Go the Distance

Today I ran a nice long 18 miler with Meredith. When we met, she had two water bottles, a fuel belt and multiple powergels with her. She was ready for a long run! She’s still working with her coach, and I’m always interested to see what she has planned. Today was 18 miles below zone 2 ( a 161 heart rate for her). I just wanted to get the miles in, so we set off.

It was a bit chilly this morning, which was perfect. We chatted away, as you’re wont to do while you run for miles and miles… as well, with the heart rate monitor keeping us ‘easy’, we were able to keep talking the whole way

I’ll admit that my knee started to get a bit sore around 15, but we stopped then for refueling and chatted with Nils and Aisha, and once we started again (and I got over that stiffness that happens when you stop to chat for 10 min in the middle of a run), it felt ok.

It was in the last mile or so that Meredith mentioned that she would miss me. Well, actually I believe she said “who am I going to be competitive with now? I got a coach, and now you’re moving to altitude!” (she’s so sweet…) It’s true, though. I’ve run with Meredith for 4 years now. We’ve been through hundreds of miles together, and even if we don’t see each other for months, we fall right back in stride and I love our runs together. After we parted ways after our run (18 miles in 2:52:04, which is a perfectly acceptable 9:33 pace, particularly with an average HR of 153 [that's recovery run pace]), I felt that supreme contentment and satisfaction I have after a good long run. I am so thankful to have running, and such great friends to share it with. Sure, we can keep in touch via email, we’ll meet up in at least Boston every year, but really, it’s those long training runs that really mean something.

Boo hoo hoo, I have to move to the runner’s mecca, Colorado. But I will certainly to miss some of the things that made me love running: my friends.

I’ve realized that there are TONS of group runs going on in Denver.. although evidently everyone takes Fridays off!

Monday: Runner’s Roost. 7pm Aurora

Tuesday: denver_Runners. 6pm Denver

Wednesday: Runner’s Roost. 7pm Aurora
Wednesday: Runner’s Roost. 6pm Denver

Thursday: DenverTrailRunners. 5:25pm Carpool from Downtown Denver
Thursday: Denver Frontrunners

Saturday: denver_runners. 7am. Centennial
Saturday: DenverTrailRunners: 8:30am. Evergreen
Saturday: Denver Frontrunners 9:15am (”gay time”). Denver

Sunday: DenverTrailRunners. 6:30am (7:30am in Winter). Golden

I had a post all written up about how I was going to run Denver this year, prompted by the fact that I had to make a decision tonight to qualify for “non-late” entry pricing. You know, tonight, Aug 31st…

Except it’s the 1st of September, and the price is now at the level it’ll stay at til race day. Now I can sit and debate whether or not the race is actually worth $105… :-/ (even if it is listed by Runners world as one of the “marathons you should do in ‘08″)

Ah yes, so it was bound to happen eventually. This month my daily running routine came to an end.

Monthly Mileage for August 2008

See all that icky black stuff? Those are the days of non-running. If you look at my mileage spreadsheet, you’ll notice there are no ugly black marks until this month. And then, wow, I made up for it!

To be fair, this was an incredibly busy month for me. I went back to Canada for a visit, and also travelled to interview and secured a new job. I was only in the office for 10 of the 21 work days in August, so perhaps I shouldn’t feel too bad that I only put partial effort into running as well, running 18 of 31 days.

My weekly average mileage dropped of course, but it’s still above 30 mpw, so I guess I’m ok with that. It’s not the 40 I had as a goal for the year, but I’m staying healthy and uninjured, so that’s definitely a good thing!

Overall: 80.34 miles
Raced: 1 marathon - 4:04:37

I definitely feel encouraged and eager to get back into running. I really miss having a training plan, and already have something in my sights…

A couple proofs from my latest race-

Running with Gene - my legs look weird!

Finishing Kick - I bet that girl didn't know we were racing at the end! I love how my front foot is almost out of the pic

After much encouragement from interested parties, I finally gave my injinji socks a try today!

