Mercedes Marathon

It was a long drive but Diane's Lexus made our travel really comfortable. Took turns driving and made a couple of stops on our way yet we made it on time to catch up with Phil, Hara and her family. Met at Rocky Pizza as planned for some carbo loading. The Power punch pizza looked very tempting and ended up getting a big one.

Hara was running this for her BQ (Boston Qualifier). We were discussing about all the races that we have run so far and our forthcoming schedule while Sophie, Hara's daughter, was enjoying her pasta and buffalo chicken wings. Very nice of Phil for collecting our race packet. After dinner we headed to our hotel room to catch some sleep. Diane and I headed to the gym and did a mile walk on the tread mill.

Placed some ice packs near the ankle joints and was lying on my bed pondering that the Valentine’s Day weekend is going to be something very interesting and exciting. Mixed feelings, did I commit myself too much, maybe I should’ve listened to my friends, would it hurt, what it would be like were the questions popping on top of my head. I still remember the day when I signed up for four races and this one was unique as it would be back to back. One down and three more to go. My third Full Marathon if I get to finish it and my first one in my Vibram Five fingers. They held up pretty good for my half marathon.

Didn't know when I dozed off. Alarm went on at 5:00AM. Ankle pain was much better but still was a bit sore. That morning was very different. You will never do it; it’s going to be hell, Forget the finish line and thoughts as such. I have never had this feeling before. Tried hard to avoid the voices (sorry if it sounds dramatic) and resisted it harder. Pinned up my BIB and timing chip on my VFF. Found a spot close to the start line and parked the car. The ‘This is it’ moment. No turning back now.

My first ever marathon where there were about 2000 runners, could be more. The moment the race started, it took 7 minutes to reach the start line. It was mix of both marathoners and half marathoners. A two loop course through downtown Birmingham. The weather was freezing cold, 28 def F (Yes that’s -2deg Celsius). 

My training runs on the snow helped. Breathing was so hard and lungs were choking. It took almost 3 miles to gain the pace by squeezing through the crowd. A long way to go, with just me and the road ahead and nothing in between. Mile 8, pain started creeping in near the ankle. Oh oh, not again. Can’t afford for an ice pack on the run. Poured some ice cold water over it, gulped a glass of Gatorade and headed towards mile 9. Reached mile 13 at about 2:10 minutes. There were hundreds of half-marathoners pushing themselves to the finish line. Man, their race is over yet I have to do the whole loop once again. It’s very tempting. Shall I just cancel my entry to Full Marathon and do the Half marathon instead, just a voice inside my head, “Be a man”, that’s the voice from my heart. The heart won! It’s Valentine’s Day people! :)

Hastily, I took the turn towards my second loop. Pain, legs were aching, fat cells were crying. It was around 32 deg F by now but I was sweating like hell. Stride length was getting shorter. Mile stone was showing 15miles. 11.2 more miles to go. While I was trying to gain momentum, the course headed towards a hilly road. I should have anticipated as I just did the course in my first loop. Pulled myself up till the aid station. Grabbed some bananas, oranges and some water. Was feeling better. Never felt the need for a potty break though. Reached the Mile 20. Mile 20-26 always gives me goose bumps. The part of the race that puts me to test. Earlier I could stretch myself and touch my toes without bending my knee. Now, that seemed to be an impossible and grueling task. My nerves have given up I believe. Still managed to do it in spite of the pain. Now the interesting thing in this race is there is a balloon lady, she walks/runs at a 6:00hr pace. If you fall behind her then you are out of the race. While stretching, I look behind and I see the balloon lady. Oh man, I can’t fall out of the race. I must do it. I must finish it, whatever it takes.

 Got some courage to pull myself and started running at a very good pace until I couldn’t see her. I was running like I stole something. Later I found that it was another runner with some heart shaped balloons celebrating the Valentine’s Day. Freak!! Thought would wait for her and beat her up but good I saw her else I wouldn’t have gained the pace. That running pace hurt though. Mile 24, 2.2 miles to go. This is where the theory of relativity comes into the picture. That Einstein guy was right, “When you sit with a good looking girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes but when you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours, that’s relativity”. The next 2.2 miles was hot stove for me and it seemed like eternity. There were couple of runners ahead of me and decided to out run as many as possible. I would take advantage when they would walk just to see them passing me in a while. 25 miles into the race and the last 1.2 miles to go. 

