Define yourself (and be postive).

Becoming a football player.

There wasn't a time in my life when I felt more nervous as we sat in the locker room that Friday afternoon. As sophomores in high school, it was the first opportunity that my classmates and I had to contribute at the highest level of high school athletics. It was the first opportunity for our class to prove that the success we had in Junior High and during our freshmen year wasn't a fluke. For me it was a chance to show that I was not the same kid that a couple years ago dropped 85lbs. on my face, not knowing what to do. It was the chance to prove that hard work in the weight room really meant something. Even though I was only able to get my body weight up to 123 pounds, I felt that my strength to weight ratio made me competitive. I felt quick.

I also was told that I would have a position on the kick-off team. Not a glorious position, but a chance to prove I could play. That anxiety of being ready for that first play was also making my skin crawl. That was until the coach walked over to talk to me...

Coach: "Ditsch"
Me: "yeah"
Coach: "We've decided we need a little more size on the kick-off team. Kelley is taking your place."
ME: "ohh, ok"

I looked around for some words of support from a teammate or coach, but everyone else was dealing with their own anxiety. The game started, but not with me. I honestly don't remember if I played at all during that game, but in reality - I checked out for most of the season.

Spending the year on the "meat squad" wasn't what I considered to be fun, especially because I was playing quarterback. A position I hated and a position I didn't have the skill to play. I was a receiver... a cornerback. At least I thought I could be one.

The junior varsity team was fun at times, but I still had to play quarterback. Playing football in a small town in Nebraska meant you played some version of the option offense. If not for any other reason, because The University of Nebraska ran an option offense. Playing the quarterback position in an option offense means you get hit a lot. It still was an opportunity to show I was an athlete. My favorite play of the season was a fumble. The other team fumbled the ball... I picked it up and ran the other way. Touchdown! It was called back due to a penalty, but I felt like it allowed me to show my speed.

The next day in class, my teacher (and basketball coach, the sport I really wanted to play) joked about how I ran so fast because I didn't want to get hit. I realized then that I would never be a football player. In my own mind I had defined myself as too small.

I decided not to play football the next year and go out for cross country. (Not a popular choice.) A happy story would end with me saying that I was a stand-out runner, but I wasn't. I was an average runner at best.

How does this relate to the marathon this week?

I hear people define themselves and the type of runner they are all the time, and it isn't always in a good way. There is a chance that the marathon will be run during a hotter and humid day, this weekend. As the weather begins to change, I have begun to hear the following on a more frequent basis:

- "I don't run well in the heat."
- "I cramp up really bad when it is humid."
- "I sweat way too much when the sun and heat are out..."

Or even worse is when you hear people providing positive reinforcement to these comments. This conversation may go as such:

runner a: "I don't run well in the heat."
runner b: "Yeah, you sweat a lot. It's hard to replace all that fluid."
runner a: "I hope it isn't hot for the race."

There are two problems here. The first issue is that the person is defining themselves in a negative light, which will impact there ability in most (if not all) conditions. The second issue is that the second runner is reinforcing that perspective AND the first runner is allowing them to be defined.

As a football player in high school, I accepted people defining me as too small. These runners are defining themselves by their inability to perform.

The truth is that I was small to play football, but after I allowed myself to believe that I was too small - I didn't have any heart. If I missed a tackle or had a bad throw, I always had an excuse. These runners may not run as well in the heat - who does? But if the first thought a competitor has when the air gets a little warm is, "I can't run in this weather" - their true potential will not shine through.

This is true with any aspect to running. You may not be great at climbing hills, running downhill, running in the cold, running in the rain, running in Nike's or Asics... whatever the thought.

Don't define yourself with a negative perspective. AND definately don't allow someone else define who you are and what your capabilities are.

Next time you are in a race and it's too hot say this: "I may not like running in the heat, but I can run better in it then most." It may not be true and you may even be lying to yourself, but it will help your race. To make it even better, smile as you go through the water station and laugh a couple times. It will make you feel even better and people (especially other runners) will wonder what the hell is so fun.

Lexington Runners at the Boston Marathon.