I was meeting the gang out for a trail run at highbanks. I also considered trying out my new trail shoes, but I held off. I felt that changing two variables would be an unfair test of the products

I will admit it took a bit longer to put on the socks - I wasn’t used to placing each toe in its own little area. Immediately, however, I felt that each toe was cushioned moreso than normal.

I met up with the gang, and we had a good run. After one loop we stopped for a water break, and I pulled off my shoe to get rid of a rock. I’d already forgotten about the socks when someone asked about them. There was plenty of interest in the socks, and I realized that they really did feel good! I also had to demonstrate my ability to pick up a leaf with my toes, which seemed to earn the socks some respect…

The socks are a bit thinner than my smartwools, and my shoes pulled on easily (as opposed to the balegas from a few weeks ago). After the second loop we were standing around and there was a bit of a breeze, and I realized my feet felt nice and cool. I was also able to flex my toes and stretch them much more easily than if they were all crammed together.

The run today was just under 2 hours, and I believe the benefits of the socks would be even more evident with long runs. I was very favorably impressed!

I was cleaning out my closet today and came across a packed gym bag. An interesting fact about me: at any given moment I have one or two gym bags packed and ready to go (often complete with shoes). I’ll pack a bag, and then if I don’t use it, I won’t bother unpacking. Sometimes I may add additional items if I think the weather will be different than what I initially thought. .

So anyway.. today’s gym bag. I unpacked it, and was amused at what I had:

I don’t even know what pair of shoes those are: I have been alternating two other pairs faithfully, and these ain’t them. I don’t know how I managed to pack *three* head coverings, and believe it or not, this is still an incomplete pack - no socks!!

Many plans incorporate fartlek training. Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play”. Remember as a kid where you and friends would chase each other from tree to tree, sprinting and recovering as you needed? It wasn’t dreaded speedwork, it was fun!

This past Thursday (my 31st birthday!) I was visiting my uncle. He owns some 140 acres of land out in rural Saskatchewan, and I was absolutely thrilled to be outdoors, riding the quad, wandering the trails, and of course, running! I didn’t do a ton of trail running just because they didn’t have many established trails yet, but I went out of my way to push the speed up a few hills, race my 10yo cousin out to the garden, and even try to sprint my way up the road to the house! (I only ran up 0.14m at an average 7:41 pace before a car came, but I supposedly hit a high speed of 5:23)

Perhaps it was because I had taken a few days off after the marathon, maybe it was simply that I was entranced by the beauty of the setting, but I happily trotted around their property. It was fun, darnit, and I can’t wait to get into my trail shoes and go at it!

Mere days after the Flying Pig marathon in May, I was talking to my Mom about coming home for a visit. I suggested being home around mid-August, and she immediately guessed my agenda, stating that the Edmonton ING Marathon was August 17th, and she’d run the half if I wanted to do the full. Decision made!

Training

I ran an ultra mid-July, and then was quite busy in the few weeks leading up to the race. I had done well on my resolution to run daily, until August. In the two weeks leading up to the race, I twice took three days in a row off. I was busy and also feeling a bit under the weather. As a result, I hit all-time lows in weekly mileage for 2008. I tried to convince myself this was tapering, but I knew it wasn’t really intentional.

Goals

I really didn’t have a goal in mind for this race. The forecast was for record highs (in the high 80s or 90s) and I didn’t want to overexert myself. Two days before the race I was visiting with a friend who was also planning to run the marathon. He said his goal was 4 hours, so I offered to run with him. After I offered, however, he stated that he really hadn’t trained, so that was perhaps a stretch goal.. I told myself I’d start with him, and see how things went.

The Festival

There were plenty of events associated with the race weekend: a non-competitive friendship run, as well as races of various distances. My Mom trains with the local running group (The Running Room) so she was a little social butterfly and kept seeing people she knew. We ran the friendship run Saturday morning. It was an opportunity for the pace bunnies for the next day to be introduced. Rather than carrying signs or balloons, the pace bunnies had on caps that had (bunny) ears with their target times on them. It seemed to me that this was probably much easier than trying to carry signs!
I will admit I was disappointed in the friendship run. We ran through downtown (stopping at stoplights, etc), including by some shady establishments. Naturally, I was comparing this event with the Freedom Run at Boston, but I couldn’t help but think that dodging pedestrians downtown and running in front of graffiti and peep shows wasn’t the best introduction to running or the city…

The Olympics

The day before Boston, I watched the sUS Women’s Olympic Trials. It was incredibly motivating and exciting. The night before the Edmonton marathon, I was prepared to watch Deena and other world class athletes battle it out on TV. I was actually out of the room when it was announced that Deena dropped out, naturally a shock for her fans. I loved watching the coverage, and was really excited to see Constantina pull ahead and put in a fabulous performance. I was excited and ready to run the next day!