I could feel the vibe already, am in the downtown area, people standing by the side cheering you. I was literally dragging myself with this new found energy. 26 miles, the final 200 yards, I could hear the music and the finish line comes into view. All pain and suffering vanished, I sprinted the last 200 yards and crossed the finish line. w00t. Nothing like the few seconds while crossing the finish line. I was soon wrapped in mylar blanket by a volunteer and was awarded my finisher medal and my finisher T-shirt. Finished it in 5:18:52

Garmin Data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25398605

 A very special race for me indeed. I ran this for the pure joy of running, to test myself and for other reasons only known for a few. There were hundreds of them crossing the finish line each for a cause and some for themselves. One lost her brother in Haiti, the other in memory of her child who died of cancer, some for their dear ones and many more reasons. Let me tell you something, you got to be at the finish line to experience what I am saying, wish I could put my feelings in words though. My friends crossed the finish line, 10 minutes after I finished. We hugged each other and said, “We survived, we did it”. Mercedes Medal and the Finisher T-Shirt were awesome. A sweet gift for my Valentine’s Day!

 

We were hunting for the Y! for shower but no luck. We were craving for Chick-fil-a sandwich though but found it closed and later realized it was Sunday. We had to settle for the second best and headed to Arby's. Had my favorite Roast beef sandwich and headed to Nashville. Done with a Half and Full, next would be the 50K and then the 50Mile. Jeez!!

Frost Bite – Half Marathon

This is going to be one hell of a weekend I told myself on Friday night. Just like my header image I created couple of weeks before after signing up for four races. 

I have never attempted anything like this before so I was a little skeptical how everything was going to turn out and was keeping my fingers crossed that it should be favorable to me. This weekend would be special as I would be running a half marathon (Frost Bite) tomorrow and a full marathon (Mercedes Marathon) the next day.  I packed my bags on Fri night after dinner. Charged up my Garmin, double checked my to-carry list and hit the bed.

Got picked up by Diane at 9:45am and we headed to Cedars of Lebanon. A beautiful state park located at Lebanon, TN.  It was cold, very cold. We saw Keith warming up on our way to the parking lot.. Met Kim and Amanda, friends of Diane, and two awesome runners. After a brief conversation, we collected our BIB. My first Half-Marathon. Couple of folks wished me for my first half marathon and was asking me to run a full marathon soon. They gave me weird look when I told them that I have completed two full marathons already. :)

It was time. I was excited about running this one in my VFF. This would be the longest run on my VFF ever since I got them. The course was ‘relatively’ hilly and pretty much asphalt/gravel all the way. The race started on time and off we took off from the start line. Met a couple of folks from the ‘Flying Monkey’ marathon at the start line. They are everywhere. Again my VFF attracted lot of runner and were shooting questions at me. My answer was simple, ‘It’s great, my foot feels good, and you should give it a try’. I was feeling good running in them.

20 minutes into the run and I was really warmed up. Ran at an easy conversation pace for the first few miles. The final stretch, the long road was cruel. It seemed endless until we took a turn to enter the park area.  The course was pretty much hilly. I wanted to do a sub 2:00 but that seemed to be an impossible task. Missed by goal by 3 minutes, nevertheless it was my PR for my first Half Marathon. I crossed the finish line by 2:03:40 comfortably, posing for John who was clicking pictures at the finish line. (Thanks a lot John)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25398642

I was starving by now. Headed to the rest area and grabbed three slices of pepperoni pizza, pretzels and mountain dew. Met couple more runners who have come all the way from Kentucky. There were lots of runners curious about my VFF. Had a nice conversation with all of them while hogging my pizza. Diane soon joined us. After walking around a bit, I headed to hit the shower. It was still freaking cold and hot shower felt great.

