Day number... I lost track

    Okay, so I'm not exactly a running guru in the sense that I record all of my miles in a book and add them up at the end of each month or anything like that. I feel like I probably should because do something because it's a quantitative form of training where I can make adjustments based on results and data, but I just don't do that, okay?
    Alright, so my first few posts about my running experiences were a bit whiny, and possibly awkward since I was writing them from a perspective two months after those first couple days of training. So the last two months have been good, I mean really good. In a nutshell, I've gotten my pace down to an average of 8:45 on shorter runs, meaning 4-5 miles and 9:15 on longer ones, which are 8-10. That may seem like huge gains over the last two months, but I really have just been knocking the rust off and getting back down to my usual shape. Now let's keep in mind that my goal is three and a half hours for the Marine Corps Marathon, which breaks down to a little bit slower, and I mean barely slower, than and 8:00 pace. So, yeah, I have some work to do. However, I'm pretty amped on the gains I've made and I think I'll stay on the same course for a few more weeks until I can start my training plan, which is five months long.
    I know it's kind of a fast forward for me to just skip two months of training musings, but I refuse to recount every single day of training since I've started and for the sake of this blog, I think you'll thank me for that decision. So the best place for me to pick back up would probably have to be yesterday's run. I finished up classes and hit a nap until I went down to the gym at around 5:30 in the evening. I had to go down there because I still live in Colorado and it's still cold. So I started out cruising at an 8:35 pace. I ripped out that first mile and I felt great. So in order to impress everyone around me, I increased up to a 7:30 pace. A little too fast. I rode that out for a half mile and unimpressed everyone around me by decreasing my speed down to 8:41. I finished the run out at this pace and I ended up running 5 miles.
     I have good news though, now that I have been running for a few months, my mind can wander during runs. Actually, that's probably bad news because you guys have to hear about it from now on. One of my first thoughts while running was that I wish I was a smoker. The only reason I wish that is because smoking makes you look cool. I don't care what anyone says, it definitely does. I really can't sustain it while living in Colorado because there's already no oxygen up here, but adding a barrier between me and my ability to engage in respiratory activity would not be my wisest call, and this is coming from a guy who trusted Kevin at Dick's Sporting Goods to pick out his gear. Regardless, how smooth is it when those guys in classic movies walk up to some young vixen and say, "need a light?" Boom. Cut to the next scene because you know what they're doing is not suitable for underage viewers. If you don't believe me, check it out:

   
     Maybe I'll try to make something else look cool since I can't sustain a smoking habit. Is eating cinnabons cool? I can do that.
     So I kind of nerded out for the rest of my run and thought about running. I'm pretty excited though because training is going well, I get to start my real, structured training program soon and I'm injury free, minus some psychological injuries I suffered in my first few days of running. Lace up and run hard folks.

'Cuz My Gear

     First off, the title of my post is a reference to a song by rappers RiFF RAFF and Chief Keef. That's right, everyone, I'm that kind of guy. I warned you in my first post. Get out while you can. Here's those rappers in case you wanna check it out:

 
     Anyways, being that I was not a runner in high school, and to quote the great Kenny Powers, "I play real sports, Not tryin' to be the best at exercising," I played sports where having dope gear was integral. Look good, feel good, play good, right? So I though I'd talk about some of my gear that I'm using for my training because even though I have to look good for my training, believe it or not, this stuff is functional. Please do not mistake any of what I am telling you as being correct. This information is based on what some teen-aged kid working at Dick's Sporting Goods, named Kevin, who is on his high school's JV Cross Country team told me plus the experience I have with these products. I really don't have anything to compare them to, but I'll give you my honest opinion. Here is Kevin:

Side note: This is not actually Kevin.

Shoes
    So again, please take my disclaimer about none of this being professional, but I'd venture to guess that shoes are pretty important in terms of running gear. Maybe the most important thing. So now for a little information on my feet and how I run. I have size 12.5 feet and they are rather wide. I have a mid-foot strike when I run and my feet roll outside to in a little bit when I run. My feet are flatter, but I wouldn't really be considered as flat-footed. I suppose I should have really taken this information into consideration when selecting a shoe, but I know for a fact that running gurus would recommend Asics or something and I've never been about that life. I instead had a pair of Nike LunarGlide+ 4 Shield's catch my eye. Anyways, Kevin and I determined, based on a highly scientific method of trying them on, walking around, and agreeing that they look dope on my feet, that these were the kicks for me. I took them back, fully ready to crush a Boston qualifying time on my first run. Well, not exactly, but they are pretty nice. They're really stable which is nice for me, since I am just getting into running and I need good support for my weight. They are extremely light for a stability-centered shoe as far as I'm concerned. The cushioning is great as well, it is super comfortable throughout my whole run. I'm not sure this is what a fast marathoner would want, but for me, I am extremely happy with my dumb luck of finding these shoes. Plus, they're made in Vietnam, so you know they're good. Oh, here's a picture:

