So That's What a Second Wind Feels Like

I have never been overly athletic.  As a kid I played all the requisite sports with my friends and I was a pretty decent baseball player back then.  But I was never a fitness buff.  When I was in basic training in 1982, I ran every morning but I never got used to it and each run was a struggle - the only thing that kept me going was the sheer embarrassment of dropping out of the run and then having the whole platoon turn around to pick me up.  I hated it so much that when we took our final physical fitness test I was the last guy to finish in the 2-mile run with a time of 14:47.  Fortunately, you had to beat 17:55 to pass the test so I passed.  But I hated every step and huffed and puffed in protest the whole way.

So this Saturday, when I woke up at 5:15 to get ready to go to Griffith Park (and by getting ready I mean 2 cups of coffee, a banana, a power bar and of course, a constitutional) I was in no mood to do an 8-mile run (Note: I say "run" even though we don't run the entire time - we are on a run 3-minutes, walk 1-minute cycle).  And sure enough, Saturday's run was all about hills to get us ready for Diamond Head in Honolulu.  So the first two miles were uphill.  And it was not pleasant.  I did not think I was going to make it but again, I was motivated by embarrassment.  And after two miles, I thought, this is it, there is no way I am ever going to do this.  How the hell am I ever going to finish a marathon when I am spent after two miles?

And then a funny thing happened.  Around the 3-mile mark, I suddenly started to feel good.  I never experienced that before (the fact that we were no longer going uphill helped).  And I think it was a group feeling too because instead of the 13:00 minute pace we were supposed to run we did mile 4 in just over 10 minutes.  It was great.  I'm not saying I got the "runner's high" which I've heard about and never came close to experiencing but I felt good.  Like "Hey, I can do this" good.  At one point, I even got a little ahead of the group because that's how good I was feeling.  I sure hope that keeps up for next week's 10-miler. 

And by the way, my new shoes were awesome.  I didn't experience any pain at all during or after the run.  And today, my feet don't hurt (my thighs and calves are a little sore but the balls of me feet are fine).  So that was some of the best money I've ever spent. 

No video this week.  I was too busy focusing on carrying my foods/gels but next week I will bring the camera because I know the 3 of you who actually read this are dying for more video.  Instead today we will talk about energy food.

This week, I tried Gu.  Gu is a high carbohydrate energy gel that comes in a plastic pack and delivers high-quality and easily digested energy while replacing fuel burned up during the run.  It comes in various flavors and is lightweight and easy to carry and is surprisingly not untasty.  This is Gu:

Personally, I like the Strawberry-Banana.

Another nutritional item is Clif Shot Blocks.  Also designed to provide energy and replace your body's fuel.  They taste like Gummy Bears and who doesn't like gummy bears.  I'm partial to the grape ones.

3 shot blocks is one serving.  Every 45 minutes, I have either one Gu packet or 3 shot blocks with water to keep up the energy and put back some fuel and calories.

I like Gu.  I love shot blocks.  And Gatorade.  I carry all this and water on my "hydration belt."  This is what my hydration belt looks like. 

But here is the most important thing I use.

Appliy liberally before the run in those "sensitive" areas (don't forget the nipples). 
Note:  don't share your Body Glide with anyone.  That would be gross.

Please visit my AIDS Marathon Home Page and donate.  I've already made my goal of raising $5,000 for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) but why stop now?  This disease is not going away anytime soon so please help.  If you've already donated, thank you so much.  Maybe you can pass it on to someone else who would like to donate.

Thanks again.

Bart

Damn, it was hot yesterday.

No video this week.  Figured I needed to concentrate on running and besides that, I forgot the camera.  Oh well.

So yesterday we did seven miles.  And it was hot.  Real hot.  Thank God we run at 7:00 am because at 3:20pm yesterday, this was the reading on the thermometer in my wife's car.

 Yep, 107 degrees in the Valley yesterday afternoon.  (My wife said it was hotter than a bull's ass.  She's odd.)  Obviously it wasn't that hot yesterday morning or else I wouldn't be here today but it was on its way and the sun was just beating down.  And there was no peanut butter and pickles this week.  I'm not sure if I can run without them anymore.

Anyway, around the 5-mile mark, the ball of my right foot started hurting.  A lot.  It felt like there was a pebble in my shoe right under the second toe every time my foot came down.  I thought it might be because of my sock but no, the sock was fine.  So I just kept going with it and by the time I finished it was really hurting.  A lot.  Both the bottom of my foot and the top of my toe.  I went home and iced it for about an hour and that helped a little. 

The real culprit was the shoe.  I had bought a pair of lower-end New Balance that were very comfortable and fit my wide foot nicely and on the short 3.5 mile runs I do by myself, they were great.  But on longer runs, not so much.  Our running coach kept talking about how you really need to be fitted for a proper pair of running shoes but I was hoping to put that off a while again.  But my foot was telling me that now was the time.  So I went to the best running store in LA, A Runner's Circle, where they evaluated how I walk (I pronate - which I think is Latin for "your shoes are wrong") and I got fitted for a really nice pair of NewBalance.  The second I put them on I felt the difference.  I took my first step and felt no pain in my foot at all.  So I guess the lesson is, don't look for bargains in running shoes.  You gotta take care of your feet.

The second lesson is avoid chafing.  I bought some Body Glide yesterday.  Because a grown man should not walk around looking like he has a load in his pants.  But that's a story for another day.

