The Zen of the Road Side Sobakawa

I had just crossed the busyness of Hwy 421 and its evening flow of traffic being herded from light to light.

My day's 10 miles behind me and my car just out of sight and around the short bend in the road ahead. I could sense the calmness of another chilly spring sunset as the sky drew pale oranges through its wispy vapors.

With an off day preceding the run I was feeling the pep in my step enough to close this run with a flurry of playful speed. So, like days past when I came upon those familiar crumbles in the edge of the asphalt I just gave a few skips and leaps to negotiate the area. Zipping down the incline I felt smooth and light.

From the corner of my eye I spotted a beaten down old sports car which grabbed my attention for a split moment as it drove in the opposite lane and came to a stop at the intersection.




I then felt my right foot cease its forward movement, impeded by a chunk of fatigued, rogue roadway.

My left foot trailed behind still in its plant position. My torso was rotating forward, laying out into the space before me. Time slowed... My body left the ground and was moving through air, suspended and weightless.

In temporary flight, I scouted for the more dangerous areas to land and to avoid. My trail-mind kicked in first searching for trees, rocks, roots... Then my road mind spoke up with its warning...

"This, is gonna hurt..."

My survival brain kicked in, "ROLL! (idiot)..."



I tucked my left side into a sideways log roll hoping to minimize the skin damage and avoid anything big being broken. As I touched down, time sped forward and instantly caught up with the fall.

In this rush of gravelly sounds I lay still with the passing, distant 'whoosh' of commuting vehicles. I heard the idling of that beaten old sports car at the stop sign waiting to merge into that stream.

I was still laying motionless and groaning in discomfort. Apprehensively delaying the inevitable body parts check list to come once I moved.



The gravel was comfortable now that I lay there motionless. The chilly air had cooled the small pebbles and in this moment nothing ached or stung or bled, not yet. Laying there I felt the gravel acquiesce to my still weight and shape... finding the zen of the road side sobakawa.

Initiation Phase

Picture a flat sandy beach. You have a vision to build a drip sandcastle... but, it is going to take time and consistent application of endless handful of goopy beach sand before your idea will materialize. For now you have an idea, a plan and inspiration.

I am running now.
Just last night I reached 2 miles for the first time this year! I even ran the uphills hard. Of course the downhills were hard too, and the flats also hard... it is all hard at this point. The battle is just to move the sand from where it sits inert to the wide base of what will become achievement.

With the initiation phase upon me, the lungs expand and oxygen seemingly eludes grasp, the powerhouses of the cells have withered away and that metallic taste accompanies my exertion... that taste that fades after resuming regular training. I feel as if I am dripping much of my effort onto the ground around me, not exactly wasting effort- but looking forward to the efficiency that comes with consistent practice of a trade... the efficiency of practiced expertise.


From Zero to tired in 60 seconds
I have not been in this phase of conditioning for years and years... it's difficult to recollect how long- but I would pin the tail on the donkey of 2007... maybe 2009. Now, I am in full on beginner mode. Though, I do have experience on my side. I know that there are nothing but better miles ahead when the creation begins to take shape and small beacons along the way illuminate the process. In time I will be surging the uphills, gliding downhill and cruising my way across hours on end in beautiful places with renewed freshness and vigor. This perspective allows me to keep pushing through this stuck in mud phase!

For now, I am simply elated to be running again, no matter how searing the winter air is on my un-initiated lungs. The mere snapshot of a run I am getting at this point is beautiful. The trees are bare and offer distant views of the blue ridge mountains, the roads are fresh and new to me after the layoff. These scenes are mostly taken for granted during peak training as I am just settling into a run while covering these areas. Now, while moving so slowly and heading back so early I am trying to literally pay attention to every step along the way.

My big belly bounces 'bout as I move along and it reminds me of the long road ahead. I know where I am headed and where I have been. It can be frustrating to be here, but we have no other place to be except here and now! My paces consists of only run pace, period. There is no other gear to recover to, or to surge toward. There is run or don't and this is somewhat liberating.

Energized
The break has been good for my mind and spirit and allowed me to place my running within my life and find a real balance to all these aspects. With this relief I find myself returning to thoughts of performance with joy! I again think recently rare thoughts during the day.

"I wonder how fast! ...how strong! ...how long! ...how tired! ...will I be!!"

The ground has been broken on the building of my drip sand castle. I am not sure exactly what it will look like or feel like, but I have my ideals and time frame for progress. This urgency will allow me to stay focused. As I build I will drip large gobs of sand here and there and then fine tune with adornments and fine details to create a temporary masterpiece. This will stand in the end only as a memory and as a permanent feeling that lingers inside as a quiet confidence for what can be accomplished with a little dream and a lot of work!

Have you recently gone through the rebuilding process? Do you recall when you started running? Share your story!!!

Pulling Weeds from the Runner's Garden

We can only get to where we are going with time... with patience and really, really slowly. There is no shortcut.

Taking a break from a grinding and grueling running schedule can quickly take you a million miles away from the runner's reality.

Whether that break is elective, accidental or injury induced, the days turn into weeks, new habits form and the running lifestyle morphs into bags of potato chips and a good thick layer of winter warmth to challenge your pants with...

Weeds in the Garden  
As I find myself in this predicament currently, my mind wanders occasionally to plans of getting started again soon... tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow... only a day away, perpetually. The left ankle/foot injury seems mostly okay, for the potential of short runs but as the injury subsides and pep returns I am faced with the fields of excuses which keep me from getting started, even if on a bike (gasp).

Without the constant tending of these excuse weeds by way of daily visits to training mileage and moving toward goals the Excuse Fields quickly choke out all around them.

Now, these tangled webs of reasons not to run have obliterated the expansive reasons to run... "It is too cold, I just ate, I haven't eaten yet, I am tired (really?), it's dark, it's windy, the weather is suppose to be bad in a couple of days maybe... my running pants are upstairs"... these are a few examples of the types of excuses growing wild in my Excuse Field.

