Highland Village's own Resolution Run 5K. Both events should be a lot of fun and if history serves, very cold!

My First Marathon in Review

In a word "Ouch".

So I ran the 2012 Dallas Marathon yesterday and it was an awesome experience. The new marathon course incorporates several Dallas landmarks like the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Turtle Creek, White Rock Lake, and historic Swiss Avenue. The weather made it a challenging day with humidity and rain before the race making the streets slippery at the start.

I ran a nice race through 20 with an easy 10 minute pace. I enjoyed the crowd and took in as much of the city during those first 20 as I could. It was really special, exhilarating to be out in it. But the high humidity and perhaps a lack of preparation caught up with me, as I started cramping in the right hip flex-or. I wouldn't say I was ill-prepared for the race. I had completed a 16 week preparatory course and had built a solid foundation prior to that prep. And having pushed towards this goal for over two years and several half marathons, I felt I was prepared. But I just wasn't prepared enough for it to be a smooth experience and realize a fast time. So it was a battle to finish the last 6 miles. In the end, my tenacity won out over the stabbing pains. Crossing the finish line, I didn't well up in tears as I'd imagine I might. Elation in self actualization and happy that it was over.

I think my favorite moment in the entire race was seeing my wife and four children at mile 20. Our two and half year old little girl Emma was so excited cheering me on. She gave me a full smack when I stopped to say hi. This is a little girl who is, let's say economical about handing out hugs and smooches. The older ones saw how sweaty I was and decided a hug wasn't interesting at that time. I don't blame them a bit. But that memory will stick with me forever! Emma then offered up the bag of chips and banana I had asked they to bring. I declined the chips as I was already more than a little queasy. Emma asked "well can I have them?" Of course you can Sweety, you can have them all. You can have a blast running and a bag of chips. (sry, couldn't resist).

Thank you to my family and friends for coming out and supporting me in this endeavor. What a great day!

And here's how I feel today, Monday the day after the marathon.

Here's a video of my race finish:

Dallas Marathon this weekend

The Dallas Marathon is this weekend and its my first full marathon, pretty excited and a little anxious. Hopefully it'll be a fun, smooth experience. Cheers to everyone and have a great weekend!

New Tapering Technique

The method is not what you'd expect:
**SPOILER ALERT**
Its Intervals.
It produces a 22% rise in endurance over traditional tapering methodology. story here

Eccentric Strengthening

Negative calf raises helps prevent achilles tendonitis. The story is here

Soda kinda a good marathoner

I've been a big proponent of baking soda as a daily supplement for years, it picks me up when I'm about to get a sniffle, it helps a rumbly stomach settle down as it alkalizes acidic environments. And now its starting to bare weight in scientific studies... story here And for the organic DIYer in all of us, here's a good link for baking soda based shampoo which works very well.

2nd in Age Group | Lessons learned

...so I took second in my age group in a pretty small race this past weekend, the Waterworks 25k.

Here are a few lessons learned from the 25k:
1) TAKE YOUR WATER BELT w/ PICKLE JUICE! Nobody will be handing out salt pills when you start cramping up.
2) A 10 minute pace equals a 4:20 marathon -- slow down at the start, set your mind right. You do want to be walk-jogging at the 13 mile marker bc you didn't manage your ego.
3) Gel and pickle juice every 4 miles, no buts.
4) Shirtless is a good thing, no chaffing or bleeding nips is even better.