Once again, here is the link to my AIDS Marathon Home Page.  If you know anybody who is looking for a tax donation for a really worthy cause, please send them there.  And thanks again for the amazing support.

Bart

I made my goal.

I went over my fundraising goal!  I wanted to raise $5,000 for the AIDS Marathon and I'm currently at $5,262.19.  That is pretty awesome.  The amount of support I've received as I attempt this thing has been amazing and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has given.  Just because I hit my goal doesn't mean I'm going to stop but it is nice to not have to worry about that part of the marathon.  I'm going to take some time off from raising money right now to focus more on the training.  I'm about to go running in a few minutes.

This past weekend we did six miles.  I've moved into the 13:00 per minute pace group as once again, no one showed up to lead the 13:30 group.  I'm going to stick with the new group.  I liked that pace and I liked the people in it.  Although I think people may be getting annoyed with me and my camera.

Here's this week's video and again here is the link to my AIDS Marathon Home Page  This Saturday - seven miles! 

The Morning After

So last night I did my usual 3.5 mile run.  The way the training is set up (and APLA has a whole training program that is designed to get you through the Marathon - it's quite excellent) is that you run twice a week on your own for 30-45 minutes and then do your longer runs on Saturday with your pace group (more about pace groups later).  I've been doing my solo runs at night this week.  However, I really need to get back to running in the mornings but since I got back from New York I've been finding it so hard to get up.  I think my body clock is rebelling.  Or I'm just a lazy ass - the jury's still out. 

On Saturday, our coach, Scott, talked about good foods to eat before running.  Peanut butter was one of the foods as was bananas.  So I figured - hey why not have a peanut butter and banana sandwich before running last night.  Big mistake.  I felt like a bloated sloth.  Or Karl Rove.  Either way - uncomfortable.  I managed to complete the run but even now I still have that not-so-fresh feeling in my tummy.  So, lesson learned. 

A note about pace groups.  On our first training day, we did a timed 3-mile run to determine our level of ability.  Then we were grouped with other people at the same level.  This is your pace group and you train with them for the entire training period.  Our group is supposed to average 13:30 a mile and we train at a 3:1 ratio, which means we run 3 minutes and then walk for one minute.  It sounds easy and for five miles it wasn't very challenging.  But that's the whole point -- to slowly build up endurance for the longer runs that we'll be doing.  They don't want us to be exhausted after the training runs but to still have energy left over.  And supposedly, we'll be very grateful for this ratio once they start introducing hills into the training runs.  After all, none of us are world-class runners - we're not going there to break any records - we want to finish the marathon and not get hurt in the process.   And to have fun at the same time.  But during my solo runs I don't walk at all and I generally average around 13:00 minutes/mile so part of me would like to see how far I can actually go without walking; however, the other part of me is saying "Dude*, you're fat and 50.  Don't get ahead of yourself."

* I address people as "Dude" a lot.  This is a clear sign that I have been in LA way too long.  Dude.

So I guess I'm grateful for the moderate 3:1 ratio right now as it will hopefully allow me to make it through the longer runs without collapsing.  I'm of two minds about actually running 26.2 miles - either I'll finish the marathon and feel an amazing sense of accomplishment or I'll die in Hawaii.  Pretty much a win-win either way.

Check out my AIDS Marathon Home Page and please give what you can.

Till next time.

Bart

I decided to run my first marathon at 50

I turned 50 on June 21st and I wanted to do something special to commemorate it.  So I decided I should run a marathon.  Why not?  I'm fat and I hate running - it makes perfect sense.  But like I said, I'm 50 now - I wanted to do something meaningful so I signed up to run the AIDS Marathon in Honolulu this December and I'm training with and raising money for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA).  I've made it a personal goal to raise $5,000 to help in the fight against AIDS and I've decided to keep a video blog of my progress (and to prove to anyone who pledged money that I am actually out there training for this thing).

Supporting APLA has special meaning to me.  I lost my first wife, Jo-Ann, to AIDS in 1992.  When she was first diagnosed in 1989, I was living a completely different life than the life I have now.  I was working in the aerospace industry in Long Island, I was a Reagan Republican and I had just completed a 6 1/2 year stint in the Army Reserves.  I figured I would live a typical suburban life and move up the company ladder and have a few Republican kids along the way. 
Then Jo-Ann got sick.  Needless to say, a lot of things changed.  I'm not going to go into a lot of details but let's just say my whole perspective on life changed after that.  I took home one lesson - life is short.  You have to do what you want.  I wanted to be an actor (and later a standup comic).  So that's what I became.  And now I live in Los Angeles.  And I'm a liberal.  And I have a wonderful wife, Alisa, who is amazingly supportive of this endeavor.  And as I hit the half-century mark, I guess it's natural to reflect back on the things I've been able to do that Jo-Ann and many others like her never had a chance to do.  So I'm running the AIDS Marathon to celebrate having made it this far and to honor those who never got to pursue their dreams in life.  And I hope you can support me.

Every Saturday, I'm running in Griffith Park with a group of amazing people who are running the AIDS Marathon and raising money in the fight against AIDS.  I made my first video this past Saturday, July 3rd.  I'm new at this so it may be kind of boring - but hey, it proves I was out there.  Hopefully, the blogs will get better.

Here is the link to my AIDS Marathon Home Page if you wish to donate:

And here is my first video: