[BHV] Thanksgiving half marathon

[Bob Stocks]

Congrats Bill!! Nice report, gad the toes made it through the race and
you're in one piece! Now it's time to get you in the pool and make a
triathlete out of you!! :)


-----Original Message-----
From: bhv-bounces at icycle.org [mailto:bhv-bounces at icycle.org]On Behalf Of
William Lodico
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 9:22 PM
To: bhv listserve
Subject: [BHV] Thanksgiving half marathon


So, here is my report, for those interested in such things.

The long and the short of it is that I finished, meeting my goal of
doing just that.  I had set some informal time goals (informal,
because Jeff Galloway* advised against setting time goals on first
running a full or half marathon), first of ten minute miles, then of
11 minute miles.  I managed something like 11.8 minute miles, or 2:35
for the 13.1 mile distance.   It was all a bit frustrating because I
never really got my heart rate up, but the pace was about all that my
thoroughly bike-accommodated legs could handle.  I won't say that I'm
proud of myself, but I am satisfied with my effort and preparation,
which took into account a lack of experience, a lack of innate
ability, and a lot of competition from other things like work and
life for my limited  energy and time; and I'm satisfied with my run(-
walk).

We arrived in Atlanta the evening before the race, anticipating temps
in the low 60's at the race start, maybe a little drizzle.
Immediately I was confronted with rumors of temps in the 30's and
pouring rain, conditions that would almost certainly be disastrous.
(First experience pointer:  bring plastic garbage bag for instant,
disposable cold weather rain suit.) A quick check of internet weather
indicated that temps would be in the 60's and there would likely be
some rain, and the temps would drop ten degrees or so through the day
rather than climb.   (Second experience pointer, don't trust the
rumors about the weather.)   I packed a drop bag for the finish
containing dry warm up suit, since I was sure that whatever the
conditions, at 60 degrees or less it wouldn't take long to go
hypothermic.  I had daughters and sons-in-law also running, and we
congregated somewhere near the start.  Perhaps because I was
surrounded by family members also doing the run, I was spared any pre-
run nervousness.   There was huge a crowd, and when the gun went off,
it was about three minutes before we got to the official start line,
where our chips started recording our personal time.  It started
raining just about when I reached the start line.

Following Galloway's advice, my plan was three minutes running, one
minute walking, and after the first six or so minutes of warm up at
two-run one-walk, I settled into the 3-1 rhythm very comfortably.
When I was feeling good the system kept me from running too long at
too high a pace;  when I was feeling bad, it was a great consolation
to look at the watch and see how little running time was left before
I could walk for a while again.  Things went well until about the 6
mile mark, when my toes started banging against the front of my
shoes.   Apparently after 6 miles or so of pavement-pounding, your
feet stretch out lengthwise as well as widthwise; running in cotton
socks in the rain may have aggravated the problem.   I knew my toes
were going to hurt for the next 7 miles.   (Third experience
pointer:  wear size 13's -- a size and a half over my usual street
shoes, a full size over my usual training shoe.)   So, I worked hard
on keeping my mind off my toes:   focusing instead on things like my
brief conversations with fellow runners (some of whom I saw over and
over because of our slightly out of sync run-walk schedules), the big
buildings in the far distance where we were headed, the fact that our
fellow BHV'r Dana Carr was a mile or two away fighting a far bigger
fight than I with my little half M, and the group of soldiers from
Fort Benning running along next to me with big, heavy field packs,
chanting, hollering, relieving each other through bad stretches by
taking on a buddy's pack for a while (passing it from one to another
to share the extra load), and generally demonstrating that however
well I was dealing with my problems, they were dealing with theirs
with a lot more esprit and pizzazz.  Pretty much raining throughout
all of this, but with temps in the low 60's and with the running
effort, no problem with cold; shorts and Big Horn Velo jersey, even
soaking wet, were plenty.

So, we ticked off the miles and the water stops, (and when I let
myself think about it, my toes hurt like the dickens)  until in the
far distance we saw the Olympic gate with its rings, and then we went
under it, and then a little beyond that (way farther beyond than I
wanted) we crossed the finish.  Rain pouring now.  Got my medal, shed
my chip, headed to the baggage tent in a hurry, where I found my bag
and a chair, and quickly traded as much of my soggy running outfit as
possible for dry, and went from wet and warm to damp and warm without
ever getting cold, then waited for the rain to slow down before going
out to find food and family. (Fourth experience pointer, pack large
towel, maybe two, in drop bag; and don't forget the umbrella.)  The
rest of my group finished the run with good times, ranging from about
1:52 to about 2:05, but, lacking drop bags and dry clothes, they went
through the shivers and blue fingernails stage before finding their
way into warm cars.

So, a lot to be thankful for:  two legs that work well enough, a
ticker and lungs that work well enough, and an appetite ready to do
justice to a wonderful Thanksgiving meal set out by our Atlanta in-laws.

Epilogue:  a bad 20 hours for the hip flexors, some tender toe tips
for a day or two, but that's about it in terms of post-run pain and
suffering, not much worse than the typical 18- to 20-hour 400k
brevet.  And now on the bounce-back I'm feeling very fit and strong
and full of energy.  Tentative plan for next year is to shoot at ten
minute miles (2:11) and see what happens.  Hopefully that will keep
me motivated to keep up the running through the coming winter, and go
into the 2008 spring biking season with a higher level of fitness
than I have the last few years.

Bill Lodico

*  see http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/half_marathon.html



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