London Marathon Recap

I have been a bit busy since running the London Marathon on April 26th so I haven't had a chance to write up a summary until now.  In addition I came down with a cold my last few days in the UK and have been getting over it ( I am not a good sick person because I barely ever get sick).

This is from after the race in front of Buckingham Palace (to get back to my hotel I had to cross right in front of it so naturally I had to get a picture):

I was ecstatic that I was finally able to accomplish my goal of running all the World Marathon Majors with this race  This was also the first marathon I can remember where I know I could have run even faster if the course was not so tight for the number of people running (almost 38,000).

The weather was ideal in that it was overcast and cool, we had some light rain and it was a bit breezy in the starting area.  This is what it looked like in the start area:

We had to get out to the starting area over an hour before the race so you ended up sitting around for awhile.  They had lots of toilets so the wait wasn't long up until 15 minutes before race time then the lines got long. 

Bag check was very easy in that it was spread out by number groups into huge trucks so you could find your truck and step right up to drop it off.

This is my first bad thing to say about this race: I got near my wave (#6) and thought maybe they had seeded me wrong.  I had an idea this might have happened because from talking  to other people earlier who I knew ran similar times they were all in wave #3 or higher.  Maybe they expected me to exaggerate on my registration because I could tell as I looked around and saw the 4:30 pace group nearby that I was not even close to being in the right group.

As soon as the race started I knew for sure I wasn't in the right group due to the pace.  I spent lots of time and energy passing people just to get to a comfortable pace in the first 10 miles.  

One of the unusual things about the London Marathon is they don't use cups at aid stations they use small water bottles and at electrolyte stations they have bigger bottles (yes they do pick them up afterwards and recycle them).  I had heard this beforehand so I was prepared to watch out for bottles on the ground after aid stations.  I learned during the race you could step on the water bottles and crush them if needed because they were a flimsy plastic.  However you had to watch out for the electrolyte (Locozade) bottles because they were bigger, thicker bottles and you could twist an ankle if you stepped on one.  Both bottles were a really good thing because you could close the top and they were light enough to carry in your hand until you wanted or needed a drink.

The course is not hard as far as hills, in fact I believe it might be net decrease in altitude from beginning to end.  The hardest part is that there are lots and lots of turns and you have to be on the lookout for curbs that pop up in the middle of roads and when you go through a roundabout.

The London Marathon is a huge charity race so you will see lots of people wearing charity shirts throughout the race.  Unfortunately this also meant there were lots and lots of people who did not train properly for this race and I was having to pass lots of them which slowed me down.  It was so crowded and tight in spots that I had to slow down and wait until it opened up a bit and I could get around.

My typical race strategy for marathons is to get to the halfway point, assess how I feel and adjust as needed.  I felt great through the first half of the race and decided I was going to run as fast as possible and continue passing people whenever possible in the second half.  In the second half I was going at a good pace the entire time and never hit any wall.  The only thing slowing me down was the amount of people and how narrow the course was in spots.  In addition I started to encounter a common occurrence in the later part of any large marathon: people who stopped in the middle of the course to walk.  There was a guy in front of me who stopped and took a straight right turn, I was able to avoid him for the most part but my watch caught the edge of his bib # and ripped it part of the way off the pins from his shirt.  I might have yelled something but just kept going because there was nothing I could do about it.

Another example how crowded it was: I wanted to take another GU packet around mile 20. I typically wait until I reach a water station and will go off to the side away from the course to eat it and drink some water.  The course was so crowded with fences and spectators right up against the fences I couldn't actually take it until after mile 23.

The only place that does not have spectators is around mile 24 when you go through an underpass and then head into the homestretch.  The last few miles go past Westminster Cathedral then Buckingham Palace before finishing on The Mall. 

I felt so good near the end that I took off with a huge kick and ending up finishing in 3:39.  I was moving so fast at the end and weaving around lots of people that the race photographers from MarathonPhoto did not get any pictures of me in the lead up to the finish. 

This is right afterwards in the finish area (Note: I have no idea who the person on my left is but I looked up their bib #, according to that number it is an 18-39 woman named Katie so I'm pretty sure somebody got a bib from someone else.  I also saw a guy who had just finished running smoking a cigarette in this area!)

