Marathon Training Tips

During my lengthy stay here on Okinawa, I have enjoyed participating in several endurance sporting events. You only live once, right? I’ve completed 26.2-mile marathons in exotic places like Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Hawaii. I’ve biked 330 kilometers (206 miles) in the 2-day non-competitive Tour de Okinawa. I’ve also been able to finish the Izena 88 Triathlon twice (2K swim/ 66K bike/ 20K run).

Although I’ve been told many times that I cannot leave Japan without climbing Mt. Fuji, this was another adventure that never really sparked my interest. Why would I want to climb Mt. Fuji? Everybody does that. Then one day I came across information about a 1/2 marathon Mt. Fuji Mountain Race. Perfect. Let’s do it! .

According to the race website, the 21 kilometer race to the summit starts in Fujiyoshida and climbs a total of 9,770 feet, finishing at the summit, 12,388 feet above sea level. Challenging, but something I hoped that I could manage.

It’s been 3 years since I entered this race, but as I recall the first 5 miles weren’t too bad. Well shaded on a nice trail, with the exception of the first kilometer, all uphill. I remember thinking just set the treadmill at an 8% or 10% incline for a few miles and you’ll get the idea what this is like. The stretch between 5 and 10 miles proved a bit more challenging, with some short little climbs over steps and rocks. No big deal.

My time at Station 6 (10 miles give or take) was 1 hr 57 minutes, and little did I know that the fun part of the course was still ahead. At that point all running was replaced by slow, steady, uphill, never ending climbing/walking. The pace wasn’t bad, but I kept looking up, where as far as I could see was a winding trail of people disappearing into the clouds. People that I had no hope of catching.

Below me was a similar image, only they were passing me one by one. I was supposed to be in a race, yet here I was falling farther and farther behind.

With the idea of racing all but over, I focused on reaching that still invisible summit, chatting with hikers carrying their precious walking sticks along the way. Forgetting place and time, I just wanted to get this one over with.

Finally, right at 4 hours, I crossed the finish line! I was happy to beat the 4 hr 30 minute cut-off with a half hour to spare, but then it hit me that I still had to get down. That took another 2 hours.

Was it worth it? I’ll remember this race for the rest of my life, so I guess so. Could I have done better? Sure, if I’d done a lot more uphill running and Stairmaster training. It was harder than I’d imagined, but not as painful as running a full marathon. Will I go back? You know what they say about Mt. Fuji. “One who never climbs Mt. Fuji is a fool, and one who climbs it twice is twice the fool.” That bit of wisdom certainly applies to the Mt. Fuji Mountain Race.

This year, the 59th running of the Mt. Fuji Mountain Race will be July 28th.

Shelton Canada Corp. is a junior oil and gas company actively engaged in exploration and development activities in Ukraine. The company’s most significant project, West Biruchya , is an offshore project in the Sea of Azov.

Shelton Canada and Ukraine’s largest oil and gas company, Ukrnafta, will drill their second development well as partners in the Kashtan Petroleum Joint Venture. Located in the Lelyaki oil field in east-central Ukraine, the well No.307 is expected to spud in the second quarter of 2008. The new well has a projected total depth of 1960 metres and will be drilled as a directional well to further develop the P1&2 and K-1 productive reservoirs. Recently-drilled offset wells showed initial productivity of greater than 240 barrels of light oil (42 degree API) per day (net 108 barrels). Net drilling cost is expected to be $450,000 Cdn and the well is in close proximity to pipeline infrastructure for rapid tie-in.

“This second well is an ongoing part of the Kashtan Joint Venture’s plan to fully exploit the remaining oil reserves in the Lelyaki field through optimal placement of infill production wells,” said Zenon Potoczny, President and CEO of Shelton Canada. “In addition, the Joint Venture anticipates re-entering and sidetrack drilling of four other suspended wells in different parts of the field during 2008. These well interventions show very good economics as the capital cost is much lower than new drilling. We have been very happy with the pool performance since it was acquired in mid 2007 and the first well (No.304) drilled post acquisition has averaged 185 barrels of oil (net 83 barrels) since coming on-stream in December 2007. Shelton’s average daily production for 2007 was net 255 barrels per day. The Joint Venture sells its production at Brent equivalent pricing.”

The strategic partnerships with leading Ukrainian oil and gas companies like Ukrnafta and Chernomorneftegas are a key reason for Shelton Canada’s success in Ukraine. Current net production of Shelton Canada is 350 barrels per day with further increases expected in 2008.

On October 19, 2007 , Vanco Signs Ukraine’s First Deepwater Black Sea Agreement for the Prykerchenska Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

The signing of the Production Sharing Agreement gives Vanco the opportunity to explore and develop the highly prospective Prykerchenska Block. Work will begin immediately on a detailed exploration program which will include an extensive 3D seismic survey in 2008 followed by deepwater drilling.