Race Day

My parents and brother all headed downtown to the race site nice and early. I was meeting G at 6:30, a half hour before our race was to begin. The half marathon did not start until 8. I was happy to see that city hall was open with adequate restroom facilities.
Soon enough, we were heading out. G had a 4 hr pace band and a Garmin 201, and I had my Garmin 305. We were ready!

This was my first Canadian marathon, so I wasn’t used to the km markers. I hadn’t bothered changing my watch, however, as I knew the mile pace for a 4 hr marathon, and I wasn’t too concerned with checking at each km marker. This would have worked fine if the downtown buildings hadn’t wreaked havoc with the gps in the first mile or so. Despite wanting to mimic the performance of the Olympic athletes, there is no way I hit the sub-5 minute mile that the Garmin claims I did at one point!

The course was absolutely gorgeous! Edmonton has a beautiful river valley, and the course ran through the valley and around several parks. Much more of the course was in residential areas than commercial, which was fine with me. There was not a to of crowd support, but that was just fine. I didn’t need crowds urging me along on this day: I was just out to enjoy the experience. Well, as much as someone can enjoy pounding pavement in the heat…

For yes, although there was a fair amount of shade (some of the neighbourhoods we ran through had mature trees whose shade covered the entire street), it was definitely a warm day. At one water station late in the race, I heard some volunteers mention they were out of cups- and there were plenty more runners to come behind!

Because 4 hrs was G’s plan, I was there to accompany him and let him set the pace to start. I really must learn to “encourage” my friends to stick to their plans, because like running with Jen in May, I felt I was struggling in the first miles as my friends went our faster than their plan would warrant:

M1: 8:19
M2: 7:55
M3: 8:01

As I said, I hadn’t been looking at my Garmin while running, relying on G to dictate the pace. At this point I looked at our speed, and chided him that this wasn’t a 4hr marathon pace. He said that he had been planning to walk up the upcoming hill, which I agreed to. My left knee was actually a tiny bit sore initially, although it didn’t bother me for most of the run.

The Running Room in Canada offers running clinics, and follow a run/walk model. Run for 10, walk for 1. The pace bunnies do this as well. I mentioned to G that I felt so many walk breaks would throw me off. He told me that he generally takes about a 1-1.5 minute walk break per half hour, which I thought would be a good compromise. It just so happened that his first walk break co-incided with a hill!

M4: 8:48
M5: 8:17
M6: 8:44

Around Hawrelak park, and we were coming up on another walk break (just as we approached another hill)! Around the 7 km mark, G mentioned that we were something like 2.5minutes ahead. I warned him that every 30 seconds ahead in the first half of a marathon would cost you 2 minutes on the second half. He told me that that was ok, because he wasn’t sure he could keep up the pace anyway. He struggles with arch trouble and wasn’t sure how he’d hold up. He told me a few times that I was to go on ahead if I wanted.

M7: 9:05
M8: 10:03
M9: 10:00

I was a bit dismayed as our pace slowed as aggressively as it did. I stopped for a bathroom break and told G to go on ahead, that I would catch up. When I hit the road again, I saw him walking on ahead, and I was worried that he was struggling already. Generally in a marathon I don’t even notice the miles ticking off until mile 8, and I was worried how things were going. I decided to keep with G until the half and then gauge how things were going.

There were a few places in the course where you could see the leaders. At mile 4 or so, there were a few people bunched together. When we saw them coming back at this point, there was one guy (the one who had been in 2nd earlier) way out in front, leading by probably 4 or 5 minutes. I heard some other runners talking, he was going for the unofficial “triple crown” of winning Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. He had a well-established lead and I don’t think the outcome was in doubt.

