The Post Marathon Blues are No Joke!

The Post-Marathon Blues Are Real!

WOW! What can I say. It's been awhile since I've posted. But I have good news. I seem to be over the funk that I was in. I was well aware that after hitting a big goal, that people can sometimes feel lost or that everyday things seem to lose their appeal, but I had no idea just how wrapped up I was in training for a marathon. Once it was over, I was absolutely on clound nine! But then it faded to "now what" and then full on being down in the dumps. I gained weight. I got myself to a point where I couldn't even run a mile. And did I mention the weight gain? I got up to 213lbs which for me is very very heavy but luckily I was able to real that back in a little. I've dropped 10 pounds just cutting back on Carbs, but more on that in another post.  

Then something happened. I saw a post about a mile road race in Waynesville and just like that, the fire was back. I had a renewed sense of wonder. I can't run a mile. But I love the mile. So I signed up this past Wednesday. It's August 22nd, which is exactly 8 weeks from today. So I went to a track today to see what I could do. I warmed up and then ran (slogged) a mile in 12:18. I had no idea I was actually that slow. I was hoping I could pull off a 10 minute mile, but I was fighting out there just to keep going. 

However, at the end, even though I was much slower than I had hoped, I was happy. It felt so good to be out on a track again. If you've ever seen Field of Dreams, you'll get how I feel when I step on a track. It's like I'm young again. At least on the inside...LOL.

So. In summary, I have 8 weeks to see how much faster I can go in the mile. I have to look at the course but I think there might be a slight uphill at the start but then should be fairly even to slightly downhill the rest of the way. 

My plan is to run hard twice per week with speedwork. Run some easy days. A long run day and 2-3 resistance training days per week. That's a big jump from what I've been doing, but I'll take it slow and easy and build up gradually so as not to overtrain or get injured. 

If you're feeling down, you may not want to, but find something that gets you excited. I realize how silly it is to run a marathon and then get excited for a mile, but trust me, it was just what I needed. I've always loved the mile and road mile races are hard to find unless you're willing to run the kid's fun run. 

I'm also honestly glad it happened to me. I fully believe it's made me a better coach having gone through it rather than just reading about it. Like I said, it's no joke. The depression was very real and I barely recognized myself for a while. 

If you find yourself down or needing help with running, please reach out to me. I can now say I've been there and I can relate to what you're going through.

Last Week of Half-Marathon Training - Week of Jan. 18th

Short and sweet. I did not run the 5K. We had a winter storm with lots of rice that was supposedly coming. I decided the night before I wasn't going to run. The race directors kept the race. The bad weather didn't hit until late that night. But it was freezing cold, my ankles hurt...it would not have been smart. 

I will be creating a new goal. A new plan. But first, I'm going to try and get my ankles working again and get out of this mental funk that I've been in. I help runners all the time get back into running and it always works for them. My issues seem deeper. I'm going to work through them. 

Half-Marathon Training Progress: Weeks of Dec. 28, 2025, Jan. 4th, 2026 & Jan. 11th

A sad couple of weeks. I really think I need to pull out of the Half. 

Sunday - Tried to go for a 2 mile run. I made it a half of a mile and had to walk to the mile mark. I thought I'd turn around and do a run/walk back but all I could do was walk. I was in a lot of pain. Shins. Calves. Feet. It was very disheartening. 

Monday - I received a delayed Christmas gift from my son. A walking pad. I set it up and walk .8 miles carrying 10lb dumbbells and did occasional curls while walking. My arms were spent after. But not bad for 20 minutes. 

Tuesday - I walked on my walking pad for 1.24 miles in 30 minutes and six seconds. I haven't tried running on it. for some reason, 2.5 MPH on this walking pad seems MUCH faster than the same on a treadmill. Maybe it's the much shorter walking area? I have no idea. In the gym, I walk at a 3.4 MPH speed and it's a brisk walk. On the walking pad, I feel like I have to run. No joke. 

The good news is that my weight is down a little. I had hit 206lbs last Thursday, Christmas Day. The last three days, I've been holding steady at 203lbs. So a 3 pound loss is decent. I'm sure it was mostly water weight, but I'll take it. 

Wednesday - It's New Year's Eve! I can't believe it's going to be 2026! That's crazy!! I took a break today since I'd walked on the treadmill the last three days. My ankles were a little sore so I figured I had been much more active the last few days. 

Thursday, January 1st, 2026!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Today, I ventured outside and ran 2.23 miles. I then did a squat and hold and some kettlebell exercises later in the evening. 

Friday, I walked 1.26 on the walking pad and did some kettlebell exercises and some more squat and hold exercises to help my ankles.

Saturday, I walked on the walking pad again and did some ankle rotations with a stretchy band the Physical Therapist gave me. 

This was  pretty good week. I was active and I got my weight down to 198. 8 POUNDS LOST SINCE CHRISTMAS DAY!! I'm very happy!

Week of January 4th 

Sunday I ran-walked on the walking pad for 1.71 miles 

Monday, I walked on the walking pad with dumbbells and did an arm routine for 30 minutes straight. I covered 1.24 miles while doing arm curls, shoulder presses, side raises, front raises and skull crushers. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, I didn't do anything. Work got crazy and I lost my mojo. 

Saturday, I was able to squeeze in some PT stretches and some squats and 2 sets of overhead presses with a 20lb kettlebell. Overall, not a great week. 

Week of January 11th

Not a good week. This will be short. 

Sunday - Thursday I did nothing. I worked. I slept. I got up and repeated like some awful version of groundhog day. I have a situation at work that I'm having to deal with and it's just got me totally exhausted. 

Friday, Jan. 16th work was better. things have calmed down some but I was just so exhausted. 

As you can see, the last 3 weeks has been very little - VERY LITTLE - running. My ankles are still whacked so I definitely shouldn't run the half on the 24th. I just wish I knew what happened to my ankles. A month after the marathon, I was totally fine, and then they started hurting and aching all the time. I walk like I'm 90 until they loosen up. It's so frustrating!! 

For weeks, I've debating just running the 5K if they'd let me switch, so I looked into it and I was able to change my race distance. I ended paying a very small transfer fee and switched from the Half-marathon down to the 5K. Hopefully, I can do that. 

Saturday, Jan. 17th, my wife and I left for an overnight trip/getaway. Much needed, but not great for exercise and gym time. Also, I gained some weight back this week, but not too much. Still below 200 so that's good news at least. Being on the road so much, I was back to a lot of fast food, but I tried to be better and get less/eat less. 

Half-Marathon Training: Week of December 21st

Half-Marathon Training Update: Sunday, December 21st

It's Christmas week and it's been a slow start. Yesterday, Sunday, December 21st, I didn't do anything other than go Christmas shopping. I had time to run. But I didn't. It's Christmas week and I'm off on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Hopefully on Saturday and Sunday too but work is picking up. In fact, today we started to get ballot proofs coming in for the March Primary so works about to get insane!

Reflecting on this Past Week

Well - Monday, Dec. 22nd and Tuesday, Dec. 23rd were tough. I didn't run or do anything. Wednesday and Thursday were no better even though I was off work. there was so much to do to get ready for the family to come over, etc. On Christmas Day, I weighed myself and I was at 206 lbs.!! My all time heaviest. I've been on Mars Men for a couple of weeks now and I'm not seeing any increase in energy, drive, or anything else. They say to give it 90 days. So far, not impressed, but I'm willing to give it 90 days. 

Friday, Dec. 26th, I did attempt to run 4 miles. It turned into a run/walk for 3.2 miles. My calves were tight. My shins hurt. My Breathing was like I had smoked four packs of cigarettes per day for all my life. It was just awful, but I stuck to it rather than turn around at the half-mile mark like I wanted to. I did turn around before the two mile mark though. My feet were really hurting. 