The Lexington Herald-Leader had a run down of all the Kentucky runners in the Boston Marathon on Tuesday. I didn't see the article, so I am not exactly sure what they had to say. Here's a link they have on their website from Sunday that included all the registered runners for the race: Kentuckians in the Boston Marathon

I pulled this list of Lexington runners off the Boston Marathon website Tuesday morning:

Chris Grecco - 2:48:04 (Chris was also the first Kentucky runner listed)

Gerald Thompson - 3:09:55

Bruce Rector - 3:10:06

Thomas Goldsby - 3:10:30

Sherwin Collins - 3:22:57

Amy Klein - 3:24:39

Julie Thornhill - 3:25:48 **

Carol Miles - 3:29:34 **

Bruce Edelen - 3:29:51

Jim Pierce - 3:34:06 **

Bethany Baker - 3:38:35 **

William DeVillier - 3:41:50

Liz Moore - 3:43:00

Dee Ann Miller - 3:44:00 **

Lisa Dahl - 3:44:04

Timothy Terry - 3:46:11

Delaine Thiel - 3:47:49 **

Saori Hanaki - 4:01:53 **

Beth Headley - 4:21:14 **

David Cravens - 4:41:13

Virgil Johnson - 3:25:38 (from Versailles but runs with us at Todd's Road)

** Denotes runners that run with us from John's on Tuesday / Thursday mornings. There are a couple names that I don't recognize, so they may be runners that run with the Saturday group from Magee's. I'm not sure.

How does Lexington compare to other cities?

I wanted to see how many total runners Lexington had compared to other cities. The cities I chose as the comparison group are not significant for any reason other than my curiosity.

Lexington, Kentucky - 20 runners
Boulder, Colorado - 56 runners
Lincoln, Nebraska - 9 runners
Madison, Wisconsin - 43 runners
Austin, Texas - 108 runners
Bend, Oregon - 6 runners
Knoxville, Tennesse - 18 runners

All in all, it looks like it was a good day for the Kentucky and Lexington runners. Nice job everyone.

Derby Festival Race Strategy.

Here's the link to my race strategy: Derby Festival 2006 Race Strategy

What is a race strategy? Having a race strategy is pretty intuitive, but I've found that I'm not always prepared once the race begins. There is a general time that I would like to meet at the end of the race, and I know the appropriate pace to run (per mile) to make that goal.

But what happens if the group of runners around you starts running faster than you would like to run? Do you start to run with them and maintain the running partnership? Another scenario that I have encountered is, what do you do if someone you know is running with you? If they slow down... do you? If they skip a water station... do you?

I try to create a running strategy long before the day comes, that enables me to have less stress during the race when I encounter these situations. The marathon is an exciting event, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Writing out a race strategy allows me to enjoy the event and run the race I have been training for.

Accept what is given to you. Take what you can. As always the day gives to you what it wants to give. (I.e. temperature, humidity, wind conditions) Finding a way to take what it is willing to give and be accepting of what it doesn't can be a delicate balance. I have experienced both sides. There have been days that I tried to do more than was possible due to fitness or weather challenges... and lost. But I've also been able to handle my race anxiety and arousal... and won. (Won and lost is relative to my expectations)

I have found that sitting down and writing out my race strategy helps me through the day. It guides me during the race so I don't take risks that I'm not ready to take. But it also encourages me to stay positive and risk it all when the day has worked out.

It is a good practice to review the strategy each day leading up to the race. I try to use the different sections in imagery sessions. It is another way that I manage my anxiety and excitement leading up to the race.

If you didn't check it out. Here's the race strategy.. Derby Festival 2006 Race Strategy

Does Boston make the runner?

If you have read the biography blurb on my website, then you'll know that tackling the marathon was my first adventure into the endurance world. Sitting down and writing out the goals I had for that first year was extremely motivating. I remember creating a "goal focused pyramid" from those ideas. The peak of that pyramid said, "qualify for the Boston Marathon."

That first marathon (Lincoln Marathon, 1999) opened my eyes to what it would take to reach that goal. After running the first half of the race in approximately 1:32, I finished the day walk / jogging the last 10 miles to finish in 3:53.

That race did not deter me from accomplishing the goal of qualifying for Boston. It just took longer than I anticipated. I did not run any race in 2000 but continued this journey in 2001, while I also started to learn more about the sport of triathlon. In 2003, I ran the Flying Pig Marathon, my 4th marathon. That day all things went well and I finally qualified.

