Murphy's Law

I suppose I should continue being super thankful and grateful for my newfound energy and fitness as I get packing for New Orleans this week. I suppose I should be really excited for the trip, and try and enjoy the time away from snowy Michigan.  I suppose I should keep doing this even though I woke up with a sore throat, stuffed up nose, achy muscles, and a deep, overwhelming tiredness.

Yes, folks, I am suddenly sick. After 14 weeks of running (about 350 miles, give or take, went under my feet in that time) I am as ready as I can be.  I started to take it a little easy last week, and this week I had a massage and have yoga scheduled for tonight.  Tapering, as you may recall, has been a conscious effort for me.  Well, this is what I get for trying to be safe and healthy…it’s like the viruses were waiting to pounce on me.

Moira gave me a little tough love this morning and warned me not to freak out or suddenly get all bummed out.  I know my body, though.  I never get sick, so when I do, it is immediately apparent.  Given that I never complain about being sick and never take sick days, she ultimately took me seriously.  I never cry wolf and I am not starting now.

All is not lost, of course.  I came into work this morning to do invoices, timesheets, and finish up work for two clients that needed to get finished and off to the Department of Energy (which, given my tired state, was mildly ironic).  Well, it is 1 o’clock now and I think I will cash in some of the 120-plus hours of seldom used sick time I have accrued.  I think with a little rest and a regimen of vitamin C, Zicam, water, and some TLC I can be better by the run.  So yeah, I will make it.  I am confident that I will be set right when the gun goes off. 

But I am a little worried that I won’t be.



p.s. My T-shirt contest was fun, if you won, you were already notified, thanks!

Training: Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor

I am thrilled that I will be running the New Orleans Rock ‘N’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in just 13 days.  Given that the big race is so soon, I have already begun my “taper,” which is a fancy word for dialing back your training.  The taper is a critical time.  After logging dozens and dozens of miles, hill workouts, speed sessions, and hours dialing in shoes, apparel, and nutrition…the taper can actually be pretty hard.

In other words, the hardest part is taking it easy.  Have you ever heard the expression “hurry up and wait?” Who hasn’t…but to the distance athlete this is a MUST-DO element of training, to ensure that you show up injury-free and as fresh as possible.  I must say, though, that it gets into you head.  It is hard not to worry that you might be losing some of that fitness you have worked so hard for when you are “actively” resting in these final two weeks.  I will run a little, hit the gym a couple of times for core workouts, and maybe swim.  However, the volume and frequency will be far less than my body and mind have been used to since the fall.

Leo "tapering"

This comes on the heels of Moira finishing her cancer treatment, which I recently blogged about as well.  She was so actively involved in the daily business of fighting cancer that once it was over, it left us with a sense of unease.  The taper is that same sort of unease.  I think mostly it comes from the fact that you know you now have to race with whatever fitness you have built up until now.  No more putting off a long run or speed session for later…that is it, man.  You have to dance with the date that brought you.

All of that said, I feel pretty good about where I am.  My running has gone very well lately.  My goal is to finish the race in (well) under two hours, but I don’t want to obsess over that.  After all, there is no gold medal on the line (I’ll get a medal for finishing whether I come in 12^th or 1,200^th, after all).  There is no prize money for the rank and file, either.  I have never been to New Orleans and during my last long training run this weekend it occurred to me that no matter what my time ends up being…I get to go run through one of the world’s most interesting cities, seeing places and making new friends that I would never have seen or met.  I won’t walk the thing (I want to RUN!), but I want to be 100% sure that I enjoy the ride and reap the fruits of these months of training.  After all, I could never have imagined that I would race a half marathon when I was so heavy just last summer.

So, I never thought I would say this…but I’ll do my best to do nothing this week, and I’ll be back in touch with you all shortly with pictures and stories from the road down in the Big Easy.  Thanks again for all of my donors who made my campaign to raise money for the Wellness Community so successful, I wouldn’t be here without your kind support.

On shoes, running apparel, and pretending to be a famous athlete

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be accepted into a program for sponsored athletes. I know what you are thinking. "Isn't he pretty average?" You'd be right, as a runner, I am pretty average. This sponsorship, however, is from Brooks Sports, and Brooks is no ordinary running gear company.

Straight from the gang at Brooks, the Brooks I.D. athletes program is for runners who are "active in their running community" and who "share a passion for the Brooks brand." Brooks I.D. members are "runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same." I.D., in case you were wondering, stands for "inspire daily."

In other words, it isn't my mid-range times in the 5k and 10k that got me in...it is you, my readers.  It was this blog and my story that caught their attention.  It is an honor to have gotten all the positive feedback from everyone as we have made our way through Moira's cancer and my struggle with my own outlook and health.  It is amazing that less than a year later I am able to continue running and racing and continue to aspire higher and higher, when a matter of months ago I wasn't fit enough to walk up stairs. Now I will have the support of Brooks Sports along the way, and it is a pretty big deal for me.

First off, they will set me up with some pretty fantastic gear, so from now on you'll see me lining up at races in a full-blown boy racer pro-athlete Brooks outfit.  At least I will look like I mean business, right?  They also have a serious network of support internally for sponsored athletes, so I will undoubtedly meet many new people that I can learn from and be inspired by myself.  They have events with gear giveaways, training, and other support for I.D. members, and even an outside possibility of attending an annual camp at Brooks HQ in Washington, which they held last year.

On top of all of that, I'll get a steep discount on the stuff I buy in quantity, like shoes.  When you run as many miles as I do these days, that means new shoes about every 8 weeks, which can add up.  Also, winter running apparel, socks, accessories, training stuff, etc., all comes at a discount.  This will be a big help, as we are always looking for ways to keep our expenses down.  Brooks is making it possible for me to avoid compromise and have the best possible gear to keep me fit and healthy.

On top of their devotion to helping out grassroots running, Brooks is the most environmentally friendly running shoe company out there, which is basically what led me to buy their stuff on my own dime in the first place.  The BioMoGo outsole on the majority of their products decomposes 50 times faster than a conventional athletic shoe outsole, and they commonly use recycled materials in shoe uppers and laces, as well as packaging.  Read about their neat ideas here.

So it may not be a full ride scholarship or a six-figure endorsement deal, but becoming a member of the Brooks family is a huge step up for my little running career and will help me and motivate me to keep this crusade going.  Team Average Guy is heading down to New Orleans in a few weeks and I will tell you all about that, for sure.  I also registered for the famous Dexter-Ann Arbor Run (half marathon) and successfully registered for the Chicago Marathon in October.  I hope to run either New Orleans or Dexter-AA in under 1:50:59, as that will get me into a seeded starting corral for Chicago, which would make life there much better from what I hear.

Thanks again for reading.  I know that many of you are still keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and we are definitely reaping the benefits.  Moira is doing fantastically, and even had a haircut the other day, if you can believe that!  Leo is nearly one year old...wow...and he is starting to toddle around the house.  I'm staying fit and injury-free and now this Brooks deal.  We completed our fundraising challenge for the Wellness Community.  It has been a good few weeks.  So I will leave you with one last thing....many of you have still been asking about how you can help and what you can do for us...today just do me one favor and consider Brooks the next time you need a pair of running shoes!