I'm seriously considering just eating the entry fee and skipping the half-marathon in January. I'm feeling like I'm too heavy, too slow, and just COMPLETELY unprepared for 13.1 miles with less than a month to go. 

I was talking with family on Christmas Eve and telling them how I ran the marathon in March and since then I've just had ZERO motivation to run. It's like my brain and body said "OK. You achieved your lifelong dream of running a marathon. You don't have to run ever again." I know that sounds crazy. At least, it does to me. But that's seriously what it feels like. 

I've done some research and apparently it is a thing. It's called the Post-Event Blues or sometimes the "Post-Goal Letdown". Basically, my body and brain have said, "Yep, we did it. Mission Accomplished. Now we can rest and chill into the sunset."

So my work now is trying to figure out whether I accept that and just embrace coaching, hiking, and other activities, or if I try to put some new spin on running to re-invigorate me. 

Half-Marathon Training: Week of December 14th

6 Weeks to Go

I can't believe I only have 6 weeks to go before the half-marathon. I'm seriously considering not running it. One, I don't think I'll be ready to run sub-3. Two, my ankles are whack! They seem to hurt all the time. 

I don't care about the sub-3 too much as the end of the race is on the greenway and a little traveled road so if support closes up, no big deal. I also don't believe I'd miss it by very much if at all. But the ankles. OMG, I just feel like they are trashed. 

Sunday, Dec. 14th I did not run. It was below freezing and the temperature continued to drop all day long. It was actually warmer at 28 degrees the morning than at night when it was 16 with a "feels like" of 2 degrees. That's cold! 

Monday and Tuesday I didn't run. I had ZERO motivation. I thought about it. I wanted to at some point during the day, but I just could NOT get myself up, dressed and out the door. I don't know if I'm just caught in a holiday funk, a work funk, a running funk or what. It's bad. 

On Wednesday & Thursday, I didn't run or hike, but I did do some push ups and held a low squat for 30 seconds the first day and 50 seconds the next day. 

On Friday, I held the squat for a minute and did arm curls with dumbbells and some front and side raises after. 

Saturday I didn't do anything, but on Sunday I held a deep squat for one minute and then I did 2 sets of 25 reps on a bench press type exercise with 25lb dumbbells. I didn't have a bench so I used a foot stool of sorts. I followed that up with 2 sets 10 deadlifts with 25lb dumbbells.

On the bright side, I did lose 1.4lbs this week. So that was interesting.

What to Do at This Point?

My ankles have good days and bad days. Because I haven't been running, I'm not sure what my long run even is at this point. Not to mention that I haven't been running, so I haven't been wearing my barefoot style shoes. Can I jump into a long run of 5 or 6 miles (assuming I can still go that far) in barefoot shoes without injury? As a coach, I'd advise against it. In fact, as a coach, I'd probably tell any client to just drop out of the race, I'm not ready, I show nothing / demonstrate nothing that would indicate anything is going to change at this point. But my ego! My ego is insisting I have time. I just need to figure out what's happening that I have ZERO motivation. 

Half-Marathon Training: Week of December 7th

Week of December 7th: Marathon Training Progress

Here's an update on training progress for the week of December7th. 

On Sunday, December 7th, my wife and I took a 4.5 mile hike at the arboretum. It was cold, but nice. That evening, for some reason, I decided after brushing my teeth, that I was going to drop and crank out just 10 push-ups.

I will add that my Mars Men T-Supplement arrived late Saturday night, but today was the first day I took it so I do not credit it for the desire to do 10 push-ups. It was just something I did.

On Monday, I got off work and really didn't feel like running even though I had told myself I would all day. I just wasn't feeling it and my ankles were hurting for some reason. But I sucked it up a little bit, put on a jacket and hat and told myself I'd walk 30 minutes. I ended up walking around 35 minutes so that was something. I also did 15 body-weight squats before bed.

On Tuesday, I didn't do anything. My ankles were pretty sore from the day before. 

On Wednesday, I did my arm curls, front raises and side raises before bed but no running. 

Thursday I didn't do anything due to work. I was on the road to Raleigh at 8 a.m., drove the 4 hours there, dropped off the equipment I had to take them and then drove home. However, on the way home, I did stop and see my son in Chapel Hill. We had lunch and I got to see his new place. Then I dropped him off at the airport on my way home. I got home around 8:15-8:30 p.m. and I was pretty beat. 

Friday we went downtown and walked around and shopped so that was some walking but I don't think it was too much. We did finish by walking up the same hill that the 2012 Asheville Half-Marathon went up around mile 12.9. That brought back some good memories. That was the year I ran Sub-2. Hard to believe that was 13 years ago. Crazy stuff!

Saturday, December 13th: 6 weeks to go before the Half. 

Saturday, my wife and I hiked 3.5 miles in DuPont Forest and took a trail to see the Wintergreen Falls. 

My weight started and ended this week at 202.2 lbs. I'm not sure what's happening and why my weight seems to be at a new set point. I'm not happy about that but we'll keep plugging along and trying to eat better. I hate that I'm over 200 lbs. If I was bigger guy, it would be a fine weight, but I'm only 5'7". They say that a better metric for weight is a waist: height ratio. One's waist should be half their height. So even on this front at a 35" waist (and that might be being kind) I fail the weight test. 

Overall, I'm feeling strangely more and more positive about the half but worried my ankles aren't getting better. Of course, I'm not very good at doing my exercises so that's on me. 

My fear is that I may be thinking I can do this since I ran a marathon. However, that was back in March, and I did NOT keep up that level of fitness. I really feel like I'm starting at square one. The weather is not cooperating either. It's been cold and sometimes rainy this week. In fact, tomorrow is supposed to be really cold with "feels like" temps in the single digits. 

Half-Marathon Progress: Weeks of November 23rd & November 30th, 2025

Week of November 23rd

Here's how this week week. 

Sunday: I spent the day in the ER with my daughter. She was fine. She had an enlarged lymph node yesterday and today it was almost twice as big. She was having trouble swallowing and therefore trouble eating and drinking. The urgent care center she went to told her to get a CT scan. That's when I picked her up and we went together. Turns out, you can get  stones in your salivary glands. How weird is that? She'll be fine but it did eat up most of the day. At night, I was exhausted having not slept well the night before. 

Monday: Didn't do anything. Just laid around the house. I had no energy at all. 

Tuesday: Today was a travel day. We went to Atlanta for a little getaway. It poured rain and the traffic was crazy, but we made it.

Wednesday: Didn't exercise per se, but did do a LOT of walking. Probably 3-4 miles.

Thursday: It's Thanksgiving Day and we traveled home from Atlanta.

Friday: Didn't do anything. Another day of low energy. 

Saturday: It is now 8 weeks until the half-marathon. It was cold and dreary but did manage to do a short hike of 1.6 miles. 

Week of November 30th

On Sunday, I had planned to do a long run but never did. I have no idea why other than low energy. 

Monday I did manage to do some of PT exercises and I even did some Arm Curls with the dumbbells along with some side and front raises. Still no running. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I did nothing. I wanted to run in the a.m. but again, I have no energy or motivation. I really don't know what is going on. Normally, I would think someone is overtraining, but we know that's not it. I know work has me stressed, but it's certainly less stressful than a Presidential  election year and a hurricane. This year should have seemed like a walk in the park. 

Saturday I woke up and even though I didn't feel like it, I put on my stuff and I was ready to get out there and do a run-walk if I had to for just 30 minutes. I ended up running the whole way and actually felt pretty good. it was 36 degrees when I started which I think is my sweet spot. A long sleeve t-shirt, shorts and a hat and I felt great. Maybe it reminds me of running in Minnesota in the fall or spring. Who knows. 

In Other News

Today, Saturday, December 6th is now just 7 weeks away from the Half-Marathon. I feel so unprepared, but I also have this weird confidence. Covering the distance by then I feel like I can do. Once I lock in on a run, I can feel like I can run forever. My concern is the cutoff time, which I believe is 3 hours. That will be the challenge. 

Since my birthday and through Thanksgiving, I've gained a lot of weight. In fact, I've been over 200 lbs for over a week straight. I think that has maybe got something to do with my fatigue and lack of motivation. I try to eat better and I'm fine until the evening and dinner. At dinner, we keep having pasta dishes and I do love pasta! Could I cut down on the sweets. Absolutely. Is it easy? No. There's so much candy, baked goods, etc around ALL THE TIME. My birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and now Christmas is coming with more and more sweets. I'm starting to sound like the Grinch on the top of Mount Crumpet. 

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I have ordered a Testosterone supplement from Mars Men. I have no idea if it will work or not, but I will let you know. It should be here by Monday. Hell, even if it's just a placebo effect, I'll take it. I'm so tired of feeling tired all the time. I tell my doctor this stuff - that I'm worried that at 58, maybe I have low-T, but he doesn't seem to care or just isn't concerned. He's a young guy so he probably thinks it's just natural. 

I know I could lift weights, eat more protein, do HIIT workouts and raise my Testosterone naturally, but I feel like I need a jump start and that's what I'm hoping the supplement will do. I don't want to get TRT - Testosterone Replacement Therapy. From what I've read, your body becomes dependent on it and it shuts down the natural production. Basically, if you start it, you have to keep doing it and paying for it. The supplement I ordered is supposed to boost natural production. Once I have more energy, I really feel like I'll exercise more and therefore create my own. Naturally, I will need to change some things. Diet. Exercise. Motivation. But I really feel that will come naturally once I get into it. I just need that initial jump-start or boost to get going. 

Half-Marathon Progress: Nov. 2nd until November 22nd

 You know how I like to post weekly updates. Well, obviously that hasn't been happening, so I wanted to catch you up on how things are going - or in this case - how things are NOT going. 

Week of Nov. 2nd

On Sunday, Nov. 2nd, I hiked 3.5 miles with my wife. This was just under 12 weeks until the half marathon. I did nothing for the rest of the week. I was just slammed with work and by the end of the day, I was exhausted. both mentally and physically. I'm not sure if something happened when I turned 58, but my motivation and energy are in the toilet. I talk a lot about embracing the suck and just getting out there even if it's just to walk. I can't even get myself to do that. 

Week of Nov. 9th

This week, I forced myself to do something. Anything. On Sunday, Nov. 9th, I went for a hike with my wife. Another 3.5 miles which was nice and relaxing. 

On Monday, I ran 1.5 miles and did some arm curls along with front and side raises. 

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I did the same arm curls, front raises and side raises. 

On Saturday, I hiked 5 miles with my wife. This was a really fun hike because there is a new Troll exhibit at the NC Arboretum. Trolls: A Field Study. It is awesome if you're in the area. 

Week of Nov. 16th

Sunday thru Friday I did nothing. I did have PT on Thursday night, so I guess that's something, but just a wasted week. 

On Friday and into today, Saturday, Nov. 22nd, my calves are insanely tight. I'm not sure why. We did a lot in PT work on my calves so perhaps it's delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Today, I did manage to hike 3.6 miles. Today is also officially 9 weeks until the Half-Marathon. 

Half-Marathon Training Update: Week of October 12th, 2025

This week started off great! On Sunday, I went on a 4.5 mile hike with my daughter. She even joked that I was flying up the trail and she was "fighting for her life". That made me feel good. My weight didn't go down so that was a bummer. I was 197.2 which was about a half-pound more than last week but nothing to really worry about. Weight loss is not linear no matter how much I want it to be. I realize that. 

On Monday, I went for a 5 mile long-run and just ran for fun. I was totally aimless and just ran around West Asheville turning down a street when I felt like it. I averaged a 13:43 pace which is what I need to keep if I want to break 3 hours in the half. If felt pretty easy so that was a good sign. 

Tuesday, I went to Gold's Gym and worked out and then ended with a mile walk on the treadmill at a 16:40 pace. I have to say, I do like the gym and I do like Gold's more than planet fitness. There's just something about the free weights that I like. Maybe it's the old-school nature of them as opposed to all the fancy machines. Although, I will say that I like doing the Leg Press machine more than actual squats. I get nervous I'm going to hurt my back by lifting wrong. 

On Wednesday, I took a rest day which at the time was a good idea. I had done something active, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Way more activity than this old guy had been used to doing. 

Thursday I didn't do anything either. Work had been getting crazier but I felt like I should have squeezed in something so I did do some arm curls, front raises and side raises at home with my adjustable dumbbells. 

On Friday, I was pretty busy with work again and it was date night, so I didn't do any running. But what a great date night.

Today, Saturday I didn't do anything. Not sure why. I can't remember what happened that I didn't do anything. No run, no hike, nothing. That's weird for me. 

As you may notice, not once did I mention doing my physical therapy stretches and routine. Very unhappy about that part of my life. I feel so much better when I do them and after my sessions. I have to get a sense of discipline. Motivation just ain't doing it. 

Half-Marathon Training Update: I've Suffered from LBS the Past Three Weeks

Training is not going well. Apparently with work and bad ankles, I've suffered from LBS, or Little Bitch Syndrome. Thanks to my son Christopher for this technical term that best describes my lack of activity. 

Where do I even begin? Let's just go week by week to get caught up. 

Half-Marathon Training for the Week of Sept 21

I woke up and weight in at 197lbs. I think I mentioned this last week since I wrote the post on Sunday. I didn't run on Sunday, the 21st but I did go out on Monday for a long run. I ran 4.08 miles and fine during the run, but the next day, my ankles hurt like hell. On Tuesday I felt like crap but I did do some arm curls and military press exercises with 20lb weights. I skipped Wednesday but did arm curls again on Thursday as well as went to a Physical Therapy session for my ankles. On Friday, I walked a mile on a treadmill at the hotel we stayed out for our weekend in Charlotte, NC. I did nothing but sight see Saturday or Sunday. 

I have a set of exercises that I'm supposed to be doing to help my ankles. Am I doing them? Did I mention doing them? The answer to both is "no". Again...LBS. It hurts to do them so I don't want to. They do feel better after doing them. But then I'm sore the next day. Somebody get me a glass for all this "whine". 

Half-Marathon Training for the Week of Sept 28

I weight in at 199.6lbs. Not happy about this, but it was a fun weekend with the wife. For whatever reason, I didn't do anything Sunday or Monday. On Tuesday, I managed to knock out 10 x 20lb arm curls. That was it. On Wednesday, I went for a 2.4 mile hike at the Arboretum and did some more arm curls that night before bed. On Thursday, more arm curls since those are easy and quick. Friday, I was back to hiking. I did 3.5 miles at the Arboretum. On Saturday, I did another hike of 3.9 miles in Bent Creek doing the Deerfield Loop trail.

Did I do my exercises this week to help my ankles? No. Do I suck? Apparently so. 