I decided that I would not run the Boston Marathon in 2004. It was a tough decision because you never know if you'll qualify again. I learned a lot from making that decision. I learned a lot about myself, my motives for doing endurance sports and the different perspectives that exist within the running world.

Does Boston make the runner?

Today I had an entry that showed up in my blogline feeds that has been creating all kinds of thoughts about the meaning of qualifying for Boston. The entry was from a blog written by Brad Feld called Feld Thoughts. The title of the entry was, "Boston Marathon - Major Emotional Bummer". The post was a response to a reader that emailed Brad and said that he should be ashamed that he is running the Boston Marathon, even though he didn't qualify. (Brad is using a charity spot.) This creates all kinds of questions:

1. Should Boston be only for those who qualified? And should Brad (and other charity runners) be ashamed?
2. Should runners that qualify under the newer time standards feel less about their running because they couldn't/didn't qualify with the old standards?
3. Should the Boston marathon have tougher qualifying times?
4. Should Boston have one qualifying time for men and one qualifying time for women and get rid of the age-based standards?
5. What is the significance of including charities into the Boston Marathon?

It is interesting how much prestige running the Boston Marathon carries with it in the running world. I have had many reactions from others regarding the fact that I chose not to run Boston. It sometimes feels like I won't be "justified" until I make it over Heartbreak Hill and through the finish line. But I take comfort from the fact that I know others that have qualified many times, yet have never ran the race either.

I hope to run the Boston Marathon someday. It would be great if the marathon I run in Massachusetts was Boston. But I really don't plan on doing it anytime soon. There are too many other cool things I would like to do first.

As for Brad's situation. I say congratulations. Raising the money for the charity is more significant than me taking my running shoes to the northeast and turning out 26.2 miles. Even if it is the Boston Marathon.

More questions on the validity of endurance accomplishment.

This issue is not isolated to the Boston Marathon however. I have heard many people say similar things about doing an Ironman distance race and Ironman Hawaii. Such as:

1. Should a person take a lottery spot to do Ironman Hawaii?
2. Is doing an Ironman distance race the same as doing an Ironman?
3. Should Ironman allow celebrity spots in the Hawaii race?

I just don't know what to think about all of this. And to be honest, writing this post has really taking some life out of the things/activities that generally create a lot of fulfillment for me.

Walt's words of wisdom

After the Pappa John's 10 Mile the other day, Walt said,

Exercise is a journey for me, not a destination.

I have to agree with him. If I run a sub 3 hour race in a couple weeks, that isn't the end of my journey. Neither would running Boston or completing the Hawaii Ironman. There is always more that lay ahead.

Papa John's 10 Mile review.

This weekend a large group from Lexington ran the Papa John's 10 Mile road race. This race was the last "test" that Nikki and I were going to do, in order to determine our fitness levels leading up to the Derby marathon. Here's a few things that I learned from the race:

1. Running in the heat requires a specific strategy. This seems pretty intuitive, but this early in the season it is easy to forget lessons that we may have learned last summer. The obvious lesson is to go to any length to stay hydrated and maintain your electrolyte levels. Maintaining a low core temperature is also helpful, therefore wearing a cap and proper clothing is valuable. I had a great new running jersey, but left my cap at home.

I felt my body heating up so much towards the end of the race that I took two bottles of water at the 8 mile aid station. I dumped one bottle on my head and drank the other bottle. If I had my headsweat running cap, I could have soaked it and the cooling effect would have lasted longer. This is a lesson I learned from the Pigman Half Ironman distance race in 2003 and the Buffalo Springs Half Ironman in 2004, both of those races included runs in the extreme heat. And during both races I benefited by stuffing ice or cold water rags into my hat.

2. Before the race starts, know how many and where the aid stations are.. During the Papa John's race, I found myself searching for the next aid stop because they seemed to be spaced too far apart. They also did not have any stations that had a sports drink, therefore I felt fortunate that I was practicing my marathon plan and had an eGel to use around mile 4.

3. Tension in your mind, creates tension in your body. The one mental training lesson that I worked through during the race was relaxing my anxious mind. As the temperature continued to increase and as I was feeling the affect of the hills through the park, I started to worry that my time was not going to be where I wanted it to be.