M10: 9:17
M11: 9:33
M12: 9:13
M13: 9:28

Half split: 1:56:45

We had been playing cat and mouse with the 4 hr pace group, but they too were well ahead of their target pace. I think that’s a real shame and doesn’t do any favour to the runners. Runners may feel discouraged if they can’t keep up with their pace leader, without realizing that their pace leaders are well ahead of the goal. The half way marker was on an out-and-back stretch of road, and we estimated that the 4 hr pace group (which was still ahead of us), covered the half in about 1:52.

I told G I was going to see what I could pull off, and left him. I considered this akin to what I did in my first running of Steamtown: the first half of the marathon is the warm-up, and I am comfortable running with others. The second half is where I need to start to run my race. It felt good to push a bit more, and I flew past several people over the next few miles.

M14: 8:25
M15: 8:28
M16: 8:51

Again as a call-back to my fantastic run in Steamtown 05, I remember thinking that the real race starts at 16. I like to feel strong here, with only 10 miles to go. I will admit that by this time the heat was starting to kick in, and I didn’t feel as good as I would have liked.

M17: 8:57
M18: 8:23
M19: 11:27
M20: 9:47
M21: 9:18

So whoever wrote up the course description and said there were only 2 hills, lied. The course was beautiful, as I’ve said, but it’s not easy. It was also tough to stay motivated to keep running with people all around me taking walk breaks.

M22: 12:42
M23: 12:29

Wow, wall much? Actually I did have to stop and take a stone out of my shoe at this point, and a volunteer asked if I was ok. I also saw G walking the other way, a few miles behind me. Wow, if I was struggling, I couldn’t imagine how he was doing.

At this point I remember thinking that the race wasn’t exactly a death march, but it wasn’t really all that much fun I didn’t take it all too seriously, however, as I knew it was just a race and there would be plenty more. I actually ran by a few guys who were struggling, and in my mind said, “I’ve done enough of these, I KNOW it’s not supposed to feel good!”

At mile 23 I looked at my watch and saw 3:28. Ugh.. naturally a dark cloud ascended as I realized that at my best, I’d be done by now. I grumbled about that for a bit before I pulled it together ad just decided to get this thing done.

M24: 9:40
M25: 10:30
M26: 8:35

In the last few miles, I’d realized that I wasn’t going to break 4 hours, so I decided sub 4:05 was a good goal. As I closed in on the finish line, I set my eyes on the target (a girl some yards ahead) and let ‘er rip. The crowd cheered as I cruised past her moments before I hit the mat in 4:04:37. My Garmin claims I hit a max speed of 5:09min/mile, but I’m not entirely sure about that.

The AfterShock

The great thing about a small race like Edmonton is that my Mom was standing there right in the chute to congratulate me. I met up with my Dad and brother, and then hit the mist tent. I was almost antsy, shifting from foot to foot. I can’t remember ever feeling quite like that at the end of a race. I was careful to stretch and grabbed some water. I felt more sore than I have in a long time.

We went into City Hall, where they had a huge brunch set out for runners: pancakes and eggs and sausages and bagels and fruit. I stayed away from the eggs (I’m not big on strong-smelling food after working out), but enjoyed the rest of the spread. On my second trip to the buffet table, one of the waitstaff said “I looked hungry”. I guess I did!

Feeling better with a full belly, we headed out to leave and I waded into the City Hall fountains. In the hot Alberta sun, my legs and feet dried quickly. Later that day, my family embarked on a scavenger hunt, so I was jumping in and out of the car and rushing about. It wasn’t until several hours later that my legs started to ache anew. It’s possible the wedge heels I wore for the scavenger hunt weren’t the smartest decision..

And next?

A few days later, my legs are STILL sore (rather unusual for me), but I’m already trying to figure out my next race. I know I want to focus on speed, so I’m looking at some different programs to try to get an idea of the type of workouts I want to incorporate. Naturally, these legs have to get in good shape first!

Recently I read two books that allowed me to mix business with pleasure. I am an avid runner, and recently sought inspiration and enlightenment in “Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports” and “Out of Nowhere: The Inside Story of How Nike Marketed the Culture of Running.”

