Happy holidays to everyone.  If you are taking the winter off from distance running, enjoy your other fitness endeavors.  If you are training through the winter for a spring race, then good luck braving the cold!  If you ever need someone to run with, don’t forget your old Navy coaches- shoot us an email and we will either run with you or find someone for you to run with.  See you next summer!!

For those of you who are interested in training for a spring marathon, there is always the spring training team, which starts up in the beginning of December.

Many of the running groups continue through the off season, as well, including the awesome one that meets at the church near Boulevard and Monument.

The Richmond Road Runners Club offers tons of races, running groups, socials, and vounteer opportunities.  They also have a message board on their website.  Check it out!

Looking forward to seeing you all at the party at Ed’s!  I won’t be posting anything here until then.  I don’t have much to say about running without the training team, since I remain sidelined by injuries. 

Thanks again for making this training season so much fun.  Navy Team rocks!

As Don has mentioned, tomorrow’s run is as long or as short as you want it to be.  It’s just a nice way to catch up with everyone after the race and to trade stories in person.  And to test out your legs and see if they can still run after last week’s torture. 

If you are still feeling tired or if you are experiencing aches and pains, then for heaven’s sake, do not run!  Your body needs a rest and has earned one.  I will see you there at 8:00 AM for our final Saturday at the stadium!

Ed ran with me from somewhere along Main St – Boulevard, maybe a mile or so.  Told me to be sure to scale back a bit for the hill over the railroad tracks and at mile 20 start keeping count of how many people you pass versus pass you, and aim to be +50 over the final 6.2 miles.  Well at mile 25 I was only at +15 and had been recording 10 minute miles with a few stops to stretch my cramping left hamstring (pretzels at mile 23 took some time to digest but I was A-OK again at this point).  Dana was out of sight at this point.  I don’t know wtf happened but I saw my watch at 3:50, got psycho, chugged my powerade, flung my fuel belt into some parking lot and took off.  I stopped counting at +104 (no joke) as I turned onto Cary St, could see the finish line, and went into an all-out sprint.  The fact that it was mostly downhill obviously was a major factor, but the final 1.2 miles: 8:15ish.  The best part?  I was somewhat concerned that being in the waves, even if I did post a sub 4 hour marathon, the time would be 4:05 or higher.  They pretty much released corrals one and two at the same time.  My gun time is 3:59:55.  That’s a photo going over the mantle.  It will be right next to my first marathon finish photo, showing a 1 hour, 5 minute PR.  What a race!

I have decided to deal with “being on a break” from running by eating a lot of good food, going for drinks in the middle of the week, and staying up late!  Such healthy choices.  I’m also already contemplating what  my next race will be (for those of you wondering, I have given up on running Charlotte- my body just can’t handle the abuse right now…wah).

So my advice to you is to pick up a neglected hobby, take your spouse out to dinner, take care of that long to-do list, cross train…do whatever you need to do to take your mind off of the miles you are not logging.  And rest assured that running will be waiting for you when you are ready to come back to it.

If you decide to write down some of your thoughts and experiences, I would love to post them here to share with your teammates.  I can do so anonymously if you would like.

Thanks for letting MTT in general and Navy Team in particular help you through the long training season and your 2009 marathon.  It’s been a wonderful year!  Looking forward to seeing everyone at Ed’s party on December 5th, and next year for another training season!

Here is a link to the pictures I took during the race.  I couldn’t get them on Flickr because my stupid computer kept shutting down the internet when I tried to upload the photos…I’m very computer savy.  Anyway, I tried to get pictures of everyone, but a few of you slipped by in a flash before I could snap a pic.  I also took pictures of other curiosities along the course.  I wish I had gotten a picture of Amby Burfoot wearing his MTT shirt, but I was just so excited to see him wearing it that I was too busy yelling “HEY AMBY, I LIKE YOUR SHIRT!” to take a picture.

So here is the link, enjoy!

http://navy2009.shutterfly.com/

Mark gathered the Navy contingency together to present our coaches gifts.  Many thanks to you guys for your generosity and kindness!  We truly appreciate the gift certificates and will put them to good use, but of course our true reward comes tomorrow when we get to watch you guys cross the finish line.  This year’s group has been especially friendly and fun, and we have enjoyed every long run we shared with you.  So thanks for the gifts and thanks for being such an awesome team!  

Don’t act like you haven’t been checking the weather non-stop, because I know you have.  It looks like it will be a reasonably good day for a long run- cloudy and cool.  Wear layers that you can shed along the course, and hang on to a pair of gloves or arm warmers in case you need them later in the run.

I have been making a ton of posters to hang along the course for encouragement, so keep your eyes out for them!  Each and every Navy Team member has their name on at least one poster, and there are several for the team in general.  It might be fun to try to spot them along the route.

We coaches will be all over the course, from the starting line to the finish.  We will find you, don’t worry!  In the two marathons I have run with the team, I saw all my coaches at least twice in each race.