Around mile seven, I started saying to myself, "Relax your body and move forward." This isn't something I've practiced (like the "18 to go" Nikki and I used for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon) but I found it very helpful. It allowed me to get my breathing back to a deep full breathe and I was able to relax my upper body. I think I will use this saying the next couple weeks and during the marathon.

4. Practicing the nutrition plan the night before and race morning is important. Nikki and I have been doing this for our long runs, but having a test race is helpful, because it gives you the added issue of race nerves to contend with. I pretty much have the nutritional plan down, but one thing I learned this time is that my large cup'o'coffee has to be finished at least 2 hours before the race. Finishing the coffee closer to the race than that makes those last stops at the port-o-potty even more necessary.

How did the race turn out?

1. I ended up running, 1:04:04. This is about :30 to 1:00 slower than I had anticipated, but I'm happy walking away with that performance. The best thing that this race shows me is that I'm still on track to meet my marathon expectations. In fact, this race predicts out to a better marathon finish than my 10k time (38:53) from a few weeks ago does. That is a very good sign.

2. I ran the second half of the race 38 seconds faster than the first half. (1st half: 32:21, 2nd half: 31:43) That is very exciting to me, especially considering the weather and the course terrain. The ability to manage race excitement and control the pace during the first five miles gives me confidence as I begin preparing my pacing strategy for the marathon.

3. The lower training volume during the week allowed my body to respond well during the weekend. This response allows me to continue forward this week with the second week of my two week peak block. I'll include an above threshold run on Tuesday, a steady run on Thursday and then we'll get into the final rest and recover period before the marathon. The only thing that we'll include the 9 days up to the marathon are some strides within a few of the easy runs.

The other side of this equation is Nikki's last couple weeks. She seemed a little disappointed with her results, but my analysis is that she hasn't fully recovered from the previous weeks high training levels. So I hope I can convience her that her period of rest and recovery began the day after the Papa Johns. A few strides may be included, but nothing even close to a threshold level of intensity from here on out.

4. My average heart rate for the 10 miles was: 187 bpm. The max was: 201 bpm. There is no doubt that the heat caused the average to creep up that high. And maintaining that average for the marathon is very unlikely.

Time to go apply the lessons learned!

starting to have energy!

The last 8 days have been physically and emotionally draining. One night last week I tried to sit down and provide an update, but I was so tired that I almost fell asleep logging on. I decided my updates could wait! There are a lot of things to review. I'll hit the key points and maybe write some additional thoughts later if they warrant a post of their own.

Training Review : Last week was our biggest week of training volume. It is always good to see the week that has "100" under the "% of max" column come, but it is even better to see that week disappear. That column says 69% this week. The key workouts for last week were the Tuesday hill run from John's and the Saturday long run at Todd's road.

Tuesday's run was excellent. I felt great the entire time and really felt like my fitness was about where it needs to be. (I still need to learn the course though.) By Saturday, I was running on fumes due to the higher volume of running and the daily commute to Louisville for the NIRSA conference. The run Saturday still turned out to be a solid run, thanks to Tom and Irvey pulling me along. Tom's gps said that we averaged 7:36 pace for the 15 miles. I'll take that effort any day when the route includes Pit Bull and Jone's Nursery.

I had planned on running 2:30 during the Saturday run, but due to the bitter cold weather, I stopped at 15 miles (1:58:xx). The lower volume day lead me to create a weekend of back-to-back medium runs, instead of running one long run. This was possibly the better idea after coming off the difficult week. I ran 11.5 on Sunday at a little easier effort and felt great.

Recovery : After taking Monday completely off, I woke up Tuesday to do the run from John's. This workout is the key weekday workout for the next couple weeks of the taper. My knee thought different. I showed up for the run and warmed up, but the pain didn't go away. I turned in early and maybe ran 2 miles. All pain had went away by the end of the day, but I still scheduled a massage for today.

This week's main workout will be the Papa John's 10 mile race on Saturday.

Thank You's : I owe a few people some mention for helping me get through these last 8 days.

Jim Pierce - I have mentioned him before, but I owe him today. This week only has the two important workouts and I felt guilty trying to convince myself that I didn't have to do one of them. Jim talked to me about when it is important to be fast. Point taken. I jogged back to John's.