The PSA acreage is located to the southeast of the Crimean Peninsula, the Prykerchenska block covers around 12.900 km2 or about one-third of Ukraine’s deepwater area with water depths ranging from 500 meters to over 2,000 meters. Exploration will concentrate on the Tetyaev High, in water depths greater than 2,000 meters where Vanco has identified a series of large structures, and on the shallower Sudak Folded Belt where Vanco has identified numerous attractive prospects. Some prospectivity is also identified in the deeper Andrusov High area.

Prykerchenska license area contains around 32 leads and prospects where 7 are in syn-rift sediments and rest (25) are in the Sudak trend.

The PSA has a 30 year term and will allow Vanco to start exploration and eventually build production facilities.

For the Ukraine, this is one method of solving Ukraine’s energy needs and it could help the country fulfill its goal of producing 25 percent more gas within the next 20 years.

If exploration efforts are successful, the development of the project will require investments of more than $20 billion.

The Kremlin in the past has unexpectedly doubled the price Ukraine pays for gas at the border in 2006 and then raised it again by a third in 2007. The Kremlin seems intent on making it’s former member states pay more for their energy needs.

On June 5, 2007, Marathon International Petroleum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marathon Oil, and National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz Ukrainy (NAK) signed a cooperation agreement to carry out technical studies that could lead to the joint exploration for, and production of, hydrocarbons in an area of interest in the Dnieper-Donets Basin located in North Central Ukraine. According to the agreement, NAK and Marathon will embark on a joint study of an agreed area of joint interest, covering approximately 26,000 square kilometers. The study will be conducted over three years during which time decisions will be made concerning further activities the Companies may undertake.

This basin supplies Ukraine with 80 percent of its hydrocarbons and is believed to contain natural gas deposits deep below those being exploited.

The Dnieper-Donets Basin is believed to contain significant remaining undiscovered resources of crude oil and natural gas. However, the recovery of these undiscovered resources is subject to considerable subsurface challenges and is dependent on the application of unique technologies.

On the 7th of December 2006 Capital Oil signed an exclusive Joint Activity Agreement (JAA) with the Ukrainian state and Oblast owned company Bohorodchanynaftogaz (BNG). This agreement outlines that Capital Oil will have the operative responsibility for BNG in the exploration of oil and gas in the two licence blocks that is owned by BNG.

Capital Oil is at the moment test producing the first of 2 successful exploration wells in the two licenses called Kubash-Lukva and Maydan, outside Ivano-Frankivsk in the western Ukraine.

One of the things I like best about living in Florida is that it’s a great place for a vacation, even if you live here. It seems no matter where you live, east coast, west coast, in the Panhandle or Southern Florida just a couple of hours drive in any direction and you can be somewhere that doesn’t look like home so you feel you’ve really gotten away from it all. The panhandle is fondly referred to as the Redneck Riviera with its emerald green water and white sand beaches. The west coast is a great place to go ‘island hopping’ with Sanibel, Lovers Key and all the other little places nestled there. The east coast is great for surfing, the small wave capital is here on our own Cocoa Beach and history, St. Augustine, also on the east coast of Florida, is the nation’s oldest city, but if you really want feel like you’ve gotten away head south. Southern Florida is truly a tropical place; the tropics actually start in south central Florida and it gets more lush and green the farther south you go. We have our own little tropical paradise known as the Florida Keys. The Keys are made up of many small islands and chains of island and are set at the tip of Florida so they lie in the Atlantic Ocean on one side and in the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Key Largo is the top and considered the first Key. Key Largo is the one made famous by the movie staring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and the song. The waters around the Keys are warm and crystal clear this attracts many divers and snorkelers which lends to Key Largo having the popular moniker of the “Diving Capital of the World”. Islamorada is the next most popular spot to stop on your way down the island chain. Islamorada is actually made up of six different islands and has a reputation as The Sport Fishing Capital of the World. They have a fleet of extremely skilled recreational fishing captains who’ll be more than happy to go out with you for a day to see what biting. Islamorada is also famous for a place called Robbie’s Marina this is the place where they sell buckets of bait for feeding swarms of tarpon that hang out around the docks. It’s so much fun to feed them, I’ve done it. Islamorada is also famous for the opportunities they provide to swim with dolphins. They also have a History of Diving Museum there which is pretty interesting. Another not to be missed place is John Pennekamp State Park. They are known as a great place for diving and snorkeling and have the only living coral reef in the continental United States. Over a million people come from around the world to enjoy the water, trails and camping facilities offered by the park. They also have the “Christ of the Waters”, a 19 foot bronze statue people dive all around, some even dive down to touch His outstretched hands. Marathon is considered by many to be the ‘middle’ of the Keys and the place of the world famous 7 mile bridge. Marathon, too, is a major sportsfishing destination; it is also a popular for spearfishing and they have an open lobster season during the year, Marathon is a great place to try and catch a few. Big Pine Key is just a short distance past the famous Seven Mile Bridge where the Keys take that gentle westerly turn and is considered the start of the ‘Lower Keys’. This is the place where you can come to relax its a little less crowded and more natural than some of the other Keys. Probably one of the biggest draws to Big Pine Key is the National Key Deer Refuge, home of the adorable Key Deer, the smallest of the Virginia white-tailed deer; they are in danger of extinction and are therefore federally protected. Bahia Honda State Park is another draw to the area. You can picnic, take a swim, dive the reef, snorkel the shallows or simply relax on Sandspur Beach voted #7 on the Travel Channels top 10 Florida beaches. Key West is considered by some to be the crown jewel of the Keys but I don’t think that’s really fair considering its ALL good. Key West, however, is THE place to party in the Keys. Duval Street is famous for their bars and history, Mallory Square is famous as a place to enjoy the sunset and ensuing party that happens every night. The street vendors and performers are a sight to see. Every year around Halloween, Key West hosts Fantasyfest a party where people dress up and dance in the streets, its wild. The Keys are a great place to get married, have a honeymoon or a family reunion. You can dive, snorkel, fish or just lie on a beach and relax anywhere and everywhere in the Keys. You can dance and party the night a way, shop at one of the unique, quaint shops, or have a fabulous meal at one of the outdoor cafes all while enjoying a fruity tropical drink. In this day of people vacationing closer to home we Floridians are truly blessed to have such a beautiful Caribbean-style place to come visit without ever leaving ‘home’.

