This in from Jerry Dunn:

Monday’s the day…….THE BOSTON MARATHON.

Here at Lean Horse Productions, inc, the organizers of the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon and the Lean Horse Hundred Ultra, we consider all long distance runners to be family.  There is some common thread that binds us all together. And with that thought in mind I invite all of you to support everyone you know who will be running in the 113^th edition of this legendary event. The marathon runners that are in my “immediate” family….those living in South Dakota….are few, compared to other states, but we stick together out here in the Heartland, and one of our own sent me this email requesting support.  I share it with you in hopes that in addition to your support of those from your inner circle, you will also support Chris and the other runners from the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Hey all,
 
Well, the day is almost upon me.  I fly outta Rapid City tomorrow afternoon and run Boston on Monday morning.  If anyone is interested in tracking my progress online, you can (provided it fits within your workplace policy for personal use of the computer, of course).  Here’re the quick and dirty instructions:
 
1 - On Monday morning, go to the Boston Marathon website (http://www.baa.org).
2 - Click on the “Athlete Tracking” link (it should be pretty obvious).
3 - Enter my bib number (5189).
 
I should start running at about 10:05 Eastern time.  Once I start, the information online will get updated every 5 kilometers and will show the last checkpoint I passed, my current pace, my current time and my projected finish time.  For reference, the fastest I’ve ever run one of these things is 3:09:41 (the time that got me into Boston).  I’d like to go faster than that on Monday, but we’ll see.  Boston is tough.  My main goal is to enjoy the experience, no matter what. 
 
I thought the marathon was going to be broadcast nationwide, but I guess I was wrong.  NBC is broadcasting it on their Universal Sports channel, but as near as I can tell, not many people actually get that channel.  But, you can watch the live broadcast at http://www.universalsports.com.  If you actually catch a glimpse of me on there, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle.  There’re over 26,000 runners registered this year and 99% of the television coverage will focus on the elite runners, so it’s a crapshoot at best.  The elite races should be good ones, though.  Americans (Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher) actually have a legitimate shot at winning for the first time since 1983 (men) and 1985 (women).
  
Thanks for all the support!
 
Chris   

Black Hills Runners:

Chris Stores                   5189
Priscilla Romkema     19257

Carlos Martinez           4358

Tim Raben                  21184  

Dennis Meier               15237

Amy Yanni                    9971

Debbie Doolittle            20288

I have always been intrigued by figuring out why things are the way they are. Hence my fascination with history especially when it pertains to one of my hobbies. I have read about every book on mountaineering and climbing history and over the last few years, I have been reading some books on running.

When did the marathon start and why is it 26.2 miles? Seems like an odd distance. A combination of an even/round American distance of 20 miles and the metric system (10 kilometers).

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the story of Pheidippides, the Greek soldier, who ran from Marathon to Athens to inform the Greeks of their victory over the Persians in 490B.C. If you weren’t familiar, you are now. What did Pheidippides say before collapsing? I have seen multiple quotes depending on what you read. “Rejoice! We are victorious.” (Switzer, 2006, p. 24) “Victory!”  (http://www.athensmarathon.com/marathon/history.html  ) Apparently the more popular saying, “Rejoice, we conquer” comes from a Robert Browning poem called Pheidippides. (Switzer, 2006, p.27) The actual distance he ran is up for speculation as well, but the general accepted distance is 40km or 24.85 miles between the bridge at Marathon and Athens stadium.

So where did 26.2 miles come from. You can thank England for that and eventually the IAAF with standardizing the distance later on. Essentially the 1908 Olympic games in London is where the 26.2-mile distance was born. They changed the course start and finish line. They moved the start line to Winsor castle so royalty could observe the start and they also pushed by the finish line another 385yds (0.2 miles) to finish in front of the Royal Box where King Edward the VII would be sitting. This latter part is very interesting from my readings.

Apparently the US and Swedish flags were not flown during the opening ceremonies. The Swedish athletes revolted by leaving the ceremonies. The US retaliated by not dipping Old Glory when passing the Royal Box. One source mentions shot putter Ralphe Rose committed the offense and another claims Discus thrower Martin Sheridan was the offender. Anyway as you can imagine the Brits took it personally and moved the finish line in front of the Royal Box to restore its supremacy.

Interestingly enough the leader of the race, Italian Pietri, collapse upon entering the stadium and had to be helped across the finish line. American runner Hayes finished second but would assume the Gold medal after Pietri’s disqualification.

The IAAF officially changed the marathon distance from 40km to 26.2 in 1921. You may hear someone mutter something sarcastic about the Queen or Britain in general around mile 24 or 25, so now you know what they are complaining about.

Push back to 1906 when Rome was originally slated to host the 1908 Olympics. That pesky volcano, Mt Vesuvius erupted which caused the switch to occur. Could things be different now if the volcano never erupted? Or the American was displayed at the opening ceremonies? Questions to ponder on your next 26.2 mile adventure.

I thought the story was interesting enough to share. Like I mentioned, there are some conflicting accounts out there, so if you know something different please share.

Share some other sources if you have them. I found a bunch of varying stories when it came to the history of the marathon. Sorry for the history lesson, but what else am I going to do stuck in the apartment during the blizzard.

If you have time to burn or you are just curious, check out these sources or everyone’s beloved Wikipedia.

Switzer, Katherine and Robinson, Roger. (2006). 26.2 Marathon Stories. Toronto, Ontario, Canada:          Madison Press Books

History of the Original Marathon. http://www.athensmarathon.com/marathon/history.html

We started up some speed work sessions on Tuesday evenings at Sioux Park around 5:30. The HS track teams have practice out on the track, so I resorted to time intervals and fartlek runs on the bike path. Come out and join in the fun if you get a chance.

I know it was probably mentioned in a previous blog, but in order to run faster you need to run faster. The daily regular-paced run just doesn’t help you improve your times whether you’re training for a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon or Marathon. I can attest. I steadily improved my marathon times up to about two years ago when I leveled out and actually slowed a little. Of course I was training for some tough marathons and ultramarathons, so my focus wasn’t about time – it was about finishing. Now that I have done several marathons and a few ultras, I can bring my focus to speed.

It takes some adjustment though because I am accustomed to running long and an average pace. I have established that I can run a marathon and even survive 50 miles, so I’m not concerned as much with long runs or weekly mileage. I changed my tone earlier this year when I felt an injury coming on, so I cut my running to 2-3 times per week instead of 5-6 times. Now that the injury abated, I am sticking with the 2-3 times per week but increasing the intensity. I add in other cross training activities on the other days like cycling, swimming, weight training and yoga. So I get in about 10-14 workouts per week.

As a longtime runner, I fell in the trap that if I wasn’t running, I couldn’t possibly improve my times. I’m finding that is far from the truth. My busy work schedule doesn’t always allow me to break away for a run of substantial length, so I shorten the run and increase the intensity. I’m sure there are plenty of people in the same situation where work appears to hold you back a little, but I’m here to tell you that you can make adjustments to find something that works. Running is very personalized. “One size doesn’t fit all” when it comes to finding a training program that works for you. The trick is to find something and stick with it and make adjustments as necessary so you don’t plateau. There is a lot of information out there about training.

First-time marathoners still need to focus on the long run, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to do speedwork. Just make your goal finishing with no time attached to that goal.

If you get a chance, come out and join us. I’ll try to mix the workouts up a little whether they are on the track if there is room or on the bike path. I personally like the bike path because I don’t run marathons around a track, so I’d rather train like a race from one point to the next.

RRCM is in its second year and is good race to go to. I’m not much for big races. The two biggest races I have done are Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon and Omaha Marathon. RRCM had close to eighty participants in its inaugural year and I’m guessing they had about 120-130 people this year. Of course I’m not counting half-marathoners which typically out-number marathoners by 3-4 times.

I flew down to Vegas on Friday afternoon, picked up my rental and drove out to pick up my race packet at the REI store. I got to REI at 4pm and there was a sign that pickup didn’t begin until 5pm (I must have missed that on the website/email). No big deal because I grabbed a meal nearby and then picked up my packet and proceeded to head into the belly of the beast – the Vegas strip to check into my room. The race started on Saturday morning at 6am so I left the hotel before 4am to catch the bus to the starting line. I was carrying my bag out to the car and my drop bag ripped, so I had to pack all my warm clothes in my pack before the race. Oh, I forgot my IPod too, so I had run the entire race without music which wasn’t bad - you should try it.

