Week 12 & 13

So...coming up to Utah has totally distracted me from blogging about my running. It also almost destroyed entirely my motivation to continue training. Seriously.

I have been running the last couple of weeks, and I was starting to get on a dangerous trend of missing runs. Up until I came up here, I hadn't missed any of the longs runs at least. The week I left I did end up doing all the midweek runs, and I drove up here on Saturday, August 30th. I thought that I might be able to get in my place by a decent hour (which I was thinking about be anything before 10pm), but then my property manager never got back to me about keys and I got in closer to 11pm, so I decided to scrap it. I even considered doing it on Sunday, but then felt like I should probably restrain myself a bit more.

It was a good thing I didn't try and run 13 miles that day, even if it was a drop back week. When I finally did get back to running on Tuesday of last week, I seriously thought I was going to die. I was sucking air voraciously, and the weather was just so dry, which led to some serious cotton-mouth. I only ran 4 miles, and I think my pace was still respectable, but I also live up against the mountain. The beginning of all my runs start on an incline and they all end on an incline. It was really hard, and really discouraging all at the same time. I played soccer that night, which turned out to be much more fun than I had expected, and I felt okay after the night was over.

I missed my semi-long run Wednesday. Oi. Not to worry though because I did make it up on Thursday. I ran ten from my place by the Provo cemetary, up 9th east, around the temple, back down past the stadium and kind of weaved my way back home. What I noticed the most was that the beginning of all the runs were by far the hardest parts of all the new elevation excursions. After about mile 3-4, I settled into a groove and didn't have much problem.

The worst part about the semi-long run was the fact that I had major bowel problems. At first I thought I was just having a hard time with the climb up and around the temple. When I got to the top, I actually stopped. I never do that. Maybe I'll slow to a walk, but I never even do that for more than a minute or two, even on the long runs. When I began my descent, that's when I noticed it.

I had to have a bowel movement. This baby was coming and I think I was dilated about 10 cm. I was battling with a couple of things when I realized what I was feeling, A) I felt like I had to finish this run no matter what because I had already missed last week's long run, B) I had already pushed this one all the way back to Thursday as it was so I was already cutting it close, C) I've been cutting out too much mileage overall the last 2-3 weeks so I thought this would seriously hurt my training efforts, and D) I was going to poop my pants. There was just no way around that one.

So I started to think of my options as I ran in between the persistaltic waves of agony. My place was easily the farthest of anyone's that I knew. I could run straight to Mike's and unload there - but it was too far. I would have never made it. Run straight onto campus and find the nearest open building with an available bathroom - still too far. I know. Not even a half mile at the most, but I just wasn't going to be able to make it. Go to some stranger's house and beg for entry - which probably would have worked since I'm in Provo and people here are so darned nice, but I was too embarrassed to beseech someone the use of their bathroom room facilities to take a crap when I've also got about 4.5 miles of sweat caked on me. Final option - run down the hill and silently pray that there would be an open chapel, or some public restroom that I might be able to find. Also complicating things, it was already about 7pm when this was going on, so some places were already closing up shop. I even considered running to the MTC, but decided against.

As I was running in some of the most intensely painful strides I had ever made down any street in my entire life, I had the most fervent and desperate prayer in my heart. Hallelujah! I found a chapel!

It was darkened and all locked up. Now the waves were coming with more force and greater frequency. I wasn't going to make it. At this point I was just absolutely sure that I was going to poo my pants. I even resigned myself to this inevitability, thinking that I, too, like Greg would also be able to claim that I had pooped my pants as an adult while living in the United States (because for foreign serving missionaries, this is not all that uncommon).

And then that's when I finally saw it. A porta-potty (porto?) in the parking lot across the street from the stadium where the Olympic torch ended up the night it settled into Provo in 2002.

Brothers and Sisters...I know that God answers prayers. Seriously. It may sound like I'm blaspheming, but in my most serious tone I can testify to you that that porta-potty had no business being in that parking lot. There was no nearby construction. There was a small building that stood nearby, but everything appeared completely vacant. For quite some time, too.

In events that were set in motion probably months, maybe even year(s) ago, that porta-potty was placed there in anticipation to the most tormented and silent of cries I have ever uttered. If it had been placed even 50 feet farther from the spot that it had been divinely placed, it wouldn't have been near enough to answer my desperate pleading. I kid you not. I was going to die. Or be a terrible, smelly mess. Once I got that out of the way, my pace was great!

I ran another short run the next day, so I was right back on track. The problem would come Friday night.

I had a lot of trouble figuring out a suitable path that would allow me to cover the needed distance (19 miles), but also not be too hilly. That's been another big challenge with running in Provo. If the dry climate and higher elevation weren't hard enough, everything is either up or down a hill. Down not so bad, but the up part can be killer.

When it got to be late Friday night, I finally settled on just running from my place up 9th east, in front of the temple to University, down University to the Canyon and back. That course would run 9.5 miles, putting me at just the mileage for the day and week.