Once again I was really happy to be able to accomplish my goal of running all the Marathon Majors with this race.   A few noteworthy items:

- This race had a really great expo with lots of different vendors and it was not too crowded when we went on Friday.
- The race course itself is really neat in that you pass lots of historic buildings and go over the Tower Bridge.
- This is the first marathon I can remember where from the beginning to the end I was passing people.  Part of this was due to being seeded incorrectly but part of it was due to number of people and how narrow the course is in spots.
- This is also the first marathon where in my head I know I could have run even faster but the course and # of people did not allow it.
- Find a good place to fuel up the days before the race that is not an English pub.  I was lucky enough to have found a small Italian place a block away from my hotel which helped because frankly the food at most of the other places nearby wasn't very good (but the beer was!).
- I would recommend this race to anyone who has a chance to run it but just be prepared for the limitations noted.  Also it is great destination race because there are so many things to see in London.  We also took a short trip to Scotland afterwards which was a short flight away so overall it was a good run and vacation.
 

Miscellaneous Thoughts Wednesday

- I like running in the dark at this time of year.  Everything is starting to grow and wildlife is really active in the several hours before the sun comes up.

- I come up with lots of random thoughts while I am on my long runs but only remember a few of them because I don't save them anywhere and I forget many of them before I finish.

- How did people share this much information before social media?  I don't remember people sharing extremely personal things face to face back in the 90's but maybe I was not included in these discussions?

- Women wear yoga pants everywhere now so now men are countering by wearing sweatpants?!: http://www.npr.org/2015/04/08/397138654/for-the-modern-man-the-sweatpant-moves-out-of-the-gym  Sorry but no matter how nice they look you are still wearing sweatpants!

- I passed 6,000 runstreak miles earlier this week on runstreak day 1221.

- I'm still fighting the censor in my head that keeps me from commenting on certain things on social media platforms. 

- It bugs me when I am out for a run and I say "hi", "good morning" or even give a head nod to someone and they don't acknowledge it in some way.  Most people respond in some way but when they don't I wonder if they are just naturally angry or didn't hear me.

- 18 more days until the next marathon.

- If get injured all the time from running then there is something wrong with your form, the distances you are trying to go or you have some sort of muscular weakness.  If you don't change something then how can you expect that you won't get hurt again?

Running with dogs

One of the things I wanted to do more this year is volunteer at organizations that I support.  The main place I volunteer is the local Humane Society near me, specifically working in the dog training area.  I used to have a hard time doing this because I felt sorry for the dogs and wanted to take them all home but I have changed my view after working with the trainer at the HS.  The more people the dogs are around and better trained they are the more likely they will be adopted.  A few months ago the trainer asked for volunteers to run with certain dogs who are energetic, need to lose weight or need to get out and run.  I thought this would be a great way to run more and do something for them so I jumped at the opportunity.  Since then I go a couple times a week and run with several different dogs each time.  The Humane Society is right near some trails that go along the river so it is an ideal route to run and to get them used to being around people, dogs, wildlife and bicyclists. 

  Note: I have a dog that is a former police K-9 (Kiya), I have tried running with her but she is trained to track people and alert on drugs so she is not a good runner because you stop all the time to smell anything she detects.  This is her:







We get lots of pit bull and pit bull mixes at the Humane Society because we are one of the municipalities in the area that does not have a ban on them (Denver and Aurora do).  After working with several of them I can tell you they are great dogs and don't deserve the bad reputation they have.

This is the primary dog I run with named Lollipop after one of our runs:

Lollipop has loads of energy and is much stronger than she looks.  There are signs on her kennel warning volunteers to talk to the manager before walking her because she can pull very hard on her leash.  After running with for several weeks now I can definitely say she is improving.  I walk in and when she sees me she will start jumping around and barking because she knows it means she gets to go out and run!  When I first started running with her it took a fair amount of strength to hold on to her leash while running until she started tiring out.  Yesterday as soon as we started running she didn't yank on the leash and was pacing herself (we usually go 3-4 miles).  After she is done running we get her some water and walk around a bit to cool down.  Several times the trainer has worked with her shortly after a run and she seems to respond better than when she doesn't run.  Now if I can only get her to quit wanting to lunge at wildlife along the trail!

I also ran with a new German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix named Karma (I never realized how often you could say "Good Karma!" until I ran with him). Karma runs like a deer with a very easy looking trot and is very responsive  to any leash commands.  He is dark colored and looks like a thin wolf but is very social.

The last dog I ran with is named Klutch and is some sort of hound mix who is just out of puppy age.  He runs like he can't control all of his legs so it is this spastic run/jumping thing and he sniffs everything he comes across.  If I didn't have a leash on him he would jump into the river and chase geese.

