Week 18- Mission Confirmed

Ok y’all! This is it! For those of you reading this that are getting amped up for the Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon, I am going to keep this thing positive and keep it on running. We plan on doing the Trick N Trot 10 K next Saturday (one week from toeing the line) just to let it fly.

Couple things I wanted to share about “my formula” and some thoughts that most runners probably already thought.

I have some intense metabolism that keeps me eating like a pig without quenching the hunger. My main plan after this marathon is to grill and eat for the rest of the holiday season. I have been playing with different combinations of breakfast foods, pre-run drinks, running drinks, and post run dishes. Jessie has been keeping up with the post run dishes on http://yourveganpapillion.blogspot.com  so I won’t double dip.

What I have established for my “ritual” (it’s new so hence not really) is my obligatory cup of coffee (x2 or 3 depending) and my all time favorite Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. I told y’all earlier that there is nothing more fun about running than that of being a kid again! I finish that off with a glass of water because the coffee was starting to come around for seconds in the past couple of runs and I needed to dilute the acidic taste. For the in-run beverage I have figured out a ratio that gives me the water, sugar, and minerals that I need to beat the heat. I have noticed hyperglycemia starts to really kick in at mile 5 and keeps letting you know your low on sugar for the rest of the run. To keep that in check I have adding more jelly to my breakfast. The in-run beverage is a mixture of one packet or scoop of Cytomax, a quarter of apple juice, and the rest water poured into a 32OZ Gatorade bottle.

At the six mile mark I take down a GU gel with some fresh water. That carries me pretty well for a while but I notice I need more and more as the miles mount. Somewhere between mile 10 and 12 I take down another GU gel. I have been drinking small amounts of water every ½ mile during the run. I really didn’t like the Sport Beans at first but I have found they do the best for me around mile 15 when I start to need the extra fuel. Plus they keep me occupied for a moment while I try to choke them down. So all in all I guess it isn’t anything fancy but it took me 20 weeks to hone down so ha, there. Take it or leave it.

What I want to show y’all is some of the course that we’ll get to run and some of the course that I wish we could run. When we get around the 16 or 17 mile mark we will descend a bit towards the marsh near our neighborhood. This is a beautiful area near the water and I wish we could run our normal route and really get to show off how beautiful the area is. I really would prefer that we cut out west Savannah and add Isle of Hope but I guess I don’t have that much sway, oh well. That just leaves some nice private tours for after the race.  So as we turn down LaRoache we will be coming towards Herb River Bend Creek, a tributary of the Intercoastal Waterway. I wanted to throw in a couple of pictures. This really is a gorgeous part of the route, probably the best section for inspiration, and should give us a good boost in the butt because of the familiarity of the course.



Marshfront around mile 17



$2.4 M gets you the 5,000sqft historic home as well!

I wish we ran through Isle of Hope. I plan on submitting another article to Runners World in the nearish future for the Rave Run section. If you hit this at sunrise the sun comes up over the water and gives you the best mix of sun and shade with ancient oaks and amzing architecture.


Isle of Hope Marina in late October



This just makes a run fun! Big up to IOH Marina for their small store and available bathrooms!

I hope to give a brief Trick or Trot blog and I plan on running with my camera, however in case we cross paths in the SAV and you are actually following this blog. I have my pic after a twenty miler. I was craving mackeral pasta with capers and boiled eggs. My girlfiend is a vegan so I took down the pot and washed it down with a Guiness. Next time i start a 20 week training program I am brewing a big fat brew and I might even lager it. I think a nice home brewed custom made beer sounds like a fitting end to a long hard run road. Yeah that is my Savannah Craft Beer Festival volunteer shirt, woop woop Savannah Brewers League!!! Next up is Savannah Striders Running Club!!

Ticking clocks City blocks and the taper

We are moving into the final phases of our training for the Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon. It happens to be the same day as the NYC ING marathon so we are racing more than just the 23,000 people registered for Savannah.

I know I have complained about the weather through much of this, but I have to say, the weather has really been the one factor in training that we really couldn't prepare for. I mean for crying out loud hot is hot and humid in Savannah is just two points from raining. Which, I will lovingly explain later. For now I have to get on the soap box of deadly drivers and segway into the rain.

Our first 20 miler came and went without much fanfare and nothing to blog about. I felt like it was over, I did it, check it off, next week is an easy 12, get over it. Everyone else training for a marathon this season is going through the sane thing, suck it up and do something worth mentioning. So after a couple of iibuprofen we headed off to the park for Jazz Fest to listen to some music, enjoy some spirits, and wind down to a nice evening where laying flat was the best idea since, well you get the point. Halfway through the music the storms started and we were soaked in less time than it takes running the first mile. And I LOVED IT.