Our society has a distorted viewpoint of exactly what “fitness” consists of when attached to the word “physical”.  Close your eyes for a moment and imagine what physical fitness means to you.  Does your minds eye project an image of an oiled body on stage at a contest?  Maybe your imagination brings forth a slim, lithe young woman with a grim determination on her face as she crosses the finish line of a marathon.  Or is it possible that you catch a glimpse of an extremely muscled man as he flips tractor tires end-over-end during a Strongest Man contest.  Collectively these images portray individuals who have achieved fitness of their bodies through continued training.Hours and hours of curls give that oiled contestant the biceps and triceps that absolutely glow as he tightens up in his program.  Our marathon runner has developed the lung and leg power to complete that marathon, through miles and miles of training runs. As far as those tractor tires being thrown end for end…total commitment by the contestant is what gives him that power.  The theme common to their successes?  Workouts!  Workouts that usually bring to mind the gym, a fitness center or a running track.  All physical, strenous activity, that athletes engage themselves in to become the best they can be.So how does Yoga fit into this scheme of fitness?  Throw out that image of Yoga as someone sitting crossed-legged on the ground, hands in prayer position, while they endlessly hum a mantra. This view of Yoga is fine for those who just want to bury themselves in their mind waiting for divine knowledge.  The study and practice of Yoga consists of so much more than that, let’s explore a few.

Physical strength is mostly achieved by overworking the muscles, increasing the ability to perform whatever tasks you have set for yourself.  Couple this strength training with compatible Yoga exercises and amaze yourself at the overall aspect of improvement.

So there I am, running for the first time that morning, around the Cutty Sark. Already I was knackered. I could feel the cobbles hurting my feet and the sheer energy from the crowd, cheering and shouting support. All the cameras were on us as we turned the corner around the stern of this impressive ship. It was a truly inspiring moment.

As we turned the corner again and slowed back down to a fast, “power” walk, I realised that this was already becoming really tough. My lungs were burning gasping for air. My legs ached and I wondered how on earth I was going to get through.

Vince had said to me earlier on that morning as we stood amongst the 35,000 other contestants down at Greenwich Park that he would walk with me for the first part as he had a problem with one of his legs. I hadn’t realised at that time how much I was going to rely on him for support during the course of the day. We had walked hard, just short of a jog and tough nevertheless.

As we left the Cutty Sark and got back on the main road, he offered me a glucose tablet. He said that it would help give me energy. Somehow it seemed to work and I carried on as hard as I could go.

We talked a lot. He shared his experiences of running and raising money. He talked about all the people that used to come from the ships and support the event he was involved in over at Herne Bay. He provided me with more energy tablets and I could see the packet getting smaller and smaller wondering what was going to happen when we ran out.

We eventually reached Tower Bridge, the halfway point, and just before we left it, he told me that he was going to leave me now and try and run the second half of the race. A photographer snapped a picture of each runner as they came off the bridge and as I turned the corner I had the sudden awful feeling of “oh my God, I’m now on my own”. We were going down towards the Isle of Dogs and the “running crowd” had already started to thin out quite considerably. On the other side of the road however, were thousands of other runners all heading towards us. They had already been around the Isle of Dogs, which put them somewhere around eight miles ahead of me. This was another serious moment in which all the self-doubt came back. How on earth was I going to make it?

It is on the Isle of Dogs that you encounter the infamous 18 mile marker, the place where we runners are found lying on the ground, attended by medical staff having hit “the wall”. I was in no danger of getting to that point. All I need be concerned with was the state of my feet and the friction burns between my legs from my shorts. However, passing this place reminded me of the commitment people make to achieving the goal of completing the famous London Marathon. It was at this time that I realised that I was going to finish it, even if it did take me all day.

The crowds continued to cheer as I passed the pubs and bars at Tower Hill. As I struggled over more cobbles at The Tower of London, hundreds of onlookers carried on shouting their words of encouragement as they read my name on my shirt. By now it was even painful to raise my arm and wave back acknowledging their support but I knew I was going to finish now.