The starting area was chilly. The temperature was tolerable, but there was an incessant breeze with the sole mission to bring our core temperatures down. The first five miles were spent trying to warm my body back up. The course was very scenic but tough. The first 8 or 9 miles was uphill and then down to mile 13 where we made two short loops before heading back. Going in reverse hurt. The hill was tougher in the opposite direction and I’m not saying that based on already running 13-14 miles. I’ve run enough hills to know when they are tough. Unfortunately that made the last 8-9 miles hard too because my legs were shot – it doesn’t matter that it was downhill.

Did I mention that this was going to be my 13^th marathon overall in my eighth different state. As runners, we can’t help but having a proclivity towards superstation, and it was a little disconcerting that this was lucky number 13. Superstition aside, I finished upright. Time was 4:23 with 3^rd in my age group which was good considering the course. I heard people talking that the course adds on about an hour to your fastest marathon which seems about right (for me at least).

Now that I got past lucky number 13, I can breathe easier. Traveling around doing the marathon tourism thing is fun.

Ever consider taking a vacation that coincides with a marathon? Last year I started driving to different marathons to run in a new state and experience something different (Leadville Trail Marathon, Montana Marathon, and the Omaha Marathon). Last fall I decided I wanted to fly down to Phoenix to run either the Sedona Marathon or the Lost Dutchman Marathon (LDM). I decided on LDM for the extra week of preparation.

I woke up early on Sunday morning (4am) to drive to the Rodeo grounds in Apache Junction to catch the bus to the starting line. I was on the first bus which left at 5am. The starting line was one of the most unique things about the race. There were several burning logs on the ground with blankets/carpet next to them so you could sit or lay and wait for the start while staying warm. The race started at 7am and the first 6 miles were probably the most scenic as they followed dirt road mostly downhill surrounded by beautiful desert scenery with the sun rising behind us as we ran west back toward Apache Junction.

The course was largely downhill with some good rolling hills near the end. The famous hill, “Dutchman’s revenge” laid waiting at mile 23 with a conveniently placed race-photographer. I really don’t want to see those photos. There was only one thing I didn’t like about the race and that was the 2 1-mile segments along US60 a fairly busy highway. They were 1-mile straight-aways which seemed to take forever. I didn’t like them, but considering that was only a little over 2 miles of the entire marathon it was tolerable. I just looked off to the right to see the mountains and desert plants.

Overall the race went ok for me considering my longest run in the last 4-months was 13 miles. I expected to hit the wall at mile 15ish and go to a walk/run. I was on pace for a 3:40 time until about mile 16.5 where I made an extended trip to the porta-potty. After that my stomach wasn’t cooperative even though my legs felt surprisingly good. I struggled but still managed to slip past the finish line in under 4-hours (3:58:40). Ever since I started running Ultras two years ago, the proverbial “wall” is just a minor inconvenience.   Like I said, I can’t complain because my endurance really isn’t at the level it usually is when I run a marathon.

If you haven’t dabbled in “marathon tourism” then I suggest you try. It doesn’t have to be fly in, run, and fly out. Stay a while and enjoy the area. I flew down on a Wednesday and will fly back to Rapid on Wednesday. I took a trip up to Sedona to do some hiking/trail running in Red Rock Country and will explore southern AZ for the next few days.

- Joe

I thought it would be a good idea to blog about some of the local races in the Rapid City area at least. I just got back from a 4-mile race in Sundance, WY, “Freeze Your Fanny”. A fun race, but I could have done without the half-mile into a strong headwind.