So back to the drivers, I have a theory that goes like this. The IQ and capability of Savannah drivers is directly correlated with the barometric pressure. The possiblity of an accident increase 1000 fold in the first ten minutes of a rain event. Ok so not very scientific but empirical, i think.

A mile and a half into our middle distance run of a 13 miler, between our twenty milers, we were crossing the intersection of a gas station. A woman in a white Toyota Camry was making a left hand turn into the parking lot. I was in front setting the pace and locked onto the car immediately. I was thinking that this wasn't the typical right hand turn, not looking scenario so I would be in her line of sight and be safe keeping my stride and not breaking pace to let her go by. I know- NIAVE. When she gunned the gas pedal the Camry sped at me and I saw the driver looking way down the road in the opposite direction. I knew she didn't even look and I had the instinct to stop and pivot. By the time she saw me I had already read tomorrow's headlines, estimated the damage to the hood and glass, noticed she just came from the car wash, and was thinking about how red the white would be in a few seconds.

When she finally registered what was going on she panicked. She meant to hit the brake and smashed the gas pedal so hard the front of the car lifted up. I was at the Toyota emblem when I jumped and watched the water drops from the car wash on the plastic headlight cover pass under my shoe as I jumped over the hood of the car. I really didn't do anything except react, I still think to this day she believes she hit me. All she saw was a body jumping over the hood of her car. And they try to blame Toyota for a sticky pedal? Only in America could a bunch a pathetic drivers who should have their licenses revoked sue a car manufacturer for a operator error.

So I cannot wait for the police escorts (who I thank at every race and every intersection) and road blocks. The cranky Savannahians who all of the sudden have somewhere to be that day be damned- you will give us our day!

K- got that off my chest. So we are lucky- well i am anyway- the rest of you still have to deal with me. It has finally cooled out and we have the chance to run in 75-80 F weather. On our second 20 miler Saturday we were blasted with a beautiful drizzle at mile 10 and the temperature dropped for the duration of the run. It really is nice to not be completely soaked in your own sweat for three and a half hours.

I have found that I am combining Cytomax with apple juice to keep my blood sugar even. I have been getting tunnel vision at mile 17 and I couldn't remember if green was stop or go (kinda got confused there for a second)- hell it doesn't matter here anyway, you still have to look both ways even on a one way street.  i also tried the GU Chomps for the first time along with sports beans. Not bad but I can't get used to the texture. 

We are going to be dialing back the miles in the next weeks and I know I'll like having some time to work on my projects. We have our 20 miles down to 3 hours and 20 minutes so I think we are close to ready.

Pasta dreams - peace! 
 

Dog days and dogs that don’t like them

September is upon us and there have been intermitting nights of cool that leave us with a brisk morning apt for running. It’ll trick you though and if you wait too long you find out that summer is still here and a brisk morning is just that- brisk. The temperature still hasn’t really broke to the point that marathon training is permissible and we continue to fight with the heat. I am ever thankful that the Rock N Roll chose Savannah, and with 23,000 people registered I know it is good for the community, but damn, really? have you ever ran in Savannah in the Summer?



We have reached the point in our training where we are at 18 and 20 miles on our long runs. It really doesn’t seem that far after this long but I never fantasized about licking a salt block before. Most of the miles are spent thinking about current trends, a lot about what to eat for dinner, and a little about how bad my legs and muscles feel. I wonder how far the people who designed bike lanes in Savannah think runners and cyclists go? The bike lanes come and go with no connectivity what so ever and are obscured in places to the point where I have to wonder does the 10 years of debris buildup signal that I might get ran over as well? Don't worry, you will get your chance to have these thoughts as well. This is around mile 15 of the Marathon route






So the dog days of summer drag on, I can always chart the temperature by the dogs. As soon as the temperature drops they will be feisty as ever and tearing around the yard. But for now, they are still in lackadaisical southern summer mode where the muse to move has not yet visited.

Luckily, the fall garden is jumping (even in the drought of 2011) and the fall squash, summer okra, jalapeño and cayenne peppers are blooming. I have papaya going, fall basil, Echinacea, brussel sprouts, lettuce, collard greens, and red onions popping like crazy.

So maybe it sucks to run in the summer here but the gardening is year round! Can’t wait to see what is in season come time for the pre-marathon dinner!

OKRA Flower!!!

Bike Lane?????

Even in September I have had two stroke outs, the days when the sun burns you to a crisp and you don’t know what happened until after two days of rehydrating. I really envy the runners who don’t have to subject themselves to this but I really respect the rest of us who do! I wrote about this earlier but it really takes a certain sort of personality to brave the elements, whatever they may be. I have an aversion to running in the snow but not in 100 degree weather. I couldn’t imagine (although I long for the chance to) running a mile high in altitude in Denver. There really is a mind set of perseverance and persistence that transcends runners.

