Marathon Questionnaire

One of my running friends had a nice questionnaire about marathoning on Facebook. I started answering the questions, then realized it would make a nice blogpost. Thanks Sara!

If you'd like, copy and paste these questions into your notes, change the answers, add a queston and tag your friends to do the same. Sorry to impose this on you if you're not into these "note" things. Just delete and give me grief accordingly. --sara :)

1. Number of marathons you have run: 6

2. Where was your first marathon? Orange County Marathon 2006

3. Favorite Marathon course: San Francisco Marathon

4. Most memorable race:

San Francisco Marathon 2007. Trained my butt off with Pfitz 18/70, paced it right, and went from 4:05 to 3:20 in one fell swoop.

5. PR?

3:16. I'm STILL annoyed at that PR - I'm convinced that I was in sub 3:10 shape on race day, but got burned by late race heat. Every single one of my HM-5k PRs correlates with 3:00 or sub-3 marathon, but the freaking 26er kills me.

6. Ever run in a costume?

I think my night-running light/reflective gear gets more attention than any Halloween costume (see my Facebook pics). I made the error of running at night the day before Halloween, and at least 3 people yelled "sweet costume!" Now I don't run on Halloween or the day before anymore!

7. The only running shoes for me:

Brooks Adrenaline. I used to use $25 Payless Amps (which I still have a working pair of in NorCal) but they were discontinued in the model I liked.

8. Ever injured?

Recent MRI-confirmed stress fx of my left foot in August 08. Took me out for 4 months, and while my foot has recovered, I lost most of my running speed and endurance.

9. Hot or cold weather runner?

Cold weather all the way. I'm "overweight" by BMI due to muscle mass, and I generate tons of heat. I wilt like crazy in heat - faster than the average person.

10. Morning or evening runs?

Evenings for me. I'm totally a morning person, but I have to reserve those precious times for studying, when the mind is sharp. On weekends though, I do all my training at the butt-crack of dawn! (That is, when I'm not on call.)

11. What is your Motivation?

I'm not sure, but I like to try and quantitate.
30%: Being as fit as I feel I can be.
20%: Love of competition. I'm a racer, for sure.
20%: Being outside in sunny California is a huge motivator.
20%: The mental hardcore factor. It sounds perverse, but the ability to inflict suffering on yourself (within reason) not only makes you stronger, but also improves your perception and enjoyment of the remaining aspects of your life.
10%: Fun factor. Fun is purely secondary to me. Most of my hard training runs and workouts will never be intrinsically fun, and much more akin to suffering. I have learned, though, that fun does not equate to happiness - achieving hard goals and challenging the self and soul leads to true happiness. So in a weird way, suffering = happiness in the long run. Within reason, of course.

12. Ever DNF?

No. But I started walking at mile 13 of the Houston marathon. I don't hold it against people for DNFing, but for me, if I can make it to the finish line at all without injuring myself, even if I have to crawl, I will get there. I'd probably get bloody knees from crawling though, so I try to avoid that.

13. Marathon I'd like to forget:

None of them. You don't appreciate the good ones without the bad ones. SFM was so incredible for me because I had two really tough ones (4hr finishes) before it which made me question my very core of how good a runner I could be. I really appreciated the scope of what I had accomplished after SFM because of those 2 other tough races.

14. Favorite post race nosh:

Whatever's nearby. Although oddly, I don't get that hungry after marathons. I think all the carbo-loading and tapering leaves me well stocked for race day. After 22 mile training runs though - I'd kill the cattle and eat it raw if you let it get near me!

15. Galloway or Higdon?

This is one of the few times I get "elitist" mentality (sorry, folks.) While I respect all folks who finish a marathon, I definitely give much more respect those who understand that committing to the marathon really means taking your training to higher volumes than 20, or even 30 miles per week. I personally would never race a marathon with the Galloway race-walk plans or low-volume Higdon plans (the high-volume ones are ok). I much prefer Pfitzinger's plans, especially the ones 70mpw max and above.