As I passed the boat moored at the Embankment on the Thames, where we would be celebrating our success all our own supporters came out to cheer me on one last time. Capt. Jack jumped in front of me, took a photograph and said “just a couple of miles to go Simon, keep going, you can do it”. I’ll always be grateful for that one last cheer. I knew the finish was two more miles but I was there. I could feel it. I knew I was slow. By this time even the street cleaners were out, sweeping up the thousands of discarded water bottles, and there was just a couple of hundred “runners” fighting their own personal battles to get to the end.

As I entered The Mall, I could sense the enormity of this street. I recalled the parades I had watched on television with the Queen at the Trooping of the Colour and so on. And finally, at last, I turned the corner and could see the finish post with all the colour coded lanes for different types of competitor, the elite runners, men, women, disabled and children. I broke into a jog for just the second time that day as I passed the post and the photographer took another picture. Someone came up and put a medal around my neck and I suddenly felt so alone. The crowds had all but gone. The lorries which would have been once full of competitor’s bags with their clothes were lined up almost empty. Support staff were clearing up and I realised I now had to make my way back to the Embankment, to the boat, and walk through Trafalgar Square in my running gear, with my medal around my neck, 7 hours and 19 minutes after I had lined up with 35,000 other people ready to experience something that many can only dream about. I was so proud of myself and yet so lonely and I knew I could not have made it without the support from Vince, from the crowd, from the many nameless people I had spoken to on route.

Six years on and that same pain is back and this time it’s worse. Ben Nevis is named so appropriately, Ben meaning mountain and Nevis derived from the Irish word “neamheis” meaning terrible and another Irish word “ni-mhaise” meaning no beauty. Whilst I don’t subscribe to the idea that it has no physical beauty, it portrays an accurate description of what climbing it is all about. Every step is exhausting. The first 650 metres took it out of me before the sun had even arisen. The uneven surface made up of rocks and boulders. We were lucky as the weather was kind. God knows what the experience would have been like in real rain or wind or severe cold.

I kept telling myself “one step at a time, one step at a time. Don’t look up, just one step at a time”. I reminded myself of that old joke “how do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time”. I was determined to achieve this as I had the London Marathon. I knew that I could achieve anything I wanted to, if I really believed in myself. It’s just a matter of perseverance.

It wasn’t long before I was dripping with sweat. The brief had recommended layers of clothing so I had two t-shirts on as a starting point. They were both dripping wet by the time we reached “the junction”. My rucksack was beginning to rub the bottom of my back and I was regretting packing all that we had been instructed to pack. By this time, I became aware that my breathing was difficult already. Every breath was painful on my chest as my body struggled to get the oxygen it required. Each time we stopped I focused on the beauty of the area. The surrounding mountains, the trees, the mist around the summit and at these moments I enjoyed being there. Then the group would start off again and I would come back to the reality of the task in hand.

It wasn’t long before I began to doubt myself. As we crossed the first bridge I guess I knew it was not a case of whether I would have to let myself be beaten but more a case of when. Then I got back into “one step at a time mode” and found a new inner energy. I was going to make it whatever it took.

We got a little respite for a short while on “Lochan Rise”, just after “Windy Corner”. There were far less rocks and boulders and it was almost like a hard walk in the park for five or ten minutes. I didn’t know it then but that would be the last of it. It wasn’t long before we were back to the hard uphill struggle over rocks and boulders again. My breathing continued to be so difficult and I had become aware that I was falling behind. I was concerned with a young girl who also appeared to be in trouble with her breathing as she kept stopping to take some air. I used these opportunities to take 30 seconds break for my own body. These short but frequent breaks helped tremendously and I knew that I would make it if they would just allow us to make our own pace.

It was shortly after “John’s Wall Corner” that I heard the rear guide radio ahead for Wayne, the Chief Instructor, to drop back and I knew that the guides had been discussing my breathing. Wayne stopped me to ask how I was, asking if I had any undisclosed condition that he needed to be aware of. I responded that I hadn’t and I was OK, just needed to take it “one step at a time”. It was then I really knew that I would not be making it to the summit.

Shortly after this, we reached the “Red Burn Waterfall” stopping for lunch. This was halfway and I used the opportunity to rest. I couldn’t eat and I felt no inclination to have a hot drink. I was hot, dripping with sweat and by now we had our coats on as well to fend off the rain. My back was burning from the rucksack and my chest continued to feel so heavy. Every muscle ached and I reflected on what else Wayne had said – it wasn’t that I wouldn’t make it up the mountain that he was concerned about but I had to remember that I had to get back down again. Had I known how tough that was going to be I probably would have said “ok, enough’s enough”.