My final words of encouragement are not my own- they come from the OBX Marathon Participant Guide.  But they are really inspiring, and if I could say it better myself, I would:

“Running a marathon is a challenge.  What really defines us is not how we finish, but the journey.  It’s how we train and respond to the challenges along the way that really tell our story.  Give it all you’ve got.  Resist the urge to complain.  Take the challenge head on.  Laugh, joke, and have fun.  If you aren’t having fun, what’s the point?”

A final, hearty and heart-felt thank you to our group of kind-hearted, strong, determined, awesome runners who truly embody the Navy Team spirit.  You have already done the work, now go out there tomorrow and celebrate!

See you tomorrow morning at the Suntrust Building at 7:00 AM.

I hate running.  This time of year, marathon season, the streets seem to be teeming with runners.  The more safety conscious of them run on the sidewalk or face traffic but many run in packs and seem intent on owning the road.   Most of these runners don’t seem happy.   They are grim faced, and look like they are either constipated, coming from a funeral, or fighting some internal demon.  Even those that are bopping along to Miley Cyrus on their iPods don’t smile as I pass them in my car.  Running for most people, it seems, is not a social sport.

My own foray into running started innocently enough.  Two years ago my friend was running the Richmond marathon and asked me to come cheer her on.  I was supposed to meet her somewhere near mile marker 15.  I overslept a little, then had trouble finding the spot and ended up just going to mile 25.  There, I waited in the cold, thinking these people are nuts.  Eventually the elites passed, and then everyone else started coming in waves.  Finally, I saw my friend, yelled her name out, and next thing you know, someone is asking me if I would not mind running with her.  So there I am in my jeans and winter jacket, huffing and puffing, trailing behind her, eventually unable to even finish that last mile.
At other sporting events you are never told that you too can throw a football like a Manning or dunk like Kobe. That all you need to do is try, and next year you too can run 26.2 miles.  I get tired just driving 26 miles.  It’s not like I was a complete couch potato.  I did play tennis on occasion and had dropped by the gym every now and then.  But really, I thought, running comes down to genetics, and I had never heard of a single person in my family, close or distant, who had run for pleasure.
My parents are from India.  Think about what Indians are known to excel at: math, meditation and manning call centers.  Now what do all these things have in common- sitting.  That’s right, sitting not running.  And it’s not just sitting on a chair, its sitting cross legged on the floor.  For millennia, sitting has played an important role in Indian society.   Indians sit on the floor to sing, play musical instruments, cook, eat, and my personal favorite, to use squat toilets.  Even the multi-day weddings for all their color, pomp, length, and craziness are sitting parties with the bride, groom, and priests all sitting around the ceremonial fire for hours.  One of the main benefits of Yoga was to be able to train your body so that you could sit for long periods of time.   

Could I prove nature wrong?  Would nurture work?  I decided to give it a go. It was November, way too cold to be running outside, so the always 70 degree weather of the gym beckoned.   The treadmills with the TVs in front were heaven-sent, and so I started to run.  Now my running friend, being of one of those square jawed running purists, was mortified of my affinity for the treadmill and said, ‘that’s not real running.’   But it seemed to do the trick for a few months. And then life happened and the running stopped.

Spring came with it and so did the Monument Ave 10K.  By the time I thought to run it, registration was closed.  Another friend offered me his spot, and after training for only two weeks I thought I was ready.  Now, I knew nothing about running. My friend, who was 14 years older than me, was surely thinking that I would do ok.  Well, my friend is a fast runner and was signed up with the “E” group.  That meant nothing to me.  So come race day, I start out with this group.  It was way too fast for me and I ended up to walking a good bit of the race.  It did not help matters when spectators asked if I had signed up for the wrong group.  I later learned that the letters were based on speed.  “A” is the fastest.  I should have been in “Z” not “E”.  When I finally staggered over the finish line, the EMS guy asked if I was doing ok, and did I need an IV! Then and there I should have known that I was not a runner.

Fast forward a year and my running friend convinced me to sign up for the Marathon Training Team.   I reluctantly made the commitment after pushing aside memories of the debacle that had been the 10K.  Really more peer pressure and bullying on her part then a desire on mine.   Joining the team did not make me a runner, though.  I am what is euphemistically called a plodder. Truthfully, I am not even that.  I am a walker.  Every run that I have done involves quite a bit of walking.   I take breaks from walking to run.  This method even has a name – the Galloway.  Nature 0. Nurture 1.

Training for a marathon is not only time consuming, it changes your way of life.  Never did I imagine running four times a week, night and day, or getting up at 6 AM on Saturdays, rain or shine for 5 months.  Then there is the whole change in diet. Carbohydrate loading, drinking so much water that you end up peeing all night long, and of course “Gu-ing”, gulping down sugary toothpaste just so the body can keep going.  But some things never change; while everyone else is eating their pre-run bagel or toast, I am scarfing down my traditional comfort food, white rice. Nature 1. Nurture 1. 

