August 2008 
My Ongoing Quest for Boston
Posted on Dec 4th, 2006
by 
Jon
Jon
As anyone who has seen my goals knows one of the things I've been trying to do this year is qualify for the Boston Marathon. For a guy my age that means running a marathon in 3:10 or less or about 7 minutes a mile. A good chunk of in-shape people can run a 7 minute mile. Stringing together 26 of them in a row is a little more difficult. :)
Yesterday I ran the California International Marathon in Sacramento and thought I had a really good chance to qualify. I've been training with the support of a "virtual coach" named Matt Forsman (a.k.a. Marathon Matt) who sends me an e-mail training schedule each week and gives me a call once a week to see how things are going. I'd HIGHLY recommend using Marathon Matt (or someone like him) if you're training for a specific running goal.
I felt well-trained going into the race but in the end I couldn't quite pull off the time. I had muscle spasms around mile 20 or 21 and around mile 25 my legs locked up entirely forcing me to stop for about a minute and let the spasms subside. I've had this same thing happen to me in the last three marathons I've ran and I think it's related to something called benign fasciculation syndrome which I'm pretty sure I have (my muscles fire constantly throughout the day...not harmful but definitely annoying). Gonna go see a sports medicine doc about that soon because I plan to keep doing endurance sports throughout my life and want to get this thing figured out. The wierdest thing was finishing the race and not really feeling all that tired. Had it not been for the muscles spasming I have little doubt that I would have achieved my goal as I wasn't very fatigued or winded up until the final few miles.
On the whole though it was a good day. I shaved over 10 minutes off my PR, running a 3:22 despite walking/shuffling/race-walking most of the last few miles. I got to run with my brother David (who ran a 3:33 which was also a PR!) and even though we've now ran 8 marathons between us this was the first one we did together. The course was great, the fans were enthusiastic and the weather was beautiful. All in all, I enjoyed the experience even if the ending wasn't quite what I was hoping for.
So I'm going to give my body a bit of a break for the next few months but I plan to be back with a new running goal soon (more on that in a bit...). If anyone out there hasn't ran a marathon yet and is thinking about it I'd highly recommend it. As Lance Armstrong recently said after his 1st marathon, it's probably the toughest physical thing you'll ever go through but it's definitely worth it. Regardless of how you do the feeling you get when you cross that finish line is an amazing one!
For those of you who would like to run a marathon someday let me close this out by offering five tips:
1. Find a coach, good training partner or running club - Running can be a solitary sport and while that's not always a bad thing it definitely helps to have some to motivate you and hold you accountable. I really enjoyed having a coach but if that's not your cup of tea then look for a running club in your area or find a good training partner.
2. Work on your form - Many people who run have really bad form and are setting themselves up for injuries down the road. In fact, a lot of people can't run marathons or don't think they can because of past injuries from running. I read the book Chi Running and it had a dramatic influence on my form. I'm not quite where I want to be yet but am close and have been able to train relatively injury-free.
3. Cross-train - Matt had me on a schedule where I never ran two days consecutively and I really liked this. On my "off days" I would either do 90 minutes of yoga or ride the bike for an hour or so. Even if your form is good running can take a toll on the body and it's good to give yourself frequent breaks. My body definitely felt a lot better through the training process than it had in the past.
4. Audio learn - OK, this one is a bit self-serving but one of the reasons why I enjoy running so much is it gives me the chance to listen to an audiobook or some podcasts. So it can be both a mental and physical workout at the same time. If you're looking for a place to start audio learning you can check out my site LearnOutLoud. I know that there were many times where I couldn't wait for my workout because I had something cool lined up to listen to that day.
5. Have fun - So many people view working out as a chore but at least for me when I have a goal lined up it ends up being a lot of fun. As I was telling a friend on Friday, even if you're not sure you can run one sign up for a marathon a year out or so and see what happens. Just by having a date on the calendar you'll start making better choices about diet, working out, etc. And have fun while you are training by mixing up partners and workouts, running some shorter races, betting your friends you can do it, etc.
