Chevron Houston Marathon

Chevron Houston Marathon by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

I had been trying to decide whether or not I should run this race.  I signed up for it way before I even thought about doing a Half Ironman.  I wasn't going to run it actually, but I was still training for it in-case I changed my mind.  That's exactly what happened.  As the race day got closer and closer, I started wanting to run it more and more.  But I hadn't done that much work since my last marathon.  I didn't do any long runs between the marathon and the end of November and in December, I had a terrible 16 mile run (due to bad hydration) that really messed up my confidence. 

In January, I was suppose to have 2 long runs... One was 16 miles and the other was 18 miles.  Before the 16 mile run I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do it.  But then I ran it with NO PROBLEM and actually didn't even feel tired afterwards... I actually wanted to keep running.  Then the 18 mile run came and I pretty much felt the same way... it was easy!  WTF?  That's what made me decided to go ahead and run the marathon.

I asked Kevin what time I should go for.  To my surprise, he said 3:36-3:41.  Considering the fact that I'm in the middle of my Half Ironman training, I thought he was going to say something slower, but to be honest, I really didn't want to run slow.  Honestly, I wanted his permission to run fast, so I was glad when he gave it to me.

Before my 1st marathon, I was really nervous and excited and going nuts basically, the hours and days before the race.  This time it was completely different.  I really didn't feel anything (except insomnia) beforehand.  The night before I figured out my hydration schedule and adjusted my iPod play list by adding some songs and shuffling some things around, and that's about it.  That night/morning I started eating french toast every 2 hours at 1am and I tattooed my hydration plan on my arm and tried to get a little sleep.

Race day was suppose to rain, but it was also suppose to be warm.  I prefer to run without a shirt, but I packed 2 in my race bag just in case.  Before I checked the bag, it wasn't raining and it wasn't cold, so I took off the shirt I had on and put that in the bag and decided to go without a shirt.  I forgot to bring my carrying case for my glasses, so I was scared they'd get broken when I checked the bag, but I didn't have a choice at that point.  I never run with my glasses on, I prefer the tinted running shades instead.  As soon as I checked the bag, I went outside and stood in line to pee.  As I was standing there, it started rain.  I was thinking "oh shit... I should have just worn the shirt".   It was getting close to the start time so I just did my stretching while in line. 

When I registered for the race, I hadn't ran a marathon at that point, so I wasn't sure how fast I could run.  I told them I thought it would take me 4:30 to finish (and that was being optimistic).  They put me in the slow group because of that.  The week before the race, I emailed them asking if I could move to the fast group based on my San Antonion Marathon time, but they said "once you get placed, you can't move to another group, unless it's a SLOWER" group.  That's bullshit.  So after I pissed, I went to my slow group start area.  In front of my group, there was about a 1/4 - 1/2 block gap with race personnel and then there was the fast group.  Before the start of the race, I just ran through the race people to the fast group.  My bib was blue (= slow) and the race group bibs were red, so the race people immediately knew that I wasn't suppose to be in the fast group, so they tried to stop me as I ran and they where saying stuff like "sir, HEY, sir.. your group is back there".  I just kept running and once I got to the back to the fast group, I just weaved myself into to middle of the pack.

Then the race started.  The gun went off, but it took me a few minutes to get to the start line.  When I finally got there and started running it was congested as HELL!!  Here's what my plan was:

8:30/mile pace for Miles 1-3
8:20/mile pace for Miles 3-12
8:10/mile pace for Miles 12-26.2

My first mile was about 9:00, but I didn't care because there was nothing I could do about it... there were just too many people to fit on the road.  AND there were SO MANY FUCKING WALKERS!!!  If you're going to walk, why sign up to be in the FAST GROUP?  I'm talking about withing the 1st few miles, so I'm damn sure that they didn't get a cramp that quick and ALL of the walkers were either fat or old, so again... why did your fat/old ass sign up to be in the fast group?  They're messing up the paces of the people who actually RUN marathons!  Damn...

Anyways, I just tried to weave in and out of the other runners and get to a place where I could focus on running my pace, rather than focus and not getting tripped or running into someone's back.  Eventually, I found that place.  The miles went by and it was pretty easy actually.  It was raining off and on, but it really didn't bother me.  It did bother my Garmin watch though.  It always acts up when it gets wet.  I'm just glad that it didn't completely lock up on me because I couldn't remember how to reset it.

Eventually, I started getting a little tired.  My hydration plan was way off in the beginning because I wasn't exactly sure where the water stations were going to be when I made my plan.  Later in the race, I got it back on track, but I wasn't sure how much damage had already been done. 

There were alot of people on the streets, so I decided to use them.  What I learned running the San Antonio Marathon with a pace group was to have fun and use the crowd.  Interact with the crowd.... talk to them... get them hype... feed off their energy.  So that's what I did.  If someone had there hand extended, I gave the "high-5".  When I got tired and the crowd wasn't making any noise I'd say "Come on!!  Wake up!!!  Make some noise!!  Give me some energy!!" while rising my airs in the air (like football/basketball players do when they want the crowed to make noise) and they responded!  And it worked!  I'd feel energized and start running faster.  I really had a good time running this marathon.

So as I got to the end, my thighs and calves started to cramp and I'm thinking "not again!".  That's the same shit that happened in San Antonio after the 21st mile.  I was going so good up to that point and then my race was ruined after that.  I didn't want that to happen again, so I tried to just keep drinking Gatorade and water whenever I could.  Luckily, this time it didn't completely lock up like it did in San Antonio, so I just had to run through the pain.  I hit "the wall" at mile 25.  My legs went completely numb and I was thinking "oh shit"!  But at the same time, I knew what it was like from hitting the wall in San Antonio, so I didn't get too excited about, I just told myself "so what, KEEP GOING!!".

That last mile was long as hell... my Garmin watch said I had exactly 1 mile left, but then I saw a sign that said "1.5 miles to go" and I'm thinking WTF!  Let me rephrase the 1st sentence of this paragraph... "That last 1.5 miles was long as hell".  It really did seem like it took forever to get there.  I wish I would have been able to see the finish line ahead, but like so many other races that I've ran (this is my 9th race by the way), you have to make a turn at the very end and THEN you'll see the finish line.  I really tried to run my ass off the last 1.5 miles because I was ready for this shit to be over-with!  I crossed the finish line and flexed... it's like my trademark.  Then I went to get my medal and post for the post-race photo.  While in line for the photo, my legs started to lock up.  After I picked up my race back, they were almost completely locked up, so I went straight to the massage area and got a quick 10 minute massage.  After that, I met up with Eri and we went to the race results area to pull up my official time on the computer... 3 hours, 41 minutes, 39 seconds!  My NEW PR!!  Not bad for my 2nd marathon.  Beat my 1st marathon time by about 13 minutes. 

When I got home I checked my Garmin and saw two things:
1.  The 1st mile was my slowest, the last mile was my fastest!
2.  I had run 26.5 miles instead of 26.2! 

Swim Workout- 1500 meters (Wednesday, Jan. 27th)

Today I had my best swim to date.  Theresa was there and she had a pyramid training schedule that she was going to use, so I used it to.   I have to get the details from her and I'll post it later, but it involved some sprinting, using the pull buoy (which I'd been completely neglecting) and using the kick board (which I had also been neglecting).  I was actually able to kick board a length of the pool... it was only once and it was really a combination of me making it 1/2 way twice, but still... that was the 1st time I had done that with any kind of success.

Brick Workout- 15mi Bike

Brick Workout- 15mi Bike by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

First bike spin since my Memorial Hermann lactate threshold test, so now I know my zones.  Before class, I had to get a new tire and a flat tire kit.  I got  2 spare inner tubes, 2 CO2 cartridges, 3 "spoon" things (not sure what they're called) used to help you remove the tire from the rim and a carrying back that attached to the bike below the seat.  That reminds me... I should take some pictures of my equipment sometime.

During the class, I tried to keep myself at 90 rpm cadence and monitored my heart rate the entire time.  I'm going to write down the workout that we do the next time I have a class, so that I can post it.  I thing we did something like this:

10 min warm up
6x45 sec one leg drill (3x for each leg)
6 min at high Zone 4
3 min at low Zone 5
3 min recovery
6 min at high Zone 4
3 min at low Zone 5
3 min recovery
6 min at low Zone 5
3 min at high Zone 5
3 min recovery
10 min cool down
Then it's time to run!

A few times I was above the Zone that I was suppose to be in, but it's better to be above a Zone rather than below it.  Overall the workout was good.  I will it would've added up to more than 15 miles though.  Once day, I'll be able to get to the magic "20 miles" for a spin class.  That's my goal.  To get there, then maintain it.   But that's not going to happen until my Zones get higher as I get more accustomed to riding.  Since I did follow what I was suppose to be doing today, I think that 15-15.5 is where I'm suppose to be at right now.

Brick Workout- 4mi Run

Brick Workout- 4mi Run by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

After the spin class, you gotta run.  I had talked to Kevin before and asked him if I was running at the right pace (based on my lactate test) after the spins.  He wants me to run 7:45-7:55/mi pace and after the last brick, I was running about 6:42/mile pace.  He said he wants me to slow down and do the pace he recommended.  Today, I tried to run a slower pace, but when it's cold outside and I'm sweating my ass of because of the spin class, I want to just hurry up and get the run over-with.  I ran today at 7:39/mi pace (see my garmin link above)... it's a start.