Half-Marathon Training for the Week of Oct 5: Only 15 Weeks Remaining

I weighed in this morning at 196.8. A big improvement over last week and a slight improvement over the 21st. I started the week by hiking Graveyard Fields for 4.5 miles. On Monday I did 10 x 20lb curls - my old standby but nothing else. Tuesday was Election Day, so I worked all day from 5 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. I was exhausted and couldn't even muster up the energy to do my arm curls. I skipped Wednesday as I was still super tired and my ankles were killing me. On Thursday, I went for a hike at the Arboretum. On Friday, I did nothing. 

Once again, I did not do my ankle exercises this week. What is stupid is that it will not only help my ankles feel better, but it will help my running...if I ever do any. So what's wrong with me????

Saturday - Today, October 11th, I got up early as my wife was heading out of town for a few days. She left early so I stayed up and hit the gym for a total body workout. I did chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, quads, hamstrings and calf muscles. I even walked a mile on the treadmill in 17:23 after the workout. In the evening, I went for 30-minute run and covered 2.45 miles in 30:45 for an average mile pace of 12:30. It felt O.K. I was definitely trying to quicken my cadence for the first mile. On the way back I kept giving it some gas here and there, almost like a fartlek. 

The Half-Marathon is in 15 weeks exactly as of today. I am nowhere near ready, but I believe I do have time. I really want to beat 3 hours, but I'm running out of time for that. This week will be better. It has to be. 

Half-Marathon Training Progress: Week of September 14th

This week was a little bit of a slow start but things are rolling well overall. I had mentioned last week that during the Marathon, I actually gained weight. Not all that uncommon, but for me, it was frustrating. So one thing I want to focus on this time around is weight loss. Not just because I want to run faster, but because I want to look better doing it :)

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Sunday: I didn't do anything last Sunday. My wife wasn't feeling well and I felt guilty for wanting to go for a run when she needed me. She would have wanted me to run, which I why I didn't mention anything to her about it being my long run day. Of course, my long run would have been may 3 miles, but still. I chose to stay at home. 

Monday: Monday is the day my wife works late so I planned on running my long run Monday night after work. Looking back, I don't know why I didn't. I know I was on the computer doing some work and I also wanted to try and get my car running again or at least cleaned up. This is a long story but basically, some varmint has chewed the fuel supply line AGAIN (3rd time) and it's really expensive to fix. So the car has been sitting there getting dirty and gross and the tires lost air from all the sitting. I hand washed the car and it looks great. But I realized there's a mold issue on the steering wheel and I didn't have the band-width to deal with that night. But that's enough about that. 

Tuesday: I went on a 2 mile hike and I did 10 Arm Curls with 20lbs. I was supposed to do a full body workout, but I wasn't feeling it at all. I tried the atomic habits trick of just doing something small and seeing if it went anywhere. After 10 reps, I set the weights down. Didn't do anything else, but at least I did that. 

Wednesday: Wednesday, I went for a 30 minute run and actually felt good. I ran the whole way out and back. I did another 10 reps of Arm Curls with 20lbs. 

Thursday: Thursday was a rest day since I ran on Wednesday. I should have worked out with weights but I didn't. 

Friday: I went for a morning run. I overslept and got up late and almost decided to stay in bed, but then I thought of Atomic Habits and decided to put on my running clothes and just go for a mile. I knew I had time for that. Well, once I was out there, I realized the time crunch wasn't nearly as bad as I had made it in my head. I ended up running just shy of two miles and felt really good and had plenty of time. I was so happy with myself, I made an Instagram post about it. 

I was really glad I went for the run because I had thought that I could always run at night. I rarely do that when I have that thought, but on this night, I ended up having to work late. Almost until 10 p.m. and by the end of the day with traveling and such, I was absolutely spent!

Saturday: This day was a 4.75 mile hike. I also was good and did my PT exercises. I can't recall if I mentioned it or not, but my ankles are doing something weird. It's like they've lost their flexion. They haven't, but it feels like it when going down stairs or even walking after sitting for a long time. 

This morning, Sunday, Sept. 21st, I weighed in at 197 even. Only a .2lb loss, but I'll take it. Tune in next week for this coming week's progress. 

Getting Back at It: My Road to the Asheville Hot Chocolate Half-Marathon in 2026

Goal: Be Half-Marathon Ready 

As you may know from previous posts, in March of 2025 I ran my first marathon. I would love to say that I used that to launch myself into a great level of fitness and kept all those gains. However, what was supposed to be two weeks off turned into 5 months. Let's just say I feel like I'm starting at square one again, but you know what? That's not the worst thing that could have happened. 

So here we are in September, and to motivate myself to get back to running, I signed up for the Asheville Hot Chocolate Half-Marathon scheduled for January 24th, 2026! There is also a 5K, 10K and some kids runs too, but I opted for the Half. Why? I had been thinking that I would love to always be Half-Marathon ready. Meaning that any given weekend, I could roll out of bed and run a half. About a week later or contemplating this, I read an article - somewhere online - that said a great goal for distance runners was to be...you guessed it...Half-Marathon ready at all times. That sealed the deal for me. 

I signed up last Sunday, so that gave me approximately 20 weeks to get into half-marathon shape. Once again, I'm not looking to do anything too crazy. I just want to finish since I've lost all the endurance I had built up. Back in 2021, I ran a virtual half - actually, it was the Asheville Chocolate Half-Marathon - and ran it in 3:04:55. In my marathon, I crossed the Half-Marathon point in 3:01:13. 

My Half-Marathon Goal

I believe I can break 3 hours. I really do. I think going sub-3 for the half is very achievable. I would have to average a 13:44 per mile the whole way. My fastest half ever was in 2012 when I ran a 1:56:54. While I would love to be that guy again, I don't think I'll make it by January. ;)

Here's my Training Plan. 

I will repeat my training strategy from the marathon as it served me well and kept me injury free. Meaning, I will run 3 days per week with a long run on Sunday's. 

I will be better about nutrition this time around. Last time, I trained for and ran the marathon and GAINED 3.5lbs. I like to think that it was lean muscle I put on, but who knows. The issue was the same as most runners have - I felt I had earned the chocolate, or the slice of cake, or whatever. Since the marathon, I actually have gained even MORE weight and recently topped the scales at 205lbs which for me was a hard NO! I'm back down to 199 with just some basic changes to eating: Cutting out sweets and sodas, but also trying to be better about how many calories I'm taking in. I believe they call it "Mindful Eating". 

I will also be better about strength training. I had done a little of it for the marathon, but definitely could have used some more strength in hindsight. My plan is to do 3 days per week of strength training. I have a set of adjustable dumbbells, a TRX band and some surgical tubing resistance bands that range from 15 to 85 pounds. 

Ideally, I would love to get to the starting line at 160lbs and timewise, that is doable. 20 weeks at 2lbs per week is 40 pounds. 

This weeks Half-Marathon Progress: Week of September 7th

As I mentioned, I signed up for the Half on Sunday, September 7th. My weight was down to 201.8lbs from the high of 205lbs just a few days before. 

Sunday, before signing up, I did a 3.5-4 mile hike. 

Monday, I went out for my first run. Just a mile and a half around the neighborhood to test the old body out. I had to walk 4 times! My legs felt like lead and my calf and shins were not happy. Keep in mind, we all have to start somewhere. 

Tuesday, I hiked 2.5 miles.

Wednesday, I went to the Mountain State Fair and was actually pretty well behaved. I did have an elephant ear, mostly to myself, but that was it. I did not get a lot of other sweets that I really wanted like fried Reese's Cups, fried Oreos, etc. So I considered that a win!

Thursday and Friday I didn't do anything. I wasn't happy about it. I had the time, I just wasn't feeling it. 

But today, Saturday, I tried the mile and half route around the neighborhood again, and ran the whole way. I averaged a 12:48 pace, so well ahead of the 13:44 I need to break 3. 

