ONE WEEK UNTIL THE MARATHON and a new Running Cartoon.

First of all, I want to wish all those who are running the Boston Marathon the very best! Keep safe. Run hard. Be Boston strong. My prayers are with you.

One week and one day until the Toledo Glass City Marathon. I'm excited, definitely, but also a little fretful. I've only run one marathon before--the Pittsburgh Dick's Sporting Goods Marathon back in 2009. Back then I had a good day, running 3:16:31 and finishing 6th in my age division. That was five years ago. I feel like I'm in fairly good shape, but I'm five years older. The good news--I get to move into the 55-59 age group.

To qualify for Boston provisionally, I need to run a 3 hours and 40 minutes. However, that time is not guaranteed to garner a Boston entry. To do that I need to run 3:30 or better. I'm aiming for 3:20. I've read that for every year you age over 40, you lose at least a minute on your marathon time. That makes 3:20 a fairly challenging goal. Hopefully, the ten-minute cushion will be enough if things go south.

I've looked over the entries in my age group. Several men 50 to 59 have entered predicted times faster than 3:15. I entered 3:25 which ranks me about 7th or 8th. I hope to go out under 7:35 per mile and hold it as long as I can.  I ran a 13-miler today at about 7:20 pace. Right now I don't feel any pulls or strains, but tomorrow morning will be the real test. Next week I'll run easy five and six milers in order to fully recover.

My biggest worry--sciatica. I haven't had sciatica pains in the last 8 years but earlier in my running career sciatica took me out of competition for about ten years. Excuse me. I need to go knock on wood. Sciatica pain would be torture during the marathon.

Running the marathon is one of the most difficult physical and mental challenges a person can take on in life. However, I know many people who are facing much more difficult challenges than running a marathon. I have friends who are battling cancer. I know others who are working difficult jobs and then rush home to take care of elderly family members and grand children. Others have lost several loved one in the last few months. These kinds of valleys are much more exacting than running 26 miles.

Yes, I'm looking forward to running the marathon. It will be challenging. But my prayers are with those who are facing much greater challenges. May God give strength.

Happy Easter!

Joe C. Ellis

WEBARK 5k RECAP and a new Running Cartoon of the Week

What a beautiful day for a race--the Webark 5K in Glendale, West Virginia. This is one of my favorite Ohio Valley races. The race director, Tom Rownd, is a veteran director and veteran Boston Marathoner. He and his crew put on a first-class event with plenty of awards for both walkers and runners, door prizes, food, and drink. This is one of the most popular races in the Ohio Valley with over six hundred participants. The money raised from the race goes to the Webark "no-kill" animal shelter, an organization dedicated to providing homes for abandoned and mistreated animals.

Although the drive over to Glendale was foggy and the air a brisk 45 degrees, by 9:00 a.m. when the race started the fog was burning off and the temperature climbed into the 50s. I actually prefer the 40's, but I'll take the 50's any day. The race has become so popular that it can be crowded at the start. Old guys like me have to be careful not to get trampled by young studs and kids full of adrenalin. By the mile, the crowd had thinned out a little. I went through in 6:04, maybe a little fast for me.

I went through two miles in 12:15 and finished the race in 19:03. At 57 years old, I am having a more and more difficult time breaking 19 minutes. Hopefully, at some 5K this season, I'll break it. One of my former cross country runners, Cedric Robinson, won the race in around 16:30. My training buddy, Chrissy Lewis, took the women's race in 19:55. My son-in-law, Josh Taylor, surprised me by finishing fourth overall and running 18:29. I thought for sure I'd beat him today because of injuries he had been nursing most of the winter. No way did that happen. He was over 30 seconds ahead of me.  He hopes to qualify for Boston in early September. Another notable time was posted by my friend Wayne McCracken--18:34--that is fast for a 54 year old! All in all it was a great time, great weather, and a great race.

The last two weeks before the marathon has arrived. We will basically be doing easy distance and cross training every other day. Nest Saturday I hope to run an easy 13 miler, the last long run before race day. Time to cut back and rest up. Have a great week of running!