When tending to the runner's garden we find zealous appeal in plucking these weeds as they attempt to break the surface. We recognize them even before germination and we have a masterpiece of sustainability.

Overwhelmed at the Helm
So what to do? It's a lot of weeds out there!! It seems like too much when you look at them all tangled and multiplying with a life of their own!! Removing them seems as overwhelming as any idea we have distanced ourselves from, impossibility fills the void left by neglect. It is as defeating as anything we fail to truly focus on.

We don't have a magic wand, at least I don't. We have only simple tools to rectify this mess of neglect. We pull a weed at a time. We have some gear to deal with the weather, the darkness, the slick roads. Most important, we have gumption to get out and do the simple work. To build endurance, toughness and our own relative speed, or our ability to give our best effort toward a task.

The Simple Tools
We have to love to go through the aches and pains of getting started, the process has immense value in itself.

We have to be consistently stepping toward the next beacon no matter how faint a glow. In time, we will find that we are experiencing something true and that we have become connected with this new mood, unique to this latest grouping of days we refer to as a training cycle. As we move, we can look back on previous achievements as harvests from a perfectly executed runner's garden. Those times we looked at the impossible and dared it to stop us. The other times our weeds had overrun us and we had no choice but to get down in the dirt and cultivate something amazing.

In this way, we fall in love with running again and find the true value in dreaming up goals and chasing them down. This is what separates the runner from the settler's herd. When our yield is harvested we know exactly where it came from. Where each deposit of hard work was completed, where the challenges made us question the validity of this pursuit. On harvest day though, when we have reached this beacon we are validated in our quest.

We know that the process we immersed ourselves in has made us. We can then move on to what is next with more energy, more tenacity and more love to give than we would otherwise have had. It is this growth that is the true reward. It might look like a race shirt or finisher's medal or a PR... these are guises for the true reward we are chasing and experiencing. We can only do it Real Slow.

A Pilgrimage, Distinguished

"...a pilgrimage distinguishes itself from an ordinary journey by the fact that
it does not follow a laid-out plan or itinerary, that it does not pursue a
fixed aim or a limited purpose, but that it carries its meaning in itself, by
relying on an inner urge which operates on two planes: on the physical
as well as on the spiritual plane. It is a movement not only in the outer,
but equally in the inner space, a movement whose spontaneity is that of
the nature of all life, i.e. of all that grows continually beyond its momentary
form, a movement that always starts from an invisible inner core ."

"Thus the pilgrimage in the outer space is actually the mirrored
reflection of an inner movement or development, directed towards a yet
unknown, distant aim which, however, is intrinsically and seed-like contained
in the very direction of that movement. Herefrom springs the
readiness to cross the horizons of the known and the familiar, the readiness
to accept people and new environments as parts of our destiny, and
the confidence in the ultimate significance of all that happens and is in
harmony with the depth of our being and the universality of a greater life.
Just as a white summer-cloud, in harmony with heaven and earth,
freely floats in the blue sky from horizon to horizon, following the breath
of the atmosphere-in the same way the pilgrim abandons himself to the
breath of the greater life that wells up from the depth of his being and
leads him beyond the farthest horizons to an aim which is already present
within him, though yet hidden from his sight."

The Way of the White Clouds
Lama Anagarika Govinda

Do you wanna be a warrior?

A warrior does not give up on what he loves. He finds the love in what he does.

He seeks vulnerability. He acts, he does not react.

He does not start, or stop becoming himself. A warrior does.

Misty Mountain

Lynnea's New Glasses

Fall is rising upon the High Country. The leaves continue to hold their brilliant green but the winds have shifted. Back to the gentle, crisp breeze, the deepness of the blue skies and the passing through of steel grey clouds overhead.

These are the days when you can run without much planning. No major threat of lightning, oppressive heat or being froze to the core. The summer has allowed adaptation to heat giving the fall an advantage over the spring in this way. This is the season for travelling dirt roads, passing split rail fences, chasing newly relocated herds of cattle as they graze on the abundant grasses of the growing seasons.

Getting Away With It
Last night I arrived home after a dulling day at the desk. Lynnea suggested I take a jaunt and I didn't argue. Rather than heading into the woods per usual, I dusted off my neglected road Sauconys and pointed my nose down the driveway and toward the road. My first road miles since July 7th... and June 23rd before that...

I've been noticing a lack of stride length and strength and ability to simply carry momentum on any straight stretches. My intuition has been honing in on the lack of road mileage as a main contributor to this gradual loss of stride inertia. While the trail is great for lateral agility there is nothing like the road to build stamina; both physical and mental.

Grady Hill Loop 

Reaching the end of the drive I turned right and downhill beyond the barn for a quarter mile before the attitude of Peoria Rd. makes an abrupt change. Here a 2 minute aggressive and imposing climb, all laid out before your fresh eyes and yet-to-completely-warm-up-legs which have had all downhill steps thus far.

The Rise
After the initial shock to the system the hill does level a bit and becomes a great dirt ramp toward views of the Bethel Valley near the Tennessee border and the Cherokee National Forest atop the ridge.

This quiet corner of North Carolina is infused with small farms, chicken coops, friendly dogs and old folks rocking their days away out on the front porch... they often give a quizzical wave as they see me running by.

Last night though, it was quiet. Just the misty air of fall, my labored breathe, the crunching of Sauconys on gravel... Despite the lack of mileage I was pleased to see that while feeling a bit over my head on the climbs- I was hitting the usual spots in the usual times. After 20 minutes I reached the apex and made the left handed turn onto Grady Hill Rd.

The Fall
Passing the old spring enclosure I recalled the hot days of summer when I might stop here and cool off with the fresh, cold spring water. Downhill the roads winds, left and right and steep. All that elevation slaloms and is gone in 9 minutes of heavily forested hardwoods. Nobody drives this back road so it feels like my own personal route for its duration.

Sylas Settling Down

At 3.5 miles I return to Peoria Rd. and am back on the pavement. A few small inclines as the road gently rolls toward home. I run by homesteads from the 1800's, I revisit the mules in the field. I take in the idyllic views above the Watauga River watershed as it courses hundreds of feet below toward the Appalachian Trail.

