Me Vs. Subway Jared

I am quite happy for Jared Fogle (aka Jared from Subway) regarding his weight loss and subsequent success as a pitchman for Subway. With that said, unbeknownst to him, he has become somewhat of a rival in my running career. I'm not a Jared hater, but I think it started with seeing a display / poster of Jared inside a Subway restaurant.

It was this photo or something very close to it.

This was right around the time of my return to running. I thought glasses, dark hair... why that vaguely resembles me. Oh no! I look like Jared from Subway. I shouldn't have said anything but I mentioned something to my wife. She reassured me I was better looking than he was, but then said "yea, but I do see the resemblance". From there, the rivalry was on.

Near the end of the Crim

Let's have look at the Tale of the Tape (TM):

Birthplace Age (*) Height Weight (*) Max Weight Race History (*) Training Corporate Sponsorship Marathon Finish Time

Josh NW Indiana 38 5’10” 152 185 High School Track (JV) & Cross Country (JV, Varsity),  Over 40 races since 2011 including 5 half marathons Self-directed. Recent training based upon Hal Higdon Novice 2 Marathon Training None (willing to entertain offers) Detroit Free Press International Marathon (Detroit, MI, US & Windsor, ON, CA) ???

Jared Fogle| Indianapolis, Indiana 33 6’2” 180 - 190 425 One of each of the following: 5k, 10k, Half Marathon (per Jared in Subway promotional video) Professionally trained.Trained with athletes such as Ryan Howard, Michael Phelps, Blake Griffin and Meb Keflezighi Doctor’s Associates (Subway) ING NYC Marathon (New York, NY, US) 5:13:28

(*) at time of marathon

That table ended up a bit wonky, but I think you get the point. Jared has the advantage at time of marathon as far as age, corporate support (I mean, his job was to eat subs and train) and training support. I have a bit of a BMI advantage and have more of a running history. 

When I decided I was going to run a marathon, I considered what my finishing time would or could be. Boston qualification? No way, not anytime soon, if ever. Four hours? Ummm, maybe. I know, I will beat Jared! I found his time - 5:13:28. Ok, I need to finish before I get cocky, but unless something goes really wrong, I should beat that by a good margin. Therefore, I set my unofficial goal as beating Subway Jared by one hour.

I have since dropped any notion of setting a time goal for my first marathon, but that "unofficial" time is still out there and I mentioned it to several people as a bit of a joke - everyone needs a story. That being said, I think that is realistic. I think I can hold a 9:40 min/mile pace, but we shall see...

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This weekend I ran at Kensington Metro Park and completed 18 miles. My legs didn't feel great, even to start, but it was a decent run. I should have at least one run which will be longer before the marathon, but this one gave me some confidence. If I had to, I could have dragged myself around the lake one more time to finish 26.2 miles.

I'm learning from these longer runs. One thing I've developed is a Gu strategy. After a few miles, usually 4 or 6, I take a half of a Gu packet every 2-3 miles. This seems to provide an adequate energy supply while minimizing gastric distress. I've also figured out that it is OK to walk for a short period of time, if necessary, to take a Gu, to get some water or to just gather myself. I used to view any sort of walking during a run as a failure, but the failure is not continuing on after a walk.

Overall, I'm feeling good about my training. I hope to do well at the Brooksie Way Half Marathon in 3 weeks (not sure yet if I will "race" it or use it more as a training run) and will then begin the dreaded taper.

Are you training for anything in particular?

Is it a good idea to set a time goal for the first time running a particular distance?

Do you have any rivals where the rival doesn't know or doesn't care about it?

Crim 10 Mile, McLobster & More Training Stuff

Lots of running happening as of late, but not a whole lot of blogging. Figured I would sum up the past month in this post.

The Crim 10 Mile Race

On August 24th, I ran my second Crim 10 mile race in Flint. The weather almost completely cooperated with a relatively mild day. After arriving a bit early, they opened up the corrals about 30 minutes before the race. I gave an anticipated finish time of 1:23 on my registration, so that put me in the "B" Corral. The 30 year (!) runners of the race started first and a few minutes later, the "A" corral. I don't know if it was supposed to happen this way, but much of the B corral was released at the same time (I saw Jeff aka Detroit Runner and Trieu before the race in the same corral but they were stopped and started a few minutes later).

I felt pretty good starting out and was probably going a little fast with sub 8 minute miles at least for the first couple miles. Shortly thereafter, my watch, which was giving me a low battery warning before the start, shut off. (Before the race, I started Jogkeeper on my phone, but never looked at it). I was running free of technology and it was probably a good thing.

The crowd support at this race is amazing and, dare I say, even better than last year. There is water every mile, local churches open up their buildings for restrooms, tons of people out cheering, people putting sprinklers out with water spraying on the street like a runner wash, etc.

Through the first half of the race (as I found out later), I ran around an 8:11 min / mi pace. Shortly after the halfway mark, the “Bradley Hills” started. This year, they put timing pads before and after the five hills that make up the Bradley Hills. I was the 1145^th fastest through the hills with a time of 7:08. The “King of the Hills” finished in 4:14.

The second half of the race is a bit hillier overall and it was getting a little warmer. The good thing is that with my increased training, I didn’t slow much.  The plan was to maintain pace until turning onto the same street as the finish and to step it up when I “hit the bricks” the brick road in downtown Flint. It didn’t quite happen that way, at least not initially. Once got close enough to see the finish time on the display and saw it was 1:23 and change, that seemed to motivate me to move faster as I had not slowed as much as I thought.  My finish time ended up 1:22:51, a couple minutes faster than last year and my first PR of the year.

