5K to Marathon Training

The 2003 ING New York City Marathon was glorious! Spectacular Nov. 2 weather brought out large crowds to cheer on the runners.

Native New Yorker P. Diddy (alias Puff Daddy) stole the spotlight from the Kenyans, who swept the first three places in both the men’s and women’s divisions. But he was no match for native New Yorker Ray Christensen! I missed a P.R., but captured 4,416th place out of 34,600 finishers.

P. Diddy,  had heavily publicized his run, to raise money for charity. He raised over $2 million, much of it for NY City schools. Meanwhile, I was struggling to raise the remaining $600 I’d committed to for Arthritis Foundation for 2003.

Big Apple Places Best Foot Forward!
Runners visiting New York for the first time will not soon forget the support they were shown. The organizers of this monumental event did a fabulous job. Local citizens of every nationality gave their all to cheer on runners and help push us to the finish line.

A long commute after a short night of sleep
It’s strongly recommended to get more than 5 1/2 hours of sleep prior to running a marathon. You could say that I ignored this conventional wisdom. My alarm went off at 4:30am, I ate some Raisin Bran, took my mega-vitamins, stretched a bit and suited up. I drove 8 miles to the Continental Avenue (Queens) subway station. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a locked gate at the first entrance I tried, but down the street the gate was open and I took a seat next to several silent people waiting for the F train. Within a few stops, several marathoners boarded and when we got off at 42nd Street, we joined thousands of runners being lined up outside the NY Public Library to board busses to Staten Island.

Final leg of trip to start
Hundreds of smiling volunteers wished us “Good Morning” and “Good Luck”! I sat next to a Costa Rican runner who was shooting for a 3:15 time. As the sun rose, we toured southern Manhattan before taking the tunnel to Brooklyn. By 7am, we were at the staging area at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island.

Wait, Food, Drink and Port-A-Potties
The pleasant atmosphere of a county fair greeted us at the staging area in the shadow of the Verrazano Bridge. 40,000 of us lined up for coffee, bagels, yogurt smoothies, and plenty of water as a band played live music from a stage. UPS trucks would take our bags of supplies to the finish line. Port-a-potties stretched as far as the eye could see. We would be herded into our corrals at 9:30, as the elite women were starting. Race time was 10:10am.

Race starts under a brilliant sun
I was herded into my corral (the 13,000-13,999 group) and got in precious little last-minute stretching. When a couple people tried to escape the corral, armed soldiers ordered them back in. After 20 minutes, we were sent to the start area near the tollbooths. More waiting. The National Anthem. At 10:10, the gun sounds. New York, New York is playing and we’re bound for glory!

Since I had a Red bib, I ran east in the westbound lanes of the bridge, which afforded me a good view of the helicopters overhead and the fireboats saluting us with red and blue colored water below. Blue bibs were to my right, and Green bibs unfortunately got to take the lower level to Brooklyn.  Running felt good and the 60 degree temperature felt great.

Brooklyn – Water, Pitstop and Music!
The crowd lined both sides of 4th Avenue, cheering loudly. I took advantage of having my name written on my singlet by running close to the spectators. By the end of the race, I’d feel like a rock star, having had hundreds of people yell my name, with comments like:
“Ray, you’re the man!”     “Go for it, Ray!”     “Looking good, Ray!” …

I nodded when they called me. I gave high fives and low fives. I laughed at the kids handing out water while dressed in raingear. Music filled the air all types… Rock, Jazz, Bagpipes, boomboxes, a guy sitting on his 2nd floor window ledge playing sax. Everyone was cheering – whites, blacks, Puerto Ricans, hecitic Jews, Asians. New York at it’s best.

Passing mile 4, I noticed a park with a hedge of bushes near the street. The opportunity to water those bushes was not to be passed up. Out loud I said “those bushes look mighty good!” and the runner ahead of me immediately agreed and veered off to help me water them.

First Avenue – Is it in you?
First Avenue runs a long way. Miles 16 through 20 show you what you’re made of. Legs start getting tired, but it’s too soon to count down the miles to the finish. Each water stop is an oasis and I crave the Gatorade locations for an excuse to walk a few steps. Crowd support gets more important as you need any advantage you can get. Mile 18 gives you some Power Gel for a boost of energy. At 18.5, cool, wet sponges are given out and I happily keep mine to wet at the remaining water stops, since the temperature is now in the upper 60′s.

The Bronx – Crunch Time
The short climb of the bridge into the Bronx is not easy, and it’s a very tangible example of “the wall”. Red carpet covers the grated sections, but you don’t really feel like a VIP at this point. Salsa music. Heavy Metal. More bagpipes. It all helps at this point. It’s a great feeling to finally turn back south into Manhattan for the home stretch, but the final five miles are no walk in the park!

Fifth Avenue – Just do it!
By this time, crowd support has become crucial. As marathoners take walking breaks, they’re urged to keep up the pace.  Five miles to go is equivalent to 3 laps at Delcastle Park. First Avenue gradually rises and it takes more and more concentration to resist the urge to stop and walk. We’re running down the east side of Central Park and my pace has slowed. With two miles left, I start feeling cramps in several places, including my right hamstring, which has never bothered me before. Not quite panic, but I pray and it eases up as I run through it.

Glory!!!!!! – the final mile
My final walk break is at mile 25 and I break back into a trot.  I’m right near my Anchorage pace, although hopes for a PR are dwindling. Approaching the southeast corner of the park, we enter and make a long curve to the right. I know I’m going to finish, so I wave at the cheering spectators far away on the left, behind barricades. Several wave back. Another turn to the right and signs for the final meters and yards start to appear. I run between the grandstands, with the finish line in sight. As always, I raise my arms in triumph while crossing the line, then stop my watch, which reads a very unofficial 3:43:18. A medal is placed around my neck. Congratulations are offered. Water. Gatorade. A bag containing an apple, banana, energy bar and Tylenol. As I join my fellow warriors on our long, slow march out of the park, I’m happy.
  More photos

August 17, 2003. The day had arrived for Humpy’s Classic Marathon!
Yes, this is the race that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would run the following year (no doubt upon learning of Ray’s adventure.)
Now that the Delaware Chapter of Arthritis Foundation was in transition, I became part of the Joints in Motion “Eastern Pennsylvania” team in Philadelphia.  Needless to say, most of the training was on my own and I only met my teammates a couple times before the trip.

Joints in Motion "Team EPA"

Our team had members participating in the Marathon, Half-Marathon, 5k Run (all sharing same course) and even a hiking trip on a nearby mountain. We proudly wore green Joints in Motion tatoos.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
My alarm ended a sound night’s sleep at 5:30am. After stretching and some push-ups, I headed for our Power Breakfast. The fruit, oatmeal and bran muffins got the day started off well. Then it was back to the room to suit up and apply a JIM temporary tattoo under my right ear. I took a packet of gel, a  granola bar, advil, and tissues. A bus transported us to the start/finish area at Westchester Lagoon near the bay. It was a small event, with about 260 people participating in the marathon, with a similar number doing the half. There was a separate 7am start for marathon walkers. Weather was near perfect with temperature in the upper 50’s and an overcast sky. We’d feel occasional rain sprinkles throughout the race. Almost none of us would see a moose.

Loopy course
I did a one mile warm-up jog and limped to the start line, since one of my knees had been sore for a few weeks. The gun went off at 8am and we headed east on the first of three loops. The sore leg would be a factor, but I maintained an 8 minute/mile pace fairly easily. I wore a cap for the first six miles, and my jacket most of the race. There were few spectators, but the out-and-back loops allowed us to pass the runners (and walkers) of all events on the narrow path. The park was wooded and pretty. Most hills were quite tame. I hydrated at every water station and walked through them for the most part, while sipping Ultima power drink.

Lonely 2nd Half
At the halfway point, I was on pace for a 3:30 time, but I knew I’d slow down. Things got more challenging. We had a couple hills and also were alone with the trail. The half-marathoners were back at the lagoon and the only spectators were occasional people walking along the trail, unaware that a marathon was taking place. The most depressing spot was a water station at mile 16 that was unmanned. This wouldn’t have been too bad except that it also had no water!!! I learned this after I slowed to a walk and opened a granola bar (Chocolate Chunk). I nibbled at the granola anyway and was soon met by a woman on a bike who assured me that there was water at the turnaround coming up at mile 18.2.

Just before hitting the turnaround, I began to see the lead runners headed back toward the finish. I occupied few minutes seeking the perfect tree to utilize for some important business. It was a great morale booster to make the turn and head for home. Within minutes, I greeted some teammates. Each milemarker became huge, as my calves started to stiffen. I yelled encouragement to most of the runners I met, especially anyone with the lime-green “Joints” shirt. By mile 22, I was taking walk breaks at least once per mile, plus at water stations. I glanced at my watch, knowing that I was losing time. As long as I didn’t have major problems, I’d beat my Dublin time, but I was hoping to run under 3:40, so there was little cushion. The last mile saw me walk three times, as I wondered if stamina or stiff legs was the main culprit. Finally seeing the finish line about 400 meters away across the lagoon, I removed my jacket and increased my pace, realizing that there was a chance that I’d be the first J.I.M. athlete to finish.

Triumphant finish!
With only a couple runners crossing the line every minute, names were announced. That’s when your name can’t possibly sound any sweeter. My JIM coordinator Mike was right there to wrap me in a foil blanket and confirm that I was in fact the first Joints finisher. Almost forgot to remove my timing chip. A 3:42:19 official time was more than acceptable, due to my soreness. Mike escorted me to the refreshment area where a local radio reporter had requested an interview. I got the call, being the first finisher. I spoke to him for about 3 minutes while he shoved the microphone into my face. Then I grabbed more Ultima, bananas, bagels and cookies!

Shower and Celebration

Then I limped back to the hotel to join the others at our Celebration Party on the 15th floor at Josephine’s. A nice buffet and DJ kept smiles on our faces as many of the GA and NY chapters took control of the dance floor for a bunch of 70’s music. Ten of us followed that with a hotel shuttle ride to Koot’s for a live band until we were wiped out.

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Wissahickon Trail Classic 10K 

I had been a runner for over 7 years when I finally ran my first trail race, at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.  A running buddy recruited me to be sure that Pike Creek Valley Running Club would field a complete team in this Mid-Atlantic USATF event.   As it turns out, it’s a good thing we ended up with a good turnout.

Pike Creek Valley Running Club

Nice runs by our scorers Josh (placed in age group), Tom, Chris  (just 6 days after an impressive RNR Marathon), Kelly and Jack .  Good thing we had a bunch of runners, since we also had a DNF (injury), and 2 runners who started 18 minutes late due to a wrong turn driving (I wish it was a chip race!).  Unfortunately, one of late runners was me.  But when we arrived, we figured we might as well pay the $30 and do it, even if just for pride.

The girls at the now lonely registration tent were still happy to take our money.  Very hilly, very rocky, often slippery course, most of which was single file – but a well organized and fun event!  There were no milemarkers, and since the hills made it impossible to judge pace, I had no idea where I was.  After a half mile of flat, packed dirt, I came upon the first hill.  Wow, it really was a hill.  Halfway up and I was already doing some walking.

Beautiful, but challenging course
The nicely wooded course featured 3 main hills that we’d go all the way up and all the way back to the valley.  It took me almost 2 miles to pass the last runner.  The hills were steep and those rocks were large enough to actually be used as steps.  For a while, I was being followed by two bikes, basically looking for runners in need of assistance.  I commented later that since I was behind everyone, I was surprised not to see some blood on the rocks, since the surface mud from recent rain made the path slippery.

As I passed runners, I encouraged them by saying “We can still catch them!”  Since my clock time would be ridiculous, I didn’t have the usual race pressure, so I could enjoy myself a bit.  Course was well marked, which is vital in a trail race where there are constantly forking paths and crossroads.  Only a couple times did I have to look around more than once.  Some rocks on the ground were spray painted blue, and there were orange tapes hanging from numerous branches to mark the route.

Fancy footwork
Trail races require concentration and a combination of looking ahead to see where the course turns and looking down to watch where to step.  First priority is to prevent falling or twisting ankles.  Going up was exhausting, while coming down meant scrambling over and around rocks, branches and mud to maintain the best footing possible.  Braking too hard could mean slipping.

I found out where I was for the first time when I asked what mile I was at while passing the 2nd (of 2) water stop.  I was happy to hear “5 miles”.  I then had a comfortable half mile on flat, wide trail before encountering the grand finale – the steepest of the hills.  Now there was a steady stream of runners/walkers ahead of me, so I had to choose my spots for passing.  Reaching the bottom of the hill allowed just a 100 yeard sprint to the finish, and due to resting on the way down the hill, I really did have a kick!

It was gratifying to have the timekeeper call out, “This guy started 18 and a half minutes after everyone else” as I cruised to the finish.
After the post-race bananas/bagels/pizza, 9 of us hit a restaurant just down the block for a nice late morning brunch.

Have any interesting trail running stories to share?

The New Jersey Marathon takes place in Long Branch, NJ and has a field of 2,400 runners. 5,000 half-marathoners race together with us, stopping after one loop while we complete a second lap on the pancake flat course.

Shooting for a PR
As is always the case when chasing a particular goal time, weather would be a huge factor in achieving my goal of a PR and reaching my ultimate goal of a sub-3:10 marathon.  Saturday was dark and dreary, with a cold wind that would not be fun to run against. I wasn’t pleased with the crowded tent and long line to confirm race chip functionality.

After the Expo and a visit to church (to pray for good weathe), I stopped into a diner for my pre-race dinner. The Kentucky Derby started on a large screen TV just moments after I was seated. Got to see the thrill of victory for “Big Brown” and agony of defeat at the same time as “Eight Belles” had to be euthanized just after finishing. That was pretty ominous and certainly not something you want to see the day before a race.  Final boost of adrenelin for the day was watching a hockey playoff game.

I felt like hot stuff staying with the 3:10 people. The funny thing is that for a small marathon, I was with this pack for miles and miles, and had to be very careful not to bump others at all of the turns and even looking for ruts in the road. Combination of neighborhood streets with main streets through towns. Decent spectators. Not much music. Little chatter in our group.

Blood on the pavement
One piece of early excitement is when one of the big guys took a tumble. He got up so quickly that it was almost a half mile later that blood started dripping from his shoulder and elbows. Of course he said he was fine, and he eventually dropped our group in favor of more wide-open space.

The 2 loop course made the halfway point interesting, with crowds of spectators cheering on the half-marathoners as they finished up on the boardwalk. I had thought that suddenly losing 2/3 of the runners would be a strange experience, but since I was still with the group, there was barely any difference. Water stops remained a challenge since we were so tightly packed. The only sense that we were more “alone” was observing the many throwaway shirts that lined both sides of the road in what had been miles 1-3.

Tragedy in the pack
Things were going well and Matt was doing a fine job of maintaining even pace, sometimes slowing after milemarkers to keep us from putting too much in the bank. But suddenly, just after mile 16, tragedy struck. Matt bailed out, saying he had a problem and was sorry. Since he pulled up “lame”, we quickly and mercifully euthanized him and continued on our way.  But of course, the same two words were racing through each of our 20 or so minds, “Oh S***!”. This is not something you plan for during 3 months of training. We were filled with panic and nominated a guy in an orange shirt to “be our leader”. He immediately replied that it was just coincidence that he was wearing the same shade of orange as Matt. That didn’t console us a bit, so we then turned to a purple-wearing TNT runner who had run with us the whole way and seemed to have many supporters along the route. He wasn’t enthusiastic about taking over. Our elder member (wearing a 50-stater shirt, of course) stated that this was the best maintained pack that he’d ever been part of…

That remark turned out to be the kiss of death. After a mile of staying together (and predictably picking up the pace in our panic) we started to disintegrate. I started dropping back, afraid that they were moving too fast. Between miles 17 and 18 we got strung out and our proud pack ceased to exist. At mile 20, I still felt I had a shot at 3:10, but I was also starting to lose my stride. Pretty soon I was alone. Luckily, we were now passing walking participants and there were also a few places where runners were coming down the street in the opposite direction. By mile 24, I realized that not only was 3:10 now out of the question, but it would take a serious effort to break my 3:14:02 PR.  Near panic…