Webark 5K finishers: Ryan Shirley (son-in-law), Josh Taylor (son-in-law), me, Chrissy Lewis (training and coaching buddy), Ed Liberatore (fellow teacher)



LAST LONG RUN BEFORE THE BIG RACE and New Running Cartoon of the Week

Yesterday we finished the last 20-mile run before marathon day in three weeks. I wanted to average under 8 minutes a mile. At 10 miles we were at 7:53. Unfortunately, a storm was rolling in. When we turned around, we were hit in the face with 20 plus mph winds. The rain felt good on the 65 degree afternoon, but soon we were soaked, running the last eight miles with soggy shoes. We gave up trying to keep it under 8 minutes a mile and ended up running an 8:10 average.

We felt incredibly exhausted and sore at the end of the run and wondered how in the world are we going to run 7:27 miles for 26 miles on race day? Right now it doesn't seem possible, but hopefully, after a few weeks of tapering, we will have fresh legs.

After the run we tried drinking chocolate milk. We keep getting reports that chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink--it has just the right combination of proteins and vitamins to speed healing. When you're dehydrated and your throat is dry, chocolate milk isn't the easiest thing to get down.

Today I'm feeling tired but okay. No severe aches or pains. Monday we'll run some kind of speedwork, take it easy the rest of the week, and race at the Webark 5K in Glendale, West Virginia on Saturday. In two weeks we'll do an easy 13 miler and then fairly easy runs until the race.

Before you know it we'll be standing at the starting line. The day of destiny and time of testing will be upon us! Have a great running week . .. . . . .  Joe C. Ellis

FIRST RACE -- Relay for Life Spring 5K and Running Cartoon of the Week

RUNNING CARTOON OF THE WEEK

 



This past Saturday I competed in the Relay for Life Spring 5K in Tiltonsville, Ohio. Great race! I loved the course, which was out and back mostly along the Ohio River. Because I'm training for the Glass City Marathon at the end of April, I didn't rest for this race. Fortunately I felt pretty good and ran 19:27, which surprised me because I have done no 5K speed work. We do speed for our marathon training once a week, but it's no where near 5k pace.

The race had over three hundred entrants, lots of giveaways, a pancake breakfast after the race, and a nice awards ceremony in the local school's auditorium. Diane McCracken was the race director, and as usual, she did an excellent job. The overall male winner was one of my former cross country runners, Cedric Robinson. He ran 16:44. The overall female winner was my training buddy, Chrissy Lewis. She ran 19:30.

This Saturday we plan on doing 13 miles at marathon pace--7:27 per mile. This is the hard workout of the week, although we did do four one mile intervals on Monday at about 6:28 pace. With the cold and wind, those milers were challenging.

Next Friday will be our final 20 miler. I'll be glad when that one is over with. Then I'll race the WEBARK 5K in Glendale, WV on April 12 and run an easy 12 miler on April 19. Before you know it April 27 will arrive -- RACE DAY.

ARE MARATHONERS CONQUISTADORS OF THE USELESS?

Many people think that racing and training for a marathon are a huge waste of time and energy. Life is short. Why spend one to three hours a day for many months preparing for a race that often does more damage to your body than good? Why not invest your time and energy into more useful endeavors, hobbies, or even better--the important relationships of your life?

To obsessed runners those words can definitely sting with the discomfort of truth. With all the time, effort, and resources we pour into the marathon, we know that other important areas of our lives are often neglected. Yet we press on, making sure we follow the training schedule, log the demanding miles, see physical and massage therapists to ward off injury, and somehow fit in an extra half hour of sleep to speed recovery. All this for what? To say, "I came, I ran, I conquered?" To get a big medal that confirms we made it through 26.2 miles? To buy a bumper sticker that says: HALF MARATHONS ARE FOR WIMPS?

I must confess that I don't feel fully justified in the time, effort, and money I put into my running. I have so many other important things that need my attention -- my wife, kids, grand kids, teaching job, ministry, and the list goes on. But I continue to run and train for a marathon.