My feet felt good. No soreness except for a little pain on my right ankle, can’t afford to get hurt especially with a marathon to run the tomorrow. It was 2:30 PM and we were all set to hit the road to Birmingham, AL for our Mercedes Marathon.

Alabama, here we come! :)

Hill training - Percy Warner Park

Diane and I decided to do some hill training on Sunday while returning from “Trail of Tears”. We started a bit late though but we were glad we could make it. Reached Percy Warner Park at around 3:35. Kim joined us too. We started from the stone gate entrance at around 4:00PM. 

I was excited about putting my VFF to test in the mud and stream. Took our water bottles and we headed towards the hills. I have very good memories here. My first US marathon, Flying Monkey Marathon, was in this park. You’ll call yourself a monkey and people will call you ‘Monkey’, if you complete this marathon and yet you will not get offended but feel proud. “He is a monkey too”, Diane told Kim, and she was telling about the mail I sent to the message board saying “Can anyone give a ride to an Indian monkey”. Good times. Here we are once again running in Percy Warner Park, but just that we’ll be running on dirt and hills.

After about a mile in the run, we encountered some serious dirt and mud. My VFF offered some good grip though. KSO – Keeping Stuff Out, stood up to the test though. It didn’t offer any waterproof but it did keep stuff out. Size 48 on mud was making foot prints like that of a ‘Big foot’. Several steep climbs, tiny waterfalls, serious dirt, roots, it was one good hill training.

(This is how it looked like)

We rested at couple of places and I loved the “Quiet Point” ridge. It offered a nice view of the park. It’s one of those moments which you would want to freeze and live in it for a long time. Trail running is just amazing and very different. It makes you feel primal and being one with nature. At one point there were pack of deer heading towards my trail and they got scared and got scattered. They just climbed the opposite steep hill like it’s a flat course. I have never seen so many deer out in the wild. Lucky me! (Wish I had a camera with me)

We were running at conversation pace discussing about our upcoming races and then Diane and Kim had their Gossip time. Then the conversation switched back to running and food. It was fun! We completed the white trail and then the Red trail loop. My leg was looking so dirty, but again my VFF offered very good grip especially while running down hill. My legs and thighs were completely covered with mud. One helluva trail running. We completed the whole course in about an hour and fifty minutes covering a distance about 7 miles.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24297749

We then went for short walk to warm up a bit before heading home. My Vibram’s were so dirty that I wore a plastic bag on top of them. I didn’t want Diane’s car to get dirty. It looked pretty funny though.

I was walking with my Vibram’s wearing those plastic bags and my neighbors gave me weird looks. Glad I wore them, my carpet is safe too. Cleaning them was no big deal. Just stand under the shower with those shoes and the dirt just got washed away. Sweet. Thanks Diane, John, Kim and Keith. You made my weekend.

Now heading to watch Super bowl with friends. Pizza time! Go Saints gooooo…

Trail of Tears!

7 mile race on ‘Trail of Tears’ trail.

It was supposed to rain a bit today morning but the weather appeared just fine. Diane was right on time, 6:00 am at my apartment. We met John and Keith on the way by Target. Subha was on her way but later decided to meet us at I-24. John and Keith hopped into Diane’s car and we headed straight to “Tears of Trail”.

The weather was around 36, but it wasn’t snowing or raining though. We could see lot of waterfalls on the way which looked like it was raining somewhere. We started talking about the number of marathons and ultras each of us have run. What to say about John and Keith, two awesome people. Great runners. Keith has been running and winning a lot of races and scoring lots of points. John has run 20 some marathon and ultras. I could just sit and listen to their stories all day. We had some insightful conversation about lot of things. I was amazed at how knowledgeable and yet humble John and Keith were. I’ve got a lot to learn from all of them.

Took a couple of stops at rest area and also caught Subha on our way.  After about three hours of drive we reached the race spot. There was lot of runners already running around, stretching and warming up. While the others went to pick up their T-Shirt, I was roaming around looking at the ‘Trail of Tears’ visitor center (The history behind the name was very painful). After  getting out of the visitor center I stepped out to warm-up and there were lots of folks giving weird looks at my VFF. I don’t blame them though. I was acting like I was the ambassador for VFF explaining about the shoe. Just hoping that it doesn’t hurt during the race. While everyone took off at the start line I decided to run slow along with Subha and Harish.