With 12 weeks of training to go the weather has started to back down a little and the longer runs aren't as grueling. Stretching out 14-16 miles every weekend in Savannah is tough. I have noticed that some automobile pilots have noticed all the buzz around town concerning the marathon and some even slow down and move over in the road. That was unheard of just last year!

As a planner I can't help but to notice issues concerning infrastructure, development, and sustainability. In our brave new automobile dependent world, we have grossly overlooked the impacts of development. The suburbs of Savannah are an odd conglomeration of coastal, country, post World War II layouts. Savannah has not seen a major hurricane in enough decades that the memory of life in a hurricane prone location has vanished. During the 1960's and 70's much of eastern and southeastern Chatham County was paved over and built on. The traditional practice of building post-on-pier  gave way to slab-on-grade construction. At 12 feet above sea level I am perplexed by this change. (Even though I own a slab-on-grade ranch house built in 1960.)

The sprawl that consumed Chatham County is beginning to show the signs of old age, changing demographics, and a piss poor housing sector. One suburban block away from my neighborhood made news headlines as FEMA and the City of Savannah struggle with a solution to the flooding on that block. Although the developer was quite sure that the houses would sell after construction, water still flows downhill. So 50 years later the tax payers are billed to demolish a section of the block, dig a big ugly ditch (that requires constant maintenance), and revisit the issue again every summer when the torrential downpours over pass the capacity of the ridiculous dry pond.

So property values drop and people move away, as the story goes across the state and across the nation. The lack of density screams when the yellow condemned sign is stapled to the front door and the windows are boarded up. The further we run the more pronounced the phenomenon appears. Overgrown grass turns into a "For Rent" sign turning into a "For Sale" sign followed by "mothballing", condemnation, and ultimately city funded demolition. We've seen it in downtowns and urban city centers but the "block with a missing tooth" looks alot worse when the missing tooth is 1/3 of an acre.

The changing landscape has me thinking free market dynamics are assisting earth's natural ability to reclaim what was lost. Will these lots become suburban community gardens, as we see in urban areas? I like the idea of a half acre garden! Will the sprawl inducing market return and place "Built in 2012" signs in the front yard? Or will the remaining residents enjoy a mix of green space interconnected with random pixels on a land use map?

Summer Sun, Travel Fun, & Thrills

July came and went with some hella vigor. Heat indices across the nation hit record highs and we saw a 120 heat index the week the family was down south on Hilton Head Island.  Lucky for us, Jessie and I took our two dogs with us home to upstate New York where were treated to brisk morning runs with her mom around Cayuga Lake and a refreshing dip in the lake. Ithaca has hills!!! And gorges, but hills!!! Damn- running in the low country gets boring.  For the second time I ran the Depew-Lancaster Boys and Girls club 10k with my mom and had the chance to run with my Uncle and for the first time.

We had the chance to make a favorite little run of mine around the Fredrick Law Olmstead designed Delaware Park and Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. The loop is fav because of the beautiful architecture connected via green space with a picturesque landscape throughout the cemetery. In addition we ran within 20 feet of a grazing deer who has made the cemetery his personal gated community. (You can check out the route at MapMyRun- "Olmstead Loop" jkotar20)

The trip was a blast and we had the chance to run and train with the folks that are heading down to the SAV for the Rock N Roll 26.2. So far we have three parents and two friends heading here for November and Jessie and I are jealous about having to train in 100 degree weather.

So we have traded Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday runs for 4:45 in the morning to beat the heat. It sounds funny writing it because it is still 75F with a dew point of 70F and the temperature continues to creep higher by the minute.  We continue to laugh at the “Lightning Dry” labels on our running gear as we soak through our car seats on the way home.

So you ask, where is the thrill in all of this? Well it is an important part of every Savannahnian’s childhood. The “thrill”- signs on telephone poles, little kids on the street begging for a thrill- the vain of every ice cream man. “Thrills- 50¢” boasts the sign on the telephone pole, something that everyone training for a marathon should heed. You may know it as a Dixie cup, a freezicle, a kool-aid pop, or whatever nomenclature your neighborhood designs. Thrills are the fruit juice frozen popsicle that every runner should know the location of, gas stations, rest stops, water fountains have nothing on the Thrill. Think about it- for 50¢ you get a body chilling, sugar boasting, portable treat that not only cools you down but makes you feel like the kid you were when you started running in the first place. Besides, what better way to emphasize how crazy you are to be running in 100F weather than stand with a bunch of children enjoying a Thrill?

So as we continue to increase our mileage and try to cope with the unbearable heat of the south, we still enjoy the thrill.  26.2? Bring it baby.

