Marc's Seattle Triple

After the Portland Marathon, I really didn't think Marc was interested in running more marathons, let alone road marathons. But a month ago he started to get stars in his eyes....Marathon Maniac stars, that is, and set his sights on completing the Seattle Triple. This consists of three races on the three days after Thanksgiving....the Wishbone Run (27.8 miles), the Ghost of Seattle Marathon, and the Seattle Marathon. He completed all three and now has his 5 maniac stars!

After spending a lovely Thanksgiving with Sharon in Olympia, we drove to Tacoma where we spent the night. Early Friday morning we drove over to Gig Harbor to drop Marc off for the Wishbone Run, a trail run consisting of 4 loops of approximately 7 miles each.

The little guy and I went back to our hotel where he glued himself to the TV watching Cartoon Network and I ran 6 miles on the treadmill. We then checked out and returned to Gig Harbor. Marc hadn't finished yet so we took a stroll up the beautiful trail.

We saw Marc after about 15 minutes, looking strong. The little guy ran him in. It was a beautiful day....cool, but sunny and clear.

He finished in just over 5 hours, admitting that he couldn't resist smoking the last lap. Hopefully he wouldn't regret it on day 2!

We then drove to downtown Seattle, checked into our hotel, and headed over to the Seattle Marathon expo, just a few blocks away. If you like expos, it's a pretty nice one; better than Portland, which has gotten worse over the years, imo. Lots of good food and drink samples and Marc made sure to partake of every one.

On Saturday, Marc decided to take the 7 am early start for the Ghost of Seattle marathon. It was still pretty dark. He's in that picture somewhere, I'm sure!

It was a gray, windy day, but the rain held off.

During the first few miles, Marc met up with maniacs Bret and Dawn, Galloway trainees who were running 20 seconds and walking 40 seconds. Marc's knee was hurting so he decided to stick with them for the rest of the race. His knee problem was the result of dropping a glass bottle on his knee the day before Thanksgiving. It hadn't bothered him at Wishbone, but he felt it at the Ghost.

The little guy and I spent the morning dishing out veggie chili, chicken soup and passing out sodas. Photo courtesy of the Maniac Prez. If you ever have the chance to run this race, don't hesitate. RD Scott puts on a well run, service oriented event. And for a road race, the scenery along Lake Washington is nicer than most.

Marc finished the Ghost in about 5 and a half hours and his knee seemed to hold up okay, thanks to the run/walk.

After some cleaning up at the hotel, we headed to Pike market where we enjoyed some clam chowder at Jack's Fish Spot. The key to Marc's recovery was consuming a lot of caloric liquids. He drank a lot of soy milk, fruit protein drinks, soup and protein shakes, both before and after his races. He considered ice baths, but instead went in the hot jacuzzi both Friday and Saturday night. The heat helped keep his joints from stiffening up, which for him, was more important than easing any inflammation in his muscles. Some might disagree on that tactic, but it worked for him!

Saturday night I taped his knee for extra protection. That's a nice tape job if I do say so myself!

Sunday was a sleep in day since the race didn't start until 8:15 and our hotel was within walking distance. Marc went out with the front runners but was intending to run/walk at 30/30 intervals. He had his best time at the Seattle Marathon, finishing in 4:23. And talk about even splits: his first half was 2:11:32 and his second half was 2:11:35. Nice! Despite getting a late checkout, the LG and I thought we'd have to check out before Marc was finished and so planned to meet him in the lobby of our hotel. But he surprised us by showing up at the door with an hour to spare, so he was able to clean up before the 3 hour drive home.

It was a great weekend. Marc is proud of his accomplishment and his recovery has gone very, very well. The knee is fine and he's been running this week. His only complaint is a bit of foot pain, which seems to be tendon related rather than bone related. He's going to try and take it easy, which is easier said than done if you know Marc! The LG and I had fun supporting Marc and volunteering at the Ghost. I'm so proud of the little guy. He received a lot of compliments for his work at the Ghost. After Pac Rim One Day, Hood 100 and the Ghost, he's becoming a race volunteer pro!

Marc's next focus would have been Western States, but the lottery was today and he didn't get in. Boo hoo! But he's already pondering qualifiers so he still has the bug. We'll have to wait and see what's next!

Made for this

Last week my chiropractor commented, "You have a body made for running."

I like that!

Running is going very, very well. And I couldn't be happier. Running is truly my passion and it feels so good emotionally, mentally, and physically to be able to do what I love again. I still get a few odd aches and pains here and there, but it definitely feels like my running stride is back. I try to reflect back on how it felt nearly 9 years ago to be a new runner. Back then I probably had more aches and pains than I do now. So its all about perspective for sure. Even with my way too long lay-off I need to remember that I'm already much farther along than I was as a beginning runner.

I'm raring to go, but pretty satisfied with just working on my base for now. I bumped up to 4 miles earlier than planned and have settled back into my old schedule of running on Tue/Thurs/Sat/Sun. I'll stay here awhile, but will work on increasing some of my runs to 5 and 6 by the end of the year. No plan yet to add back in a Wednesday run, but that will come in time too. The goal to begin marathon training in January is on track.