So we started off again and I kept thinking “one step at a time, just one more step”, but the pain in my chest returned. I just couldn’t get enough air in and this time it came back even harder. I looked up at the summit which was still covered in cloud and asked my Mum to give some guidance and it was then I knew. She would have said “you gave it your best, don’t kill yourself for me, you have nothing to prove” and I knew. This was the moment when I had to look up at this beast in front of me and accept that this time my sheer determination was not going to get me through. This time, we had a time barrier. This time the finish line was not the end, it was just halfway because you had to get back again. This time, I didn’t have the friend on my shoulder and the crowds to cheer me on at each turn. This time I had created a task where I was on my own. Yes, there were guides to support us and show us the way and there were 150 other people making the same trek, but this time I had set out on the trip on my own. I had wanted to use the time to meditate and reflect on my life. I wanted to be with nature and spend time thinking of my mother and I had deliberately not tried to participate with the wider group so that I could just have some time to myself. And this was likely to be my undoing.

I swore at the mountain. I swore at myself for being beaten. I just didn’t want to let go but I knew that it was not going to be. The guide radioed down and told them I was on my way and I turned around and watched the group disappear past “corner 1”. And then I was at peace for just a moment, just me, the mountain and my memories of my mother. I lit a cigarette for her and just soaked up the beauty of this place. The view was breathtaking. I seemed so high up and yet above me was the top of this enormous challenge and I knew that someday I would have to return.

Thank God I made the right decision. Thank God I had sought guidance from Mum. The journey back was worse than the climb. True, my breathing eased although it was still very hard but what I hadn’t appreciated was the stress going down these rocks and boulders would create on my knees and legs. Every step was now sheer pain.

Fiona, who had been waiting for me at the waterfall, had been feeling ill. She waited for me to reach her and guided me back to the junction where she stayed to wait for the rest of the group to come back down. We talked about her job, her family, what it was like to live in such a beautiful part of the world. I realised that the guides and the people from the organising company were all living their dream. I recalled reading about there being three types of people at work: those that simply turn up for the money, do the job and go home again; those that have career aspirations and give it their all for the money, the power, the status that goes with climbing up the corporate ladder and those that do what they are passionate about, serving their purpose and not seeing their role as work at all. I figured I had been in the first two places and now at last I was in the space of living my dream because work was no longer work but more a purpose, a fulfilment of my real place in the world.

I finally reached the “Nevis Bridge” again. I looked back at the mountain and felt I’d let myself down. I swore again at this bastard which had treated me so badly. I knew that I could have made it eventually but nature doesn’t care about personal challenge. I might not have made it back before dark and that would have caused all manner of problems. It was right that I turned back. It was right that I gave this mountain the respect it deserved. I had underestimated it. I had believed that sheer determination alone was enough and in this case it wasn’t. I reflected back to the London Marathon and had a sudden sense of the power of support from others. The sense that when faced with adversity having others around you to provide guidance, emotional support, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, could help you get yourself through so much. I thought of my mastermind group and Howard who had said “just visualise me running alongside you” and I had laughed because I knew that there was no way I would be running anywhere. I thought of all my sponsors and the faith they had in me. I thought of my wife and my daughter who had both dipped into their savings. Kim had not wanted me to do it. She worried about my fitness and she had been right in that respect but she supported me nevertheless, in the same way she always has.

There is so much to be said for the support others can give you. I had wanted to make some space for myself this weekend and I had achieved that. I had spent some time thinking about my mother. I had spent some time thinking about my life. I had raised much needed funds for a worthy cause and I had climbed Ben Nevis and given it my best shot.

You can not underestimate the power of team. The “team” had got me through the London Marathon. The “team” had not been present for me on that lonely mountain because I had not wanted them there. I won’t know what the end result would have been had I let them in or sought the team support. It’s not important now. I will return one day and I will take with me my “team” and know then that I will beat the mountain that beat me…this time.

Review

Any insider will relish the running descriptions. Any outsider cannot help but be fascinated by the inner workings of a big city marathon. —-Kathrine Switzer, author, Marathon WomanHal Higdon already knew as much as anyone could know about the history and insider workings of marathoning. Why not write a novel about one big-city race? Why not follow a tried-and-true formula–the hour-by-hour countdown to a major event–that allowed for maximum intersection of people and events, especially unexpected events, as the clock ticks down to the final minutes? Suspense builds, the reader turns the pages rapidly, eager to find out what the next minute will bring. Of course, I’m not going to reveal much more about what happens in Marathon. That’s up to you to discover. I’ll say this however: No matter how many marathons you’ve run, you haven’t yet run one as dramatic and surprise-filled as this one, the annual Lake City Marathon. The things that happen in Marathon are big (more…)