Socks

    I just wear Nike mid-calf crew socks. I should probably look into some of those fancy running socks, but Kevin and I couldn't really figure out what's so cool about them. Here is a picture of me shopping for running socks: 


Shirts
 
    So shirts are pretty important to me. After all, this is the material that is going to be best friends with your nips for 26.2 miles. I figure I had better make my shirt selection count to avoid lactating blood for that entire time due to chafing. So in natural label-hound fashion, I went with a Nike Sublimated Stripe Running Shirt. I won't bore you with long details, but it's a nice, light shirt that has that Dri-FIT stuff from those science fiction books, so I don't have to wear a ton of sweat during training. I think I'd like to eventually get one of those singlet shirts, but I kind of feel like that's a right of passage. What I'm saying I don't want to give off the impression that I think I'm faster than I am. Here's a picture of my fancy shirt:




Shorts

    Now that I think about it, shorts are more important than shirts. Yeah, because that first day I ran with compression shorts, I couldn't even walk, so when it came time to pick out shorts, I knew I had to fix that problem or it would be a very long, painful eight months of training. Similar to my desire to wear a singlet shirt while I run, I thought about getting a pair of those super short Larry Bird shorts for running, but I thought I would save people from the sight of my Colorado winter-colored thighs and opt for some longer shorts. I found a pair that I hoped would do the trick. I picked out some Nike 7" Embossed Essential shorts. They are also made of that Dri-FIT material to keep sweat from creating a sauna in my shorts and they also have that bathing suit liner thing, which, not to get too graphic, but it solved my chafing problems. Also, they have pockets, so I can carry my gummy bears and TPS reports and whatever else runners carry in their pockets. Here's those shorts for your viewing pleasure:



    So there you have it. That is some of my favorite gear. No, I'm not getting paid by Nike to talk up their stuff, but it sure would be nice. Hint, hint. I've found that finding the right gear even just to prevent small annoyances during a run, like sweat in a certain place, material bunching up, or material rubbing me makes my run a ton smoother and lets me go that extra distance. I know I should probably just man up or whatever, but when you're alone with your thoughts, stuff really gets to you. I'm looking forward to trying out other gear  as weather changes and my training progresses. Hope this helps. Actually, I really don't care either way, find your own Kevins to help you with gear.

Well today isn't much better

    So again, this is being written like two months after day two, but I think it's important for you guys to understand the initial part of my "training." I'm sorry, I've been doing this marathon thing for two months now, I still think it's hilarious that any serious person could remotely consider my running to be true training, but I digress. So I make it through my day of classes and whatever, and I was actually stoked to be in classes because it meant that I didn't have to move. Everything below my waist was in sheer agony and I was dreading my 5 o'clock run.
     Once again, I gently slid my compression shorts on and applied enough Gold Bond powder to make Tony Montoya blush. I made the half mile walk to the gym and got ready to hit the treadmill. Oh, and by the way, for anyone who says I should be running outside, I live in Colorado and it pretty much just disregards all seasonal weather change here, so blizzards have become the spring-time norm. Anyways, I had the same mindset as the day before. I had no true goals per se, I only wanted to possibly beat my distance and/or pace from the day before. The first .43 miles were rough. Again, I know this because my eyes were glued to the mile counter as I impatiently waited for my self-induced torture to end. After .43 miles, my body loosened up a little bit and I could push myself through the run. I made it to four miles that day with the same system of walking .05 miles every mile, but I increased my speed every few minutes until I started to feel like my legs were going to give way and I would be launched by the treadmill like in those Youtube videos that I'm too lazy to find a link for. Then again, in hindsight, I don't think I was moving at a pace where I would be launched off the treadmill. I would probably be gently moved to the end of the machine.
      Mentally, I was no better that day. I guess I was pretty happy that I made it onto the treadmill for two days in a row and I was proud that ignored the curl bars which were calling me from across the gym. Realistically, I knew deep down that it takes time to get back into shape, as I was a pro at taking it easy during off seasons in high school and cramming months of workouts into days before my seasons started. I just knew that I couldn't fake my way through marathon training. And all sarcasm aside, that is what truly draws me into doing this whole thing. When I start my race on that day in October, I can't do any cramming. I can't do anything except fall back on the training that I will have done in the months leading up to the race. It is the true test of my dedication to running. What the hell did I get myself into?