Fartleks, Negative Splits and Summer Solstice

Week 20- complete.

Total Miles- 35.48

Long Run- 8

Attack Dogs- 1

With summer officially here I feel this was a modest start for me. It stayed in the 95 to 100 degree Fahrenheit range for the whole week with lows in the 80’s at night. The air is thick with a combination of good old southern humidity and the perpetual campfire smell from some raging forest fires in southern Georgia.  I had a fun run during the week messing with fartleks, that “speed play” that makes your heart pound and your legs twitch after you slow down to pace. What I didn’t expect was the unintentional fartlek that I would perform a longer run the next day.

Running through an area called Bonabella I hit some streets with low traffic and small inclines that drop into the marsh. Somewhere around mile four I was confronted by a charging, barking dog running full tilt with a growl.  I thought oh he is just warning me, nope guess not, electric fence electric fence, oh crap nope, owners screaming with a fear that they might be sued again, oh shit, this dog means business, run! I waited to he fully committed so I could make him have to corner real hard on the street and I could drop into high gear and see if he is faster than Vegas (my aging pup) or Riley ( Jessie’s young over energetic pup). He took a swipe at my ankle but I was kicking pretty hard at that point, when I looked back I was laughing at him and I think I pissed him off a little more. I looked at my Garmin to check the pace and it was all over the place. When I looked up I realized I was at a dead end and the dog knew it. I don’t think the dog owners ever run because the dog wasn’t sure as to what I was doing just running. After I looped around the dead end sign I had a couple yards on him and when made a break for it he figured he was too out of shape and it was way too hot to give chase.  I thought it was an inspired fartlek and I laughed it off until the neighborhood kids came rushing down, “hey mister are you ok, did he get you? Did that dog attack you?” that was a close one, that dog has definitely bitten before.

The run after that was the first time I hit a negative split. I thought I was subconciously sand bagging the first four but after checking out Garmin’s Training Center log I see I simply hit my stride on the second half. I’m liking it, up until the point where cold showers and baths are needed. I have taken to watering the garden after every run and thoroughly soaking myself (along with some raunchy running clothes).

I’ve been checking out some other blogs and my little sister has an amazing marathon story. Check that out as well at http://learningcurvesscoliosis.blogspot.com after thinking over it, I am behind the curve here, my parents have several marathons completed and have moved on to the 50K, my sister, my aunt, my uncle. Better get to work eh?      

Random Perspectives from the Road

Where it all began....

I have decided to attempt a documentation of  my training for my first marathon. That's right the 26.2 sticker you see on the rear windows in the traffic in front of you. The lonely runner as you fly by in the comfort of your vehicle, the neighbor who makes the dog bark at 5 in the morning, that annoyingly chipper skinny office mate who eats everything in sight and complains they are still hungry. You, me and everyone else who has set out on the road to completing one more thing on the bucket list.

Since the Rock N Roll Marathon has set it's sights on Savannah, I just had to make it my first along with the city. I run these roads everyday, so why not push it to the next level. This is my disclaimer, probably not to be repeated again, I cannot claim to be a newbie runner nor can I claim to be an elite one. I have always ran and, god willing, I always will. My longest race to date is the half marathon, that 13.1 sticker (fyi- i don't put stickers on my car) that signals I am half way there. I am very athleticl, mid thirties, and a glutton for punishment. (edited due to comment) That being said, I hope little blog this holds a little more philosophy than a simple runner's journal.

Although runners are by nature individual athletes, the community is like one really big awkward team. That or we accept the fact that there is a little crazy in all of us when we hit a black tar paved road when the forecast calls for 100 degrees, 90% humidity, and not a cloud in the sky. Savannah's running scene has grown substantially since I moved here over a decade ago. There are some things you should know if you run in Savannah. We wave, yes at strangers, especially when you pass a fellow runner, sometimes we even talk,  and sometimes we yell out encouragement to people we have never seen or will never see again. Yes it's considered rude not to wave but worse, there is a difference between running and being a runner and runners' know it. We run for fitness, we run for charity, we run for fun!

So starts week one of a twenty week training regiment. To kick it off my girlfriend and I hit Fleet Feet Savannah for a new pair of kicks. We both were filmed on the treadmill to have a look at both our gaits. We opted for the Saucony's that were just discounted as floor models. (Hey- I run because there is no membership fee, gym hours, parking issues, etc, etc, etc... You know you're frugal at times too.) There is only one thing to do with a pair of new running shoes-get them dirty!

So as not to ramble, I hope to share some of the oddities of the road in the SAV, some of the insights after being in my head for two hours, and maybe just maybe some of the best runs of my life. So stay tuned, let me know if your watching, and please check up, I may be lost out there somewhere on the road.