One of best moments of the month of February was assisting in finding Jackson here a new home:

In February I was in a training class where a variety of shelter dogs were present.  Jackson here was the star of the class in that he obeys commands and doesn't react to any of the dogs around him.  Jackson had been at the shelter for awhile, most likely because he is intimidating looking (he is a pit bull/rottweiler mix) and he has a loud bark.  If you came around the corner near his kennel and he barked most people would jump and back away.  I took this picture of him and showed it to a friend of mine who has a several dogs and told him this dog was perfect for him.  He is used to bigger dogs like him and knows how to work with them.  I persuaded him enough that he took a look at him the next day.  He even brought his other dogs down later on to do a meet and greet (a way for people to see that their current pets would get along with a new pet) and two days later Jackson had a new home!  He even kept the same name which is great because many people change their kennel name after they adopt them.  I have to say that this made my month!

Tiux compression sock review

I recently tried out a pair of compression socks from a new company named Triux (http://tiux.co/).  They are a new start-up that designs and sells athletic compression socks exclusively online.

I am big proponent of compression socks and calf sleeves for longer distance runs and for recovery.  Most marathons and long races I run in calf sleeves but wear compression socks almost on a daily basis for recovery.

Note: They provided me with a pair to review for this blog.

This is the pair I received (one of the 3 different colors in their product line in size L):

I wore these for several hours before I went out for run to see how they felt.  The first thing I noticed is that they are much softer fabric than many compression socks and easier to put on.  They have nice padding on the heel, toe and sole but not too much where it felt bulky.  The large size fit me perfectly in that I did not have to roll over the top (I have big calves but my legs aren't that long).  In addition it did not have the overly restrictive band at the top like many of the other brands have that causes a circular line around the area right below your knee.

After wearing them for a few hours I took them out for a first run and they felt really good.  The provided good foot support and with calf compression while not being overly restrictive.  Many socks feel too tight the longer you run in them, these did not.  The best thing I can say is that they were so good that I didn't notice I had them on.

Since that first run I have worn them a few times for most of the day aid recovery and they are very comfortable.  

I have run, recovered and washed them several times and they have held up very well in keeping their shape and their compression (full disclosure - I am wearing them right now as I write this).

One of the best things about these socks is the price: 35.00 (which includes shipping and handling for those in the US and Canada).  That is less than any of the compression socks I currently own.  I am guessing the price is lower most likely because they only sell them online?

Would I purchase these socks?  Yes, I would buy another pair because the combination of comfort, wear-ability and price makes them a really good buy. In addition according to their website they are donating 1% of their revenue to MAG (Mines Advisory Group http://www.magamerica.org/), I like supporting companies that have pledged their support to charitable organizations.

If there is one drawback it is that there are only 3 different color options right now.  I would expect they will add more colors as they get more established.  Also I would like them to consider making calf sleeves if they wanted to branch out.

In summary I would consider buying a pair if you are in the market for a pair of compression socks.

Tokyo Marathon Recap

I traveled to Tokyo this year to run the Tokyo Marathon.   This was my 5th of the 6 Marathon Majors so needless to say I was really looking forward to this race.  In summary I ran really well finishing in 3:41 which is 14 minutes faster than my last marathon (NYC in 2014).  Here are some medal pictures and after the finish:

It was a really great experience overall and I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering putting it on their list of marathons to run.  I went through a company I have used in the past Marathon Tours & Travel ( http://marathontours.com/index.cfm/page/Home). Once again I was really happy in the service they provide.  I am using them for the London Marathon in April and will use them for more trips in the future.   They don't pay me to endorse them but it is nice to have a company in charge of most of the logistics of running a marathon in a foreign country.

I flew to Tokyo on Wednesday and due to the 16 hour time difference I arrived on Thursday afternoon.  There was a 2 hour bus ride from the airport to the hotel then I picked up schedules and guides from the desk the marathon company had in the lobby.  I immediately unpacked changed into running gear and went to the hotel gym and ran 3 miles on the treadmill and stretched.  After a 12 hour flight I wanted to loosen up and had to keep the runstreak going plus I figured it would help me sleep because it was after 9 pm by the time I finished.

The next day we had a sight seeing tour of a Shinto shrine, Buddhist temple and places throughout Tokyo.  After that we went to the marathon expo.  The expo is not as big as the other marathon majors and they had limited choices on apparel that you could purchase.  It seemed more like a place for the sponsors to advertise. Note: the marathon shirt itself was a yellow shirt that was small on me but you can't exchange it so I ended up purchasing another marathon shirt that is red and fit me.