The Climax
A final push uphill takes me to my cool down stretch where I run along the shoulder of the road overlooking my home. There below, through the acres of  Frasier Fir, I see Goliath, Lily and Aster running in the yard. They see me to and jump and dash at my return!

The End
Down the gravel driveway, the crunch of small stones underfoot. The breeze flows through the limbs of the laden apple tree. A nibbling doe looks up, drops her meal and darts to the treeline to observe the "visitor".


I walk inside and see Lynnea putting Sylas to bed. He looks up and smiles into me before he lays down for the night.


Happy Running.

My Beautiful Lynnea (sans glasses) w/ Aster

Harvesting Your Best

I am not a taperer... I am a running harvester.

Prepare for Success (don't rest for failure)

I feel my way to the starting line, just as I have felt my way along during training. While I don't subscribe to hard and fast training plans I do work under a few basic rules for training and tapering... I mean harvesting...

Here are some truths The Sean sticks by:

1. Be consistent. Anybody who has ever had success has followed this rule, in any arena, especially running. Consistently ask of your body what you expect it to give to you, anything else... is unfair.
2. Go Hard. Fast, long, hilly... hard. Don't wreck yourself but push beyond the current perceived limits. Run a variety of distances, terrain and efforts. You will find a new horizon and wonder why you ever muddled in that old place for so long. So, push through that wall and Go Hard...
3. Then, Go Easy... with my schedule between work and family I like to gradually wear my body down with consistency, varying paces, distances and terrain to tap out what is there over a 10 day block and then... rest. A day off, two days off... whatever I think I need. This allows me more family time, more household chore time and packs a punch in training as well while keeping me injury free. Do your work and reap your rewards, go easy, it is liberating and relieves training stress!!
4. Follow your cravings. Have a hankering for a large pizza and a beer during you last few runs as you find yourself tiring? Well, guess what? I have great news. Stop by your favorite spot and fuel up. Your body is making a request so fill it! Follow your cravings!



Cravings are important (and tasty)

5. Don't "taper"... but do be rested for your key race. I continue to run hard, and up to 80 minutes until 10 days out. Once at 10 days out from goal day I will cut back the volume daily for one reason only... no further adaptations will take effect by race day. But- that doesn't mean that your work is done. Now is the time to harvest the yields of the season. The crop won't harvest itself so don't taper, keep moving, keep working.

Harvesting Your Race

I find the "traditional" taper to be boring, I get antsy, I feel flat, I feel worried and stiff and slow and fat... I feel sabotaged when my race is a huge disappointment when I don't run my best... and yet it is all my fault. Yup, I trained for months on end and then- Poof! I blew it by causing my muscles and mind to be stale and unresponsive, sound familiar? If you taper by the book- then you've probably been there.

Instead of over resting and suffering from race day disappointment and the subsequent and too common over training/ over resting cycle, maybe we can try something new?!? We can listen to our bodies! 

Don't be this guy...

Wilted Races

Recently I was speaking with a local runner, a BQ runner, and he was describing this scenario following a local 7 mile race. He said he had run something like 40% of his normal mileage to prepare for this 7 miler and then when the gun went off... he was like an engine missing a piston... he had gears that he couldn't access. He just couldn't get going... His crop was useless. Why?

Well, we know he had not lost his fitness and the distance was not the issue either... and he surely believed he could run well... but, he had rested too much- and his crop had wilted. The traditional taper method had failed, again.

He lacked the necessary balance between stress and recovery- he was over rested and out of rhythm.

Relaxed... but, Race Ready??

I suggested he follow a different plan for his next race. That he continue running to best prepare for, well, running. Maybe a little less here and there, but just as hard and just as consistently as he had been in training. I asked him to feel his way into his next race in the days leading up. Do his hard work still, just a little less volume and maybe a little more speed. Run his easy runs easy, and maybe cut these short a few minutes, not by 50%... then go home and spend some extra time with the family... showing up at home10 minutes early can make a BIG difference... you can get things done on your "list", give your partner a deserved break from doing "everything" and have life stress squared away BEFORE your race weekend arrives... (and you might be more pleasant to be around too).

The Bountiful Runner

What is a successful Run?

I saw this local runner a few weeks later and he ran a much more challenging course for a 5 mile event. Despite the increased challenge of the terrain he decided to try to harvest his fitness and arrived feeling sharp and ready to compete. 

At the finish line he was all smiles, he had felt strong and ready from the start. On the climbs he was snappy while swiftly covering the descents... he had a successful race and did not leave feeling let down... rather he was joyful and motivated to get out there again! Sounds like the perfect race to all of us!

Don't hold yourself back. Keep running, but temper this will self knowledge. You know when you are running too hard, so have the discipline to correct this. You know when you are feeling over rested, I read about it ALL THE TIME as we blogger folks taper- so, get out there and run a couple of fast miles 5 or 6 days out- it won't destroy your race. In fact, it might even save it. 

 

Success looks pretty good!

By correcting your muscle tension and your mind frame you can have the greatest yields on race day, so don't blindly taper, don't be an over rester... Be a runner! Find your balance and run your way to your best race every time! With experience and self knowledge it is possible.

Happy Running!

Thoughts on the Long Trail

"You RAN how far? Isn't that boring?!" gawks the face of another non-believer after a failed attempt to stifle the latest incarnation between runner and non-runner.

We all face the plethora of ignorance and the run down of cliche responses to our lifestyle as runners. Whether we run 3 miles or 30 or 130 miles at a time those people who have never climbed that place in the existence can't understand, so we try to appease them and protect ourselves from this conversation. You have all been there, and here, we are not going to visit that place... while it can be good for a laugh amongst friends.

What I want to discuss is the actual thoughts that come out of thin air, that clean air, found on the roads but for me to a greater extent on the trails. If you missed it, I went out for my longest solo mileage to date this past weekend, covering 3 hours and 54 minutes of Earth and 30 miles of trail.

