The fund-raising Web site at active.com is now up, so you can donate to the cause online on a secure server. You can access it by clicking here. I know it says "Long Beach" on the URL - most of the heroes are running in Long Beach - but I'll be running Chicago. If you'd rather write a check, let me know in the comments section below, and I'll get you the details.
Thanks in advance!
Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog entry ...
There are a lot of great things about working at Cal State San Bernardino, where I'm part of the staff in the Office of Public Affairs. And if you're training for a marathon, two of them standout: 1) a 4-40 schedule and 2) the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
Let me take those benefits in reverse, starting with the rec center.
So after Wednesday's fun on the track (really, I haven't run mile splits like that since high school), the training calendar called for a session in the rec center. The idea is to do something - since the body is used to some kind of activity - that isn't running. But since the legs do all the work most of the time, the idea is to balance the rest of the body. Also, a stronger upper body - and core - go a long way in helping make a runner more efficient, especially for something like a marathon.
Umm ... OK, and looking a little buffed for the race day photos is one of those nice little benefits, too ...
ANYWAY ... So the routine is a warm-up on the rowing machine; leg presses (leg extensions and hamstring curls to be added after next week); upper torso work starting with the back then moving to the chest; then shoulders and arms; finishing up with core exercises (crunches on a stability ball and plank and side planks); and some stretching.
The calendar calls for that on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Funny how I refer to the calendar as an authoritative entity, but that'll be another blog topic for later.)
When I trained for the 2007 Rock n' Roll Marathon last June, I had a couple months of those workouts in the bank, and I have to think they played a large part in taking my marathon time down from 4 hours, 33 minutes to 4:09 - a 24-minute drop! This year, I didn't do any weight work leading up to the 2008 Rock n' Roll, and while it was still a PR (personal record), I was only able to get it down to 4:06. (The goal is to get under 4 hours; the big goal is to run a Boston qualifying time, which for my age group is 3:30.)
So we'll see how much this aids me in Chicago in October.
Every summer, the university goes on a 4-40 schedule: we work 10-hour days Monday-Thursday, and get Friday off. The reason is to conserve energy; a large portion of the campus is shut down - less lights, less A/C used.
That also gives me a chance to add an extra morning run, in addition to Saturday and Sunday (sleeping in is over-rated; however, afternoon naps are not). This morning, a little more than 15 miles through Upland and into Claremont, with three hill climbs of a quarter-mile, half-mile and a mile going out to the turnaround point. It was great, cool, and pleasantly breezy at the right time. I took me 2 hours, 21 minutes, and felt really easy. The main point on these long runs isn't to hammer them by going fast, but to train the body to adapt to moving for certain amounts of time. But if you go too slow, you also miss out on the training benefit. The trick is to find that pace that's easy enough to cruise through a run, but just fast enough to get stronger aerobically.
The calendar says this weekend will be 5 miles on Saturday in La Mirada with the GK Hero's Run team (a nice recovery run after a long run) and 8 miles on Sunday. That will give me 40 miles for the week, including a real easy 6 miles I did on Monday.
Yet more breaking news ...
Talked to my lovely daughter, Christine, yesterday. After the cordial, "Hi Dad ... I tried calling you three times but all I got was a busy signal," she said, "Well ... I have some news for you."
Me: "Oh?"
Christine: "You're going to be a grandfather."
Me on the other end, silently:
"YIKES!!!"
"WHOA!!!"
"NO WAY!!!"
Thankfully, I didn't do that out loud, but after getting over the shock (I mean, c'mon, I expected to be a grandfather at some point ... just not now) I gave the fatherly advice of making sure she and her fiance, Kevin, schedule the well-baby appointments (he's in the Navy, so that should be OK), and for the two of them to take care of themselves and to prepare for the arrival of the little on Dec. 31, the projected due date.
One thing about the past two days workouts is that it gave me the chance to process the news, to pray to the Lord on not only how to handle it, but seek direction on how to help Christine and Kevin most importantly. That's the happy couple, err ... future dad and mom, below ... and a pix of Christine and me, too.
So while they didn't wait until I was 60 make me a grandfather, I'm pretty much OK with it. Can't wait for December, actually.
But just don't call me grandpa ...
And finally ...
I thought I should add this, which I borrowed from The Final Sprint Web site:
"Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content."
Thankfully, I didn't do that out loud, but after getting over the shock (I mean, c'mon, I expected to be a grandfather at some point ... just not now) I gave the fatherly advice of making sure she and her fiance, Kevin, schedule the well-baby appointments (he's in the Navy, so that should be OK), and for the two of them to take care of themselves and to prepare for the arrival of the little on Dec. 31, the projected due date.
One thing about the past two days workouts is that it gave me the chance to process the news, to pray to the Lord on not only how to handle it, but seek direction on how to help Christine and Kevin most importantly. That's the happy couple, err ... future dad and mom, below ... and a pix of Christine and me, too.
So while they didn't wait until I was 60 make me a grandfather, I'm pretty much OK with it. Can't wait for December, actually.
But just don't call me grandpa ...
And finally ...
I thought I should add this, which I borrowed from The Final Sprint Web site:
"Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content."
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