Swim- 1500 meters (Monday, Jan. 24th)

Good and bad swim.  Good because I was able to do the entire 1500 meter distance... bad because I wasn't able to follow the training schedule.  I did the whole distance in 25meter increments (once again).  I was suppose to be doing:

3x100 meter warm up w/ easy drills
2x500 meter moderate w/ 30 second recovery inbetween
200 meter cool down w/ pull buoy

I didn't follow that AT ALL!  That's not good.  I can't swim 200 or 500 meters non-stop yet... sigh.

Training- 4mi Run

Training- 4mi Run by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

I usually run a little farther than this, but since I have the marathon this coming weekend, I'm taking it easy and running shorter distances this week.  A 4 mile run is nothing to write about (unless something goes wrong), so there's not much to say about it.  I ran 8:12/mile pace.  I think something is wrong with my Garmin... I hope a quick reset will fix it!

Sunday Long Bike- 35mi

Sunday Long Bike- 35mi by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

Today was the 1st group bike and we were suppose to be doing 35 miles!! I though we'd start off at 10, 15, or 20 mines, but nope.... 35 miles bitches!!  Damn...

I drive out to the middle of nowhere (Pearland) and meet up with the group.  First thing Alex said to me was "do you have a pump?".  I said "no, why do I need one".  He said you should always check your tire pressure before you ride, i.e. I need to buy a pump.  Makes sense.

J.P explains to us where we're going, but there's no way that I'm going to remember "turn right at blah, blah, blah... turn left at blah, blah, blah" so I really wasn't listening to him at all.  I just interrupted him and said "you're riding with us, right?  We'll just follow you, no need for all this detailed shit, let's just go".  Everyone agreed and laughed and we were off!

I almost fell off the bike (once again) as soon as we started because I'm still not used to attaching my cleat to the pedal and being physically attached to the bike.  Actually, to be specific, I almost crashed AND took another rider out with me, but luckily it didn't happen.  We start the ride and they're going alot faster than I thought we'd be going.  J.P had said that we were going out for a "nice, slow ride to get you use to riding".  Didn't look that way to me.. before I knew it, I was at the back of the group.  I was next to Theresa and there were two people behind us.  Everyone else was in front of us, but not by alot. 

Next thing you know, we (Theresa, myself and the people behind us) got stopped by a stop light.  This was about 1/2 a mile into the ride.  I was thinking that it wouldn't be a big deal, but once the light turned green, I could see that the group had pretty much left us.  I couldn't even see them!  Now I'm thinking I'm fucked.  I have no idea which way to go.  Alex pulled up in the TOTR (Tri on the Run) truck and said to just go straight until we get to a gas station, so that's what we did.  It turns out that the gas station was pretty far away.  Anyways, so now I realize that I'm not going to catch up to the group, so I'm just riding with Theresa choppin' it up.  Next thing I know, I see Johnny (he had stopped and was waiting for us) and he says from this point on, we have to ride in single file for safety reasons.  Cool.  So I get in front of Theresa and I just take off.  I know they're way ahead of me, but I wanted to see if I could catch them, or at least get to the point where I could SEE them!  That would have been good enough for me at that point.  So I keep riding and eventually I see J.P.  He had stopped and was waiting.  When I got to him, he started riding again.  So now we're riding and choppin' it up and eventually we catch up to a few more riders.  After about 18 miles, my ass was killing me, literally.  I wanted to get off of that damn bike!  Luckily, J.P had to pee and the others wanted to pee too, so we stopped and took a bathroom break.  That's exactly what I needed.  We took about 10 minutes rest and get back on it.  When we started riding again, for some reason J.P and some of the others just took off, I mean FAST!  I tried to keep up, but realized that I just couldn't, so I just went as fast as I could, but they just kept getting further and further away.  Next thing you know, I see J.P again.  He had stopped to wait.  Once again, we were riding together...  then all of a sudden, I hear a "BOOM!"

I got my 1st flat tire... WTF!  I had gone about 32 miles at this point and now this.  He asked if I had a spare... nope.  Guess I need to get that too!  Note to self, figure out what I need BEFORE I actually need it!  Anyways, he stops and look at the wheel and he's like "Damn... you blew the tire".  Not only was the inner tube blown, but the tire had a hole in it too!  Great!  He called Alex (who was luckily only a block or two away) and he comes Alex to the rescue.  Alex tells J.P to go ahead and finish the ride, but J.P says he wants to stay with me.  Alex shows me how to fix the flat (since I had no idea how to do it) and they stick a piece of cardboard inbetween the inner tube and the wheel so that the inner tube won't creep out of the hole in the wheel.  He also didn't fill the inner tube all the way up because it was starting to bulge out of the hole in the wheel.  He asked if I wanted to continue the ride or if not, I could put the bike in the truck and he'd drive me back to my car.  Of course I wanted to finish the ride, so that's what I did.  J.P stayed with me to make sure that I made it.  I really appreciated that.