While true that most of the time I am thinking of literally nothing, these still periods are interrupted on regular occasion by a variety of thoughts. These thoughts may fall into one of several categories: practical training, life planning and suffering onward.

Practical Training 
This is where the majority of runs begin. Reminders of the focus of a run act like shifting your car into gear for achieving the adaptations of the day. On a long day full of hills I let the pace fly by the wayside, I figure that will take care of itself. Instead I focus on what I can control for the longest stretch of time... effort.

My thoughts are stay "easier than easy" because the hard part is waiting out there somewhere, you don't need to find it. It will find you, it is a patient stalker. On the long run my hope is to play cat and mouse with fatigue, I want it to find me, but not dominate me. I want to run along with fatigue, to use it and develop a relationship we both can live with. By showing it respect and not fear, I end up with my most enjoyable successful and important runs.

But these thoughts dissipate away with an effort of some random hill, or a broken branch laying in full bloom on the trail, or a crumbled rock or a pack of hikers or spotting a bear below in the hollar... the point being that many distractions are out there, and once you have the proper gear for a given day, a long run, these distractions can be all that keeps you going at times, to give your brain that nice flat open place to relax and save its energy for the more demanding sections when fatigue catches you.

Planning for Life
During the middle hours of long trail runs my thoughts float from nothing, stillness to issues of life and dreams for the future. Most recently I covered a 4-5 mile section of technical trail without any short term recollection of it, just like when your realize you have been zoned out while driving for an hour... I came back to the present and wondered where I had been... then I realized I had been off building a tree house 3 or 4 years from now... really.

In my mind I had gone out to the woods around my home, had chosen the perfect set of trees and had constructed a tree house to be the envy of all who have ever set eyes on a tree house. This felt like a true memory, my mind was on autopilot, my body meanwhile hopping down logs, twisting up and down muddy trail, ducking low branches heavy with recent rain... this is what brings me back to the trails despite the inevitable  suffering when time and effort join forces to conjure the spirit of fatigue, the heaviest of ghosts.

Suffering Onward

As the miles mount and disappear eventually the mind becomes very still, but the body is in turmoil. Small pains creep in and leaps and ducks once insignificant become mountains themselves. Here, the run comes full circle. There is no luxury, there is little momentum and any comfort stems from the knowledge that you are one step closer to your car... but really you can get to the place where there is no consoling.

This is where experience, visualization and plain old toughness and training pay their dividends. And the ability to deal is temporary, and it comes along more slowly and leaves more quickly. This is an area you need to develop and taper just as much as the fitness side. We have all run with that person who "looked" fitter, but when the time came for performance they faded quickly... I am sure at least one of us has been that person too...

So pay attention to your thoughts, take note of the good ones and see when and why they arise. When the demons pop up give them their respect as well- they are there for you, they are you. If you just run away from them, they will catch you and destroy you. So while you dodge rocks and limbs out there, don't dodge your mind. As we all know, one trail can be many things- so go see what your trail is today!

Happy Running!

Focus Transition

With the completion of Boston I will say farewell to road marathons for the near future and begin the season of trail ultra running! I find ultra training and racing to be liberating and being on the trails feels like home.

Chattooga 50k  2009; Mile 20

Longer and Wider
Away from the stresses of splits and smooth pavement there exists a visceral and demanding immediacy of the moment. Trail running offers a meditative state of engagement as your body constantly adjusts to changes in terrain, with subtle foot placements, head ducks, shoulder shifts and log hurdling.

The relative relaxed paces of ultra distances provide an ease in initial effort that allows a stronger connection/ relationship between me and the course and my trail friends. In time the pain will come in its dull but overwhelming introduction before prodding your muscles and joints and stomach and mind with acute bursts.

The Long Haul
Looking ahead to next month I will be returning to the Chattooga River for year 3 of running 50k over its demanding terrain. New for this year, the race is 2 weeks later and officially into the southern summer. Finishing those final 10 miles at midday will test everyone's mettle and will, the only solace will be in the smiles of relieved faces soaking for a moment in the comforting scenic waters of the plentiful waterfalls.

Beyond the Chattooga and the 50k distance I will be testing my limits in the fall with my first 24 hour run at Wood's Ferry in September and then Weymouth Woods 100k in January. I will be tasked with the newness of running through the night, sleep starvation and dodging strange sights of my own making out in the mysterious trails of the mind. I look forward to savoring the miles, digging deeper into my will and forging new boundaries for my perceptions.

Happy Running!

THE Boston Marathon.

The Sean's Kit

On Monday the 18th of April the largest group of the fittest individuals I have ever been privileged to share the road with boarded a stream of yellow school buses for the ride to Hopkinton. Once there we waited, avoiding the morning wind, and made the final preparations for the journey to our coral and the gun. Now, the long weekend of chatter with runners from all over the world was over, the celebration could begin!

Following some cheesy military themed entertainment, the elite men's field walked to the start (women already underway) from the church to my left. I tossed my throw aways to a volunteer and stood my ground amongst the excited throng of coral 2 (and 3 eventually). There were some fast men and women all around me and in a blink of an eye the waiting was over- we were off!

Settling into a Dream
We were running the Boston Marathon. As we left Hopkinton at what felt like an absolute crawl I looked around at the masses cheering from the side of these historic roads. I looked at signs made with love for runners, I thought of what it takes for this event to take place and what it means to have reached this place in my running and my life.

This half mile of reflection brought me to tears as I ran along thinking of my wife and my son, my family in Florida, my friends all over the world and the epic journey that I have been so fortunate to call my life. The running dream had begun 13 years earlier as I entered the "real world" in my home state of New Hampshire and now, I was home again, running the greatest of all marathons in my beloved city of Boston!

Under Control and Down the Hills
Mile one- 7:00 right on the money. My goal was to run about 43 for the first 10k and then hold on... as the field spread out, the road opened a bit and allowed the pace to pick up slightly but it felt so easy...  RIGHT!
I reached 5k in 21:08 and was now settled into low 6:40 pace, a bit quick with the goal to go out in 6:55s. But it felt so easy...  I did correct myself and began hitting paces on the nose through the half marathon mark running consistent 6:52s, or goal pace to reach 13.1 in 1:29:38. So far- so good...