Wearing proper shoes for different types of running is vital. There are three different types of shoes that should be worn. For easy days and long runs, daily trainers work fine. For tempo runs, hill workouts, and races longer than 10k light weight trainers are the best choice. For track workouts and races shorter than 10k racing flats work great.
Daily trainers are the shoes that you will run the most mileage in. Make sure that your daily trainers are comfortable. I believe that all shoes should be comfortable right out of the box. The daily trainers that I wear fit so great that I am not afraid to run a 20 miler the first time I wear them. Shoes that need to be broke in are probably not the right type of shoe for your feet. Find out what type of foot that you have and then only purchase shoes that fall into that category.
Light weight trainers are great shoes for faster paced training. For tempo runs and hill workouts light weight trainers are the ticket. Light weight trainers have adequate cushioning and support to protect your feet and still are light enough for faster paced running. Be careful when buying light weight trainers. Make sure that you purchase the correct type for your type of feet.
Another great thing about light weight trainers is that they are light enough and stable enough for longer races. I personally wear trainers for half and full marathons. My own experience has been that my feet never hurt after half marathons, finishing a full marathon everything hurts. I would still recommend wearing light weight trainers for these race distances.
Racing flats are very light weight, usually less than 9 0z. Be careful with racing flats, finding the correct fit is extremely important. Don’t always purchase the lightest pair that you can find. I prefer racing flats with some support and cushioning. A few ounces of cushion and support are always better than becoming injured just to save 10 or 15 seconds in a 5k.
I personally would not recommend wearing racing flats in races longer than 10k. I have worn racing flats in a couple of half marathons and my feet were sore for days afterwards. Since I have worn light weight trainers exclusively my feet never hurt afterwards.
The most popular time to wear racing flats is during track workouts. The feeling of wearing light weight shoes during fast paced workouts is what makes racing flats so popular. I personally like to wear racing flats during all of my track workouts. There are others who wear racing flats only for a race. Choose which time works best for you.
There is a lot of discussion surrounding a person’s body weight and shoe selection. I am 6′1 and weigh 180lbs, so being a larger runner I still wearing light weight trainers and racing flats. I would recommend that each person decide for themselves if they want to wear lighter shoes.

I smoked my first cigarette when I was eleven years old. By the time I was thirteen I was smoking a pack a day. When I began to seriously attempt to quit in my early twenties I was often puffing down two packs, or nearly 40 cigarettes a day!

There were many unsuccessful attempts to stop smoking. I just didn’t seem to have the will power, the confidence, the strength to kick the habit. Living in New York City at the time, I watched joggers in Central Park with a lump in my throat. Running seemed like something I would never be able to do. These runners seemed to possess such freedom, something missing from my life as I lay prisoner to the cigarettes and habits I could not seem to overcome.

In my early twenties, not only was I struggling with the addiction to cigarettes, but I was also struggling with what to do with my life. I had a couple of bartending and secretarial jobs but with nothing more than an Associate’s degree, it didn’t seem likely a big career lay before me. Feeling lost, and often confused, an Aunt of mine suggested exploring the field of Physical Therapy. Her friend had just completed his degree. He liked the work and jobs seemed plentiful. I knew nothing about physical therapy. As I began to investigate the possibility, I was, little by little, taking the steps that would change the course of my life forever.

I went back to school to meet the academic requirements. I started volunteering at different hospitals and facilities to get a feel for the work. Once I decided on the path, my commitment had been made. Yet I felt hypocritical. How could I step into this field of health and wellness and be a smoker? How could I inspire others to take care of their bodies when I was sucking down cigarettes like candy?

Running was my way out. So I started, slowly and painfully. I didn’t quit right away. When I first started running I was still smoking. The first thing I did when I finished a run was light up. This went on for weeks, a little running, a lot of smoking. Finally the moment of truth arrived. This conflict of running and smoking was living in my body and mind. I could not do both. A choice had to be made.

I chose running.

Quitting was still hard. And my first real success at quitting didn’t put the habit behind me completely just yet. I applied to Physical Therapy schools and didn’t get in the first year. After the initial rejections there was a ray of hope. I made the waiting list at Stony Brook University on Long Island. Even though I did not get in that first year I was more determined than ever to reapply. I had invested everything in this decision to be a physical therapist, including my health. So I retook classes and upped my efforts.

I was accepted to Stony Brook University the second time around. The summer before university started, I lived on Fire Island cleaning houses. I was running every day on the beach and was up to 6 miles. I felt so strong. I even placed second overall for women in a 10K race at the end of the summer.

My dirty secret was I had started smoking again. I was so embarrassed. Here I was running, this supposed health nut now. Everyone I knew thought I kicked the habit but I would sneak back to the house from the beach to smoke a cigarette. I was so afraid of all the changes and uncertainty before me; moving to Stony Brook, starting school, being a bit older than most students, feeling insecure about my capabilities, that the cigarettes provided a comfort, a solace that only a smoker, or addict could understand. What would people think of me if they really knew how scared and insecure I was? I was so afraid of appearing weak.

There were a number of stops and starts before completely leaving cigarettes behind me and running the New York City Marathon helped me to never look back.

I decided to run the marathon in February of 1990.

The start of my training in February, until the actual race in November, took nine months. This period of gestation saw myself emerge from one who felt powerless in their addiction to cigarettes to one who had the power to do anything.

One of the biggest obstacles to training for the marathon was overcoming the resistance of my own mind. Of course the body needs conditioning to ready it for 26 miles but it was my mind that wanted to stop well before my body. I can’t do this anymore…enough….it hurts….I’m tired. Overcoming the resistance of my mind through training for the marathon has served me in so many aspects of my life.

Because no matter what we set out to do in life our mind will always get in the way of our growth and development. Our mind wants us to stay the way we are. Our mind wants us to feel safe and secure. There is nothing wrong with feeling safe and secure and certainly we need to feel safe and secure within our self to be able to venture into new territories.