Tom Stone & John Grant - When I tried to write an update last week, my intention was to write an entire blog about John. Why does John deserve his own entry (not that getting an entry into my blog is noteworthy... by any standard)? The major reason is that I know he reads it on occassion. Which makes him one of the few. (About 160 to 180 a day lately, but until I get a google analytics account or take the time to learn some other software program I really don't know. If you subscribed through my feedburner RSS feed I guess I know that.)

Another reason that Tom and John deserve some mention is that they really help me to keep my Tuesday and Thursday runs a social experience. Training can become a continuous lab experiment for me at times and I enjoy the fact that people like Tom and John are around to give me things to talk about other than heart rates, thresholds and performance expectations. As long as John doesn't start talking politics (which makes me weak in the stomach I think :) ) I imagine I'll be running on Tuesday and Thursday even after the marathon.

Looking forward : The equation that I have on my coaching page is, health + fitness = performance. It probably needs adjusted to include elements such as race execution and mental readiness, but right now the focus is on improving my health. I have some soreness and fatigue that needs to be addressed.

The next few weeks will include a couple key workouts each week, massage (today), stretching/yoga, meditation and imagery sessions and probably more updates on the blog.

prescribing health? how does that work?

One of the MSN headlines in my blogline feeds this morning read, As cheap statins arrive, why fret about lifestyle? The article brings up the concept of health-in-a-bottle. Specifically, the article discusses the effect that cheaper cholesterol drugs will make on behavior of patients that have high or at-risk cholesterol levels.

Will patients see the lower cost of statins as less of a barrier for taking the drugs? What are the advantages of taking a drug versus adopting a lifestyle change? What are the disadvantages of taking the drug versus adopting a healthier lifestyle?

What role can a "lifestyle makeover" play in my overall health? As a personal trainer I have to assist people that have a question like this on many occasions. To my advantage though, most of the people that seek my help have already made the decision to adopt healthier lifestyles, such as becoming more active and/or eating a healthier diet. But I will say that "selling" the healthier lifestyle "brand" is not an easy sale. At times I feel like I'm trying to sell a 1980's Ford, while someone else is selling the 2006 Cadillac. And we're asking the same price (or possibly more).

When a person hasn't been active recently, the idea of exercising brings on thoughts of pain, discomfort, aches and fatigue. These thoughts are sometimes reinforced the first time they exercise if they try to take on too much to begin with. When faced with these thoughts compared to the idea that you can take a pill once-a-day and be healthy, why would someone make the decision to go through all the aches and pains?

The answer that I share with people is that health is rarily defined by a single characteristic or metric. Health is not singly defined by our HDL, LDL or total cholesterol readings. It is not singly defined by our blood glucose levels, A1c readings, body fat percentage, BMI calculation or waist-to-hip ratio. It is also not measured by the mileage in our training logs, the laps we can swim or the average resting heart rate for the last week.

I prefer to take a holistic approach when analyzing my own health. Others may use the term "wellness" when defining this approach. I often ask myself how is my physical well-being (which would include metrics such as those listed above), my emotional well-being (have I been happy lately, have I been easily irritated), my intellectual well-being (have I taken the time to appreciate the aesthetics such as art, music, reading), my spiritual well-being (have I allowed my soul to be quiet, have I spent time in prayer talking to God) and my social well-being (what have I done for others lately)?

In answering those questions I am able to get an overall analysis about my current state of health.

One of the truths that I have found in my own life is that by remaining consistent with my exercise program, I impact several of those areas in a positive way. The benefits of exercise can reach out into many areas of our lives if we allow it.

So are drugs bad. And can lifestyle change cure all?

No and No. Hopefully that is not the perspective I'm portraying. I have known people that lead lifestyles (i.e. exercise and nutrition habits) that I aspire to, yet have needed the help of drugs to improve some areas of their health profile. There is a place and a need for many types of services and assistance when trying to create an optimal health profile.

As a trainer and coach, one of the most important attributes I can have is knowing how I can assist someone with their profile. Your physician will know if a drug is appropriate for you or not, your physical therapist will know if an injury is healed and ready for exercise again.....

I just hope that as health care continues to change over-time, physicians won't forget the power of a healthy lifestyle. No matter how cheap drugs become.