I know there are people who tend to focus on that lingering goal of running a marathon this spring, but don’t let yourself get tunnel vision and miss out on the variety of races around town. You can access a complete calendar of events on blackhillsrunnersclub.com. There are 5K’s just about every month and even a 10K in April. I think these races are very beneficial if you are training for something longer. They help you work on your speed and mix up your schedule a little bit. I personally like the 10K in April to give me an idea where I am for the upcoming marathons. Runner’s World kind of beet me to the punch on article they had concerning using shorter races as a “tune-up”. I’ve been doing that for the last five years only I called it a “shake-down” run. Use it as a chance to really focus on your body and how you feel. They usually are a good predictor of times to come.

Running in local races also helps keep you motivated throughout the training “doldrums”. Marathon training can get stale after a month or two, so you need to mix it up with shorter/faster runs. Rather than focusing on May or June for that marathon, you can break your focus up into segments and monitor your improvement throughout your training.

Hopefully I see some of you out at some of the races in town.

-Joe

I’ve only run two ultras (Lean Horse 50K in 2007 and Lean Horse 50 mile in 2008) so I’m still learning, but the way I train is focusing on that long run. The LR is a little different when training for the ultra (at least for me). Focus on staying on your feet for hours at a time and moving forward. Not necessarily running, but a mix of walking and running. My pace during the 50 miler was probably around 12min/mile. The best training I did for that ultra was a 35 mile fast hike on the Mickleson trail which took 12hrs. My goal was to just keep moving and I mixed in some light jogging when I could, so instead of a run/walk method, I used a walk/run method. I have also heard from more experienced ultramarathoners that signing up for a standard marathon and walking the entire race is good training too. I haven’t done it, but I am considering it for this year.

The other focus of the LR is food and water intake. There are several articles in Ultra Running magazine (http://www.ultrarunning.com/) on nutrition that I always read. There are a lot of things to consider from glycogen, fat metabolism, sugar, sodium intake. I personally believe the best approach is to educate yourself on that sort of stuff and experiment on your long runs. During my training runs, I always bring more than I need (better safe than sorry). I also design routes that pass a point several times so I can put a cache of water or other supplies. If I run up on the Mick, then I run so far in one direction then turn around and get back to my car, refill, and go so far in the other direction.

The last thing I’ll probably mention is paying attention to the weather (no, it’s not because I’m a weather guy by trade). My two ultras (Lean Horse) were in August on a course with not a whole lot of shade. I know that the weather could be hot and sunny or cool. Train for the worse and hope for the best. I would always make it a point to run outside regardless of the thermometer reading taking the appropriate precautions of course. Most ultras are on trails, so don’t waste your time with training on the roads. Run on the trails or off the concrete or road on the grass/dirt.

In spirit of the Holiday, here is a quote from Dr. King:

“If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk.

If you can’t walk, then crawl.

But whatever you do, keep moving.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am by no means an expert on the subject matter. I am going into my fifth year of marathon running and third year of ultramarathoning and had some time to experiment and find what works for me. I should say that it is sort of a hobby of mine to write a training schedule for myself each year, so I don’t follow and prescribed training program except for whatever my imagination comes up with. I do follow some basic rules of thumb when designing my training programs like increasing weekly mileage by no more than 10% and doing a long run every other weekend. As I have progressed I have tweaked those basic rule slightly, but that was the starting point a few years ago when I had zero experience. The following are just my perceptions on what is important for first timers and beginners in general.

One of the most important elements of marathon training is the long run (LR). I think you need a solid base of at least being able to comfortably complete 20-25 miles per week before trying to add a LR to your program. Once you have the base, you can start with a LR of 5 miles preferably on the weekend and increase your LR every other weekend to get to 18 or 20 miles approximately three weeks before your marathon to allow time for a taper. If you start with a LR of 5 and work to 20, it will take about 4 months. I like to increase the LR by 1-2 miles per week until you get to 10 miles then increase the LR by 2 every other week.