So, stay tuned and check in each week. I'll post my progress as I go and offer some tips and tricks along the way. 

If you'd like help running your first - or next - 5K, 10K, Half-Marathon, or even Marathon, let me now. I would love to help. 

Running Coach for Men over 50

With all the posts I've done over the time I've had this blog, I realized, I don't often write about what I offer. So let's fix that. 

I help men over 50 run their first marathon. 

I realize that I'm very focused in that statement but hear me out. I can coach anyone. That's not to brag. It's simply the truth. Beginner, experienced, man, woman, 5K, Marathon....doesn't matter. I can coach them. If you want to get stronger, go faster, run farther...I'm your guy. But what gets me out of bed in the morning? It's helping men over 50 do something they probably thought they could never do. Run a marathon. I came to this realization on March 16th, 2025...the day after my first marathon.

I was 56 years old and decided out of the blue that I wanted to train myself and run a marathon. I thought about hiring a coach, but all these young studs don't get what it's like to wake up sore. To have an extra 30lbs (or more) to carry around with them all day. Let me be clear. I actually feel pretty great for my age, but I am overweight. There's no sugar coating it. I had really bad plantar fasciitis too. I tried just about everything and then switched to barefoot-style shoes just to see what would happen. I was pain free for the first time in forever. So I slowly ramped up my mileage. I would increase for 2-3 weeks in a row and then drop back down and give my body time to heal and repair itself. 

Long story short: Despite a crazy work schedule for two months, despite a hurricane that completely disrupted life for over 50 days causing me to miss about two months of training, I still met my goal. I completed a marathon and beat the finishing time of 6:30 by over 15 minutes. With my plantar fasciitis, I could barely run one mile in 14:52 when I started. In the actual marathon, i averaged 14:09 and that was with having to finish the last 2.4 miles doing a run-walk combination. 

I crossed that line and - believe it or not - burst into tears. I had absolutely no idea that was going to happen. Approaching the line, I was feeling so elated and excited! But I crossed that line, saw my wife, and burst into tears. I'm kind of tearing up now as I write this. I can't explain it, but it was like every doubt, every mean thing I ever said about myself, all the bullies going back to grade school - I  proved them all wrong. I felt like I could literally do anything! 

THAT'S the feeling I want to share with others - or better said - want them to experience for themselves. 

What I Offer

While I offer written plans, and they work great if you're disciplined, my personalized program is so far superior. While both are customized to you and your current mileage and goals, the personalized plan gets into nutrition, fueling, strength training, flexibility, mindset and so much more. 

Two things that set me apart are that I take my athletes through 2 things. First, I take them through the 7 Levels of Why. This is great for them to learn why they are doing this. What's getting them out of bed everyday to take on a marathon at age 50+. The second thing is I introduce them to their future self. I know it sounds a little whooo-hooo and out there, but talking to your future-self, the one who has already done the thing, ran the marathon, has so much good advice and insight for you is pretty cool. 

I'm a certified Road Running Club of America (RRCA) running coach. I'm also certified through the American Sports and Fitness Association (ASFA). I took numerous Kinesiology, Physiology and Anatomy classes in college plus additional study since then in running and nutrition. But to me, my real qualifications are the years of experience I have. I started running in 1982! 

I've been the super stud young runner that was just a natural. I've also been the busy married guy with kids trying to find time to run. I've been the guy that took way too much time off and had to start over. And most recently, I've been the old injured guy who still had something to prove to himself. So as you can see - I've been you. whichever of those versions fit. 

If you'd like to do something life changing. Something that will make you more proud of yourself than you ever imagined, reach out. Let me help. Let's get you across that finish line!!

My First Marathon in Review

Well, it's been a week and a day since the marathon. I've a had a lot of time to look back and think about things like what I did right, what I did wrong, what I'd do differently. So here's an honest look back at my first marathon experience. 

What went right? 

I felt really good the morning of the marathon. In fact, when I walked up to that starting line, I felt born again. I hadn't felt that level of excitement at a race in forever! I felt very relaxed and excited to take on the challenge. The morning of the race, even though I didn't feel like I needed the bathroom, I stood in line just in case. Lucky I did too, because by the time I got up there, I had that old familiar feeling. That, plus the next coupe of aid stations with porta-potties had lines as well. 

All during training, I practiced fueling with trail mix, raisins, protein bars, etc. I had a good feeling for how often and how much I could tolerate. I pretty much knew what worked, and what didn't work with the snacks I had available to me at home. Rather than carbo-load the night before, I started on the Wednesday before the Saturday Marathon. I upped my carbs at every meal over several days rather than the night before. The morning of, I ate nothing. I treated the marathon like I did my long runs. I started in a fasted state. I would have had to have been up at 5 to eat anything and have it digested in time that I wouldn't feel sloshy or full. I never run well with food in me. 

When the gun went off, I stuck to pace - or what felt like my pace - and didn't get caught up in the excitement and go sprinting off like I used to do in 5Ks. My pacing was pretty spot on up until mile 20 and then started to slow down but I had a good idea I would finish in time. 

I took Gatorade and all the water stations. In the later miles, 20 and up, I'd also take a water a couple of times. Starting around mile 1 or 2 I had a half box of raisins I brought with me. I had the other half around mile 3. At mile 6 I started taking gummy bear packets and having those at each station. The aid stations were ever 3 miles or so which was perfect for the timing I'd worked out in training. 

At mile 23.66 (I looked at my Fitbit) I had to walk. My legs just stopped when I came to a hill. I didn't let it get me down. I did what I did in training. Gave myself 50 steps with my right foot, and then I started running again. However, after running again, it wasn't long before I had to walk again. So I just ran-walked the last 2.5 miles give or take and didn't let it get me down. I knew where I was and that I'd finish by the cutoff. 

After the marathon, I walked to the car rather than have my wife come get me, took a really long, really hot shower, and before bed, I massage-rolled my legs with one of those massage rollers that looks like a weird bumpy rolling pin. For dinner that night, I will add that I ate a lot of pasta to replenish my glycogen stores. I honestly believe that helped me a lot with recovery. 

In the days that followed, I walked a little over a mile on Sunday, a mile on Tuesday, and a little over 2 miles on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I was traveling for work but I did get a short 15 minute or so walk in Thursday night. All in all, the day after the marathon, I was able to walk, go up and go down stairs, just like a normal person. 

What went wrong? 

Due to it being a major election year, and a Hurricane, I actually missed over 2 consecutive months of training and had to practically start over. All of October and all of November plus the first week of December was shot! I lost a lot of progress. Sure, I had a few runs in there, but it was not at all what I needed. 

But in all honesty, I can't think of much that I did wrong on race day. I felt like I was really smart. I did get a tight stomach around mile 19. I had way more Gatorade than I was use to and my stomach felt like it had enough. But I was so worried about hitting the wall and needing electrolytes, that I kept drinking. Having never run over 18.21 miles, and therefore not fueling or drinking after mile 15, I was in unchartered territory at miles 19, 23 and 25.5.

What could I have done better?

First off, I would have tried gels during training. They seem so much easier to carry than boxes of raisins. It may have helped my legs feel fresher for the last 2.5 miles and perhaps I could have run farther before having to walk. 

I think I would have ignored traditional advice and gone for a 20 mile long run. Knowing how slow I would be, I think that extra half-hour on my feet, while not helping too much due to diminishing returns physically, would have helped me tremendously mentally. I also wish my 2 non-long runs during training weeks were farther. I typically just did 2-3 miles and went up to 4 or 5 in the last couple of weeks. I think some higher mileage other than my long runs would have served me well. 

