Franklin Half Marathon: One Tough But Rewarding Race

Since defining my goals for this year, and writing, along with my coach, the course of action to follow, work begun in earnest. Being the very transparent person (in matters of personal development) that I am, and having always shared my every goal with my friends, I have decided that this time around I would be a bit more reserved.

I continue to share my journey with anyone willing and wishing to follow via facebook; sometimes on my personal page, sometimes on my Journey Beyond Ironman page, and sometimes on twitter. What I have chosen not to do is to make constant reference to my ultimate goal. This is something that at this moment is very personal. I have kept it very much between my family, my coach, my nutritionist, two very good friends and myself. And this I have done, because for the first time ever, in my athletic journey, this goal is extremely specific.

As with my goal, my training has been very much #WithPurpose. Everything done is measured and analyzed in order to be improved upon.

And the plan is working.

Earlier this year I registered for a couple of half marathons and a 10k with the sole purpose of measuring progress. What I have seen is beyond any and all expectations. Perhaps the true lesson to be learning here is that I had been underestimating myself all these years. But I also believe that things are meant to happen at the right time in the right place. Perhaps I was not physically or mentally ready to do what I'm asking of myself at this moment in time. Perhaps I was not ready to commit to such a goal. It appears that now I am.

Last Saturday's Franklin Half Marathon was one of those surreal experiences we sometimes have. This race is very "hilly" to say the least. The weather this time of year is always very hot and humid. Saturday was no different. It was very pleasant at gun time, but that quickly changed. The hills lived up to all the hype.

A few weeks back Coach told me that I would have the training needed to have a good race. Having crushed my half marathon earlier in the year, we knew that it would be a tough act to follow; this race would not be about a PR, this race would be about doing the very best possible; I would have to race smart and I would have to avoid injury.

I had my plan. I race by heart rate and coach said to keep it in Zone 4, in this course I thought, this would not be a problem. My nutrition strategy was also set. I knew what I had to do.

I warmed up with a light jog before the race began. I have been doing this, this year and it has worked like a charm; when the race starts my heart is ready to go.

The first mile or so, I used to get set and into my racing Zone. This part of the course was easy to navigate, except on a short out-n-back  there was slight confusion as to which side of the road to take. Runners coming back where crossing over to the side where the runners going out were. No big deal.

I will not go into a full description of the "hills" for it would suffice to say that there were plenty and they never stopped. After mile five, the big one was upon us. They call this one "Heart Attack Hill". My heart rate spiked to Z5. I had to slow down a bit.

My concern most of the race was with the horizontal grade of the road. It was rather large. I was worried about an injury to the IT band, I had to run with caution.

The whole race I felt good. I was running at a good pace, I was running the hills, not attacking them. With my Garmin, I keep track of my HR Zone and total distance. The distance mostly because this is how I work my nutrition plan.

Upon reaching mile 12, I decided to see what my total time was. This to see how close I was to a sub-2 time. With some very quick calculation, I knew that if I cranked it up, around an 8:00 mile, I could, in fact, finish in less than 2:00 hours. That last mile was clocked at 7:51. Fastest "last" mile of any race I have ever done.

Garmin time: 1:59:16.  9:06/mile.

I was thrilled. It was not in my radar to run a sub 2 hour on this course, on this day, under these conditions.

When results started coming in, I approached a pool of laptop computers made available for everyone to check their individual results.

Bib number 257. Official Time 1:59:11.

Age Group: First

Senior Grand Masters: First

Wait... What?! Who? Me?

When I was presented the award, I found that this was the "RRCA State of Tennessee State Championship", hence this makes me a "State Champion".

Wait... What?! Who? Me?

This race is, was and will be, one of the toughest, if not the toughest half marathon I have ever done, anywhere, any time. Period.

God Willing, I'll be back to defend next year. Come join me!

To all those of you that continue to support me, I extend a great big Thank You! Your encouragement throughout this journey is priceless. Stay with me! I'm not sure where this is going and how it will play out, but together I'm sure we'll get there.

About Being Fit vs. Being Healthy

Of course you're fit.  You swim, bike and/or run for hours and miles at a time.  You can out-endure anyone close to you without even trying.  Your physique is envied by models everywhere.  You can lose weight without even trying and your body fat percentage is the goal of every top professional athlete.  Yes sir.  You're fit alright.

But are you healthy?

I have been thinking about this for a while now and even more so after the unfortunate death of a triathlete at the start of Ironman Louisville this year.  Of course we're fit, but are we healthy?

Those of us that got a late start in the sport, have a lot of ground to make up.  As for me, I was overweight (198 lbs), in pain from bulging, herniated and ruptured discs.  I have had numerous surgeries on my toes and ankle, leaving a constant nagging, if you will, on my lower extremities. Add to that the fact that I have high cholesterol due to family history and the very unhealthy diet that I followed for many a day.  In 1988 I had an asthma attack which landed me in the emergency room, at which point my cholesterol was discovered to be over 500; "a walking heart attack" I was told I was.