But when we are attached to safety and security we become paralyzed to rise beyond the limitations that safety and security imposes on our life.

We need to develop our will in order to rise above the habits that limit us. For me running has been one of the most beneficial practices I have embarked on in my life and the New York City Marathon is one of its high points.

There were moments that felt like I couldn’t go on. Heading over the 59th Street Bridge on to 1st Avenue in Manhattan felt like climbing Mount Everest. You don’t realize how much of a climb a bridge is until you have run 15 miles to get there.

There were moments of inspiration. The streets of Brooklyn were full of crowds and music. Approaching 8 miles I heard the theme from Rocky playing. My heart pumped harder, my stride was stronger, I felt the power of running.

There were emotional moments. The race starts in Staten Island, 25,000 people running over the Verranzano Bridge. You can actually feel the bridge vibrating under your feet from the power generated by so many runners. At this point it is just you and the rest of the runners, each in their own race, with you yet against you in some way.

Heading into Bay Ridge Brooklyn the streets were so thick with people cheering, yelling and high fiving, it was incredible. I felt this overwhelming outpouring of love and support, especially in contrast to the relative silence of the bridge. I couldn’t hold back the tears. I was running in a sea of love and it felt beautiful.

There were moments of enlightenment. At twenty three miles, heading into Central Park for the last time, I knew I would finish the race but I had to stop for water before I could go any further. I suppose it is what people have called the wall. This was my first stop in the race. I had been taking water, pouring it into my body while still in motion. This time I had to stop before I could go any further. I drank water and started running again.

Shortly after that I saw my mother, brothers, sisters and their respective spouses. They were holding a banner high that read… KAREN, YOU DID IT! I still had three miles to go which at that point felt like it could have been another twenty-three. I didn’t want to disappoint them.

At twenty-four miles I went to a place I had never been to before. It was if everything within me; body, mind, heart and soul, shifted to some other inner gear. I was running….and it was effortless! EFFORTLESS! I had been running for three and a half hours now and I felt like I could have gone on forever. I was light, floating, higher than any substance has ever taken me. I rode that high for weeks.

And throughout the whole race I felt the love and support of my friends and family, cheering me on, in every borough, screaming for me as if I were some running star.

Those memories live within me forever. The accomplishment of running 26 miles is a reservoir of inspiration for me even 17 years later.

And I am still running, for over twenty years now. Although I never ran another marathon that moment still lives in me with inspiration and awe.

At 46 years old, there is no desire to run 26 miles again; at least not in one shot. I am grateful my body is still able to run, on the beach, in the woods, on the streets, in my travels. To be able to spend time outdoors, to breathe in fresh air and clear my mind serves me in all aspects of my life and is the blessing that running brings to my life.

I am grateful for the vehicle of my body that keeps on running.

I have lived in Florida over half my life and one place I’ll never get tired of visiting is the Keys. When I first moved down here and heard the word “Key” I had no Idea what that meant or what that was. I found out a “Key” is a derivative of the Spanish word Cayo, which means Small Island. The Florida Keys are a chain of small islands that begin about 15 miles south of Miami; the main chain swoops south-southwest for about another 120 miles or so over the highway. The Keys divide the Atlantic Ocean on their east from the Gulf of Mexico on their west, not a bad spot to be in. At the southern most tip, Key West, we are only about 90 miles from Cuba which has added its flavor and influence to the Keys. The Florida Keys are made up of a cluster of over 1700 islands in all, some of the main ones being Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and of course Key West. The Dry Tortugas are islands just off Key West but are uninhabited except for the tours and day trips over to them. Key Largo is considered the first key; it’s a great place to snorkel and camp and is known as the Diving Capital of the World” whether that is true or not the people who live, work and run the diving shops in the area would like to believe it and have us believe it too. Key Largo is also the home of John Pennekamp State Park which was the first underwater park in the U.S. and has the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S. Islamorada is next down the highway and is itself is made up of 6 different islands, it is known for great fishing both in the ocean and in the flats around the island. They have this great little place there called Robbies Marina that’s kind of famous as a place to feed the Keys favorite local fish the Tarpon. Many people from all over also come down to swim with the dolphins here, there are several places in Islamorada to do this. Next is Marathon, it’s known to be a great place for diving, snorkeling and spearfishing, they also have an open lobster season during the year. Marathon has several dolphin research centers that the public are welcome to tour, Islamormarda has one as well. Marathon holds a special place in my heart because it’s where I first fell in love with the Keys. The summer after high school a friends parents had a condo in Marathon and we went down to join them for the week. What a week it was, I’d never had so much fun. They had been going there for several years and had made friends so when we got there we already had a gang to hang out with. We played on the beach, got in the pool, hung out in the hot tub and of course, drank. The water was so blue, the breeze so warm and the palm tress all over made it look like a moving postcard. I’d just moved form Atlanta a few years before so I hadn’t seen anything like this – ever. I never wanted to leave but, alas, the week ended and we had to go, but I vowed I’d be back and I have been many times. Big Pine Key follows Marathon and is considered the start of the lower keys and near where you end up off the famous Seven Mile Bridge. The Seven Mile Bridge is something else; it’s been featured in several movies including ‘True Lies’ that starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Theres a certain feeling that washes over you as you’re driving over Seven Mile Bridge, it’s like the world melts away, if you’ve already been to the Keys then you know what I’m talking about. Big Pine Key is a great place to just relax; it’s quieter and more unspoiled than some of the other Keys. It’s a great place to get back to nature, take a trail by land or water, or just sit and be still. The National Key Deer Refuge is on Big Pine Key. The Key Deer are the smallest of the white-tailed deer and are federally protected because they are endanger of extinction, there are only about 700 in the herd. They are so tiny, cute and sweet you just want to cuddle one, but you can’t. Then there’s Key West, what can I say? I’ve been to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and I can honestly say that Duval Street in Key West rivals it for fun, fantasy and people watching. Home of the world famous “Duval Crawl”, the ORIGINAL pub crawl, Duval Street starts to party with the setting of the sun. Seriously, the city goes out to Mallory Square to watch the spectacular sun set, street performers and the fanstatic boats in the water. There are several great places to eat at Mallory Square, local vendors line the boarwalk selling their arts and crafts and in the air there’s just a general sense of fun. Key West is a great place to get married too. I got married in a garden there by a great little guy who called himself “Admiral” and in his younger days looked just like Sonny Bono. What a great place. If you asked me where in the world I’d like to go and know for certain I was going to have a good time, I’d have to ask to be dropped off in Key West or hey, anywhere in the Keys would be good, I’d make it to Key West, eventually.