NJ Marathon finish

Home Stretch
A final stretch of boardwalk (mostly concrete) begins around mile 25 and I knew that my legs would be OK as long as I remained positive. With the thrill of a cheering crowd and snaking my way past more of the walkers, I found a decent kick at the end and heard my name announced as I crossed under the finish banner with 3:13:15 on my watch. The sun was starting to come out and I was overjoyed!

It was only the following day after results were eventually posted online that I was shocked to learn that I had won an award for placing 2nd in my age group (M45-49) out of 138.

You have to walk before you can run (unless you’re a toddler).  If you’re starting from scratch, ease into a regular workout schedule to let your body acclimate to greater activity.

Slow but sure progress
If you’re starting out as a couch potato, it’s good to challenge yourself, but going too far, too fast can cause setbacks such as injury or burnout.  First, see your doctor to get an OK for greater physical activity.  Then set reasonable short and longer term goals.  If you currently can’t walk briskly for more than 15 minutes, start with that and add gradually.  It’s best to locate a friend or acquaintance who can give you solid advice.  Athletes, coaches, physical therapists and experienced runners can provide basic information.

Jogging is heart healthy

Training partners
Self motivation is good, but finding a workout buddy will pay dividends for both of you, preferably if you exercise together regularly.  If you want to run to help lose weight or increase endurance, build up stamina by walking at a good pace until you can comfortably reach your goal distance, such as a mile or 5K.  Only then should you introduce some jogging.

Pick up the pace
Alternate walking with a slow jog, repeated throughout your workout.  After a few sessions, add more slow jogging until you are eventually jogging the entire distance.  It may take days or weeks, but as long as you are improving, you’ll start to feel the positive effects to your physical health and hopefully mental benefits as well.  Don’t be bashful about complimenting your training partner or urging them to keep up the good work!  Put up a motivational poster on a wall where you’ll see it each day.

Show your determination
Do everything you can think of to stay focused on your goal and excited about your progress.  Once you can jog your entire lap or mile or 2 miles, incorporate some faster paced running for brief periods.  Start wearing a watch to keep an eye on your time.  After 2 or 4 or 6 weeks, your times should be getting lower.  Celebrate small successes.  Be proud of your accomplishments!  Make your training a priority, but again, be patient to avoid possible injury that can set you back.  Remember that proper nutrition, hydration, warm-up and stretching are all important aspects of your fitness program.  Don’t skip them.

Write down your goals
If your short term goal was to jog or run a mile (after a month or even four months), maybe your longer term goal should be to run a 5K race after a year.  Find a race and put it on your calendar.  Maintain a “running journal” to keep track of your mileage, pace and even the wear ant tear on your shoes.  If you’re running or jogging, wear actual running shoes, not tennis or basketball shoes.  A rule of thumb is that a pair may be good for 500 miles before they break down enough that you could be susceptible to injury.

Wear a special shirt while training.  Maybe you and your partner can wear matching shirts or baseball hats.  Even make up your own training uniform.  If others see you, maybe you’ll even recruit additional workout buddies to increase the enjoyment.

Your first race

Injury prevention is a key to happy running.   Proper stretching, hydration and good running shoes are all important.  Here are just a few things to consider…

• Alternating running with walking is a great start for beginners
• Increase running time (or distance) no more than 10 percent per week.
• Your form must be relaxed. As Joe Henderson puts it in his Fitness Running book, “Running with tension is like driving a car with it’s brakes on, causing you to work harder while going slower.”
• It’s not impolite to mention to someone you know that they appear to be limping.
• Cross-training is good for runners of all levels, so consider a group bike ride, mountain hike, or ski trip to make exercising other muscles fun too!
• Most runs should be at a pace that’s moderate enough to comfortably hold a conversation. Hopefully you’re talking to another person and not yourself.

Fitness and form