I know it's getting tough. You are not alone. You are at the peak of your training!
The marathon book says to have a mantra. Think positive. Think of the reasons you run. I did and still do. I’ll share mine:
My Mom's father had his first heart attack in his twenties. He had several more at the same age I am now. He was an Owner of a conveyor company named Dearborn Fabricating and Engineering, now called Dearborn Midwest. Hmm. My Dad neglected his health and died young just like his father. My Dad wasn't at my wedding and he never met my kids. If you wrote a book about my family history, it could be titled "The History of Poor Health".
So my little mantra or positive thought was "I run because I want to know my Grandchildren". It helped. Still does on days I don't feel like getting out there or doing that last loop.
Then I learned about Dick Hoyt. Take a minute, read this story and watch the video. Dick Hoyt changes lives. Hopefully it will at least help you through your long run this weekend.
The Dick Hoyt Story
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an Institution.''
But the Hoyt's weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.'' "Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.'' Yeah, right". How was Dick, a self-described porker, who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped'' Dick says. "I was sore For two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!'' And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. "No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyt's weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?'' How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? still, Dick Tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think? Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.
"No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.'' And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''
And the video is below....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flRvsO8m_KI
Inspiration (could be worse)
Last week
A dream come true for me. My son Miles, since the Drumm run, has taken a shine to running. I told Tracey Sunday "I'm going out for a run" Miles says "can I go too?" Sunday was 3.5miles. Monday we ran 4 and change together, Tuesday it's 5 and that night he asks if I will run to school with him in the morning. You can pretty much fill in the blanks for the rest of this story. I was late for work yesterday with no regrets. Here are some pictures: (click to enlarge)
Leaving the house. It's a muddy trail with two water crossings. Happiness. We talk and talk and talk.
Getting closer to Unity Village. Look at this form!
Short photo break. Don't' know who's the most handsomest.
Cutting through Unity.
Entering the school. As luck would have it, we met the running coach at the door. Big pride for both of us.
Changing out of his muddy shoes. Notice the Montrail bag.
It's great time running together. Where I was once trying to influence him to get out and run, now I'm trying to explain why too much too soon is not all good. Looks like he may be cursed with the same obsessive gene his father has (a blessing).
Training last Saturday with Tracey, Matt and Angela
Mud is good. Tracey and Matt.
Angela is losing inches by the day (is it ok to say my Brother's wife is a hotty?). She is stronger than any first time marathoner I have met so far.
We also ran into Randy Nutall but he was moving too fast to photograph. He did 16 in 2 hours and 27 minutes. He says he's coming for me at Berryman. I say bring it!
This weekend
It's supposed to rain Saturday and Sunday. Tracey and Angela got their long run out of the way yesterday (over achievers). So......who's up for a night run Friday after work? We could meet for a light dinner, I can put food and water out. Just bring a small flash light or headlamp. It's fun...honest. I'll even put glow sticks out on the trail. Who's in? Please send me a note or call. If anyone wants to run in the rain Sunday morning, I would be up for a trot on the Little Blue Trace in Independence. Let me know!
Tip - Trails vs. Roads / Shorter Stride
Like most of the people I run with, my overuse injuries and sore knees went away when I discovered trails. Diet made a big difference too. At the same time, my mileage is way higher than it was when I was pounding the pavement. I have 100 mile weeks on rare occasion. Couple things make the difference.
1) One big difference is the fact that every footfall is different when running trails because they are not flat. You run up, down, over rocks, roots, mud, etc. Pavement is just too hard and flat. I know few people who can hold up for long running roads. The worst part is that roads are shaped so water will run off of them. You are always running at a slight angle. Put in enough miles and you get alignment issues unless you are one of those one in a thousand that can withstand it.
2) Shorter stride. Running trails, you learn to shorten your stride and keep your knees underneath you. Many runners who want to go faster start making their stride longer and working harder. When you do that, you start heal striking and the impact is transmitted up through the leg causing knee pain, shin splints, compartment syndrome, etc. Not to mention, when your stride is too long, and you strike that forward heal, you stop your momentum for a microsecond. Then re-start again, with every stride, when you push forward again. By wearing a GPS I started to realize that a short stride is actually faster. The faster turn-over feels like you are moving your legs fast and not getting anywhere but the GPS doesn't lie. I catch myself looking down and saying "holy cow, I'm really cooking and not working as hard". It's kind of a mental hurdle.
Shorter stride is a necessity on trails because if you turn an ankle, you don't want to get caught with that lead foot way out in front of you when your weight come down on it. If my legs are more underneath me, opening up to the back rather than in front, I can react to an ankle turn by partially collapsing the leg. It makes more sense after you actually do it and you really don't even think about it when it happens.
3) Shoes – Running shoes are usually shot before they look it. Makes a bigger difference on the
roads. Worn out shoes are hard on the knees.
Like most of the people I run with, my overuse injuries and sore knees went away when I discovered trails. Diet made a big difference too. At the same time, my mileage is way higher than it was when I was pounding the pavement. I have 100 mile weeks on rare occasion. Couple things make the difference.
1) One big difference is the fact that every footfall is different when running trails because they are not flat. You run up, down, over rocks, roots, mud, etc. Pavement is just too hard and flat. I know few people who can hold up for long running roads. The worst part is that roads are shaped so water will run off of them. You are always running at a slight angle. Put in enough miles and you get alignment issues unless you are one of those one in a thousand that can withstand it.
2) Shorter stride. Running trails, you learn to shorten your stride and keep your knees underneath you. Many runners who want to go faster start making their stride longer and working harder. When you do that, you start heal striking and the impact is transmitted up through the leg causing knee pain, shin splints, compartment syndrome, etc. Not to mention, when your stride is too long, and you strike that forward heal, you stop your momentum for a microsecond. Then re-start again, with every stride, when you push forward again. By wearing a GPS I started to realize that a short stride is actually faster. The faster turn-over feels like you are moving your legs fast and not getting anywhere but the GPS doesn't lie. I catch myself looking down and saying "holy cow, I'm really cooking and not working as hard". It's kind of a mental hurdle.
Shorter stride is a necessity on trails because if you turn an ankle, you don't want to get caught with that lead foot way out in front of you when your weight come down on it. If my legs are more underneath me, opening up to the back rather than in front, I can react to an ankle turn by partially collapsing the leg. It makes more sense after you actually do it and you really don't even think about it when it happens.
3) Shoes – Running shoes are usually shot before they look it. Makes a bigger difference on the
roads. Worn out shoes are hard on the knees.
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