Then there is the craziest part – the post run ice bath.  Imagine a tub filled with cold water, 32 pounds of ice and you.  Even with only exposing the lower extremities while wearing a fleece jacket, beanie and blanket, those 15 minutes can be quite hard.  But, just like all the other mad things, it works and there is less limping the next day.  Nature 1. Nurture 2. 

I never get the ‘runner’s high’.  The only joy I experience is when the run is over.  I think there are millions of us out there who are like that.  We run for the purported health benefits.   Running with a team is a social soiree like none other.  I even met runners who were actually happy!  Runners claim that it costs nothing to run.  My spent time and money would say otherwise.  Shoes, shorts, shirts, sports drinks, gels, fuel belts, and the biggie – the doctor and rehab.  Plodding along a smooth road, I fell for no apparent reason, thank you Indian heritage, and rolled my ankle pretty badly.  Nature 2. Nurture 2. 

However, my injury pales in comparison to the many others with inspirational stories who will make it to the starting line this Saturday: cancer survivors, grandparents, diabetics, and just every day folks who juggle jobs, families, illness and injury. 

Come race day, while the runners will be praying to the gods of nature, many of you will be giving us the nurture we need. Thanks! In case you want to find out if nature or nurture prevailed, look for me, I will be the one sitting down just after the finish line. And who knows, one day you may hate running too.

Some people have been asking if the coaches know where they will be stationed along the route.  The general plan is for us to start out with you guys to help you with pacing…the number one mistake you can make is to go out too fast!  Then we get a lift to a place further along the course, and run back and forth with you guys until we get to the finish line.  So you see us all at some point, I promise!  We will be on the lookout for you! 

And don’t forget, any MTT coach will respond to any request for assistance along the route, whether you need someone to open your Gu for you, or give you a quick pep talk, or run with you for awhile.

Today is your last chance to sign up for the pasta dinner.  A good group of Navy folks and Navy friends have signed up, and it promises to be a good time.  Hope to see you there!

And to look past the marathon for one quick moment…don’t forget to add the End-of-Season Party to your calendars for the evening of November 21!

Happy tapering…

The streak continues, my last 4 marathons have been over 70 degrees.  The OBX Marathon hit 76 degrees. 
 
The temperature at the start was 58 degrees so I knew we were in for a long day.  Ed Paraiso kept us in check and made sure we didn’t go out too fast.  Our plan was to do 8:45-8:50/per mile through 20 and then assess our condition. 
 
So of course, very scenic.  We cruised around the Wright Brother’s Memorial and made our way along the coast, beautiful.  Then all of the sudden, we went off road, on sand/dirt, up hill, down hill and then more up hills for 3 miles.  Brush, leaves, mud.  Yes, 3 miles.  There was so much sand around, it felt like we were on the beach.  I wanted to pop a chair open and get a tan.  Unbelievable.  The hills were tough.  Didn’t realize that.  When we came out of it, back onto the pavement, it was the halfway point.  The next 13.1 miles was brutal.  No shade whatsoever.  And there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  We ran on the highway.  The sun was just beating down on everyone.  It was so hot and we couldn’t find relief anywhere. 
 
So we made it to mile 20 and we averaged 8:55/per mile by this point.  The temps were maxed at 76 degrees by this time.  Then, the wheels started coming off.  Ed got cramps in his quads so he backed off and then I took off.  A mile later, I had cramps in both calves.  Luckily, my new best friends, Dana and Val met us at mile 20 and ran with us.  They both ran with me until the finish.  They were God sent.  So I had to stop and stretch my calves out at least 6 or 7 times.  I never hit the wall, but I could tell I was almost there.  I thought I had drank enough, but I was definitely dehydrated.  It really is all mental after mile 20.  I wanted to walk so badly, but knew if I did, it would be over.  I got a call from a good friend of mine the day before giving me this same pep talk.  It worked.  I thought about my boys for inspiration and kept at it.   
 
When things couldn’t get any worse, I saw this incredible bridge about a mile away at mile 23.  Dear Lord, it looked like Mt. Kilimanjaro.  After I climbed it, it felt like Mt. Kilimanjaro.  What the hell was that?  It was so steep and so long.  Luckily Dana and Val guided me up the bridge and I made it down the other side.  I thought OBX was flat?
 
Then, the finish line.  After I crossed it, I felt terrible.  Queasy, unbalanced and incredibly sore.  Of course, that all got worse.  I could even eat anything.  Yes, me not eat.  Now, I can barely walk.   

Considering the sauna we ran in today, I’ll take my 4:02.  I am absolutely the worst hot weather runner there is, but somehow, I make it through.  Practice makes perfect I guess.   
 
So thanks to Ed, Victoria, Dana and Val for their great support. 
 
If you’re thinking about doing the OBX Marathon….DON’T
 
I’m thinking about taking up tennis and giving up running now…..
 
-Shawn