16. Flat course or hills:

Temps are a much, much bigger factor than the hills in my opinion. I crushed the hills on the SFM course without problem, but once the sun came out at San Diego, I completely melted even on the flats. The elevation profile is nearly irrelevant for me - race temperature, however, is critical - I race differently at 45-55F (go for the PR), 55-65 (save some for the ugly end when temps rise), and 65-75 (just try to survive).

17. Back, Middle, or Front of the pack?

Used to be a FOPer, now I'm probably front of the MOP. Dang.

18. Run alone or with a partner:

Alone, but I vastly prefer running groups. Single partners aren't as good for me - too hard to coordinate pace and logistics. Groups are the best, but limited in terms of meeting times due to my busy schedule.

19. Ever win your age group?

Yes. Wasn't a really big deal when I did it, but it's always nice to come in #1 AG. Much better was the feeling at the starting line in a local 10k when I KNEW that I would be #1-3 AG, by sheer volume and hardcore training. When you run 80-100 mpw, you know you're going to be fast in the field - there is no question. And that's a GREAT feeling. I have almost no chance at winning the overall though. Closest I've come is 2nd in a small 5k, and the winner beat me by nearly 1.5 minutes.

20. Favorite post marathon indulgence:

Anything with carbs. Usually rice, noodles, or pasta. I have other "vice" foods that are more tempting, but after burning that many carbs, nothing will satisfy the carbo urge except for carbs.

21. Funniest T-shirt spotted on another runner during a marathon:

Running behind a group of 5 ladies age 60+ when I bandited the Boston Marathon way back in 1997 (bandits were allowed back then, as marathoning was nowhere near as popular as it was today. It was a really ugly run for me.) Their shirts all read, "yup, we're 60 and we're kicking your butt." I almost wanted to cry, as I was a young guy in college who ran high school X-country, and I really was getting killed by senior citizens. Kudos to them!

22. One part of your body that has never seen body glide:

I only need body glide for between my thighs, and not much. Nipple tape is mandatory for 15+ mile runs, though!

23. Best Part of running:

Being in the best shape of my life.

24. If I didn't run I_______________.

Would be a road bike racer. I've sinced switched over to triathlon from the marathon (temporarily at least), and I have to admit that the fun factor of road biking is much greater for me than running!

25. I can't run without______________________.

My SweatGUTR. It's a plastic headband that diverts sweat to the sides of your face versus your eyes. I'm the only one who ever uses it, but I absolutely can't live without it - I go blind from the sweat in my eyes.

26. Ever lose a toenail?

Not even close. Weird.

27. Gatorade or Cytomax?

The more I learn about medicine, the more I see that these are overhyped, overpriced sugar water drinks, with little real substantiating evidence to prove their effectiveness compared to water, or water with a bit of food on the go. Humans evolved to use water (and food), and our entire thirst mechanism is geared around drinking water. In my opinion, it's all advertising hype - your kidneys can regulate your body fluids and salt loads so well that I could even give you coffee at the aid stations, and you'd stay well hydrated. (Would be a bit messy, though.) Water all the way for me.

28. Favorite gel flavor?

I do use gels on races, because of the convenience of having calories in a light packet. I'll eat anything - I'm usually pushing hard enough that the last thing I notice is the taste of the gu.

29. How many days after a marathon do you usually start running again?

Usually 5-7 days of no running, then 2-3 weeks of LIGHT running. I went back too soon this past season and got a stress fx because of it.

30. I run, therefore I ________________________.

Feel alive.

31. Pre-race routines? (night before or morning of)

Carboload. Mandatory bathroom break before the race. I'll wake up at 3AM to make sure this happens.

32. How often do you cry during a marathon?

Never. I've let off an ungodly string of swear words in at least 4 races, though. Anger seems to be my coping mechanism on race day, but I'm trying to substitute humor for it. That's not funny at all.

33. What was your worst/least favorite marathon?

LA Marathon 2007. Hot, crowded, chaotic. An all-around suck-fest. I'll never race this one again, for all of those reasons. I may run it a a fun run, but never as a race.