(L-R) The Sean, Georgia Snail and Psyche.    Reflective @ Chattooga 50k

Around mile 8 I began to feel some weakness, particularly upper body/ shoulders sagging and also felt the sun introduce itself. At 11am that tailwind you have all heard about was negligible in my neck of the tightened pack, but the sun was not. Was it hot? no, but I did notice it.

I kept on fluid and gel schedule and remained very relaxed in my running, on pace, on schedule and really enjoying the journey as a full on pilgrim of running! This  section included running by The Hoyts as the proud Papa once again moved the team over the familiar terrain, what an honor! Though I am sure he would enjoy a quiet and peaceful run away from the well-intentioned but constant support from each of the 2,000 runners in the race (to that point)

During this stretch I came to know a few characters in my general area including two that stood out in my mind: The Snail, no, not that Snail (but I am sure he was a representative from the home office). I was happy to have my thoughts drift to my ultra friends like Thomas and then a mile later to Psyche when I ran by a girl holding a neon pink sign reading, "Run Like Ya Stole Somethin'!"... coincidence? Not A Chance!

The Boston Shuffle

The Second Act
Reaching The Scream Tunnel was insane, literally. If I was blind, I would have been terrified. Like everything else Boston, the stories do no justice to the shear volume here.

Guys, picture running along when suddenly, in the middle of nowhere thousands of college girls are climbing over barricades, leaning and reaching over one another to reach 'you', waving flyers with pictures of their faces adhered to them (I guess for marketing purposes) urging you to kiss them in a strangely competitive fashion. The only relative silence on the course was the half mile following these young ladies... for the women runners- no word on when you will have your own tunnel of love?? (and how to opt out of such a certainly disastrous venue.)

I was able to maintain my pace through that trap and now settled in for the last mile before the hills began. Though now, I was not fresh and was feeling the miles... with 12 more to go! I smiled and steeled my will for the journey. A right turn passing the Fire House awaited and I did my best to commit this all to memory.

Now the splits were slower, into the 7's in the hills but coming fairly easily still. I was not overly concerned as I reached the base of Heartbreak Hill. I had always heard it was not that bad, just in a bad place in the course. Well, for me, on that day... it lived up to its name. I passed runners (and walkers) all the way to the top, getting passed by a few myself. I watched the spectators go wild for runners they recognized, noticed that some guy named Jeff had people EVERYWHERE on these hills- he could have staged a take over I believe.

By the top of Heartbreak I knew I had a LONG way to go, splitting mile 21 in 7:44 and feeling way over my head physiologically, the tank was empty and at that moment, a woman on the sidewalk looked me in the eye and cautiously exclaimed, "looking good!"

"Looking Good" at The Boston Marathon

Smiling away the Pain!

Well- I was going to have to rely on substantial bonk-experience and my stubborn will to get me to Boylston St. The PR was out the window, the B-goal of sub-3 was not a consideration and even the C-goal of sub 3:10 was not something I was going to focus on- now it was survival, running the next step.

I was in dire straits, I'd consumed my gels, all of them, I was feeling like a good puke and I had a giant stupid, happy-to-be-right-here-in-this-mess-on-these-streets smile on my face!!! I was going to enjoy the agony, every step, jump in!

Down through the Boston College students I ran, and as great as the Wellesley girls were, these guys and gals were a bit wilder... they'd had an extra hour of beer! With my race in the tank, I focused on the experience and let myself get carried away. At one point I went sprinting downhill high-fiving Eagles with both hands  causing a roar and excitement! and then OUCH!!! The left hamstring came out waving its finger at me to quit it. From that point I eased back, eased and lengthened the stride and ran conservatively, but with no less joy.

The splits were now reaching the 8's and I couldn't even look at them, for lack of energy to lift my head back up:)  Each step was a concentrated effort to continue on the threshold of momentum and vomit prevention. I was hearing lots of "You look great!" now, a sure sign of the times... but I just smiled and laughed and reminded myself of everything that led me to this place, you can "look great" with style!

Best by Hall (by a mere 64 minutes)

Finally, I spotted the Citgo Sign, I knew now that in about 10 minutes I would be making the final turns on Hereford and Boylston and wanted to run every step. Ultimately I stopped twice, once in the fortress of solitude (aka porta-john, the only quiet place out there- needed the quiet) for 30 seconds and then a walk break from 25 miles to the 1 mile to go marker (.2 mile if you do the math).

With all the momentum of a lifetime I ran that last mile, soaking in the last minutes of the journey culminating in a right turn on Hereford and a left (uphill btw) onto Boylston. I covered that last mile in a blistering 7:56... That final stretch was perfectly long, like a parade of achievement, determination, fortitude and dedication. Final chip time: 3:09, under the old BQ standards- a fair agreement between me and this mecca of the Marathon... but not enough to handle Ryan Hall- this time at least.


The Long Walk Home
Following the race we had to endure the gauntlet of the handout. Guys were being carted away in tinfoil capes as the wind gusted and bottles of fluids and bags of food were changing hands every which way. The volunteers continued to exemplify the world class atmosphere of this event.

It cannot be overstated that this event exceeded all of my expectations. Everything was done with class, efficiency and with pleasure. You got the feeling that each volunteer was there just for your day- not that you were incidental in the throng of 26,000 runners. They treated each runner with the respect of their achievement. I did not hear one complaint in 4 days of being there...

So, for all of you working to get to that future starting line, keep working. Be consistent and your dream will come to you. It took me 13 years from inception to completion and now I move on to other goals with a full appreciation for the journey. If you allow the experience of the moment to shape you, you might find something special right where you are. It is not about a BQ, it is not about an arbitrary time: it is all JOY!

Happy Running!

Sealing up the Barn for the Season... and looking around the countryside.

FLC XC 2006 @ RMAC Conference Champs.