Saturday Long Run- 10mi

Saturday Long Run- 10mi by terrypeppers at Garmin Connect - Details

Today, my timing was off.  I woke up and thought that I could chill out for a little bit, run the 10 miles that I had planned, then go to the natatorium for the group swim.  I started my run at 9am and figured at an 8:30/mile pace, I should be done by 10:30am then after I shower and whatnot, but ready to leave at 11am and show up on-time for the swim at 11:30am.  This was my 1st time driving to the natatorium and it was alot farther then I thought (why didn't I just google map it beforehand??), so I ended up getting there late.

This was the 1st group swim, so I didn't know what to expect.  All I knew was that I wanted to swim with the slow people and work on my form/technique.  Anyways, so I get there and everyone is already broken up into groups and swimming.  Sprint distance people in one lane, Olympic distance people in another lane, then 1/2 ironman & ironman people mixed up in 2 other lanes.  I got in and was told what I was suppose to be doing... it was something like:

2x100 meters warmup

1x50 meters
1x100 meters
1x150 meters
1x100 meters
1x50 meters
6x50 meters
2x100 meters cool down

First off, I'm thinking I can't swim this shit!  100 is not a "warmup" to me... that's a WORKOUT in itself.  And then the pyramid up to 150... I'd never even swam 100 without stopping... I'm pretty sure I can't do 150.  But everyone else seemed like they were doing it and I wasn't going to half-ass the workout just because I wasn't confident about it.  I was going to do what I always do... give it my max effort!  Surprisingly, I was able to do it!  I actually COULD swim 100 and 150 without stopping!  I was really proud of myself (once again).  I wasn't able to finish the entire workout (I missed the last 200 meters) because out reserved time was up, but I still left feeling like I had accomplished something BIG!

Lactate Threshold Test- Bike

When I did the lactate threshold test for the run, it went well.  My body doesn't produce alot of lactic acid and is able to quickly get rid of what it does produce.  Eventually (within a year, or maybe even later this year), I should be able to BQ (Boston Qualify)!  The people that were testing me kept saying that my body was "awesome" and that they hadn't see results like mine in a very long time.  I was excited by the news!

I was expecting similar results when I signed up for the bike test... but I should have known that wasn't going to happen.  At this point, I'd only rode the bike 2x.  I was advised by my coach to go ahead and take the test anyways.  My original plan was to wait until I had at least a month or two of rides under my belt, then take the test.

So I go and get the test done early (1 week after the run test).  It was the same drill... they took blood samples over and over again to determine the amount of lactate my body was producing as I rode at increasingly higher levels.  When I did the run test, it really seemed like I could run forever.  They kept making me go faster and faster, but physically, I couldn't feel the difference.  I honestly didn't feel like they were increasing the speed at all. 

On the bike... I WAS DYING!!  Every time they increased it, I definitely felt it.  I was sweating profusely and felt like I wasn't going to be able to keep it up for long.  For the run test, I did 12 iterations of increases and hit my lactate threshold at the 11th iteration.  For the bike test, I did 7 iterations of increases and hit my lactate threshold at the 5th iteration!  BIG DIFFERENCE, but it's to be expected since I just started biking.  This time, they weren't impressed.  It's cool though, cause next time I go back, they will be!  Anyways, because of this test, I now know the heart zones that I should be working in for my spin classes and road rides:

Zone 1:    101-123  Recovery
Zone 2:    124-137  Extensive Endurance
Zone 3:    138-143  Intensive Endurance
Zone 4:    144-153  SubThreshold
Zone 5a:  154-157  Super Threshold
Zone 5b:  158-162  Anaerobic Capacity
Zone 5c:  163-168  Power

Swim- 1000 meters (from Wednesday, Jan. 19th)

Today, I decided to focus on doing the drills from the Total Immersion book that I've been reading. I got the floating on the back drill down (I think), but the other drills seem to be hit or miss... I can do it for a short period of time, but not the entire length of the pool. It almost seems like as soon as I start thinking "I'm doing it, I finally got it!" in my head, that's when my focus/technique seems to fall apart and crumble. I immediately stop and stand up in the water and try to restart from where I am, to finish the lap. I did this for about 1/2 the workout (probably less), then I just focused on 25 meter freestyle laps. Towards the end, my shoulder REALLY started hurting. I finished the workout, but was a little concerned that I might be damaging my shoulders because of my shitty technique. I had planned to attend a Total Immersion swimming workshop in Austin in mid-March, but it's really starting to look like I need some help ASAP!! I might have to break down and shell out $700 big ones for 5-6 hours of Total Immersion instruction here in Houston, by the ONE guy in the entire city that's certified (thus the insane fee he charges), just so that I don't hurt myself/shoulder. Fuck!