Happy New Year!
It's time. Enough talk. Step up and sign up!
OK. Maybe you don't think you can run a trail marathon (26.2 miles) today. Today.... you may be right, but you can by May 16th. Even if you truly can't (medical condition) you could likely walk/hike it with some hard work (training). There are no shortcuts to running a marathon though. You have to put in the training miles.
Here is why this is a great opportunity. The Berryman hiking trail is a beautiful 25-mile loop in the Mark Twain National Forest. The run is well supported with aid stations every 4 to 5 miles. Aid stations provide water, Gatorade, cookies, pretzels, banana's, chips, sandwiches, candy, soda, first aid, etc. They will even arrange a ride out if you can’t finish (won't happen). In most marathons, the runners finish, they close down the aid stations and the walkers are left to fend and finish by themselves. This won't be the case at Berryman and I'll tell you why:
When they start the run, all the fast runners take off and that's the last you see of them until the beer and burger party at the campground / finish line. If you start your slow jogging or walking, you can literally take all day (three to four miles per hour) and cross the finish line (receive a shiny medal) 8, 10 up to 13-hours later. Because this is also a 50-miler (two loops) the aid stations will be manned for 13 hours to support all runners. You can run it or make it your all day nature hike and shuffle from one concession stand to another. Whatever you decide, you will be an official marathoner when it's over!
Most importantly, you will be in better shape in 2008 than you likely have been in years. You will strengthen your heart and lungs and probably lose weight. If the lifestyle you adopt during 16-weeks of training sticks, you will have a better quality of life as you age. If it doesn't, you can still tell the world "I finished a marathon". How cool is that?
Attached is a customized training schedule. Training technically starts January 26th. This is based on the understanding that you can run / walk three miles on the 26th. I suggest taking a couple long walks, jog or run a little between now and then.
If you are a GENESYS employee and sign up by the 26th, we will give you a custom made GENESYS tech running shirt for race day. We will also re-reimburse your entry fee in exchange for your photo with a medal around your neck (your medal).
Sign upThe Forestry Service has restricted the number of runners this year to avoid overuse of the trail. Subsequently, the SLUG's (St. Louis Ultrarunners Group) who host the race, are asking that we limit team GENESYS to 25 runners. Therefore, friends of GENESYS are on their own. On-line registration is first come, first serve. Sign up now! This race books earlier every year. Website is:
http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1669973&assetId=934C85DB-D98A-4754-A9C0-CA9CECEA5F34Beginning of your Berryman Marathon Journey:Here is the basic plan, derived from a guide called “The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” available through Amazon. Order it. It's a great read. It takes you through every step and has lots of good storys you will definately relate to as you progress. It will help you to know that some of the tough times are normal. Everybody suffers. Again, there are no short cuts to a marathon.
http://www.amazon.com/Non-Runners-Marathon-Trainer-David-Whitsett/dp/1570281823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230923398&sr=1-1Training schedule - Download this Excel file and use it to track your progress. It is taken directly from the book.
http://www.genesyscorp.net/JSPWebApp/Test/images/BerrymanMarathonTrainingLog2009.xls The plan is 16 weeks of training. Each week consists of three short runs and one long run. The first week’s long run is only 3-miles. Each week thereafter increases by 10%. That means the weekly mileage and the long run. Training peaks at 13 weeks and then there is a wonderful taper for the last three. At that point, you are ready. You will finish if you follow the plan.
There is amazing self discovery. You will need self discipline. You will have good weeks and bad weeks. You will have setbacks. You may have small injuries. Most overuse injuries happen to people training for their first marathon, not their 50th. The causes are usually:
1) pavement and sidewalks (they will break almost anyone down eventually
2) too much too soon. (stick to the schedule no matter how much you may want to run more on a great day)
3) stride and/or shoes. Stride means too long, heal striking, bad posture, bouncing. Shoes means shoes with over 300 or 400 miles on them or non-running shoes. This is a trail marathon. Train on trail in trail running shoes. More on shoes later. It’s the most popular question.
If you have setbacks, it’s no big deal. Try to get the long run in each week even if you have to move it by a few days. If you miss a short run here or there, no big deal. If you miss an entire week, or even two, due to illness etc. you can still get back on track. You will just have to alter your plan a little. A marathon is 90% mental and the other half is physical.
More on training. Again, Berryman is a marathon with a very lax cutoff (13-hours) because it is also a 50 mile race. Cutoff is a point in the race where you will be pulled if you are not keeping pace. You can walk the entire 26.2 miles and still finish and receive a medal. However, you should not expect to blow off the training and just tough it out on race day. We had a couple try and fake a marathon last year and they didn’t finish. YOUR WILL finish if you stick to the plan. If you don’t, Berryman will be one long miserable day. Worse, you will miss out on the REAL experience of a marathon and distance running. A marathon is not a single day event. The value begins with the 16 week commitment. It comes from the discipline and satisfaction of seeing progress, even some of the exhaustion and pain has a value. Race day is just the completion of the 16-week journey. And hopefully, if you are anything like most people I call running friends, race day of that first marathon will be the beginning of a wonderful journey. A journey of learning, improving, bettering your times and recruiting others to help them make the same amazing self discoveries.
Good luck.
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ShoesThe most common question. Also the one I can't answer for you but I’ll try. There are as many types of trail shoes as there are people who run in them. Two schools of thought. Waterproof is the first. They won’t allow water in. This is total B.S. Every waterproof shoe I have seen has a big old hole in the top where you stick your foot in. Once that water gets in (and it will) it stays in. I like very breathable shoes with a good Marino wool sock. Once the water gets in (always does) it get squeezed right back out with every stride. I run through streams, puddles, slush, all the time. It’s no big deal.