Gotta Start Somewhere

     So I guess in hindsight, I should have started this blog a while ago, back when I first started running in early March because I could capture my true emotions of hatred and regret for frequenting the Chik-fil-a drive-thru as often as I did prior to initial training. Unfortunately, it took me a while to start this, so here we are. I'm recalling my first training session after signing up for the marathon, and trust me, I use the term training session extremely loosely. 

     The session consisted of me getting on a treadmill, chock-full of pre-workout, ready to run a marathon pace on day one. After all, how hard could this crap be? Al Roker ran a marathon, and I looked like (insert fast person's name here) compared to him. Anyway, I probably looked something like this:

  

     I don't remember exactly how far I ran, but it was probably somewhere around three and a half miles at a roughly 10:30 pace, slowing to a walk for .05 miles every mile. I remember this because I was watching the mile counter on the treadmill move like I was waiting for class to get out on a Friday. My form, if you want to call it that, was this atrocious trot where I ran using solely my calves. My breathing was sort of like a woman giving birth. It was very fast paced, very shallow, and similar to hyperventilating. It may have been the pre-workout but I'm pretty sure I was on the verge of a heart attack. Actually, I'd say it was kind of impressive. I never really got into any sort of rhythm and my mind was focused solely on getting off of that hamster wheel for humans. I tried to motivate myself by listening to very loud Ke$ha, but even my glitter laden dream girl couldn't give me the mental prowess to keep pushing or enter any sort of calm mental state. 

          At the end of the run, I was sore, and the stairs back up to my room were akin to climbing Everest. Even my lats hurt. I congratulated myself, for I had turned running into an anaerobic sport because I used my embarrassingly out of shape triceps as those walking weights that moms use. Here's a picture in case you don't understand my imagery (I'm not an English major, get off my back):

     I had made the decision to wear Nike Pro Combat compression shorts that day, and the raw mess which was my thighs prevented my from getting out of bed that evening. I don't even think I showered that night. I'm pretty sure I had my roommate just heat me up a hot pocket and bring it to my bedside. I woke up the next day with cinder blocks for legs and I had to leave my room ten minutes early to make it to class. Okay, maybe like two extra minutes, but I want some damn sympathy. Day 1 of marathon training, we'll chalk that bad boy up to a loss.

What did I get myself into?

    I suppose the first thing I should do is introduce myself because if you read my blog start to finish, we're going to spend a lot of time together. I mean a freakin' lot of time. After all, I'm dedicating the next six months to doing something that people are just not meant to do. That is, I am going to run a marathon. 26 miles and 385 yards, 42.195 kilometers,  1661220 inches, and 42,194,988,000 micrometers. You get it, I can use Google to figure out how far a marathon is. If you are looking for inspirational wisdom, please leave.I'm not here to write Chicken Soup for the Runner's Soul. I am here to document the misery, trials, and tribulations that I will endure in trying to accomplish my goal of completing my first marathon in  under three and a half hours. 
    I would to apologize for my rudeness in not introducing myself. I figure if you made it this far, you actually care who I am. First of all, don't worry about my name, I have judgmental friends who I don't want reading this blog and seeing how much I hate training. Second I am a college-age male with a larger, athletic build. I've played team, contact sports at a fairly competitive level from elementary school through high school. I'm 6'1" and about 195 pounds. When I started college, I kept a pretty active lifestyle mixed with poor eating habits, and I've maintained that pretty much until now. So I'm by no means a natural runner, but I'm also not looking for a success story endorsement from Subway here.
    The idea for running a marathon came from a few buddies and I who realized that we wanted a challenge that we could be proud of completing. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that I manage to make it to class on Mondays despite a weekend of abuse on my body thanks to cheap alcohol and bad ideas, but I want something that I can truly push myself through.
     So the details are as follows:
                      -Race is on October 27th, 2013.
                      -It's the Marine Corps Marathon if you couldn't figure that out.
                      -I started training, aka running more than the distance from my room to my car in early March.
                      -I train at over 7,000 feet altitude because, well, that's where I live right now.
     I guess it was unnecessary to make a list that was four items long, but who cares, I'm not getting paid to do this, ya corncobs.
     My goals for this blog are to record every aspect of my training. I will record how I feel about it, what music gets me through, what gear I'm using, what works and what doesn't work. Keep in mind, I'm consulting absolutely no professionals whatsoever in this and the only science and testing I'm using to get me through my training is based on what I find on the great abyss known as the internet. Please enjoy my musings, or don't, I really don't care, the folks at the Marine Corps Marathon already have my money.