I should have run more hills. While I did have long uphill runs in my training, I didn't do hill workouts per se. I knew the course would be hilly. Heck, it's Asheville. But I so focused on the river arts part since there were so many out and backs, that I failed to realize just how many hills there would be in the downtown and Montford areas. 

At mile 23, I saw my wife and daughter and I said "I'm in so much pain". I was feeling rough, but I shouldn't have made that comment. Tired was a much better word. I really believe that speaking that out loud was a sort of incantation that then made me feel worse that I was really feeling at the time. I think that messed me up mentally and took my head out of the game - so to speak - just long enough that I had to stop and walk at mile 23.66 when I saw a long gradual uphill. While I did run-walk from 23.66 to the finish, I think I could have run more had I not let those thoughts in. 

Important Notes and Things I Need to Remember

The week before I signed up, I could barely run 6 miles. My pace for 5.77 miles was 14:59 and had to be able to average 14:53 for 26.2 miles!!! I had roughly 8 months to train, two of which were lost due to work and a hurricane. 

I was struggling with Plantar Fasciitis prior to signing up and the only shoes that helped me were barefoot-style shoes. I trained and ran the marathon in Vibram Five-Finger shoes. All pain-free!

My wife and daughter where there and it was so helpful to see and feel their support. They saw me at mile 12.5, 19, 20, 23, 25.8 and the finish. 

Originally, this was my "one and done" marathon. But if I'm being honest, Sunday night, I was looking at what other marathons were coming up later this year. LOL

I'm sure there's more I'll think of. Things I did right, wrong or wish I'd done. I may come back and edit this, but I'll make a note of it. 

Marathon Training Update: Week of March 9th - TAPER WEEK & MARATHON!!

The marathon is this Saturday!!

I can't believe it's finally here - well, almost here anyway. Here's how my final week went. 

Sunday, March 9th

Today was my last training long run before the Marathon. I can't believe it's in 6 days!! That's just crazy. I went out for 8 miles. I ran it in 1:50:06 which was a 13:45 pace. It felt very slow and easy which was very encouraging.  

Monday, March 10th

Today was rest day, but since I have to drive to Raleigh tomorrow, I decided to walk on the hotel treadmill for 3 miles. I basically kept a 17:08 pace but did throw in a few faster parts just to make it interesting.

Tuesday, March 11th

Today, I had to go to Raleigh for work and help train new Directors. By the time I got home after 9 p.m. from Raleigh, I was totally wore out. 

Wednesday, March 12th

Today was the start of my carbo loading. A lot of people think you start cramming pounds of pasta the day before the marathon. But to really get your glycogen stores loaded up, I've always recommended to my clients to start 3 days out and just slightly increase the carbs each day. My clients have always had a good experience with this strategy. 

I did go for a short 2.16 mile run. I felt really slow and sluggish. I wanted to walk multiple times in the first mile. I was sure I'd be faster walking. But after the run, my slow and sluggish run was a 12:52 average pace. 27:53 was my time. With as slow as that felt, I'm curious to see what the Marathon brings on Saturday. 

I have to average a 14:53 pace to finish in the 6.5 hour course time limit. My 18.21 mile run a couple of weeks ago was done in 4:19:00 or a 14:13 average pace. 40 seconds per mile feels too close for me. I find it hard to imagine running another 2 hours basically without slowing down. Hopefully, I'll be fueled a little by the other runners, spectators, etc. 

Thursday, March 13th

Today was an easy 1 mile run with a couple of surges. I ran it in 12:04 and it felt relatively easy. 

Friday, March 14th

Today was a rest day. It was also Expo Day! I picked up my race packet so now it REALLY feels official! I sure hope I can sleep tonight. 

Saturday, March 15

Today was the day! The Marathon finally arrived! And, to address my comment from yesterday, I did not sleep well. For some reason, I woke up at 2:09 a.m. and felt wide awake. I know I fell back asleep at some point, but it felt like I was up off and on until my alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. I took a shower to wake up and got ready. My wife dropped me off near the starting line around 7 a.m. It was a short walk There. Just a few blocks. But I spent most of the half hour I had before the start standing in the porta potty line. Check out my instagram @ashevillerunningcoach for a panoramic picture of the porta-potty line. Luckily I made it to one before the start. 

The gun went off at 7:30 a.m. and I crossed the starting line about 3 minutes later. There were so many people! To be fair, the Half and the Full started at the same time. 

Long story short, it was a great experience. I was hoping to run the whole way, but at 23.66 my legs just gave out going up a hill. I tried to run again, but best I could do was run-walk for the last 2.5 miles. The cutoff time was 6.5 hours and I finished in 6:14:59 (Sub-6:15! LOL)

It's funny in the photo - Clock says 1:48:30. That is the actual time of day, not my running time. Only reason I can think that they had the actual time of day was because the cutoff was at 2 p.m., but who knows? 

I'm going to write a follow up post in a day or two and talk about what I learned now that I'm a marathoner! I have coached so many people to their first marathon, but now I have actual experience going through it myself. This will definitely make me a better coach for those runners. 

Marathon Training Update: Week of March 2nd

As of yesterday, I have just two weeks left to prepare for this Marathon on March 15th. I am feeling both confident and nervous. I run 18+ miles twice (18.2 and 18.21) with the second time being nine minutes faster without trying. I just can't help but think how long another 8 miles sounds! It's a little intimidating when I think about it too much. I definitely hope I'm around other runners to help push me along, but I'm afraid my back of the pack time will have me out there alone. My plan is to hit mile 20 and start a playlist for the last 10K if that happens. I trust the music will get me jazzed so I can push through. I'll just have to see what happens. 

Sunday, March 2nd, I went out for my long run in the afternoon. I waited until it was warmer because I'm a little nervous that all my long runs have been in the cold. If March 15th is a hot day, which if very possible in Asheville, I may be dying. I've tried to bundle up with hat, gloves, leggings, etc. but I can't tell I've mimicked a warm day or not to feel confident in how I'll respond to the temperature. 

Originally, I was going to run 8-10 miles, but I really wanted to see where I was on my half-marathon. I thought that would be a good gauge. I probably should have tried to take it easy, and I did feel like I started out that way, but at mile 2 I was clipping along at a faster than expected pace. At that point, I thought let's not speed up, but let's just try to maintain and see if I can break 3 hours for the half. Without much effort, I kept a pretty steady pace. I crossed ten miles in 2:15 and was feeling pretty good. At 12 miles, I was at 2:41:28 and at mile 13 I was at 2:55. I finished 13.11 in 2:56:22 which was a 13:27 pace! I know that probably sounds slow to most reading this, but keep in mind that my last half that I ran in Asheville I was at 3:04:55 in 2023. I have not passed the half-marathon time faster than that in any of my runs. So cutting off 8 minutes felt like a great achievement to me. Plus, even though I can't keep up that pace, it felt good mentally that I could cover half the distance in under three hours. Basically, I felt like I had a good cushion for the full and that slowing down a whole minute per mile should feel real easy on race day. 

Again, my goal on race day is just to finish the marathon by the 6.5 hour cutoff. My dream goal would be to go sub-6, but everything will have to go just right for that to happen. Despite all the long runs and experiments, I still feel unprepared as far as nutrition goes on race-day. Full disclosure, today's half was done with just water. No snacks. No Gatorade. Both of which I've had on all my previous long runs. I may have felt stronger had I had some, but I was out and wanted to get my run in and not spend time going to the store. 

Monday, March 3rd was a rest day. 