Best of luck to anyone and everyone who enjoys running whether you're looking to complete your first 5K or win the Boston Marathon. It's a great way to stay in shape, meet new people and test your own limits.
Yesterday I ran the California International Marathon in Sacramento and thought I had a really good chance to qualify. I've been training with the support of a "virtual coach" named Matt Forsman (a.k.a. Marathon Matt) who sends me an e-mail training schedule each week and gives me a call once a week to see how things are going. I'd HIGHLY recommend using Marathon Matt (or someone like him) if you're training for a specific running goal.
I felt well-trained going into the race but in the end I couldn't quite pull off the time. I had muscle spasms around mile 20 or 21 and around mile 25 my legs locked up entirely forcing me to stop for about a minute and let the spasms subside. I've had this same thing happen to me in the last three marathons I've ran and I think it's related to something called benign fasciculation syndrome which I'm pretty sure I have (my muscles fire constantly throughout the day...not harmful but definitely annoying). Gonna go see a sports medicine doc about that soon because I plan to keep doing endurance sports throughout my life and want to get this thing figured out. The wierdest thing was finishing the race and not really feeling all that tired. Had it not been for the muscles spasming I have little doubt that I would have achieved my goal as I wasn't very fatigued or winded up until the final few miles.
On the whole though it was a good day. I shaved over 10 minutes off my PR, running a 3:22 despite walking/shuffling/race-walking most of the last few miles. I got to run with my brother David (who ran a 3:33 which was also a PR!) and even though we've now ran 8 marathons between us this was the first one we did together. The course was great, the fans were enthusiastic and the weather was beautiful. All in all, I enjoyed the experience even if the ending wasn't quite what I was hoping for.
So I'm going to give my body a bit of a break for the next few months but I plan to be back with a new running goal soon (more on that in a bit...). If anyone out there hasn't ran a marathon yet and is thinking about it I'd highly recommend it. As Lance Armstrong recently said after his 1st marathon, it's probably the toughest physical thing you'll ever go through but it's definitely worth it. Regardless of how you do the feeling you get when you cross that finish line is an amazing one!
For those of you who would like to run a marathon someday let me close this out by offering five tips:
1. Find a coach, good training partner or running club - Running can be a solitary sport and while that's not always a bad thing it definitely helps to have some to motivate you and hold you accountable. I really enjoyed having a coach but if that's not your cup of tea then look for a running club in your area or find a good training partner.
2. Work on your form - Many people who run have really bad form and are setting themselves up for injuries down the road. In fact, a lot of people can't run marathons or don't think they can because of past injuries from running. I read the book Chi Running and it had a dramatic influence on my form. I'm not quite where I want to be yet but am close and have been able to train relatively injury-free.
3. Cross-train - Matt had me on a schedule where I never ran two days consecutively and I really liked this. On my "off days" I would either do 90 minutes of yoga or ride the bike for an hour or so. Even if your form is good running can take a toll on the body and it's good to give yourself frequent breaks. My body definitely felt a lot better through the training process than it had in the past.
4. Audio learn - OK, this one is a bit self-serving but one of the reasons why I enjoy running so much is it gives me the chance to listen to an audiobook or some podcasts. So it can be both a mental and physical workout at the same time. If you're looking for a place to start audio learning you can check out my site LearnOutLoud. I know that there were many times where I couldn't wait for my workout because I had something cool lined up to listen to that day.
5. Have fun - So many people view working out as a chore but at least for me when I have a goal lined up it ends up being a lot of fun. As I was telling a friend on Friday, even if you're not sure you can run one sign up for a marathon a year out or so and see what happens. Just by having a date on the calendar you'll start making better choices about diet, working out, etc. And have fun while you are training by mixing up partners and workouts, running some shorter races, betting your friends you can do it, etc.
Best of luck to anyone and everyone who enjoys running whether you're looking to complete your first 5K or win the Boston Marathon. It's a great way to stay in shape, meet new people and test your own limits.
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