With Boston Marathon v.115 now only 12 days away last night was the final run of positive consequence for this training cycle. With the spotty spring weather being so schizo to those of us in the wintry climes I was happy to have this final day full of sunshine and cool breeze. The sort of afternoon run that is chilly in the woods and radiates sunshiny warmth out in the open.

For this final run I decided to pay a last visit to the Tanawha Trail  on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a staple of my training as I typically get out there at least once per week for easy/longish runs. This constant re visitation provides a spine of progress to my training much the way speed work and racing do for performance.

The places your feet don't carry you, while your feet are carrying you...
My mind began running ahead of time and I found myself on the familiar sections of the Boston course. I recalled the 13 years of training and failing and succeeding and injuries and retraining and learning and failing and finally now... 12 days away from now, I will be running the Boston Marathon.

A few changes... over the years

Aster Asteracia

Lilith aka Silly Lily

Goliath Johansen

A journey begins '96

Obviously many changes have taken place since the idea to run Boston first cropped up in my head in the spring of 1998. At that time I had just been out of high school for a little over a year, had my first apartment and was working 2 jobs and walking, literally, 3 miles in the snow to one of them. Life was exciting and simple and complicated and I had no idea what I was doing with the living and especially with the running... training was more in confidence than volume and I thought- 26.2 miles... sure okay. I had a lot to learn. After 5 failed BQ attempts I finally got in in 2003 at Chicago... only to get injured and sidetracked...

Not much has changed except for everything... yet, here I am just like I was.

Now having lived all over the US, Japan, spent time in Korea and Kuwait- it is safe to say I am a different person than the one who moved into that small apartment back in Wolfeboro, NH. Now, all my dreams have come true. I have a beautiful wife who I am so in love with, we have our awesome and happy 3 pups and most recently Sylas joined our family and has filled my life with a happiness and love I never imagined.

While running would seem to be diminished in face of all of these amazing additions, it has actually become a richer experience. An hour a day that is solely mine which brings me peace and perspective each day. I use it as a medium to celebrate and cherish the life I am so fortunate to have. As the training has wound down for this culmination of a long term goal I have been somewhat retrospective of my journey as I prepare to soak in the event and savor the steps as I pilgrimage from Hopkinton to Boston.

The Sean, The Snail and The Psyche @ Chattooga 50k '10

Here are the main ideas/lessons that are cropping up in my mind.

• As you all know, keep the goal in mind and you will reach it!
• Listen. To your body, to a wide range of running perspectives and to that little person inside.
• You can slow down and speed up, and you can rest... but don't stop.
• Enjoy the process for what it is. You reach wider and deeper understanding of yourself.
• Appreciate failure, celebrate success!
• Volunteer.

Within the myriad of styles we each have I think these are successful traits/ experiences we all share as runners and endurance athletes. We love the rises, the falls, the drama and the simplicity of roads & trails.

Lynnea and I @ Andrews Lake, CO

Whether you are the ultra veteran, the class clown, the edgy rock star, the type-A planner, the philosophical dreamer or just off the couch and seeing this world for the first time around... these are concepts which continue to be beneficial through all phases of my running life. 

I'd like to hear what keeps you going through the seasons of your running life and how you have enriched your journey a step at a time! So leave a comment or drop an email. Let's keep learning and loving and moving~

It is a blessing to be in a place where we can live such a great life and with style.  Happy Running!

Sylas Lee loving the journey

Drooling for Bibs... the state of The Sean address

I am sure you have not missed it... the big news for Boston bound runners was the recent release of bib numbers and the associated starting times! I was excited to go on over to baa.org and find out what The Sean would be pinning to his belly April 18th.

With my finishing time from 2010 WDW Marathon I will be wearing a red bib #1442... which means I'll be starting with Ryan Hall- kind of... Don't count on seeing me running off the back bumper of the WBZ 5 media truck as we leave Hopkinton... I won't be that guy running a 5:10 first mile. But I will be starting in Wave One at 10:00 am (or very soon after) in the middle of the 9,000 corralled with me (adult diapers??).

Now taking bets...

We are now less than a month until Patriot's Day and it seems like a convenient time to see how the training has been progressing. I have steadily increased my weekly total since the beginning of January when I had some baby-induced time off which has since regulated with the little fella sleeping through the night now. I am now getting in a comfortable 60 mpw.

I have been following a 2 on 1 off cycle with the down weeks adding more quality work in smaller doses.

Long Runs
Following a time on the feet concept with sustained efforts on hilly trail courses I have worked up to what I am calling 22-24 miles, or 2:45 for the long run. With a goal of 2:59:59 for Boston I am relying on this time on the feet on race day. I seem to respond well to just getting my time in...



Speed Work

The ramp up to Hopkinton (or Newton)

I have been completing 10k sessions on the track or fartlek style running with some hills as well to keep the strength up and the downhill form ready to go. With zippiness and zeal in the legs I should feel relaxed at marathon race pace, if I run smart.

One thing I will be focusing on in the next 3 weeks is pace work to hone in on the marathon pace and its feeling over varied terrain. I sense that I am currently running a bit quick every day- not feeling over trained, just a little bored on the easy runs. I tend to push a little harder when feeling bored by pace, effort.  A bad habit... and would be a good time for using gadgets.

Tempo Time
Around the turnover/ speed work I have been getting in longer sustained efforts at 10k-10 mile pace to hopefully help with lactate processing. Again, racing 10k has been helpful here and I have seen it in the race results. Amazing how beneficial a short rest break (baby time) can be once regular training has been reintroduced. I have already run faster this year at 10k on tougher courses than I did at my "peak" last year.

With this as a guide I am keeping the training stress free and open to adjustment. I am also enjoying the racing in the Asheville area with so many knowledgeable and talented runners.

Next Up
This weekend brings around the Dupont 12k again. Last year I ran this wonderful roller coaster course and was eating dust from the start. It ended with me barely holding off others in the last burning mile for the runner up spot. I really enjoyed the course and the setting and look forward to a morning race through the forest!

I am interested to see how I run compared to my performance last year and hope to have learned something about the course from last time too- maybe run a little more patiently in the first climbs and close a tad better... maybe. At any rate, it should be a deep field of runners as can always be expected in the Asheville area and at  Jus' Running events.