Tuesday,  March 4th, I went to Planet Fitness and did a total body workout after doing 4 miles on the treadmill. I really wanted to test my progress on my Boil the Frog treadmill workout. Last time, I could only hold a 12 minute pace for a half mile. Today, I was able to hold it for 2 miles! Here's how it went: 

I walked .5 miles at a 17:08 pace. I then started running at a 12 minute per mile pace or 5 MPH. I then sped up 5.1 mph or 11:45 pace for the next quarter mile. I then went to 5.2 mph or 11:32 pace for the next quarter. For the next half mile, I sped up a tenth every tenth of a mile ending at 5.7 mph or a 10:31 pace. It looked like this the last half mile:

• 3.1 at 5.3 mph or a 11:19 pace
• 3.2 at 5.4 mph or a 11:06 pace
• 3.3 at 5.5 mph or a 10:54 pace
• 3.4 at 5.6 mph or a 10:42 pace
• 3.4 at 5.7 mph or a 10:31 pace

I finished the workout with another half mile walk at 17:08 pace. I really love this workout and highly recommend it if you have access to a treadmill. You can do it on a track too and go by feel, like but I like the specifics on the treadmill. You won't often hear me say I like a treadmill, but in this case, I do. 

Wednesday, March 5th, I had to head out of town for work. 

Thursday, March 6th, I was away for work, but I did try to run on the treadmill at the hotel at night before bed. Unfortunately, it was acting weird. The belt would occasionally slow like it was caught on something. Despite this, I tried to run a mile but I felt sluggish, out of sorts and generally all around crappy. At one point very early on, my ankle was hurting which scared me a little given the marathon is so close. The controls weren't working so I couldn't see distance so I just ran on time. I estimated that I made it a mile by alternating running and walking for 17 minutes or so. 

I stopped the treadmill attempt and did a total body workout which felt ok. I decided to give the treadmill another try before going back to my room. I took off my Altras that I wore to they gym. They usually hurt my feet when running, so I figured I'd try just running in my socks. This was a good call, in that I ran a mile in 13:20 without pain or stopping. I debated running farther since I found my groove, but I had to be up early the next morning so I called it a night. 

Friday, March 7th, I was away for work again and spent a good part of the day just traveling home.  I left Edenton, NC around 2 p.m. and didn't get home until 11 p.m.

Saturday, March 8th, I am now ONE WEEK out. Today was a scheduled rest day. 

Next Saturday is the marathon!! 

Marathon Training Update: Week of February 23rd

After a good week last week, let's take a look at how I did this week. As I mentioned in my last post, the 22nd of February marked 3 weeks until the Asheville Marathon. While I think most programs would advise me to cut back on my long run starting now, I need to hit 18 one more time. I had to walk a lot the last time I ran that far (February 2nd to be exact) and I really feel I will suffer if I don't hit that mark again before the big day. 

Let's look at how this week went. 

Sunday, February 23rd

I went out for my long in the morning. It was cold but I knew it would warm up in the 4.5 hours I'd be out there so I just wore shorts, and a long sleeve t-shirt. One thing I haven't mentioned in a long time, is that I'm still training in the Vibram Five-Finger shoes. With no cushioning, I feel like this is really something to be proud of. I have no pain while running or after. I wish that was the case with a more cushioned shoe. That would be a lot more comfortable, but I'll take no cushion and no pain over comfort any day. 

I ran a total of 18.21 miles in 4:19:00. This was an average pace of 14:13. I started out running what I thought was very slow. But at the two mile mark, I looked at my watch and I was averaging 13:44! It did not feel that fast. By mile 3, I was averaging 13:59 so I slowed a lot. At mile 6, I was averaging 14:11. At mile 9 I sped up without noticing because I was averaging a 14:04 pace. At the half-marathon mark, I was averaging 14:07 so I was really happy about this! 

After the half, I started slowing down a bit, but nothing too bad. I was feeling a little more tired but didn't really feel that my pace had changed much but it did. At mile 15, I was averaging 14:10 and at mile 17, I was averaging 14:11 which overall, I was still really happy with. 

I did consider running a little more and getting to 19 miles but I was so focused on making it to 18.2, that when I got there my body just shut down. I was about a half mile from home so I walked the rest of way as a cool down. In all honesty, I'm not sure I could have started running again. My legs seemed to lock up, which has me worried that if I have to walk late in the marathon, I may not be able to get running again. I think with other runners around, the excitement of the marathon and other factors, that I'll be OK. I guess it's the not knowing that makes it the challenge it is. 

Monday, February 24th was a rest day. 

Tuesday, February 25th, I tried to go for a 4 mile run but I felt really tired and sluggish. My feet and shins felt uncomfortable. So rather than quit and go home, I sped up to finish the first mile. I finished in 12:42. Then I walked a ways, turned around, and walked back to the mile mark. At this point, I wanted to see if I could repeat my time or go even faster. I really pushed despite feeling like crap and finished the second mile in 11:01. It may have been 11 flat, but I was fumbling with the Fitbit button trying to get it to stop. Later that night, I was supposed to do a total body workout but I just wasn't feeling it. I know I should have tried to do something, but I really felt tired from the run and I just wanted to go to bed. 

Wednesday, February 26th was a rest day.

Thursday, February 27th, I ran a 3.59 miles with some hills. Again, I felt like I was going slow, so I tried to pick it up and push when I felt like I could. Turns out I ran a 43:40 which was a 12:10 average pace. Like Tuesday, I was supposed to do a total body workout at night, but I was spent from the 5K+ I ran that I just went to bed. These hard effort days are really helping with my easy runs feeling very easy. If you don't incorporate hard effort or speed days into your training, you really need to. 

Friday, February 28th was a rest day. 

Saturday, March 1st, marked two weeks left until the Marathon. Time to taper down. I thought about running for 30 minutes easy, but chose to just rest up for my long run on Sunday. 

Marathon Training Update: Week of Feb. 16th

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm now having to travel a lot for work which is putting a damper on things. Here's a summary of this week's running and workouts. 

Sunday, Feb. 16th, I had to drive to Raeford, NC for work. I got there much later than I anticipated. By the time I got checked into the hotel, got directions to the All American Trail and drove there, it was 4 o'clock. Sunset was at 6 and the trail goes through the woods so I knew I had around 2 hours before it got dark. I ran out for a little over 4.5 miles, turned around and then ran back. I finished at 9.26 miles in a time of 2:11:08 which is roughly a 14:08 pace. I really wanted to run 18 today, but at least I ran. My legs were a little stiff from being in the car for 4 plus hours, but overall I felt good on the trail. It was rather sandy which I found odd and made it a little challenging for running at times. 

Monday, Feb. 17th, I had my work meeting and then a four + hour drive home. I had hoped to run a little in the morning before work, but I slept right through. I guess the 9 miles yesterday wore me out more than I thought it did. I typically take a rest day after I run, so I wasn't too upset. I was just upset I didn't get to run farther yesterday. 

Tuesday, Feb. 18th, I ran 5.08 miles. I tried to push it, but I felt like garbage. I felt so slow and awkward that I didnt' even look at my watch while running. HOwever, when I got done, I saw that my average pace was 13:28! I guess that explained why it felt so hard to run. That's a good minute faster than my long run pace, but not my fastest pace for a shorter run. Later, I did a total body workout at home before going to bed.  

Wednesday, Feb. 19th, I took a rest day. 

Thursday, Feb. 20th, I worked at home. I was supposed to run, but it was crazy cold and the "feels like" temp was in the single digits. No sense getting sick this close to the marathon if it can be avoided so I stayed in. 