In other running news, the non-runner Marc (Can he really still claim non-runner status? I don't think so.) has decided he needs another maniac star. To that end we're spending Thanksgiving weekend in Washington state. First, we'll be in Olympia on Thanksgiving day to celebrate the holiday with my trail running, and all-around good buddy, Sharon. Marc better do some serious carbo loading because then its on to Gig Harbor on Friday for the Wishbone Run (approx. 27.8 miles). Then Saturday and Sunday we'll be in Seattle for the Seattle Ghost Marathon and the Seattle Marathon, respectively. The little guy and I will volunteer at the Ghost. This will bring Marc's marathon/ultra total up to mine (20 combined). I guess I better get busy!

Plugging away

I've finished my second week of 3 mile runs, running every other day. Since I started back to running in July, Marc has come along for all my runs, in addition to running on his own. Today he had to work and I was feeling a little sad that I had to go out on my own. So I decided to go up to the gym where he works and run on the treadmill. I'm such a dork! I normally hate the treadmill, but it was nice to have it to keep my on pace.

Speaking of pace, I've been pleasantly surprised that my running pace has been in the 10:30 range. I was really expecting to come back much slower. I've lost a lot of fitness and still feel tired as I'm nearing the 3 mile mark. But I don't feel like I can go any slower. Another surprising development is I've been getting a little endorphin-high afterglow from my little 3 mile runs. In my previous running life, I didn't get that endorphin high until I started running ultras. So maybe I'm experiencing a bit of endorphin memory. Yeah, I'll take it!

I still have not so good days along with the good days. I still get whacky aches and pains out of the blue. My left side tends to seize up and get tight. I rarely feel much pain when running or exercising....sometimes it just seems like my muscles don't know how to react in response. The good news is: Any "bad" I feel is how I used to feel all this time. I can live with this if I can keep running and exercising. But I do think I'm getting better! What I'm learning is that I need to keep moving. Sitting for long periods of time is the worst. I feel much better after I run or exercise. So I've committed myself to a pretty strict schedule of movement and exercise:

Water Aerobics

I attend a water aerobics class (in the deep end) three days a week...every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 am. The first 40 minutes of the class is cardio based....think of it as calisthenics and plyometrics in the water. I decided the last 15 minutes, working with water dumbells, wasn't a good use of my time. Instead, I hit the jacuzzi for a few minutes. If you ever have a chance to attend a class like this I highly recommend it as a good complement to running. I always come away feeling stretched out and loose. I plan to stick with this class even when I'm back running 50 miles a week.

Weight Training

My goal is to fit this in three days a week. I work out at home on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then get into the gym one day on the weekend. I'm concentrating on working the big muscles. Not only do I need to tone up (I'm one of those skinny fat types), but working the lower body in particular is what has allowed me to get back into running. My muscles had learned to fail or not respond and I'm re-patterning them to work and respond the way they are supposed to.

Egoscue Pain-Free Workout

I purchased this dvd about a year ago and used to do it every now and then. The dvd contains 45 minutes of back and hip stretches and exercises, based on the Egosue Method. Apparently, it costs a lot of money at the Egoscue clinics to learn the same stuff that's on the dvd and in the book. It's really not rocket science, but I decided to get the full benefit I needed to commit to doing the exercises daily. I wrote down the sequence and I now do it every evening while watching TV. It takes about 35 minutes this way. The only thing I miss from the dvd is some of the encouraging talk. But I say it to myself instead. "Your body has no choice but to react to these exercises in a positive way." (See, I am a dork!) I'm on consecutive day 10 and am pleased with the results so far.

Foam roller and massage therapy ball

Every evening I also spend some time with my foam roller and massage therapy ball. I do a short protocol based on things I've learned reading the Julstro forums. I hit the quads first with the form roller. Then with the ball, work the TLF, glutes, piriformis, spinal erectors, QL and then roll the quads again.

Running

Of course, building my running is my main goal right now. Although I enjoy them all in their own right, the focus of every other activity I do is to support my running. Due to my other activities, this former morning runner has become an evening runner. I'm not thrilled with more cars around, but am glad to have Marc's company (something he wouldn't be able to do in the morning.) I'm still at 3 miles and will stay there for the next two weeks. Then I plan to slowly build. TCM in May is still my goal, but I'll wait to sign up until late December, when I'll have a better idea if that goal is truly realistic. I think I can do it.

Yoga

Something had to give so I'm actually doing a bit less yoga then I used to. Based on the benefits I receive from my other activities, yoga is something I'm willing to let slide for the time being. I still take a class one day a week during lunch, and will try to fit in some yoga time at home. But aside from the class, any yoga I can fit in (I have a ton of dvds and podcasts) is gravy.

It's a good thing I like to exercise because I know this is a lot. It helps that I live, work and workout within a 2 mile radius. Commuting time is non-existent! Of course, I hope to get in some family hikes, skiing and snowshoeing over the winter too. I'm extremely grateful to have an active and supportive family!