We had a group pasta dinner that night at a local restaurant (along with a beer for me because I always have a beer the night before a race).  After that it was back to the hotel to rest for the race the next day.

Race day weather was overcast, cool and it was sprinkling at times.  I made my way to the starting corral after I checked my bag.  I had brought along throw away sweatpants and long sleeve shirt because I heard you have to wait a bit before the start.  While it was chilly it was not that cold but I am glad I brought along things to wear before the start.  Right before the start I discarded my shirt and sweatpants then the gun went off and they shot off confetti and we were off.  Well in a big race you are not really off you shuffle towards the start because I was in corral D but once we got to the start we started moving.

Here are the things I remember from the race:
- As in most big marathons running etiquette gets thrown out the window.  There are people that cut across your line, stop at the first water stop or will stop and start walking in random areas.
- I ended up running 27.2 miles according to my Garmin and I trust it because many others in our group said they had almost 27 on their devices.  I used the bathroom near the 10k mark and once I saw the sign I took off for it and it was in a park near the course.  As it turned out it was a ways away and added over a 1/3 of a mile to my distance just going to it and back to the race route.
- The electrolyte beverage they had was Pocari Sweat which I actually liked better than Gatorade or the stuff they have in races in the US.
- From about mile 15 -22 I ran near a guy who would yell something out in Japanese  every now and then.  I had no idea what he was saying but found it somewhat motivating.
- I looked at my watch at the halfway point but never looked at my watch after that until I finished.  I started doing this several races back and for some reason I run faster when I don't look at it constantly.
- As soon as we got close to the finish and after we crossed it seemed like every person took out their phone or a camera and started taking pictures.
- Even though I was in Corral D there are lots of people in earlier corrals who you end up passing.
- The course itself is somewhat boring in that you have two down and back sections so you see the runners making their way back from where you are going.

All in all it was great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of doing an overseas marathon.

On Monday I took up to Nagano with the tour group and got to go to the monkey park up there in which I saw this:

I had heard of these parks where monkeys come down from the mountains and sit in the hot springs and wander around.  It was worth the cost and trip because they are all over and you can sit and watch them.  I had two small ones walk right over my feet while I was there because they have no fear of humans.


Update: One of the bad parts I recently found out about the Tokyo Marathon is the official pictures.  In the bigger marathons I usually by a picture or two through the official race photographers.  I am used to paying a bit more for these because they have to pay for their costs for all the pictures they take.  Instead of the usual pricing of various pictures for a certain price they offered one price for all the pictures and that was it.  The price for that package was about 180 USD which is more than the cost of the race itself.  Frankly this cost is absurd so I will not be purchasing any pictures from them.

How I'm starting off 2015

I've decided to try and start off 2015 in a more positive frame of mind.  With that in mind I am going to try or hope for going forward.  I'm NOT calling these New Year's Resolutions because I don't believe in those.

1. The guys at the various gyms who apparently have never been taught good lifting form, I'm not going to get annoyed by you.  That is between you and the doctor that is going to have to fix you when you injure yourself.   Sorry but if you can't do the exercise right then use less weight!

2. I'm not going to contribute to running websites that rely on people for content such as race reviews then have online chat sessions and give sarcastic responses to people.  I've seen this happen a few times and frankly it doesn't make you clever it shows you are an idiot.

3. I have lots of running & fitness minded friends on Facebook and Twitter.  Some people run and don't lift weights and vice versa.  I wish they would both be respectful of each other and realize that just because you might do one and not the other that their workouts or accomplishments are diminished.

4. If you ask me for advice repeatedly yet continually ignore it I am just going to try and smile and respond to your questions with questions.  Or if you text me I will give one word responses along with an emoticon!  Reasoning: A person I was trying to help continues to do foolish things like go run in the afternoon when it is 90+degrees with no water and then wonders why they feel awful after a few miles.

5. I'm going to try and be nicer to those concerned about my health over me running every single day, running multiple marathons every year along with lifting weights but I really don't need it.  I know you might have read on the internet that there might be health risks associated with doing this but really I have never felt better.

6. I am still not going to be interested in listening to how people's P90x/crossfit workouts are going considering this is the first exercise program they have followed for more than a month.

7. I will try and better understand those that post multiple times every day about anything possibly running related followed up by runfies from 4 different angles during their last run.  I understand people like doing this but I just don't understand it, which I guess makes me old school.  I don't even carry a phone when I run.