I met Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to enter and run the Boston marathon, at the Boston marathon expo this past April, and purchased this book from her. I finally got a chance to read it, and was really surprised at all Kathrine has done to legitimize women’s running. I knew she had made a statement by registering for the marathon as K.V. Switzer, but I did not realize that this was but a first step in a life dedicated to advancements in running.

I expected the book to be related to her personal goals and drive, and I was pleasantly surprised to read about her involvement with the Avon Running program. My Mom was an ‘Avon Lady’ as I was growing up, and I had no idea they had (indeed, pioneered!) a strong running program. In “Marathon Woman”, Kathrine describes how she submitted a comprehensive proposal for the women’s running circuit program that was eventually adopted.

Avon first introduced its International Running Circuit for women in 1978, yet athletes and women can still feel its effects today. A revolutionary program, the circuit provided women with the chance to experience competitive international running, to strengthen themselves and provide opportunity for generations to come. In its storied eight-year history, the series comprised more than 200 running events that stretched through 27 different countries and included over a million participants. Not only did the series have an incredible effect on the sports world and was instrumental in attracting more women to athletics, but Avon was also an integral force in getting the women’s marathon officially included in the Olympic Games beginning with the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

from Cool Running

I was interested in how Kathrine approached marketing and branding. Too often I think we forget some of the basics: “when you are looking for sponsorship, don’t go to the companies that are already sponsoring events. Carve out something unique for someone different so they create their own identity.” Just as she was innovative in her Boston marathon application, Kathrine looked for innovative solutions to challenges. She looked at how to get sponsor logos in front of the cameras, including branding the finish line tape and placing the entrant number on a branded t-shirt for participants to wear. I was impressed with the innovation and dedication shown by this fellow runner.

Another book dealing with marketing running and getting sponsor logos in front of people’s eyes is “Out of Nowhere”. This book follows the evolution from Nike’s grassroots beginnings to the mega-brand it is now. Both these books made me realize how naive I am regarding athlete and sporting event sponsorship! I had no idea all the politics that go on behind the scenes for the right athletes to be wearing the right gear. I will admit that I was a bit shocked at the ease with which it appeared athletes were willing to change their gear for the right dollar amount: athletes would train in one shoe, and appear wearing another for an event, for financial compensation.

I will admit that I see Nike as the huge brand it is now, and it was refreshing for me to read about the young upstart company that didn’t have huge wads of cash to throw at athletes. As a company created by athletes for athletes, I enjoyed seeing how that common sense of shared passion really helped Nike achieve legitimacy and brand loyalty.

Both the books were interesting as they were first-hand accounts, but much greater than biographies. I will admit that the fact that both authors went through tumultous personal relationships was a bit initimidating: were they both married to running instead? Indeed, running was more than a pastime, it was a way of life, a cause to believe in and be devoted to.

What allowed Kathrine and Geoff Hollister to contribute to such significant changes to the field of running? Their passion, obviously. “Out of Nowhere” almost tries to evoke a “David vs Goliath” feel, with Adidas being the big bad business throwing cash at wide-eyed talent. As runners who are able to really tap into what motivates runners, Kathrine and Geoff were able to develop programming that was relevant and effective.

This is something I rail about often: a marketing message needs to be for the listener, not the speaker. Yes, obviously an organization is going to best stand behind a message that is in their best interest, but to really have good ROI, it needs to be something that the intended recipient is interested in.

Nike is hands-down the best company for tapping into the running community and runners’ motivations and needs. Their ability to identify and foster brand advocates has always been strong, and it’s even more evident in this age of social media and online community. I find it very uplifting and affirming that the reason for their success is simple: authenticity.

It is not enough to recognize a void and attempt to fill it with business and theory: a strong sense of the motivations of the audience and an authentic voice will result in much greater return. The message of one brand advocate (from within the company?) to another will continue to spread long after the campaign dollars have been allocated. We runners have many miles to discuss advancements or events on those long runs. Lace up, let’s talk..

(cross-posted to my tech/marketing/social media blog)