Mile 1 was rough. A steep climb with an elevation change of 800m-1100mts. We pretty much walked until 1.5 miles. After a while, I went ahead with the race. 

The weather was kinda cold with occasional snowflakes but otherwise it was fine. Picked up a bit of pace at mile 3. I was literally sweating by this time and the occasional chill wind was feeling Heaven! My VFF was feeling great too. I could see an evident change in my posture. Since it had no thick soles, it was making loud noise while running on asphalt which got the attention of other runners but it felt great though.

Crossed the finish line at 1:05:48 and as usual I didn’t reset my Garmin! Didn’t feel any pain or shin splint which is a good thing. We were so glad when Subha and Harish crossed the finish line. They both finished their first race. Yay! Hogged some hot dogs, Oreos, oranges, apple and finally some soda. It’s bad stuff, I know.

 

When you are in the company of great folks, time just flies by and in no time we reached Nashville. My first Tennessee State Park running tour was really good. Time for a hot shower and a pool game tonight! w00t!

My Five Fingers - Keep Stuff Out

I got my hands on my first Vibram Five Fingers – KSO. w00t!
I have been eying on Vibram Five Fingers for quiet sometime and wanted one for my crazy trekking. Carrying those heavy trek boots was a pain and it gets nasty when it gets wet. Vibram Five Fingers lured me when I first stumbled upon it, especially the pictures on their website. Ever since I got into running and read about the benefits of barefoot running, I wanted to give it a shot, if not for running faster at least to run with fewer injuries.

I read an article (quiet lengthy but very interesting read) last year on how running shoes inhibit the natural motion of our foot and how they contribute to innumerable number of running related injuries. It also explains about heel strike and forefoot strike(Video). The article was backed up by evidences from the Sports medicine team, athletes, coach as well as real life case studies of the Tarahumara Indians who run several 100 miles every day effortless and above all BAREFOOT. There were some serious allegations against companies of the sports shoe industry. Is that why we have Adi-Zero and Nike Free now? I also had a chance to read the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. Very inspiring!

It was very confusing to choose my first pair of VFF. I really like the FLOW which can be used for running during very cold weather and also offered water proof but had to settle with KSO, which I just love btw, reason being my Morton’s toe :(. Though Size 47 would have just fitted me if not for my Morton’s toe I had to go one size bigger. US 13/Size 48 was only available in KSO Black. For me, comfort comes first than looks.  I wanted to try one before buying it. I walked into the nearest store and got lucky to try the only pair of KSO’s they had and it was Size 48. Sweet! It fitted perfectly and all my fingers got tucked into the pockets except for my little finger, it is way too short and it barely got inside the pocket. The store guy allowed me to walk/run around the store. It felt great. I never knew that Black KSO is the ONLY VFF that comes in size 48 and FLOW was still bothering me. I wanted to see if I could find FLOW online but there weren’t any. I walked into the store the next day hoping they haven’t sold the only pair. I was lucky. It was still there. Like Gollum of The Lord of the Rings, I felt like saying “My Precioussss”. :)

I was very excited to try them but I was also aware that I have to take it slow (Read couple of warnings given by VFF users) during my first few runs as my leg would be going through a transition. Tried my VFF on a treadmill for the first time to see how they would feel and decided to run 5K. They felt really good. I could see very evidently that I started landing on my Forefoot instead of striking the heel. It felt perfect.

 

  

(Sorry about the picture quality, will get a better one in my next post)

I took them again for a 6 mile run on pavement, trail, grass and mud. I would say that  it felt much better than running with my sneakers though my shin hurt a bit. I guess it comes with the territory during the first few days of using VFF but I am sure my feet will feel better in the long run. I am planning to wear it for an 8 mile race this weekend and train with them all week for my regular runs.  I am hoping to run my Half Marathon and Marathon with my VFF in a couple of weeks, and if all goes will try for my 50mile too. Time to burn some serious miles!