Long runs are important for several reasons. The first is they help your body adapt to the pounding and the increasing amount of time you spend on your feet. Second, it builds your confidence that you can go the distance. Finally for your LR’s you should follow a set routine so your body knows that you are about to run for a long time. Eat a pasta dinner the night before if that is your thing. Get a good night sleep. Eat a light breakfast before heading out the door. Bring water and food on your run and make it the same stuff you will be ingesting during the race. I have had a few bad experiences with trying something new on race day and having my stomach reject it. Never try anything knew on race day no matter how enticing. That includes having a huge meal with desserts at Applebee’s the night before. Something I have overlooked until this past year was sports drinks. I always try to drink some during a race to get the electrolytes, but I failed to recognize that not all sports drinks are created equal when it comes to my GI track. My recommendation is get a powder and bring your own in a bottle. Each race has a different brand. If the race you’re running happens to be serving your drink of choice at the aid stations, then it’s your lucky day. Finally, I am a fan of gels and go through about 4 per marathon. Gels may not be your thing, so experiment and find something that works.

I will make a side not here about carbo-loading the night before – I don’t do it. I carbo-load two nights before and get a full eight hours two night before the race. I think downing all that food the night before isn’t that effective because your stomach is still probably working to digest all that food when you wake up on race morning. As for the sleeping, I can’t get a good night sleep the night before because I’m anxious to get to the starting line, so I know that I’ll be lucky to muster 4hrs of restless sleep. I still eat pasta the night before but only a light serving with a salad and some water. Just enough to top off the glycogen stores. See what works for you and stick with it.

Final thought on race day – your goal should just be to finish (time is irrelevant). Start SLOW and take walking breaks. I always make it a point to slow down and walk through the aid stations so I can actually drink the full cup of water rather than dump half of it on myself.

That pretty much covers how I started training for my first few marathons. I have a bit more intricate training program now with speed work and more LR’s for focusing on ultramarathoning which are a little different than LR’s for regular marathons. The LR is the key though if you are starting out along with establishing a routine.

I’d like to hear some other thoughts and opinions on marathon training whether it is training for first-timers or someone looking for a PR this season.

Joe

http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUID=USATF_2008_12_22_10_22_16

The USAFT recent amended its rule banning portable electronics during USATF sponsored events to leave it up to the race director (RD) as to whether or not banning is necessary for safety reasons or not. That amendment is understandable; however, they have taken it further to allow portable DVD players during races as well. I have never seen that before during any race. How could you watch a movie and run at the same time. Don’t these people worry about turning an ankle or running into a tree or off a cliff?

Anyway, I used to never where headphones while running. I am pretty slow when it comes to using new technology. I just started using GPS technology this past spring. I have run several races where headphones were banned and it was no big deal. Now, the very idea of not wearing headphones is unbearable to new runners. I have become rather hooked on my IPod when I run over the last few years; I’m not going to lie. I have noticed one common theme when I run with music and that is on my best runs, I don’t even notice the IPod even on playing music. You could call it being “in the zone”. When I don’t wear headphones, I have my best runs/races when I get one particular song stuck in my head on repeat. I do believe there is something to running without assistance from your IPod. Try it on your next run. Listen to your favorite song before you go out and “sing” it to yourself. Try to get in that zone where you are totally focused on one foot in front of the other.

I remember when I was in high school; my mom would seldom turn on the radio in the car when we would drive around town. I imagine it was her way of making us talk to each other and bond if you will. The radio was a device that took away from valuable family time. You can think of IPods the same way in that they are taking away from valuable YOU time when you could be tuning into your body, clearing your mind or organizing your thoughts. Like I said before, the best runs are when you are solely focused on running and nothing else.

- Joe

I couldn’t agree more with you Joe. I seldom run more than 10 consecutive days. I run when I feel like it, and don’t when I feel tired. I think age and wisdom have (finally) come into play for me. When I was younger, I ran myself into the ground a couple of times and ended up taking 3-4 months off with an injury. I still get injured occasionally, but usually only need a week or two to heal up. I think overtraining is typically more a male problem. As Jeff Galloway once told me, men have two things working against them, testosterone and male pride. Not that women are totally exempt either. The cross training is a great way to keep your fitness level up without running. Core strength is especially important for distance runners. I took up yoga about 14 months ago and believe the flexibility and strength have helped. The other problem I see is people who are following a program written by some running guru or other. While these are great guidelines, that is all they really are. Each individual runner has different training needs and should learn to listen to the cues their body is sending them. Of course there is always the “School of Hard Knocks”! You will learn eventually, one way or another.

-Gary