Friday, Feb. 21st, I went for a run after work. I started out at what felt like a good pace. It seemed sort of easy in a way, but I could tell by my cadence that I was running faster. I figured I'd see how long I could hold on. I hit the first mile in 12:09, the second mile at a 12:22 average pace and the third mile at a 12:44 average pace. I didn't catch the 4th mile but I finished 5.62 miles in 1:11:36 for an average pace of 12:44. I have to keep in mind that there is a half mile + section between mile 3 and 4 that is all uphill. A pretty good uphill too. I'm guessing my pace slowed here but I was able to bring it home strong. 

Saturday, Feb. 22nd, was a rest day in preparation for tomorrow's long run. Since it is only 3 weeks left until the Marathon, and I've only had one 18.2 mile run, my goal tomorrow is to run 18.2 miles again. I should probably cut back and run 15 or so miles, but mentally, I need to do this. My one and only 18 miler was not great. Even though I finished in the pace I needed to, 14:40 pace vs the 14:53 I will need to accomplish, I had to walk several times. I was really hoping to run as much of the marathon as possible. 

Marathon Training Update: Week of February 9th, 2025

 After a positive week last week, it was that time again for my long run. Since I ran 18.2 last weekend, and 16 the week before that, I wanted to back off again. My plan for today was to run 15 miles and that's what I did. I felt pretty good too but I realized something that I always talk about, but it amazes me every time I come across it. 

The Week in Review

Sunday, Feb. 9th, As I said, I went out with the intent to run 15 miles. Long story short, I ran the whole way, felt good and my 14:27 pace compared to last week's 14:41 pace felt really slow. I was sure I was running slower than the week prior. So - big plus in that a faster pace felt easier. Where it got weird was when I hit 15 miles.

As mentioned, I only planned to run 15 miles today, but I was feeling really relaxed and good and so I didn't turn to head home when I should have. I continued on the greenway and went to the end of  the Hominy Creek Greenway. I turned around and was debating whether or not I should go for 18.2 again since I was ahead of pace. To see if I could maintain for another 3 miles on tired legs. The coach in me was screaming because I knew I should back off this week and reduce any chance of injury. It was my ego that wanted to go 18.2 again. However, when I got to 15 miles, it was like a giant put their thumb down on my running cape. I just stopped. I didn't even mean to stop. But it was so ingrained in me that I was going to run just 15 miles, that when I got to that point, my body said "I know you were thinking of going 18.2 again, but no. It's time to stop." It was really weird. 

I debated whether or not I should walk the 2.2 miles that would get me home - and not the additional 1 mile that would have made it 18.2 or just call my wife and have her come and pick me up. Again, the coach in me was yelling, "it's only 15 on the schedule, don't be dumb!", so I caved and called my wife to come get me. 

Monday, Feb. 10th, was a rest day. 

Tuesday, Feb. 11th, I missed getting in a run, but I did do a total body workout at home.

Wednesday, Feb. 12th, I went to they gym to do a treadmill run. It was pouring rain, and I just wasn't feeling like getting soaked and frozen. Anyway, it was a great workout which I called the Frog Pot workout. If you don't know the story and frogs in pots, here's a quick summary. Put a frog in boiling water and it will jump out right away. Put a frog in a pot of regular water and slowly heat it and the frog will stay in not recognizing the slow change in temperature. This workout works on the same idea. 

First, I warmed up with a half mile walk at a 17:38 pace. Then I started running at a 12:00 minute mile pace to see what that felt like given I've been running 14 minute + pace for my long runs. I could only hold it for a half mile so I slowed down to a 14:38 pace which was 4.1 on the speed setting. After a quarter mile, I boosted to 4.2. After another quarter mile I boosted to 4.3 and so on every quarter mile. When I got to around 3 miles, I started going up every tenth of a mile so at the end, I was running a 10:54 pace. What was neat was the 10:54 pace at the end felt like same effort as the 12:00 pace at the beginning. I then cooled down by walking a 17:38 pace. I did 4 miles in 54:53. I slowed down even more and walked until I got to the hour mark which ended up being 4.23 miles if I remember correctly. 

Thursday, Feb. 13th, I took a rest day from running but I did do my total body workout at home. 

Friday, Feb. 14th, was Valentine's Day. I missed running in the morning and we had 5 p.m. dinner reservations so there was no running. 

Saturday, Feb. 15th my wife and I spent the day at the NC Arboretum so no running. 

All in all, not a great week for running mileage. Work is picking up with a crazy schedule over the next few weeks. I'll be traveling a lot with a lot of travel on Sundays. This will make getting in my long runs difficult. I may have to switch them to Saturday's just to make I do it. More on this in the next post. 

Marathon Training Update: Week of Feb. 2nd.

As I mentioned in my last post, last week was not great. While I did run 16 miles for my long, I spent the rest of the week with back pain. It finally subsided and I took a 4 mile hike yesterday. Today was the start of a new week and I was nervous about running my long run. So how did it go? Overall, great!

This weeks Progress

Today, Sunday, Feb. 2nd,  I set out with the goal to run 17 or 18 miles. If you've been following me, you know I usually pick the longer route. Well, today was no different. However, it started out rough. 

In the first mile or two my shins were getting sore. I had to walk twice. I proceeded to have to walk several more times in the first 6 miles which was really frustrating but it was not shin related. I just couldn't get my head in the game. I told myself, there was no turning around and going home. I was going to run or walk the distance if I had to. 

I went super easy and relaxed. After mile 6, I ran the rest of the way. Because I had to walk so much in the first 6 miles, I decided that I would go for the 18 miles to make up for it. I didn't even care what my pace was as I was sure it would be slower than the 14:53 required pace to finish the marathon in 6.5 hours, but turns out I was ticking off 14:43's roughly the whole way. I ended up averaging a 14:41 pace for over 18 miles despite the walking in the first 6 miles. This was really good news and did wonders for my mental state heading into this marathon. 

It's nice to know that I can take some walk breaks if necessary and still finish in time. Granted, I still have another 8 miles to go to run the full marathon so I am not delusional enough to think that won't be super challenging. Doing the math, I have to do what I did today and then keep that up for another 2 HOURS!! As of today, that does seem rather daunting. 

Being slow sucks!! If you ask me, and there's a bit of sarcasm in this, but a runner that runs a marathon in 6.5 hours is more impressive than one that runs it in 4 with the same level of effort. My conversation pace is 14+/-. Someone else's might be around 10 minutes. That's what I mean by same level of effort. 

Monday, Feb. 3rd, I took a rest day from running, but I did walk 30 minutes. It hurt, but I did it. Yesterday was pretty challenging and taxing on this old guy's body. Overall, I feel decent. Just stiff in the ankles which has been happening. I walked away from my house for 15 minutes which didn't get me too far, but the walk back only took 10, so it was good that things loosened up.

Tuesday, Feb. 4th, I walked 30 minutes and this time I went much farther. In the evening, I did a total body workout at home. 

Wednesday, Feb. 4th, I went for a run. I wanted to kind of open it up and get in some hard effort. It was great! I ran 3.07 miles in 34:38, which is an 11:17 pace!! I was so happy and excited. I'm getting closer to my other goal of getting back under 30 minutes for a 5K and I have the long runs to thank for it. 

Thursday, Feb. 5th, was a rest day after yesterday's hard effort run. In the evening, I did a total body workout at home.

Friday, Feb. 6th, I was supposed to run, but I failed to get my butt out of bed and didn't run in the morning. I figured I'd run at night, but I ended up not having any time what with dinner plans and other stuff life throws at you. 

Saturday, Feb. 7th, I went for a hike with my wife around the Catawba River area of Lake James. It was a 4 mile hike and the lake and the mountains in the background are so beautiful!

All in all, I worked twice, as planned and ran just two times, walked two times and hiked once. While not as much running as I should be doing, I did do more activity than I have been. I see that as a step in the right direction.