That's where it stands with less than a month until Boston. My racing edge is sharpening, the leg speed is there and hopefully the base will be wide enough to break 3 hours at the Patriot's Day Marathon Mecca.

Happy running!!

The Art of the Recovery Run

We tend to remember the extremes... some focus on the highs and other the lows but the day to day can easily blend into obscurity. This serves a definite purpose, of course, we'd not need or desire to remember a 2 hr conference call, or sitting in traffic for an entire day or volunteering to play nice and endure 'Sex and the City 2' with our fairer half. While the haze of the mundane is functional it can also prevent us from experiencing the majority of our running.

The Ease of the Difficult

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As we complete 20 mile, 30 mile (and longer for some of you) and we chase interval workouts like our best version of a greyhound a lasting impression results from the discomfort and the challenge. However it seems that maintenance running: easy recovery days, steady state runs or "base" mileage... can be pushed aside in our minds as somehow less important, less memorable.

When you stop to think about it, or spend a few easy running miles contemplating these lower intensity miles away from glycogen depletion or oxygen debt you might come to the conclusion that I did last night.

Drizzle Down Economics
The weather was calling for two days of dreary, stay-in-bed-with-a-book kind of drizzle and rain switching to more winter themed blustery conditions. My training called for one run of 6 miles and an off day. I was tired, worn out and ready to not do anything. Add the weather to this low motivation and you have a recipe for two days of inactivity. I contemplated what to do, saw that things were going to get worse, colder and windy the second day and made the decision to jog a bit last night. As always, the first step is the hardest.

The wall of trouble I had built in my mind was substantial.
It'll be cold, wet, windy. I'll be drenched and shivering and just uncomfortable. My shoes will be heavy and sopping and the run will be a slow drudge of human sponginess... 


The Bargain
I arrived at Brookshire Park and set out to run a flat 20+minutes out and return to the car with a rest day awaiting. Donning winter weather gear I found the conditions to be... pleasant. Overcast, late afternoon rain lay on the asphalt in small puddles. My feet pattered in the damp conditions, occasionally I leaped over a larger puddle. Upon reaching the New River I found it had overcome the low water bridge, completely impassable which meant... the big hill. Now 5 minutes into the run something wonderful had happened- I was enjoying the simple movement, the essence of the run- the very reason we all began and continue.

Patiently I plodded at slow as I could, and soon was back on the normal route with an additional 2 miles already tacked on. I hit some single track with more slow climbing, then dropped back to river level as the trail fell away from me. I spotted one runner, a family of deer and an abundance of silence. I heard my feet glide over the asphalt, the gravel, the mud, wet leaves, swollen grass fields...

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Another Perfect Mile
Reaching the final mile I was back at the river crossing... now on the opposite side the river and of the world from where I began. The trek back to a main road has only a gentle climb. I savored this last mile of running for its ease and its freedom, its complete lack of stress it quality of forget-ability caused it to be visceral. As the evening air grew heavy with fog the street lights muted and I reached the end of the run. I was realizing that while the off day will be nice (and needed), that I will also miss getting out the door... despite the weather.

I hope we all can appreciate the extraordinary moments in our everyday lives. If we take the time and invest the mind we can experience rewards beyond the surface of the mundane. We can find lasting impressions in all situations if we only get the self imposed limits of our minds out of the way.

Happy running!

To be fast, be tense: manipulating your tension for optimal performance

Get fast, find your tension.

Recently a very good article was published in Running Times magazine. This article written by Steve Magness, breaks down the essentials of learning your optimal muscle tension.

What you can do to enter your optimal tension zone for the goal of the day. Are you running a recovery day? A track session? Tempo, hills or maybe racing? These different efforts all require something different from your body, obviously. But these requirements extend beyond your cardiovascular system. The impacts of skeletal muscle, over your entire body will have a great impact on performance and recovery of your total body running system.

I have found the kind of information found in this article very useful in my running career. I was first exposed to this kind of thought when running collegiate cross country at Fort Lewis College. I was able to make the connection with performance and muscle tension, the biomechanics of running. With this information I PR'd at every distance we competed in, running 27:08 for 8k and 33:29 for 10k. Knowing your body is the only way to get the most out of it!

Know what works?
This past weekend I was feeling lethargic and weary, prior to a 10k race. It is customary for me to become extremely relaxed prior to a race. If I don't concentrate on having a calm  mind, then I tend to get anxious and waste a great amount of energy before a race. Either I warm up to hard or too early, rather than do what works best for me.

Don't be afraid to chill out... a little

I have tried many ways of prepping for a race and it wasn't until I tried  sitting down, laying down, chilling out  that I found what works best at this stage in my running life. All this relaxation can be somewhat counterproductive though- essentially I can become too relaxed and feel flat and slow which is the norm...

Have you ever had that heavy legged sensation? Basically have slack in your muscle fibers. Just as if you had a tow strap too loose, you are doing work without the work getting done. Your wheels are moving but there is little response until the proper tension exists in the lever system. Increasing your muscle tension can solve this issue, if you know what to do...

Find your tension equilibrium
I find that a 15 minute easy easy easy jog serves to break a slight sweat about 30 minutes prior to racing. Then I like to do a few sustained surges of up to 60 seconds at marathon effort or so, so I feel like I am working, I give my body a chance to catch up to the effort I demand and then resume slow jogging. As race time approaches I will toss in some faster striders (3-5k) and perhaps some explosive hops to fully prime the muscles for the work ahead depending on how I feel. If I am tight I will skip these hops, already primed.

Find your sweet spot to you best running!

In the recent 10k race, despite feeling so flat during my warm up, I was able to implement a few tension increasing mechanisms and wound up running a fantastic race. Not because I became anxious or stressed, I was still relaxed mentally, but my body was tuned for performance, like Jimi Hendrix's guitar.