Marathon training really is all about overcoming your mental hurdles. That's all it is. If overweight, old people can figure out how to run 26.2 miles in one attempt, then anyone can do it. Late Friday night I had created for myself a serious mental hurdle.

The difficulty with all the Utah runs is that I never really felt strong in any of them. I haven't had trouble with my breathing during any of the runs at any point in my training. I think my cardio-fitness has always been outstanding, but here it felt like I was starting from scratch. Not getting enough oxygen is kind of a big deal and I was feeling really sluggish in every run this past week. I was very discouraged, and questioned a lot whether I would be able to complete all of the training necessary to be able to run strong in Chicago. I had psyched myself out so much that I couldn't even fall asleep until about 330am.

I read until I got tired, turned off my alarm, and just told myself that I would run exactly one hour the time I got up, no matter how early or late it was, and I would finish the run even if I had to walk the whole thing.

I got up at 8:48am. I went and hid my gatorades at mile 6, since it would be up and back it was easiest to just leave them in one spot. True to my word, I was out an hour later.

Despite getting just over 5 hours of sleep, I was feeling pretty good. I had fueled pretty well the night before - lots of carbs, lots of liquids. With the later than hoped for departure time, I thought that the temperature would be more of a factor. Turns out that it couldn't have felt more perfect. It was still going to get into the mid-upper 80's here, but it seems to get warmer later in the day because the sun has to rise over the mountains. In a lot of areas the temperate was brisk, which I absolutely loved. A lot of the run was on a pretty soft asphalt trail along University Avenue. The best part by far was when I got to run in the Canyon. The sheer rock faces are breath-taking, and it's so green everywhere, not to mention that the temperature was very cool, especially in the shade. I had totally forgotten how much of a difference that makes in these runs.

Unlike other runs, I was kind of monitoring my time throughout. I don't know how it happens, but I do a really good job of keeping an even pace. The first half was 1:20, and then second was the same exactly. The second probably would have been faster if it were all flat, but ending on the incline almost destroyed me. I think the last mile or so ended up being almost 15 minutes.

So...I ran about 18.8 miles in 2:40, putting me at a 7.05 mph pace, just slightly slower than an 8:30 minute/mile pace. I'm not gonna lie. I felt like a total stud when I finished on Saturday. My pace was really strong, I survived all the Utah elements, and I had run my full mileage for the week. Now it's another drop back week to 14 miles on Saturday. Then the following week is my final long mileage week (20 miles, but I might shoot for 21-22), and then I taper until the race. I'm buying my plane tickets tonight.

Again, marathons are all mental. I went from feeling like I couldn't do it to overflowing with confidence. At the pace that I was running on Saturday, it's not unrealistic to think that I could finish under 3:45 for my first marathon. I need to not get ahead of myself though. Just finishing it will be great. I don't want to be disappointed with my effort if I don't get under a certain time. Still...finishing anything under 3:45 for a first marathon would be pretty badass. We'll see.

A couple of final notes...the last couple of weeks I had been complaining about some intense cramping following my long runs. I consulted with my buddy Dr. Nick, and he thought that maybe I was suffering from an electrolyte imbalance, so he suggested upping the level of potassium, calcium, and magnesium in my system prior to my long runs. So I ate a banana before and after the run, and also took an additional multi-vitamin that contains a good amount of magnesium before running as well. Blog friend Ann had suggested drinking chocolate milk as this has also been known to offset some of the cramping. I didn't drink chocolate milk, but had some extra milk before and after the run.

This got me wondering if the base level in milk helps to off-set the level of lactic acids that build up over such a long run. Well...thanks to all of your suggestions something worked and although I felt a little tightness, it was much more tolerable than previous weeks had been. I think I've been really blessed to have not really had any major setbacks due to injury or anything else during my training. I haven't lost any toenails, no muscle strains or pulls. I've had some minor obstacles here and there, but again, most of the hurdles are mental in preparing for a marathon. And it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Not just the race, but the entire marathon experience. Staying on a consistent schedule for 18 weeks is really hard. I'm a little disappointed that I've missed 4 days of running, but at the same time it's like....I've only missed 4 days of running in the previous 13 weeks! That's incredible. And in all that time I never missed a week of soccer, and I hardly ever said no to any social events or fun stuff. Hell...I even hiked around Wild Rivers all day not even 2 hours I had just finished running 18 miles. So while there are some things that I know I can improve upon, I'm still really pleased with my effort. And really that has to be one of the most gratifying parts about this whole experience.

I cannot wait for the next two weeks to be done with because after next Saturday (September 20th), I begin to taper until race day. Then I'll be able to take a break. It's kind of awesome feeling like I'm in the best shape of my life. And I haven't been this low on weight since high school, and I'm even stronger than I was then. I already know this won't be my last marathon.