I don’t recommend waterproof running shoes for any conditions. That narrows it down a little. So now you have breathable trail runners to consider. Go to Backwoods or Gary Gribbles and try a bunch on (assuming you don’t like my recommendation below). No high top models or shoes with springs or air bladders, etc. Stick to your basic trail shoes. Get something with some toe protection and go a little heavier, with cushioning, since your body will be shocked enough with all this new activity. Light shoes are for the veteran racers with lots of toughness mileage on them. That said, and assuming you don’t have weird feet problems like me, I like to recommend the Vasque shoes available at Redwing. Why Wasque at Redwing? Because we have a 15% discount through GENESYS, that’s why. It’s a great shoe, the right amount of cushioning, very popular and reasonably priced. Most important though, try them on. Go outside and run around the parking lot before you buy. If it feels good…do it.
ClothingLayer in cold weather. Dress for running as you would dress for temperatures 20 degrees warmer than you would go for a walk. You will generate a lot of heat. It’s normal to start out being cold and then thankful (not carrying a bunch of extra clothing) 10 minutes into the run. Also, cotton kills. Don’t where cotton to run in. Also, I don’t recommend spandex or Batman costumes (Underarmour). Get good breathable layers. You don’t have to spend a lot. I like light, loose layers I can tie around my waist if necessary. I run in shorts down to 25 or 30 degrees. Again, no cotton sweat pants unless it is over an under-layer that wicks moisture.
As for shorts, running shorts from a running store are all pretty similar in function. Some are longer, some shorter. Doesn’t affect your run. Some have a little pocket. Some have a bunch of pockets. These can be nice. A definite for me is the little interior pocket that holds a car key. One last time….no cotton. Don’t run distance in cotton shorts.
Water
I like to carry hand held running water bottles. They have little straps that secure to your hands. Some people like Camelback bladders. I personally don't like the sloshing. Some stash water along their route. Most common method is to buy a waist back with a single or double water bottle holder. There are many to choose from.
Shopping for running gear. This is the site I use most.
http://http//www.zombierunner.com/store/FoodWhat you eat when you run is far less than half the equation. What you eat between your runs (every day) matters most. We were once taught that carbs are the runners food. We know now that there are definitely bad carbs and unless you are a very active 17 years old, carbo loading seven days a week will be counter productive. White pasta, bread and rice are not good carbs. They are converted to sugar fast and then converted to fat. This results in highs and lows in mental and physical energy.
The best carbs are the kind that burn slow (low glycemic index). These are best derived from whole fruits and vegetables. A daily handful of raw nuts helps on many levels. Here is the plan that works for me. It's simple. Eat six to nine servings of plants daily in wide variety. Raw or less cooked is is best. This will leave little room for the not so great stuff (meats, starches, sugars, bad fats and dairy). This alone was the single most amazing discovery in improving my running, recovery, energy levels, attitude and alertness as well as general weight management.
Then back those plans up with lots of water. Half your weight in ounces, daily is the goal. Start and end every day with a 20 oz. glass of water and the rest should fall into place.
That's it. Long training runs, I like to eat a light breakfast and then take in some calories every 30 to 60 minutes. This varies widely from person to person. You will have to find what works for you. Just have some food on hand for your long runs. Bars and gels are great but I like real food. When you find something you like, use it on race day. Don't try new foods on race day. More on that down the road.
History of the GENESYS Berryman tradition: GENESYS invests in its most valuable assets - people. The company provides free health care to employees and even supplies them fresh fruit and vegetables daily. In 2003 coworkers - James Herrmann, Scott Schoettley and I run our first marathon together in Chicago. I'll loosely refer to this as the first GENESYS Wellness Challenge. I was the slowest of the three. These guys are both older than me and, adding insult to injury, they are both ENGINEERS!, of all things. Needless to say, I was mentally scarred and never stopped running.
Since 2003, I challenged Employees, Customers and Suppliers to train and run marathons. Only two to four people typically accepted each year.
This changed on December 1st 2006 when I offered to pay the entry fee for any employee who finishes the Berryman "trail" marathon in the Mark Twain National Forest. This is 26.2 miles of single track dirt, mud, rocks and roots. We run up and down seven ridges, cross a river and jump fallen trees. We train for 16 weeks, running some 400 miles in heat, snow, ice, rain, mud and sleet. When it gets really bad, we even ran inside caves! There are some nice days in between.
On May 19th 2007, 21 hardcore GENESYS warriors toed the line and all finished proudly with medals. The ages ranged from twenty-something to sixty-something and all feel younger, healthier and deeply proud having finished. The group lost 215 pounds!
To read the story, and see photos, of the first Berryman marathon in 2007, go to this link:
http://Web.genesyscorp.net/berrymanA Customer once asked me “What do you put in the water at that place?” I admit, we have slipped electrolytes in a time or two.
After having 21 people successfully finishing the 2007 marathon, I asked each to recruit one more. In 2008 we had 46 starters and 43 finishers! Three ran thier first 50 mile trail ultra marathon at Berryman! These were coworkers Casey Yunger and Pete Leon as well as colleague and good friend Mike Gase.
The attached photo blog takes you from winter training to the finish line. Scroll to the bottom and look closely at the peoples expressions. You will see pride, determination and the satisfaction of setting a tough goal and seeing it through. This is what makes GENESYS people different. This passion flows into everything we do. 22 of us also road the 160 Mile Bike MS to raise $11,000 to help find a cure for MS.
Many companies talk the talk about culture, team, family, engagement, wellness, etc. GENESYS people do more than talk – the walk the walk (or run the run!). GENESYS people are the greatest people in the world. Then again, I’m a little partial.
Go to my May 2008 blog entry to read the story and see the photos of Berryman 2008.
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