8. Be more encouraging and supportive to those getting into running or lifting.

9. Running on a treadmill vs running outdoors, running races every weekend vs. never entering any races, lifting weights vs yoga, etc., everybody is different so do what works for you.

10. I am going to shake up my routine and run in different places, try some different gyms, try different classes and I am going to buy a treadmill so I have the flexibility to run at different times and it is not dependent on the weather or going to a gym.

11. I am signed up for three marathons, one 1/2 marathon, two 10k's and a 14.5 mile race at extreme elevation.  I am looking for one more marathon in late fall but I think my race calendar is getting full.

NYC Marathon Recap

I waited a week to write this because I wanted to collect my thoughts first.

The standard Race Recap, Pros/Cons section is at the end of this post because there is something else I wanted to write about first.

This is picture after I finished the NYC Marathon:

When I prepare for race I figure out what I am going to wear awhile beforehand.  If I'm traveling I prepare for cold, warm or rainy running conditions so I end up packing a lot.  As I get ready for a race I also draw inspiration from different things and people.  In the week before the race my wife sent me this article (it's fairly long but very well written): http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/9768224/the-marathon-their-lives along with the comment "Going though some old e-mails, I came across this article.  Still gets me.".  I read the article again for the I don't know how many time.  

At this point I need to explain that in 2011 I ran the Chicago Marathon and even though I had an entry I decided to try and raise money for a charity. I selected the IAFFBF - International Association of Fire Fighter Burn Foundation (it's just the IAFF now) raised some money and was part of a team of 7 that were running.  I never met any of the people beforehand because we were from around the country.  We met the day before and had dinner together with our families at a local restaurant courtesy of the IAFF.  The day of the race we met at a fire station near the start and had our pictures taken together.  We were all going to meet up afterwards at the fire station.  It was hot and humid that day so I didn't run my best race in that I finished in over 4 hours.  I met up with my wife and sister afterwards and walked to the fire station, it was somewhat quiet but people were talking in small groups.  One guy from the team who had finished came over and said Will (A member of the team) had collapsed near the finish and they didn't know what was going on but it wasn't good.  Shortly after that I left to go back to my hotel and found out that Will Caviness had died on the news.  Since that day I've never worn that shirt I ran in, in fact I didn't even like looking at it but I kept it in the back of drawer. 

After I read the article again I started thinking about what I was going to wear.  The IAFF as a charity does not have a team that runs NYC but what if wore this singlet for inspiration from Will (who was a fire fighter in NC) and also to publicize the work they do.  In addition it would give me a good memory to go along with the bad one I have associated with it.  I contacted the people at the IAFF to ask if it was okay if I wore this (they have changed the name since 2011 and there are some different people in charge of the fitness team) and they were very enthusiastic. 

Due to the wind and cold I put on a compression shirt underneath it but I ran in that shirt and had an incredible race that I will always remember.  I was slapping hands with any spectators that were out (including some cops and fireman) which I usually don't do.  Even after the race I couldn't help but smile at everyone and was practically jogging to get my bag and head back to my hotel.  Even as I sit here now writing this it still makes me smile because it is such a good memory.  All I can say is that Will inspired me that day.




 Race Recap

What can I say about this race that you haven't ready somewhere else? I was really looking forward to this race for a number of reasons: it is the 4th of the 6 world Marathon Majors that I have done and also it was the last marathon of 5 I did this year (so now I can rest and recover until 2015!).

Pros
- Race management is spectacular, with over 50,000 people running they do an awesome job.
- Lots of well stocked aid stations along the route.
- The course itself is not hilly, the biggest hill and toughest part of the whole race was the first 2 miles. Part of the reason was the 20+ mph wind and I was in a wave on the top deck of the bridge.
- The finish is well organized so when you are done you go get your bag (if you had one) or you got a poncho and left Central Park.
- The expo had lots of different vendors and it was easy to pick up your bib.

Cons (there are not many but these are things I noticed)
- The baseball hats they had with the marathon logo were made by Asics and they were so odd shaped I didn't buy one. Not many people did, in fact I didn't notice many people wearing them during the race which you usually see.
- With this many people be prepared for lots of breaches of running etiquette. People would stop in the middle of the road to walk instead of getting over, lots of people throwing cups that were half full all over with no concern for others and people not really aware of how to pass someone without bumping into them.

Overall this was a great experience and I am glad to finally get in and run it. The registration fee is expensive but to me it was worth it.