I am yet living.
Thank you to all who have written expressing concern for my well being. Though it may seem I have fallen from the face of the Earth, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I am merely hip-deep in preparation for the Blue Ridge Relay, Steamtown Marathon, and New York City Marathon. Apparently, life is what happens to you in-between training, and I have precious little time for life right now.
So please call off the hounds.
I’ve got lots of stuff brewing that I hope you’ll enjoy, including my recent bout with heat exhaustion, all you ever wanted to know about my upcoming races (all wonderfully unique), the accidental McMillian, and how as a runner, your brain lies to you. Like a dog.
– Dean
August 21st, 2007 at 8:09 am
Glad to know you’re alive. And to know you’re running NYC. I’ll see you there!
August 21st, 2007 at 11:19 am
I’ll be the guy wearing black shorts, Grey shirt, and Asics shoes.
– D
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:32 am
Hey Dean,
Just came across your blog, and read through some of the archives – and much kudos to you for your balanced and humorous view of the running journey. I saw on one of your posts that you are a Pfitzinger (sp?) disciple, and while I like his views/training methods, I finally qualified for Boston (after 15 attempts) at age 31 when I read Galloway’s book on the Run/Walk method. I would always slow down at the end of marathons until I started walking 30 secs at each water stop (or each mile). When I BQ’d, it was because I was able to negative split (1:35/1:34), and for me, the walking breaks were crucial to saving glycogen for the end push. Perhaps you’ve already commented on this in a previous post, but just thought I’d put in my 2 cents. I’m 37 now, a Dad, and training is hard to schedule, but I’m still out there, trying to BQ again at 3:15 (I won’t admit I’ve failed the past 4 attempts)
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Thanks Charlie,
My plan is basically Pfitzinger with a McMillian twist. I am intrigued by your journey. Who knows, maybe I’ll try something Galloway-esque someday.
I’ve focused on training hard with an emphasis on recovery and nutrition. I’ve made progress. We’ll soon see if it was enough.
– Dean
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:14 am
My birthday gift this year was an on-line 20-week training program from McMillan, which I am following for the Richmond Marathon in November. So I guess my plan is Galloway with a McMillan twist…Ultimately, like you say, it comes down to training hard and recovering, over and over until race day. That’s kind of why I like the run/walk method on marathon day–it is a symbol of all the hard training/recovery that’s been done in the months leading up to the race. 26 hard, grueling miles on race day, each mile separated by a bit of recovery just to recharge and resume the attack. It works for me, but hey, if you have the training base and ability to run straight through without losing speed at the end, then obviously that’s the way to go for the best time. I just have never been able to maintain a 7:15 pace straight through. But by running 7:00 min miles and walking 30 seconds each mile (which only costs you 15 seconds really because you’re still moving forward, just slower), I’ve been able to finish at a 7:15 pace. It’s weird, but true.
August 23rd, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Thanks for the extended comments. I promise to think about them carefully as I plan for Steamtown.
Regarding McMillian, do you do his “eat enough to sink a battleship” routine hours before the race?
– D