I guess if I didn't, I wouldn't be who I am. Maybe that's a good thing, or maybe that's a bad thing. I know that over the years I have developed a lot of self-discipline through running. Because of that self-discipline, I have learned to make good use of time and get a lot of things done. Through running, I have also learned that I can accomplish great challenges through setting goals and working hard. Distance running has definitely made me tougher--bad weather, early risings, tough circumstances, and a demanding schedule may be daunting but never defeating. My doctor tells me I am healthier than most men my age because of my running. No doubt, running has contributed to who I am.

The marathon experience definitely shapes our bodies and characters. It challenges us. It humbles us. It changes us. And If we can pull off the tricky balancing act of attending to the priorities in life and somehow manage to put in the miles and finish the race, then we will have accomplished something very, very ... useful.

THE BIGGER THE DREAM, THE BIGGER THE RISK

RUNNING CARTOON OF THE WEEK

 

 



K2, also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, is the second highest mountain on earth. It is located in northern Pakistan. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. During an expedition in 2008, eleven out of fifteen people who tried to reach the summit died on the mountain. When asked why so many people want to climb such a dangerous peak, one of the climbers responded, "The bigger the dream, the bigger the risk."

Running a marathon is not nearly as dangerous as climbing K2, but the same frame of reference applies. The dream of running a marathon places a runner at higher risk. When the dream is acted upon, a person antes time, energy, resources and effort into the marathon pot. It would be interesting to discover how many people who commit to run the race actually finish it. Training takes it toll on those who dream big, and the race itself eliminates many more who never make it to the finish line.

In December I committed to running the Toledo Marathon. The day after an 18-miler last Saturday I could feel a slight strain in my left Achilles tendon. I backed off on workouts this week. Today I tried a 20-miler at an easy pace--8:20 per mile. I felt a slight pinch where the Achilles attaches to the heel during the second half of the run. It feels fine right now, but tomorrow will be the true test. If my Achilles won't cooperate, I'll take time off. With six weeks to go, this could be very frustrating. But I knew going in to marathon training, the bigger the dream the bigger the risk. No doubt about it . . . marathoners are risk takers.

RUNNING CARTOON OF THE WEEK--Plus a TRAINING UPDATE

Seven weeks until the Toledo Glass City Marathon. Whew! Training is getting tough. On Monday I did an 8 miler with six miles at 7:20 pace and two miles easy. Stationary bike on Tuesday. On Wednesday two training buddies and I ran 10 miles: 8 of them at 7:16 and two miles easy. Stationary bike workout on Thursday. Feeling very tired on Friday, we ran an easy six miler at about 8:10 pace.

Today we are doing an 18 miler at 8 minutes to 8:20 per mile. I don't know if I am recovered enough to complete this run successfully. At 57 years old, my body doesn't recover from these workouts as quickly as I used to. If I can't take the pace, I'll back off to a 9-minute mile to complete the run. We will run in about an hour. When I get back, I'll update how the run went before I post this.

As far as injuries go, I'm not doing too badly. My left ankle has had a little bit of soreness in it for the last year or so, probably arthritis. The bottom of my right foot has been hurting since Monday. I've been massaging it with the Marathon Stick to speed up healing. It's hardly noticeable when I run. It hurts the most in the morning. I know it's not plantar fasciitis. I've had that many times. It's more like a strain in one of the tendons on the bottom of the foot. I've discovered over the years that runners are always battling some kind of injury. If we would rest for every little ache or pain, we'd never get any training in.

***

 

I just got back from the 18 miler. Surprisingly, we ran a 7:53 pace overall. I was shocked. It's possible that we are getting used to the once-a-week long runs. My training partner has a Nike GPS that we depend on to give us our mileage and averages, although I do complain that the odometer in my head is more accurate. These long runs are incredibly important to marathon preparation. We will do another 18 miler next week, run a 5K race the week after, then a 20 miler that week after that and one more twenty miler before the marathon. I hope and pray this old body holds together. Have a great running week --- Joe C. Ellis