In 2006 I turned the corner and saw the light.  It was there blinding me, much like a train coming at you in a tunnel.  I did not want to be in pain any longer.  I wanted to watch my daughters grow, get married, have kids.  I wanted to travel with my wife; go places and do things only imagined impossible up to that point.  So I joined a gym.  I was 52 at that point.  I decided to get fit.  And healthy.

I changed a lot of my habits.  It was hard, but it had to be done. No ifs, ands or buts. It had to happen.  And slowly I started loosing weight, cholesterol started coming down hard (and staying down), pains turned to aches which are easier to manage.

I began to get fit.  But was I healthy?

My doctor suggested I see him twice a year vs once.  Due to the new stress I was putting on my body he wanted to make sure my ticker was ticking just fine.  I obliged.  He was keeping a close eye on me, for which I was very thankful.

I have done a couple of stress tests over the past couple of years.  Surprising the heck out of the techs performing the procedure.  So, as far as we can tell... yeah I'm fit and I'm healthy.

Most of the deaths at triathlons occur in the swimming leg of the event.  There's just to much going on at that point for an unhealthy heart to handle.  I understand that all the tests in the world cannot guarantee diddly-squat... but you know what?  I like my chances now a whole lot better.

Which brings me to the point...  Of course you know you're fit, but do you know you're healthy?  Go see your doctor more often.  Don't ignore, as much as us Type A personalities want to, unusual pains.  Chances are that they're nothing, but why take the chance?  When was the last time you had a stress test?  Call your doctor's office, have them schedule one... today!

Yes sir, you're fit alright.  But are you healthy?

Why Should I Train With A Heart Rate Monitor?

Guest post by Coach Barry Baird of Endurance Geeks.

"One of the questions I hear time and again relate to how someone actually benefits from a VO2 test and establishing heart rate training zones. So I would like to take this opportunity to explore the question in some detail.

No doubt you’ve heard the terms “Aerobic” and “Anaerobic” thrown around in conversation. For anyone that is aspiring to peak endurance performance – or just wanting to drop a few pounds and stay in shape – these terms are ultra important. Luckily, the concepts are relatively simple:

·         The Aerobic system burns mostly fat

·         The Anaerobic system burns mostly carbohydrates

As a source of fuel, fat is certainly the most abundant; it provides hours of energy. Carbohydrates, in the form of muscle and liver glycogen, deliver energy – but it comes at a higher cost. Glycogen is consumed faster than it can be replaced.

Now, one thing to keep in mind is that the systems are not either on or off. In other words, we’re always burning some mixture of fats and carbohydrates to produce energy. That’s why energy gels, nutrition bars, and other products providing concentrated carbohydrates are used on long rides and runs – we need to keep replenishing our carbohydrates.

So the key for endurance athletes and those looking to stay fit and trim is to burn the most abundant fuel available – fat! Or, a higher percentage of fats relative to carbohydrates.

But how do we control what fuels we burn?

It’s All In The Zones

Unlocking your metabolism is as easy as strapping on a heart rate monitor and exercising within specific zones. A key heart rate indicator is Anaerobic Threshold (AT). AT indicates the point at which your body can no longer deliver oxygen to your muscles in quantities necessary to burn fat as a primary fuel source. As the stores of muscle glycogen are depleted, your energy begins to decrease – and if you’re able to continue exercising through the fatigue, eventually liver glycogen is utilized…and that’s pretty much when you either “hit the wall” or “bonk.” Not a good feeling!

There is a variety of methods for determining Anaerobic Threshold – problem is, most methods are merely averages of people in your age and weight group.

A Better Way

A more accurate way to get your Anaerobic Threshold and target heart rate zones is to measure how much oxygen your body is using as you increase the intensity of your workout. This can be accomplished through VO2 testing. Through a simple, graded exercise test, you can target Anaerobic Threshold and determine a range of zones corresponding to recovery, aerobic or endurance, tempo, and interval workouts.

Beyond the Aerobic Zone

Of course, as an athlete, you know you have to take things outside the endurance zone – Race Pace Runs, Fartleks, Track Intervals…workouts that push your body into new levels of fitness. It just comes down to knowing when and how much intensity to add. And that’s where knowing your heart rate zones can make all the difference.

Benefits of Knowing Your Zones

With all that being said, what are the advantages of VO2 testing and knowing your heart rate training zones. By far, the biggest advantage is that you get accurate answers (not from a one size fits all formula) and take the guess work out of training. Here are some more of the specifics…

• Monitor Your Intensity Level: Are your recovery days truly allowing your body to recover? Are your speed intervals truly pushing you to the next level or do it just “feel” like you are giving an adequate effort. If you know your zones, you know you are training at the right level to maximize performance.

• Prevent Over-Training: For some very competitive athletes, every workout can be a fine line between optimal training and over-training. Heart rate zone training helps to avoid unnecessary stress on your body. You can maximize the efficiency of your training, while minimizing the potential for injury.

 

• Prevent Under-Training: Usually less common, but some athletes are not tapping into their true potential and can handle more intense training. There are some potential Ironmen/Ironwomen/Boston Qualifiers out there, and they don’t even know it!

• Pacing: What intensity level should I be at for endurance workouts, tempo workouts, speed work on the track, etc.? Am I aerobic or anaerobic? Knowing your zones eliminates the guess work."