If I could take one thing back from all the ironman training I did over the years, it would be the thousands of laps I did in the pool with the hopes of thrashing out a faster swim time.
If you are an age grouper or a novice Ironman, there is really no point in spending hours and hours in the pool if you are already at the point where you can easily handle the distance. To devote your valuable training time to enable you to complete the swim 4 or 5 minutes faster is a very poor return on your time investment.
It seems that there are many ironman athletes out there who push way to hard in the swim. The excess energy you burn in that opening leg is simply not recoverable and won’t be there for the bike and run.
I firmly believe the reason so many people hit the wall in the marathon, is because they expended so much in the swim. The bike leg just finishes the job of depleting your resources.
There’s no medal for swimming fast. There’s not even a t-shirt if you swim fast and don’t cross the finish line. Even being the very first out of the water means little is you can’t put three events together.
Take for example Kona, 1984. The winning swimmer was Djan Madruga. You might be asking yourself, “who the heck is he?” My point exactly. Djan was a world class swimmer and he beat the likes of Dave Scott, Mark Tinley and Mark Allen out of the water that day. However, Djan ran a 4:47 marathon and Dave Scott ran a 2:53.
This is where my theory comes in of running an Ironman like your energy, strength and endurance are all contained in a full glass of water when the start gun sounds.
Try and avoid expending half of that glass of water before you even get on the bike. That means your glass could well be down to the last quarter—or less, before you even put on your running shoes. I really believe there is a direct relationship between the Ironman shuffle and a poorly executed swim.
I remember the race where I finally began to understand pace and how best to nurse that all important glass of water right up to the last mile of the marathon.
It began with learning how to swim easier–or–more efficiently, and not faster. I learned how to relax in the water and to use looooonnnng, smoooooth, strokes. I couldn’t believe how good I felt in the swim-bike transtion. I probably used less than a quarter of that glass of energy.
For the first 40 km. of the bike I let myself get into the rhythm of the change of demands on my body before I settled into the race pace I felt I could hold for the remaining 140 km.
I could “not” believe the run. Normally, it was a struggle from mile one. This time I seemed to settle into a rhythm that I could maintain from the very beginning and the usual tiny voice telling me to walk because it hurt so much, never appeared.
To emphasis my point, I remember beginning to count the athletes I passed as the marathon progressed. It was a way of keeping my mind occupied and when I reached 350 that I had passed, I just quit counting, because it became a chore there were so many.
Needless to say, everyone I passed was either faster than me in the swim, on the bike, or in transition—or all three. The whole point is, it doesn’t really matter how fast they were up to that point if they’re walking now. Why spend hours and hours learning to swim faster if you’re going to walk most of the marathon?
Just do the math. Say I’m running about an 8:15 pace like I did that year, from start to finish, and I pass someone at mile 10 and they have begun to walk and end up walking most of the marathon? They’ll probably cross that finish line about 2 hours after me. That’s the same person who swam faster and biked faster than I did. I had half a glass of water left and they were on empty at mile ten of the marathon.
I believe the best place to empty that glass is about 1 kilometer from the finish line. Its about there that the fan support has grown to huge proportions and most important of all you can hear the race announcer at the finish line. Those two happenings will carry you to the finish line. At that point, nothing is going to stop you.
I also think its best to be on empty just before the finish, because like me, if you finish and feel great and have a fast recovery, you most likely crossed the finish line with a quarter of a glass left.
And hey! You don’t want to wonder years down the road if you left something out on the course that day.