Running in the snow!

It was snowing all Friday and until Saturday early morning. Gossssh!! It was so gorgeous outside.  Looks like we are going to get lot of snow this weekend. Sweet! I love when it snows. w00t!!  A good five inch snow I believe. I dragged myself out of the bed to go for my run in the gym. A crazy idea struck me. Why not run in the snow today. I have never done that before though I know a lot of runners do. Okie dokie. Let's do it. Got dressed up in layers and wore my Hi-Tec trek shoes. Good time to put the 'Weather proof' feature of the shoe to test. This is how it looks like:

 

 

It was freezing cold. The snow hasn't got hard yet so it wasn't slippery as I expected. Is it really a good idea to run in this snow? I walked till the entrance of the apartment pondering and then just decided to run. I always remember the rule for running on the road, "Run against the traffic".  I decided to run till Percy Priest Dam and back. That's a good 4 mile run. I didn't want to push hard during my first snow run. Roads were in very bad condition and black ice was just starting to show up.  People were very cautious while driving, so I am safe. Couple of them gave me pitiful looks like I am one homeless kid running in the snow. Some gave the "Such a weirdo" glance. Running in the snow was worse than running in the sand, I guess. Breathing cold air was hurting my lungs initially but after the second mile I was just fine and was enjoying my run by now.
I reached the dam and stopped for a while to catch some breath. Man, it was really cold though It felt very good to be out in the snow. There were lots of people outside that I expected. Many stopped by to click pictures by the dam. 

 

 

Ran further down the road for half hour and got back to where the dam's gate opens up. There were lot more people down there having fun snow tubing down the frozen road. They were using inflated tubes, planks, packaging box and anything they could get their hands on to snow tube down the road. It was fun watching them. Wish I had one with me, anyhow I decided to turn back.

“How long have you been running”, a stranger popped that question. Three miles so far and two more miles to go, I replied.  It was Kelly and Susan. She said that’s crazy and I just nodded my head. We struck a conversation. Who I am, where I am from and where do I work etc, etc. When I told them about my work place they mentioned a couple of people and I was surprised when they mentioned “Diane Taylor”. Yes, its my colleague, Diane who has run overt 75 marathons.  “What a small world”! We were talking for a couple more minutes about our upcoming races, exchanged our FB Id's and then I started my run towards home. [Susan, don't forget my ID :)]. Clicked couple of pictures on my way back. Isn't it pretty?

 

  

 

A good half hour run and I was home in one piece. My Hi-Tec running shoes really stood up to the test in keeping my feet warm.  It does hurt a lot to run in the snow especially while breathing. Nevertheless I had a very good time and enjoyed my first experience running in the snow. Time for a hot shower and yummy soup.

Half, Full, 50K and 50M

After Flying Monkey I have been looking for my next marathon. That’s when one of my colleagues introduced to Diane Taylor. What a breath of fresh air she turned out to be! 75 Marathons and Ultra marathons so far. Amazing. She was there for Flying Monkey Marathon as well. Gosh, wish I had met her during that time. She managed to complete Flying marathon in spite of her stress fracture. I found her to be very humble and cheerful. It was very encouraging and inspiring talking to her. The outcome of getting inspired! I signed up for four races. Yeah Four races! Thanks Diane! You rock. 

Right after our conversation she sent me the list of races that she has signed up for the coming months and I was lucky enough to enroll in four of those races well before the registration cut-off. As the title of the post says, the race distance is going to be in incremental order. Starts with Half Marathon and will end with an Ultra Marathon. 

I have never done anything crazy like this before, so it's going to be fun. Here's my race schedule.

Cedars Frostbite Half-Marathon : 13-Feb-10     Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN
2010 Mercedes Full Marathon : 14-Feb-10    Birmingham, AL
Black Warrior 50K : 20-Feb-10    Bankhead National Forest - AL
Land Between the Lakes Trail run 50 Miles:13-Mar-10    Grand Rivers, KY

Wish me luck. I'll keep you posted on my survival rate.