With some practice your PR's won't be accidents anymore and feeling great won't be like chasing the wind. So, I urge you to pay attention to your body during all of your runs. Whether your run feels free and easy or laborious and boring, you can usually pin it down to less than optimal muscle tension (or over training, in which case back off or rest). This technique is useful any time: for hard, easy, and maintenance running, even rest days... which are all about recovery and best done when relaxed. Incorporate your own relaxation methods as well. So go read those articles and you might find your running gets deeper and wider. For even more ideas check out Running Within and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

As you learn more about your body you will develop a deeper understanding of what you are capable of and your running will create a sense of empowerment within you. Your mind should always be engaged while running- there is truly a world of wonder to discover!! When you can blend these elements well, you will transcend your perceived limits and enter new realms of satisfaction and hunger.

Happy running!

Good things on the horizon!!!

Hey ya'll!! Hope the forecast is looking as promising where you are as it is here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Reports say we might see a 60 degree day this week... woah!! I was happy with an easy 6 in the 30's today, I am not greedy... gotta say it is still nice to have some cruchy snow on the trails though:)


24 Hour Tempeh Taco

To prove my altruistic persuasion I wanted to remind you all that you still have a couple of days to enter for your chance to be in the running for the Athlete's Plate nomination. Click there for all the details.

It is wicked easy to enter. Just follow and leave a comment on the linked post.

Enjoy your weekend of running, whether your running 20 minutes or 20 miles or more... whether you are racing for gold or sharing trails with friends or soaking in the quiet and solitude, remember that each step really is special, just ask someone who doesn't have the option!! It may be corny and easy to dismiss with a snarky or cynical comment, but we are blessed, each of us, to be able to live a lifestyle that promotes heath, stress reduction and a connection to our body. In this fast food world, it is comforting to know that there are people out there crazy enough to take time for themselves each day to run toward nowhere and arrive a renewed person, ready for the latest challenge. Congratualtions to you all!

Happy running.

Another Solid Week

As the ramp continued upward and outward I am approaching mileage totals that I can almost say without dropping my eyes and coughing through.

"Mileage... oh, ah... (look away) about xx right now. Well, you know. this and that and the other etc..."


Breaks are good, especially considering my current circumstances, but the bottom line is that they will not be shortening the course at Boston because Lynnea and I have a new addition... at least I don't think so.

Now with back to back 40 mile weeks I feel that things are at least consistent. While the long run is... not, I know that I can build that up pretty quickly. Short term is getting that consistent daily mileage to spur on the physiological goodies like: increased blood volume and mitochondrial content. Resolving to harden the mind and adjust back to spending 3 hours on my feet.

I can sense these things happening. Last week I was wrecked... WRECKED... from a 40 mile week, OUCH and that set in some doubt. After some rest, a good night's sleep- well, two good nights of sleep and a stress free trail run yesterday (<---click there for a video)... Today's run, was GREAT! 9 miles of free easy and powerful running. It is progress and a reminder that in these early stages things are inconsistent, just like the mileage has been. Adding layers on layers like grains of sand in a sand castle is THE ONLY WAY to develop into the best runner we can be.

So, with about 10 weeks of training before Boston I have the time to do this. By no means is a PR in sight... but I can celebrate my achievement of qualifying and be fit enough to run an enjoyable race in my favorite city!

Progression Run: lighting up the night

Monday night I parked at my normal running loop and planned an out and back on my regular loop. I would go 7 miles out and then run to the car. So, looking like I had just landed out of 'Spies Like Us' with an array of reflective gear: hat- reflective, vest-reflective, arm band- reflective with blinking red lights... I hit 'start' on the watch and began running.

Progression Run: My goal for this run was to get in about 60 minutes of running at goal marathon pace, and a little quicker over the final 3 miles. Initially I let myself fall into long run effort taking in the unseasonable warm evening in the high country.  Passing by banks I was surprised to see the temperature holding at 58 degrees even after the Sun went behind the horizon. There were occasional chilly spots when the path dipped along the New River but overall I was wishing that I had stayed with only shorts for this one-

After 20 minutes I began to run with a bit more power and was cruising along at marathon pace, putting my mind on that road in Massachusetts. I have been watching the drive by videos of Boston which are available and these are helpful in solidifying what I have seen in snippets and from alternated angles during tv coverage of the marathon. To see the entire course in 8-10 minutes is a manageable time frame to get a virtual feel (behave) of what is out there. I use this imagery in visualization for everything from the bus trip to the final mile of the race itself.

Interlude
Soon enough I reached King St. in downtown Boone and was weaving in and out of pedestrians as they weaved in and out of drinking establishments. As they clogged the sidewalks, I looked at them like "what the hell" and as I blinked my way along the sidewalk they looked at me like "what the hell"... nothing but perspective. I reached my turnaround and turned to reverse my loop and get in 7 more miles... though I was only 1.5 miles from my car at this point- not logical- but neither was running away from my car in the first place... "what the hell"?

Passing by all the same intersections and store fronts things looked completely new to me in this new era of existence. Traffic continued its march homeward and to the store and as I ran down 'fast-food-alley' I kept a specially keen eye out for texting burger stuffers. One almost got me- luckily I was highly visible. Darting behind the distracted driver I gave a hard slap to the rear of the car and I imagine a substantial startle to the young driver...

'Hey'
Well, in no time at all I was back to the darkness and quiet of the Greenway Trail. I turned off my blinky lights and ran by clouded moonlight at a leisurely recovery pace. Nothing but the sound of feet and the quiet interlude of momentary 'flight' . I had the entire area to myself for 3 miles except for one other runner out having his own experience. In the darkness as we passed we said 'hey' to the shadow passing us and continued to what waited.

HEY!!
4 minutes from the car I was back on a small back road and out of nowhere, (somewhere?)  came a car barreling around a corner. Being highly visible I darted off the road in a flash and when the car finally straightened out at 60 mph (in a 25) I was 4 feet back in the brush as the driver momentarily tapped the brakes upon realizes (much too late) that 'he' had nearly collected the maximum points for roadkill... All that peace and tranquility challenged in a hurried moment of stupidity.  The story of my life.

Happy running!