Met up with Jeff and Trieu after the race and got our pizza and beer. Overall a great race!

Slowly I Turn…Step by Step…Inch by Inch

The week before the Crim, we took a family trip to Niagara Falls and had a very nice time. We saw the falls, rode the Maid of the Mist and visited all the main Falls attractions. We were on the Canadian side and I even had a “McLobster”.

Yes, the McLobster is real. It was the most expensive sandwich at McDonalds Canada and it actually had lobster in it. I had to order one and the verdict is pretty much a thumbs down. I was expecting something hot, but it was actually a cold sandwich – like a lobster salad sandwich. It did have lobster, I would have liked a bit more. I would compare the taste to a Subway seafood sub.

I skipped my Thursday run but took my running stuff with me on the trip. Saturday morning, prior to sunrise, I got up and walked about ¾ mile from our hotel to the falls. I started at the “horseshoe” or Canadian Falls and ran to the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve and back. There were more hills than I anticipated, but it was fine. While scheduled for 15 miles, I only did 10 so I could get back with my family and function for the day. This “selfie”, taken after the run, shows my view where I ended that run.

I don’t think I will have a more scenic run anytime soon. This one will be difficult to top.

Training Through Week 10 of 17

Overall, I am on schedule with my running plan, though I did slip a bit with a short vacation and the Crim race. I did my 14+ mile run on schedule, but didn’t go over 10 the next two weeks. I ran 16 miles this morning for my longest run ever, 34 miles this week for most weekly mileage ever and 123 miles this month, yes, for most monthly mileage ever.

This chart shows how erratic my running was prior to training and how much more consistent I have been as of late. I don’t think I always need to have a plan, but really need to have a regular schedule. Easier said than done, but sometime one just needs to make time for himself.

The Road Ahead

I have 7 weeks to the Detroit Free Press Marathon. What once seemed so far off now seems too close. In many ways, I feel like I’m not ready, but the reality is that I’ll be fine. There will be many miles run in the next few weeks and all will be good.

I have a 5k on 9/14 for Camp Lael in Lapeer which I will participate in but might not exactly race. It is a small race which I won two years ago and finished second in last year. It is possible, depending on who shows up, that I could go slower than last year and win. The main goal is to not hurt myself as I will have little choice other than to do a rather long run the following day.

On 9/29, I will run my third Brooksie Way Half Marathon. I don’t know if I will run this like a training run (perhaps with more miles afterward) or if I will run for a PR (which I can attain running at a pace comparable to Crim for 3.1 more miles). After Brooksie, I will be tapering. I don’t know if I like how little I’ll be running for those 2 or 3 weeks, but it is what you’re supposed to.

Are you training for anything?

Did you taper for a big race? Did it help?

Marathon Training - It's A Marathon

I've just completed Week 5 of my 17 week planned marathon training. Overall, it's going really well. Here's the highlights:

• I have transitioned to running in the morning before work. This is a bit tough because I need to leave pretty early. This means getting up around 5:30 am on shorter days and I guess I'll need to get up before 5 on the mid distance run days. Yuck.  I might need to do those runs after work. 5 and 6 miles was bad enough, now I need to do 7. The good thing is that the runs don't seem to tire me for the rest of the day.
• I've missed only one - 3 mile run and one cross training day in 5 weeks. Considering my running over the past 10 months, that is quite an accomplishment.
• I have no significant injuries. Actually, I don't think I have had a running injury that was too significant thus far in my adult running career (knock on wood like substance). Going beyond that, I don't hurt anywhere. Sure, I've had some during and after run soreness, but that is necessary for muscle development. I am hoping that following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 schedule (and not jumping ahead) will be helpful in staying healthy.
• I don't feel a whole lot faster, but I do feel more resilient. I feel like I could still run on Fridays after doing my Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday runs. (But I don't)
• My stamina / breathing is a bit ahead of my legs. The hope is that my legs will acclimate to running more frequently and for longer distances. Then, I hope I will be able to move them faster. :)

I don't feel burnt out and still look forward to most runs. Not necessarily getting up at the "butt crack of dawn" or before, but the runs themselves. 26.2 miles still seems so far off, but then I remember I still have 3 months to go. Thus far, I haven't really done anything out of my comfort zone. I'm healthy and there haven't been any runs longer than I have done before. The long run part changes next week when I am scheduled to do 14 miles. My long run is 14.01 miles per Garmin connect, so I'm nearing uncharted territory. The way the mileage ramps up slowly, I'm confident I'll be able to complete all that the plan asks of me.

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Ran today with Jeff (of Detroit Runner), Kevin, Alexis (of Get2Fit2quit) and Sherri at Pontiac Lake Rec Area on the bike trail. Great day for running - as cool and comfortable July day as one could ask for. My legs weren't really up to it (I did heavy yard / house work yesterday, which took more of a toll on me than most runs), but it got done. Always nice to run with a group and this is a good group. The bike trail is very hilly and "technical". I managed not to fall today, and all toenails seem to be intact, which is always a bonus.

I have a couple races scheduled before the marathon in mid / late October. Well, actually 3. There's the Crim 10 mile late August, the Camp Lael 5k in Mid September and the Brooksie Way Half Marathon in late September. I'm going to try to do well at all of them, but will not alter my schedule much to fit them in. However I happen to feel, that's how I will run. Would love to PR both the Crim and Brooksie, but my goal now is to train properly for the marathon and finish.